IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING NEEDLE FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE SAME
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Frederick Redfern, of the General Patent
Office, 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
NEEDLE FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE SAME."-A communication
from abroad by Messieurs Felix Allemano and Alberto Barelli, of Turin,
in the Kingdom of Italy.
Sealed the 16th August 1867, and dated the 19th February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Frederick Redfern
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th February 1867.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, 4, South
Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING NEEDLE FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES FOR THE SAME," to be as follows,
that is to say:
This Invention consists, firstly, in placing the needle perpendicularly to the
axis of the barrel, so as to be able to apply to the cartridge an elastic stopper
besides that of the gun, and which serves to prevent the escape of gas and
permits the use of paper cartridges.

page_text: Secondly, in a paper cartridge having at the bottom a small india-rubber
washer, and the fulminating material in which is simply placed in the middle
of the powder.
To carry out the first part of the Invention, communicated to me, the
breech of the barrel of the gun is extended and provided underneath with two
supports, between which is placed an excentric put in motion by an axis
which extends outside the right side of the stock, and on which is fixed by a
screw a handle or thumb-piece; by lowering this handle the excentric is
moved in a rotary direction, which produces the lowering of a rectangular
piece, which in its journey meets the shoulder or heel of the needle carrier,
forcing it to fall, making the spring give way, and at the same time the pin
or tail piece of the said excentric in moving from the inclined plane of the
safety spring allows it to fall, being stretched in this direction. These move-
ments being effected the notch of the needle carrier is lowered to the point
where the plate of the trigger may enter; it is caused to enter by being
pushed by the spring of the trigger, the same plate being jointed to the
trigger, which is itself jointed at another point. At the bent end of the safety
spring is a hollow space or hole, and it falls in it, thus putting an obstacle in
the way, so that by pulling the trigger the needle and needle carrier can be
brought back, being pushed by the spring. The result of these motions is that
the chamber of the barrel is opened by the lowering of the rectangular piece
and of the needle in such a manner that the cartridge can be introduced.
When the cartridge is introduced, by raising the handle I close the barrel,
carrying the rectangular piece to its first position; if, however, I introduce
the tooth of the said handle into the first hole at the lower part of the said
plate I cannot let off the needle by pressing on the trigger, because the pin
or tail piece of the excentric has not yet raised the bent point of the safety
spring. If, however, the tooth of the handle is introduced into the second
hole at the upper part of the plate the gun will be ready to be fired. A screw
serves to fix the breech of the barrel on to the stock:
To carry out the second part of the Invention, communicated to me, I take
a small tube of paper closed at one end, in which I slightly compress the
powder so as to keep it agglomerated; the punch which serves for compressing
the powder is made so as to leave a small space in the centre of it near the
open part of the said tube, and in this space a fulminating material is placed
which is previously strongly compressed in a moull for that purpose; it thus
remains agglomerated and takes a truncated conical form. I then introduce
the whole in another paper tube having a pure india-rubber disc attached to
its bottom externally; this disc should be exactly of the same diameter as the

page_text: chamber of the gun barrel; then as this tube is longer than the first I
introduce into it also the ball, which I connect by means of iron wire to the
thinnest point of the said cartridge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Frederick Redfern in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, 4, South Street, Finsbury,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her Heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Frederick Redfern, Her special licence that I, the said
George Frederick Redfern, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Frederick Redfern, 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 NEEDLE FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES
FOR THE SAME," (a communication from abroad by Messieurs Felix Allemano and
Alberto Barelli, of Turin, in the Kingdom of Italy), upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Frederick Redfern, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 George Frederick Redfern, 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 following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say: -
The Invention communicated to me consists, firstly, in placing the needle
perpendicularly to the axis of the barrel.

page_text: Secondly, in the employment of a cartridge, the fulminating material in
which is merely placed in the middle of the powder, and having at its base a
vulcanized india-rubber bottom or washer, serving as a moveable stopper to
prevent the escape of gas.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a side eleva-
tion, and Figure 3 a section on line A, B, of Figure 1, of a part of a gun
shewing the said improvements, and Figure 4 a longitudinal section of the
improved cartridge, shewing also a side and end elevation of the cartridge
bottom.
The gun chiefly consists of a barrel O, the breech end of which is extended
underneath where it is provided with two supports, between which.is placed
an excentric E which is put in motion by an axis F which extends to the
exterior of the right side of the stock, and on which a lever or handle K is
fixed by means of a screw V; by lowering the handle the excentric E is moved
in a rotary direction, which produces a double action, videlicet, that of lowering
a rectangular piece C which in its journey meets the shoulder a of the needle
carrier P, forcing it also to fall, and causing the spring M to give way, and
at the same time the tail piece X of the said excentric in moving from
the inclined plane n of the safety spring L, L, allows it to fall, being drawn
in that direction. These movements being effected the notch i of the needle
carrier P is lowered to the point where the trigger lock N, N, can enter,
being pushed in by the trigger spring B; the lock N, N, is jointed at the
point of the trigger G, which is also jointed at the point S. At the
curved end of the safety spring L, L, is a hollow or hole u which
receives that extremity, thus preventing the needle A and the needle carrier
P giving way when the trigger G is pulled by the spring M; by these means
the chamber of the barrel is opened by the lowering of the rectangular piece
C and needle A, so as to allow of the insertion of the cartridge. When the
cartridge is inserted, by raising the handle K, I close the barrel by carrying
the rectangular piece C to its first position. If the tooth d of the said handle
is inserted in the first hole at the lower part of the small plate Y the needle
cannot be let off by pressing on the trigger, as the tail piece ✗ of the
excentric E has not yet reached the bent point of the safety spring. L, L.
If, however, the tooth d be inserted into the second hole in the upper part of
the plate Y the gun will be ready to be fired. The screw W serves to fix
the breech of the barrel on to the stock.
In Figure 4 A. shews the improved cartridge bottom made of vulcanized
india-rubber, the proportion and form of which may vary; B is a dise of com-
pressed powder having at its centre a hole of a trunco-conical form, in which

page_text: the fulminating material i is inserted, and which is compressed into the said
form. By placing the disc behind the bullet it may be used for all long
needle fire-arms, as, for instance, the Prussian gun. C is the powder; P,
bullet, which may be of any suitable form; the whole is enveloped in a tube
of paper or other material, slightly greased with tallow and wax. The
cartridges may be made of paper, skin, cardboard, gold beaters' skin, or other
suitable material, and the bottom or stopper may be made of any desired form,
videlicet, that of a disc, a hollow cylinder, a ring or trunco-cylindrical form,
having a hole in its centre for receiving the fulminating material, or that of a
solid cylinder, and will vary in dimensions according to the size of the barrel,
and such stopper may be placed either in the interior or at the exterior of the
cartridge; this cartridge is also applicable to horizontal needle guns concentric
to the axis of the barrel, and, in general, to all breech-loading guns, whether
needle or percussion.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details herein laid down; but what I
claim is,
First, the constructing breech-loading needle fire-arms with the needle
placed perpendicularly to the axis of the barrel, as herein-befort described
and represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, the manufacture of cartridges, the fulminating material of which
is merely placed in the centre of the powder, and having at their base a
bottom of vulcanized india-rubber acting as a stopper for preventing the
escape of the gases, as herein-before described and represented in Figure 4 of
the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Frederick Redfern, bave hereto
set my band and seal, this Nineteenth day of August, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven.
G. F. REDFERN. (LS.)