IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Tooth, of Brixton, in the County
of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
SMALL-ARMS."
Scaled the 3rd May 1872, and dated tho 4th November 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Tooth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th November 1871.
I, WILLIAM HENRY TOOTH, of Brixton, in the County of Surrey,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS," to be as follows:-
These improvements have for their object better arrangements than
heretofore used for opening and closing the chamber or chambers of
breech-loading arms with bolts or blocks, and fastening the same by a
catch and movement separate from the gun lock; the said catch bolts,
blocks, and chambers being adapted for use with ordinary gun locks.
To carry out this object I make a chamber, groove, or "shoe" to receive
a sliding bolt or block provided with a plunger and nipple box, and also

page_text: with a spring fastener locking into a catch hole in the resisting block of
the said chamber, which prevents the bolt or block coming out of its
place by the concussion of firing. By providing the hammer with a
projection the drawing back of the block or bolt will "cock" the gun.
Or I make a modification of the above arrangement by adopting the use
of blocks with catches, such blocks working upon an axis or swivel joint
(or equivalent), the object being to supply such a catch as will keep the
block in its place without liability to become loose. This modification
can also be made self-cocking. Or I use other modifications of the before-
mentioned arrangements consisting in the same breech arrangements as
above described, but with this addition that the cartridges are inserted
into the bolts or blocks instead of being placed in the barrel, the bolts or
blocks being themselves inserted in the barrel, and the pressure of the
gas from the explosion of the cartridge expanding the bolts or blocks,
and making a perfect gas-tight joint so that there is no liability of any
escape of gas at the breech.
My Invention before described is adapted for the use of the Boxer,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Henry Tooth in the Great Scal Patent 2
Office on the 4th May 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY TOOTH, of Brixton, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the year s
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Henry Tooth, Her special licence that
I, the said William Henry Tooth, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Henry Tooth, 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 BREECH-LOADING

page_text: "
SMALL-ARMS,' upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Henry Tooth, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Henry Tooth, 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 have for their object better arrangements than
heretofore used for opening and closing the chamber or chambers of
breech-loading arms with bolts or blocks, and fastening the same by
a catch and movement separate from the gun lock; the said catch
bolts, blocks, and chambers being adapted for use with ordinary gun
locks.
To carry out this object I make a chamber, groove, or "shoe" to
receive a sliding bolt or block provided with a plunger and nipple box,
and also with a spring fastener locking into a catch hole in the chamber
or resisting block which prevents the bolt or block coming out of its
place by the concussion of firing. By providing the hammer with a
projection the drawing back of the block or bolt will "cock" the gun.
Or I make a modification of the above arrangement by adopting the
use of blocks and catches, such blocks working upon an axis or swivel
joint (or equivalent), the object being to supply such a catch as will
keep the block in its place without liability to become loose. This
modification can also be self-cocking. Or I use other modifications
of the before-mentioned arrangements consisting in the same breech
arrangements as above described, but with this addition that the
cartridges are inserted into the bolts or blocks instead of being placed
in the barrel, the bolts or blocks being themselves inserted in the
barrel and the pressure of the gas from the explosion of the cartridge
expanding the bolts or blocks, and making a perfect gas-tight, joint so
that there is no liability of escape of gas at the breech.
My Invention before described is adapted for the use of the Boxer,
Enfield. Chassenot, and other cartridges.

page_text: Having thus far described the said Invention more particularly as
regards the nature thereof which is herein-before particularly described
and ascertained, I will now refer to the accompanying Drawings, so as
with the aid of the foregoing statements to particularly describe and
ascertain in what manner the said Invention is to be performed or carried
out in practice.
ascertain in what manner the said invention is to be performed or carried
out in practice.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 (plan), Fig. 2 (side view), Fig. 3 (end view), of the first
arrangement herein-before mentioned. In these Figures A. (see Fig. 2)
shows the chamber; A* denotes the bolt; B, the nipple box; O, the
nipple, and D, the plunger; E, spring fastener, consisting (see Fig. 1)
of a bolt x with spring (in dotted lines) x, x, to force same into the
catch hole F (sec Fig. 2); G, handle for the purpose of moving the
spring fastener backwards and forwards in order to unlock the fastener
from the catch hole, so that the bolt (×) can be turned up and drawn
back for the purpose of re-charging the gun.
Fig. 4 (side view, part in section); Fig. 5 (plan of a detail); Fig. 6
(side view of a detail). These Figures show how I provide the hammer
of an ordinary gun lock with a projection for the purpose of cocking the
gun when the bolt is drawn back. In these Figures a denotes a small
wheel attached to the fastener box; E, spring fastener, same as that
herein-before described; B, the nipple box; C, the nipple; D, the
plunger; G, the handle which has the same office as G (in Figs. 1, 2, 3);
H denotes the hammer which is provided with a projection as shown.
The dotted lines in Fig. 6 (hammer) shows the place where the above-
mentioned projection is fixed for a wheel a to operate against for the
purpose of working the gun.
Fig. 7 (side elevation open); Fig. 8 (longitudinal section); Fig. 9.
(plan closed); Fig. 10 (elevation closed); Fig. 11 (end elevation); Fig.
12 (detail.) In these Figures the modification herein-before referred to
is shown, and therein 6 denotes the chamber; c, the breech pin; d, guide
block; e, a plunger for forcing up the needle; f, block working upon
the axis g; h, denotes the catch; i, a nose of copper, which may how-
ever be made of ebonite and india-rubber or of lead or other soft metals
or materials which will expand by the action of the gas generated by
the explosion placed in or at the end of the block f; %, a striker for
actuating the plunger e for driving up the needle 7 (see Fig. 8), which

page_text: is kept in the spiral spring as shown in the Drawing, which works back-
wards and forwards in the catch h. The striker / is operated on by the
spring of an ordinary lock fixed upon a projection inside the tumbler, and
travels backwards and forwards with the tumbler and the hammer.
This arrangement shows how a central fire action can be obtained for a
common gun lock; m denotes a steel nose inside copper nose i, screwed
into the block f for keeping the copper nose in its place and for guiding
the needle. The barrel in all Figures is marked Y. The detail shown
in Fig. 12 shows another form of nose of copper or other material which
is sometimes preferable to the one shown in Figs. 7 and 8.
The method of placing the cartridge in the bolts or blocks (instead of
in the barrel) in order to render them gas-tight is shown in Fig. 4.
The bolt is hollowed out to receive the cartridge, the bolt being tapered
and fitted into the barrel as shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my Invention, and in what manner the same may be performed
or carried out in practice, I hereby declare that I claim, the Invention
of the said improvements in breech-loading small arms the nature
whereof is particularly described in the outset of this Specification and
is illustrated by the accompanying Drawings which are herein described
by reference thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Tooth, have herc-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-
two.
WILLIAM HENRY TOOTH. (L.S.)
Witness,
THOMAS MORGAN,
Secretary,
Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street, S. W.