Im- PROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR MUZZLE-LOADING RIFLED ORDNANCE.
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Benson, of Fourstones, near Hexham, in the
County of Northumberland, Colliery Owner, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR MUZZLE-LOADING RIFLED ORDNANCE.
Sealed the 10th February 1860, and dated the 6th October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Benson, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th October 1859.
WILLIAM BENSON, of Fourstones, near Hexham, in the County of Nor-
thumberland, Colliery Owner, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR MUZZLE-LOADING RIFLED ORD-
NANCE," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the application to shot or shells, or combined shot
and shell intended for muzzle-loading rifled ordnance of a species of wedge of
lead, or similar soft metal, at the hinder part of the shot or shell, and facing or
covering the iron portion of the main body of the shell; the base portion of this
lead or other soft metal piece or wedge may be convex or concave in shape;
the action of the powder upon this soft metal will, from the peculiarity of
its shape, necessarily force it into the grooves of the rifled ordnance, and so
give the desired rotatory motion to the projectile.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Benson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BENSON, of Fourstones, near Hexham, in the County of Northumberland,
Colliery Owner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Benson, Her special license that I, the said William
Benson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the
said William Benson, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PROJECTILES FOR MUZZLE-LOADING RIFLED ORDNANCE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Benson, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Benson, 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 fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to certain peculiar constructions of solid or hollow
cylindro-conoidal projectiles, and consists in the application to shot or shells, or
to a combined shot and shell intended for muzzle or other loading rifled ord-
nance, as the case may be, but more particularly for muzzle-loading, of a
wedge-shaped jacket or covering of lead, or similar soft metal at the hinder
part of the projectile, and extending with a gradually tapering thickness
towards the front part of the same; the base or extreme hinder part of this jacket
being of a convex or concave form, as found desirable, but I prefer to make it

page_text: concave. The action of the explosive gases, when the gun is fired upon this
soft metal jacket will, from the peculiarity of its shape, necessarily force it into
the grooves of the rifled ordnance, and so impart the desired rotatory motion
to the projectile. And futher, it will be the means of partially deadening the
sudden shock which the projectile receives from the gases, and thereby prevent
the possibility of fracturing it before leaving the gun.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of a cylindro-conoidal shell with
my improved soft metal jacket applied, thereto; Figure 2 is a transverse sec-
tion taken along the line 1, 2, in Figure 1, and shewing the inner surface of
the rear end; and Figure 3 is a similar section, taken along the line 3, 4.
A is the body of the projectile, round which is cast or applied, in any other
convenient manner, the leaden jacket B, B, for the purpose of enabling the
same to be fired from a muzzle or other loading rifled gun, but more particu-
larly the muzzle-loading gun, the projectile being easily inserted into the gun
in loading, but fitting it tightly when fired by the expansive action of the gases
upon the rear concave end of the jacket. The projectile itself is made slightly
conical or tapering towards its rear end, but its true cylindrical outline is
restored to it by the application of the leaden jacket B, which extends along
its sides as far as the commencement of the front or conoidal end; where it is
held secure by means of a dovetailed annular groove C, C, cut or cast round
the projectile. It will be seen on referring to the Drawings, that the thick-
ness of the metal composing the jacket gradually increases from the front to
the rear end of the projectile in the form of a wedge, and a slight chamber or
cavity D is formed in the rear end of the jacket to admit of the efficient action
of the gases in expanding the jacket into the rifled grooves of the gun. The
core hole, in the case of hollow projectiles, is filled up by a screwed plug E,
after the core has been removed. The peculiar jacket is illustrated in my
Drawing, as being applied to a percussion shell, of which F is the cap and
fuze. The interior cavity of the shell is also represented as being cast with
internal cross grooves or checquered work for facilitating the rupture of the
shell into a number of equal or nearly equal parts; but as this mode of con-
structing shells has been carried out by me, and published prior to the date of
my said Letters Patent, I, of course, lay no claim to it as forming any part of

page_text: my present Invention; neither do I claim, or confine myself to any particular
form or construction of percussion. fuze; neither do I claim the simple coating
of a projectile with lead of equal thickness in a cylindrical or parallel form.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the application to solid or
hollow cylindro-conoidal projectiles of the herein described peculiarly con-
structed leaden or other soft metal jacket, for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Benson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of April, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty.
W. BENSON. (L.S.)