IMPROVEMENTS. IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE SAME."
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Clarendon Ramsbottom Isherwood, of Ken-
sington, in, the County of Middlesex, "Officer in Her Majesty's 45th
Regiment, and Robert Warry, of Chatham, in the County of Kent,
Armourer Serjeant of the 3rd Depot Battalion, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS. IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE
SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Clarendon Rams-
bottom Isherwood and Robert Warry at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 21st August 1866.
We, JAMES CLARENDON RAMSBOTTOM ISHERWOOD, of Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, Officer in Her Majesty's 45th Regiment, and ROBERT
WARRY, of Chatham, in the County of Kent, Armourer Serjeant of the 3rd
Depot Battalion, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE
SAME," to be as follows:-
Our Invention, as far as it relates to fire-arms, consists in improved means
or arrangements for operating the needle in central fire-arms, and is applicable
not only to constructing new arms but to converting Enfield and other muzzle-
loading rifles into breech-loaders.
fa)
Our improvements consist mainly of a block carrying the needle and fitted
in a needle case, and of a wedge and a lever connected to the wedge for

page_text: operating the needle, all as hereafter described. At the rear of the barrel
we form a chamber to receive the needle case, which is hinged to the side
thereof, so that it may when required be turned out of the chamber to allow
of a cartridge being inserted. In converting muzzle-loaders this needle case
may be formed from a piece of the barrel. In the needle case we fit a block
free to move to and fro in the case, but prevented turning by one or more
projections or recesses on its surface, taking in or on to one or more recesses
or projections on the inside of the case; this block carries at its front end the
needle, and its rear end is formed with a recess extending across to points on
its surface diametrically opposite each other, and one edge of each side of the
recessed portion is chamfered off. In this recess is fitted loosely a wedge,
which when caused to turn, as hereafter explained, forces forward the needle
block and consequently the needle; the wedge is carried on a piece which is
free to turn in the needle case, and at the back of this piece we attach a
lever, shaped so that the hammer falls upon it when the is fired.
gun
The action is as follows:-Supposing it is required to load, the hammer is
placed at half-cock and the needle case is turned on its hinge by means of the
lever out of its chamber; a cartridge is then inserted and the needle case
returned to the chamber, and it is unnecessary to press the case quite home,
as this is effected by the hammer. The hammer is next placed at full-cock,
and when the trigger is pulled the hammer comes down upon the lever, turns.
it partly round together with the piece to which it is connected and the wedge
carried by this piece. The wedge is thus caused to ride over the chamfered
edges of the recessed portion of the needle block, and as the wedge cannot move
backwards the block is thereby forced forwards, and the needle strikes the
cartridge and explodes the charge. When the hammer is again placed at half-
cock the needle block and needle are returned by a spiral spring to their
normal position.
Our improvements in cartridges which are especially intended for breech-
loading fire-arms constructed as before described are as follows:-We con-
struct the case or shell for containing the powder of a tube closed at the end
next to the bullet or shot, and after inserting the powder we close the other end
by a cap formed with a flange to fit over the tube; on the centre of the back
of this cap is a projection or nipple with an aperture through it, and through this
projection or nipple we place the percussion cap or friction powder; over this
cap we place a wad of about the same diameter as the tube, and formed with
a recess to fit over the percussion cap. When the explosion takes place the
whole of the cartridge is driven out of the gun, except the wad and the caps,
the flange of the flanged cap expanding to prevent escape of gas, and the wad

page_text: and caps are pushed into the barrel in front of the next cartridge, so that the
wad serves to lubricate the barrel. The tube may be covered with cloth or
other suitable material to keep it from contact with the barrel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Clarendon Ramsbottom Isherwood and Robert Warry
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st February 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
CLARENDON RAMSBOTTOM ISHERWOOD, of Kensington, in the County of
Middlesex, Officer in Her Majesty's 45th Regiment, and ROBERT WARRY, of
Chatham, in the County of Kent, Armourer Serjeant of the 3rd Depôt
Battalion, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six; in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her. heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said James Clarendon Ramsbottom. Isherwood and Robert Warry,
Her special licence that we, the said James Clarendon Ramsbottom Isher-
wood and Robert Warry, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said James Clarendon Ramsbottom Isherwood and Robert
Warry, 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 FOR THE SAME," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said James Clarendon Ramsbottom
Isherwood and Robert Warry, or one of us, 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 and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Clarenden Ramsbottom
Isherwood and Robert Warry, our do hereby declare the nature of our said

page_text: Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being bad to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
Our Invention, as far as it relates to fire-arms, consists in improved means
or arrangements for operating the exploding needle or pin in central fire-
arms, and is applicable not only to constructing new arms, but to converting
Enfield and other muzzle-loading rifles into breech-loaders.
Our improvements consist mainly of a block carrying the needle and fitted
in a needle case, and of a wedge and a lever connected to the wedge for
operating the needle, all as hereafter described. At the rear of the barrel we
form a chamber to receive the needle case which is hinged to the side thereof,
so that it may when required be turned out of the chamber to allow of a
cartridge being inserted. In converting muzzle-loaders this needle case may
be formed from a piece of the barrel. In the needle case we fit a,block free
to move to and fro in the case, but prevented turning by one or more pro-
jections or recesses on its surface, taking in or on to one or more recesses or
projections on the inside of the case. This block carries at its front end the
needle, and its rear end is formed with a recess extending across to points on
its surface diametrically opposite each other, and one edge of each side of the
recessed portion is chamfered off. In this recess is fitted loosely a wedge,
which when caused to turn, as hereafter explained, forces forward the needle
block and consequently the needle; the wedge is carried on a piece which is
free to turn in the needle case, and at the back of this piece we attach a lever
'shaped so that the hammer falls upon it when the gun is fired.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a view of the left-hand side,
Figure 2 a view of the right-hand side, and Figure 3 a plan of a fire-arın
constructed according to our Invention; Figure 4 is a plan of the breech
chamber with the needle case removed; Figures 5 to 13 are views in detail.
A is the barrel, the rear of which is removed on the upper side to form a
chamber B to receive the needle case C which is hinged to the barrel, so that
it may when required be turned out of the chamber B, to allow a cartridge
to be inserted. Figure 5 is a top view, Figure 6 a bottom view, and Figure 7
a back view of the needle case C detached. In the needle case we fit a
block D, shown detached in top view in Figure 8, in bottom view in Figure 9,
and in back view in Figure 10; this block is free to move to and fro in the
case, but is prevented turning by a recess a on its surface, taking on to a
piece b, Figure 11, fitted into an aperture c in the under side of the case C,
so as to constitute an internal projection. The block D carries at its front
end the needle E, which works through an aperture in a piece F which closes

page_text: the front end of the case C; the rear end of the block D is formed with a
recess d extending across to points on its surface diametrically. opposite each
other, as seen in Figures 8 and 9, and one edge of each side of the recessed
portion is chamfered off, as shown. G, Figure 12, is a wedge fitted loosely
in the recess d, and carried on a piece H, which is free to turn in the needle
case C, and closes its rear end. To the back of the piece H we attach a
lever I, shaped so that the hammer J falls upon it when the gun is fired. The
piece H, as also the wedge G and lever I, are kept in place. by a piece K,
Figure 13, which is inserted through an aperture e in the top of the needle
case C, and by a screw f, which is screwed partly into the piece K and partly
into the needle case C at the side of the aperture e; 9 is a recess on the
-needle case at the left side to receive the lever I .when forced down by the
hammer. A-spiral spring. is fitted round. the needle E between the block D
and piece F. h is a pin on the back face of the chamber B chamfered on its
upper edge; this pin prevents the needle case C being lifted out of the
chamber B by a slight accidental upward blow against the lever I, and also
assists in forcing the needle case tight against the rear of the barrel.
The action is as follows:-Supposing it is required to load, the hammer is
placed at half-cock and the needle case C is turned on its hinge by means.
of the lever I out of its chamber B;'a cartridge is then inserted into the
chamber B and pushed forward into the barrel, and the needle case C returned
to the chamber, and it is unnecessary to press the case C quite home, as this
is effected by the hammer. The hammer is next placed at full-cock, and
when the trigger is pulled the hammer comes down upon the lever I, turns it
partly round (to the extent allowed by the recess g), together with the piece H
to which it is connected and the wedge G carried by this piece. The wedge G
is thus caused to ride over the chamfered edges of the recessed portion d of
the needle block D, and as the wedge cannot move backwards the block D is
thereby forced forwards and the needle protrudes through the piece F, strikes
the cartridge, and explodes the charge. When the hammer is again placed at
half-cock the needle block and needle are returned by the spiral spring to
their normal position, and the return of the needle block also returns the
wedge G, piece H, and lever I to their normal position. The fire-arm herein-
before described may be fitted with any convenient form of extractor if
required.
Our improvements in cartridges which are specially intended for breech-
loading fire-arms constructed as before described are as follows:-We con-
struct the case or shell for containing the powder of a tube closed at the end
next the bullet or shot, as shown at a, Figure 14, and after inserting the

page_text: powder we close the other end by a cap b, formed with a flange c to fit over
the tube; on the centre of the back of this cap is a projection or nipple d with
an aperture through it, and upon this projection or nipple we place the percus-
sion cap e or friction powder. Over this cap we place a wad of about the
same diameter as the tube a and formed with a recess, as shewn, to fit over
the percussion cap e. When the explosion takes place the whole of the cart-
ridge is driven out of the gun, except the wad f and the caps band e, the
flange of the flanged cap 6 expanding to prevent escape of gas, and the wad
and caps are pushed into the barrel in front of the next cartridge, so that the
wad serves to lubricate the barrel. The tube a may be covered with cloth or
other suitable material to keep it from contact with the barrel.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we delare that we claim,―
First, constructing breech-loading firé-arms, arranged and acting sub-
stantially as herein-beforè described and represented in the accompanying
Drawings.
:
Second, constructing breech-loading fire-arms in which the exploding needle
or pin is driven forward under the action of the hammer by a lever, wedge, and
recessed 'block, substantially as herein-before described.
Third, constructing cartridges for breech-loading fire-arms, substantially as
herein-before described with reference to Figure 14 of the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Warry, for myself and on behalf
of the said James Clarendon Ramsbottom Isherwood, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven.