IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS OF ALL CALIBRE, AND FOR THE CONVERSION OF MUZZLE-LOADING GUNS TO BREECH-LOADING GUNS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Darby at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th August 1866.
I, JOHN DARBY, of No. 7, Riding House Street, in the Parish of Saint
Marylebone, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS OF ALL CALIBRE,
AND FOR THE CONVERSION OF MUZZLE-LOADING GUNS TO BREECH-LOADING GUNS," to
be as follows:-
I make an opening in the barrel near the breech end by cutting away the
top of the barrel sufficient to admit the cartridge and a moveable breech-
piece; this breech-piece is in two parts, the first being a hollow cylinder, on
the outside of which is a top piece with beveled edges closely fitting the opening
in the barrel, and keeping the cylinder firmly fixed therein; this top piece
carries a binged catch acted upon by a simple spring, and projecting over the
face of the cylinder, against which face the base of the cartridge is firmly
held by the hinged catch, which grips the cartridge in front of the rim, and
extracts it after being fired. The second part consists of a solid cylinder, one
end fitting into a slot cut in the face of the breech plug; this cylinder is
slightly flatted on two sides, allowing it to drop through the opening made in
the barrel and to be turned as required by a lever or thumb-piece, then by a
quarter turn the round sides are brought against the sides of the barrel, and
the back end of the solid cylinder is by the same movement made to lock
against the face of the breech plug, thus firmly fixing the moveable breach-
piece against the base of the cartridge, and the whole being held firm by the
The second part or solid cylinder is carried on into the first part or
barrel.

page_text: hollow cylinder, and there terminates in a ball piece acting as a loose joint
and allowing the back piece or solid cylinder to be lifted out of the barrel and
when shut down to be turned round in the barrel, and thus lock itself in.
In the breech plug I place a needle or striker which is worked by the action
of the lock. By being attached to the tumbler this needle or striker acts
upon a second needle or striker which passes through the solid cylinder and
ball piece, and is carried through the face of the hollow cylinder and strikes
the fulminate in the base of the cartridge, and thus fires the piece. By means
of an arm pin attached to the striker and passing through the solid cylinder
and working in an angular slot cut in the barrel by the quarter turn movement
of the breech piece the striker is drawn back within the breech piece,
or the striker may be brought back by means of a spiral spring. To
load the piece I give one quarter turn by means of the lever or thumb-
piece aforesaid, which unlocks the breech piece and by means of the ball piece
or moveable joint aforesaid enables me to lift out the solid cylinder and draw
back the hollow cylinder; the cartridge is then placed in the opening in the
barrel in front of the hollow cylinder; the hollow cylinder is then pusbed
forward, which forces the cartridge into the barrel, the spring catch falling in
front of the rim of the cartridge holding the case until it shall be extracted;
the solid cylinder is then shut down, I give one quarter turn, which jams the
front face of the solid cylinder against the back face of the hollow cylinder
and locks the breech, leaving the piece ready for firing, the whole being covered
by a moveable shield which may be made either to revolve round or to slide
on the barrel. To extract the cartridge case I open the breech in the manner
before described, draw back the hollow cylinder, which by means of the hinged
catch extracts the cartridge case out of the barrel. I am enabled by the
above-described moveable breech piece and the method of inserting the same
in the barrel to convert muzzle-loading arms into breech-loaders in an easy and
cheap method, and to retain the old lock, breech plug, hammer, niple, and
niple lump, and by the niple and hammer being retained a rifle may be used
for snapping in rifle drill without liability of being injured or getting out of
order. I am enabled by the above method to make breech-loading arms of a
simple, strong, and durable character, not likely to jam or get out of order,
and by the simplicity of the method of loading to attain great rapidity of firing.