IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING DIR
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles, Henry Westendarp, of 51, Lansdowne
Road, Kensington Park, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
and Daniel Dowling, of 85, Kennington Road, in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING DIR"
Scaled the 28th June 1870, and dated the 5th January 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry
Westendarp and Daniel Dowling at the Office of the Commissioners.
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 5th January 1870.
We, CHARLES HENRY WESTENDARP, of 51, Lansdowne Road,
Kensington Park, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and DANIEL.
DOWLING, of 85, Kennington Road, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING RIFLES," to be as follows:-
66
Our Invention has for its object the construction and arrangement of
the parts of rifles in such a manner as to produce increased simplicity
and economy of manufacture together with safety in the use thereof.

page_text: Our Invention consists in the first place in making inclined or screw
formed locking surfaces in the shoe at the front and back parts of the
wider part of the groove in which the bolt travels for the purpose of
locking and unlocking the bolt as required by screwing and unscrewing
the recoil block in the shoe.
Our Invention consists in the second place in the use of an extractor
with a hook at the front end for drawing out the cartridge case, and
another at the hinder end thereof in connection with the bolt travelling
along the bottom of the shoe and with one hooked end passing down an
inclined plane at the bottom of the shoe so as to allow the bolt to pass
for mounting or dismounting the rifle.
Our Invention consists in the third place in firmly locking the bolt by
causing the upper end of the trigger to pass through an aperture in the
shoe into another aperture in the bolt, thereby locking the bolt and shoe
together during the discharge of the rifle, thus preventing the liability
to unlocking and forming a safety lock.
:
Our Invention consists in the fourth place in the application to the
bolt of a lighter spiral spring than that employed to propel the striker
for the purpose of bringing back the striker within the head of the bolt
after firing, and thereby preventing the possibility of the end of the
striker coming in contact with the cap in the base of the cartridge at
any other moment than in the act of firing.
And our Invention consists in the last plače in forming a recess in the
centre of the head of the bolt round the end of the striker to the depth
required to clear the surface of the cap in the cartridge while at the
same time-backing up the rim of the cartridge.
E
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Henry Westenḍarp and Daniel Dowling
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
HENRY WESTENDARP, of 51, Lansdowne Road, Kensington Park, in the
'County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and DANIEL' DOWLING, of 85,
Kennington Road, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send greeting...

page_text: .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her. heirs and successors, give-
and grant unto us, the said Charles Henry Westendarp and Daniel
Dowling, Her special licence that we, the said Charles Henry Westendarp
and Daniel Dowling, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Charles Henry Westendarp and Daniel Dowling,.
our 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 BREECH-LOADING RIFLES," upon the condition, (amongst
others), that we, the said Charles Henry Westendarp and Daniel
Dowling, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Henry Westendarp, on
behalf of myself and of the said Daniel Dowling, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
Our Invention has for its object the construction and arrangement of
the parts so as to produce increased simplicity and economy of manu-
facture together with safety in the use of rifles.
Our Invention consists in the first place in forming inclined or screw
formed locking surfaces in the shoe at the front and back parts of the
wider part of the groove in which the bolt travels for the purpose of
locking the bolt for firing.
Our Invention consists in the second place in the use of an extractor
with a hook at the front end for drawing out the cartridge. case, and
another at the hinder end for connection with the bolt travelling along

page_text: the bottom of the shoe, and with one hooked end falling down an
inclined plane at the bottom of the shoe so as to allow the bolt to pass
for mounting or dismounting the rifle.
Our Invention consists in the third place in firmly locking the bolt by
causing the upper end of the trigger to pass into an aperture in the
bolt and thereby forming a safety lock. -
Our Invention consists in the fourth place in the application to the
bolt of a lighter spiral spring than that employed to propel the striker
for the purpose of bringing back the striker within the head of the
bolt after firing, and thereby preventing the possibility of the end of the
striker coming in contact with the cap in the base of the cartridge at
any other moment than in the act of firing.
•
And our Invention consists in the last place in forming a recess in
'the centre of the head of the bolt round the end of the striker to the
depth required to clear the surface of the cap in the cartridge while at 1
the same time backing up the rim of the cartridge.
In order however that our Invention may be fully understood and
readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe it more par-
ticularly by reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which are
represented the parts of a rifle above referred to.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
Fig. 1 is a side view of the central portion of a rifle.; Fig. 2 is a
plan or horizontal view of the same with the handle of the bolt down
and the bolt locked ready for firing; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section
of the same; Figures 4 to 17 represent different views of the bolt and 2
portions thereof. In these several Figures the same letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts..
A is the shoe, having a longitudinal slot as usual for the passage of
the bolt, and a widened part in the slot for the turning down of the handle
to lock the bolt. B¹ and B2 are front and back locking surfaces formed
in portions of screws in the shoe (see Fig. 2) so as to effect a more
complete locking of the bolt, between them by the turning down of the
handle N, N, ready for firing. By this means the locking part of the
bolt is screwed home with increased tightness, and it is unlocked with
equal facility by returning the bolt along the screw surfaces B¹ and B..
The shoe is also cut or formed so as to leave a projection at C which
fits into a recess C* formed in the end of the recoil block on the bolt.

page_text: By this means by turning the bolt a slight distance back the recess C*
is brought on to the projection C, and the bolt is securely locked at
half-cock, when the rifle can be safely carried even in a loaded con-
dition. D is the extractor, which is a double hooked piece of steel, one
hook at the front acting on the rim of the cartridge, the other at the
back acting with the bolt. The bottom of the shoe is grooved to receive
the bolt, the end of the groove being at such a distance from the end
of the bolt as to allow of sufficient draw of the extractor. The groove
in the shoc along which the extractor moves has an incline E, in
order to allow the back hook of the extractor to pass down sufficiently
to clear the bolt and admit of its being withdrawn, in order to dis-.
mount the rifle and make it unserviceable if required. In order to
throw out the empty cartridge case when drawn back by the extractor,
an ejector F is or may be inserted and fixed in the side of the shoe
opposite to the wider part of the slot therein. The ejector F consists
of a spring inserted in a groove in the outside of the shoc, such spring
being fixed at one end by a screw and having a projection on its other
end passing through an opening G in the shoe allowing, the bolt to pass
over it by pressing back the spring, the reaction of which spring serves to
eject the empty cartridge case after the bolt- has been withdrawn. H
is the bolt which has an aperture H* to receive the upper end I of the
trigger Q, which also passes through a hole formed in the bottom of the
shoc. By this means the bolt is locked firmly and forms a safety lock.
K is the plunger, having on it an enlargement L, which forms the stop
for the spiral spring M for projecting the striker N; O, is a lighter
spiral spring for taking back the end of the striker N within the head
of the bolt N*, so as to prevent the possibility of this striker coming
in contact with the cap in the cartridge at any other moment than in
the act of firing. The front end of the enlargement L of the plunger
is recessed to receive the catch hook P on the end of the spring P*, by
which catch hook the plunger is held back during the closing action,
but the. recess is cut through in a part corresponding with the firing
position of the bolt, thereby allowing the said catch hook to be drawn
down by the tail picce of the trigger acting on the spring po for the
5 discharge of the rifle. The head of the plunger is screwed and tapped
to receive either a striker or a needle, as the rifle is adapted for the use
of either of such instruments for firing. In order to allow the bolt to
be used either for a striker or a needle the head of the bolt is made to
unscrew so as to admit of the fitting of a head with an aperture of

page_text: suitable size. The head of the bolt H is or may be also recessed in the
centre round the end of the striker W to the depth required to clear
the surface of the cap in the cartridge while at the same time backing
up the rim of the cartridge. Q is the trigger, which has its pivot at q,
the tail piece at the front of which X serves to draw out the catch hook
P from the bolt when the trigger is pulled back. The same action on
the trigger causes its upper end I to pass through an aperture in the
shoe into another aperture H* in the bolt, thereby locking the bolt and
shoe together during the discharge of the rifle, thus preventing the
liability to unlocking and forming a safety lock. As soon as the finger
is removed from the trigger it is returned to its position by the spring
P✶ by which also the catch hook P is withdrawn and the bolt liberated
ready for opening the rifle to reload.
Figures 4 to 10 represent one system or mode of construction of the
bolt and plunger, and Figures 11 to 17 another system. Fig. 4 is a side
elevation, Fig. 5 is an underneath plan, Fig. 6 is a top plan, and
Fig. 7 a longitudinal section of a bolt; Figures 8 and 9 are front and
back end views of the same; Fig. 10 represents details of the plunger.
Figures 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 are corresponding views relating
to the second named system of bolt and plunger.
It will be seen on reference to the Drawings that by constructing the
bolt and plunger according to the second named system the bolt may
be made shorter than in the first named system. The difference between
the two systems or arrangements of the parts will be understood from
the representations of them in the several Figures without further
description.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and tlie
manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, we hereby
declare that what we claim as of our Invention is as follows:-
First. The inclined or screw formed locking surfaces for locking and
unlocking by screwing and unscrewing the recoil block in the shoe.
Secondly. The extractor travelling along the bottom of the shoe and
falling down an incline therein, so as to allow the bolt to pass for
mounting and dismounting the rifle..
Thirdly. The firm locking of the bolt by the upper end of the trigger
passing into an aperture in the bolt and thereby forming a safety lock.

page_text: Fourthly. The application of the plunger of a second spiral spring
(lighter than the spring for projecting the striker) to bring the striker
within the bolt head so as to prevent the possibility of the striker
coming in contact with the cap in the base of the cartridge at any
other moment than in the act of firing.
•
•
And, lastly. Forming a recess in the centre of the bolt head round
the striker, to the extent required to clear the outer surface of the cap
in the cartridge while at the same time backing up the rim of the
cartridge.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Henry Westendarp, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Seventh day. of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
5
CHARLES HENRY WESTENDARP. (L.S.)
WILLIAM SPENCE,
8, Quality Court,
Patent Agent.