IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François Eugène Schneider, of No. 13, Rue Gaillon,
Paris, Gunsmith, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 28th November 1861, and dated the 11th June 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Eugène
Schneider at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis
Petition, on the 11th June 1861.
I, FRANÇOIS EUGÈNE SCHNEIDER, of No. 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, Gunsmith,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREACH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
The first improvement has reference to the mechanism for closing and
opening the breach, which I effect by means of a bolt attached to the breach,
and which is readily run in or out of a recess in the lower part of the barrel
or barrels, motion being imparted to it by a link attached to an eccentric,
which is actuated by a lever placed under the arm, and near the trigger or
triggers.
Another improvement relates to the manner of forming the joint uniting the
breach to the barrels, and by which these two parts of the arm remain con-
nected even when the breach is open. I place the stop which prevents the
gun from being opened beyond the necessary extent in the joint itself so as to
preclude the possibility of injury to the band which does occur when the same
is placed externally.
Another improvement consists in an arrangement for bringing the barrel
or barrels in close contact with the breach; to this effect I affix the joint
of the breach to the barrels by a screw. or a wedge, or some such fastening
which can be readily loosened, and by turning a screw inserted in the metal

page_text: on the under side of the barrels, they will be caused to advance sufficiently to
come in close contact with the breach when closed.
Another of my improvements consists in a mechanism, by the use of which a
cartridge after being fired, is on opening the breach expelled from the barrel to
such an extent as to greatly facilitate its complete extraction by hand; this is 5
effected by means of a metallic slide placed parallelly with and immediately
under the barrel or barrels, one end of which projects and lodges into a cavity
filed out of the face of the barrel, with which it is flush when the arın is closed,
and the other extremity of which butts against the inner face of the breach
joint.
By-this-arrangement-when-the-breach-is-opened,-the-end-of-the-slide-
resting against the joint is pushed forward whilst the head of same by this
motion draws out the cartridge from the barrel or barrels..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francois Eugène Schneider, in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME I, FRANCOIS
EUGÈNE SCHNEIDER, of No. 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, Gunsmith, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Francois Eugène Schneider, Her special licence that I, the said Francois
Eugène Schneider my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Francois Eugène Schneider, my 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 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 Francois Eugène Schneider, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francois Eugène Schneider, 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:-
My first improvement has reference to the mechanism for closing and
opening the breech, which I effect by means of a bolt attached to the breech,.
and which is readily run in or out of a recess in the lower part of the barrel
or barrels, motion being imparted to it by a link attached to an excentric,
which is actuated by a lever placed under the arm and near the trigger or
triggers.
run full out,
The mechanism relating to this arrangement is shown in the Figures 1, 3,
and 8, Figure 1 being a longitudinal sectional elevation representing the
breech closed; Figure 3 a longitudinal sectional elevation, the breech being
shown full open; and Figure 8 a longitudinal sectional elevation of part of the
breech only partially closed. d, d, are the barrels, and b the breech, which are
articulated together by the pin s; a is the bolt which securely retains the breech
end of the barrel and the stock together. This bolt a is caused to slide in a
hole formed in the breech plate 6 of the stock, and is actuated by the lever j
(rotating on a centre j¹), which is connected to the bolt a by the link t. When
this lever is drawn up in contact with the guard, the bolt a is
and the barrels and the stock locked together (see Figure 1). When the
lever is brought into the position indicated at Figure 3, the bolt is out of the
barrel, and the breach end of the barrel is completely open. To assist the
action of these parts, I make use of a long spring e made fast to the part g at
one of its extremities by a screw f, whilst the other end of the spring enters
into a recess in the head i of the lever j, exerts pressure under the small
pin h in the lever. Instead of the straight spring, I can make use of another
arrangement of parts shown in Figure 7. In this instance pressure is exerted
at the back of the bolt a by the tongue w, impelled by the spiral spring k
pressing against the fixed bearing when the arm is about to be closed, in
order to prevent the barrel striking the bolt. I chamfer off the upper extre-
mity of the bolt at a', and the lower extremity of the barrel as at c. By this
arrangement should the bolt protrude slightly when the parts & and b are being
closed, the bolt a will be driven back without suffering any injury. For
greater security I propose, if necessary, to so adjust the closing spring e, that
t will only impel the bolt to the position indicated in Figure 8, where the
extremity of the spring on the pin h ceases to act before the bolt a is fully out.
In this case the remainder of the distance that the lever j has to travel will be
effected by hand.

page_text: In respect to this the first part of my Invention, I make no claim to the
mechanical parts separately; but what I claim is the combined arrangement
herein described.
My second improvement relates to the manner of forming the joint uniting
the breech to the barrels, and by which these two parts of the arm remain
connected even when the breech is open. I place the stop which prevents the
gun from being opened beyond the necessary extent in the joint itself, so as
to preclude the possibility of injury to the hand which does occur when the
same is placed externally. The mechanism relating to this arrangement is shown.
in Figures 1, 3, 4, and 6. I provide the outer extremity b, b, of that part-of-the-
stock which receives the breech end of the barrel or barrels with two small
projecting stops 7, which work in the slots 1, 1 When the breech is full
open as in Figure 3, these stops strike the upper face of the slots, and prevent
all further motion in that direction. When the fire-arm is closed as at
Figure 1, the projections assume the position indicated by the dotted lines in
Figure 1.
In respect to this, the second part of my Invention, I claim the mode herein
described of forming and combining the parts which connect the stock with
the barrel or barrels.
My third improvement consists in an arrangement for bringing the barrel
or barrels in close contact with the breech; to this effect I aflix the joint of
the breech to the barrels by a screw or wedge, or some such fastening, which
can be readily loosened, and by turning a screw inserted in the metal on the
under side of the barrels, they will be caused to advance sufficiently to come, in
close contret with the breech when closed. The mechanism relating to this
arrangement is shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. o is the screw, by turning
which a sliding motion is imparted to the barrels d; when it is required to
bring the face of the barrels in closer contact with the breech, the wedge u
which unites the piece v to the barrels is slacked, and the breech being opened
the screw o is turned by means of a key to the requisite amount, and then the
wedge u is drawn home in order to maintain the barrels in this new position.
For greater security, and to avoid any possibility of the screw o rotating, I
secure it in its place by a small set screw n, which presses, against a smooth
part of the same.
In respect to this, the third part of my Invention, I claim the combination
of parts for adjusting the breech end of the barrel to the breech plate on the
stock as described.
My fourth improvement consists in a mechanism, by the use of which a
cartridge after being fired, is on opening the breech expelled from the barrel

page_text: to such an extent as to greatly facilitate its complete extraction by hand; this
is effected by means of a metallic slide placed parallel with and immediately
under the barrel or barrels, one end of which projects and lodges into a cavity
filed out of the face of the barrel, with which it is flush when the arm is
closed, and the other extremity of which butts against the inner face of the
breech joint. By this arrangement when the breech is opened, the end of the
slide resting against the joint is pushed forward, whilst the head of the same
by, this motion draws out the cartridge from the barrel or barrels. The mecha-
nism relating to this arrangement is shown in the Figures 1, 2, 3, and 5, and
consists mainly in a forked sliding piece p, shown separately in plan, Fig. 5;
at one end its extremities are united and turned up at right angles, as will be
seen more clearly in Figures 2 and 3, the prongs of this fork slide in ways
cut out of the sides of the protuberance c containing the screw o, and when the
fire-arm is closed ready for use, the head of the fork enters flush in a cavity
cut in the end of the barrel, and by the gun being opened, this fork is
thrust forward as in Figure 3, drawing with it the cartridge or cartridges, this
forward motion being imparted to the arm by the points q turning against the
inclined extremities of p, and when the arm is closed, the said points recede
from the extremities of the fork, whilst the face of the breech plate 6 coming
first in contact with the under part of the head p', which is curved, gradually
pushes it home into the above-mentioned cavity.
In respect to this, the fourth part of my Invention, I would state that I am
aware that it is not new to move back the end of a cartridge by an instrument
brought into action by separating the end of the barrel or barrels from the
breech plate on the stock, I do not therefore claim generally so to move back
the discharged cartridge, nor do I claim the mechanical parts separately which
are shown and described; but what I claim is the constructing and combining
the parts 9 and p, for the purpose of moving back a discharged cartridge as
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francois Eugène Schneider, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of December, in the
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
year of
Witness,
GEORGE H. DAW.
(L.S.) FRANÇOIS EUGÈNE SCHNEIDER.