IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND THEIR ACCESSORIES
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles André Felix Rochaz
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st July 1875.
I, CHARLES ANDRÉ FELIX ROCHAZ, of Paris, in the Republic of
France, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for “IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND THEIR ACCESSORIES," to
be as follows:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to a new arrangement of breech-loading
rifle or small arm of extreme simplicity; secondly, to a new form of
bayonet to be used therewith, and to the method of fixing it thereto,
and thirdly to an appliance for enabling the axis of the fire-arm to be
always kept perpendicular with the object at which it is pointed.
In carrying the first part of my Invention into practice I employ an
action box with my breech-loading rifle or small-arm composed of two
strong side plates with a front a strong cross piece to which the barrel is
attached, and connected at the rear by a flattened plate which unites to
the stock and carries the movable block. Within this frame is pivotted
the movable block of the breech; the front of this block is recessed for

page_text: the reception of the cartridge base, and forms when closed upon the
breech a strong and perfect obturator.
The closing block is composed of a skeleton or solid frame, in which
is a recess for the striker block to slide in, and be guided in its to-and-
fro travel. The base of the striker block is formed in a piece with the
mainspring, which is curved and lies in a recess in the face of the
trigger guard, to the lower end of which the mainspring is attached.
The trigger is composed of a strip of spring steel, and is attached to the
back of the striker block. The stem of the trigger passes down through
a hole in the flat of the trigger guard loop, in the front edge of which a
notch is formed for the reception of a nitched portion of the stem of the
trigger, where one acts as a catch to the other, serving as a full bent for
the retention of the striker and its block in their backward position, the
pull back of the trigger in the usual manner withdrawing the stem
from the notch, and permitting the mainspring to act for the striker to
impinge with force to cause the detonation of the charge.
The trigger guard with the mainspring and striker attached is fitted
to the closing block by screw pins, so that the whole of the action
may move as one body for the breech opening and the closing
operations.
The closing block is pivotted at its front lower end to a transverse
pin or bolt, which also passes through a lug projecting from the breech
face, the hole being so arranged that the end of the lug acts upon the
face of the mainspring and "sets" or "cocks" it and the striker, this
setting or cocking being effected automatically while the breech block
is being lowered.
The lower front end of the closing block is shaped to act upon the tail
piece of an extractor, the upper part of which when the opening of the
breech is effected quickly draws back the empty cartridge case, and
ejects it over the right arm of the firer, or down beside him. The rear
portion of the action box has a spring bolt fitted to act upon the closing
block, when home, to retain it in that position, which bolt can however
be released by the finger of the firer acting upon its tail piece when
preparing to open the breech. Or I may actuate the striker block from
the trigger by means of a tumbler and an interior spring. In this case
the striker block is pivotted within the lock in front of the trigger; the
nose of the tumbler takes beneath it, and a spring resting at one end
upon the striker block and at the other upon the tail of the tumbler

page_text: presses equally upon both. The advantage of this arrangement is that
a greater pressure has to be applied to the trigger in order to discharge
the arm.
By approaching the spring bolt and the trigger closely together the
discharge of the arm can be entirely prevented until the breech is
absolutely closed.
The next part of my Invention consists in constructing the bayonets
to be used with my breech-loading arms in a scooped out or semi-
tubular form, while their handles are formed entirely tubular. In this
shape they are carried, when not in use, upon the barrel of the arm,
where they are quite out of the way, and enable the inconvenience of
carrying a bayonet scabbard to be dispensed with. When they are to
be affixed to the arm the tubular handles are slid over the top of the
barrel, where they are keyed in a very simple manner.
In order to avoid any inconvenience with regard to sighting in con-
sequence of the bayonet being carried upon the rifle as just described,
I prefer to employ a system of lateral sighting. The fore sight is held
upon a pin projecting sideways near the muzzle of the gun, and the
back sight is composed of a scale, with holes therein, fixed to the side of
tho rifle a little in front of the lock plate. The bayonet before referred
to may also be used as a spade or scoop, the tubular part serving as a
handle. A trowel can also be fitted to it, which trowel or spade blade
can be attached to the stock while the rifle is being carried.
The next part of my Invention consists in using, for the purpose of
exactly regulating the direction of the axes of the barrels of both small
and large fire-arms, so as to bring them exactly into line with the objects
aimed at, a thin metal plate of a shape resembling a square, sur-
mounted by a triangle in which a hole is formed, so as to suspend it
upon the muzzle of the gun. The bottom of the metal plate is exactly
weighted, and it is so suspended that when the axle of the barrel is
exactly perpendicular to a true level the bottom of the plate is perfectly
straight. Thus by watching the plate and altering the position of the
gun in accordance with its indications perfect accuracy may be readily
obtained.