doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com The Woodward Automatic

One of the neatest, most elegant guns of all, is the JW&S Automatic patent; each of the 4 or 5 I've handled - all hammerless sidelocks - have the unusual detail of a roller bearing on the forward underbolt.

This is because the barrels take over the cocking of the action in there last few degrees of travel and Woodward being the conscientious people that they were, thought to remove as much friction from the leverage as possible.

I like the idea of virtual collection---easy on the pocket book for sure.
However, I would like to try the "real deal" on clay targets one day, maybe even some feathered creatures.

Yes indeed to both propositions. (1) The original "Automatic" was a self-cocking hammer gun; and (2) I have a virtual collection that includes one such Automatic hammer gun. This one is a rifle - a .577-500 BPE.











Again, I don't own this rifle and don't know who does own it. I scarfed the photos off the internet for my virtual collection.


On the other hand, I do own a fantastic hammerless Woodward Automatic double rifle in .450-400 3-1/4" BPE. I don't mind showing it off either:







More details are here: Woodward Automatic Double Rifle

Our good friend Eightbore was with me when I bought that rifle!

Curl

Curl:

That Woodward of yours must rank among the handsomest of double rifles ever made. The clean line of the upper tang, unmarred by top lever, is striking. You are very fortunate to be its custodian.

Rem

Something seems off with that line of thought, being that the barrels do the final cocking. I would much rather the underlever do the cocking of the hammers, until the sears catch. Just after that point is when I would want the sliding lock to clear the lugs allowing the barrels to open. I'd also want the forward lug to put the hammers into an overtravel state. The roller bearing reduces friction since you are overcoming the spring tension from the underlever spring and both main springs.

I guess it comes down to your interpretation of "cocking". I don't consider hammer overtravel to be cocking, since by using the word overtravel you've already established the sears have engaged the hammer/tumbler notch.

How the Scott Spindle won out is beyond my comprehension, it's only slightly more user friendly. With that you reduce the strength of the standing breach and action bar to do the metal removal for the spindle, and in the event it cocks by barrel movement you've got to make room for cocking rods or levers. More machining steps and complexity. Another drawback of barrel cockers is if things are out of time you get firing pin drag. The underlever cocking the hammers will never have that problem. For these reasons I'm in the process of building two(one paid for)back action SLNE hammerless double rifles using the Woodward automatic concept, minus the funky hammer blocks and in return adding true intercepting sears. Coming up with a way to speak to an ejector mechanism would add a little work.

Thank you very much!

Curl

In 1890, Lefever Arms referred to their hammerless gun as The Automatic. Apparently, it was a somewhat popular name.

That is a beautiful double rifle, Cptcurl, which you have so thoroughly documented.
I was puzzled at first with the lever on the left lock but after reading all the description I see it is a bolted side safety---there is a conventional top safety as well.
Beautiful double rifle!!!

Thank you kindly, Calgary Bill!

Curl