IMPROVEMENTS IN' SMALL-ARMS, AND' IN ARTILLERY, AND IN PROJECTILES FOR ARTILLERY
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Coope Haddan, of Bessborough Gardens,..
Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of
Sealed the 22nd August 1862, and dated the 24th February 1862.
what
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION' left by the said John Coope Haddan,
at the Office of the Commissioner's of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 24th February 1862.
I, JOHN COOPE HADDAN, of Bessborough Gardens," Pimlico; in the County:
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the" Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN' SMALL-ARMS, AND' IN ARTILLERY, AND IN PROJECTILES
FOR ARTILLERY" to be as follows:
My improvements embrace a mode or modes of manufacturing the sti
n stock's-of
rifles, with butts constructed so as to be capable of adjustment in respect of
the bearing they may take against the shoulder, so that for sighting different
objects, whether far or near, the position of the eye" or head, relatively to the
shoulder, may remain the same, the said mode or modes consisting of and in-
cluding the creating or providing for the adjustment by a part or parts of the
butt, being either jointed upon a hinge or pin, or joint placed longitudinally or
fitted upon dowel's' or pins, and removeable into different positions," and also the
creating or providing for the adjustment, by removeable pieces" to be fitted and
[Pri

page_text: removed as required, or disposed so as to fold into two or more positions, or by
means of a sliding joint or dovetail or other suitable equivalent contrivance.
Also the manufacturing the gun portions proper of field and other artillery,
by surrounding a comparatively light core or inner tube or gun of great
strength, such as "Mushet's metal," or steel, with a succession of girting pieces
or lengths capable of being screwed into each other by screwed socket fittings,
or of being otherwise screwed or fitted, or fixed together, and in some cases
the rearward length either holding a cascabel or a cascabel and breech end
to the gun, or forming the cascabel or cascabel, and breech end; the main
intention of the girting picces being to afford weight or resistance against
recoil, whether increased strength be or be not afforded by the addition:
Also, the manufacturing field and other artillery with and mounting them
upon a trunnion carrier to support itself so mounted on a frame or gun carriage
as to permit of a swivel or adjustment motion in a horizontal plane or nearly
so, and also constructing a point or swivel centre, on which the carrier or
support may turn as that it may be relieved of undue strain, and the furnishing
the carrier or support with parts or apparatus for entirely or partially trans-
ferring the strain from the pivot or centre to the body of the frame or gun
carriage and also the furnishing the carrier or support with the means of
working and adjustment.
Also, the manufacturing projectiles intended to centre themselves in the bore
of the gun as set forth in the Specification of Letters Patent, granted to me
and dated the 30th October 1854, and numbered 2305, by forming them with
the swivels or projections for receiving the twist situate at the rear of the
projectile and not at the front or forward portions, such swells or projections
being either solid, that is to say, cast or formed in one with the body of the
projectile, or separate therefrom, but fitted thereto.
Also, the manufacturing projectiles similar to those lastly above set forth,
excepting that in addition to hard metal swells or projections at their front or
forward portions or spiral ribs, or projections along them for centering such
portions the hard swells or projections at the rear are more especially intended
to impart the rotation, and further in combining therewith, at the rear or
base, a ring, or belt, or appendage of lead or other metal or material for
lessening the loss from windage.
Also, with reference to shells intended to burst and break up into fragments
the following special mode of manufacturing the cast iron pieces intended for
filling cases previously cast as. in the "Armstrong" shells, or for having cases
cast on to or around them, as in the "Britton" shells, that is to say, the casting
such pieces with thick parts and with thin or weak parts, so shaped as that

page_text: they may be fitted together in pairs or sets of pieces, the thick parts of, the one
fitting against the thin or weak parts of the other, and the thickness and form
of such weak parts being such that fracture may readily and easily occur.
And the manufacturing.spherical shell by casting a case on to or around a
number of separate pieces fitting together, and themselves also either easily
separable by fracture or otherwise so as to leave a chamber for the bursting
powder within the case, whether such chamber be situate in the middle thereof
or at or against the side and not in the middle thereof.
Also, the manufacturing that description of percussion shell which carries an
internal fuse, and in which the ignition of the fuse is caused by a sliding plunger
by forming the tube or passage within which the plunger slides of a conical or
enlarging form so that on the plunger sliding forward it may move with less
friction than if sliding within an uniform tube or passage, and so as to permit
the axial line of motion of the plunger to vary within the limits of the conical
form or enlargement of the tube or passage, from the axial line of motion of
the entire shell, in order the better to insure ignition when the blow is not
direct.
+
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Coope Haddan, in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd August 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
COOPE HADDAN, of Bessborough Gardens, Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Coope Haddan, Her special licence that I, the said John
Coope Haddan, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Coope Haddan, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN SMALL-ARMS, AND IN ARTILLERY, AND IN PROJECTILES FOR
ARTILLERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Coope
Haddan, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing

page_text: under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed. and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Coope Haddan, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:
My improvements in small arms embrace a mode or modes of manufacturing
the stocks of rifles with butts constructed so as to be capable of adjustment in
respect of the bearing they may take against the shoulder, so that for sighting
different objects, whether far or near, the position of the eye or head relatively
to the shoulder may remain the same, the said mode or modes consisting of
and including the creating or providing for the adjustment by a part or parts
of the butt being either jointed upon a hinge or pin or joint placed longitudinally
or fitted upon dowels or pins and removeable into different positions, or by
means of a sliding joint or dovetail or other suitable equivalent contrivance.
These improvements are illustrated in Drawing No. 1, in which Figures
1, 2, 3, are in elevation, longitudinal section, and transverse section respec-
tively of the butt end of a rifle stock in which the intended mode of adjustment
for sighting purposes is furnished by the part or piece A being hinged upon
the longitudinal pin or joint B, one end of which is supported by the metal
plate which ordinarily covers the whole of the extreme end of the butt, and
the other end by the fixed part or body C of the butt. The closed and open
positions of the piece A are both shewn in the Figures.
Figures 4, 5, shew two views of a modification of the foregoing, in which
the whole of the end of the butt, instead of a portion only, is capable of being
turned upon a hinge or pivot B which, in this case, is supported entirely from
one end.
Figure 6 is a further modification, in which the two positions of adjustment
(closed and opened) are provided for by the extreme end A of the butt being
made to fit upon a pair of metal dowels D, D, so placed as to accommodate
the end A in either of the two positions, the change being effected by pulling
the end A from off the dowels and inserting it on them again in the reversed
position. One or more additional holes may be provided in the end A so as
to provide for more than the above mentioned two positions.
Figures 7, 8, and 9, are illustrative of a further modification, in which a
variable amount of adjustment is provided by the two parts A and C of the

page_text: butt being fitted together by a dovetailed sliding fitting. I wish it to be noted
that in any of the above-described modifications screws, clamps, or other con-
trivances may be employed for fixing the parts in either or any of the positions
of adjustment, and I would remark that excepting where a variable adjust-
ment is provided these improvements are more especially suitable to small
arms intended for ranges exceeding five hundred or six hundred yards. And
further, I would remark that excepting as above set forth and described, I do
not propose securing to myself, as mentioned in my Provisional Specification,
the "creating or providing for the adjustment by removeable pieces to be fitted
and removed as required or disposed so as to fold into two or more positions.
My improvements in artillery consist in manufacturing the gun portions
proper of field and other artillery by surrounding a comparatively light core
or inner tube or gun of great strength, such as "Mushet's metal," or steel,
with a succession of girting pieces or lengths (or hoops). capable of being"
screwed into each other by screwed socket fittings, or of being otherwise
screwed or fitted and fixed together; and in some cases the rearward length
either holding a cascable or a cascable and breech end to the gun, or forming
the cascable or cascable and breech end, the main intention of the girting
pieces being to afford weight or resistance against recoil, whether increased
strength be or be not afforded by the addition.
These improvements are illustrated in Drawing No. 2, in which Figures 1, 2,
shew a plan and longitudinal section of a cannon of a construction adapted for
large sizes, say, such as from about eight to fifteen inches in the diameter
of the bore. a is the core or inner tube; b, a trunion ring or band with
trunions b, b, all of wrought iron, intended to be heated and shrunk on to
the core a; c, c, and c, c, are cast-iron hoops and a wrought-iron hoop, all
intended for weighting the gun to resist recoil. The hoops c, c, are to be
heated and shrunk on, one hoop c* is to be screwed to trunion ring, the other
hoop c to the first hoop c*, and the hoop d to be screwed to the second hoop c*
and also to the core, and the shape of this hoop d is such as to clip or hold.
the breech end e of the cannon; f is the cascable. The rearward hoop d may'
be in one piece with the breech end and cascable, if preferred.
In further illustration of the improvements, Figures 3 and 4 are modifica-
tions applicable to cannon of smaller dimensions, say, varying from three to
about six inches in diameter. In Figure 3, the rearward hoop d is simply
heated and shrunk on to secure the other hoops. In Figure 4 a cast-iron
trunion ring or band g, g, is substituted for the wrought-iron ring or band b,
shewn in Figures 1 and 2, and is cast in one piece with a hoop c*, and the
rearward hoop d is screwed to the core. And it is to be understood that in
=

page_text: different cases, the numbers of hoops to be used may be varied from those
represented, and that they may some of them or all of them be either cast iron
or wrought iron or other metal, as may be preferred.
would here remark, that I do not propose securing to myself, as mentioned
in my Provisional Specification, the "manufacturing field and other artillery
with and, mounting them,upon a trunion, carrier, or support, itself, so mounted
on a frame or gun carriage, as to permit of a swivel or adjustment motion
"in a horizontal plane.or nearly so; "nor the "constructing, a point, or swivel
centre on which the carrier or support may turn as that it may be, relieved
of undue strain, and the furnishing the carrier or support with parts,.or
apparatus, for entirely or partially, transferring the strain from the pivot or
centre to the body of the frame or gun carriage; "nor the "furnishing the
"carrier or support, with the means of working and adjustment."
Certain of my improvements in projectiles have especial reference, to projec-
tiles intended to centre themselves in the bore of the gun, as secured to me, by
previous Letters Patent. One of these improvements consist in forming them
with the swells or projections for, receiving the twist situate.at, the rear of the
projectile, and not at the front or forward portion, such swells, or projections
being either solid, that is to say, cast or formed in one with the body of the
projectile, or separate therefrom but fitted thereto. The Figures 5, 6, 7,
illustrate this improvement, m denoting the rearward position of the swells
(or buttons); and n. the position where heretofore they have been placed, but
now without them.
Other of these improvements consist in manufacturing projectiles similar to
those lastly above set forth, excepting that, in; addition to hard metal swells or
projections at the rear they are to have soft metal swells or projections, at their
front or forward portions, or spiral, ribs or projections along them for centering
such portions and to prevent or lessen injury to the rifle cuts or grooves of the
cannon, as hereafter explained, and the hard swells or projections at the rear
being more especially intended to impart the rotation.
And, further, in
combining therewith at the rear or base a ring or. belt,, or appendage of lead
or other metal or material for lessening the loss from windage.
These improvements are illustrated by Figures .8, 9, 10, and 11, 12,
respectively, in which the intended contact or rubbing action of the swells or
buttons upon the rifle cuts of the cannon is shewn, by dotted lines
representing (but not to scale) the width and inclination of one of such rifle
cuts, and by the rearward buttons at m and forward buttons at a being placed
with regard to each other at an inclination of twist slightly varying with that
of such rifle cuts, thus, not only preventing looseness or play, but also the

page_text: injury to the rifle cuts, which heretofore has been caused by the first impulse
or blow resulting from the buttons not being in close contact with the working
sides of the rifle cuts at the moment of discharge. This will be better under-
stood by defining as the working sides or surfaces of the rifle cuts and of
the hard metal buttons, those particular sides or surfaces against which the
hard metal buttons at the rear will rub or bear during discharge. The
amount of variation of twist or inclination above mentioned is to be such that
the one side of the soft metal buttons shall, during the act of loading, cause
the opposite or working sides of the hard metal buttons to bear against the
working sides or surfaces of the cuts when the shot is rammed home, and
previous to instead of at or in consequence of the discharge. In Figure 11, 12,
spiral ribs m, n, are substituted for the buttons me and n, as at Figures 8, 9, 10,
but the parts m and n of the ribs m, n, are hard and soft respectively, and
answer to the above description.
9
Figure 4 is intended to serve as an illustration of the manner of combining
with either of the two lastly mentioned projectiles, a belt of lead or soft metal
for spreading, and partially thus stopping or closing the "windage."
p denotes
a belt of lead so applied, and secured in the manner practised by Mr. Bashley
Britten, or in any other suitable manner..
I would remark that all the projectiles above described are intended to be
used with steel or wrought-iron guns rather than with cast-iron guns; also
that I propose to make the rifle cuts or grooves in such cannon, each of about
from one-twentieth to one-twenty-fourth of the circumference of the bore, the
buttons on the projectiles being made to correspond, and that in some cases I
purpose somewhat narrowing or tapering the width of the rifle cuts towards
the breech end of the cannon, but which improvements in cannon form no part
of this Invention.
Also, certain of my improvements in projectiles have reference to shells
intended to burst and break up into fragments, and consist of the following
special mode of manufacturing the cast-iron pieces intended for filling cases
previously cast, as in the "Armstrong" shells, or for having cases cast on to
or around them, as in the "Britten" shells, that is to say, the casting such
pieces with thick parts, and with thin or weak parts so shaped as that they
may be fitted together in pairs or sets of pieces, the thick parts of the one
fitting against the thin or weak parts of the other, and the thickness and
form of such weak parts being such that fracture may readily and easily occur.
The "Britten" shells referred to have heretofore enclosed a quantity of
what may be termed compound missiles, that is to say, pieces intended them-
selves to become broken into fragments, and this object has been attained by

page_text: casting the missiles with small pieces of sheet metal, leaving only small necks
or thicknesses where the continuity of the casting was perfect. It is now
intended to dispense with these metal plates, and to gain the same object by
the form of the castings themselves without sacrificing their properly fitting
or packing together.
Figures 15, 16, and 17, 18, illustrate this improvement by two descriptions
of compound missiles, marked q, q, and r, r, in the Figures referred to
respectively. Each of the Figures 19, 20, shews one pair of pieces r, r³,
detached from the other pairs similar to them, shewn in the Figures 17, 18.
Figures 21, 22, shew a modification of the shapes of the pieces r, r, which
may be used instead of the shapes represented at the previously mentioned
Figures.
!
In all the shells, Figures 15 to 22, the outer casing or shell proper s may
be either cast upon the compound missiles, as is shewn by the Drawings, or
they may be so cast as to admit of the missiles being afterwards packed within
them. The shape of the compound missiles is always to be such that when
packed a space or powder chamber may be left.
Also, my improvenients in projectiles consist in the manufacturing spherical
shell by casting a case on to or around a number of separate pieces fitting
together, and themselves also either separable by fracture or otherwise, so
as to leave a chamber for the bursting powder within the case, whether such
chamber be situate in the middle thereof or at or against the side and not in
the middle thereof.
Figures 23, 24, exemplify the intended construction. s is the case;
v, v; v, separate missiles or pieces fitting and packed together, or instead of
these compound missiles may be used (cast in manner somewhat similar to
those above described, but adapted for the purpose) a chamber is to be left
for powder either in the middle of (and preferably) at one side, as at w, in the
Figures. It is purposed to cast these shells by supporting the compound core,
consisting of missiles and loam (the latter representing the powder chamber,
and to be afterwards picked out) upon a rod passing through the fuse hole in
the cases and 'into the missile, so as to hold them. And to keep the missiles
properly packed it is intended to secure them either with wires lying in
recesses, as shewn in the Figures, or otherwise, to enclose them in a piece of
iron gauge wire, of size equal to about the hemisphere, and bent or pressed or
otherwise made to the spherical form, but continued a little over or beyond
the hemisphere, and which may be bent to clip the missiles or some of
them!
Lastly, my improvements in projectiles consist in the manufacturing that

page_text: description of percussion shell which carries an internal fuse, and in which the
ignition of the fuse is caused by a sliding plunger, by forming the tube or
passage within which the plunger slides of a conical or enlarging form, so that
on the plunger sliding forward it may move with less friction than if sliding
within an uniform tube or passage, and so as to permit the axial line of motion
of the plunger to vary within the limits of the conical form or enlargement of
the tube or passage from the axial line of motion of the entire shell, in order
the better to insure ignition when the blow is not direct. The intended con-
struction is similar to that of other percussion shells, excepting as to the form
of the tube or passage referred to, which is to be conical instead of being of
uniform diameter, as heretofore.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Coope Haddan, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
J. C. HADDAN. (L.S.)