IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CONVERTING MUZZLE-LOADING FIRE-ARMS INTO BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William James Matthews, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CONVERTING MUZZLE-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
INTO BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 13th April 1865, and dated the 30th November 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William James Matthews
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th November 1864.
I, WILLIAM JAMES MATTHEWS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CONVERTING MUZZLE-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS INTO BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination herein-after
described of the parts of breech-loading fire-arms, which said arrangement or
combination may also be readily applied to an ordinary muzzle-loading fire-arm,
and thereby convert it into a breech-loading fire-arm. At the breech or rear end
of the barrel I make a chamber open at top, into which chamber the block or
closer by which the open breech end of the barrel is closed during discharge
shuts down. The said plug or closer turns upon a joint in a vertical plane,
the free end of the said block being turned towards the break-off. The block
or closer is not jointed directly to the barrel but to a sliding saddle piece

page_text: capable of sliding along the top of the chamber into which the block shuts
down. The sliding saddle piece is secured to the said chamber by its ends
engaging in slots in the sides of the chamber. The said ends of the sliding
saddle piece pass through the said slots into the chamber, and the said ends
have projections on them which constitute a cartridge extractor as herein-
after explained.
On the upper side of the joint end of the block or closer is a lump or
projection, and at the front of the chamber is another lump or projection.
When the block or closer is raised and thrown back upon the barrel, the lump
or projection on the block comes against that on the front of the chamber
and the sliding saddle to which the block is jointed is made to slide towards
the break-off. The effect of this motion is to start the case of the exploded
cartridge, the flange of which rested against the projections on the turned in
ends of the sliding saddle. The block is fixed when it is shut down by a
spring bolt engaging in the break-off. This bolt is connected through a slot
in the block with a thumb plate on the top of the block, by pressure on which
thumb plate the bolt may be withdrawn from the break-off, and the block at
the same time raised. The discharge of the gun is effected by a striker
sliding in the block, the back end of which is struck by the hammer of the
gun and the forward end thereby made to strike either the edge or end of the
cartridge.
The action of the parts is as follows:-In order to charge the arm the
thumb plate is pressed by preference with the palm of the hand, the block is
thereby unbolted and thrown back on the barrel; the sliding saddle piece to
which the block is jointed being at the same time forced towards the break-
off. The cartridge is placed in the chamber, its flange or rim coming in
contact with the projections on the turned-in ends of the sliding saddle. The
block is shut down and bolted and the cartridge forced into the barrel, and
the saddle piece pushed home to the front end of the chamber. The arm is
now ready for firing. After firing the block is raised in the manner already
motion of the sliding saddle piece starts the cartridge
case, which by the sliding of the block may be wholly withdrawn from the
barrel into the chamber, and by the inversion of the gun the said case falls
from the chamber.
described, when the
The arrangement of parts described may be applied to the ordinary service
rifle for the purpose of converting it into a breech-loading rifle without altering
the stock or furniture.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William James Matthews in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th May 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JAMES MATTHEWS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William James Matthews, Her special licence that I, the said
William James Matthews, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William James Matthews, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CONVERTING
MUZZLE-LOADING FIRE-ARMS INTO BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William James Matthews, 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
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 I, the said William James Matthews, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by tho
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of the arrangement or combination herein-after
described of the parts of breech-loading fire-arms, which said arrangement
or combination may also be readily applied to an ordinary muzzle-loading
fire-arm, and thereby convert it into a breech-loading fire-arm. At the
breech or rear end of the barrel I make a chamber, open at top, into which
chamber the block or closer by which the open breech end of the barrel
is closed during discharge shuts down. The said block or closer turns
upon a joint in a vertical plane, the free end of the said block being

page_text: turned towards the break-off. The block or closer is not jointed directly
to the barrel, but to a sliding saddle piece, capable of sliding along the
top of the chamber into which the block shuts down. The sliding saddle
piece is secured to the said chamber by its ends engaging in slots in
the sides of the chamber. The said ends of the sliding saddle piece
pass through the said slots into the chamber, and the said ends have
projections on them which constitute a cartridge extractor, as herein-after
explained.
On the upper side of the joint end of the block or closer is a lump or
projection, and at the front of the chamber is another lump or projection.
When the block or closer is raised and thrown back upon the barrel, the
lump or projection on the block comes against that on the front of the
chamber, and the sliding saddle piece to which the block is jointed is
made to slide towards the break-off. The effect of this motion is to
start the case of the exploded cartridge, the flange of which rested
against the projections on the turned-in ends of the sliding saddle. The
block is fixed, when it is shut down, by a spring bolt engaging in the
break-off. This bolt is connected through a slot in the block with a thumb
plate on the side of the block, by pressure on which thumb plate the bolt
may be withdrawn from the break-off, and the block at the same time
raised. The discharge of the gun is effected by a striker sliding in the
block, the back end of which is struck by the hammer of the gun, and the
forward end thereby made to strike either the edge or end of the cartridge.
The action of the parts is as follows:-In order to charge the arm
the thumb plate is pressed, the block is thereby unbolted and thrown
back on the barrel, the sliding saddle piece to which the block is jointed
being at the same time forced towards the break-off. The cartridge is
placed in the chamber, its flange or rim coming in contact with the
projections on the turned-in ends of the sliding saddle. The block is
shut down and bolted, and the cartridge forced into the barrel, and the
saddle piece pushed home to the front end of the chamber. The arm is
now ready for firing. After firing the block is raised in the manner already
explained, when the motion of the sliding saddle piece starts the cartridge
case, which by the sliding of the block may be wholly withdrawn from the
barrel into the chamber, and by the inversion of the gun the said case falls
from the chamber.
The arrangement of parts described may be applied to the ordinary service
rifle for the purpose of converting it into a breech-loading rifle without
altering the stock or furniture.

page_text: Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation the breech end of a breech-loading
gun constructed according to my Invention, the gun being ready for dis-
charge; Figure 2 is a plan of the same, and Figure 3 is a longitudinal
vertical section of the same; Figure 4 is a side elevation, and Figure 5 &
plan of the same without the stock, the block or closer being thrown back
ready for charging the gun; Figure 6 is a longitudinal section and end
elevation of the block or closer separately; Figure 7 is a transverse section
of the breech-chamber, and Figure 8 is a portion of the saddle piece. The
same letters indicate the same parts in each Figure.
a is the barrel, and 6 the breech chamber of the same, open at top, in
which chamber the block or closer ċ shuts down. The said block or closer
turns in a vertical plane upon a joint at c³, the free end of the block or closer
being turned towards the break-off when it is in its place in the chamber b.
The block or closer c is not jointed directly to the barrel a, but to a sliding
saddle piece d, d (shown separately in front elevation and plan in Figure 8),
the said saddle piece being capable of sliding freely along the top of the
breech chamber b. The block or closer c is fixed to the saddle piece by the
pin or centre at c², on which the block or closer turns, as will be understood
by an examination of the Drawing. The saddle piece d, d is connected to the
chamber 6 by its ends marked d³, turned at right angles to the other parts
engaging in slots e, e, in the sides of the chamber b, the said "ends d projecting a
short distance into the said chamber. The inner ends of the parts d², d of the
saddle piece d within the chamber have projections d³, d³ on them of a figure
suitable to receive the rim or flange of a cartridge. The shape of the said
projections d³, d³ is shewn in Figure 8.
cartridge extractor, as herein-after further explained.
The said
parts d³, d³ constitute a
On the upper side of
the joint end of the block or closer c is a lump or projection c³, and at the
front of the chamber 6 is another lump or projection 68. On raising the block
or closer c and throwing it back upon the barrel, the lump on the said
block comes against the edge of the lump 6 at the front of the chamber b,
and the sliding saddle piece to which the block is jointed is inade to slide
towards the break-off . By this motion the saddle piece dis moved to
the top of the slots e, in which it works, carrying with it the case of the
exploded cartridge, the flange of which rested against the parts d³ of the
ends d² of the said saddle piece. The block or closer c is fixed in its place
when shut down into the chamber b by a bolt f working in the block and

page_text: pressed outwards by the coiled spring g. The end of the bolt f is bevilled,
and when the block or closer c is shut down, its bevilled face bearing against
the bevilled edge of the break-off 63, the said bolt is pushed into the block
until the said block is shut down, when it snaps into the recess in the
break-off 6³, and firmly fastens down the block during the discharge of the
gun. The bolt fis liberated from the break-off when the gun is to be
re-loaded, by means of a horizontal thumb plate or lever i at the side of
the block c. The said thumb plate or lever i turns upon a centre at 2, and
works in a horizontal slot k in the block c. In the slot ka projecting part f
of the bolt f is situated; which bears against the said thumb plate i. By
pressing the thumb plate i from the break-off it acts upon the projecting
part of the bolt f, and withdraws it from the break-off, and at the same
time raises the block c from the chamber b. The discharge of the gun is
effected by a striker / sliding in the block c, the outer end of which striker is
struck by the hammer, and the forward end made to strike upon either the
edge or end of the cartridge.
The action of the parts is as follows:-The gun having been discharged, in
order to recharge it the thumb plate i is pressed towards the muzzle end. of
the gun, and the block c thereby unbolted by the withdrawal of the bolt f
from the break-off 6. On the withdrawal of the bolt f the block c is thrown
back on the barrel, the saddle piece d, d³ being forced towards the break-off
by the lump c³ of the block bearing against the lump 63 at the front of the
chamber b. The sliding saddle piece d, d, is thereby moved to the position
represented in Figures 4 and 5, and the exploded cartridge case, the rim of
which rested against the parts d³, d³ is first started and afterwards wholly
withdrawn from the barrel, and can be removed from the chamber 6 by the
inversion. of the gun. A fresh cartridge is placed in the chamber b, its flange
or rim coming against the projections d³, constituting the extractor, on the
turned-in ends of the sliding saddle d, d. The block c is shut down and
fastened by the engagement of the bolt f with the break-off bs, and the
saddle-piece is at the same time pushed home to the front of the
chamber 6 by the shutting down of the said block. The gun is then
ready for discharge. After discharge the block c is raised, and the exploded
cartridge case is extracted by the extractor d³, d³ in the manner herein-before
described.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention,

page_text: but I claim as my Invention the arrangement or combination of the parts of
breech-loading fire-arms herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, which said arrangement or combination may also be
applied to the conversion of muzzle-loading fire-arms into breech-loading
fire-arms, that is to say, jointing the block or closer, by which the breech
end is closed to a sliding saddle piece, which, on the throwing back of
the block or closer to reload the gun, is moved towards the breech end,
and thereby made to act as a cartridge extractor, and to withdraw the case
of the exploded cartridge from the charge chamber.
In witness whereof, I, the said William James Matthews, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
WILLIAM JAMES MATTHEWS. (L.S.)
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.