IM- PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Godfrey Anthony Ermen, of Eccles, in the
County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE."
Sealed the 15th December 1871, and dated the 8th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Godfrey Anthony
Ermen at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 8th July 1871.
I, GODFREY ANTHONY ERMEN, of Eccles, in the County of Lancaster,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE," to be as
follows:-
In performing my Invention I construct the barrel with an enlarged
chamber to contain an ordinary central-fire cartridge as described in the
Patent granted to me on the Fifth day of April 1869, No. 1020. The
cnd of the barrel or of the cartridge chamber is provided with a hinge to

page_text: which is jointed the breech block which closes the end of the cartridge
chamber. The end of the breech block comes against two projections
from a plate forming part of or fixed to the end of the barrel or of the
cartridge chamber; these projections resist the force of the discharge.
Through the breech block is a hole for the needle which acts on the
detonating cap of the cartridge, and to it is connected a lever to draw
the cartridge case partly out of the chamber after the gun has been
discharged. The end of the breech block is provided with a recess, and
the hammer consists of a T shaped head piece fitting, when up, on cach
side of the said recess; this T shaped piece projects from a disc which
moves on an axle passing through the breech plate, and to this disc is
jointed a rod with a spring coiled around it. When the breech block is
to be opened in order to insert a cartridge the hammer is pulled down,
and this action compresses the spring and brings the rod about in a line
with the centre of the disc, but as soon as the breech block is brought
down to close the cartridge chamber, and the operator has partly raised
the hammer, the spring coming into action causes the hammer to rise,
thereby locking the breech block, and at the same time the needle is
pressed forward to explode the detonating cap of the cartridge. The
breech block is or may be acted upon by a spring to hold it back, and
to bring it down with a blow, and the position of the hammer can be
regulated by a screw to set the spring rod so that the axis of the rod
may point a little. beyond or not quite to the centre of the disc; in the
latter case the hammer can be set so that the descent of the breech block
may cause the gun to go off:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Godfrey Anthony Ermen in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GODFREY
ANTHONY ERMEN, of Eccles, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, 3
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-

page_text: fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Godfrey Anthony Ermen, Her special
license, that I, the said Godfrey Anthony Ermen, my executors, admi-
nistrators and assigns, or such others as I, the said Godfrey Anthony
Ermen, 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 AND ORDNANCE," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Godfrey Anthony Ermen, 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 imme..
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Godfrey Anthony Ermen, 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, that is to say :-
The nature of my Invention consists in certain improved combinations
of parts for opening and closing the cartridge chamber, for discharging
or exploding the cartridge, and for withdrawing the cartridge case from
the cartridge chamber of breech-loading fire-arms and ordnance.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters
marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a breech-loading rifle constructed
according to my improvements; Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 a trans-
versc section of the same.
Figs. 4 and 5 represent a modification of my Invention.
a is the barrel, which is made with or screwed into the chamber b,,
which is bored out of a greater diameter than the barrel to contain the
ordinary central-fire cartridge, as described in the Specification of

page_text: Letters Patent granted to me on the Fifth day of April One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine, Number 1020. The breech plate c is
secured to or forms part of the cartridge chamber b, to which is jointed
the breech block d, which when in the position shewn in Fig. 1
closes the end of the cartridge chamber. The breech plate c is
provided with two projections c', against which the end of the breech.
block dabuts when the fire-arm is discharged to resist the recoil
caused by the explosion of the cartridge. The spring d' is attached at
one end to the breech block and at the other to the chamber piece.
The needle e passes through the breech block d, and the end of this
needle acts on the detonating cap of the cartridge. Upon the fulcrum
stud of the breech block is mounted the lever f, which when the
cartridge is home, fits against the projecting flange of the detonating
cap, and when the breech block is thrown back after the discharge, as
shewn in dotted lines, the leverf draws the cartridge case partly out of
the cartridge chamber so that it can easily be removed before the
insertion of another cartridge. The end of the breech block is recessed
or forms a fork, and the hammer g, which is also jointed to the breech
plate c, has a T shaped head, which when the hammer is up fits on
each side of the said recess or fork to hold the breech block down; to
the disc of the hammer is jointed one end of the rod h, the other end of
which passes through a swivel piece in the under side of the breech
plate c, and around the rod h is coiled the spring i, the hammer is raised
by the trigger j, which when pulled lifts the pin k against the under
side of the hammer. The full lines in Fig. 1 represent the parts in the
positions they occupy when the fire-arm is ready to be discharged; as
soon as the trigger is pulled the hammer g rises suddenly into the
position shewn in dotted lines, being forced upward by the expansion
of the spring i, thereby locking the breech block d and bringing the
hammer against the needle e to explode the' detonating cap of the
cartridge or to discharge the fire-arm; the operator then draws down
the hammer g, and in so doing compresses the spring i ready for the next
discharge, and when the hammer is down the breech block can be
thrown back into the position shewn in dotted lines, the spring d
accelerating the action, and when back the empty cartridge case is
partly drawn out of the cartridge chamber by the lever f. When a
fresh cartridge is inserted the edge of the detonating cap carries the
lever back into position for being drawn out after the next discharge.

page_text: 0
The position of the hammer when down can be adjusted by the screw m,
and I prefer to set it in such a position that the axis of the spring
rod h may point a little below the axis of the hammer; it may, however,
point towards or a little above if desirable. When the spring rod points
below the axis of the hammer it can be set so that the sudden descent
of the breech block (which descent is accelerated by the spring d¹) may
cause the hammer to rise and so to discharge the fire-arm.
Fig. 4 is an clevation in section, and Fig. 5 a transverse section of a
modification of my improvements in fire-arms and ordnance. In this
arrangement the breech block d is hinged to the under side of the frame
or plate c forming part of the cartridge chamber b. The hammer g for
discharging the detonating powder in the cartridge fits on a square part
of the stud forming the fulcrum of the breech piece d, and this stud has
a flat head in which is a pin for the rod h of the spring i, which holds
the breech piece against the end of the cartridge chamber; this spring
assists in bringing the breech block back as shewn by dotted lines
when the cartridge is to be inserted, and the same spring also brings
the hammer against the end of the cartridge as soon as the trigger has
been drawn. The swivel piece answers the purpose of the projections
c¹, shewn in Fig. 1, that is to say, when the cartridge explodes the recoil
of the breech piece is resisted by the end of the piece 7 which fits in
a notch in the segmental part of the breech piece, and previous to
swinging the breech piece down, as shewn in dotted lines for reloading
the swivel piece is partly raised by the thumb of the operator. A small
spring is placed under the tail end of the swivel piece to bring it back
into working position. The empty cartridge case is drawn out of the
cartridge chamber by the catch g¹ projecting from the hammer, which
catch acts against the slide n and pushes the empty cartridge case partly
out of the chamber when the breach block is swivelled back. The
sliden fits between the plates c projecting from the cartridge chamber,
and when the fresh cartridge is put in the edge of the cap containing
the detonating powder presses the slide back.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details given, but that what I claim as my
improvements in breech-loading fire-arms and ordnance is, the general

page_text: combinations and arrangements of the parts shewn and described for
opening and closing the cartridge chamber for discharging or exploding
the cartridge and for withdrawing the cartridge casc.
In witness whereof, I, the said Godfrey Anthony Ermen, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Second day of January One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
GODFREY ANTHONY ERMEN. (L.S.)