IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE SAME."
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Pierre Tronchon, of 2, Rue Sainte Appoline,
Paris, Empire of France, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd March 1865.
I, ALFRED PIERRE TRONCHON, of 2, Rue Sainte Appoline, Paris, Empire of
France, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE SAME," to
be as follows:-
My improvements relate chiefly to the construction of those fire-arms
having one to several barrels, and especially to those with twelve charges,
which may be employed alternately and at will, without the necessity of
altering the position of the arm, for by the action of a lever the arm is cocked,
the charge introduced, and the arm made ready for firing. The mechanism
is completely hidden in the interior of the arm, the action of which is very
simple. The breech is mounted on an axis, and it has to describe an arc of a
circle to open or close the end of the barrel; this motion is communicated to
it by a lever, which acts on an inclined plane, on which a projection is free to
slide, formed at the base of the piece to cause it to describe the necessary are,
in order that the breech opens the opening in the end of the barrel, and which
is also closed when the charge has been introduced, for at the same time that

page_text: the lever causes the breech to open it communicates by a knee-piece a sliding
motion to the rack carrying the cartridges, and to the piece which introduces
the first cartridge into the chamber of the arm. The return of the lever to
its normal position closes the breech and advances all the other cartridges.
Besides the forward rack there is another at the rear, both being enclosed in
a metal groove or slide; one of the racks has only a downward motion to
allow the cartridges to pass and to keep them in position, while the second
makes a to-and-fro motion to bring forward, and at the same time to guide
the cartridges. There is a safety slide or door capable of being easily opened, by
which the upper part of the internal mechanism of the arm may be inspected.
I also make fire-arms with one or two barrels preserving the safety slide,
which opens from right to left; the arm is provided internally with a loose
piston put in motion by a hammer on which the dog falls. The retreat of the
piston is effected in two ways, either by a small balance lever pushed back by
the nut of the dog when it is cocked to charge, or by means of a button,
which closes the slide by a click, or any other suitable appliance. I make
use of the motion of the safety slide to work a lever to withdraw the
"culot," if a cartridge with such is used. Fire-arms constructed in this
manner in some cases have the slide concealed in the plate band between
the two barrels. The hinge has double pivots, which also work the draw
cartridge.
Although the ordinary "culot" cartridges may be used with this break
barrel gun, I prefer a special cartridge composed of a ball or charge of lead
fixed on the bottom of a copper culot; the whole is surrounded with an elastic
wrapper, and with an elastic bottom made by preference of caoutchouc,.
through the centre of which passes a rod provided with a priming. With
this cartridge the explosion drives the ball and the culot, which separate on
leaving the barrel, the bottom and the envelope remaining, and thus the
chamber is preserved from contact with fire, the parts being expelled by the
introduction of another cartridge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
PIERRE TRONCHON, of 2, Rue Sainte Appoline, Paris, Empire of France, send g
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Pierre Tronchon, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred
Pierre Tronchon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon, 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 "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE
SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Pierre
Tronchon, 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 Alfred Pierre Tronchon, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My improvements relate chiefly to the construction of those fire-arms
having one to several barrels, and especially to those with twelve charges,
which may be employed alternately and at will, without the necessity of
altering the position of the arm, for by the action of a lever the arm is cocked,
the charge introduced, and the arm made ready for firing. The mechanism
is completely hidden in the interior of the arm, the action of which is very
simple. The breech is mounted on an axis, and it has to describe an arc of a
circle to open or close the end of the barrel; this motion is communicated to
it by a lever, which acts on an inclined plane on which a projection. is free to
slide, formed at the base of the piece to cause it to describe the necessary aro
in order that the breech opens the opening in the end of the barrel, and which
is also closed when the charge has been introduced, for at the same time that
the lever causes the breech to open, it communicates by a knee-piece a
sliding motion to the rack carrying the cartridges, and to the piece which
introduces the first cartridge into the chamber of the arm. The return of the

page_text: lever to its normal position closes the breech, and advances all the other cart-
ridges. Besides the forward rack there is another at the rear, both being
enclosed in a metal groove or slide, one of the racks has only a downward
motion to allow the cartridges to pass and to keep them in position, while the
second makes a to-and-fro motion to bring forward and at the same time
to guide the cartridges. There is a safety slide or door capable of being easily
opened, by which the upper part of the internal mechanism of the arm may
be inspected.
I also make fire-arms with one or two barrels preserving the safety slide,
which opens from right to left; the arm is provided internally with a loose
piston put in motion by a hammer, on which the dog falls. The retreat of
the piston is effected in two ways, either by a small balance lever pushed back
by the nut of the dog when it is cocked to charge, or by means of a button,
which closes the slide by a click, or any other suitable appliance. I make
use of the motion of the safety slide to work a lever to withdraw the "culot,"
of a cartridge with such is used. Fire-arms constructed in this manner in
some cases have the slide concealed in the plate band between the two barrels.
The binge has double pivots, which also work the draw cartridge.
Although the ordinary "culot" cartridges may be used with this break
barrel gun, I prefer a special cartridge composed of a ball or charge of lead
fixed on the bottom of a copper "culot," the whole is surrounded with an elastic
wrapper, and with an elastic bottom made by preference of caoutchouc,
through the centre of which passes a rod provided with a priming. With
this cartridge the explosion drives the ball and the "culot," which separate on
leaving the barrel, the bottom and the envelope remaining, and thus the
chamber is preserved from contact with fire, the parts being expelled by the
introduction of another cartridge.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a view of a fire-arm fitted with
twelve barrels, being shown loaded and primed by twelve cartridges, but any
other number may be used, placed longitudinally in the woodwork of the gun,
all according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section at the line A;
Figure 8 is a transverse section at the line B; and Figure 4 is a general view
of the arm.
The following changes given to this system are designed for the purpose of
correcting or improving the appearance of the arın, by enclosing all the
mechanism in the interior of the wood and iron. The breech a turning upon
its lower axis b describes a segment of a circle without coming out at the
exterior, being put in motion by the lever d and the joining piece c. The
gudgeon e of the joining piece in sliding upon an inclined plane f causes the

page_text: breech to open and close. At the same time that the lever opens the breech
it communicates to the knee piece ga retreating movement upon the rack h,
which introduces the cartridges, and to the piece i, which introduces the
former into the chamber. The replacement of the lever closes the breech
again, and brings forward all the other cartridges.. The hanımer k receives
the blow of the cock and pushes the piston, which strikes upon the centre of
the cartridge. The notch, with which the hammer, and the piston are fur-
nished at their end, serves to bind them when the blow is given, and to
withdraw the piston while cocking the arm. The rack furnished with
notches at the distance of each cartridge is double, and enclosed in a groove
or slide of metal; one of these racks has only an up-and-down motion, in
order to let the cartridges pass and to keep them in their places, while the
second moves backwards and forwards. to take and bring them forward.
A1 represent the new cartridge and its composition; 2 is the bullet pro-
vided with two small rivets for fixing it to the culot; 3 is a gutta percha or
india-rubber cover enclosing the brass culot 4; 5, a gutta percha or india-
rubber washer closing the cartridge, and acting as a waterproofing. The -
explosion drives out the ball and the brass culot, which, on account of
their form, become detached on leaving the barrel; the cover and the brass
washer remain, which are easily pushed out by the introduction of the fol-
lowing cartridge. These two pieces not only act as waterproofers, but also
preserve the chamber from contact with fire, and keep the arm constantly
clean. L is a door or valve, which is only opened when it is required to view
the interior of the mechanism.
Figure 5 represents a modification of the same arm. The door or valve is
much thicker and stronger than in the previous arrangement, but opens in
a similar manner; the joining piece, however, is dispensed with. The
hammer h¹ strikes upon the small lever c, which pushes the piston l. These
two pieces are free and without springs, the piston retreats of its own accord
and in the following manner :-In opening the breech the top of the lever c
(Figure 6, section) meets the inclined partition. of the valve box, which
forces it to take the horizontal position which it had left from the shock of
the cock. The rack is the same, its extremity alone has, as a modification, a
slide i, which in stretching out from the difference in the thickness of the
valve permits it to conduct the first cartridge just into the chamber, while
the others only advance one length. The lever d communicates motion to
the balance lever a, which is thus imparted to the rack.
Figures 7, 8, and 9, are views of a fire-arm designed for discharging only
one shot at a time. In this arrangement I dispense.with all mechanism,

page_text: I
except the valve P, shown in section at Figure 8, and in plan at Figure 9.
This valve opens from right to left; it closes the breech exactly; it is fur-
nished in the interior with an independant piston put in motion by the
hammer k. A spring ¹, placed under the hammer, makes it rise when cocking,
and withdraws the piston; this last also withdraws on opening the valve; in
this case the knob serving to snap the valve has in the interior a hook o,
which fits in an angle q, the end of which passes into the piston; by this
means the retreat of the piston, and the opening of the arm are dependant
on each other. In the case where it is wished to make use of, in this arm,
central-fire percussion cartridges, the hinge of the valve at its extremity being
cut at an angle causes a piece m, cut according to the chamber, to balance
and to incrust itself. In opening the valve the socket comes out of the chamber.
Figure 10 is a view of the same arm, the valve P being raised vertically upon
the barrel; and Figure 11 is a section through the line X, X¹, of Figure 10,
by means of hinge branches e; the retreat of the piston is different. The
piston has a shank t underneath it. In cocking the nut of the cock presses
upon the head of the slide m, which puts the escape lever 6 in motion, and
draws back the piston to its place. It is an arm suitable for military or
sporting purposes with single or double barrel.
Figure 12 is a view of a gun particularly adapted to sporting purposes, of
which Figure 12 bis represents the balance lever piece in plan. The piston a,
the hammer b, and the shank c of the hammer bare enclosed in the system S.
The shank c alone comes out; the barrel d is held by the hinge e; the
gudgeon f, which enters the system; and hooks g, which are hooked between
the two pistons, and in the piece at h, which turns by means of the shank i,
put in motion by the small lever k.
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,―
First, the employment of a double rack to direct the motion of the
cartridges, substantially as herein-before described.
Second, the construction and employment of a movable beech, substantially
as herein-before described.
Third, the method, substantially as herein-before described, of obtaining or
producing the central percussion of cartridges.
Fourth, the construction of cartridges, as particularly herein-before described.
Fifth, the construction of military arms with single barrels, as herein-before
described.
Sixth, the construction of sporting arms with one or two barrels, as herein-
before described.

page_text: Seventh, the several arrangements of the parts of fire-arms, namely, the
cartridge, the mechanism for producing the percussion, and the method of
loading fire-arms, all substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Pierre Tronchon, have hereunto
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year
set my
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
A. P. TRONCHON. (L.S.)