IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES AND WADS FOR THE SAME "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Pieper of Liége, Belgium Gun Manufacturer for
an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES AND
WADS FOR THE SAME
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Pieper at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th March 1883.
HENRI PIEPER of Liége, Belgium Gun Manufacturer.
ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES AND WADS FOR THE SAME "
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE
In constructing fire arms according to this invention they are made to load at
the breech, any desired system may be adopted for closing the breech-they are
made without locks and the ignition of the cartridge is effected by electricity
either by a spark or by incandescence.
The electricity may be produced by means of a battery, an accumulator, or by
induction or otherwise.
The electric reservoir or generator may be placed within the gun or be attached
to the outside of it or may be carried by the firer.
The distinguishing peculiarity of these weapons is their entire freedom from
liability to accident.
They are so constructed that the electric current is broken in several places and
can only be completed at the moment of firing.
One electric contact is necessarily made by the trigger. The others may be
made by the hands and by the shoulder of the firer.
When the electric generator is placed in the gun, but one such contact is
necessary beyond that made by pressure on the trigger; when it is carried by the
firer two supplementary contacts are indispensable.
The cartridge to be fired by these weapons is of metal, or it is lined with metal
either entirely or in part or carriers at its inner circumference a metal strip, wire,
cloth or cylinder.
This cartridge carries also a metal pin placed centrally and in the line of its axis
and insulated from the sides of the cartridge.
The wad to be used with this cartridge and which is placed upon the powder

page_text: carries at its centre a small metal eyelet piece of such a size as to slide upon and
in contact with the axial pin of the cartridge above mentioned.
The wad carries at the edge a second piece of metal which makes contact with
the cartridge case.
The eyelet and this contact piece are so placed that an electric spark may be
produced between them by induction, or they are united by a wire of platinum or
other substance capable of igniting the powder by incandescence.
This wad being placed above the powder the latter is ignited at the forward end
a very notable advantage.
As the eyelet is made to slide on the pin, the charge may be increased or
diminished at will.
The wad is constructed in such a manner that the eyelet and metal contact
piece which it carries, are able by the friction alone of loading the cartridge to
scrape the pin and the inside of the case sufficiently to make good electric contact.
In consequence these cartridges may be reloaded any number of times.
One of the poles of the electric generator being placed in contact with the
barrel of the gun à current passes through the shell to the contact piece on the
edge of the wad.
The other pole is brought into contact with the central pin by means of a
conductor actuated by the trigger.
The pin conducts the current to the eyelet and ignition of the charge takes place
between it and the contact piece.
Several devices may be employed to effect the other contacts on which the
safety of the arm depends among which it is sufficient to indicate the following.
a Spring contacts set in action by the pressure of the hand or shoulder.
b. Gravity contacts which only operate when the arm is held in certain positions
determined before hand.
c. Any combinations of the above.
d. Electrical contacts made by any form of conductors carried by the firer.
These may consist of wires-bars sheets, cords chain mail work or metallic tissues
and these serve to make simple contacts or to close electric circuits on the exterior
of the gun.
I

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henri Pieper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th September
1883.
HENRI PIEPER of Liege, Belgium Gun Manufacturer.
ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES AND WADS FOR THE SAME
"
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE
According to this Invention breech loading fire arms are not only so made that
the ignition of the cartridge is effected by electricity either by a spark or by
incandescence but also so that (except at the moment of firing) the electric circuit.
is broken in two or more places.
One electric contact is necessarily made by the trigger or its equivalent the
others may be made by the hands or by the shoulder of the firer or in other
suitable ways.
The electricity may be obtained from a battery or accumulator or otherwise.-
The battery or accumulator may be placed within the gun or carried outside it or
may be carried by the firer.
When the electric generator is carried by the gun one contact in addition to
that made by the trigger is all that is necessary-when it is carried by the firer
two supplementary contacts are indispensable.
The cartridges to be fired from these weapons are of metal or lined with metal
or contain at their inner circumference a metal strip. From the centre of the base
of the cartridge an insulated metal pin is made to extend inwards along the case
in the line of its axis. The wad which is to be placed over the powder I provide
at its centre with a small metal eyelet of such a size that it can be slidden on to
the end of the pin above mentioned and be in contact with it. The wad carries at
the edge a second piece of metal which makes contact with the interior of the
cartridge case. A short space is left between the eyelet and this piece of metal so
that an electric spark may be passed between them, or they may be united by a
fine wire of platinum. The wad is placed above the powder the latter is therefore
ignited at the forward end. As the eyelet is made to slide on the pin the charge
may be increased or diminished at will.
One of the poles of the electric generator is placed in contact with the barrel of
the gun-the other pole is brought into contact with the rear end of the central
pin of the cartridge by means of a conductor actuated by the trigger. The pin
conducts the current to the eyelet and ignition of the charge takes place between
it and the piece of metal which passes to the edge of the wad.
Several devices may be employed to effect the other contacts on which the
safety of the arm depends among which it is sufficient to indicate the
following:-
a Spring contacts set in action by the pressure of the hand or shoulder
b. Gravity contacts which only operate when the arm is held in certain
positions determined beforehand."
c. Combinations of the above.
d. Electrical contacts made by any form of conductors carried by the firer.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings shews the way in which I prefer to
arrange the electrical contacts when the battery is carried within a recess in the
stock-in this figure the stock and part of the barrel are shown in section.
Figure 2 is a back view of the heel plate. Figure 3 is a side view on a larger
scale of the trigger plate and trigger Figure 4 is a plan view and Figure 5 a cross
section of the same.

page_text: A is the battery-B a metallic stud carried at the centre of the heel plate and
coupled by a wire with one pole of the battery. C is a metallic ring also carried
by the heel plate and insulated from the stud B-this ring C is coupled by a wire
as shewn to a metallic contact piece D carried by the trigger. The metallic contact
piece D is secured to a plate E of non-conducting material affixed to the trigger as
shown at Figure 5. The trigger is pressed forward by a spring as shewn at
Figure 3.
W is a metallic contact pin pressed forwards by a spiral spring as shown so that
its forward end which is rounded may protrude somewhat in front of the breech
plate when the gun is opened-this contact pin is insulated from the body or
breech plate through which it passes.
The gun shewn in the Drawing is made to open by the barrel being turned
downwards on a hinge joint at H in the ordinary way of constructing sporting
guns. No way of locking and unlocking the barrel is shewn in the Drawing any
of the ways in common use may be adopted. When a cartridge has been placed
into the barrel and the breech closed the forward end of the contact pin W comes
against the rear end of the central metallic pin of the cartridge and makes contact
with it. The person using the gun has to wear in front of his shoulder a metal
plate.
When he brings the gun to the shoulder, this metal plate comes into contact
both with the stud B and ring C and makes contact between them. The contact
piece carried by the trigger is so put into contact with one pole of the battery-
the other pole of the battery being as above described in contact with the metallic
breech plate of the gun and so with the barrel. If the trigger be pulled whilst the
gun is held to the shoulder the contact piece carried by the trigger is brought
into contact with the contact pin W the circuit is thereby completed and the gun
fired but the gun would not be fired by the pulling of the trigger unless the gun
were at the same time held to the shoulder.
In the gun shewn at Figure 6 the battery is not carried by the stock of the gun
but is to be carried by the person using it. In this case the person using the
gun would wear a metallic conducting pad on his shoulder and one in the palm
of the hand with which he holds the barrel of the gun. The pad might be of wire
cloth one pad would be coupled to one pole of the battery the other to the other
pole of the battery. The heel plate of the gun is of metal--a metal. button which
can slide on the end of the metal rod A' is by a spring pressed against the back
of the heel plate. At its forward end the rod A' carries a spring which rests upon
the insulated contact D carried by the trigger-this contact piece is therefore put
into connection with one pole of the battery when the heel plate is held against the
conducting pad worn in front of the shoulder.
The fore end of the stock which is fixed to the barrels is covered on its under
side by a metallic covering G-the metal contact pad worn in the palm of the hand
makes contact with the covering G-the covering makes contact with the barrel
through the catch F and also at the points Fx. (see Figs 7 & 8)
·
By this arrangement when the gun is held to the shoulder one pole of the
battery is put into connection with the contact plate carried by the trigger-the
other pole of the battery is put into connection with the barrel consequently when
the trigger is pulled and the contact piece D upon it brought into contact with the
contact pin W the circuit is completed through the cartridge and the cartridge
fired.
Figures 9 to 16 shew one of the ways in which I construct the electric
cartridges. Figure 9 is a longitudinal section and Figure 10 an end view
of the cartridge complete. Figures 11 to 16 shew ways in which the wad may
be constructed.
H is the cartridge case made of or lined with metal. M is a metallic pin carried
by the base of the cartridge case-it extends inwards along the case in a line with
its axis. N is a disc of non-conducting material by which the pin M is insulated

page_text: from the sides of the cartridge case. I is the wad which is to be placed next to
the powder and which carries at its centre a small metal eyelet. Q of such a size
that the pin M may slide through it. The wad may be of felt or cardboard or
other such like material. At its circumference it has secured to it a strip of
metal O to make contact with the interior of the cartridge case. This piece of
metal may be bent over the edge of the wad and made to embrace it as shown.
A space is left as shewn between the eyelet and this contact piece O so that an
electric spark may be made to pass from one to the other or so that a thin wire
may be passed across from one to the other and rendered incandescent by the
passage of an electric current-the thin wire may be of platinum or other conductor
capable of being rendered incandescent by the passage of an electric current
through it. If desired some substance more readily ignited than gunpowder may
be placed between the eyelet and the contact piece O.
In the wad shewn at Figures 11. 12 and 13 the eyelet Q and contact piece O
are connected by a thin wire P. In the wad shewn at Figures 14. 15 and 16
a short space is left between the eyelet and the contact piece and the ignition is
effected by a spark passing across from one to the other. In the cartridge shewn
at Figure 9 a thick wad of felt or such like material is interposed between the
wad I and the shot. The shot are retained in the cartridge case by a wad over
which the end of the case is mad to lap in the ordinary way.
Cartridges for rifles or for machine or other guns or artillery may be constructed
in like manner with an insulated pin M projecting inwards into the cartridge case
from the centre of their base and with a wad carrying at its centre a metal
eyelet and a metal contact piece O at its circumference so that the charge of
powder in the cartridge case may be ignited by the passage of an electric current
from the eyelet Q to the contact piece O as herein before described.
The charge of powder in the cartridge may also be divided into sections separated
the one from the other as shewn at Figure 17 by wads of insulating material
similar to the wads shewn at Figures 10 to 16. Each wad is slidden upon the
central metallic rod and carries contact pieces at its centre and periphery which
are connected the one to the other by a fine platinum wire. In this way the
charge of powder may be simultaneously ignited at several points if the platinum
wire is of the same dimensions on all the wads. Or the sections of the charge
of powder may be ignited one after the other by successive wads if the platinum
wires on the successive wads are made of different thicknesses a point of great
importance more especially for ball cartridges and for artillery. The sections into
which the charge of powder is divided may either be of equal or unequal
dimensions. The charge of powder may also be divided into any desired number
of sections-In all cases if the wires are of different thicknesses the wad next to
the projectile should carry the finest wire and the wad next to it a slightly thicker
wire and so on in succession. The intervals between the successive ignitions may
be increased or diminished according to the different thicknesses of the successive
wires or in other ways altering the successive resistances.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same I would have it understood that I do not confine myself
to the precise imeans which I have described for carrying out my invention but
that I claim—
First. The construction of fire arms (adapted for igniting by electricity the
cartridges with which they are loaded) in such manner that not only must the
trigger or its equivalent be pressed upon in order to make one electrical contact at
the time of firing but also so that another or other contacts have to be simul-
taneously made to complete the electric circuit to fire the cartridge.
Second. In the construction of cartridges to be fired by electricity the com-
bination of the insulated metallic pin projecting inwards from the centre of the
base of the cartridge and the wad or wads I of insulating material each carrying
at its centre a metallic eyelet Q to slide on the rod and at its circumference a

page_text: metallic contact piece O to make contact with the interior of the cartridge case
substantially as described.
Third. The construction of cartridges substantially as herein-before described
with reference to Figure 17.
In Witness whereof I the said Henri Pieper have hereunto set my hand and
seal this fourteenth day of September in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
bundred and eighty three.