IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Haschke, of Watling Street, in the City of
London, Commission Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A communication from abroad by Hubert
Comblain, of Liege, Belgium.
Sealed the 27th March 1868, and dated the 2nd October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Haschke at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd October 1867.
I, HENRI HASCHKE, of Watling Street, in the City of London, Commission
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an arrangement by which a breech block is
drawn back and raised or turned up on a binge, and the hammer by the same
movement cocked or half cocked by means of a lever at the side of the gun
provided with a knob for moving it, and to an arrangement for extracting the
empty cartridge case.
The exploding pin is fitted in a breech block similar to that used in the
"Snider gun; this block is, however, not hinged to the side as in the

page_text: "Snider," but is hinged at the back to one end of a link; this link receives at
its other end a square or quadrangular part of an arbor or strong pin passed
transversely through the stock, while another square or quadrangular part of
the arbor is received by the rear end of the lever before referred to. This
lever is bent near its rear end to bear against a projecting part of the
hammer. As the lever is raised into a vertical position, or a little beyond the
vertical position, its bent portion presses against the projecting part of the
hammer putting it at full or half cock. This movement of the lever moves
the arbor round, and consequently the link, thereby drawing back the breech
block; and when the link has moved a certain distance a projection or spring
plate on the under side of the breech block takes into a notch in the link, so
that the block partakes of the further movements of the lever and link, and
is thereby raised into an inclined position clear of the opening behind the
barrel.
The arrangement for extracting the cartridge case consists of an ordinary
curved extractor on the top of a vertical bar, which is pivotted at its bottom,
and is continually pressed upon in front by a spring; a notch at the top of the
bar receives, when the parts are in position, a projection on the front of a bar
pivotted at its middle, and lying in a longitudinal recess in the under side of the
block chamber. The rear of the pivotted bar is turned upwards, and when
the breech is opened a grooved part of the under side of the link presses upon
the turned up portion, thereby lowering the rear of this bar, and lifting its
front end from tho notch of the extractor bar. The extractor being thus
released it is suddenly moved back by its spring a short distance, so as to
eject the cartridge case, which then comes against a curved spring on the
upper side of the pivotted bar, and is thus directed clear of the gun. When
the breech block is returned to its chamber a spring causes the pivotted bar
to again enter the notch of the extractor bar.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henri Haschke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 80
2nd April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
HASCHKE, of Watling Street, in the City of London, Commission Agent,
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henri Haschke, Her special licence that I, the said Henri Haschke, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henri
Haschke, 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 BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS," (communicated to me from abroad by Hubert Comblain,
of Liège, Belgium,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Henri Haschke, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Haschke, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 an arrangement by which a breech block is drawn
back and raised or turned upon a hinge, and the hammer by the same move-
ment cocked or half cocked by means of a lever at the side of the gun,
provided with a knob for moving it, and to an arrangement for extracting the
empty cartridge case.
The Invention will be fully understood by the accompanying Drawings and
the following description thereof.
Figure 1 is a view of the right-hand sido of the gun with the parts in the
position they occupy after the discharge; Figures 2 to 9 are views of various
parts detached; Figure 10 is a side view, and Figure 11 a top view of the
breech portion of the gun with the parts in the position they occupy when
the breech is opened for the insertion of the charge; Figure 12 is a view of
the under side when the gun is ready for firing.
Tho exploding pin a, Figure 2, is fitted in a breech block 6 (shown in side

page_text: view in Figure 8 and in bottom plan in Figure 4) similar to that used in the
"Snider" gun. This block is however not hinged to the side as in the
"Snider," but is hinged at the back to one end of a link c (shown detached in
Figure 5). This link receives at its other end a square or quadrangular
part d' of an arbor or strong pin, shown detached in Figure 6, passed trans-
versely through the stock, while another square or quadrangular part e of the
arbor is received by the rear end of the lever f before referred to and shown
detached in Figure 7. This lever f is bent near its rear end to bear against a
projecting part g of the hammer, as seen in Figure 1. As the lover f is being
raised by its knob into a vertical position or a little beyond the vertical
position, as seen in Figure 10, its bent portion presses against the projecting
part 9 of the hammer, putting it at full or half cock. This movement of the
lever moves the arbor, Figure 6, round and consequently the link c, thereby
drawing back the breech block 6, and when the link c has moved a certain
distance a projection or spring plate h on the under side of the breech block
takes into a notch i in the link, so that the block 6 partakes of the further
movements of the lever and link, and is thereby raised into an inclined
Tho
position clear of the opening behind the barrel, as seen in Figure 10.
arrangement for extracting the cartridge case consists of an ordinary curved
extractor (Figure 8) on the top of a vertical bar which is pivoted at its
bottom at m (Figure 10) and is continually pressed upon in front by a spring n,
Figure 10; a notch o at the top of the bar receives when the parts are in
position a projection p on the front of a bar q, Figure 9, pivoted at r, and
lying in a longitudinal recess in the under side of the block chamber, as seen
in Figure 12. The rears of the pivoted bar q is turned upwards, and when
the breech is opened a grooved part t of the under side of the link c presses
upon the turned up portions, thereby lowering the rear of this bar and lifting
up its front end p from the notch of the extractor bar. The extractor k
being thus released it is suddenly moved back by its spring n a short distance,
so as to eject the cartridge case, which then comes against a curved spring u
on the upper side of the pivoted bar q, and is thus directed clear of the
gun. When the breech block b is returned to its chamber a spring w causes
the pivoted bar q to again enter the notch o of the extractor bar.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as the "Improve-
ments in Breech-loading Fire-arms,"
First. The arrangement or combination of parts, whereby the breech block
is drawn back and raised or turned up on a hinge, and the hammer by the

page_text: same movement cocked or half cocked, substantially as herein-before described
with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The arrangement or combination of parts acting substantially as
herein-before described with reference to the accompanying Drawings for
extracting the cartridge case.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Haschke, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight.