IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE- ARMS AND IN PROJECTILES FOR THE SAME
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Nov., 1886
Complete Left, 10th Aug., 1887
Complete Accepted, 30th Sept., 1887.
I GEORGE FELLOWS HARRINGTON Ryde, Isle of Wight, in the County of Southampton
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-
ARMS AND IN PROJECTILES FOR THE SAME to be as follows:-
My improvements, in Guns, consist of making them shorter and more compact;
stronger and more uniform in strength; and lighter with greater efficiency and
economy than those in general use.
My improvements, in Shots, consist of making them more self-retarding; self-
lubricating, and less liable to jam, when being fired from heavy Ordnance, than those
in general use; the which improvements I explain and illustrate by means of the
accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1, represents the mid-section of my improved piece of heavy Ordnance,
containing a charge ready for firing, the bore near the muzzle end D being made
smaller than that part which receives the charge. A represents the ordinary Breech-
plug, which is unscrewed and taken out to insert the charge, and pushed in and
screwed tight before the Gun is fired. B represents the charge of Powder, and C the
Shot in position to be expelled by being forced through the smaller bore D. The two
plain spaces, one on each side of the shot, are intended to represent Safety-Chambers
to receive the pliable flection of the shot while it is being compressed as the shot is
expelled, and thereby obviate the risk of jamming. The smaller bore D may be
smooth, or rifled in the usual way, or upon my improved plan, which consists of
movable hardened and tempered steel rings, or bands, with their ends in contact but
not united, and arranged at right angles with the bore, with iron washers placed
between each of such rings, or bands, to butt against a sufficient length of the
smaller bore to bear the strain which such cross-rifling offers to the escape of the
Shot. Mid-sections of such cross-rifling being represented with movable rings and
washers in Fig. 2 and with moyable bands and washers in Fig. 3. This movable
rectangular rifling and pliable flection mode of retarding the escape of the shot will
minimize the heating and weakening Guns by friction which are important factors in
the economy of firearms.

page_text: IMPROVEMENTS IN SHOTS.
Fig. 4 represents the mid-section of a steel shot made with a recess to receive the
Pliable Flection Band, and admit its ends being compressed in and secured to the
shot by being dovetailed into the recess.
Fig. 5 represents the Pliable Flection Band made of Copper, or ductile Iron, or
some other suitable metal, ready to be secured round the shot; the dots representing
holes to allow the escape of tallow to lubricate the Shot and Gun while the shot is
being forced through the bore.
"
Fig. 6 represents the mid-section of a shot with the Pliable Flection Band secured
to it; the Safety chamber being supplied with tallow to lubricate the shot and bore
of the Gun as explained in the preceding paragraph.

page_text: I GEORGE FELLOWS HARRINGTON of Hurdholme, Ryde, Isle of Wight, Gentleman,
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:
It has been customary to make Fire Arms of lengths, and Rifled, to allow time
for the charge of powder to explode, and to give spiral motions to projectiles; And
to make Projectiles either with studs or with copper bands compressed in recesses, to
take the rifling and leave the guns with spiral motions.
My Improvements apply to breech loading Fire Arms, and consist of making them
with parallel bores to receive the charges, such bores to decrease in diameter, as cones,
towards their muzzle ends, to receive steel Collars, turned outside to fit the cones in
the guns, and bored parallel inside, which bores may either be rifled or left smooth;
such steel Collars to be hardened and tempered the better to stand the wear of
compressing the "Pliable Flections" of the projectiles while they are being forced
through the aforesaid Steel Collars, which Collars I designate "Detached escape-
ments," because they admit of being inserted in, and taken out of Fire Arms.
And my Improvements in projectiles, which I make either of Steel or other suitable'
metal, consist of making them in two parts, one part being made hollow with a
"pliable flection," the other part being made as a "Thrust-Bolt" with one of its ends
to form the base of the projectile, the other of its ends being tapped, to allow the two
parts of the Projectile to be screwed and held together; spaces being left under the
Pliable Flections to receive the metal of which they are made while they are being
compressed into and driven through the "Detached Escapements" in the Fire Arms
by the force of the exploded powder, which, acting through the "Thrust-bolt" in
front of the resistance offered by the "Pliable Flection," prevents the metal thereof
forming a bur and jamming in the gun which it would be liable to do if the said
force acted in the rear of the said resistance which the "Pliable Flection" offers to
the passage of the projectile through the "Detached Escapement" in the gun. Holes
also may be made in the "Pliable Flections" of projectiles to receive tallow to make
them self-lubricating when they are being fired from guns.
The accompanying Drawings will assist in further explaining the aforesaid
Improvements.
Figure 1. A represents a longitudinal section of the Gun: B of the breech-screw-
plug: C of the bore of the Gun: to receive the charge: D of the "Spring Collar"
to keep projectiles in their positions while they are being forced into the "Detached
Escapement" and E the "Detached Escapement" which is to be rifled.
Figure 2. F represents a longitudinal section of the "Thrust-bolt" part of my
Projectile which I make of Steel: H represents the other part thereof, the parts left
white between the two parts of the projectile representing the space which admits

page_text: the "Pliable Flection to be compressed while the projectile is being forced through
the "Detached Escapement" in the gun, G representing the screw arrangement
which holds the two parts of the projectile together.
:
Figure 3 represents a longitudinal section of the Gun of its charge of powder
and projectile ready for firing of its breech-screw-plug of its "Pliable Flection"
and of its "Spring Collar."
:
The advantages of my Improvements, as above explained, are, first, the resistance
offered by the "Pliable Flection" of the projectile, to its passage through the
"Detached Escapement" in the gun admits of being adjusted so that the whole of
the charge of powder shall explode and communicate its full available force to the
projectile before it leaves the "Detached Escapement" in the Gun: And second that
with Guns not more than half their usual length with the like weights of charge :
Projectiles would be driven with much greater force than they could be from the
guns nows in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
*
The exclusive right of making Fire Arms with hardened and tempered Steel
Detached Escapements "-And of projectiles with "Pliable, Flections," as above
explained. And although the foregoing explanation applies to Ordnance Guns or
Field Pieces, as my Improvements admit of being applied, with modifications, to
other kinds of Fire Arms, I claim the exclusive right of so applying them.
August 10th 1887.