CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON FIRE-ARMS OF DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS
Year: 1831

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we.
WILLIAM BINGHAM, of Saint Mary Hall, Esquire, and WILLIAM DUPE,.
Gun Maker, both of Oxford, send greeting..
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William
the Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great
Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of Sep-
tember, in the second year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs
and successors, give and grant unto us, the said William Bingham
and William Dupe, His especial licence, sole privilege and authority,
that we, the said William Bingham and William Dupe, our exors,
adiñors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Bingham
and William Dupe, our exors, adiiors, or assigns, should at any time.
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the terin of years therein mentioned; should and lawfully might make,.
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick upon Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON
FIRE-ARMS OF DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS;" in which said Letters Patent.
is contained a proviso that.we. the said William Bingham and William
Dupe, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,.

page_text: to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the
said William Bingham and William Dupe, or one of us, lo hereby
declare that the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, is particularly described and ascertained by
the following description thereof (reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say):
The improvements for which a Patent has been obtained consists in
an alteration of the present mode of firing percussion fire-arms now in
use upon a new principle; it is adapted in the present instances to an
iron case or handle similar to that used for air guns, to which a wooden
fore arm or handle before and a wooden butt behind may be attached,
or the iron case continued into an iron stock throughout. The principle
may be used with a wooden stock throughout, and with the common
percussion locks, with a slight alteration in the setting of them in the
butt, together with an alteration of the nipple in the breech.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Letter D, is the lock plate, made
usual, and with bevilled edges to
Nos 1, 2, 3, are the screw holes
Letter A, is perspective view of the lock at full cock; N° 1, is the
lock plate; 2, the main spring; 3, the bridle; 4, hammer, one piece.
with tumbler; 5, trigger, one piece with the seear; 6, the seear
spring. Letter B, is a perspective view of same, lock quite down.
Letter C, is a geometrical view of same, lock uncocked and quite down,
with the main spring more at ease.
of best iron, and rather thicker than
fit water-tight into the case or stock.
of the bridle. No 1, 2, are countersunk a little to receive corresponding
male countersunk of the bridle legs or pillars; 4, is the axis hole of the
tumbler, rather larger than common in order to keep the tumbler firmly
in its place; 5, is the screw hole scear spring, also countersunk; 6, is
the stay hole of the seear spring; 7, is the main spring screw hole, also

page_text: countersunk; 8, the stay hole of the main spring. Letters E, F, G, are
different views of main spring; E, side of the spring nearest the lock
plate; F, outside of spring nearest the eye when fitted to lock; G,
is side view of the same spring. In G, No 1, is the main spring hook;
2, is the stay of the spring; 3, is the male countersunk to fit into lock
plate; 4, the screw to connect it with ditto. Letters H, and I, are
different views of the bridle, which is made stronger than usual to hold
the tumbler in place. Nos 1, 2, are the holes through which the screws
pass to attach the bridle to the plate; 3, has no leg or pillar, but rests
upon the secar through which the screw passes; 4, the hole to receive
the bridle axis of the tumbler, which is made rather larger than usual
to keep the tumbler from becoming loose. Letter I, is a side view of
the same bridle. No 1, is one of the pillars or legs of bridle; 2, is
a male countersink to fit into corresponding ditto of lock plate; 3, is
the screw to attach it to ditto; 4, is the hole N° 3, in letter H, which
has no leg, but rests upon the seear itself. Letters J, K, are represen-
tations of hammers, one piece with the tumblers. Letter J, is a side or
geometrical view of a tumbler. No 1, is the hammer head; 2, is the
bridle axis; 3, is the swivel to connect the hammer with the main
spring; 4, are the ratchet nicks or bents. Letter K, is a perspective
view of tumbler. N° 1, is hammer head in an unfinished state, left
large enough to reduce into any shape the maker may fancy best
adapted for striking the cap. N.B. For a double gun it is the reverse
way. 2, the bridle axis of tumbler, made very strong; 3, plate axis of
tumbler, made also very strong to keep the tumbler axis firm in lock
plate; 4, the bent holes half cock; 5, swivel to attach to main spring
hook. Letter L, is a view of trigger, one piece with steear, with the
seear spring bearing upon it. No 1, is the seear or catch to fit into
bent holes of tumbler; 2, is the screw hole, by means of which a screw
passing through hole No 4, in letter I, attaches it to the lock plate; 3,
is the seear spring, bearing upon the rest of the sears; 4, is the trigger
tail or handle, in an unfinished state to shew the forging; 5, screw hole
to attach it to lock plate. Letter M, is a side view of seear spring; 1, is
the countersink to fit into female ditto of the lock plate; 2, is the screw
to attach it to ditto; 3, is the stay to hold it firm in ditto. Letters

page_text: N, O, P, Q, are views of breeches of gun; N, is a geometrical view of
ditto O, is a perspective view of ditto. No 1, is the breech screw;
2, part joining to barrel; 3, hut to hook into false breech or break
off, made rather wide to allow of nipple being screwed into it firmly;
4, nipple itself. P, is a perspective view of inside of breech. N° 1, is
the cavity of breech in form of a cone; 2, is the bottom of the cone
immediately above the end of nipple; 3; the screw. Letter Q, is a
section of a new breech capable of being used in the present gun. 1, is
the breech itself; 2, is the narrow passage leading from the cone to
magazine; 3, is the priming passage from top of breech, down which
the priming passes; 4, is a concavity filled by the priming; 5, the
cavity enclosing the spiral spring; 6, the termination of the cavity and
the stop to the spiral spring to prevent it touching the priming; 7, the
screw through which the striking pin passes to strike the priming.
Letter R, is a Drawing of spiral spring and striking pin. 1, is the rest
or stop of the spiral spring next the priming to prevent it touching it;
2, the catch of the striking pin, which bears upon the spring, and when
struck, compresses it down to Figure 1; 3, is the striking pin head.
Letter S, is a Drawing of the screw which holds the striking pin in its
place. 1, is the countersink, which allows the head of the striking
pin to descend to the priming when struck by the hammer; 2, the
screw into the hut; -3, the projection resting on the hut when screwed
down. Letter T, is a view of the slide and the cap hole open, through
which the instrument passes when the nipple is capped. N°1, is the
flap or slide drawn back from hole; 2, the point by which the slide is
pulled back; 3, the hole through which the instrument is passed to cap
the nipple. N.B. The capping instrument is the same as the capping
instrument of Dixon's patent walking stick gun; 4, the nipple appearing
through; 5, the breech and barrel; 6, cock outside for cocking gun.
Letter U, is a Drawing of the inside iron case N° 1. The outside of
-inside of which is the but screw, as in Figure 20,
letter b, upon which the narrow end of lock plate is screwed; 2, hole
through which trigger passes; 3; hole through which waste caps fall;
4, flaps of false breech or break off; upon which broad end of lock plate
is screwed; 5, division of guard to cover finger. Letter b, is a section
block

page_text: of the whole lock enclosed in..an iron case, which can either be con-
tinued in an iron stock throughout, or have a,wooden butt screwed on
behind, and a wooden handle or fore part attached to it,. as in letter to
Figure 8. No.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, are the same as before described in
letter a; 7, outside hammer, to cock and uncock the gun; 8, the nipple;
9, tumbler hammer head; 10, hole through which an instrument passes
to cap the nipple; 11, the slide to cover ditto;.12, a spring with small
roller, upon which the slide 11, passes to keep slide firm; 13, handle
to pull back slide. The nipple is capped at..half cock by the intro-
duction of the instrument described in letter T, No.3, through holes
No 10, from which the slide 11, is withdrawn by pulling the point 13,
back over the roller spring 12, then return the slide 11, so as to cover.
hole 10, cock the lock, as in letter A. The trigger N° 5 being pulled
will release the tumbler hammer, which will, strike the cap upon the
nipple 8, ignite the powder contained in it, and communicate to the
load in breech. Then half cock the gun, and the pieces of the cap
will fall through the hole at bottom of iron case, always open at 14,
and through the division of the guard at 15; should the remnants of
the cap adhere to the nipple the capping, instrument will remove them.
16,.is the side of false breeching or break off; 17, is the screw hole
upon the flap or false breech of the lock; 18, is the hole in iron case
through which trigger passed; 19, guard itself;.20, the other screw
hole of lock plate by side of butt screw; 21, the screw to which a
wooden or iron butt may be attached; 22, hut hooked into false
breeching; 23, break. off; 24 barrel of gun; 25, section of breech;
26, cone or chamber in ditto; 27,. tube between cone and breech; 28,
spring to keep the guard in its place; 29, pin attached to spring and
passing through the end of guard to keep it in its place; 30, pin, which
being pressed down forces down the spring 28, and liberates the guard
19; 31, screw to hold spring. Letter W, is a. view of fresh method
of capping nipple through hole at bottom, as in letter U,. Figure 3,
through which waste caps pass. No 1, is the guard turned half round;
2, is the finger guard made broad; 3, the pin on the spring as in
letter U, Figures 28, 29, 30, 31, to keep the guard in its place, with
side bevilled to allow guard to: slip over it easily; 4, pin, which, when

page_text: Letter A, is a view of the plate for making a stock, cut into its first
form, and ready for bending out of a piece of best Bristol plate from
20 to 30 guage, or any thickness most agreeable to the maker, or most
portable and convenient.
Letter B, is a Drawing of the second form of plate bent when rather
warm; the dotted lines are to shew what is cut out of the plate to
adapt it to the shape of a stock when bent upon the block C. They
may be cut out either before or after.
Letter C, is a Drawing of the metal block, upon which the bended
plate B, is placed when hot, and struck into the required curve by a
stamp or driver for that purpose. The dotted lines are the same as
those in B; 1, 2, 3, are dotted lines showing that part of the butt
which does not require so much bending as the other part on the block;
4, is the wooden stand upon which the block rests; 5, is the metal
stamp or driver.
Letter D, is another view of stamp half size; 1, 2, are the ends of
the fork, curved outwards to prevent them bruising or nipping the

page_text: plate in driving; 3, is a section of metal block; the curve may be
either more or less round or oval, according to the fancy of the maker.
Letter E, is the view of the stock formed upon block C, with the
dotted lines in B, and C, cut out, and ready for the reception of F, just
above it. No 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, mark the places of the corresponding
Figures in F, on the top or upper side N° 4; 10, ditto in the middle
Nos 5; 12, mark the places of the corresponding Figures in F, in the
bottom or lower side.
Letter F, is a view of the butt plate, stop handle plate, and false
breech or break off, in the form they are shewn in F.
N 1, 2, is the
rather curved
butt plate, which is rather thinner than the stock, and
to fit the hollow of the butt, and tapering from 1 to 2. N° 3, 4, 5, is
the stop, which is made or more thick, and cuts off all communi-
cation between the lock and butt, and strengthens the stock into which
it is rivetted; 3, is the small tongue which lies between the lips of the
bend of the stock, and when brazed, rivetted, and filed down, forms
No 3, in section I, and finished stock K.; 4, is the handle flap to which
lock plate is attached; 6, 7, is the handle plate, made the same as
1, 2, and tapering from 7 to 6. No 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, is the false
breech; 8, is the point; immediately above 7, (the point of junction
between the handle, flap, & breech,) is a rabbit continuing to 10 and
12, round which, over the handle flap, the handle of the stock fits;
9, is the outside rim, which, when put together, is on a level with the
top of the handle and barrels; N° 10 and 11, are the flaps or rests for
the lock plates to screw to; N° 12, is the bottom of the breech, resting
upon corresponding bottom in E, into which a rivet or screw passes;
N.B. The breech is 2 or 3, thick, or whatever thickness the maker
may find best. N.B. All the Figures in F, fall into places correspond-
ing with the Figures in E, and then the stock is ready to close up.
Letter G, is a section of the false breech; N° 9, is the outside rim,
level with the barrels; N° 8, the rabbit, upon which the stock is
rivetted or screwed; N° 7, the point where the handle flap joins it;
10, the screw hole of lock plate; 13, the hut hole; 12, the screw at
the bottom. N.B. These Figures correspond with those in E, and F.
Letter H, is an elevation of false breech; N 13 and 14, are the

page_text: hut holes; No 15, and 16, the outside flaps or guards, which the out-
side. cocks fall. The other Figures correspond with those in E, F, G.
Letter I, is. a section of the stock E, when closed up and rivetted
with F, placed inside it.
The same coincidence takes place in the Figures as in E, and F,
and G, and H; the heads of the screws or rivetts appear and show
their relative positions; they are afterwards cut off and smoothed. At
No 3, the stop intervenes between lips of the projecting point at 3;
here it is filed into shape. At N° 7, the handle flap joins the false
breech 8; the handle of the stock covers and is rivetted to the rabbit
No 9; the handle of the stock rises to a level with the outside rim
(vide Drawing G), 0, 0, 0, 0. The inside is filed up and cleaned and
got ready for putting in the heel plate; if the stock is not hardened,
the inside should either be painted, varnished, or japanned. 14, is the
place for the lock plate cut out. No. 15, is the trigger hole.
Letter I, is a perspective view of the proceeding stocks screwed up,
with F, fixed in. Na 1, and 2, show the screws over the butt plate;
No 3, 4, and 5, over the stop; 6, and 7, over the handle plate; 8, 9,
and 12, over the false breech; X, is the ramrod pipe, which is to be
beat out of the rim when hot. The butt is then hammered out into
shape after being filed and cleaned inside; the heel plate is brazed on
without a tail; the outside is cleared of rivets, filed, and polished.
Letter K, is a Drawing of a stock when finished, polished, and
engraved, so as to resemble any other gun, and hardened with beautiful
colours. No 1, is the heel plate, with the dotted lines to shew where it
is brazed on; 2, is the termination of the engraving, to shew a false
tail, as in a wood stock. N.B. The heel plate may be made to open
with a spring, and the inside lined or cased so as to admit of gun
furniture, spare ramrods, &c. 3, is the same as in letters I, J, and F,
and shews what is the appearance of the end of the stop 3, in letter F,
when finished; 4, is the cocking hammer, which may be ornamented
ad libitum; 6, is the fastening of barrels. N.B. The barrel should
rest upon two or three solid pieces of leather, so as not, or if so, but
just to touch the sides of the stock at 6; the leather will make the
barrel springy as well as preserve it.

page_text: Letter L, is a soldier's musquet of last regulation, Tower mark
upon butt, 1805; upon the barrel, by the side of lock, 12; sent to
Patentee by Board of Ordnance. 1, shows the heel plate, which if
made to open as far as the stop at 2, would contain either a soldier's
canteen or amunition for a long battle; 2, is the same sort of stop as
iu F, and I, but without any flap for lock plate to rest on. The dotted
line shows its place. 3, is the end of the lock plate to rest on a tongue
of iron; 4, is the end of the breech, which may be let into the stock
at the handle, the same as the musquets are now; 5, is the other end
of the lock plate resting in the same manner as 3; 6, 8, 10, and 12,
are the ramrod pipes, which may be stamped or bent out of solid in a
mould into the required form; 5, 7, 9, and 11, are places for solid
leather rests, upon which barrels should lie, which are also rivetted in,
and will considerably lessen the recoil; 13, is the trigger guard; 14,
rainrod. The lock plate is left bright. 1, 13, 8, 10, 12, and 14, are
left bright; the rest of the stock is dark, being hardened or covered
with leather if not. N.B. The advantage of this stock is, it will never
rust; it is lighter than the wooden ones; it will endure almost for ever;
the stroke of a sabre will only require brazing to repair it; it will
carry a soldier's canteen or amunition in the butt; and no climate
or violence can affect; lastly, it is considerably cheaper, and takes
infinitely less time to make, than the present wooden ones.
The improvement claimed consists in the principle of firing the gun
behind, according to the method and arrangement described or set
forth in the annexed Specification; also in the particular parts de-
scribed or contained in that arrangement, videlicet:
1 the countersinking of the screw holes of the lock plate, and the
corresponding male countersinks.
2nd, the straight main spring.
3, trigger one piece with seear.
4 hammer one piece with tumbler.
5, nipple placed behind breech, or in a hut behind brecch, and
principle of firing gun by that means behind.
6, also principle of firing gun behind by means of breech described
in letters Q, R, S, of plan I, as also for the principle or invention of
aforesaid breech itself.

page_text: 7th, also for firing gun by means of a lock contained in a metal
cover, stock, or case.
8th, also for the metal cover, stock, or case described in the annexed
Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bingham, for myself and
the said William 'Dupe, have hereunto set my hand and seal,
the Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-two.
WILLIAM (L.S.) BINGHAM.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-third day of
March, in the year of our Lord 1832, the aforesaid William Bingham
came before our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein con-
tained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for
that nuruose
Inrolled the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-two.