IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS. AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles William Lancaster, of New Bond Street.
in the County of Middlesex, Gun Manufacturer, for the Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS. AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles William Lancaster
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th September 1854.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM LANCASTER, of New Bond Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Gun Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED
THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
The improvements in fire-arms consist in the construction of a breech-loading
gun discharged by an ordinary lock and percussion cap, the aperture of the
barrel being closed by a breech swivelled on to a closing bolt, somewhat similar
to that employed in the Prussian needle gun. The improved cartridge to be
employed with these fire-arms consists of a shell, of pulp or paper, of any
thickness required, into the bottom of which a concave perforated wad is
inserted, in order to strengthen the base of the cartridge. A piece of tape or

page_text: other suitable material is attached to the cartridge, for the purpose of removing
the remains of the cartridge after discharge. Fire is communicated to the
powder in the cartridge from a percussion cap, through an orifice or aperture
in the wad.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles William Lancaster in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. CHARLES
WILLIAM LANCASTER, of New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gun
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four. in the eighteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles William Lancaster. Her special licence that I, the said
Charles William Lancaster, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Charles William Lancaster, ny 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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THERE-
WITH,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles William
Lancaster, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Charles William Lancaster, 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 thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:--
My improvements in fire-arms consist in the construction of a breech-loading
gun discharged by an ordinary lock and percussion cap, the aperture of the

page_text: barrel being closed by a breech swivelled on to a closing bolt. The improved
cartridge to be employed with these fire-arms consists of a shell, of pulp or
paper, of any thickness required. into the bottom of which a concave perforated
wad is inserted, in order to strengthen the base of the cartridge; or I form
the base of the cartridge case of lead or other soft metal. A piece of tape or
other suitable material is attached to the cartridge, for the purpose of removing
the remains of the cartridge after discharge. Fire is communicated to the
powder in the cartridge from a percussion cap, through an orifice or aperture
in the wad.
My Invention also consists in a means of converting breech-loading into
muzzle-loading guns, by inserting at the breech end of the barrel a compound
wad or disc, composed of a combination of a hard and soft metal.
The Drawings hereunto annexed represent the manner in which I carry my
Invention into effect.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of so much of a musket as is necessary
to explain the manner in which I carry my Invention into effect; Figure 2 is
a plan of the breech and portions of the barrel; and Figures 3 and 4 are longi-
tudinal sections of the same, shewing the different positions of the bolt when
charging the piece. A, A, is the stock of the gun; B, the barrel; C is the
breech, the end a of which is screw-threaded on the inside, to enable it to be
screwed on to the end of the barrel; D is a bolt which fits into a hollow E,
bored through the breech, and in which it is free to slide backwards and for-
wards when acted upon by the handle F, secured to the end of it; G, G, are
two projections or flanges upon the bolt which slide in the channels G, G', of
the breech, as indicated in the cross section, Figure 5; H is a recess cut in the
top part of the breech, communicating with the hollow E, into which, when
the bolt is drawn back, the cartridge is laid ready, when the bolt is pushed
forwards, to be inserted in its proper position for discharge. The end b of the
bolt is turned to a less diameter than the rest of the bolt, whereby a collar c
is formed, which, when the bolt is pushed forward, abuts against a similar
collar in the breech, the hollow of the breech being also at this point less in
diameter, to receive the end of the bolt. By this means the bolt is prevented
from being pushed too far forwards, and a close joint is also formed, whereby
escape of the gases consequent upon the discharge of the piece is prevented.
G, G, Figures 4 and 5, are two lateral recesses cut in the breech, communi-
cating with the channels G¹, G', with which, when the bolt is pushed forward
into its proper position on charging the gun, the projections or flanges G, G,
exactly coincide, so that by turning the handle F into the horizontal position,
the projections G traverse in the lateral channels G², and the bolt is thereby

page_text: locked, and prevented when the piece is discharged from becoming forced
backward. The bolt D is bored through from end to end, and fitted with the
rod or plunger I, for purposes hereafter explained. The end 9 of the plunger
is turned with a shoulder, against which one end of a helical spring d abuts;
the other end of the spring bears against a similar collar e in the bore of the
bolt, that end of the bore being enlarged so as to form a chamber for containing
the spring. f is a button for working the plunger; K, Figure 4, is the car-
tridge. The method in which I form this cartridge is by placing the bullet at
the bottom of the paper or other case, and then filling it up with the requisite
charge of powder, instead of putting in the powder at the bottom and the
bullet at the top of the case, as is usually done. To charge the fire-arm, a
cartridge is first inserted into its proper position in the barrel of the
gun, and
the powder exploded by a percussion cap upon the nipple L, when the bullet
is left behind, as represented in Figure 4; or a bullet, independent of the
cartridge, may be inserted in the position represented at m, Figure 3. The
bolt D is next drawn back, and another cartridge, of the description herein-
before explained, is placed in the hollow E, when the bolt D is pushed forward,
and forces the cartridge and the bullet m on the bullet remaining after the
previous discharge into the explosion chamber M of the barrel; the handle F
is turned into the horizontal position, so as to lock the bolt when the fire-arm
is ready to be discharged. The explosion of the powder in the cartridge forces
back the bullet tight into the small diameter of the hollow E in the breech,
and against the end of the bolt, D, and thereby spreads the base of the bullet
to such extent that it becomes necessary to loosen it before withdrawing the
bolt D, previous to inserting a fresh cartridge. This is accomplished by pushing
forward the rod or plunger I, when its inner end comes in contact with the
base of the bullet, loosens it, and drives it forward into the explosion chamber
of the barrel. Upon removing pressure from the outer end of the rod I, the
helical spring restores it to its former position. The bolt D is withdrawn by
raising the handle F, so as to disengage the projections G' from out of the
lateral channels G2, when the piece is ready to receive a fresh cartridge or
charge. Should it be desired to convert this fire-arm into a gun for loading
at the muzzle, I insert a compound disc. similar to that shewn at Figure 5*, in
the small diameter of the breech, and at the back of the explosion chamber.
a is an inner piece of copper or brass, which is surrounded by a ring of lead
or other soft metal b, which expands upon the discharge of the piece, and
closes the back of the breech. Figures 6 and 7 represent in plan a modifi-
cation of the preceding arrangement. A is the barrel, and B the sliding bolt;
C is the breech, which is free to slide to and fro with the sliding bolt, being

page_text: connected or swivelled thereto by a garter pin and groove a, b, as represented
in the detached view in Figure 8. This breech is prevented from turning round
with the sliding bolt by means of the projecting edges or flanges c, c, Figure 9,
which rest upon the surfaces d, d, of the barrel. Figures 10 and 11 represent
respectively a side and end view of the cartridge I employ in connection with
this arrangement of fire-arm. This cartridge is furnished with a metallic based,
having an aperture e in the centre thereof, which corresponds with a similar
aperture f in the end of the breech. This aperturef communicates by means
of a channel with the hollow of the nipple G, so as to convey the fire from the
percussion cap into the centre of the charge of powder in the cartridge. The
metal which I employ for the base of this cartridge is lead or other similar
soft metal, so that the force of the discharge may drive it against the end of
the breech C, which is provided with a projecting ring h, the inner edge of
which is undercut, and the softness of the metal, allowing the base of the
cartridge to spread into the undercut portion of the ring, thereby attaches the
undischarged portions of the cartridge to the breech, and enables them both
to be withdrawn together, upon pulling back the bolt B, when the remains of
the cartridge can be easily removed, and the gun is prepared for a fresh car-
tridge or charge. Figure 12 represents the remains of a cartridge after having
been exploded, and shews the manner in which the base is spread into the
undercut of the ring h; or a piece of tape or other suitable material may be
attached to the base of the cartridge, for the purpose of removing the remains
thereof after explosion. Figure 13 represents a section of a wad or disc,
which I make use of when it is desired to convert this fire-arm into a gun for
loading at the muzzle. a is an inner piece of copper, brass, or other hard
metal, which is surrounded by the outer ring b, composed of lead or other
soft metal.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as my
improvements in fire-arms, and in cartridges to be used therewith, is,―
First, the constructing of breech-loading fire-arms, in which the charge is
inserted into the barrel, and the aperture thereof closed by means of a sliding
bolt, as herein-before described and represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
of the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Second, I claim the modification in the construction of breech-loading fire-
arms represented in Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and herein-before described.
Third, I claim the improved construction of cartridge to be used with these
fire-arms, in so far as regards the employment of a leaden or other soft metal

page_text: base, with or without the addition thereto of a piece of tape or other suitable
material, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described, and
represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
And, last, I claim the means of converting breech-loading fire-arms into
guns which may be loaded at the muzzle, by inserting at the back end of the
breech an expanding metal wad or disc, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles William Lancaster, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.
CHARLES W. LANCASTER. (L.S.)