IM- PROVEMENTS IN RIFLING ORDNANCE
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Barlow, of 23, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN RIFLING ORDNANCE." -A communication from abroad
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Barlow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th April 1873.
.I, CHARLES BARLOW, of 23, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RIFLING ORDNANCE," to be as follows:-
.
This Invention, as communicated to me, has for its objects the rapid
and easy conversion of a smooth bore into a rifled piece, and vice versa,
the change being readily made during an action, as necessity may
dictate, and consists of applying to a smooth bore gun an axial rifled
rod which may be removed at will, the shot or shell and cartridge used
in conjunction with the rod being, of course, of a hollow cylindrical or
tubular form. The gun may thus be used for siege purposes, or the
'

page_text: penetration of armour plates at long ranges, and in a few minutes, by
the removal of the rod, be again converted into a smooth bore, enabling
shrapnell, grape, or canister to be fired at close quarters (as at sea), or
on advancing bodies of troops (as on land). It is obvious that the
utilization of the existing smooth bores as rifled pieces can be effected
by my Invention in a simple, durable, and economical manner. The
axial rod is disposed centrally for the entire length of the gun, being
screwed into it from the breech when the rod is not in use, a screw plug
occupying its place in the breech.
I have found in practice a rod of hexagonal section, the pitch of the
screw or twist of the rod being one full turn in seven feet, to give
excellent results as to accuracy, and ensuring perfect rotation of the
shot. It is evident that the less twist that can be given compatible
with sufficient rotation of the shot, the better, the initial strain upon the
gun and rod being thereby diminished.
For heavy ordnance the rod may be hollowed out for a portion or the
whole of its length for the purpose both of lessening its weight and of
preventing its drooping in the gun. When the rod is hollowed out for
the whole of its length it may be found advantageous to "sight" the
object aimed at through the rod instead of by the usual external means.
The projectile. used with my Invention is a hollow cylinder or tube
about one and a half cabibres in length exteriorily, mechanically fitting
the bore of the gun, and interiorily the axial rifled rod. The head of
the shot is rounded or tapered off externally and internally until a sharp
edge is formed; but for penetration of armour plates I prefer the head
less tapered, leaving an annular flat head in thickness equal to about
onc-half that of the walls of the shot. The projectile is slightly cupped
or hollowed out at its base. The cartridge is separate from the shot,
being, of course, also tubular, passing over the rifled rod up the bore of
the gun; it may be fired by any ordinary method ensuring an equal
combustion of the charge. It will be seen that the shot is of necessity
perfectly centred during its passage out of the gun.
Shell may readily be constructed of similar shape to the shot herein-

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters. Patent,.
filed by the said Charles Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office:
on the 25th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
BARLOW, of 23, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, Patent"
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year.
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Barlow, Her special license"
that I, the said Charles Barlow, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Barlow, 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, tlie-
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
-RIFLING ORDNANCE," a communication to me from abroad by Major
Addington Taylor, Bengal Staff, Calcutta, India, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles Barlow, 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 Charles Barlow, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention, as communicated to me, has for its objects the rapid
and easy conversion of a smooth bore into a rifled piece, and vice versa,
the change being readily made during an action, as necessity may
dictate, and consists of applying to a smooth bore gun an axial rifled rod
which may be removed at will, the shot or shell and cartridge used in:
conjunction with the rod being, of course, of a hollow cylindrical or

page_text: tubular form. The gun may thus be used for siege purposes, or the
penetration of armour plates at long ranges, and in a few minutes, by
the removal of the rod, be again converted into a smooth bore, enabling
shrapnell, grape, or canister to be fired at close quarters (as at sca), or on
advancing bodies of troops (as on land). It is obvious that the utili-
zation of the existing smooth bores as rifled pieces can be effected by my
Invention in a simple, durable, and economical manner. The axial rod
is disposed centrally for the entire length of the gun, being screwed into
it from the breech when the rod is not in use, a screw plug occupying
its place in the breech.
I have found in practice a rod of hexagonal section, the pitch of the
screw or twist being one full turn in seven feet, to give excellent results
as to accuracy, and ensuring perfect rotation of the shot. It is evident
that the less twist that can be given, compatible with sufficient rotation
of the shot, the better, the initial strain upon the gun and rod being
thereby diminished.
For heavy ordnance the rod may be hollowed out for a portion or the
whole of its length, for the purpose both of lessening its weight and of
preventing its "drooping" in the gun. When the rod is hollowed out
for the whole of its length it may be found advantageous to sight the
object aimed at through the rod, instead of by the usual external means.
The projectile used with my Invention is a hollow cylinder or tube.
about one and a half calibres in length exteriorily, mechanically fitting
the bore of the gun, and interiorily the axial rifled rod. The head of
the shot is rounded or tapered off externally and internally until a sharp
edge is formed; but for penetration of armour plates I prefer the head
less tapered, leaving an annular flat head in thickness equal to about
one-half that of the walls of the shot. The projectile is slightly cupped
or hollowed out at its base. The cartridge is separate from the shot,
being, of course, also tubular, passing over the rifled rod up the bore.of
the gun. It may be fired by any ordinary method, ensuring an equal
combustion of the charge. It will be seen that the shot is of necessity
perfectly centred during its passage out of the gun.
Shell may readily be constructed of similar shape to the shot herein-
before described.
And in order that my Invention may be the better understood and
more readily carried into effect, I will now proceed to describe the
Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of an ordinary muzzle-loading smooth
bore gun, shewing the breech tapped or screwed to receive screwed
brcech piece when the gun is used at close quarters as a smooth bore.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of an ordinary muzzle-loading smooth
bore gun converted into a rifled piece by introducing an axial rifled rod,
as shewn, which is screwed in from the breech end in place of the
screwed breech piece when this rod is removed, and the breech piece
screwed in the gun again becomes an ordinary muzzle-loading smooth
bore, as in Figure I.
Figure 3 shews the rifled rod detached and ready for being screwed
into the gun.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a rifled shell adapted to the above
described rifle gun.
Figure 5 is an ordinary solid shot.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of a rifled shot adapted to the above
described rifled gun.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, as com-
municated to me, I wish it to be understood that what I claim and
desire to secure by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the application of a moveable rifled rod to a smooth bore gun, in the
manner and for the purposes herein-before described and shewn in the
Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Barlow, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-three.
CHARLES BARLOW. (L.S.)
Witness,
H. ELLIS HILL,
of the Firm of Barlow & Co.,
Patent Agents,
23, Southampton Buildings,
W.C.