IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paul François Cassegrain, of Paris, France, Gentle-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 6th January 1868, and dated the 22nd July 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paul François Cassegrain
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on
the 22nd July 1862.
I, PAUL FRANÇOIS CASSEGRAIN, of Paris, France, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS,"
to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to portable fire-arms, such as muskets, rifles,
carbines, or pistols, and they consist in a novel arrangement of breech-loading
arms, the mechanisms offering also an easy means for transforming muzzle
into breech-loading arms.
In the annexed Drawings Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section of part of a
breech-loading arm provided with the mechanism for opening or closing the
breech, and thus allow the loading of the arm; Fig. 2 gives a plan view taken
over the broken line X, X, X, X³, of Fig. 1.
The barrel A is connected to the plate B by a link C articulated in D and
E, and by the rod F articulated in G, which rod glides in a tubular part H,
and is pushed forward by the spring I; J is a tenon having a hole j, in which
is introduced the further end of the blank of the bolt K when the breech is
lowered on the plate B, the tenon J entering in the corresponding depression L

page_text: provided in this plate; by means of the lever M turning in m, the bolt K is
pushed forward or backward as required, and a gudgeon N is lifted by this
lever M for driving the tenon J out of the depression L when the breech is to
be lifted for loading the arm.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance. of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Paul François Cassegrain in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd January 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PAUL
FRANÇOIS CASSEGRAIN, of Paris, France, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Paul François Cassegrain, Her special licence that I, the said Paul François
Cassegrain, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Paul François Cassegrain, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Paul
François Cassegrain, 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 Paul François Cassegrain, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
These improvements relate to portable fire-arms, such as muskets, rifles,
single or double barrelled fowling pieces, carbines, or pistols, and principally
to the transformation of muzzle or ramrod loading fire-arms into breech-
loading ones, although the mechanism is equally applicable in manufacturing
new breech-loading small fire-arms.

page_text: In the annexed Drawings Fig. 1 represents part of a double-barrelled
fowling piece intended originally to be a muzzle or ramrod loading one, and
transformed by the application of my Invention into a breech-loading one.
In this Fig. the gun is represented ready for use; Fig. 2 represents a
longitudinal sectional view of the same, the red lines showing the position of
various parts when the breech is in the opened position ready for receiving
the cartridge.
Fig. 3 represents a plan view of a part with which a muzzle-loading gun is
to be provided when the same is to be transformed into a breech-loading one
according to my Invention.
In these three Figs. corresponding parts are marked by the same letters of
reference.
The stock A, the scrow plate, tumblers, and trigger guard remain in their
original position; the depression in the cock's head for the nipple is filled up,
the nipples being removed, and cartridges of the kind known in France as
Lefaucheux's percussion cartridges being made use of with my arrangement.
An iron or other suitable metal plate or part C is entered into a corresponding
depression in the wood of the stock A, and fixed thereto by a screw e, whilst
the part d of the tail D serves as an abuttment for the cartridge; f is a tenon
fixed to the lower part of the barrel B, and entering into a corresponding
recess in the part C; a bolt g is allowed to glide and fit in a longitudinal
perforation in the said tenon f, this bolt being pushed forward and backward
by the effect of the upper end of the arm h of the lever h, i, j, working in a
corresponding recess provided in the head fs of the bolt f; the lever h, i, j,
turning round a pin i causes the bolt g to enter into the perforation of the
tenon f, or to be withdrawn therefrom; in the first case keeping the barrel B
in the position represented in Fig. 2 ready for firing, whilst by pressing
against the arm j, the bolt g being withdrawn from the tenon f, allows the
barrel B to assume the opened position, viz., ready for introducing the cartridge,
as shown in red lines in the said Fig. 2. is a link, one end of which turns
round a pin p in a fork m fixed to the barrel B, whilst the other end turns.
round a pin in the part C; n is a guide bolt gliding in a corresponding
tubular opening provided in a prolongation of the part C; round the
thinner part n' of this bolt n is wound a helical spring n², by means of which
the said bolt may be pushed forward to the position shown in red lines in Fig. 2,
and as in the head n³ of the bolt n turns the pin n' of the fork n³ fixe:l to the
under side of the barrel B, this latter, by the effect of the spring n³, will be
carried in the position shown in red lines whenever the tenon f, after being
eleased from the bolt g is lifted out of the depression f of the part C, which.

page_text: lifting of the barrel B takes place by the effect of the arm of the lever h, i,j,
being pushed forward, and thereby striking with a small projecting part q
against an inclined bolt r gliding in a corresponding perforation in the part C,
the upper end of which bolt r will thereby lift the tenon f out of the recess f',
and afterwards drop back in its former position. As the recess f¹ and the tenon f
will become more or less worn out by a continued use, a wedge s may by
means of the screw t be pushed sufficiently against the tenon f, so as not to
leave any opening between them, and always keep the tenon perfectly steady;
the lower end u of this screw t is further prevented from leaving the wedge by
the effect of a screw gudgeon v entering into a circular depression provided in
this part u.
The gun having been arranged in the manner above described, and been:
set in the uncocked position shown in Fig. 1, the same is worked in the
following manner:-The gun having been put at full cock the arm of the.
lever h, i, j, is pushed forward, by the effect of which the bolt g is drawn back
from the tenon f, the bolt r then drives the said tenon f out of the recess f',
the link turning round the pins 7 and p; at that moment the spring n² drives.
forward the guide bolt n, and thus causes the barrel B to assume the position
shown in red lines in Fig. 2; a Lefaucheux's cartridge being now introduced,
in the breech the barrel B is carried back and depressed, so as to cause the
tenon to enter again in the recess f³, and this tenon thereby striking against
the upper end of the inclined bolt r, causes the arm j of the lever h, i, j, to
recede, whilst the opposite arm h in advancing drives the bolt 9 in the opening
of the tenon f, and thus retains the barrel B perfectly steady in position ready
for firing.
It will be understood that two barrels may be worked simultaneously by
the said mechanism.
I wish to add here that although my arrangement is particularly applicable
for transforming muzzle or ramrod loading guns into breech-loading ones, the
same may be made use of for manufacturing new guns, muskets, fowling
pieces, rifles, pistols, or other small or portable fire-arms of the same class.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
Invention, and the mode in which the same is to be made use of, I would
observe in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself to the precise
details of the mechanism above described, as many variations may be made
therefrom without deviating from the main features of the said Invention, but
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the
general arrangement and combination of parts of the above described

page_text: mechanism applicable for breech-loading small fire-arms, or for transforming
inuzzle or ramrod loading portable fire-arms into breech-loading ones.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paul François Cassegrain, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witnes,
DREYFOUS,
Ing. Civil.
P. F. CASSEGRAIN. (L.s.)