IMPROVEMENTS IN TOMPIONS OR MUZZLE STOPPERS FOR GUNS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TOMPIONS OR MUZZLE STOPPERS FOR GUNS"-A Communication to me from abroad
by Ruggero Ferraciu of Ponte del Rimedio, Venice Lieutenant in the Italian Navy
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in tompions or muzzle stoppers
for guns.
My improved tompion or muzzle stopper as I construct it for ordnance consists
of a disc or plate adapted to fit against the muzzle of the gun, and where it rests in
contact therewith the disc or plate is faced with leather or other compressible
material to form a tight joint.
A screw passes through the centre of the disc or plate; it is provided with a
handle on the outer side, which is lodged in a concavity or hollow provided to
receive it, and on the inner side of the disc or plate the screw receives a nut having
two arms which are forked at their ends. Into each fork the stem of a lever is
received. These levers are each jointed at one end to the disc or plate and the
other end is enlarged into an aro adapted to bear against the interior of the bore
of the gun. This part of the lever is covered with leather or like compressible
material.
The portion of the lever held in the forked arm is slotted and a pin passing
through the slot and through the fork secures the lever in such a manner that
when by turning the screw the nut is drawn towards the disc or plate, the levers
assume a position such that their outer ends become firmly and immoveably
pressed against the interior of the bore. The same movement also tightens the
padded face of the disc or plate against the mouth of the gun forming a joint
which excludes air and water.
For guns of smaller size I form the nut in a cup like piece of metal loosely
fitting the mouth of the gun. In the sides of the cup a number of longitudinal
alits are formed, and a conical projection entering the cup is formed on the inner
face of the disc or plate.

page_text: When this tompion or stopper is in place in the mouth of the gun and the screw
is turned, the cup is drawn towards the disc or plate and the conical projection
entering the mouth of the cup expands it. The cup is thus caused to bear firmly
against the interior of the bore of the gun, whilst at the same time, as in the
former case, the leather covered rim or edge of the disc or plate is brought into
firm contact with the mouth of the gun, making a joint which excludes air and
moisture.
For machine guns having a series of barrels I employ a like arrangement except
that one leather covered plate serves to close the mouths of all the barrels. Each
barrel receives a cup, such as already described, but the barrels being usually of
small dimensions it is more convenient in this case to make the cup of vulcanite.
Or the cup may be expanded by a cone upon the nut in place of a conical
projection on the plate which closes the muzzle

page_text: I THORSTEN NORDENFELT of 53 Parliament Street in the City of Westminster
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TOMPIONS OR MUZZLE STOPPERS FOR GUNS (A communication to me from
abroad by Ruggero Ferraciu of Ponte del Rimedio Venice, Lieutenant in the
Italian Navy) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
This invention has for its object improvements in tompions or muzzle stoppers
for guns.
My improved tompion or muzzle stopper as I construct it for ordnance consists
of a disc or plate adapted to fit against the muzzle of the gun, and where it rests
in contact therewith the disc or plate is faced with leather or other compressible
material to form a tight joint.
A screw passes through the centre of the disc or plate; it is provided with a
handle on the outer side which is lodged in a concavity or hollow provided to
receive it, and on the inner side of the disc or plate the screw receives a nut having
two arms which are forked at their ends. Into each fork the stem of a lever is
received. These levers are each jointed at one end to the disc or plate and the
other end is enlarged into an are adapted to bear against the interior of the bore of
the gun. This part of the lever is covered with leather or like compressible
material.
The portion of the lever held in the forked arm is slotted and a pin passing
through the slot and through the fork secures the lever in such a manner that
when by turning the screw the nut is drawn towards the disc or plate the levers
assume a position such that their outer ends become firmly and immoveably
pressed against the interior of the bore. The same movement also tightens the
padded face of the disc or plate against the mouth of the gun forming a joint
which excludes air and water.
For guns of smaller size I form the nut in a cup like piece of metal loosely
fitting the mouth of the gun. In the sides of the cup a number of longitudinal
slits are formed and a conical projection entering the cup is formed on the inner
face of the disc or plate.
When this tompion or stopper is in place in the mouth of the gun and the screw
is turned the cup is drawn towards the disc or plate and the conical projection
entering the mouth of the cup expands it. The cup is thus caused to bear firmly
against the interior of the bore of the gun whilst at the same time, as in the
former case the leather covered rim or edge of the disc or plate is brought into
firm contact with the mouth of the gun making a joint which excludes air and
moisture.
For machine guns having a series of barrels I employ a like arrangement except
that one leather covered plate serves to close the mouths of all the barrels. Each
barrel receives a cup such as already described, but the barrels being usually of

page_text: small dimensions it is more convenient in this case to make the cup of vulcanite.
Or the cup may be expanded by a cone upon the nut in place of a conical projection
on the plate which closes the muzzle.
Figure 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed shews a front view-Figure 2 a side
elevation―Figure 3 a back view and Figure 4 a transverse section of a tompion
for ordnance constructed as above described.
-
A is the disc or plate carrying around its circumference a ring B of leather or
other compressible material to fit against the muzzle of the gun C is the screw
passing through the centre of the dise A and provided with a handle D on its
outer end-E is the nut into which the inner end of the screw is screwed-E' E¹ are
the arms which extend sidewise from the nut-F F are the levers which are
jointed to the inner side of the disc A. and which at their outer ends are enlarged
into arcs adapted to bear against the interior of the bore of the gun. The arms E¹
which extend from the nut are as above stated forked and embrace the inner ends
of the levers and pins G are passed through the forked ends of the arms and
through slots formed in the levers and the alots are so formed that when the nut
is drawn towards the disc A the levers are drawn from the position shown by
dotted lines in Figure 4 into the position shown by full lines and the arcs at their
outer ends are thereby made to bear against the interior of the bore of the gun
whilst at the same time the ring B is drawn tightly against the mouth.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 show views of the muzzle stopper adapted for guns of smaller
size. Figure 5 is a back view of the stopper. Figure 6 a side elevation partly in
section and Figure 7 a side elevation of the stopper. A is the disc carrying a
ring B of leather or other compressible material-C is the screw and D its handle
which in this case is in one piece with the disc A-E is the nut formed as a cup
with slits along its sides.
H is the conical projection on the inner face of the disc A which enters the
mouth of the cup and which when the screw is turned and the cup thereby drawn
towards the disc A is made to expand the cup and cause it to bear firmly against
the interior of the bore of the gun-whilst at the same time the elastic ring B is
drawn against its mouth.
Figures 8, 9 and 10 show a front view, side elevation and longitudinal section of
a modified form of the same stopper adapted for gans of somewhat larger bore.
A is the disc, B the compressible ring, O the screw, D its handle, E the nut
secured in a slit cup E¹ and H the conical projection on the inner face of the
disc A.
Figures 11 and 12 show views of the stopper adapted for machine guns having a
series of barrels. In this case there is substituted for the disc A a long plate of
metal A faced with a strip of leather B to close the mouths of all the barrels and
also carrying a series of expanding cups such as already described one to fit into
the interior of the mouth of each barrel.
As above stated the expanding cups of these stoppers might be expanded by a
cone upon the nut in place of by a conical projection on the disc or plate which
closes the muzzle or muzzles.
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
1. The construction of tompions or muzzle stoppers with the part which enters
the bore of the gun made capable of expanding so that it may be made to bear and
hold against the interior of the bore whilst a disc or plate is drawn against the
muzzle by the turning of a screw stem which passes through the disc or plate
substantially as herein before described.
2. The construction of tompions or muzzle stoppers substantially as herein
before described and illustrated at Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
3. The construction of tompions or muzzle stoppers substantially as herein
before described and illustrated at Figures 5, 6 and 7,

page_text: 4. The construction of tompions or muzzle stoppers substantially as herein
before described and illustrated at Figures 8, 9 and 10.
5. The construction of tompions or muzzle stoppers for machine guns having a
series of barrels substantially as herein before described and illustrated at
Figures 11 and 12.