IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE IN PROJECTILES AND CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Paschal J. Lejeune-Chaumont, of Faubourg Vivegnies,
188, Liège, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND
"
Sealed the 30th December 1859, and dated the 27th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Paschal J. Lejeune-
Chaumont at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 27th September 1859.
I, PASCHAL J. LEJEUNE-CHAUMONT, of Faubourg Vivegnies, 138, Liège,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-
ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN PROJECTILES AND CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire-arms and ordnance,
and in projectiles and cartridges to be used therewith. In constructing fire-
arms according to this Invention, the parts are so arranged that the piece may
be loaded at the breech; the stock of the fire-arm is fitted with a flat metal
plate or "breech plate," from which a screw projects, and this screw enters a
hole tapped with a corresponding screw in a lump formed on the under side of
the barrel or barrels, so that by screwing the projection on the breech plate
into the lump on the barrel or barrels the breech plate is brought up against

page_text: the breech end of the barrel or barrels, and by turning the barrel or barrels
one quarter round, the breech end or ends thereof become exposed, so as to
enable a charge or charges to be introduced. The barrel or barrels when
screwed up are locked in their places by a spring catch, the end of which
stands in front of the trigger guard, and by pressing on it the catch is with-
drawn to allow the barrel or barrels to be turned round for the introduction of
another charge. In order to hold the barrel or barrels more securely,
I sometimes attach a projecting hook to the upper part of the breech plate,
behind which, when the breech is closed, a projection on the upper part of
the barrel or barrels passes. In some cases I form the screw or projection on
the lump, on the under side of the barrel or barrels, and the hole to receive it
in the breech plate. I also in some cases employ, in place of screws, a smooth
pin, fitting into a cylindrical hole, and secure the parts by a nut screwing on
to a continuation of the pin. The arrangements above described are, with
slight modifications, applicable to ordnance.
The cartridge which I employ consists of a tube of metal, or other suitable
material, open in front and closed behind, and at the back it has a flange
formed on it to prevent it passing too far into the barrel. Into this tube the
charge of powder and the projectile, whether shot or ball, is placed; and for
the purpose of firing the charge the cartridge is furnished with a nipple or
explosion tube, which, when the cartridge is in its place in the barrel, passes
to the exterior thereof through a notch formed for it at the breech end of the
barrel; the nipple or explosion tube may be made to receive an ordinary cap
or other suitable priming, or a plunger may pass down through it, and carry
the cap or priming at its lower end within the cartridge, so that it may be
exploded by the hammer falling on the plunger. In order to facilitate the
removal of the cartridge case or tube from the barrel when it is turned on one
side preparatory to reloading, a steel plate is attached to the breech end of the
barrel; it has a hole through it of the size of the bore of the barrel and
concentric therewith; against this plate the flange at the end of the cartridge
rests, and when the breech is opened the steel plate springs away from the
breech end of the barrel, as it has at all times a tendency to do, and it so
partially withdraws the cartridge case from the barrel. When only a single
barrel is employed, I use it in order to lock it in its place for firing, a lever
hinged to the upper part of the breech plate, and which turns down parallel
with the barrel on one side of it, and holds it in place by entering a suitable
recess formed in the barrel; this lever also serves to raise the hammer to cock
the piece.

page_text: In some cases, in order that ordinary breech-loading cartridges may be
used, I attach to the breech end of the barrel a flap or valve turning on a
hinge at its lower edge; this flap or valve when turned up closes the breech,
and when the barrel is in its place, the flap or valve is supported by the breech
plate; when the barrel is turned on one side, then the valve falls so that a fresh
cartridge may be introduced into the barrel. In the centre of the flap or
valve is a nipple to receive a cap or other priming, which in firing is exploded
by a plunger passing through the breech plate, and connected with the tumbler
of the lock. Or the plunger may be actuated by a spiral spring, and have
teeth formed on it to receive a click formed on the upper end of the trigger.
In constructing projectiles according to my Invention, the ball is made with
a cylindrical body and a conical or pointed nose; it is hollow at the back, and
receives a wooden plug, which is formed with a shoulder to prevent it entering
above a certain distance into the hollow at the rear of the ball. The wooden
plug has a stem projecting from it behind, round which the powder is arranged.
When an explosive projectile is required, the head of a shot formed as above
described is made hollow, and filled with gunpowder or explosive materials;
at the bottom of the hollow a nipple is fixed to receive a cap, and a plunger
passes through the point of the projectile, which when the shot strikes is forced
down on the cap.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Paschal J. Lejeune-Chaumont in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PASCHAL
J. LEJEUNE-CHAUMONT, of Faubourg Vivegnies, 138, Liège, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Paschal J. Lejeune-Chaumont, Her special licence that I, the said
Paschal J. Lejeune-Chaumont, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Paschal J. Lejeune-Chaumont, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN PROJECTILES
AND CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Paschal J. Lejeune-Chaumont, my executors or administrators,
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 Inven-
tion, 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 Paschal J. Lejeune-Chaumont, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire-arms and ordnance,
and in projectiles and cartridges to be used therewith. In constructing fire-
arms according to this Invention, the parts are so arranged that the piece may
be loaded at the breech; the stock of the fire-arm is fitted with a flat metal
plate or "breech-plate," from which a screw projects, and this screw enters a
hole tapped with a corresponding screw in a lump formed on the under side of
the barrel or barrels, so that by screwing the projection on the breech plate
into the lump on the barrel or barrels, the breech plate is brought up against
the breech end of the barrel or barrels, and by turning the barrel or barrels
one-quarter round, the breech end or ends thereof become exposed so as to
enable a charge or charges to be introduced. The barrel or barrels when
screwed up are locked in their places by a spring catch, the end of which stands
in front of the trigger guard, and by pressing on it the catch is withdrawn to
allow the barrel or barrels to be turned round for the introduction of another
charge.
Figure 1 is a side view of a double barrelled breech-loading fire-arm,
constructed in the manner above described; Figure 2 is a side view of a
similar arm with the stock and lock removed. a is the breech plate shown
separately at Figures 3 and 4, which represent respectively a side view and a
front view thereof; the face of the breech plate is flat, as is shown, and a screw a¹
is fixed in and projects from it; b, b, are the barrels, of which a transverse
section is shown at Figure 5, and a view of the breech end at Figure 6. 6¹ is
a lump to which the breech ends of the barrels are securely brazed, this lump
is shown separately in end and side views respectively at Figures 7 and 8;
this lump has a hole 6' through it, which is tapped internally with a screw

page_text: thread corresponding with the screw a¹. It will be seen that the screw a¹
serves both as a pivot or axis on which the barrels can turn to expose the
breech ends of the barrels when a charge is to be introduced, and it also serves,
as the parts are turned into the position shown at Figures 1 and 2, to draw
the breech ends of the barrels closely up to the breech plate, and so to make a
tight joint between the two; but as the barrels and the breech plate only come
in contact at the last part of the motion of the barrels, in closing the breech
there will be no rubbing or friction between these parts. c is a sliding bolt to
lock the barrels in position, when the breech is closed it slides in a dovetailed
groove a² in the under part of the breech plate, and enters a corresponding
groove 63, in the lump 61; the bolt c is linked to the spring piece c', which is
jointed to the bottom of the trigger guard, and it may also be furnished with
a spring attached to the back of the breech plate; thus it is pressed forward
into the notch in the lump 6', when the breech ends of the barrels are closed
for firing, and to set the barrels free it is necessary to force back the spring
piece c. The bolt c, and spring piece c', are shown separately at Figures 9,
and the spring at Figures 10.
Another method of locking the barrels in their places is shown at Figures 1*,
where a is a turning lever centred underneath the barrels, the end of which
when it is in the position shewn in the Drawing, enters a notch formed for it
in the lower part of the breech plate. In order to hold the barrel or barrels
more securely, I sometimes attach a projecting hook to the upper part of the
breech plate, behind which, when the breech is closed, a projection on the
upper part of the barrel or barrels passes. In some cases I employ, in place
of screws, a smooth pin fitting into a cylindrical hole, and secure the parts by
a nut screwing on to a continuation of the pin.
Figure 10 is a side view of the breech plate of a double barrelled breech-
loading fire-arm so constructed; Figure 11 is a side view of a portion of the
a* is
barrels of the same; and Figure 12 shows the breech end of the same.
a hook fixed to the breech plate, and 6x is a projection on the upper part of
the barrels, which, when the breech is closed, enters behind the hook. The
breech plate in place of being furnished with a screw, as in the arrangement
already described, has a hollow or tubular stem a' attached to it; the lump ',
to which the barrels are fixed has a hole 6 through it, as before, but there is
no screw thread cut within it; the stem a' of the breech plate is made
accurately to fit the hole 6, and when therein it is secured by a bolt 6', and
nut 63. I also in some cases form the screw or projection on the lump on the
under side of the barrel or barrels, and the hole to receive it in the breech plate.

page_text: The arrangements above described are, with slight modifications, applicable
to ordnance. Figure 13 is a side view; Figure 14 is a longitudinal section;
and Figure 15 an end view of a breech-loading cannon, constructed in a
manner very similar to the fire-arm first described. a is the breech plate of
the cannon, a side view thereof is shown separately at Figure 16, and a front
view at Figure 17. a¹ is a screw projection from the face of the breech plate ;
b is the barrel of the cannon, it has a lump b¹ formed on its under side and at
its breech end; 62 is a hole in this lump, tapped with a thread corresponding
with the screw a'. The screw a¹ enters the hole 6, and serves both as a pivot
for the breech plate to turn on to open and close the breech end of the barrel,
and also to draw the breech plate closely up to the end of the barrel when the
breech is closed, as already described; a' is a screw passing through the breech
plate, and at the breech end of the barrel, at the entrance of the bore, about one
turn or a turn and a half of a corresponding screw thread is cut.
In working the gun after a charge has been introduced and the breech
closed, the screw a³ is turned (by means of a bar placed in the hole a' formed
in its head) so as to cause it to enter the breech end of the barrel, and assist
in securing the breech plate a. The barrel 6 of the cannon is furnished with
trunnions, as is shown.
I will now proceed to describe the cartridge which I employ with fire-arms,
such as those described in Figures 1 to 12.
The cartridge which I employ consists of a tube of metal or other suitable
material open in front and closed behind, and at the back it has a flange
formed on it to prevent it passing too far into the barrel. Into this tube the
charge of powder and the projectile, whether shot or ball, is placed, and for
the purpose of firing the charge the cartridge is furnished with a nipple or
explosion tube, which, when the cartridge is in its place in the barrel, passes
to the exterior thereof through a notch formed for it at the breech end of the
barrel. The nipple or explosion tube may be made to receive an ordinary
cap or other suitable priming, or a plunger may pass down through it, and
carry the cap or priming at its lower end within the cartridge, so that it may
be exploded by the hammer falling on the plunger.
Figure 18 is a longitudinal section of a cartridge case constructed as above
described, and fitted with a nipple. a is the case which I prefer to form of
metal; it is of a tubular form, and the powder and shot or projectile are
packed within it; it is closed at the back, and has a flange formed on it as
is shown. It has the nipple 6 shewn separately at Figure 19 screwed into it,
and a stem c passes through the nipple and receives a cap at its lower end,

page_text: which when the hammer strikes the upper end of the stem explodes and fires
the charge. In some cases I employ in place of the nipple, a screw such as
is shown at Figure 20, which screws into the back of the cartridge case so as
to come flush with the surface of it, and the stem c projects up through it as
is shown. When this arrangement is employed, the notch in the breech end
of the barrel need not be so large as is necessary when a nipple is employed.
In some cases I employ a stem c fitting accurately a hole bored in the back
of the cartridge case as at Figure 21, and then neither nipple or screw is
requisite. In order to facilitate the removal of the cartridge case or tube
from the barrel when it is turned on one side preparatory to re-loading, a
steel plate may be attached to the breech end of the barrel, it has a hole
through it of the size of the bore of the barrel and concentric therewith;
against this plate the flange at the end of the cartridge rests, and when the
breech is opened, the steel plate springs away from the breech end of the
barrel as it has at all times a tendency to do, and it so partially withdraws
the cartridge case from the barrel. Figure 22 is a side view of the breech ends
of a pair of barrels fitted with such a spring plate, which is marked a; Figure
23 is an end view of the same; b, b, are the cartridges.
When only a single barrel is employed, I use, in order to lock it in its
place for firing, a lever hinged to the upper part of the breech-plate, and
which turns down parallel with the barrel on one side of it, and holds it in
place by entering a suitable recess formed in the barrel, this lever also serves
to raise the hammer to cock the piece; Figure 24 is a side view, and Figure
25 a front view, of the breech-plate of a single barrelled breech-loading fire-
arm arranged according to the system already described; Figure 26 is a side
view, and Figure 27 an end view, of the breech end of the barrel. a is the
locking lever secured to the breech-plate by the screw pin a² on which it can
turn free. In order to lock the barrel in its place when the breech is closed,
it is turned down and made to spring underneath the pin b on the side of the
barrel. When the lever a is raised to unlock the barrel it comes against a
projection on the side of the hammer, and so raises it to full cock. The other
parts of this arm being similar to the corresponding parts of the arms already
described, will readily be understood from the Drawing, and without any
detailed description.
In some cases in order that ordinary breech-loading cartridges may be used,
I attach to the breech end of the barrel a flap or valve turning on a hinge at
its lower edge; this flap or valve when turned up closes the breech, and,
when the barrel is in its place, the flap or valve is supported by the breech-

page_text: plate, when the barrel is turned on one side then the valve falls, so that a
fresh cartridge may be introduced into the barrel. In the centre of the flap
or valve is a nipple to receive a cap or other priming, which in firing is
exploded by a plunger passing through the breech-plate, and connected with
the tumbler of the lock; Figure 28 is a longitudinal section of the breech
plate and the breech end of the barrel of a breech-loading fire-arm, in which
such a flap or valve is employed; Figure 29 is an end view of the breech of
the barrel; a is the flap of the valve, which is jointed at a¹ to the barrel, and
a is a nipple in the centre of the flap or valve to receive a cap for firing the
charge, the flap or valve has a projection a³ on its inner side, which when the
flap or valve is turned up after a cartridge has been introduced into the barrel
penetrates the thin paper or other material of which the cartridge is made.
To fire the charge a plunger 6 passes through the breech plate, and when
actuated by the spring of the lock strikes and explodes the cap. The lock
may be of the ordinary description as is shewn at Figure 28, the plunger being
jointed to the tumbler to replace the hammer. Or the plunger may be actuated
by a spiral spring, and have teeth formed on it to receive a click formed on
the upper end of the trigger as is shown at Figure 30.
In constructing projectiles according to my Invention the ball is made with
a cylindrical body, and a conical or pointed nose; it is hollow at the back,
and receives a wooden plug which is formed with a shoulder to prevent it
entering above a certain distance into the hollow at the rear of the ball the
wooden plug has a stem projecting from it behind, around which the powder
is arranged; Figure 31 is a longitudinal section of such a projectile; a is the
head of the projectile, which is made of hardened metal, it is hollow at the
base. The exterior of the projectile has a groove formed all round it, and at
the bottom of this groove holes are formed entering the interior hollow, the
groove and the holes are filled with lead or soft metal, which also enters the
interior hollow as shown; b is a wooden plug which enters the hollow at the
back of the head, this plug has a stem 6, and between the plug and the head
a disc of paper or other material c is held; this disc is turned up into a cylinder
to hold the powder, which is arranged around the stem 6', and the end of the
paper cylinder is closed by pasting over its end a paper disc or otherwise.
When this projectile is made use of, the ring of lead is expanded to fit the
barrel by forcing the head down on to the wooden plug by the ramrod, the
stem v¹ preserving the powder from being crushed in this operation. When
an explosive projectile is required, the head of a shot formed as above described
is made hollow, and filled with gunpowder or explosive materials. At the

page_text: bottom of the hollow a nipple is fixed to receive a cap, and a plunger passes
through the point of the projectile, which when the shot strikes is forced down
on the cap; Fig. 32 is a longitudinal section of such a projectile, it is similar
to that already described, except that the head is hollow, and is charged with
powder; it has a nipple d within it, on which a cap is placed, and a plunger e
passes through its point; this plunger, when the projectile strikes an object,
comes in contact with and explodes the cap, firing the charge the projectile
contains.
In witness whereof, I, the said Paschal J. Lejeune-Chaumont, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
PASCHAL J. LEJEUNE-CHAUMONT. (L.B.)