IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
MOSES POOLE, of the Patent Office, London, Gentleman, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster,
the Thirty-first day of March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
two, in the fifteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Moses Poole, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence. full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Moses Poole, my exors, adññiors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Moses Poole, my exors, adñiors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within Eng-
land, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," communicated to me by a certain
foreigner residing abroad, in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said Moses Poole, should cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the

page_text: said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Moses Poole, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
The Invention relates to that class of fire-arms termed breech loading
guns or fire-arms, or, in other words, those wherein the charge of powder
and ball or shot, is inserted at or near the breech, instead of first being
placed therein through the muzzle of the barrel. A gun made in
accordance with the improvements herein-after specified admits of a
cartridge being inserted in the rear part of the barrel, and on a line
with the axis of the bore of the barrel. It also causes the cartridge to
have its rear end cut off by the action of the sliding breech, so as to
expose the powder to the fire of the priming or percussion powder.
And furthermore, it secures the percussion nipple to be moved out of
the way of the hammer or cock during the operation of loading the
piece, thus preventing at such time a liability to explosion of the charge
by any accidental depression, fall, or throw of the hammer down upon
the nipple or percussion cap, or powder thereon.
Of the Drawings herewith presented Figure 1, denotes a side view
of the said fire-arm; Figure 2, is a vertical central and longitudinal
section of it; Figure 3, is a top view of it.
To enable others skilled in the fabrication or use of fire-arms to
make and operate my Invention, I will proceed to explain it. In the
said Drawings, A represents the barrel, and B the stock of the gun;
the barrel being joined to the stock in any proper manner by a metallic
connection, such as will allow of an aperture C made down through it,
and next to the rear end or breech of the barrel, such aperture being of
a size and shape to receive and hold a sliding breech or block of metal
D, which is made to fit closely to it, and to slide up and down through
or in it. The said slide or block D is connected with a lever E, by a
stirrup or link F, jointed both to the lever and slide, so that when the
lever (which turns on a fulcrum or pin H, arranged as seen in the

page_text: Drawings) is turned down, or in a direction away from the stock, as
denoted by dotted lines in Figure 2, the block will be moved by it
downwards a sufficient distance to cause it to freely and fully uncover
the bore at the rear end of the barrel, and so as to allow a cartridge of
powder to be inserted into such bore through such rear end of it. The
lever, link, and block or slide should also be so made that when such
lever is turned up close against the under side of the stock, the slide or
block shall be carried up into the position denoted in Figure 2, so as
to entirely cover over the rear end of the bore, and cause the block to
be a breech or wall to resist the back force of the charge during
plosion of it. The slide block should have a shearing or cutting edge
on its top, as seen at a, so that when raised up against the rear part of
a cartridge it shall cut off, shear, or sever such part of the cartridge
from the rest or that portion of it which may be within the barrel. A
front view of the slide block is given in Figure 4; a horizontal section
of it in Figure 5; and a vertical section of it, through its nipple, in
Figure 6.
ex-
The nipple for explosion of the percussion cap is seen at b, it being
secured in or affixed to the said slide D, so as to move with it when it
is moved either upwards or downwards. It may, however, be arranged
or affixed to the stock or lock so as to be independent of the slide D;
but this latter mode of applying it I do not consider so advantageous
as that first described, as when it is attached to the slide it is carried
out of reach of the cock I, when the slide is depressed for the purpose
of enabling a person to load the gun.
The lever E, forms a guard for the trigger K, and may at its rear
end be locked (whonever desirable) to the stock by means of a slide
catch L, or any mechanical equivalent therefor.
The bore of the barrel is counterbored or properly enlarged at
its rear part to receive the cartridge and shot or ball, such bore and
cartridge being of such lengths as to cause the rear part of the car
tridge when placed in it to project a short distance beyond it, so as to
enable the slide D, when forced upwards, to shear or cut off the end of
the cartridge, and allow the powder to rest against the slide and pass
into a passage c thereof, made to communicate with the passage or bore
of the nipple. The passage c is made with a shearing edge or inclined

page_text: .
surface, as seen at d, whereby the powder is made to more readily
descend or enter it than it would be otherwise likely to do.
A small spring h, is applied to the lever E, and the stock of the gun,
and made to operate so as to hold or press the rear end of the lever up
against the stock when it is in such position.
To use this gun, first prepare a cartridge by making a paper tube
nearly of the size of the counterbore of the barrel. Into one end of
such tube put the ball or balls, shot or shots, having a patch or piece
of cloth or other suitable material properly drawn over the same, and
secured to the tube. Next, charge the cartridge with gunpowder or
other explosive material, and close it up of a length sufficient to cause
it to project a little from the rear end of the barrel when put into place
within the rear or counterbored part of it. The parts of the gun being
in a situation for the insertion of the cartridge through the rear part of
the bore of the barrel it is to be introduced therein, and the lever E
turned up so as to cause the rise or full upward movement of the
sliding breech shearing block and the sheering off of the back end or
part of the cartridge. The percussion cap may next be put on the nipple,
and the gun is then ready for being discharged in the ordinary way.
.
The advantages of this gun over other breech loading guns are, that
the charge of the cartridge is never fully exposed to action of the fire
of the priming or percussion cap. The slide is so little exposed to the
explosion that it will not foul or expand to any material degree so as
to have its motions seriously affected. Again, the movements of the
slide breech being performed by or through a lever of high power, the
slide can be very closely fitted to the rear end of the barrel. As
the nipple is attached directly to the slide, and is moved with and by
it out of the way of the cock, the cap does not reach the hammer or cap
until the slide breech has effectually covered the bore of the barrel.
Thus danger to the use of the gun from premature explosion of the
cartridge rearward is prevented.
The main principle of the Invention, and what I claim, is the affixing
to or combining with a breech loading barrel a contrivance or mechanism
for clearing off the rear end of the cartridge, whether such contrivance
be connected directly with a moveable slide, or with the barrel made.
moveable, or with any other part of the gun. And I further claim to

page_text: combine the breech slide with the barrel and stock, or the supporter
of the slide, in such manner substantially as specified, that when the
said breech slide is depressed or moved in a proper direction the rear
end of the bore of the barrel shall be exposed, so as to enable it to have
a cartridge inserted at such end instead of through the muzzle, and on.
or about on a line with the bore; and also that when the said slide is
elevated or moved in the opposite direction to a proper degree, it shall
cover up the rear end of the bore, and constitute a contrivance for
resisting the rearward force of the explosion of the charge. And I
further claim the arrangement of the shearing contrivance, or that
which severs off the rear end of the cartridge directly on or its direct
combination with the breech slide, so as to operate during and by the
upward or return movement of the slide as above explained. I also
claim the improvement of combining the cap nipple with the breech
slide, so as to be moved by it or with it and away from and towards
the cock, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Moses Poole, havo hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand nicht hundred and co