IMPROVEMENTS IN SMALL-ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and Foreign
Patent Offices, 24, Rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of
France, and 38, Porchester Terrace, Bayswater, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SMALL-ARMS." A communication from Etienne Bounin, residing at the
Hôtel of the Minister of the Marine and the Colonies, in Paris,
aforesaid, Lieutenant in the Imperial Navy, Knight of the Order of the
Legion of Honour, and Orderly Officer of His Excellency the French
Minister of the Marine and the Colonies, aforesaid.
Sealed the 26th March 1867, and dated the 15th January 1867.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 15th January 1867, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 24, Rue du
Mont Thabor, Paris, in the Empire of France, and 38, Porchester Terrace,
Bayswater, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SMALL-ARMS," a communication from Etienne Bonnin, a person resident at
the Hôtel of the Minister of the Marine and the Colonies, in Paris, aforesaid,
Lieutenant in the Imperial Navy, Knight of the Order of the Legion of

page_text: Honour, and Orderly Officer of His Excellency the French Minister of the
Marine and the Colonies, aforesaid, and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and made solemn Declaration that it is a com-
munication.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that
is to say:
The Invention communicated to me relates to improvements in the con-
version of small-arms from muzzle-loaders into breach-loaders.
These improvements are represented as being applied to a hand gun in the
accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 of which is a longitudinal view in elevation
of all the co-ordinate features thereof; Figure 2, a longitudinal section
through the centre of the same; Figure 3, a plane on top of the same;
Figure 4, a slightly inclined longitudinal view of the same; Figure 5, an
extreme back end view of the obturator or close-fitting breach lump; and
Figures 6 and 7 are a plane and a side view of the cartridge draw piece. In
the several Figures the same letters of reference indicate similar parts.
None of the parts that constitute the old muzzle-loader need be set aside,
they all remain intact, save that part of the barrel nearest the breach, the
chan ber of which must be cut in such a manner as to give an opening
like A, B, C, D; moreover, on the right side of this opening two tenons E
and must be brazed; the tenon E is about one line (two millimètres) in
advance of the opening, and the tenon F about five lines (ten millimètres) in
the rear.
The inside parts of the cavity, or that part of the barrel next to
that cut away, should be countersunk to a diameter equal to that of the lower
end or bottom (culot) of the cartridge, and a chamber countersunk to receive
the cartridge in that part of the barrel placed right in front of the cavity, so
that the edge of the lower end or bottom of the cartridge is behind and outside
the fore slice of the cavity. This cavity is hermetically filled up by a solid
tilted iron lump H, the outside form of which should be similar to that of the
barrel before being cut. This close-fitting piece or obturator has on its right
side a round rib, the projection of which is equal to that of the two tenons E
and F; the foremost end of this rib is wormed about half an inch (12
millimètres), and behind with a cylindrical hole of about an inch (25
millimètres). The lower part of the anterior extremity of the piece H is

page_text: cut, whilst the upper portion is scooped out in a circular manner, so as to
receive the bottom of the cartridge when adjusted and the obturator is
closed down. From the centre of this close-fitting piece or obturator runs
a tapering conduit to the middle of the swelling J, formed by the rear bulging
of the obturator H. In the said conduit slides a conical steel piece K, which
on striking the fulminating cap of the cartridge ignites it; the length of the
piece K is determined by the distance existing between the two orifices of
the conduit, and by the length of the course to arrive at the percussion cap;
the head of this piece K is sheltered from the liability of shocks, save that
caused by the cock L, by means of the cup inside the swelling J. The
extreme end of the cock striking the piece K should be made from the full
part of the old cock filed off to a conical shape, after having done away with
the scooped-out sides of the cup. The piece K is retained in the conduit by
the extremity of the screw M, which enters a longitudinal cavity in the
picce K, the length of which is equal to that needed to effect percussion plus
the diameter of the said extremity of the screw. The close-fitting breach
lump or obturator is furnished on the left side with a thumb piece N, in
order to raise it; it is held firm in its place when closed by the extremity
penetrating into a cavity O existing on its rear face, and by a conical spindle
moveable in a hole pierced horizontally in the old screwed part of the breach,
actuated by a spring Q fixed by the screw R. The rib of the obturator
receives at the back a stud S of about one inch (25 millimètres) screwed into
the tenon F, and in front the screw pin S¹, which is of two different sizes, and
the shoulder of which at a rests on the fore slice of the draw cartridge T. The
screw pin S¹ slides freely in the tenon E, so that the close-fitting breach lump
or obturator when open may be thrown backwards as far as the tenon F,
carrying along with it the screw pin S¹, and consequently the draw cartridge T
also, the tip G of which lodged in the right side of the rear slice of the
chamber rests on the fore part of the bottom of the cartridge and falls out of
the opening A, B, C, D. The right side of the opening cut in the barrel
being very low an empty cartridge case easily falls to the ground when drawn
out a little; to that effect the form of the cartridge case and that of the
chamber are slightly conical, so that they help this movement. The rear face
of the close-fitting breach lump or obturateur is rounded off in an inclined
plane at the lower part b, which the first touches the slice B, D, of the
opening A, B, C, D, when the obturator should be closed.
Having now described the nature of these improvements, and the manner
of bringing the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details above enumerated, as these may obviously

page_text: be modified without departing from the principle of this Invention according
to the special construction and intended applications of the fire-arms in which
they are adopted; but I claim as new and, original the different parts combined
which constitute those improvements, as also the manner in which they are
rendered co-ordinate, and especially,―
1°. The cutting of the rear part of the barrel chamber of old muzzle-
loaders to such an extent as allows of the introduction of the cartridge.
2°. The obturator of tilted iron H.
3°. The arrangement of that part of the fire-arm which preserves the
bottom of the chamber as the fulcrum on which bears the backward effort of
the gases.
4°. The two tenons E and F, and the partial boring of the rib and the
close-fitting breach lump or obturator for the drawing back of the same on
the stud F.
5°. The screw pin S₁ and its shoulder for the withdrawment of the draw
cartridge.
6°. The opening without hinge of the close-fitting breach lump or obturator.
7°. The draw cartridge T.
8°. The conical piece K.
9°. The swelling J rising on the obturator and its cup.
10°. The transforming of the full extremity of the cock into a tapering
beak by simply filing off the sides of the old scooped out ends."
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
II. BONNEVILLE. (L.S.)
II. BONNEVILLE. (L.S.)