IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lieutenant Francis Bacon, of the Royal Marine
Artillery, of Wymondham. Rectory, in the County of Leicester, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.” ·
Sealed the 26th May 1871, and dated the 10th December 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Bacon at the
Office of the. Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th December 1870.
I, Lieutenant FRANCIS BACON, of the Royal Marine Artillery, of
Wymondham Rectory, in the County of Leicester, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS," to be as follows:-
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the Seven-
teenth day of April One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight (No.
1260) was described a breech-loading fire-arm in which a trough was
formed at the breech end of the barrel to receive a sliding bolt which
could be drawn back to allow of a cartridge being inserted into the
breech end of the barrel through the open side of the trough. The bolt

page_text: had also combined with it a cover which when the bolt was pushed
forward so that its end closed the rear end of the barrel covered over the
open side of the trough.
My present Invention has for its object improvements in breech-
loading fire-arms of the above construction. The forward end of the
cover I form as described in the above-mentioned Specification with a
ring encircling the end of the bolt. The bolt is also formed with a hole
bored longitudinally through it to receive the striker, and is provided
with a handle by which it can be turned and moved backwards and
forwards. The striker is also thrown forwards by a coiled spring around
it as therein described,
According to my present Invention I now form inclines at the back of
the ring on the forward end of the cover to act upon the two ends of a
pin passed through the striker near its forward end. This pin passes
through longitudinal slots formed on two opposite sides of the bolt.
When the bolt is turned by the handle upon it to set it free to be drawn
back the ends of the pin come against the inclines above mentioned and
the striker is thus drawn back. The inclines also prevent the striker
from coming forward and exploding the cartridge in the barrel unless
the bolt is properly locked. I also form inclines on the forward end of
the collar which is at the rear end of the bolt to work against corre-
sponding inclines at the rear end of the trough, so that when the bolt is
turned to unlock it the bolt is also simultaneously slightly drawn back
and carries back with it the cartridge case which was in the barrel. The
cartridge case having thus been started back subsequently offers but
little resistance to the bolt being drawn backwards by its lever handle,
Another advantage arising from the bolt being caused to move back at
the same time that it is turned to unlock it is that when a fresh cartridge
has been inserted into the breech end of the barrel and the bolt is pushed
forward the end of the cartridge is not struck by the bolt, but the bolt is
pressed up to it at the time when it is turned round to lock it. The
turning round of the bolt to lock it is also not impeded even though the
cartridge has a stouter base than usual. The rear end of the striker is
made rectangular and two notches are formed in its edge, one for a bolt
acting as a sear to be pressed into when the striker is drawn back to full
cock, the other for the sear bolt to enter into when the gun has been
exploded in order to relieve the spring by which the bolt is pushed
forward. The sear bolt works in a slot cut crosswise through a plug

page_text: which is screwed into a ring at the rear end of the bolt. Into this ring
is screwed a small tube carrying a pin which is pressed forwards by a
spiral spring against one end of the sear bolt.. The opposite end of the
bolt is acted on by a stud or projection on the trigger or on a lever acted
on by the trigger when the gun is. to, be exploded.
In place of the rear end of the striker being of a rectangular form as
above described it may be of a circulur form and a groove be turned
around it to form the sear bent. In this case the bolt which forms the
sear is bored through to. the same diameter as the larger part of the rear
end of the striker, and thus the sear will always have its proper bearing
in the sear bent at whatever angle around the striker the sear may be
placed. The rear end of the striker, when the striker is drawn back to
full-cock,, projects through the collar which is at the rear-end of the bolt
and forms an indicator pin to shew when the gun is. at full-cock. The
coiled spring employed for throwing forward the striker I construct in
such manner that when the spring is compressed to full-cock, the
adjacent coils shall be touching one another,, or- nearly so, and so that
when the striker has been thrown forward the compression of the spring:
shall not exceed half of what it is. when cocked (a.certain amount being
necessary to give sufficient momentum, to. the striker). I adopt a
constant compression of one-ninth the total length of the spring and a
compression at full-cock of two-ninths the total length of the spring. By.
this means I get the following advantages:-The greatest length of wire.
a given space will contain, combined with the largest diameter of wire
and the least possible tension, both cocked and uncocked, to produce
the requisite effect. In order to lock the triggers whenever desired to
prevent the gun being exploded, a sliding safety bolt is arranged so that
its end, may when desired be slid over the upper ends of the pieces which
carry the studs above mentioned, or other suitable arrangements may be
employed for locking the triggers, or the sliding bolt may be turned
partly round so as to remove the sears from the action of the triggers.
and also interpose the inclines on the ring at the forward end of the
cover between the striker and the cartridge. To then partially turn
round the bolt its lever handle may be acted on by a small thumb lever
placed on one side of the small of the stock, and for a double-barrelled
fire-arm the axis of this lever may pass through the stock so that lever
arms upon it may act, simultaneously upon the lever handles of both
bolts. The sliding bolt is prevented from being drawn back too far by
pins which stand up from a plate fixed on to the stock and pass through

page_text: the bottom of the trough entering slots in the sliding bolt. When the
bolt has been drawn back and has carried back with it an empty
cartridge case the cartridge is allowed to drop down through a slot in
the bottom of the trough and through a hole in the woodwork of the
stock. The bottom of the hole through the stock is smaller than the
slot in the trough and the front of the hole is inclined (and in the case
of a double-barrelled gun the sides of the hole are inclined also) so that
the upper end of the hole corresponds with the slot in the trough.
When the cartridge is drawn back by the bolt its base drops down whilst
its forward end still rests on the trough and the cartridge then drops in a
nearly vertical position through the hole. By forming the hole through
the stock with inclined sides a much smaller hole may be formed through
the stock than would otherwise be practicable. The slot in the trough
is not formed to extend up to the end of the barrels, but a lip is left
in front of the barrels, on to which the forward end of the cartridge is
placed when loading, and the cartridge is then readily pushed forward
into the barrel, the introduction of the cartridge into the barrel is thus
rendered perfectly easy.
In breech-loading single-barrel fire-arms, in place of allowing the
cartridge to drop away through a hole in the stock, I sometimes throw
them out upwards from the trough after they have been drawn back
into it. To effect this I form a slot along the bottom of the trough
to receive a plate capable of turning on a hinge at its forward end, and
the rear end of which is pressed upwards by a spring. When the bolt
is slid forward the plate is held down by it, so that it forms a bottom
to the trough. When the bolt is drawn back it draws back with it the
cartridge case, and after it has been drawn back a distance the bolt
ceases to hold down the plate at the bottom of the trough, and the
plate springs up and throws away the cartridge case through the open
top of the trough. The rear end of the plate is curved downwards, so
that when the bolt is again pushed forwards it presses against the curved
end of the plate, and turns down the plate into a position to allow the
bolt to slide over it. The pin upon which the plate turns, and the
spring which acts upon the plate are both carried by a piece of metal
which fits into a slot in the under side of the stock, and is by preference
held in position by the end of the ramrod or cleaning rod screwing into
it, so that when the cleaning rod is taken out for use this piece falls
away, and all the parts can then be cleaned with great facility. In
some cases I eject the empty cartridge cases from the trough, when they

page_text: are drawn back by the bolt by means of studs projecting from the sides
of the trough near its upper edges, which cant the cartridge nose
upwards, and fling it out as it comes out of the barrel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Francis Bacon in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th June 1871,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Lieutenant
FRANCIS BACON, of the Royal Marine Artillery, of Wymondham Rectory,
in the County of Leicester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Francis Bacon, Her special license
that I, the said Francis Bacon, my executors, administrators, and assigns,.
or such others as I, the said Francis Bacon, 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 of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Francis
Bacon, 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 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 Francis Bacon, 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 :—
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 17th day
of April 1868 (No. 1260), was described a breech-loading fire-arm in
which a trough was formed at the breech end of the barrel to receive a

page_text: sliding bolt which could be drawn back to allow of a cartridge being
inserted into the breech end of the barrel through the open side of the
trough. The bolt had also combined with it a cover which when the
bolt was pushed forward so that its end closed the rear end of the barrel
covered over the open side of the trough.
My present Invention has for its object improvements in breech-
loading fire-arms of the above construction. The forward end of the
cover I form as described in the above-mentioned Specification with a
ring encircling the end of the bolt. The bolt is also formed with a hole
bored longitudinally through it to receive the striker and is provided
with a handle by which it can be turned and moved backwards and
forwards. The striker is also thrown forwards by a coiled spring around
it as therein described.
According to my present Invention I now form inclines at the back
of the ring on the forward end of the cover to act upon the two ends
of a pin passed through the striker near its forward end. This più
passes through longitudinal slots formed on two opposite sides of the
bolt. When the bolt is turned by the handle upon it to set it free to
be drawn back the ends of the pin come against the inclines above
mentioned and the striker is thus drawn back. The inclines also prevent
the striker from coming forward and exploding the cartridge in the
barrel unless the bolt is properly locked. I also form inclines at the rear
end of the bolt to work against corresponding inclines at the rear end of
the trough so that when the bolt is turned to unlock it the bolt is also
simultaneously slightly drawn back and carries back with it the
cartridge case which was in the barrel. The cartridge case having thus
been started back subsequently offers but little resistance to the bolt
being drawn backwards by its lever handle. Another advantage arising
from the bolt being caused to move back at the time it is turned to
unlock it and similarly caused to move forward at the time that it is
turned to lock; it is that when a fresh cartridge has been inserted into
the breech end of the barrel and the bolt is pushed forward the end of
the cartridge is not struck by the bolt, but the bolt is pressed up to it at
the time when it is turned round to lock it. The turning round of the
bolt to lock it is also not impeded even though the cartridge has a
stouter base than usual. The rear end of the strike may be made
rectangular and two notches formed in its edge, one for a bolt acting as
a sear to be pressed into when the striker is drawn back to full-cock, the

page_text: other for the sear bolt to enter into when the gun has been exploded in
order to relieve the spring by which the bolt is pushed forward. In
place however of the rear end of the striker being of a rectangular form
as above described I prefer that it should be of a circular form and a
groove be turned around it to form the sear bent. In this case the bolt
which forms the sear is bored through to the same diameter as the larger
part of the rear end of the striker, and thus the sear will always have its
proper bearing in the sear bent at whatever angle around the striker
the sear may be placed. The rear end of the striker when the striker is
drawn back to full-cock projects through the collar which is at the rear
end of the bolt and forms an indicator pin to show when the gun is at
full-cock. The sear bolt works in a slot cut crosswise through a plug
which is screwed into a ring at the rear end of the bolt. Into this ring
is screwed a small tube carrying a pin which is pressed forwards by a
spiral spring against one end of the sear bolt. The opposite end of the
bolt is acted on by a stud or projection on the trigger or on a lever acted
on by the trigger when the gun is to be exploded.
The coiled spring employed for throwing forward the striker, I con-
struct in such a manner that when the spring is compressed to full-cock
there shall be but little space between the adjacent coils, and so that when
the striker has been thrown forward, the compression of the spring shall
not exceed two-thirds of what it is when cocked (a certain amount being
necessary to give sufficient momentum to the striker). I adopt a constant
compression of one-fifth the total length of the spring, and a compression
at full-cock of three-tenths the total length of the spring. By this
means I get the following advantages:-The greatest length of wire my
breech will contain, combined with the largest diameter of wire, and the
least possible tension, both cocked and uncocked, to produce the requisite
effect. A safety bolt or other suitable arrangement may be employed
for locking the triggers whenever it is desired to prevent the gun being
exploded. The sliding breech bolt is prevented from being drawn back
too far by pins which stand up from a plate fixed on to the stock, and
pass through the bottom of the trough entering slots in the sliding bolt.
When the bolt has been drawn back, and has carried back with it an
empty cartridge case, the cartridge is allowed to drop down through a
slot in the bottom of the trough, and through a hole in the woodwork
of the stock. The bottom of the hole through the stock is smaller than
the slot in the trough, and the front of the hole is inclined (and in the

page_text: case of a double-barrelled gun the sides of the hole are inclined also) so
that the upper end of the hole corresponds with the slot in the trough.
When the cartridge is drawn back by the bolt its base drops down,.
whilst its forward end still rests on the trough, and the cartridge then
drops in a nearly vertical position through the hole. By forming the
hole through the stock with inclined sides, a much smaller hole may be
formed through the stock than would otherwise be practicable. The
slot in the trough is not formed to extend up to the end of the
barrels, but a lip is left in front of the barrels, on to which the forward
end of the cartridge is placed when loading, and the cartridge is then
readily pushed forward into the barrel, the introduction of the cartridge
into the barrel is thus rendered perfectly easy. In some cases I eject
the empty cartridge cases from the trough when they are drawn back
by the bolt by means of studs projecting from the sides of the trough
near its upper edges, which cant the cartridge nose upwards, and fling it
out as it comes out of the barrel..
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn a double-barrel
breech-loading fire-arm having the several improvements above described
combined in it. Single-barrel breech-loading fire-arms may be constructed
in a similar manner.
On Sheet 1 Figure 1 is a side view of the breech of the gun, and
Figure 2 a plan view of the same. On Sheet 2 the several parts to
which my improvements relate are shewn in detail. At Figures 3 are
shewn various views of the breech bolt, and at Figures 4 various views
of the bolt cover. A plan view of the breech end of the barrels is shewn
at Figure 5, and an end view of the same at Figure 6; Figure 7 shews
a longitudinal section taken through the trough at the breech end of
one of the barrels, the bolt and cover being likewise shewn; Figure 8
shews a longitudinal section taken through the breech bolt; Figure 9
shews a plan view of part of the stock with the barrels removed, and
Figures 10 and 11 shew sections taken in opposite directions through the
centre of the hole in the stock, down through which the empty cartridge
cases fall away. In the Drawings the same letters of reference are
marked upon like parts in each Figure.
a is the bolt, formed at its rear end with an enlarged collar a³, from
the side of which projects the handle a³ by which the bolt is moved to
and fro. Into the rear end of this collar is screwed a plug 6 carrying
the sear bolt c in which is a slot c' through which the rear end of the.
b

page_text: striker e can pass freely. The rear end of the striker when drawn to
full-cock passes through the centre of the plug 6 and forms an indicator
pin to shew when the gun is at full-cock. The plug 6 and sear care
shewn separately at Figures 12. The collar has also screwed into it a
small tube & shewn at Figure 12*; this tube carries the sear spring and
a small pin which is by the spring pressed outwards and against the
sear bolt. The breech bolt is as heretofore hollow, and receives within it
the striker e, shewn separately at Figures 13. The striker near its forward
end has passed through it a key e¹ the ends of which protude through
slots a in the sides of the bolt a, near the rear end of the striker a
groove e is turned around it, into which when the striker is drawn back
to full-cock the sear centers, when the sear is raised by pulling the
trigger the sear is freed from the groove in the striker, and the striker is
then free to be propelled forward by the spiral spring f which is around
it. is the bolt cover, which, as heretofore, carries the extractor g¹, and
at its forward end is formed with a collar g³, into which the forward end
of the bolt a enters. The rear end of the cover passes as heretofore
under and is retained by the collar a¹ at the rear end of the bolt. At
the rear end of the collar 92 inclines 9³ are formed. When the striker is
in its forward position the ends of the key e¹ which project out from the
striker come against these inclines, and when the bolt is turned to
unlook it the inclines acting upon the ends of the key force back the
striker to full-cock, when it is caught and retained by the sear c.
act of unlocking the bolt thus causes the striker to be drawn back to
full-cock. On the forward end of the collar a¹ of the bolt a an incline a*
is formed, which when the bolt is turned to unlock it acts against a
corresponding incline h³ at the rear end of the troughs h, and thus the
act of unlocking the bolt is caused to slightly draw the bolt back, and
so start back the empty cartridge case, after which the cartridge case
requires but little force to draw it back
of the bolt are two projections a³*, a**.
projections forms an incline, which after the bolt has been pushed
forward to close the breech, and when the bolt is turned round, to lock
it engage with other inclines on the forward end of lumps on the
interior of the troughs / which are at the rear ends of the barrels, and
thus at the same time that the bolt is locked it is also caused to move
forward slightly to complete the closing of the breech. The turning
round of the bolt to look it is thus not impeded, even though the
cartridge may have a stouter base than usual. In the lump a** on
out of the barrel.
The rear end of
The
On the sides
each of these

page_text: 2
the side of the bolt is a slot into which a. pin x projecting up
through the bottom of each trough h enters. This pin forms a stop
to prevent the bolt being drawn too far back when opening the breech.
By removing the barrels from the stock the bolt can be withdrawn
from the trough if desired as the pin is then no longer projecting
through the trough. At Figure 14 is a cross section of the gun to
shew the manner in which the sears are raised by the act of pulling
the triggers, in this Figure i are the triggers acting on small levers k,
which turn on pins / carried at the rear end of a plate l, which is let
into the stock as shewn at Figure 9; the levers k, bear against the
lower ends of the sears, and when the levers are turned by the pulling of
the triggers they raise the sears and set, free the strikers to be propelled
forwards. As before stated the triggers may act directly on the sears,
but I prefer to employ the arrangement above described. In order to
lock the triggers whenever it is desired to prevent the gun being fired
I prefer to employ an eccentric safety bolt (such as has heretofore been
used in other kinds of fire-arms) which can be turned by a handle m, at
one side of the gun into a position to bear upon the triggers to prevent
their being turned or into a position in which it will not interfere with
the action of the triggers. Other arrangements of safety apparatus for
preventing the gun being fired when desired may however be adopted..
In the bottom of the trough his the slot ³, down through which the
empty cartridge cases. drop away when they are drawn back out of the
barrels, the slot as shewn does not extend up to the barrels but a lip is
left in rear of each of the barrels on to, which the forward end of the
cartridge is placed when loading, and the cartridge can thus readily be
introduced into the barrels. The slot ³, comes. above the hole n,
which is formed through the stock as shewn at Figures. 9, 10, and 11. As
will be seen the hole at its upper end is of the form of the slot 7³ in the
bottom of the trough h, and that the sides of the hole taper downwards until
at its lower end the hole is circular and of a diameter sufficient, to, allow a
cartridge case to drop in a vertical position, or nearly so, freely through
it. By thus constructing the hole through the slot a much smaller
hole may be formed through the stock than would otherwise be
practicable. In place of allowing the empty cartridge cases to drop
through a hole in the stock when they are withdrawn from the barrels,
they may, as before stated, be ejected from the trough by means of studs
projecting from the sides of the trough near its upper edges. When the
cartridge is drawn back smartly from the barrel by the drawing back

page_text: of the bolt the base of the cartridge comes against these pins, and as the
extractor hooks over the upper part of the cartridge base the further
backward movement of the bolt cants the cartridge nose upwards and
flings it out from the trough.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
of performing the same I would have it understood that what I claim as
my improvements in breech-loading fire-arms is,―
1. The combined arrangement of breech-loading fire-arms substantially
as herein-before described.
2. The combined arrangement for moving back the striker to full-cock
by the act of turning the bolt for unlocking it, substantially as herein
described.
3. The combined arrangement for slightly moving the bolt backwards
and forwards at the time when it is turned to unlock and to lock it
substantially as herein described.
4. The combined arrangement of the striker e, and plug 4, screwing
into the rear end of the breech bolt and carrying the sear and tube d
containing the sear spring, substantially as herein described.
5. The combined arrangement of the levers & with the sears cand
the triggers, substantially as herein described.
6. The combined arrangement by which the empty cartridge cases as
they are drawn back out of the barrels are allowed to drop away
vertically or nearly so through a tapering hole formed through the
woodwork of the stock, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Bacon have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
EDANOS DACON
Grol