IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE AND THEIR CARTRIDGES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Bryan O'Hea, of Greenwich, in the County
of Kent, late Captain in Her Majesty's Twenty-fifth Regiment, and
William Bullen, of Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN
CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE AND THEIR CARTRIDGES."
ARE ALSO
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Bryan O'Hea and
William Bullen, at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents. with
their Petition, on the 27th October 1868.
We, JonN BRYAN O'HEA, of Greenwich, in the County of Kent, late
Captain in Her Majesty's Twenty-fifth Regiment, and WILLIAM BULLEN,
of Brixton, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS. AND IN
CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE
TO BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE AND THEIR CARTRIDGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention is intended to combine all the advantages of a metallic
cased or metallic based cartridge with the economy and other facilities
connected with the use of a paper cartridge.

page_text: The invention is applicable to all breech-loading fire-arms wherein
the cartridge is pushed forward into the chamber or breech of the barrel
by means of a bolt, piston, or block swinging from the front or sliding
in a line with the axis of the same, and having the needle or striker
passing through the centre thereof, and may be said to consist broadly
in attaching a cup similar to (and answering all the purposes of) the
metallic base to the fore end of the said bolt, and using a paper cartridge
containing its own ignition, the base of the said paper cartridge being
placed in the said cup or metallic base before the cartridge is pushed
forward by the bolt. By these means one metallic base or cup may be
made to serve for a large number of paper cartridges, and thus a great
economy in the cost of the latter will be effected, at the same time that
the weight of a given number of rounds will be considerably reduced.
The metallic cap is attached to the fore end of the bolt or piston by
screwing, or otherwise, in such a manner that as soon as it becomes
deteriorated by use, and hence ceases to perform its function of pre-
venting the escape of gas, it may be readily removed and replaced by
another. The needle or striker passes through the centre of the metallic
cup and ignites the charge by striking against the fulminate contained
in a cap, which is perforated and provided with a flange and is placed
in the rear end of the cartridge in such a way that upon the explosion
taking place the flange of the cap draws out the base of the cartridge and
leaves the cup ready to receive another.
Any other simple arrangement for excracting the base of the paper
cartridge may be employed, or if preferred the base of the cartridge
may be closed by a wad or plug of compressed or ungranulated powder
containing a patch of fulminate in the centre.
The recess through which the needle passes is furnished with a disc or
ring of india-rubber or other suitable substance, which at the moment
of the explosion, being compressed endwise, expands both internally
and externally, and effectually prevents the escape of gas round the
needle.
It will be evident that our Invention is equally applicable to breech-
loading ordnance wherein the arrangements for closing the breech and
discharging the piece are similar to those above described with reference to
fire-arms.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Bryan O'lea and William Bullen in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th April 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Joun
BRYAN O'HEA, of Greenwich, in the County of Kent, late Captain in
Her Majesty's Twenty-fifth Regiment, and WILLIAM BULLEN, of
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing dat the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, ller heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Bryan O'Hea and
William Bullen, Her special licence that we, the said John Bryan
O'Hea and William Bullen, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Bryan O'Hea and William Brien,
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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH, WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE AND THEIR
CARTRIDGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Bryan O'Hea and William Bullen, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or one of 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 aud immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Bryan O'Hea and William
Bullen, 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 in writing, and on
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to
say:-
This Invention is intended to combine all the advantages of a metallic

page_text: cased or metallic based cartridge with the ecomony and other facilities
connected with the use of a paper cartridge.
The Invention is applicable to all breech-loading fire-arms wherein
the cartridge is pushed forward into the chamber or breech of the barrel
by means of a bolt, piston, or block swinging from the front or sliding
in a line with the axis of the same, and having the needle or striker
passing through the centre thereof, and may be said to consist broadly
in attaching a cup similar to (and answering all the purposes of) the
metallic base to the fore end of the said bolt, and using a paper cartridge
containing its own iguition, the base of the said paper cartridge being
placed in the said cup or metallic base before the cartridge is pushed
forward or entirely home into its place in the chamber by the bolt. By
these means one metallic base or cup may be inade to serve for a large
number of paper cartridges, and thus a great economy in the cost of the
latter will be effected, at the same time that the weight of a given
number of rounds will be considerably reduced, and the necessity for a
cartridge extractor of any kind in the arm is entirely obviated. The
metallic cup is attached to the fore end of the bolt or piston by screwing.
or otherwise, in such a manner that as soon as it becomes deteriorated by
use, and hence ceases to perform its functions of preventing the escape of
gas, it may be readily removed and replaced by another. The needle or
striker passes through the centre of the metallic cup and ignites the charge
by striking against the fulminate contained in a cap, which is perforated
and provided with a flange, and is placed in the rear end of the cartridge
in such a way that upon the explosion taking place the flange of the cap
draws out the base of the cartridge and leaves the cup ready to receive
another.
Any other simple arrangement for extracting thebase of the paper cartridge
may be employed, or if preferred the base of the cartridge may be closed by a
wad or plug of compressed or ungranulated powder containing a patch of
fulminate in the centre.
The recess through which the needle passes is furnished with a disc or
ring of india-rubber or other suitable substance, which at the moment of
the explosion, being compressed endwise, expands both internally and ex-
ternally, and effectually prevents the escape of gas round the needle. In
some cases the ignition of the fulminate when placed at the extreme.base
of the cartridge may be caused by the simple percussion of a bolt or striker
against the rear end of the cup.

page_text: It will be evident that our Invention is equally applicable to breech-
loading ordnance wherein the arrangements for closing the breech and
discharging the piece are similar to or on any principle resembling those
above described with reference to firo-arms.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention for "Improve-
ments in Breech-loading Fire-arms and in Cartridges to be used
therewith, which Improvements are also applicable to Breech-loading
Ordnance and their Cartridges," we will now proceed to describe more
in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be
distinctly understood we 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 the
breech bolt or plug of a fire-arm of the description herein-before
alluded to, a, a, being the bolt and b, b, the metallic cup screwed to the
fore end thereof. It will be evident that this metallic cup answering
all the purposes of a metallic base (as previously described) is capable
of various slight modifications to adapt it to the particular principle of
construction of the fire-arm to which it is to be applied.
In the Prussian military weapon known as the "needle gun" we
propose to apply it in the manner shown in section at Figure 2, whilst
in the French military arm, known as the "Chassepot," and in the
several arms on a like principle it would be applied as shown at
Figure 3. In the former case the metallic cup b, b, is screwed into the
end of the bolt a, a, the needle c, c, attached to the bore end of the
striker d, d, passing through the rear of the metallic cup and being
sufficiently long to penetrate to the patch of fulminate in the centre of the
cartridge, as represented at e in Figure 4. In the French or "Chassepot"
rifle on the contrary the patch of fulminate e (see Figure 5) is placed at
the rear of the cartridge, and hence the needle c, c, Figure 3, does not
require to be so long. In this Figure the metallic cup is shown as
screwed on to (instead of into) the fore end of the bolt. In both cases
an india-rubber or soft metallic washer or ring ff, is shown as interposed
between the fore end of the striker and the base of the metallic cup to
prevent the escape of gas round the needle.

page_text: An improved method of igniting the charge by percussion or con-
cussion, instead of by perforation, which we propose to employ, is
illustrated at Figures 6 and 7. In Figure 6 the blow for igniting the
fulminate at the base of the cartridge is given by the percussion of the
striker d, d, against one end of a pin g, g, which is capable of a certain
-amount of motion in the opening through the base of the cup b, b, and
is provided with an india-rubber or other ring or washer f. f, as in the
former instance. By this means the blow is transferred from the
striker to the fulminate by means of the pin contained in the cup or
by a picket of wood or of other material contained in the compressed
powder, base as herein-after described. In Figure 7 the ignition is
effected by the concussion caused by the blow of the striker d, d, against
the exterior of the base of the metallic cup.
Figures 8 and 9 represent (partly in section), the improved cartridges
which we propose to employ in connection with the improvements above
described. ,, is the ordinary conical bullet, and b, b, the paper or
other cartridge case or envelope; c, c, is the ordinary charge of loose
granulated powder; and d, d. is a base or pellet of compressed powder,
perforated as shown. In Figure the paper or envelope is shown as
tied or twisted into a tuft at the base e, e, so as to enclose the perforated
pellet of compressed powder, the fulminate f, f, being represented as
situated in front of the latter and between it and the charge of loose
powder. In this case a wooden or other peg 9, 9, is employed to
transmit the blow of the striker to the fulminate, the tuft e, e, being
torn off before the insertion of the cartridge. The cartridge case of paper
or other material may be also formed entire without the tuft at the base,
the bullet being connected or held by this case at the other end in the
cartridge. By this means ignition of the cartridge is effected direct
through the wrapper. In Figure 9 the fulminate is represented as
situated at the extreme base of the perforated pellet of compressed
powder.
Figures 10, 11, and 12 are sections of three modes of perforating and
placing the fulminate in the compressed powder pellets.
Figures 13 and 14 represent, partly in section, further improvements
in cartridges. In Figure 13 (which corresponds in a measure with
Figure 9) the charge of powder is composed of three different qualities
,c, c³, separated or divided by perforated wads h, h, of compressed

page_text: powder (see Figure 15), and in Figure 14, which is also adapted to large
guns, the cartridge of which.is ignited, in the centre of the powder charge
or in the front of the same on the principle of the Prussian or needle
gun or similar arm, a wad of compressed powder i, i, (see Figure 16) is
placed about the centre of the charge, and contains the patch of
fulminate for ignition by perforation of the needle, or by the use of a
picket through the base of the cartridge, as before described. Bythe
above means we graduate and control to a certain extent a too rapid
combustion of the powder charge.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention
for "Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms, and in Cartridges to be
used therewith, which Improvements are also applicable to Breech-
loading Ordnance and their Cartridges," together with the manner in
which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, we would remark in conclusion that we claim as our Invention,―
Firstly. The employment of a metallic cup screwed or otherwise
fixed to the fore end of the bolt block or plug in fire-arms or ordnance
of the class herein-before referred to, substantially in the manner and
for the purposes herein described and set forth.
And, secondly. We claim the peculiar and novel construction of
cartridges containing their own means of ignition, as represented in the
accompanying Drawings and herein-before more particularly described,
or any mere modification or imitation thereof, constructed and operating
in substantially the same or in a similar manner.
2
In witness whereof, we, the said John Bryan O'Hea and William
Bullen have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventh
day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-nine.
30
(L.B.)
JOHN B. O'HEA.
WILLIAM BULLEN. (L.B.)
Witness,
BRISTOW HUNT,
Patent Agent and Solicitor,
1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn.