IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1864

page_text: .PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Samuel Westwood and Henry
Broadhurst at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 21st October 1864.
We, SAMUEL WESTWOOD, of Aston, near Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Barrel Maker, and HENRY BROADHURST, of Birminghami,
aforesaid, Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of tho said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of parts herein-
after described for opening and securely closing the breech ends of breechi-
loading fire-arms.
Our Invention may be applied both to fire-arms for military purposes and
'to fire-arms for sporting purposes.
In constructing a breech-loading gun according to our Invention we provide
the breech end of the barrel with a breech chamber, open both at top and
rear end. In the said breech chamber a plug or closer slides the said plug or
closer being carried by a sliding plate, which can be made at pleasure to open
or close the top of the breech chamber. The said plate fits accurately between
the sides of the breech chamber, and is guided in its motion by a pin or pins
in the said breech chamber taking into a longitudinal slot or slots in the edge
or edges of the said plate. At the rear end of the breech chamber and near
the bottom of the said chamber a lever is jointed at its lower end, the said
lever being in the form of a strong flat plate, which acts as a support to the
plug or closer during discharge, as herein-after explained. The upper part of

page_text: the said lever or supporting plate passes through a longitudinal slot or opening
in the middle of the covering plate of the breech chamber, the said slot being
equal in breadth to the edge of the said lever, and the top end of the said
lever or plate is connected by a link at its edge to the end of a rod or handle
working through a loop or guide on the tail or rear end of the said covering
plate. When the plug or closer has been pushed home so as to close the
breech end of the barrel, the top of the breech chamber is covered by the
sliding plate, and the slot or opening in the said sliding plate is closed by
the depressed lever or supporting plate, which is now situated longitudinally
in the breech chamber, its free end bearing against the back of the plug or
closer, and thereby holding the said plug or closer firmly in its place during
discharge. The free end of the lever or supporting plate is curved of the
figure of a portion of a circle struck from the centre on which the said lever
turns, and in the back of the plug or closer, or the end of the covering
plate carrying the plug or closer, a recess or shoulder is formed of a corre-
sponding figure, against which recess or shoulder the free end of the lever or
plate bears when shut down, and firmly holds the plug or closer in its place
during discharge. In order to withdraw the plug or closer from the end of
the barrel, and open the breech chamber for recharging, the rod or handle is
pulled towards the butt end of the gun, the lever or supporting plate is
thereby lifted in the slot in the covering plate, and its end withdrawn from
behind the plug or closer, and raised above the slot in the covering plate. By
the continued motion of the rod or handle the plug is removed from the end
of the barrel, the covering plate is drawn from the top of the breech chamber,
and the lever or supporting plate is raised vertically. The cartridge can now
be introduced through the open top of the breech chamber into the barrel.
After introducing the cartridge, by pushing the rod or handle towards the
muzzle end of the gun the plug or closer is made to enter the end of the
barrel and close it, and the covering plate is at the same time made to cover
the top of the barrel, and to partly depress the lever or supporting plate. By
the further motion of the rod or handle the lever or supporting plate
is fully depressed, and its end made to bear firmly against and support the
plug or closer. The gun is then ready for discharge.