IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH- LOADING FIRE-ARMS SO AS TO ADMIT OF ALTERING GUNS FROM MUZZLE TO BREECH-LOADERS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS SO AS TO ADMIT OF ALTERING GUNS FROM MUZZLE TO
BREECH-LOADERS."-A communication from abroad by Philo Remington,
Samuel Remington, and Eliphalet Remington, of Ilion, in the State
SN V1 Tinted Staton of Amarice
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th June 1866.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING
FIZZ ARMS SO AS TO ADMIT OF ALTERING GUNS FROM MUZZLE TO BREECH-LOADERS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the manner of constructing, arranging, and
operating the swinging breech-piece so that it may be readily swung upward

page_text: and forward to open the bore of the gun for the reception of the cartridge,
and in an opposite direction to close and hold it closed against the force of the
discharge when the arm is fired.
The object of the Invention is to alter a muzzle-loading to a breech-loading
arm, to which end it is not actually necessary to alter or change any of the
material parts of the gun, such as the stock, frame, lock, hammer, trigger,
trigger guard, breech pin, or sight.
In the first place I cut away a portion of the top of the barrel at its rear
end so as to form a chamber through which to load the arm, and as a seat
for the swinging breech-piece when down. Upon the rear of the cut-away
portion of the barrel I arrange a portion of the hinge that unites the breech-
piece to the barrel. Through the bottom of the barrel at the rear is cut a
slot for a spring lever to work in (though this is not actually necessary, as
will be hereafter explained), and a small slot through the side of the barrel
for the cartridge case ejector to work in. The principal addition to the arm
is the breech-piece. Its mode of locking or remaining down is involved in
the construction of the breech-piece more than in any special locking
mechanism independent of the breech-piece. The joint between the front end
of the breech-piece and the cut-away portion of the barrel is vertical or at
right angles to the bore of the gun, or nearly so, and the joint between the
two pieces that compose the breech-piece may also be vertical or inclined,
and the joint at the rear of the breech-piece is partly vertical and partly
inclined, the vertical portion being material to the holding down of the
breech-piece against the force of the discharge. The front portion of the
breech-piece is made rounding on its under side so as to lie snugly in the
portion of the bore converted to its use, and it is shouldered or capped on top
An exploding pin passes
to give it a neat finish, and give it strength.
through this piece obliquely in a downward direction with a striking point
at its forward end that will when projected strike the flange of the cartridge
It will be obvious that
when the latter is in its place in the bore of the gun.
any other form of cartridge or charge may be used, and the arm correspond-
The hinder part
ingly made to receive and fire such a cartridge or charge.
of the breech is hinged to the side of the front piece, and a spring extending
across the joint between the two pieces holds them in position. Through a
projecting portion of the hinder piece passes an exploding pin, which from its
head passes obliquely downward until it meets another pin in the front piece,
the two pins thus becoming virtually one or combinations of each other with
a joint or break between them, but in line when the arm is to be fired. The
particular duty of the moving portion of the breech-piece is first to allow the

page_text: other portion to come down to its place or scat; secondly, to hold it im-
movable there when the arm is fired; and, thirdly, to admit of the raising
up of the breech-piece when the arm is to be re-charged.
The action of the brecch-piece is as follows: It is Linged to the
barrel, and of course can only swing in the arc of a circle, and if that
arc be obstructed or closed against such a movement it is obvious that the
breech cannot move at all. Now a circle drawn from the extreme rear
lower corner of the breech-piece would pass through the breech pin in that
position, and that being a solid immovablo portion of the arni, of course the
brecch-pieco could not as a whole swing through that arc, but by raising up
the rear portion high enough to escape the breech-pin then the shoulders or
lines are of such oblique form as will allow the breech-piece, including the
rear portion, to freely rise up and swing forward together. It is not
absolutely necessary to connect the rear end of the breech by a hinge as it
may be raised up vertically or obliquely and without a hinge joint; as, for
instance, it may slide up or down by putting tho knob on a shaft carrying a
spur which may take into a rack on tho moving piece, and by turning tho
knob and shaft a portion of a revolution a sufficient height will have been
attained to allow the other portion to swing up; or the movable piece may
be raised and lowered upon the other piece by means of a lover extending
from one to the other. A spring lever may be used in the bottom of the
loading chamber to aid in raising up or for starting up the breech-piece after
its moving portion is first raised up. The cartridge case ejector may be
arranged on the pivot pin of the hinge, and have a small stud upon it which
passes through a curved slot in the barrel, so as to take hold of the flange
of the cartridge and back it out.
The Invention may be used with a gun where radical changes are mado
just as well, and indeed in tho construction of new guns entire.
The loading characteristic of the Invention consists in the construction.
and action of the breech-piece which sets down in the chamber or recess
prepared for it, and has vertical joints or bearings therein, and is held in place
against the recoil without other locking mechanism than its joints abutting
against the barrel and against the breech pin or frame.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign did, for Herself, Her hoirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS SO AS TO ADMIT
OF ALTERING GUNS FROM MUZZLE TO BREECH-LOADERS," being a communication
from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, 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 Edward Newton, 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, reference being bad to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to the manner of constructing, arranging, and
operating the swinging breech-piece of a breech-loading fire-arm so that it
may be readily swung upward and forward to open the bore of the gun for
the reception of the cartridge, and in an opposite direction to close and hold
it closed against the force of the discharge when the arm is fired.

page_text: The object of the Invention is to admit of altering a muzzle-loading to a
breech-loading arm. It is not actually necessary to alter or change any of
the material parts of the gun, such as the stock, frame, lock, hammer, trigger,
trigger guard, breech pin, or sight, though some of these parts may bo
changed, and some forms of.guns may require it, but no changes need he
made in the parts named, with the bare exception (as will be hereafter
explained) of moving the sight forward a short distance on the barrel.
With
this exception all the other parts may remain in the position in which they
are found upon the muzzle-loading arm that is to be changed or altered to
a breech-loader.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a side view of a portion
of an altered arm; Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal vertical section through
the same; Fig. 3 represents a top view of the arm with the breech-piece
raised up, and swung forward or opened as when charging the arm; Figures
4, 5, and 6 represent different views of the breech-piece, and removed from
the gun.
In carrying out the Invention I in the first place cut away a portion of
the top of the barrel at its rear end so as to form a chamber through which
to load the arm and as a seat for the swinging breech-piece when down.
Upon the rear of the cut-away portion of the barrel is fixed a portion of the
hinge that unites the breech-piece to the barrel. Through the bottom of the
barrel at the rear is cut a slot for a spring lever to work in (though this is
not actually necessary, as will be hereafter explained), and a small slot
through the side of the barrel for the cartridge case ejector to work io, or a
substitute for this kind of ejector may be used in the shape of a pin or stud
arranged at or near the hinge that connects the breech-piece and barrel, as
will be explained in connection with a modification of the arm. These con-
stitute the principal and indeed only changes required in the original arm to
convert it into a perfect and successful breech-loader. What is made anow
and the principal addition to the arm is the breech-piece. Its mode of
locking or remaining down is involved in the construction of the breech-piece
more than in any special locking mechanism independent of the breech-
piece. The joint between the front end of the breech-piece and the cut-away
portion of the barrel, as at a, Fig. 2, is vertical or at right angles to the bore
of the gun, or nearly so, and the joint 6, between the two pieces c, d, that
compose the breech-piece, is also vertical or parallel to that above-mentioned,
and the joint at the rear of the breech-piece is partly vertical, as shown at f,
Figures 2 and 6, and partly inclined, as shown at g, but the vertical portion

page_text: takes the recoil force, and the inclined portion only covers the joint against
the admission of extraneous matters, the vertical portion f is material to the
bolding down of the breech-piece against the force of the discharge. The
front portion d of the breech-pieco is curved on its under side so as to lie
snugly in the portion of the bore converted to its use, and it is shouldered
or kept on top to give it a neat finish and give it strength. An exploding
pin h, Fig. 6, passes through this piece d obliquely in a downward direction,
with a striking point i at its forward end that will when projected strike the
flange of the cartridge when the latter is in its place in the bore of the gun.
It will be understood that with this arm a flanged metallic cartridge is to be
used, but it will be obvious that any other form of cartridge or charge may
be used, and the arm correspondingly made to receive and fire such a
cartridge or charge.
The piece c, as shown in Fig. 3, is hinged to the piece d at the point j,
and a spring k, Fig. 2, extending across the joint between the two pieces
holds the piece c in proper and convenient position for being operated or
moved upon the part d. Through a projecting portion of the piece c passes
an exploding pin m, which from its head n passes obliquely downward until
it meets the pin h in the pieco d, the two pins thus becoming virtually one or
continuations of cach other with a joint or break between them to admit of
the motion of the part c upon the part d, but in line when the arm is to bo
fired. The pin h, as seen in Fig. 6, projects beyond the joint b, and provision
must be made to allow the part c to rise and fall past this projecting pin; for
this purpose a slot o of a curved or other form is made for the pin to project
into, which slot admits of the part c freely moving in the part d. The par-
ticular duty of the moving portion c of the breech-piece is first to allow the
other portion d to come down to its place or seat; secondly, to bold it
immovably there when the arm is fired; and, thirdly, to admit of the raising
up of the breech-piece when the arm is to be re-charged.
The action of the breech-pieco is as follows:-lt is hinged to the barrel
at the point p, Fig. 2, and of course can only swing in the arc of a circle
whose centre is at p, and if that are be obstructed or closed against such a
inovement it is obvious that the breech-piece cannot move at all. Now a
circle drawn from the extreme rear lower corner of the breech-pieco (as
shown by dotted lines at 9, Fig. 2) would pass through the breech-pin r or its
equivalent in that position, and that being a solid immovable portion of the
aim, of course the breech-piece could not as a whole swing through that arc,
but by raising up the portion c by means of the knob or button s, or any

page_text: other convenient mechanical device bigh enough to escape the breech pin r ;
the shoulders or lines are of such oblique form as will allow the breech-piece,
including the portion c, to freely rise up and swing forward together. The
breech pin r being below the central line of recoil, and the greatest impinge-
ment of metal or metal contact being below that line, the tendency of the
breech-piece instead of being upward is to be drawn down, and in practice
the arm may be and has been repeatedly fired with the pivot pin of the hinge p
taken out and the breech-piece laid loosely in its place. There is no under-
cutting of the lines or points, no bolts to shoot into recesses, no cams to turn,
no knuckle joints or hinges to shorten, and again lengthen the breech-piece,
and which are uncertain in their action. The lines or joints which are made
are vertical, and inclined outward in the direction in which the breech-pieco
moves on opening up the arm. The whole space between the bore of the
gun and the breech-pin or frame in rear of it is completely filled with solid
metal, so that it cannot riso until one portion is raised by the operator so as
to make sufficient space for the other portion to swing through. The piece c
is hinged to the piece d, but this hinging is not absolutely necessary, as it
may be raised up vertically or obliquely and without a hinge joint; as, for
instance, it may slide up or down on the part d by putting the knobs on a
shaft carrying a spur which may take into a rack on the moving piece, and
by turning the knob and shaft a portion of a revolution a sufficient height
will have been attained to allow the other portion to swing up; or the move-
able piece may be raised and lowered upon the other piece d by means of a
lever extending from one to the other. The object is to raise the moveable
portion c above the piece or portion against which it abuts when down; and
it is immaterial what mechanical means are used to move it, or how this piece
or part should be shaped or formed, as both admit of many changes and
modifications. It is the doing of the thing that constitutes the essence of
the Invention, and not the special way of doing it. A spring levert may be
made in the bottom of the loading chamber for the purpose of turning up
the point of the cartridge and guiding it into the bore of the gun. But this
lever would not be necessary when the ". sight" on the already constructed
gun was far enough forward on the barrel, or was moved farther forward of
the place it usually occupies to enable a longer breech-piece to be put in. If
the breech-piece be longer it would more freely swing, and be more easily
manipulated; and it is only when the breech-piece is very short that the
spring lever need be used, and it is not therefore an indispensable thing. The
cartridge case ejector v may be arranged on the pivot pin of the hinge p, and

page_text: have a small stud upon it (as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1) which passes
through a curved slot in the barrel so as to take hold of the flange of the
cartridge and back it out. There is a cut-away portion upon the hub of the
ejector and shoulders at its termination, so that the breech-piece may move
far enough to open the bore or clear it before the ejector begins to move;
or, in other words, the ejector only begins to move after the breech-piece has
moved far enough to allow a space into which the empty shell may be backed.
If a metallic cartridge be not used then the ejector would be unnecessary
and could be dispensed with entirely; but, as before stated, when the "sight"
is far enough forward, or is moved forward, it is preferable to put a band or
reinforce around the barrel just in front of where it is cut down, and hold it
by a clamp screw or screws at its under or lower side (or it may be shrunk
on if so preferred), and form the hinge p on said band instead of on the
barrel; and in such case too I would use a stud on the hinge which would
take against the flange of the cartridge case, and back it out by the swinging
open of the breech-piece. Many other changes or alterations may be made,
but the object has been to apply this peculiar style and action of breech-
piece to an already constructed gun with as few changes of such gun as is
possible to accomplish the purposes aimed at.
The Invention may, however, he used with a gun whero radical changes
are made, and in the construction of entirely new guns.
The leading characteristic of the Invention consists in the construction and
action of the breech-piece which sets down in the chamber or recess prepared
for it, and has vertical joints or bearings therein, and is held in place against
the recoil without other locking mechanism than its joints abutting against
the barrel and against the breech-pin or frame.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated to
me as aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, what I claim as the Invention secured to
Patent is,
me by Letters
First, the use of a breech-piece held to the barrel and to the frame of the
gun or its breech pin by vertical lines or joints at its front and rear, as and
for the purpose described.
I also claim the use of a breech-piece composed of two parts, one binged
to the barrel or to a band thereon, and the other part having a rising and
falling motion upon or independent of the hinged part, but also swinging with
it as described and represented.
I also claim, in combination with the breech-piece composed of two parts,.

page_text: the use of a firing pin in two parts, so that one may swing out of and into
line with the other as described.
And, finally, I claim the mode herein set forth of altering guns or fire-
arms from muzzle-loaders to breech-loaders.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)