IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François Jules Manceaux, of Paris, France, Gun
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES FOR
BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS."
Scaled the 5th September 1871, and dated the 11th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Jules Man-
ceaux at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 11th July 1871.
I, FRANÇOIS JULES MANCEAUX, of Paris, France, Gun Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS," to be as follows:-
This cartridge is composed of two distinct parts, which are made
separately, one which may be called the combustible part, consisting
of the case containing the bullet and the charge of powder, and the
other which may be called the metallic part enclosing the percussion
for the firing of the charge centrally, and forming at the same time the
obturator, the support for receiving the shock from the striker, and the
bearing for the extractor.

page_text: The first part of the cartridge proper is composed, first, of a conical
projectile or bullet; secondly, of a paper case conically formed, into which
the bullet is inserted and pressed home, so as only to leave its rounded
part projecting therefrom; thirdly, of a thick greased pasteboard wad of
somewhat larger diameter than the base of the bullet and the bore of the
arm. This wad preserves the base of the bullet from immediate contact
with the gases resulting from the discharge, and produces the complete
obturation of the arm behind the projectile, and thus prevents the gases
from interposing between the bullet and the barrel, as well as to clean
the grooves of the bore after each shot. Between this thick wad and the
charge of powder a thin pasteboard wad covered at the sides with a layer
of wax is interposed. This wax, when melted by the heat developed by
the gases, becomes a lubricant, which facilitates the passage of the bullet
through the barrel, and thus allows any number of shots to be fired
without cleaning becoming necessary.
The cartridge proper is composed, fourthly, of a second case, which
covers the first, so as to strengthen it and prevent breaking; fifthly, of
the charge of powder; sixthly, and lastly, of a paper wad, which covers
the base of the cartridge proper, which after the latter has been closed is
pierced with a hole through the centre for the passage of the flame from
the fulminate. These two cases, forming the envelope of the cartridge
proper, are formed with two pieces of paper cut rectangularly, and rolled
upon a mandril with their edges crossed over one another and glued
together by a little clear gum lac varnish of the same sort as that which
serves to cover the fulminate of caps to preserve them from damp. The
paper wad covering the base of the cartridge proper is similarly covered.
All this part of the cartridge and its burnt remains are ejected from the
barrel at the same time that the bullet leaves it.
The second part of the cartridge is composed, 1st, of a conical metal
base or cup of sheet copper, the base of which forms a rim projecting
beyond the body of the cup; secondly, of a metal chamber formed of thin
sheet metal with cross pieces or feet at the bottom%3B this chamber is
pierced at its top with a hole intended for the passage of the jet of flame
from the fulminator; thirdly, of a cap charged with fulminate of mercury;
fourthly, of an anvil. The cap provided with its anvil is introduced into
the chamber with its mouth towards the top. The cap is inserted into
the chamber about one millimetre, and the top of the anvil, the base of
which rests upon the bottom of the cap, is about half a millimetre from

page_text: the top of the chamber, so that the striker in order to produce the
inflammation of the fulminates must penetrate about one and a half
millimetres into the cup.
The second part of the cartridge is, fifthly, composed of a concave
metal washer with a circular hole through the middle; the washer is
inserted over the body of the chamber, and is supported upon the cross
pieces or feet of the latter; sixthly, of a paper cylinder with a hole
through the middle, which is placed over the chamber and pressed home
into the cup over the metal washer. This paper cylinder when strongly
pressed down entirely fills the bottom of the cup, and bears upon the
concave metal washer, the circular edge of which fits all round into the
interior of the rim of the base of the cup. The plunger by which
the hollow paper cylinder is placed in position is arranged so as to
cause the matter which is squeezed upwards under the pressure against
the sides of the cup to form a hollow chamber or cup, which serves
as an air chamber beneath the cartridge proper already described, and
facilitates its combustion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said François Jules Manceaux in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANÇOIS
JULES MANCEAUX, of Paris, France, Gun Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Jules François Manceaux, Her special licence
that I, the said Jules François Manceaux, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jules François Manceaux, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CARTRIDGES FOR BREECH-LOADING SMALL ARMS," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said Jules François Manceaux, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or onc
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 Jules François Manceaux, 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 following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of cartridges for small
arms, rifles, and mitrailleuses of the central-fire breech-loading de-
scription, by which I obtain, firstly, perfect immunity from explosions
in the factory or place of manufacture; secondly, a complete waterproof
cartridge; thirdly, a total absence of misfires; fourthly, a complete
lubrication of the barrel after each discharge; fifthly, an entire ejection
of deposit from the barrel with the bullet; sixthly, ease of withdrawing
and ejecting the empty case from the breech; and, seventhly, a cartridge
of sound and solid construction, capable of exposure and rough usage
without injuring it, which renders it particularly suitable for transport
and for military purposes; it has also the special advantage of being
made in comparatively well populated towns and villages without
danger.
The construction of my improved cartridge is clearly represented in
the annexed Drawings.
Figure 1 is a view of a paper case a with a conical end 6 for receiving
a bullet c; Figure 2 also conical to fit it, the paper being wrapped or
rolled in layers to strengthen it, in order to preserve it from injury
during transport, or otherwise the layers are cemented together by a
waterproof varnish, which preserves the charge from dampness for any
length of time. I insert a stout greased wad d, Figure 3, into the
paper case to rest upon the base of the bullet c, the diameter of the wad
at one end being somewhat larger than the base of the bullet, and also
of the bore of the barrel, so that after the discharge it in passing along
the barrel completely cleans the same. I cover the wad d with another
wad or disc e, Figure 4, coated with wax to prevent the powder coming

page_text: in contact therewith, the disc e being of the same diameter as the
broadest diameter of the wad d. I then insert the powder into the case a
and twist the end of the paper up, as seen in Figure 5, leaving only a
small hole in the centre, which hole becomes closed by a varnished
disc, Figure 6, fixed on the twisted end. The cartridge thus composed
forms what I term the first element, the second being composed of
a metal thimble or cup g, shown in Figure 7, with a closed and flat
base, and upon the inner face of which a kind of box with four feet,
Figure 8, is placed, it being held in position by a metal washer i, which
is placed over it, and then swayed outwards by a tool to force the edge
into close contact with the inner edge of the base, the box & first having
the anvil, Figure 10, and percussion cap, Figure 11, fitted in it. When
the box and metal washier i are in position I insert a cylinder of, say,
paper, Figure 12, which I cause to fill up the base by pressure, leaving
a small aperture in it for the passage of the flame when the cap is
exploded. Above this compressed cylinder is sufficient space for re-
ceiving the base of the paper of the first element, as I term it, an air
chamber being left between the two, as seen in the complete sectional
view, Figure 13, for perfecting the combustion of the gas. The action of
a tool or plunger upon the paper cylinder compels it to expand to fit
closely to the inside wall of the metal thimble for forming a solid com-
bination therewith through the tapered or conical shape in which the
thimble is first made; and in order to preserve the cartridge from
accidental discharge from a fall or otherwise, I, in first placing the
in position in the box push it in so as to leave a space of, say, one-
half millimetre between its back and the base of the thimble, and also
about one millimetre between the anvil m and the fulminate, the anvil
being shaped for the side wall of the cap to touch it sufficiently for the
purpose. The box is preferably stamped from brass or copper, a hole
being left or pierced in it to form the flame passage between the cap and
the air chamber, in which the power of the flame is developed and fires
the charge of powder, by the gases of which the bullet is driven out of
the gun, this taking with it the paper case a, wad d, and discs e and f,
the wax on the disc e of which having by this time become completely
melted serves with the grease of the wad d to lubricate the barrel, the
wad d having first removed the deposit and dirt from the rifling as it
passes through the bore that may have been upon it. The exterior of
the thimble base is perfectly plain and free from crevices in which wet
can accumulate as in the ordinary Boxer and other central-fire cases,
cap l

page_text: consequently the fulminate is preserved from dampness, which in the
majority of cases is the cause of misfires. The greatest advantage
obtained, however, is in the manufacture, from the fact of the paper case
containing the powder and bullet being made and completely closed up
separately and distinct from the manufacture of the thimble in which the 5
cap with its fulminate and anvil are inclosed, thus reducing explosions
in cartridge factories to a minimum.
Figure 14 is a detached view of the metal thimble, showing the
appearance of the base after it has been struck by the striker of the arm
for exploding the cartridge, the base being pushed into close contact 1
with the cap, and the cap against the anvil, the suddenness and the force
of the blow being sufficient to fire the fulminate enclosed in the cap in
the usual manner.
Figure 15 represents a metal thimble with the base of concave shape,
which permits of the block of the arm acting upon the rim only in 1
pushing the cartridge home into the barrel should it not have been
pushed home by hand from any cause, a circumstance which often
happens in rapid firing or from nervousness on the part of the firer, the
other parts of the thimble, with the exception of the washer i and of
the cartridge or the first element, being of the same construction as 2
the previous one, as will be seen by referring to Figure 16, which is a
sectional view of the central-fire cartridge complete, Figure 17 showing
the position of the base after the discharge, it being forced almost flat
by the back pressure of the gases at the time of the explosion. This
modification is only given to show that every possible precaution can be 2
taken to prevent the back rush of gas through the edges of the break-off
or face of the breech, the base rim being so expanded as to close up
the breech entirely. It will be seen that by the last arrangement the
conical metal washer of the first arrangement can be dispensed with,
the concave base acting to expand the rim in a similar manner as would 3
the metal washer, before explained.
The two elements are made separately and distinct from each other,
and the base of the paper element can be inserted into the thimble at
any time before the distribution of the cartridges for actual service, an
advantage not possessed by any other cartridge of the breech-loading g
classes, which renders them suitable for transport and the ordinary
chances of rough usage without the fear of being brought into a state
unfit for use.

page_text: The cartridge or first element can of course be made to any shape,
also the metal thimble, so as to suit the particular arm for which it is
intended; but I prefer that the thimble particularly should be of conical
form in its length for enabling the jaw or fangs of the extractor to
withdraw it in an easy manner by the grip it or they obtain on the
flange or rim; the thimble made of, say, the length shown is of very
easy extraction from the shortness of the throw necessary to be given
to the extractor; it may, however, be made of the same length and
shape as the metal case of the Martini-Henry or the long Boxer make,
so as to suit the arms already constructed for those cartridges. One of
these is shown in Figure 18.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
Firstly. The construction and arrangement of the parts of cartridges
suitable for breech-loading fire-arms, substantially as described and
shown.
Secondly. I claim the modification hercin-before described and shown
in Figures 15 and 16 of the Drawings annexed.
Thirdly. The construction of the two elements and their combination
to form a complete cartridge as described and shown.
And, fourthly. I claim forming an air chamber between the powder
base and the percussion cap of breech-loading cartridges in the manner
and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said François Jules Manceaux, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of January One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
F. J. MANCEAUX. (L.S.)