IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN WADS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN WADS." A communication from
abroad by Messieurs De Condé, Schmid, and Du Houx, of Paris, in the
Republic of Franco.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th January 1882.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents 60 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN WADS." [A com-
munication from abroad by Messieurs De Condé, Schmid, and Du Houx, of Paris,
in the Republic of France.]
The object of this Invention is to produce gun wads of all kinds, whether for
big guns, or firearms which will better fulfil the required conditions of elasticity,
compactness and compressibility, than the gun wads hitherto employed, and which
will have the advantages of increased lightness, and economy in the cost of
manufacture.
To this end the wads are formed of wood pulp which may be prepared in any
well known manner.
The pulp is subjected to pressure in any suitable machine to form the wads,
which may be flat concave or double concave in form. Wads formed in this
manner will hermetically seal the bore of the gun against any escape of the gas
produced by the burning of the powder or other explosive, as the wad though
relatively only slightly elastic, but very compact after the moulding, spreads a
little under the pressure of the gas. This dilation is sufficient to produce a
complete closing up of the bore, the immediate effect of which is a considerable
increase in the range of the gun, greater accuracy in the firing and a decrease in the
quantity of powder required.
The greasing of these wads adds somewhat to this sealing effect.
The extreme lightness of these wads is a great advantage, inasmuch as the wad
is arrested in its course by the resistance of the air almost as it leaves the gun and
can therefore have no effect on the direction of the shot.
The cost of manufacture also will be reduced to nearly thirty per cent. lower
than that of ordinary wads.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Soal Patent Office on the
27th July 1882.
HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN WADS." A coin- §
munication from abroad by Messieurs de Condé, Schmid and Du Houx of Paris in
the Republic of France.
The object of this Invention is to produce gun wads of all kinds whether for
ordnance or small arms which will better fulfil the required conditions of elasticity,
compactness and compressibility than the gun wads hitherto employed, and which 1
will have the advantages of lightness, and economy in the cost of manufacture.
Wads as at present in use are composed of wadding or hair.
The texture of these wads is not only too elastic but too porous and moreover
when punched out the edges of the wads fail to form with the sides of the gun or
fire-arm a gas-tight joint and consequently allow the escape of the gas caused by 1
the burning of the charge.
Wads of felt present another inconvenience namely that no amount of com-
pression will cause them to expand laterally they only lose in thickness. All these
inconveniences result from the nature of the fibres of the material employed and
the contexture of the fabric composed of such fibres.
Attention has been therefore directed towards other materials which better
fulfil the required conditions of elasticity compactness and compressibility which-
form the attributes of a good gun wad.
To this end according to the present Invention the wads are formed of wood
pulp and similar fibrous materials colored or non-colored and according to any
desired shape or dimensions the pulp being prepared in any well known and
convenient manner.
The wads are moulded in any suitable press by which means they will have
great regularity of form and thickness.
Usually the wads are made concave which is advantageous in causing a concen-
tration of the gases evolved and thereby improving their useful effect, but the wads
may be flat, concave on one face, or biconcave.
The wads may also be greased or not as desired. If greased the qualities above
mentioned will be increased and principally the closing up of the barrel during the
explosion of the charge.
The wood pulp wads offer also the following advantage over the felt wads
namely that owing to their extreme lightness and the resistance of the air they
fall to the ground almost immediately on leaving the barrel and do not follow the
projectile so closely as to interfere with the direction of the same.
It will thus be seen that wads when made from wood pulp do not exhibit the
same defects as those formed from other materials, and this is due to the state of
great tenuity of the fibres of the wood which under the form of a compact body,
relatively hard, give to the wad a suppleness and an elasticity necessary to cause a
complete obstruction in the barrel to the gas caused by the burning of the
charge.
The wood pulp, relatively slightly elastic but very compact, after the moulding
spreads always a little when under the form of a wad, it receives the pressure of
the gas and this dilation is sufficient to cause the obstruction above mentioned the
immediate effect of which is an increase in the range of the gun, greater accuracy
in the firing, and an economy in the charge required.
S

page_text: The cost of these wads owing partly to the cheapness of the wood pulp and
partly to the simplicity of manufacture is considerably less than that of those made
in the ordinary manner.
"
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Gun Wads' as
communicated to me from abroad and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect I wish it to be understood that I claim :-
The application of wood pulp and similar fibrous pulp to the manufacture of
gun wads substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Edward Newton have hereunto set my
hand and seal the Twenty sixth day of July in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
H. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)