IMPROVEMENTS. IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A com-
munication.
Sealed the 12th February 1856, and dated the 27th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the:
27th November 1855.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to that class of fire-arms in which the charge is
inserted into the barrel through the rear end thereof, and consists in hanging i
the barrel at some point between its two ends on a sliding and turning joint,
in combination with the connecting of the said barrel by a joint link with a
lever below, jointed in turn to the stock or lock frame, so that by moving the
said lever downward and forward, the barrel shall be first pushed forward to
open the breech, and then elevated to bring the open end thereof above tho
fixed breech for the insertion of the charge; and then, by moving the said lever

page_text: back to its original position, the rear end of the barrel shall be depressed, and
then drawn back against the fixed breech to close the rear end thereof.
The Invention also consists in combining with a sliding barrel, made with
the rear or breech end open, a fixed breech pin, which fits the bore of the rear
end of the barrel, in combination with an annular recess surrounding the said
pin to receive the rounded edge of the rear end of the barrel, to prevent as
much as possible the escape of gases, and in case of any escape to deflect
them towards the muzzle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM.
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of. Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I; the said William Edward Newton, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," being a communi-
cation from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William.Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
scal, 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 William Edward Newton, 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

page_text: following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of "Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms" relates to
that class of fire-arms in which the charge is inserted into the barrel through
the rear end thereof; and the first improvement consists in hanging the barre!
at some point between its two ends on a sliding and turning joint, in.com-
bination with the connecting of the said barrel by a joint link with a lever
below, jointed in turn to the stock or lock frame, so that by moving the said
lever downward and forward the barrel shall be first pushed forward to open
the breech, and then elevated to bring the open end thereof above the fixed
breech for the insertion of the charge, and then, by moving the said lever back
to its original position, the rear end of the barrel shall be depressed, and then
drawn back against the fixed breech to close the rear end thereof.
. The next improvement consists in combining with a sliding barrel, made
with the rear or breech end open, a fixed breech pin, which fits the bore of
the rear end of the barrel; in combination with an annular recess surrounding
the said pin to receive the rounded edge of the rear end of the barrel, in order
to prevent as much as possible the escape of gases, and, in case of any escapo
to deflect them towards the muzzle..
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view of part of a musket or
rifle with the above-mentioned improvements adapted thereto; Fig. 2 is a
longitudinal section thereof; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section, taken in the
line A, a, of Fig. 2. a, a, represents a gun stock of any of the usual forms,
to which is fitted any suitable lock. The barrel c is made with the rear end
open, and with the rear edge surrounding the said open end rounded. The
under surface of the barrel, about midway between the two ends, is formed
with a projection d, in which there is a longitudinal slot e fitted to slide on a
pin finserted through the stock, which should be properly mounted with iron
at that part to give the requisite strength. The length of this slot should be:
such that it will permit the barrel to move back as far as the breech will
permit, but to check the forward movement as soon as the rear end of the
barrel clears the fixed breech pin, to be presently described:
The under side of the barrel is jointed by a joint pin g with one end of a
strong link h, the said pin passing through the forward end of the link, and
a projection i from the under side of the barrel extending on each side of the
link. The rear end of the said link his curved upwards, as represented in
Fig. 2, and works freely in a mortise made for that purpose in a. lever j, to-
which the said link is connected by a joint pink back of the fulcrum pin'l,
on which the said lever turns, and by which it is connected with the stock.

page_text: The body of this lever when drawn up fits 'in a recess in the under part of
the stock, and its rear end is held by a spring catch m, the outer end of which
projects outward and backward, that it may be conveniently pushed back
by the hand to liberate the lever, whilst the thumb and forefinger grasp a
projecting bow n on the said lever for the purpose of forcing the lever
down.
tho
The trigger o and trigger guard 'p are attached to the said lever, so that
when the said lever is drawn up it takes the place of and resembles the usual
trigger and guard plate. Care should be taken so to locate the two joint pins
of the link and the fulcrum pin l, that when the lever is drawn up
centres of the three shall be in or nearly in one and the same straight line;
that it may effectually resist the force of the dischargo; and, as important
in this connection, the fixed breech q, properly fitted and secured to the stock,
extends sufficiently down and back on each side of the lever, as at r, to enable
the fulcrum pin of the lever to pass through it.
"
The breech g is fitted and secured to the stock by screws passing. through
a tail pieces on top, and its projections r, r, on each side of the lever j are
embraced by the lock plate s on one side, and 'a' corresponding plate t let
into the stock on the other side, and the fulcrum-pin-7-passes through the
whole:
:
The front face of the fixed breech is provided with a projecting cylindrical.
breech pin u, which accurately fits the bore of the rear end of the barrel, and
the face of the said fixed breech is recessed, as at v, around the breech pin, to
correspond with and receive the rounded edge of the rear end of the barrel
when drawn out. The front face of the breech pin is made concave, and the
touch-hole from the nipple w passes through the centre thereof.
From the foregoing it will be seen that by pushing back the spring catch.
m, and pushing the lever j downward and then forward, the barrel is first
pushed forward until the rear end of the slot e strikes against the pin f; on.
which it slides; by that time the rear end of the barrel has cleared the brecch
pin; and then the further forward movement of the lever will lift up the rear.
end of the barrel above the line of the fixed breech, so that a charge can be
readily inserted; and then, by drawing the lever back and raising it up until it
is secured by the spring catch, the rear end of the barrel is first depressed,
and then the wholo barrel is drawn back over the fixed breech pin, until the
rear rounded edge of the barrel is brought up close into the recess surrounding
the breech pin.
In this way, by one motion of the lever, the barrel is brought in a position.
to receive the charge; and by another movement of the said lever the charge.

page_text: is enclosed, and the whole secured to confine the charge and resist the
discharge.
Having now described the "Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms,"
which constitute the Invention that has been communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I claim as
new in the present Invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,
hanging the barrel at some point between the two ends on a sliding and
turning joint, in combination with the connecting of the said barrel behind
the turning and sliding joint (by means of a joint link) with a hand lever,
having its fulcrum in the stock or breech pin, for the purpose herein set
forth; and I also claim, in combination with a sliding barrel, having the rear
end thereof open, as described, the employment of a fixed cylindrical breech
pin surrounded by an annular recess to receive the rounded edge of the barrel,
as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane,
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)