IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES AND BAYONETS FOR BREECH-LOADING ARMS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES AND BAYONETS
FOR BREECH-LOADING ARMS."-A communication from abroad by Charles
Rochaz, of Paris, France.
Sealed the 14th November 1865, and dated the 16th May 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald Brooman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
16th May 1865.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES AND
BAYONETS FOR BREECH-LOADING ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention will be fully understood by the accompanying Drawings and
the following description thereof. I cast on the under side of the rear of the
barrel b a rod a carried back, as represented in side view in Figure 1. This rod
is formed to correspond exactly to the groove c of the breech piece d, Figure 3,
in which it slides, and to receive in a notch d¹ formed therein a hook e on a
lever guard f, Figure 2. The breech piece d is formed in front with a recess,

page_text: as shown, to receive the rear end of the barrel and the flanged base of the
cartridge. In the centre of this recess the breech is formed with a channel g
for the striking piston or needle r. The breech piece is formed with a tail /
at back to hold the trigger apparatus, consisting first of the lever guard f, the
hook e, of which by taking into the notch of the rod a locks the barrel against
the breech. The lever f is fixed to the breech on a pin g¹, and after it has
formed a guard it traverses by a turning movement the tail h of the breech
piece; it carries at this end a spring catch g"; this spring catch may be
replaced by any other like suitable appliance. The second part of the trigger
apparatus is the sear i, shown separately in Figure 4; it is fitted on the same
pin g as the lever guard f; to its head a piston r is jointed with or without a
needle, according to the method of ignition desired. The seari is formed at
its back with a spring, which carries a notch i¹, and its extremity acts as a
trigger when by opening the lever, which is formed so as to draw the sear in
its backward movement, the spring bas been forced (while the slide has
become disengaged by this movement) to become stretched by sliding on the
edge of the hole formed for its passage in the tail h and to fall into its notch,
the end of the spring then becomes a trigger, as pressure thereon will dis-
engage it from its notch i¹. If a fixed trigger be preferred, I form the end of
the spring, as represented in Figure 5. In preparing for the discharge the
hook of the spring will slide on the surface of the breech piece until it falls
into the notch i", from which the head of the trigger k, fitted below the
notch, will release it when required. When desired to substitute a pivot for
the groove c, I suppress the front prolongation of the breech, and replace the
rod of the barrel by a pivot moving in the breech; I form on this pivot
grooves corresponding to a projecting pintle in the channel of the pivot to
guide and hold it during the movements for disengaging the barrel from the
breech, and for extracting or inserting the cartridge. In the fire-arm with a
groove, a pintle of the same kind will fulfil the same functions.
Cartridges. The arrangements before described principally apply 'to the
employment of three kinds of cartridges. C, Figure 6, represents a cartridge
for arms, in which the breech is hollowed, as in Figure 3. This cartridge is
composed of a cylindrical socket with flanged base; this base may be of the
same thickness, or have a part formed to enter the socket, as in Figure 7. It
is provided with a channel, the rear of which is slightly hollowed to receive
the charge of fulminating composition. After this charge has been inserted
the base is covered with a strongly pasted diaphragon. With this cartridge
the obturation is produced by the compression of the projecting flange between
the barrel and the breech by means of the lever, and the ignition takes place

page_text: by the striking of the piston, or of the point or needle on the end thereof.
C, Figure 8, shews a cartridge composed simply of a cylindrical socket,
similar to those now used for sporting purposes, and of a base without flange
and perforated, hollowed, charged with fulminating composition, and covered
in the same manner as that shown in Figure 6. With this cartridge it is
necessary to have a chamber of the same length formed, partly in the bore and
partly in the breech itself (see Figure 10). The obturation is produced by the
side of the cartridge, and the cartridge case is extracted by taking hold of
that portion which is outside the barrel after the barrel and breech have been
separated. C, Figure 9, represents a cartridge intended to be fired without
leaving any case or envelope in the gun. The fulminating composition is
placed in the interior and at the centre of the rear end of the case; the case
is formed of textile fabric, paper, or any other substance which will offer only
the necessary resistance; it has the form of a square cut to the calibre of the
chamber, or if it is cylindrical it may, if necessary, be narrowed at one or more
points. These arrangements are intended to cause the tearing of the case to
prevent the. fragments adhering to the sides of the bore, and to assure their
expulsion, which will result from the existence of a space formed behind the
cartridge by means of a rod mx, Figure 11, of a circumference less than the
calibre, and against which the portion of the cartridge which carries the
fulminating composition will bear. Ignition is produced by a needle inside
the rod, and actuated by the trigger. At the moment of explosion the space
just mentioned, by furnishing supplementary oxygen to the powder will favor
combustion, while the gases, a part of which will be behind the cartridge, will
drive out the fragments before them. The fulminating composition may be
placed at the inner face of the wad when it is desired to produce the ignition
at the front of the powder. In all cases a thickness of caoutchouc or equi-
valent material may be fitted between the breech and the barrel to produce
more perfect obturation.
Bayonet. As in breech-loading arms no ramrod is used I fit to such arms,
in the same manner as ramrods, a bayonet by preference of the form repre-
sented in Figure 12. This bayonet consists of a tube o terminating in a
point p, for the reception of which a cavity is formed in the rod a of the.
barrel, Figure 1. It has a socket n for fixing it to the barrel in the ordinary
manner.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th November 1865.
.:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I,
the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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,
AND IN CARTRIDGES AND BAYONETS FOR BREECH-LOADING ARMS," (communicated
to me from abroad by Charles Rochaz, of Paris, France), upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 Richard Archibald Brooman, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention will be fully understood by the accompanying Drawings and
the following description thereof:-I cast on the under side of the rear of the
barrel a rod a carried back, as represented in side view in Figure 1, and
plan at Figure 1bis. This rod is formed to correspond exactly to the groove c
of the breech piece d, Figures 3 and 3bis, in which it slides, and to receive in a
notch d' formed therein a hook e on a lever guard f, Figures 2 and 2bis. The

page_text: breech piece is formed in front with a recess, as shown, to receive the rear
end of the barrel and the flanged base of the cartridge. In the centre of this
recess the breech is formed with a channel 9 for the striking piston or
needle. The breech piece is formed with a tail h at its back to hold the
trigger apparatus, consisting, first, of the lever guard f, the hook e of which
by taking into the notch of the rod a locks the barrel against the breech.
The lever is fixed to the breech on a pin g', and after it has formed a guard
it traverses by a turning movement the tail h of the breech piece; it carries
at this end a spring catch o"; this spring catch may be replaced by any other
like suitable appliance. The second part of the trigger apparatus is the
sear i, shown separately in Figure 4; it is fitted on the same pin g¹ as the'
lever guard f; to its head a piston r is jointed with or without a needle,
according to the method of ignition desired. The sear i is formed at back'
with a spring, which carries a notch i³, and its extremity acts as a trigger,
when by opening the lever, which is formed so as to draw the sear in its back-
ward movement, the spring has been forced (while the slide has become.
disengaged by this movement) to become stretched by sliding on the edge of
the bole formed for its passage in the tail h, and to fall into its notch. The
end of the spring then becomes a trigger, as pressure thereon will disengage
it from its notch . If a fixed trigger be preferred, I form the end of the
spring as represented in Figure 5. In preparing for the discharge the hook
of the spring will slide on the surface of the breech piece until it falls into
the notch i, from which the head of the trigger k fitted below the notch will
release it when required. When desired to substitute a pivot for the groove c,
I suppress the front prolongation of the breech, and replace the rod of the
barrel by a pivot moving in the breech. I form on this pivot grooves cor-
responding to a projecting pintle in the channel of the pivot to guide and hold'
it during the movements for disengaging the barrel from the breech, and for
extracting or inserting the cartridge. In the fire-arm with a groove, a pintle
of the same kind will fulfil the same functions. Figure 6 shows the parts of
mecanism fitted to a stock and ready for firing.
Cartridges. The arrangements before described principally apply to the
employment of three kinds of cartridges. C, Figure 7, represents a cartridge
for arms, in which the breech is hollowed, as in Figure 3 and 3 bls. This
cartridge is composed of a cylindrical socket with flanged base; this base may
be of one and the same thickness, or have a part formed to enter the socket,.
as in Figure 7. It is provided with a channel, the rear of which is slightly
hollowed to receive the charge of fulminating composition. After this charge
has been inserted the base is covered with a strongly pasted diaphragon...

page_text: With this cartridge the obturation is produced by the compression of the
projecting flange, between the barrel and the breech by means of the lever,
and the ignition takes place by the striking of the piston; or of the point or
needle on the end thereof., C1, Figure 8, shows a cartridge composed simply
of a cylindrical socket, similar to those now used for sporting purposes, and of
a base without flange and perforated, hollowed, charged with fulminating
composition, and covered in the same manner as that shown in Figure 7:
With this cartridge it is necessary to have a chamber of the same length
formed partly in the bore and partly in the breech itself (see Figure 10).
The obturation is produced by the side of the cartridge, and the cartridge
case is extracted by taking hold of that portion which is outside the barrel
after the barrel and breech have been separated. C", Figure 9, represents a
cartridge intended to be fired without leaving any case or envelope in the gun.
The fulminating composition is placed in the interior, and at the centre of
the rear end of the case; the case is formed of textile fabric, paper, or any
other substance which will offer only the necessary resistance; it has the form
of a square cut to the calibre of the chamber; or if it is cylindrical it may,
if necessary, be narrowed at one or more points. These arrangements are
intended to cause the tearing of the case to prevent the fragments adhering
to the sides of the bore, and to assure their expulsion, which will result from
the existence of a space formed behind the cartridge by means of a rod m,.
Figure 11, of a circumference less than the calibre, and against which the
portion of the cartridge which carries the fulminating composition will bear.
Ignition is produced by a needle inside the rod and actuated by the trigger.
At the moment of explosion the space just mentioned by furnishing supple-
mentary oxygen to the powder will favor combustion, while the gases, a part
of which will be behind the cartridge, will drive out the fragments before
them. The fulminating composition may be placed at the inner face of the
wad when it is desired to produce the ignition at the front of the powder. In
all cases a thickness of caoutchouc, or equivalent material, may be fitted
between the breech and the barrel to produce more perfect obturation.
Bayonet. As in breech-loading arins no ramrod is used I fit to such arms,
in the same manner as ramrods, a bayonet, by preference of the form repre-
sented in Figures 12 and 13. This bayonet consists of a tube o, terminating
in a point p, for the reception of which a cavity is formed in the rod a of the
barrel, Figure 1. It has a socket n for fixing it to the barrel in the ordinary
manner.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed. I declare that I claim,-

page_text: First, the arrangement of parts of breech-loading fire-arms, substantially
as herein-before described, with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Second, constructing breech-loading fire-arms with a lever or guard ƒ,
acting substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described, with
reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Third, constructing cartridges for breech-loading fire-arms according to
the several methods herein-before described, with reference to the accom-
panying Drawings.
Fourth, constructing bayonets for breech-loading fire-arms, as herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
R. A. BROOMAN. (L.S.)