IMPROVEMENTS IN BREACH-LOADING FIRE- ARMS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Adams, of King William Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREACH-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS." A communication.
Sealed the 5th December 1854, and dated the 7th September 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Adams at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th September 1854.
I, ROBERT ADAMS, of King William Strect, in the City of London, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREACH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an improved construction of breach-loading
fire-arms, by which all escape of the exploded compounds from the breach end
of the barrel will be prevented. For this purpose I construct the breach end of
the barrel of a gun or other fire-arm with a chamber to receive the charge,
into which the end of a sliding stop or plug fits, and is retained (when the
discharge takes place) by a lever or projection on the slide (such projection
being turned over in front of a stop or projection on the barrel). On the inner
circumference of the chamber which receives the charge a ridge is formed, and
in loading this fire-arm I employ bullets made of metal which is capable of
expanding by the force of the explosion; and I first introduce a bullet without

page_text: cartridge, and by means of the sliding plug I force it beyond the ridge on
the chamber, where it will be capable of sliding a sufficient distance into the
chamber of the barrel to admit of a cartridge and bullet being introduced
behind it, the explosive compound being then contained between the two
bullets in the chamber. The sliding stop or plug will then be forced into the
chamber and retained, as before stated; and when the discharge takes place
the back end or base of the last bullet introduced will be expanded against the
end of the sliding stop and the ridge within the chamber, by which a close joint
will be formed, to prevent the passage of the exploded charge from the breach
end of the barrel; the bullet behind the charge of powder being left in the
chamber when the discharge takes place, such bullet being forced beyond the
ridge previous to inserting the next charge, the sliding plug being capablo of
sliding a short distance into the chamber for that purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Adams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
ADAMS, of King William Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert Adams, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Adams, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Adams,
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 BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,"
(communicated to me from abroad,) upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Robert Adams, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Adams, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention has for its object an improved construction of breech-loading
fire-arms, by which all escape of the exploded compounds from the breech end
of the barrel will be prevented. For this purpose I construct the breech end of
the barrel of a gun or other fire-arm with a chamber to receive the charge,
into which the end of a sliding stop or plug fits, and is retained (when the
discharge takes place) by a lever or projection on the slide (such projection
being turned over in front of a stop or projection on the barrel). On the
inner circumference of the chamber which receives the charge a ridge is
formed, and in loading this fire-arm I employ bullets made of metal which is
capable of expanding by the force of the explosion; and I first introduce a
bullet without cartridge, and by means of the sliding plug I force it beyond
the ridge on the chamber, where it will be capable of sliding a sufficient
distance into the chamber of the barrel to admit of a cartridge and bullet
being introduced behind it, the explosive compound being then contained
between the two bullets in the chamber. The sliding stop or plug will then be
forced into the chamber and retained, as before stated; and when the discharge
takes place the back end or base of the last bullet introduced will be expanded
against the end of the sliding stop and the ridge within the chamber, by which
a close joint will be formed, to prevent the passage of the exploded charge
from the breech end of the barrel; the bullet behind the charge of powder
being left in the chamber when the discharge takes place, such bullet being
forced beyond the ridge previous to inserting the next charge, the sliding
plug being capable of sliding a short distance into the chamber for that
purpose.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Figure 1 shows a side view of a gun arranged according to my Invention,
and with the sliding stop or plug drawn out, so as to open the chamber to
receive a cartridge; Figure 2 shows a plan of the same; Figure 3 also
shows a plan of the gun, with the plug in its place ready for firing.
Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section of the gun in the same state. A is
the barrel of the gun, at the breech end of which there is the chamber B.
C is the stop or plug, which slides into and out of the chamber B. On the
slide C is a projection D, which, when the gun is ready for discharging, rests

page_text: against the shoulder E, at the back of the chamber B. F is a handle, which
turns on a hinge, and is attached to the projection D on the plug C. The
chamber of the gun is opened by turning the handle F over from the left to
the right hand side of the chamber; then the piece G, on the handle resting
on that side of the chamber, prevents it from turning down when pressed upon
to bring the plug into the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. To charge the
piece, in the first instance a single ball of lead or soft metal, and of the form
shown in Figure 5, is first placed in the chamber, and the chamber is closed
by forcing the plug again forwards, and turning the handle over to the left-
hand side of the chamber, and thus forcing the ball into the position of the
first ball H, Figure 4, that is to say, with the enlargement at back part of
the ball resting at the ridge I, at the entrance of the barrel; the plug is then
pushed still further forward, the projection D entering into the notch K at the
fore part, and on the left-hand side of the chamber B; thus the ball is pushed
beyond the ridge I. As soon as the pressure is removed from the bolt it is
brought back to the position shown in Figure 4 by the spring L, which, when
the bolt was forced forward, was pressed downwards by the stud M, being
acted on by the inclined side of the notch N in the bolt C. m is an adjusting
screw passing through the end of the spring L, by which the height to which
the stud M rises is regulated, and by turning the screw m, so as completely to
withdraw the stud M from the notch N, the bolt C may be taken completely
out. To proceed with the charging of the gun: the chamber is again opened
by throwing the handle over from one side to the other of the chamber, and
then drawing the bolt out as before. During these motions it will be seen by
the Figures 6, 7, and 8, (which show respectively a side view, a plan, and an
end view of the bolt, with the handle turned down,) that the stud M will have
passed out of the notch N and along the groove O, the length of which
regulates the distance to which the bolt C can slide. A cartridge H, in which
the powder is placed in front of the ball, is now laid in the open chamber,
and the plug is pushed back, thus forcing the cartridge and the original ball
into the position shewn in Figure 4, that is to say, until the first ball just
enters the rifling grooves. The piece is now ready for discharging.
When the discharge takes place the hinder ball is forced strongly against
the plug C, and the back of the ball is expanded, so as to completely prevent
any escape of the gases. Afterwards for again charging the piece the plug C
is pressed forward, so as to clear the remaining ball from the ridge I, and the
chamber is opened to receive the cartridge as before. When it is required to
withdraw a charge, it is done by opening the chamber and forcing the charge
backwards with the ramrod.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the exact details described; but what I claim is, the constructing and
arranging of a breech-loading fire-arm in such manner that the escape of the
gases at the breech is prevented by a ball in the rear of the charge, which is
forced by the explosion against the closing plug of the breech.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Adams, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
ROBERT ADAMS. (L.S.)