IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING FIREARMS AND CARTRIDGES."
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Waller Prince, of No. 88, Piccadilly, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIREARMS AND CARTRIDGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Waller Prince
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th September 1865.
I, FREDERIC WALLER PRINCE, of No. 88, Piccadilly, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare, the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES," to be as follows:-
These improvements consist of adding to a plunger (with lugs forming the
segment of a screw for closing the breech end of fire-arins) a hollowed fore
end in which works a needle or striker, so that the said plunger when turned
home presents a portion of the said needle or striker to the front of the
hammer, and when the lock is cocked and the trigger pulled the said needle
or striker is driven into or against the cartridge. The needle or striker is
withdrawn either by the action of a spiral spring or by projections acted
on by the hammer. The gun may also be adapted for those metallic
For metallic based centre-fire cartridges commonly in use, or for those in
[Price Sd.]

page_text: which the percussion powder is contained in the flange by the addition of a
grappler to withdraw the cartridge case, the said grappler being either worked
by a lever attached to the plunger or by a moveable projection on the exterior
of the barrel. To prevent accidental discharge in the act of placing the
hammer from full to half cock the nipple may be replaced by a spiral spring
or other suitable buffer so formed that the blow sufficient to pierce the
detonating powder will require the full weight of the main spring, the act of
merely letting the hammer down by hand being insufficient to cause the
explosion of the detonate.
My improvement in cartridges consists of a tube attached to the ball, the
top of which tube, or that portion which enters into the ball, is to be filled with
fine powder or other explosive matter. the remainder of the tube with ordinary
fuse or other slow burning composition, and the base with a percussion cap or
patch of percussion powder, the same being acted on by the needle when
driven through or against it, or the said tube may project beyond the cartridge
case and be capped when required for use; or the same ball and tube may
be used with ordinary cartridge cases without containing (or having attached
to it) any means of ignition. the fuse is then acted on by the explosion of the
gunpowder, the said explosion being produced by the ordinary means,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederic Waller Prince in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERIC
WALLER PRINCE, of No. 88, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Frederic Waller Prince, Her special licence that I, the said
Frederic Waller Prince, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I. the said Frederic Waller Prince, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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

page_text: Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND
CARTRIDGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I. the said Frederic
Waller Prince, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing 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 immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederic Waller Prince, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet.
of Drawings, that is to say:-
These improvements consist of a plunger with lugs forming the segment of
a screw for closing and securing the breech end of fire-arms, the said plunger
being hollowed and having a conical fore end, in which works a needle and
striker, so that the said plunger when turned home presents a portion of the
said striker to the front of the hammer, and when the lock is cocked and the
trigger pulled the said needle or striker is driven into or against the cartridge.
The needle or striker is withdrawn either by the action of a spiral spring or
by projections acted on by the hammer. The gun may also be adapted for
those metallic or metallic-based centre-fire cartridges commonly in use, or for
those in which the percussion powder is contained in the flange by the addition
of a grappler to withdraw the cartridge cases, the said grappler being either
worked by a lever attached to the plunger or by a moveable projection on the
exterior of the barrel. To prevent accidental discharge in the act of placing
the hammer from full to half cock the nipple may be replaced by a spiral
spring or other suitable buffer so formed that the blow sufficient to pierce the
detonating powder will require the full weight of the mainspring, or the said
buffer or spiral spring may be placed inside the hollow plunger containing the
needle, the act of merely letting the hammer down by hand being insufficient
to cause the explosion of the detonate.
My improvement in cartridges consists of a tube attached to the ball, the
top of which tube or that portion which enters into the ball is to be filled with
fine powder or other explosive matter, the remainder of the tube with fuse
or other slow burning composition, and the base provided with a percussion
cap or patch of percussion powder, the same being acted on by the needle
when driven through or against it, or the said tube may project beyond the
cartridge case and be capped when required for use; or the same ball and tube

page_text: may be used without containing (or having attached to it) any means of
ignition, the fuse is then acted on by the explosion of the gunpowder, the said
explosion being produced by other means.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Improve-
ments in Breech-loading Fire-arms and Cartridges." will now proceed to
describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may he
performed or carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be
distinctly understood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings
illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof, that
is to say
In the annexed Drawing. Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of a military
rifle showing the adaptation of my Invention thereto, the breech being closed
and the hammer at half cock.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the same as seen from above, the breech being
represented as, open and ready for the introduction of the cartridge: Figure 3
is a transverse section of the breech, and Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of
the same showing the striker and needle projected forward as in the act of
discharging the piece. It will be seen on referring to the Drawing that the
breech a, a, is represented as screwed on to the rear end of the barrel which
would only be done when altering a gun to this principle. In making a gun
originally according to my Invention the breech end would be formed of one
piece with the remainder of the harrel.
Figure 5 is a view of the reverse side of the plunger to that seen in
Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of my improved cartridge.
The breech end a, a, of the barrel is bored out rather larger than the working
bore of the gun, and is fitted with a plunger b, b, furnished with a conical fore
end. c. and also provided with two hugs d, d, the rear edges of the said lugs
being slightly inclined so as to form as it were a section of a screw, and when
partially turned round to force the conical fore end e, c, tightly into its bed at
the rear end of the barrel. The plunger b, b. is parily hollowed, and in it
works a portion of the striker e, e, carrying a needle j, j, which passes through
This
a small hole in the centre of the conical fore end c, c, of the plunger.
portion e, e, of the striker is also furnished with a projecting catch h, h, which
(when the plunger is pressed home and partially turned) takes into a notch y. g,
in the other portion ex, ex, of the striker which works in a slot i, i. the said
parte, ex, being furnished with two pins k, l, projecting one on each side of
the hammer 1, 1, in such a manner that when the hammer is drawn to full
cock both portions of the striker (and with them the needle) are drawn back,

page_text: and when the hammer falls on pressing the trigger the striker and needle are
driven forwards, and the latter by perforating the rear end of the cartridge,
explodes the charge. To the front of the portion c*, ex, of the striker is
attached a bolt m, m, which when the hammer is down comes above a pin n, n,
in the fore end of the plunger and prevents the latter from being turned (and
consequently from being withdrawn) until the hammer has been first drawn
back to half or full cock and thus renders it impossible to open the breech
until the needle has been drawn back into the cone. The rear end of the
breech is closed by means of a collar o. o, in which the plunger b, b, slides,
the said collar being provided with two openings through which the lugs d, d,
pass out and in. The collar is secured by means of a screw p (see Figure 2)
the point of which screw also answers as a directing pin to control the
movement of the plunger b, b, by working in a slot q, q, at the back thereof
(see Figure 5). I may here remark that if the plunger b, b, is made of the
same diameter throughout its length (excepting the conical fore end) the loose
collar o, o, may be dispensed with. A portion of the upper part of the breech
end is removed, as shown at r, r. so as to leave an opening through which
(when the plunger is drawn back as in Figure 2) the cartridge may be inserted
and partially passed into the rear end of the barrel in front of the plunger,
and the plunger is provided with a thin sheet steel cover s, 8, which encloses
this opening when the plunger is pressed forward, as in Figures 1 and 3. The
plunger is also furnished with a lever handle t, t, by means of which it can
be drawn backwards or thrust forwards and partially turned (say about
of a revolution) as shewn by dotted lines in Figure 3.
th
The action of my improved breech-loader is as follows:-The rifle being
held in the left hand in about a horizontal position with the butt under the
right arm, the hammer is first drawn back to half or full cock so as to draw
back the safety bolt m, m, and withdraw the needle f. f, into the conical fore
end c. c.
The lever handle t, t, is then grasped in the right hand and forced
over towards the left; this movement releases the catch h, h, on the part e, of
the striker from the notch g. g. on the part e, of the striker. at the same
fime bringing the straight part of the slot q, q, in a line with the directing
pin p. and also bringing the Ings d, d, opposite to the openings through the
breech end and collar o. o. The plunger is then drawn back into the position
shown in Figure 2, and the cartridge inserted into the breech through the
opening 7. r. The plunger is then pressed forwards into its original position
and locked by being forced over towards the right, which latter movement
screws the conical fore end c, c, firmly into the base of the barrel by means of
the lugs d, d, and at the same time replaces the catch h, h, in the notch g, g,

page_text: and thus locks the two parts of the striker together. The hammer being now
drawn back to full cock (if previously left at half cock) carries back with it.
the striker and needle, and upon the trigger being pressed the fall of the hammer
driving these suddenly forward will project the needle through the patch of
percussion powder or other detonating material at the rear end of the cartridge
or against the cap in the cartridge and thus explode the charge. In order to
allow of the free action of the portion e of the striker inside the hollow
plunger b, b, and (by preventing its moving therein excepting when acted on
by the hammer) to insure its always being in a position for its catch h, h, to
fall into the notch g', g', of the part ex, ex, when the plunger is thrust forward,
the part ex, is furnished with a small spring u, u. (shown in dotted lines in
Figure 5) which by its pressure against the inside of the plunger prevents
the part ex of the striker from altering its position as the plunger is drawn out
or forced forwards.
The construction of my improved cartridge will be readily understood on
referring to the longitudinal section. Figure 6, a, a, is a conical bullet having
attached to its base (by casting or otherwise) a hollow tube b, b, the upper
portion of this tube, or that which enters the base of the bullet, is filled with
fine powder or other explosive matter, and the projecting part with an ordinary
fuze or other slow burning composition; c. c, is the usual charge of gun-
powder; e is a flanged detonating cap (with an orifice at the side) held in its
place by choking or compressing the rear end of the cartridge case with a
wire or twine as shown at d, and g', g', is a greased wad or a patch of wax or
grease. The detonate, if preferred, may be placed in a papier-mache case or
thimble, or the patch or wad may be fixed on the exterior by a paper thimble
covering the rear end of the cartridge, the said wadding or patch being
attached to the base of said thimble. Upon the needle being driven
through the back of the cartridge it ignites the patch of detonating material
or cap e, and explodes the powder c, c, which projects the bullet with its attached
tube b, b, out of the barrel igniting also the fuze or slow burning composition.
The latter is so timed or arranged that by the time the bullet has travelled any
given distance it will communicate with the charge of fine powder or other
explosive matter inside the bullet, and burst or expand the projectile.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms and Cartridges," together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that I claim as my
Invention
Firstly, the improvements in breech-loading fire-arms, above described

page_text: and shewn in the annexed Drawings, or any miere modification or imitation
thereof constructed and operating in substantially the same or a similar
manner.
And, secondly, I claim the improved cartridge above described, one form of
which is shown at Figure 6 in the Drawing annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Waller Prince, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness.
GEORGE DAVIES.
Patent Agent,
1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn.
F. W. PRINCE. (L.S.)