IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING THE AMMUNITION. OR. CHARGES FOR RIFLED ORDNANCE AND RIFLED FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Whitworth, of the City of Manchester; in the.
County of Lancaster, Engineer for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PREPARING THE AMMUNITION. OR. CHARGES FOR RIFLED ORDNANCE AND RIFLED
FIRE-ARMS..
Sealed. the 16th. February: 1866; and dated the 4th November 1865;
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by. the said Joseph Whitworth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
November 1865.
I, JOSEPH WHITWORTHI, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING THE AMMUNITION OR CHARGES FOR RIFLED ORDNANCE.
AND RIFLED FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My improvements in ammunition or charges for rifled ordnance and small
arms consist in the employment of one or more discs of metal of the exact
figure or shape of the section of the rifled bore, and which, in the case of
ordnance, I attach to the forward end of the powder bag, and for the small
arm to the base of the bullet, so that in the act of loading the edges of the
disc scrape off a portion of the fouling caused by the previous shot, and carries
it down the barrel, leaving it in a more regular and in a comparatively clear
state for the passage of the shot, thus preserving, in the case of the small arm,
the paper and bullet from injury. When two or more discs are used I mako
them slightly different in size, placing the largest next to the shot, and between

page_text: each I place a thin film of wax, which by the pressure given in loading is pressed
out against the edges of the discs, and enables the fouling to be more easily
removed. By these means I am also enabled to use shot with less allowance
for windage. When gun cotton is used the disc protects the base of a lead
bullet from injury.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Whitworth in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WHITWORTH, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Joseph Whitworth, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Whit-
worth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Joseph Whitworth, 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
PREPARING THE AMMUNITION OR CHARGES FOR RIFLED ORDNANCE AND RIFLED
FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph
Whitworth, 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 Joseph Whitworth, 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, that is to say:-
My improvements in ammunition or charges for rifled ordnance and small
armis consist in the employment of one or more dises of metal of the exact

page_text: figure or shape of the section of the rifled bore, and which, in the case of
ordnance, I attach to the forward end of the powder bag, and for the small
arms to the base of the bullet, so that in the act of loading the edges of the
disc scrape off a portion of the fouling caused by the previous shot, and carry
it down the barrel, leaving it in a more regular and in a comparatively clean
state for the passage of the shot, thus preserving, in the case of the small
the paper and bullet from injury. When two or more discs are used I
make them slightly different in size, placing the largest next to the shot, and
between each I place a thin film of wax, which, by the pressure given in
loading, is pressed out against the edges of the discs, and enables the fouling
to be more easily removed. By these means I am also enabled to use shot
with less allowance for windage. When gun cotton is used the disc protects
the base of a lead bullet from injury.
arm,
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure shows a plan, and Figure 2 an edge view of a metal disc or
scraper A, perforated with small holes a, for the purpose of attaching it to the
wood sabot; bare slits to assist the breaking up the disc on its leaving the
gun; this disc is formed to the exact transverse section of the rifled barrel of
a gun, at the same time it fits the barrel so as to pass somewhat easily down,
yet so that air will pass, whilst at the same time the disc will remove any
fouling. Figure 3 shows a plan, and Figure 4 a section of a wood sabot B,
which is fluted on the edges to reduce the friction. The sabot has a recess of
the same shape as the rear end of the shot or projectile, in order that such
end may be received into and fit the recess. Figure 5 represents the cartridge
and its appendages as used for my 2-pounder howitzer; F is the cartridge
bag; C is the gunpowder in the bag; D is the wood coupling tied in the
mouth of the cartridge bag for the attachment of the parts A and B, the
disc A being previously fastened to the sabot B by means of small pins of
metal. Figure 6 shows the employment of an additional disc or scraper A¹,
and E is a ring of wax placed between the two discs A and A'. A' is pressed
against the wax ring E until the wax is forced through the small holes a,
thereby causing the disc A' and the wax ring E to adhere together. This
arrangement I use for medium-sized guns. Figures 7 and 8 represent the
arrangement for my 7" bore gun, and are shown half size. The metal dise or
scraper next to the shot is in all cases to be a little larger than the shot in
order to remove sufficient of the fouling to secure easy loading. When more

page_text: than one scraper or disc are used they should vary slightly in size, the one
next to the powder being the smallest. By this arrangement each scraper
does a portion of the work; a small amount of windage is thus obtained with
comparatively easy loading, thus preventing the great wear and scoring from
the escape of the gases when there is much windage.
When it is required to ignite a fuse by the issuing flame I use instead of the
bees'-wax E, Figures 6 and 7, a piece of oak grooved on. its edges, and to
ensure sufficient flame passing the scrapers I hollow out two spaces in the
scrapers in the centre of two sides opposite each other.
Figures 9 to 14 show the means of preparing ammunition for rifles, which
will be easily understood from the description above given. The metal discs
or scrapers and the wax ring are attached to the base of the bullet (whether
mechanically fitting, as shown, or cylindrical) by means of the paper covering
the projectile. This disc A is, as before described, formed of the transverse
section of the rifled barrel. Figure 12 shows the paper F round the pro-
jectile G, twisted at the base C ready to receive the scrapers A, A¹, and the
wax ring B. I find it desirable to fasten the metal disc or scraper A, which is
nearest to the base of the bullet, by means of bees'-wax or other suitable
comparatively hard lubricator; to facilitate this I make a number of small
holes a in the disc or scraper A, Figures 9 and 10. The metal disc or
scraper A is then heated and forced against a small ring of bees'-wax g, which
is put on the twisted paper previously; the metal disc or scraper A being
heated the wax ring 9 begins to melt and flows into the small holes a to the
outside, greatly assisting adhesion, which prevents the scraper or disc A from
turning round. The wax ring E, Figure 11, and the metal disc or scraper A,
Figures 9 and 10, are then put on to the twisted paper-c, after which the end
of the paper which protrudes beyond the disc A¹ is opened out and pressed,
forming a rivet head, which retains the wax ring E and the metal scraper A',
as shown in Figure 13. When the powder is of a superior quality, or when
gun cotton is used, excellent shooting is obtained by using one disc or
scraper A only without any lubrication, and combined with the paper wrapped
round the end of the bullet, as shown in Figure 14.
It should be remarked that by the employment of discs or scrapers, such as
are above described, with cylindrical bullets of soft lead, their trajectory is
much improved.
I would remark that I am aware that very thin discs of metal have been
used as separate wads in fowling pieces, such discs being of somewhat larger
diameter than the bore of the barrels, and capable by their elasticity of
bending so as to fit the barrels tightly. Now the peculiarity of my Invention

page_text: consists in combining the discs as herein described with the powder or
with the projectiles or lubricating material when used therewith, as herein
explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Whitworth, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JOSEPH WHITWORTH. (L.S.)