IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS."-A communication from
abroad by Leonhard Kastli and Charles Custer, both of Altstatten, in the
Republic of Switzerland.
Sealed the 2nd June 1863, and dated the 9th December 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 9th December 1862.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," to be as
follows:
This Invention of improvements in fire-arms has for its object to simplify
the construction of fire-arms by reducing the number of separate pieces of
which the arm is to be composed. This object is effected by constructing the
separate parts in such a manner as to cause each single piece to perform the
offices of two, three, or more of such pieces as are used in ordinary fire-arms
to effect the desired object. For instance, in an ordinary musket the lock,
including the two screws for securing it to the stock, is composed of fourteen
pieces, whereas the lock which forms the subject of the present Invention is

page_text: composed of only three principal parts, viz., the hammer, the lock plate, and
the spring. The screw of the lock is made to serve also to secure the lock to
the stock, and for holding the hammer. The spring is provided with a stud
which fits in a hole in the lock plate, and thereby is held in place, and at
tension. The outer end of the spring has two notches made in it for the pur-
pose of receiving a tumbler-piece, which is fixed on the inside of the hammer.
The other end of the spring also acts on the hammer, which is relieved by
means of the trigger from the notches at the first-mentioned end of the
spring.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th June 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year. of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," being a communication from Leonhard Kastli and
Charles Custer, both of Allstatten, in the Republic of Switzerland, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention of "Improvements in Fire-arms" has for its object to
simplify the construction of fire-arms by reducing the number of separate
pieces of which the arm to be composed. This object is effected by con-
structing the separate parts in such a manner as to cause each single piece to
perform the offices of two, three, or more of such pieces as are used in ordi-
nary fire-arms to effect the desired object. For instance, in an ordinary
musket the lock including the two screws for securing it to the stock is com-
posed of fourteen pieces, whereas the lock which forms the subject of the
present Invention is composed of only three principal parts, (viz.), the hammer,
the lock plate, and the spring. The screw of the lock plate is made to serve
also to secure the lock to the stock, and for holding the hammer. The spring
is provided with a stud which fits in a hole in the lock plate, and thereby is
held in place and at tension. The outer end of the spring has two notches
made in it for the purpose of receiving a cam piece, which is fixed on the
inside of the hammer. The other end of the spring also acts on the hammer,
which is relieved by means of the trigger from the notches at the first-men-
tioned end of the spring. From the above brief description it will be under-
stood that the lock is composed of only three pieces, namely, the lock plate,
the hammer, and the spring.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn these parts detached, and
also combined together to form a complete lock, and all drawn full size. The
lock plate and its spring may be arranged in two different ways, that is to
say, the lock plate may be turned either to point forwards, as seen in Figs. 1
to 9 in the Drawing, or it may be made to point backwards, as in Figs. 10'
to 16.
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 are side and edge views of the hammer detached from the
other parts of the lock. This form of hammer is adapted to one of the
arrangements of the lock plate shewn in the Drawing; Figs. 4 and 12 are
external side views of two forms of the lock plate; Figs. 8 and 15 are
internal side views of the same, with the hammer and tension spring
adapted thereto; Fig. 5 is an edge view of the lock plate; Figs. 9 and 16
are side views of part of a gun stock, shewing the two different modes of
arranging and adapting the lock plate according to the present Invention;
Figs. 10 and 11 are side views of the hammer employed in the arrangement
shewn in Fig. 16; 12 is a hole in the hammer to receive the centre pin or
screw on which the hammer turns; the oblong hole 15 is made to receive the

page_text: pivot pin 23 of the spring, which is shewn detached in elevation at Fig. 6,
and in plan at Fig. 7.
Another form of spring is shewn detached in elevation at Fig. 13, and in
plan at Fig. 14; 16 is a slot in the lock plate to receive the cam piece or
stud 14 (Figs. 2 and 3) on the hammer; 17 is a hole in the lock plate to
receive the stud 17b of the spring. The hammer fits snugly into a recess
made in the lock plate by a semicircular projecting piece 22, Figs. 4, 5, 9,
10, and 16. One of the arms of the spring rests upon a flat projecting piece
21, cast or formed on the side of the lock plate, and thereby forms a steady
support for the spring. Figs. 1 and 10 are outside views of the hammers;
Figs. 3 and 11 represent inside views of the same; and Fig. 2 is an edge
view of Figs. 1 and 3. In all these Figures 12 is the hole through which
passes the screw of the lock plate, and upon this screw the hammers turns;
Figs. 6, 7, 13, and 14, represent different views of the spring which in Figs.
8 and 15 is shewn mounted on the lock plate, and is kept in position by the
stud 17 and the lock 21, on which rests the shoulder 20 of the spring. A notch
18 is made in one branch or arm of the spring to receive the detent 14 of the
hammer; 19 is a discharging pin attached to the spring, so that by depressing
this pin by means of the trigger, the detent pin 14 of the hammer will be
released; 23 is the detent pin of the spring, and works in the slot 15 in the
lock plate. Two notches, 27 and 28, are made in the lower arm of the spring
to retain the hammer at half-cock and whole-cock.
indicates the interior of the lock plate, and in Figs. 9
In Figs. 8 and 15, 25
and 16, 24 represents
When the lock plate
the head of the screw upon which the hammer turns.
is turned to the front, as shewn at Fig. 9, the notch of the spring may be
made as seen at 18, Figs. 6 and 8, and when the lock plate is turned to the
rear, as shewn at Fig. 16, the notches may be made as seen at 27 and 28
Figs. 13 and 15.
The gun is cocked by bearing with the thumb on the upper part of the
hammer, which turns on its centre pin and compresses the spring. The detent
pin or stud 23 of the spring passes through the slot 15 in the lock plate, and
enters the hole 13 in the hammer, and therefore as the hammer is drawn back
the detent pin 23 is depressed, and will compress that end of the spring. In
this motion the detent pin 14 of the hammer bears upon the inclined plane 18
of the lower arm of the spring, and compresses this latter until the heel of the
detent pin 14 falls into the notch 18. The gun being then cocked, the fire-
arm may be discharged by pressing down the discharging pin 19 of the spring
by means of the trigger. The detent pin 14 of the hammer will then be
released, and the spring, by means of the pin or stud 23 on its upper arm, will

page_text: bring the hammer sharply down on to the cap, as seen in Figs. 9 and 16, and
will thereby explode the charge in the barrel.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Fire-arms," and
having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondents, I would observe that the several parts of
which the lock is composed admit of some modification without departing
from the nature and object of the Invention; I do not therefore mean to con-
fine myself rigidly to the precise arrangement and construction of parts herein
shewn and described; but I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters
Patent as aforesaid, the so combining and arranging the lock plate, hammer,
and spring of the lock, that these three parts may perform the offices of the
several parts of an ordinary lock as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)