IMPROVE- MENTS IN GUNS, PROJECTILES, AND CARTRIDGES, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SAME
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Clark at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th January
1867.
I, GEORGE CLARK, of No. 29, Arundel Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GUNS, PROJECTILES, AND CARTRIDGES, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
SAME," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the following improvements, namely,-
1. A plan of rifling guns which I term "non-resisting curvilinear guide
rifling," and is carried into effect by limitting the width of the rifled surface of
the bore of the barrel (to half or less than half the circumference of the bore
in the spiral line of the rifling), leaving the unrified part of the circumference
smooth bored and corresponding in diameter to that of the largest diameter of
the rifling.
2. A mode of causing rifled projectiles which have been previously rifled to
enter in issuing from the charge chamber into the rifling of the barrel of a
breech-loading gun readily and smoothly without shock or strain. This I
effect by tapering all the projecting ribs or lands of the barrel and the
projectile to a point at the breech end of the chase as to the barrel, and at

page_text: the front end as to the projectile, and by opening the ends of the grooves or
channels which form the recessed parts of the rifling of the barrel and
projectile corresponding to the tapered ends of the ribs and lands, so that when
the projectile issues from the chamber into the chase the tapered ends of the
projecting parts respectively of the projectile and the bore shall lead into the
opened ends of the recessed channels.
3. Covering hard metal projectiles with a coating of soft metal for the
purpose of preventing or diminishing the abrasion of the surface of the bore
of the barrel by the passage of the projectile through the barrel in loading or
firing the gun. My plan of so coating projectiles is to dip them in fused soft
metal, and with the medium of a flux if required, or by galvanic or electro-
type plating. In employing this method any kind of soft metal may be used,
but for projectiles made of iron or steel I prefer coating or plating them
with copper or an alloy of that metal.
4. Burnishing, polishing, varnishing, or enamelling hard metal projectiles
to a smooth surface, so that in using such projectiles as ammunition for guns
their tendency to cause abrasion of the surface of the barrel in passing
through it may by their smoothness be counteracted or diminished.
If any
kind of varnish or enamel be applied it must be of such a nature and so
fixed on the surface of the projectiles that it shall not be affected by beat
when the gun is fired to the extent of softening or detaching the varnish or
enamel.
5. A mode of making rifled projectiles, of which the following is a
description: Draw a rod of a convenient length of the metal of which
the projectile is to be made by passing it between rollers having grooves of
the section and twist required for the plan of rifling determined upon. In the
case of soft metal being used these rods may be formed by casting. Cut, the
rods when thus drawn or cast into lengths corresponding to the intended
length of the projectile; the ends of these lengths are then to be brought to
the form required for the front and base of the projectile either by turning in
a lathe or by compression in a die with or without the aid of heat, as may be
found requisite or convenient, according to the hardness or ductility of the
metal employed; or by another process plain rods of metal of the required
diameter, but not previously rolled or moulded to the section of the rifling as
above described, may be cut into lengths corresponding to that required for
the projectile, and then these lengths of metal, heated or cold, may be
moulded in a die by pressure or stamping to the precise form, dimensions, and
mode of rifling required.
6. A plan for making cartridge cases when rifled projectiles are used for

page_text: ammunition-This plan consists in so forming the case that it shall be a
mechanical fit to the rifled projectiles, corresponding inside exactly to the
diameter and rifling of the projectile, and having outside the same form of
rifling enlarged by the increased diameter resulting from the thickness of the
case. The charge chamber is then made of the proper diameter and contour
of circumference to correspond to the outside diameter and form of rifling of
the cartridge case, so that the latter may fit mechanically or nearly so into
tlic chamber. The object of this arrangement, the rifling in the chamber
'corresponding in its lines of direction to the rifling in the chase of the barrel,
is to cause the rifled projectile when it issues from the chamber to pass freely
and smoothly into the rifled tube of the chase without shock or material
resistance. The case may be of metal, papier maché, cardboard, or other
material, but I prefer thin sheet copper or an alloy of that metal.
7. A method or methods of inserting cartridges in and extracting them
from the charge chamber of any description of breech-loading gun in loading
which a sliding bolt or plug is used as a plunger to push the cartridge into
the chamber and close the breech, of which method or methods the following
is a description-To the front and round the bottom edge of any such
plunger, bolt, or plug, where it comes in contact with and presses on the rear
end of the base of the cartridge in loading the gun, 1 attach and securely
fasten either a tray or trough in the form of part of a tube cut longitudinally
or an annular rim with a recess of the same form bohind the rim, the tray or
the rim, whichever may be used, extending round the bottom edge of tho
plunger to half or less than half its circumference. When the tray or trough
is made use of the cartridge is placed in it, and as the tray necessarily travels
with the plunger is pushed into the chamber as the plunger is driven forward
and the cartridge if not exploded or the exploded case is extracted when the
plunger is drawn back. When the annular recessed rim is applied the
cartridge used has a rim or enlargement at its base which fits loosely into.
the annular recess behind the rim at the bottom of the plunger, and con-.
sequently is held and retained in its place by the plunger rim, so that when
the cartridge has been inserted in the chamber by pushing the plunger
forward and the plunger is drawn back the rim at the bottom of the plunger
holding on to the rim or enlargement of the cartridge if not exploded or the
exploded case; or in lieu of a projecting rim on the face of the plunger
bolt as above described two projecting pieces on each side may be fixed
below the central horizontal line of the face of the plunger, such projecting
picces being in the form of small hooks into which the rim at the base of the
cartridge case is to be engaged in inserting the cartridge in its place for

page_text: loading. The tray or rim corresponds in diameter and circumference to half
or less than half of the diameter and circumference of the front of the plunger
bolt moving to and fro in the tube of the plunger bolt with the action of the
latter, and fitting into a recess in the ammunition chamber. The cartridge
case may be of paper, or metal, separate or combined, or any other .suitable
material. The enlargement of the case of the cartridge serving in the case
of an annular rim and recess, may be a narrow rim similar to that of the
so-called Snider cartridge or a conical swelling or a wad at the base of the
cartridge. In the case of a tray there may be an enlargement of any part of
the case fitting into a corresponding recess or indentation in the tray, or. in
either case the cartridge case may be of uniform diameter from end to end,
and an indentation or recess of any kind may be made in the annular rim or
in the tray attached to the plunger, into which indentation or recess. an
enlargement of the cartridge case will be forced by the explosion.of..the
- charge, and the case will thus be held in the rim or tray so so as to be drawn
out of the chamber with the plunger bolt. When an annular rim only
without a tray attached to the plunger is used I propose in some cases, if
found desirable, to place a spring in that part of the plunger tube in which
the cartridge is inserted in loading, such spring being so fixed and arranged
that it shall form a rest for the cartridge in loading, be pressed under the
plunger when pushed forward, and throw out the case when the plunger is
drawn back.
8. A new plan of making cartridges consisting in enclosing the powder
charge in a separate waterproof wrapper or case.
The fulminate as a means
of ignition may be placed inside or outside the powder wrapper or case, in
combination with an arrangement for explosion by perforating the wrapper
with a piercer. For this kind of wrapper or case I prefer a metallic tube of
the size to contain the exact charge.
9. The formation of the entire barrel of breech-loading guns by.constructing
the breech portion of the barrel containing the breech action and charge
chamber, and the portion forming the chase and muzzle tube in two separate
parts, of which the former is made of steel and the latter of iron.
10. Case hardening the inside surface of the barrels of small-arms and
cannons for the purpose of protecting the surface of the bore from abrasion
and-wear by the passage of the projectile through the barrel. The mode of
attaining this.object is to place and confine inside the barrel intended to be
operated upon the materials usually employed in the process of case-
hardening, and submit the barrel thus prepared to the required temperature
during the time necessary to complete the process.

page_text: 11. An improvement in the arrangement of the moveable charge chaniber
of breech-loading guns, consisting of a tube open at both ends, on the plan
of my Invention of "Improvements in Guns, Gun Carriages, and Projectiles,
and in the Manufacture and Use of Materials employed in their Construc-
tions," for which I obtained Letters Patent No. 2226, dated the 12tli
September 1864, and described as improvement No. 10 in the Complete
Specification of that Patent. This improvement consists in causing the
tube which constitutes the chamber to revolve on pivots fixed on the
longitudinal centre line of the tube and at unequal distances from the two
ends, so that the shortest end shall be next to the chase and the longest end
next to the breech closer, the extremity of each end being vertically the
segment of a circle of which the pivots are the centre.
12. An arrangement of the tube, open at both ends, forming the moveable
charge chamber referred to in the last improvement No. 11, whereby, the
tumbler of the lock or a spring or lever connected with the tumbler shall
serve to cock or half-cock the lock by the motion of either end of such
chamber tube.
:
13. Two methods of making cartridge cases, namely, employing for that
purpose thin metal tubes lined with paper or cloth, or making the cases of
metallic foil paper. For the first-named method I make paper or cloth tubes
of the size required to hold the charge; I insert them inside metal tubes,
placing each of the former on a mandril; I coat it with a cement-(water-
proof by preference), and whilst the cement is in a liquid or moist state I
pass a metal tube over the paper tube. When the cement dries the two
tubes are firmly fastened together, and the case is water-tight. For the
second method I take metallic foil paper made. in the usual way, having
paper on one side and metal foil on the other, or I make. sheets of combined
paper and thin metal of suitable sizes for the cartridges to be made by
fastening sheets of paper and sheets of thin metal to each other by means
of any suitable cement or adhesive material between them, and to render the
adbesion of the paper and metal more complete -I subject the combined sheet
to compression in a press or between rollers. I employ the metallic paper
prepared in this or any other way to make tubes for cartridge cases by
forming such tubes on a cartridge former. The nature of the Invention
comprised in this improvement is the construction of cartridge cases by the
combination of paper and metal in tubes or in sheets, in the manner above
described.
14. A new mode of fitting the sliding bolt or plug of the breech action
of any breech-loading gun on the plunger principle, such mode consisting in

page_text: shaping the section of the sliding bolt in such manner that the diameter of
the lower part of the bolt corresponds to and fits the inside of the tube in
which it slides, and that the diameter of the upper part of the bolt corre-
sponds to and is level with the outer diameter of the said tube. By this
arrangement the opening formed in the tube in drawing back the bolt for the
insertion of the projectile is effectually covered and protected when the bolt
is closed.
The better to explain this plan I here give diagrams representing transverse
sections of the bolt and its tube.
No. 3 shows the tube open for the reception of the cartridge.
(a) is the bolt; (b) the lower part of the tube in which the bolt slides;
(c) shows the top of the tube at the rear part where it is closed to contine
and guide the bolt.
These improvements are especially applicable and are chiefly intended for
breech-loading small-arms, but I mean any of such improvements as are?
available for either purpose to be applied to muzzle-loaders to ordnance.'