IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Dalziel Dougall, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Gunsmith, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 6th November 1860, and dated the 7th May 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Dalziel Dougall
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th May 1860.
I, JAMES DALZIEL DOUGALL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Gunsmith, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the details connected with the
opening and closing of the breech in rifled or smooth bore guns, or pistols, and
has for object increased safety and durability, with extreme simplicity and
strength of the parts. In the class of arm to which the improvements are
more particularly applicable, the (barrel or) barrels in opening the breech are
mado to hinge upon a joint, so as to throw up and expose their breech ends,
which when closed abut against the "break off" or false breech. In forming
the hinge according to this Invention, the hinge pin is made eccentric at the
part fitting the half socket in the lug by which the barrels are held. The
hinge pin is made capable of being turned. by means of an external handle,
and when so turned its eccentricity causes a slight longitudinal movement to
be imparted to the barrels. This longitudinal movement is made to securely

page_text: lock the barrels with their breeches hard up against the false breech, and
held from rising up; this may be effected in various ways, thus, the holding
lown lug may be formed with a projecting tongue, which enters a socket
provided for it at the bottom of the false breech, or vice versa. The bottom
projecting part of the lug may also be made to lock down in the same way
by having its back end inclined backwards, the recess it fits being similarly
shaped to receive the projecting or overhanging part, the breech ends of tho
barrels may also be made to enter discous or annular recesses in the falso
breech, or the false breech may be made with raised dises entering the barrels,
when these are drawn home by the eccentric action of the hinge pin.
Instead of making the hinge pin eccentric it may be formed with a few
pinion teeth gearing with rack teeth on the barrel, or the pin may be carried
by the barrel, its teeth gearing with a rack formed in the "action" or forward
extension of the false breech.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Dalziel Dougall in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th November 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
DALZIEL DOUGALL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Gunsmith, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Dalziel Dougall, Her special licence that I, the said James
Dalziel Dougall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Dalziel Dougall, 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 James Dalziel Dougall, 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 naturo
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,

page_text: 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 I, the said James Dalziel Dougall, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
My said Invention relates to improvements in the details connected with the
opening and closing of the breech in riffed and smooth bore guns or pistols, and
has for object increased safety and durability, with extreme simplicity and
strength of the parts. In the class of arm to which the improvements are
more particularly applicable the (barrel or) barrels in opening the breech are
made to hinge upon a joint so as to throw up and expose their breech ends,
which when closed abut against the break off or false breech. In forming the
hinge according to this Invention, the hinge pin is made eccentric at the part
fitting the half socket in the lug by which the barrels are held. The hinge
pin is made capable of being turned by means of an external handle, and
when so turned its eccentricity causes a slight longitudinal movement to be
imparted to the barrels. This longitudinal movement is made to securely
lock the barrels with their breeches hard up against the false breech and held
from rising up. This may be effected in various ways; thus, the holding
down lug may be formed with a projecting tongue, which enters a socket.
provided for it at the bottom of the false breach or vice versa. The bottom
projecting part of the lug may also be made to lock down in the same way by.
having its back end inclined backwards, the recess it fits being similarly
shaped to receive the projecting or overhanging part. The breech ends of the
barrels may also be made to enter discous or annular recesses in the false
brecch, or the false breech may be made with raised discs entering the barrels,
when these are drawn home by the eccentric action of the hinge pin. Instead
of making the hinge pin eccentric, it may be formed with a few pinion teeth
gearing with rack teeth on the barrel, or the pin may be carried by the barrel,
its teeth gearing with a rack formed in the "action" or forward extension of
the false breech.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, and
carried into effect, a Sheet of explanatory Drawings is hereunto appended
showing several modifications of the improvements.
The same reference
letters mark the same or like parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a double-barrelled gun with

page_text: the improved lock-fast joint; Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section,
and showing the breech as open; Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section
of the "action," or forward extension of the false breech with the latter in
elovation; and Figures 4 and 5 aro end view and plan of the joint pin as
detached.
The "action" consists of a slotted projection having two sidos A, extending
forward from the "break-off," or false brecch B. The slot between the sides
A is cut so as to leave a part C, connecting these at the bottom for a portion
of their length, and also a bar D projecting from the break-off B. The
extreme ends of the sides A are bored across to receive the joint pin E, upon
which the barrels F hinge. That part of the pin on which the barrels hinge
is made eccentric, and to get it into its place the socket hole in one side of
"the action A is made large, and after the pin is in its place a ring e', Figure
5, is dropped over it into the hole and being fixed by a screw serves to hold
the pin in its place. The hinge joint is completed by the half socket formed
in the lug G forged on the barrels F, and by the half socket formed in the
false fore-stock H keyed to the barrels in the usual way. When the eccen-
trice is in the position in which it is shown in Figure 2 the barrels F are
free to turn up as shown, but on the barrels being turned down, and on the
pin E, being turned about half round, the eccentric part e is moved into the
position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1, and forces the breech end of
the barrels hard up against the break off B. At the same time this eccentric
movement causes the backward projecting heel g, of the lug G, to enter under
the bar D, and so effectually prevent the breech from being turned up by the
discharge, whilst the lowest part g', of the lug G, becomes forced back
against the front end of the part C of the action, and also assists in prevent-
ing any movement round the pin E, provided the angle formed with the cross
face of the part g', by a line drawn from its lowest point to the centro of tho
eccentric e is less than a right angle. The lug G, and action A, indeed
become as it were solid, every part being filled up, and all the surfaces in close
contact as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1. To still further assist in
holding the breech firmly down during the discharge, and to prevent any
escape between the barrels and break off B, the latter is formed with disc-
shaped projections b, which enter into the breeches of the barrels. Instead
of this plan the barrel ends may be made to enter disc-shaped recesses b¹,
formed in the face of the break-off B, as shown in Figure 6. This Figure
(6) also shows a modified form of lug G, and counterpart action A, which,
as well as the recesses b¹, may be used with the eccentric pin as well as with
the form of pin shown in Figure 6, and hereinafter described. Figures 7

page_text: and 8, are transverse section and plan of a modification of the eccentric pin
E, in which the middle part e, is smallar than the ends. The pin is shown
with a collar e, which in conjunction with the handle I keeps it in its place;
this collar may however be dispensed with as the barrel lug G, and false fore-
stock II will themselves keep it in its place. Various forms of handles may
be provided for turning the joint pin E; a simple lever I is shown in Figures
5 and 8, and in Figure 1 its position is indicated by dotted lines at i, with
the breech closed and locked. To unlock the breech tho handle is turned
about half round in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1, and into the
position indicated by dotted lines at i, in Figure 2. It may however bo
arranged to lie backwards for the locked position being turned over forwards
to unlock. The action A, Figure 1, being left of so much greater strength
than in ordinary breech-loaders of this class, a forward action lock K may be
used as shown in Figure 1, this permitting, as is well understood, of a better form
of the grasp L. In Figure 2 the lock is shown as of the back-action kind.
In Figure 6 a modification of the joint pin E, is shown; in this case the middle
part of the pin is formed with a few teeth which gear with corresponding teeth
93, formed in the upper side of the half-socket in the lug G. This half-socket
is also slightly elongated to allow of the movement outwards of the lug G, with
the barrels. In the position shown the parts are locked, and the barrels F cannot
turn up or move away from the break-off B, but if the pin E, is turned partly
round it moves forward the lug G, and barrels F, until they are free to turn up;
in this case a strong catch will be required to retain the pin handle in the locked
position. With the eccentric pin (which I much prefer) such a catch is not
necessary, although, if desired, the handle may be retained by a slight catch to
prevent it from being jerked round. It will be sufficient for this if the handle
is mado with a spring temper and so as to bear with some friction upon its
seat h, when in the locked position. Figures 9 and 10, show in side elevation
and transverse vertical section a mode of applying my improved lock-fast joint
to a single-barrelled breech-loader. The parts connected with the joint are
substantially the same as those already described, and there merely remains
to state that in order to get the line of sight above the centro of the barrel,
the parts are formed so as to receive the exploding wire m in an inclined
position, whilst the striking face of the hammer N is made with a cor-
responding inclination, and also with a slight concavity, the hammer itself
being kept well to one side. Figure 11 is a vertical longitudinal section
showing the application of the improved lock fast joint in the construction of a
military rifle. When the breech is closed this rifle is practically the same as
the common regulation rifle and it may be loaded from the muzzle in the

page_text: ordinary way. In loading it from the breech a cartridge p, is employed
encased in prepared explosive paper and having behind it attached or loose a
thick wad q, the radial or "spreading" expansion of which from the compres-
sion of the discharge will render the breech joint perfectly tight. This wad is
either removed after discharge or pushed forward by the next cartridge intro-
duced and thereby cleans the bore.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I have to state that I
do not restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, and
that what I consider to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the using
an eccentric hinge pin to form a lock-fast joint for breech-loading small arms,
substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Dalziel Dougall, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
JAMES DALZIEL DOUGALL. (L.S.)