IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Aangeir Byrnes, of No. 4, Raven Terrace, White-
chapel Road, in the County of Middlesex, and Henry Benjamin, of
No. 20, St. Mary Axe, in the City of London, Gunmakers, for the
T
1352
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Aungeir Byrnes and
Henry Benjamin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 31st December 1863.
We, AUNGEIR BYRNES, of No. 4, Raven Terrace, Whitechapel Road, in the
County of Middlesex, and HENRY BENJAMIN, of No. 20, St. Mary Axe, in
the City of London, Gunmakers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention relates more particularly to an arrangement of breech-
loading fire-arms for which Provisional Protection was granted to one of us,
bearing date the 30th day of June, 1862, (No. 1908).
In the Provisional Specification to the said Provisional Protection was
described an arrangement in which the end portion of the breech of the barrel
was bored out somewhat larger than the other part thereof, a conical seating
being formed at the junction of the two bores of different diameters for the
purpose of receiving a conical plug. An opening was formed at the top of
nearly the whole length of the enlarged part of the breech by cutting away

page_text: the top of that part of the barrel to about one-third of the diameter of the
bore. The sides of the opening were cut away to the full width of the bore,
and grooves were cut along the same, into which fitted projections attached to
the before-mentioned plug, which was thus kept in the enlarged bore whilst it
was free to slide backwards and forwards in the same. To the plug was also
attached, by means of a hinge, a flap which closed the before-mentioned
opening, being provided with a self-acting spring bolt for securing it when
closed, and it was furthermore provided with a projecting piece, which, when
the flap was shut down, filled in the space between the end of the plug and
the back end of the bore.
Now one of our present improvements upon this arrangement consists in
leaving the before-mentioned opening somewhat smaller in width than the
bore of the enlarged part of the breech by not cutting the sides of the same
away and in making the back part of the conical plug of such a form, that
when in proper position it will not come through the opening, but if turned
into a certain position it will do so.
Another of our improvements consists in actuating the spring bolt of the
flap by means of a small bell-crank lever, the long arm of which projects out
beyond the flap, so that by simply pressing upon the same the bolt is with-
drawn. This arm of the lever is provided with a tail projecting in the direction
of the hammer, and so formed that when the flap is not quite shut down and
the bolt consequently not sprung in, the tail prevents the hammer from being
drawn to the half bent, whilst if, when in this position, the hammer is brought
sharply against the end of the tail in endeavouring to bring it to half or full
bent, it will of itself cause the complete closing of the flap and the shooting.
of the spring bolt. To the projecting arm of the lever is furthermore attached
a moveable stud so arranged and of such a form that when the hammer is
drawn back to the full bent it moves this stud into such a position that the
lever to which it is attached cannot be pressed inwards, and the flap conse
quently not opened, whilst the hammer is in that position.
· Another part of our Invention has for its object the making of a gas-tight
joint between the conical plug and its seat in the bore. For this purpose we
form the front end of the plug of a loose piece connected to the other portion
by means of a pin in such a manner that it is free to move to a slight extent
independently of the other portion of the plug. Between the moveable end
piece and the body of the plug is inserted a disc of any suitable soft metal of
a diameter corresponding to that of the plug. On firing off the gun the loose
end piece of the conical plug is pressed backwards upon the disc of soft metal,
and thereby is made to expand the same to such an extent as to form a gas-

page_text: tight joint all round against the sides of the conical 'seating. When by
repeated firing the disc of soft metal has become worn, it may be renewed
with great facility by simply removing the moveable end of the plug and
inserting a fresh disc. The above-described effect may also be produced when
the
gun is not charged by striking the moveable end of the plug sharply with
the end of the ramrod, when the gun can be used as a muzzle-loader.
The above-described arrangement for making a gas-tight joint between the
plug and its seating may be employed for any other system of breech-loading
fire-arms in which a conical plug is made use of for closing the breech.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Aungeir Byrnes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, AUNGEIR
BYRNES, of No. 4, Raven Terrace, Whitechapel Road, in the County of
Middlesex, and HENRY BENJAMIN, of No. 20, St. Mary Axe, in the City of
London, Gunmakers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Aungeir Byrnes and Henry Benjamin, Her special licence that we,
the said Aungeir Byrnes and Henry Benjamin, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Aungeir Byrnes and Henry
Benjamin, 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," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Aungeir Byrnes and Henry Benjamin, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or
under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Aungeir Byrnes and Henry Benjamin,
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 the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say :-
Our Invention relates more particularly to an arrangement of breech-loading
fire-arms, for which Provisional Protection was granted to one of us, bearing
date the Thirtieth day of June 1862 (No. 1908).
In the Provisional Specification to the said Provisional Protection was 1
described an arrangement in which the end portion of the breech of the barrel
was bored out somewhat larger than the other part thereof, a conical seating
being formed at the junction of the two bores of different diameters for the
purpose of receiving a conical plug; an opening was formed at the top of nearly
the whole length of the enlarged part of the breech by cutting away the top 1
of that part of the barrel to about one-third of the diameter of the bore.
The sides of the opening were cut away to the full width of the bore, and
grooves were cut along the same, into which fitted projections attached to the
before-mentioned plug, which was thus kept in the enlarged bore whilst it
was free to slide backwards and forwards in the same. To the plug was also
attached, by means of a hinge, a flap which closed the before-mentioned
opening, being provided with a self-acting spring bolt for securing it when
closed; and it was furthermore provided with a projecting piece, which, when
the flap was shut down, filled in the space between the end of the plug and the
back end of the bore.
Now one of our present improvements upon this arrangement consists in
leaving the before-mentioned opening somewhat smaller in width than the
bore of the enlarged part of the breech by not cutting the sides of the same
away, and in making the back part of the conical plug of such a form that,
when in proper position, it will not come through the opening, but if turned
into a certain position it will do so.
· Another of our improvements consists in actuating the spring bolt of the
flap by means of a small bent lever, one part of which projects out beyond
the flap, so that by simply pressing upon the same the bolt is withdrawn; this
part of the lever is provided with a tail projecting in the direction of the
hammer, and so formed that when the flap is not quite shut down and the
bolt consequently not sprung in, the tail prevents the hammer from being
drawn to the half-bent, whilst if, when in this position, the hammer is
brought sharply against the end of the tail in endeavouring to bring it to half

page_text: or full bent it will of itself cause the complete closing of the flap and the
shooting of the spring bolt. To the projecting arm of the lever is further-
more attached a moveable stud, so arranged and of such a form that when the
hammer is drawn back to the full bent it moves this stud into such a position
that the lever to which it is attached cannot be pressed inwards, and the flap
consequently not opened, whilst the hammer is in that position.
Another part of our Invention has for its object the making of a gas-tight
joint between the conical plug and its seat in the bore. For this purpose we
form the front end of the plug of a loose piece connected to the other portion
by means of a pin, in such a manner that it is free to move to a slight extent
independently of the other portion of the plug. Between the moveable end
piece and the body of the plug is inserted a disc of any suitable soft metal of
a diameter corresponding to that of the plug. On firing off the gun the
loose end piece of the conical plug is pressed backwards upon the disc of soft
metal, and thereby is made to expand the same to such an extent as to form
a gas-tight joint all round against the sides of the conical seating. When by
repeated firing the disc of soft metal has become worn, it may be removed
with great facility by simply removing the moveable end of the plug and
inserting a fresh disc. The above-described effect may also be produced when
the gun is not charged by striking the moveable end of the plug sharply with
the end of the ramrod, when the gun can be used as a muzzle-loader.
The above-described arrangement for making a gas-tight joint between the
plug and its seating may be employed for any other system of breech-loading
fire-arms in which a plug is made use of for closing the breech.
On the accompanying Drawing are shown in detail the various parts of our
improved breech-loading fire-arm.
Figure 1 shows a side view of the breech of the gun with the conical plug
pushed forward, the flap closed, and the hammer at full bent ready for firing;
Figure 2 shows a plan of the same with the top part of the hammer cut
away; Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section through the breech with the
conical plug and flap in the same position as shown at Figures 1 and 2 ;
Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section through the breech with the flap raised
and the conical plug drawn back ready for the insertion of a cartridge;
Figure 5 shows a plan with the conical plug drawn back, as in Figure 4;
Figure 6 shews a transverse section through the breech on line X, X,
Figure 4; Figure 7 shows a side view of the conical plug and flap removed
from the breech; Figure 8 shows a plan of the flap detached from the conical
plug, partly in section, to show the mechanism of the spring bolt and lever;
Figures 9, 10, and 11 show respectively a side view, a plan, and an end view

page_text: of the conical plug detached; and Figure 12 shows the loose part of the plug
with the disc of soft metal; Figure 13 shows the disc of soft metal detached ';
and Figure 14 shows a detached view of the hinge connecting the flap to the
plug. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each of the
Figures.
The breech A of the barrel is formed with a somewhat larger bore than
the barrel itself, as seen in Figure 4, so that at the juncture of the two parts
there is formed, firstly, a shoulder a, and beyond this a slightly coned seating
at 6 for the soft metal disc of the conical plug B. This latter is introduced
into the breech through the aperture, formed at top by cutting away the
breech to the extent shown more clearly in the transverse section at Figure 6.
And as, for the purpose of retaining the plug B in the enlarged bore, the
opening thus formed is not made equal in width to the full internal diameter
of the breech and of the back part of the plug B, the top and bottom surface
of the latter are cut away to such an extent as will allow of its being inserted
and removed through the opening if turned on its axis into a position at right
angles to that which it occupies in the breech. In order to effect such
insertion or removal of the plug B the flap C and hinge D are removed
therefrom as shown in Figures 9 and 10. At c, Figures 9 and 10, the
diameter of the plug is suddenly reduced to the diameter of the conical
seating at 6, which also corresponds with the width of the opening in the breech,
and the remaining portion of the plug, as also the soft metal washer or disc E
and loose piece F, are together made slightly conical, corresponding with the
conical seat at 6 in the barrel, into which they fit as shown at Figure 3, whilst
the shoulder c on the plug fits against the shoulder a in the barrel. The
loose piece F is provided with a stem f upon which is situated the disc of soft
metal E, and which, passing into a corresponding hole in the plug B, is there
secured by the pin d on the hinge D passing through the slot in the same as
seen in Figures 3 and 4. This slot is made somewhat longer than the width
of the pin d, so that the plug B can move somewhat relatively to the loose
piece F and disc E as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 3, the object of
which will be explained hereafter. The flap C is hinged to the plug Bas
shown, and when closed down ready for firing, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3,
fits tightly between the points e and g of the breech, as seen in Figure 3. In
order to prevent any strain from coming upon the hinge D on the firing of the
gun, a projection C is formed on the under surface of the flap C, the end of
which projection when closed down fits tightly against the end surface of the
plug B, whereby the thrust of the plug is transmitted to the meeting surfaces
of the flap and the breech at e.. The end surfaces of the plug B and pro-

page_text: jecting piece Care so formed that the thrust of the plug on the discharge of
the gun tends to draw the flap C closer to instead of opening it. The flap C
is however perfectly secured when down by means of the self-acting spring
bolt G catching into the breech, as shown at Figure 8, which bolt is with-
drawn for the purpose of opening the flap by pressing inwards the portion
of the bent lever H that projects beyond the flap C in a manner that will
be readily understood on referring to Figure 8, where the position shown in
full lines is that when the bolt is shot forward and the position shown in
dotted lines is that when the bolt is withdrawn. This lever works on a pin h,
and is provided with a tail H', which when the flap C is properly closed
projects to the extent shown in full lines in Figures 2 and 8, and allows of
the hammer I being drawn to full bent, as indicated in Figure 2, whilst if by
accident the flap should not be quite closed, so that the bolt G is not shot
forward into the breech, then the-tail H¹ of the lever will be in the position
indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, and will prevent the hammer from
being brought even to half bent, and in striking against the tail H² while it is
in this position in endeavouring to bring the hammer to half or full bent
such action will, in most cases, cause the bolt to snap in of itself and thus
secure the flap. In order to prevent the lever I from being pressed inwards
so as to withdraw the bolt G when the hammer is at full bent ready for firing
a moveable stud J is attached to the lever by means of a pin jin such a
position that when the hammer is drawn to full bent, as shown in Figures
1 and 2, such stud is thereby moved from the position shown in dotted lines
at Figure 2 into the position shown in full lines, when it is evident that no
pressing in of the lever is possible. When the gun has been fired and the
hammer is down on the nipple, then the action of the finger in pressing upon
the lever H in order to open the flap will at the same time move the stud
back into the dotted position so as to allow of the lever being pressed in.
The pressing in of the lever when the hammer is at full bent is however
furthermore prevented by the tail H', which when the hammer is at full bent
is situated close behind it, as seen at Figure 2, and therefore cannot then
move outwards, which it would have to do if the lever were pressed inwards..
The action of the gun is as follows:-The gun being unloaded, and the
flap C closed down, the lever H is pressed in and the flap raised by the
application of the finger and thumb to the sides of the flap; the flap, and with
it the conical plug B, are then drawn back into the position shown at
Figures 4 and 5, and the cartridge is inserted through the opening thus made
in the breech; the conical plug is then pushed forward again until the disc of
soft metal E is situated in the conical seating b, and the flap C is closed down,

page_text: as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3; the hammer is then drawn to full bent,
thereby moving the stud J, as described; the cap is placed on the nipple, and
the gun is fired. The percussive force of the explosion presses back the loose
piece F of the plug B, and causes it to expand the disc of soft metal E, so
as to form a perfectly gas-tight joint against the conical seating. The small
amount of taper given to the conical seating (it is in fact so small as in reality
hardly to be appreciable) causes the plug, after being expanded as described,
to fit so tightly in the same that it would require a very strong dead pull to
draw it out for the purpose of, re-charging the gun; this is however obviated
by the considerable leverage afforded by the raising of the flap, which, owing
to the before-mentioned play allowed between the plug B and the loose piece F
and disc E, can readily be raised into the position indicated in dotted lines in
Figure 3, without the disc E being thereby withdrawn from the seating, and
in being raised beyond this position; it is then made to press with the shoulder
at i against the point k of the breech, thereby affording so great a leverage
that the disc E is readily drawn from the seating by the application of a very
small force at the end of the flap C. The amount to which the soft metal disc E
is expanded at each firing of the gun is so minute that one such disc may be
employed for firing several thousand rounds without becoming too much worn
to serve its purpose; the slot in the stem of the loose piece F being made so
much larger than the pin d that passes through it as to allow the piece F to
approach the plug B as the disc E becomes thinner; and when it is required
to renew the disc E, it is only necessary to remove the hinge D from the plug B
by withdrawing the screw K, when the loose piece F can be removed and a
new disc of soft metal placed upon it. Should such a disc, ready formed, not
be at hand when required, its place is easily and effectually supplied by cutting
off the end of one of the conical bullets used in firing, and after inserting it in
its place, by giving the piece F one or two sharp strokes with the ramrod, the
gas-tight joint will at once be formed, and the gun can then also be used as a
regulation or other muzzle-loader.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the best means we
are acquainted with of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that
we do not claim such parts of the before-described mechanism for breech-
loading fire-arms as are the same as those described in the before-mentioned
Provisional Specification No. 1908 of 1862; but what we claim under the
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, forming the opening in the breech of a less dimension than the full
bore of the same, and cutting off the top and bottom surfaces of the enlarged
back portion of the plug in such a manner that when in proper position in the

page_text: bore it will not come through the opening, but if turned on its axis it will
do so.
Second, actuating the spring bolt of the flap by means of a lever provided
with a projecting tail, so formed that when the flap is not quite closed and the
bolt not shot in, such tail will not allow of the hammer being brought to half
or full bent, whilst when the flap is closed and the hammer is drawn to full
bent, such tail will prevent the lever from being pressed in and the spring
bolt from being withdrawn.
Third, attaching to the lever that actuates the spring bolt, a moveable stud,
which, when the hammer is drawn to full bent, is thereby moved into such a
position as to prevent the lever from being pressed in and the spring bolt from
being withdrawn.
Fourth, effecting in breech-loading fire-arms generally a gas-tight joint
between the plug that closes the breech and its seating by introducing a disc
or piece of soft metal between the back part of the plug and a moveable front
piece, which disc of soft metal is expanded on the firing of the gun, so as to fit
closely against the surface of the bore.
Fifth, constructing the plug for closing the breech of breech-loading fire-
arms with a separate loose piece or disc connected to the body of the plug by
means of a stem, in such a manner that the loose piece or disc can move to a
slight extent relative to the back portion of the plug, and on the discharge of
the gun is consequently pressed back towards the back portion of the plug, and
is made to press upon any material situated between the two parts, for the
purpose herein-before set forth.
Sixth, we claim, in combination, the improved arrangement of mechanism
for breech-loading fire-arms, herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Aungeir Byrnes and Henry Benjamin,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-eighth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
A DYDNE
L
A. BYRNES
(2.5.)
H. BENJAMIN. (L.S.)