IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING ARMS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Theophilus Murcott and Charles Hanson, of the Hay-
market, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Makers, for the Invention of
TOADDA Арма
"
Sealed the 11th February 1862, and dated the 15th August 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Theophilus Murcott and
Charles Hanson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 15th August 1861.
We, THEOPHILUS MURCOTT and CHARLES HANSON, of the Haymarket, in the
County of Middlesex, Gun Makers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING ARMS," to be as follows :—
Our Invention applies to those guns in which a charge chamber is fitted at
the rear of the barrel, and consists in arrangements hereafter described for
opening and wedging up the chamber for the insertion of the charge into it,
and for tightly and securely closing it prior to and at the discharge of the arm..
Behind the chamber for holding the charge we cut a slot across the metal in
a piece with the metal which forms the chamber, we then make a curved tail
on the rear and lower end of the metal; to the stock under the chamber we
hinge the front end of a lever, the rear end of which, when the breech is closed,
lies and is held by a catch against the trigger guard; between the front of this
lever and the trigger guard there is hinged a vertical wedge, so shaped that
upon the lever being brought down, that is, in a direction away from the trigger

page_text: guard, it takes hold of the curved tail on the charge chamber, causes it to play
upon a stud or bolt passed through the slot across the chamber, disengages the
chamber from the rear of the barrel, and causes it to tilt upwards at front to
receive a charge. On the lever being returned to the trigger guard, the vertical
wedge causes the nose of the chamber to descend, drives it forward into the
rear of the barrel, and rises to wedge and hold the whole chamber securely in
its place; the back of the wedge abuts against the rear of the chamber
frame.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Theophilus Murcott and Charles Hanson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th February 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THEOPHILUS
MURCOTT and CHARLES HANSON, of the Haymarket, in the County of Middle-
sex, Gun Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord. One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Theophilus Murcott and Charles Hanson, Her special licence that
we, the said Theophilus Murcott and Charles Hanson, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Theophilus Murcott and
Charles Hanson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Theophilus Murcott and Charles Hanson, or one of us, our executers
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one
of our or their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Theophilus. Murcott and Charles
Hanson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Our Invention applies to those guns in which a charge chamber is fitted at
the rear of the barrel, and consists in arrangement hereafter, described for
opening and wedging up the chamber for the insertion of the charge into
it, and for tightly and securely closing it prior to and at the discharge of the
arm. Behind the chamber for holding the charge we cut a slot across the
metal in a piece with the metal which forms the chamber, we then make a
curved tail on the rear and lower end of the metal; to the stock under the
chamber we hinge the front end of a lever, the rear end of which, when the
breech is closed lies and is held by a catch against the trigger guard;
between the front of this lever and the trigger guard there is hinged a vertical
wedge.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation, partly in section,
of so much of a fire-arm with the charge chamber closed ready for firing, as
will be necessary to explain the manner in which we carry our Invention into
effect; Figure 2 is a similar view of the same arm with the chamber open ready
for the insertion of the charge;. and Figure 3 is a plan of the rear end of
the barrel, with a box or case for the reception of the charge chamber.
a is the charge chamber, a detached view of the under side of which is given
at Figure 4; 6 is the slot in the metal behind the chamber a; and c is the
curved tail piece. The chamber a is laid in the box a', Figure 3, which is
inserted in a recess formed in the stock at the rear of the barrel d; e is a lever
free to move upon the stud f, passing through the lug g, connected to the
under side of the stock; h is a wedge, detached views of which are given at
Figures 5, 6, & 7. The wedge is free to slide in a groove corresponding in
shape with a notch k cut on the wedge; the wedge h passes through the stock
and is connected at its lower end to the lever e; the curved tail c lies under
the rounded edge m of the wedge h; l is a bolt passing through the side of
the stock and box a', through the slot b, and screwing into the box a' on the
other side.
The action is as follows:-Upon the lever e being brought down, that is, in
a direction away from the trigger guard, it takes hold of the curved tail con
the charge chamber a, causes it to play upon the stud or bolt 7 passed
through the slot 6, disengages the chamber from the rear of the barrel d, and
causes it to tilt upwards at front, as shown in Figure 2, to receive a charge.
On the lever being returned to the trigger guard, the vertical wedge h causes
the nose of the chamber to descend, drives it forward into the rear of the

page_text: barrel, and rises to wedge and hold the whole chamber securely in its place,
as shown in Figure 1; the back of the wedge abuts against the rear of the
chamber frame.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of a portion of a cone gun, fitted according to
my Invention. In this case the cone plug is depressed instead of being
raised.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim as our "Im-
provements in Breech-loading Arms," opening and closing the charge chamber
by means of a wedge made to act on the curved tail of the chamber through
a hand lever, substantially in manner herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Theophilus Murcott, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-two.
THEOPHILUS MURCOTT. (L.S.)