Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-10-16
Improvement in Firearms.

The National htetljgencer publishes an ac-
count which we copy below, Of an important
improvement In the manner of priming firearms,
which, from this description, appears to be
greater advance upon the current practice than
was made by the introduction of the percussion
cap. This improvement, it seems, has received
thorough trial in the United States Army, and
is approved for military use:
Some time since patent was granted to Dr.
E. Maynard of this city, as the inventor of a new
system of pruning fire arms. The invention was
brought to the notice of our government, and it
was considered worthy of trial test its eti-
cheney. A joint board of distinguished officers
of the army and navy was appointed, and most
! severe and protracted trial was made,
The report made by the board was so full and
favorable, that the government appointed an
other joint board, with the anofal,in-Clief as
its president, to consider and report upon the
propriety of a purchase of the patent right for
government use. The board reported fayorably,
and the purchase was made.
Last year an order for a practical field trial
was given, and two hundred musket5 and thirty
thousand primers we're sent to Texas, where, for
four months, they were subjected by the United
States troops to the usual trials aud exposures Of
military arms in field service. The report OF
the officers entrusted with this trial, is alike
gratifying and credtable to the inventor, and in-
terestng to all military and gun-using persons.
A knowledge of its merits and advantages Sc
cures all that is now necessary to ensure the
adoption of this system, wherever the most per-
feet and efficient arms for military purposes can
be required, and where the same advantages are
appreciated for sporting guns, rifles, &c.
This invention is extremely simple; 1t changes
neither the model, weight nor action Of the gun,
and is applicable to any kind Of fire arms. The
arms used for the government trials up to this
time have been hint-ocks, altered so as to use
either this primer or the percussion cap The
very slight increased cost Of the arms upon this
system, is so inconsiderable, as to be covered by
the saving on five hundred primers, these costing
less than one fourth as much as caps.
So far as the act Of priming is concerned,
"the most difficult act the soldier has to perform
in battle, this invention mikes the gun auoma-
tic--it performs The act itse.f-and that too with
precision unattanabe by hand" without re-
gard to benumbed or bruised aud clumsy flu
gers. or awkwardness Of the soldier.
As may be supposed, the increase in rdPidity
of firing is very great--it is reported to be from
twenty-five to thirty per cent. ordinarily, and IN
der some circumstances, which cmbonass the
soldier, the increase would be some hundreds
per cent.
As under some of the European patent laws
a published description would debar the inven-
tor from obtaining patent, we will merely say
that this system differs entirely from those IN
which the delonaung materials is in the form OF
loose powder, (Forsyth's,) or in small pills or IN
metallic or other tubes, HeurtelonPes, S, NobeIs')
all which systems have been tried Tor military
purposes and have been abandoned; some Tor
insecurity or ineffcency, and some because
thew cannot be understood, handled, and man
ared by the common soldier The new system
is reported as safer than the cap heretofore re-
parded as the most safe,l and as being easily
understood, and managed with entire simplicity
and ease by the most untutored; and when once
applied to the gun, lasts, without the necessity
of being touched by the hand, for the duration
Of the longest battle. Some of our sportsmen
are partially acquainted with this invention, it
having been applied to Sharp's celebrated rifle
by Nppes and Butterfeld and mandatory
of the same arms and primer, upon very large
scale, is in progress at Hartford, Conn. The
Messrs. Remington, of Herkimer, New York,
celebrated for their barrels, both for the United
States and private arms, have recently compile
ted double-banel gun upon this system of pr-
ming, for the inventor. Its beauty, compRctness,