In- PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING: FIRE-ARMS."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Newton, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Gun and Rifle Maker, for the Invention of "In-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING: FIRE-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
¨ February 1864.
I, THOMAS NEWTON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Gun and Rifle Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to breech-loading fire-arms of that description in which
the igniting charge is contained in the cartridge, and is applicable to rifles,
carbines, and single and doubled barrelled fowling pieces. Underneath the
strap of the break-off I have a metal slide jointed to a lever inserted' and working
in the back of the break-off, which lever works in and actuates a. bolt or catch
which fits into a slotted projection on the under side of the barrel or barrels and
holds them firmly. This projection, when the barrel or barrels are locked, drops
through a slot in the body of the breech, and is caught and held firmly by the
before-mentioned bolt or catch, the bolt or catch being always pressed forward'

page_text: by a spring. A thumb-piece working in a slot on the top of the break-off is
connected to the before-mentioned slide, which actuates the lever and catch,
so that when the thumb-piece is pushed forward it relieves the catch from its
detent and lets the muzzle of the barrel or barrels drop, thereby raising the
breech end sufficiently for the insertion of the cartridges. When the barrels
are charged they are pressed back to their place in the usual way, when the
projection is at once seized and held firmly by the bolt or catch. The arrange-
ment may be varied when required by making the thumb-piece on the top of
the break-off to be pulled back instead of pressed forward, or it may be
placed at the side instead of on the top, the arrangement of the slide, lever,
bolt, and spring being varied accordingly.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Lettors Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
NEWTON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gun and
Rifle Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Newton, Her special license that I, the said Thomas Newton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Newton, 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," upon the condition. (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Newton,'
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 per
formed, 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 Thomas Newton, 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
(that is to say):
This Invention relates to breech-loading fire-arms of that: description in
which the igniting charge is contained in the cartridge, and is applicable to
rifles, carbines, and single and double barrelled: fowling pieces, and the
manner in which the said Invention is to be performed will be clearly under-
stood by the following particular description thereof, reference being had to
the figures and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which
Figs. 1 and 2, are outside views of the breech end of a breech-loading fire-arm,
having my improvements attached, and Fig. 8, & section. of the breech
detached from the barrel.
Underneath the strap a, Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the break-off, I have a steel
slide 6 jointed to a lever c, inserted and working in the back of the break-off,
which lever works in and actuates a bolt or catch d, which fits into a notched
projection e, Figs. 1 and 2, on the under side of the barrel or barrels, and holds
them firmly. This projection, when the barrel or barrels are locked, drops
through a slot f in the body of the breech, and is caught and held firmly by
the before-mentioned bolt or catch d, the bolt or catch being always pressed
forward by a spring 9, Fig. 3, lodged in a recess at the back of the breech.
A thumb-piece h, working in a slot i, on the top of the break-off is connected
to the before-mentioned slide b, which actuates the lever c and catch d, so
that when the thumb-piece is pushed forward as shewn by the dotted lines,
Fig. 3, it relieves the catch d from its notch or detent in the projection 6, and
lets the muzzle or muzzles of the barrel or barrels drop, thereby raising the
breech end sufficiently for the insertion of the cartridges. When the barrels
are charged they are pressed back to their place in the usual way, when the
projection is at once seized and held firmly by the bolt or catch.
The arrangement above described may be varied; when required, by making
the thumb-piece on the top of the break-off to be pulled back instead of
pressed forward, or it may be placed at the side instead of on the top, the
arrangement of the slide, lever, bolt, and spring being varied accordingly.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that I claim, the lever c, spring 9, and slide 6, connected to the thumb-
piece h, for causing the bolt to take into and hold the projection attached to
the bottom of the barrel or barrels, and the plan or method of inserting the

page_text: said lever and spring into the back part of the breech, for the purposes herein
described and as illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I; the said Thomas Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of our Lord One
" thousand eight hundred and sixty-four..
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Thomas Newton' in:
the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,.
Pátent Agent,
.
... Manchester..