IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
-A communication from abroad by Edouard de Beaumont, of
Maestricht, in the Kingdom of Holland.
Sealed the 11th January 1870, and dated the 17th July 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th July 1869.
I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that class of breech-loading fire-arms in
which there is a sliding block or bolt for closing the open end of the
breech and a firing pin for exploding the cartridge. In the improved
arm the firing pin is made to strike the central part of the rear of the
cartridge and explode the same, but instead of a blunt firing pin a

page_text: pointed needle for piercing the rear of a paper cartridge may be used..
The firing pin, or rather the lock or bolt to which it is attached, is
actuated in its forward motion to explode the cartridge by a spring
placed inside a projecting handle which extends out at right angles from
the barrel. A hooked cartridge extractor is attached by screws or other-
wise to the under side of the sliding breech block, so that when the
latter is drawn back it will pull out the empty cartridge case. In this
arm the ordinary cock and hammer are dispensed with, and the piece is
cocked by drawing back a bolt connected with the breech block, so that
the piece is cocked and the empty cartridge case drawn out by one and
the same operation. There is a safety pin which takes into a hole in
the bolt, and prevents the arm from being discharged except at the
proper moment and when all the parts are in their proper position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th January 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY.
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Henry Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Henry Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein exprsesed, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," being a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Edouard de Beaumont, of Maestricht, in
the Kingdom of Holland, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Henry Edward Newton, my executors or administrators,

page_text: 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 Henry Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-
:-
This Invention relates to that class of breech-loading fire-arms in
which there is a sliding block or bolt for closing the open end of the
breech and a firing pin for exploding the cartridge. In the improved
arm the firing pin is made to strike the central part of the rear of the
cartridge and explode the same, but instead of a blunt firing pin a
pointed needle for piercing the rear of a paper cartridge may be used.
The firing pin, or rather the block or bolt to which it is attached, is
actuated in its forward motion to explode the cartridge by a spring
placed inside a projecting handle which extends out at right angles from
the barrel. A hooked cartridge extractor is attached by screws or other-
wise to the under side of the sliding breech block, so that when the latter
is drawn back it will pull out the empty cartridge case. In this arm
the ordinary cock and hammer are dispensed with, and the piece is
cocked by drawing back a bolt connected with the breech block, so that
the piece is cocked and the empty cartridge case drawn out by one and
the same operation. There is a safety pin which takes into a hole in
the bolt, and prevents the arm from being discharged except at the
proper moment and when all the parts are in their proper position.
The peculiar features of this Invention are,-
Firstly. A block or bolt which does not require a helical spring, but
is actuated by means of a flat spring contained in a handle attached to
the said breech block or bolt.
Secondly. An arrangement of mechanism without either hammer or

page_text: Thirdly. The application of the same to paper cartridges, substituting
a needle for the striking pin and an india-rubber breech closer for a
metal one.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the breech
end of a breech-loader constructed according to this Invention; and
Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are views of some of the parts detached.
A is the handle of the bolt, the dotted lines in Fig. 2 shewing the
interior mechanism; B is a part of the handle (shewn detached at
Fig. 3) which is removeable (by means of a screw 6) for the purpose
of inserting therein the mainspring C (shewn detached at Fig. 4); D,
(Fig. 5) represents a portion of the bolt detached shewing the striking
pin E (Fig. 6), mounted in its place on the striking bolt; F (Fig. 7)
is the moveable metal breech closer; G (Fig. 8) is the cartridge
extractor attached to the moveable head of the bolt; H is a thumb piece
carrying a safety pin which works in the hole h (see Fig. 2); I (Fig. 5)
is a shoulder on the striking bolt, against which the end of the main-
spring bears; K (Fig. 5) is an inclined plane which cocks the striking
bolt on opening the cartridge chamber; L is the nick for full-cock.
The arrangement of inclined planes prevents the striking pin from
touching the cartridge before the bolt and block are quite closed, for
even should the person firing neglect to close the bolt completely, this
latter would close of itself on firing. The safety pin on the thumb
piece His combined in such a manner with the working of the two
inclined planes that when once its thumb picce is raised the arm cannot
be loaded without the safety pin acting of itself and preventing the
striker from touching the cartridge. In order to bring the arm to
half-cock, or to bring the sear into the safety nick, the handle A is
slidden forward without turning it, the safety pin block H is raised, then
the handle is turned to the right, and the safety pin acts of itself.
These improvements have therefore for their object not only to
simplify the construction of the arm, but at the same time to simplify
its action, as on opening the cartridge chamber by moving the handle
from right to left and drawing the bolt back the following movements
will be effected simultaneously, first, the mainspring C, which is set in
the handle, is brought to "full-cock," its longer or moveable limb being
forced backward by means of the shoulder I, which is itself carried
backward by the backward motion of the inclined plane K with which
the striker is provided, and which is forced backward by another inclined

page_text: plane on the handle; second, by this same movement the nick L
which serves to hold the spring at the position of full-cock is brought
behind the sear of the trigger; third, the cartridge last fired is extracted
at the same time from the chamber by the extractor G, which is attached
to and combined with a moveable head on the bolt handle; fourth, the
cartridge extractor acting as a spring receives a shock at the end of a
groove in the chamber, and by this shock the cartridge previously fired
is thrown out.
In order to remove the bolt from the barrel it is only necessary to
remove the screw a (Figures 1 and 2). In order to take to pieces the
parts composing the bolt the screw b is to be removed, which allows of
the removal of the piece B and the spring C.
In order to load the arm it is only necessary to open the cartridge
chamber by means of the handle A, and put a cartridge in it and then
close the bolt, so that the arm may be ready to fire without its being
necessary to attend to anything else, as it will be seen from the above
explanation that the other movements are effected automatically; by the
movement therefore of the handle from right to left the spring C is
brought to cock, and by drawing the handle back the cartridge chamber
is opened. The cartridge is put into the chamber, and the bolt is closed
by lowering the handle, and the arm is ready for firing.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Breech-
loading Fire-arms, as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
desire it to be understood that I do not claim the construction of fire-
arms which are loaded at the breech by means of an ordinary breech
block or bolt and lock; but that which I claim under the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is, the construction and arrangement of
the several parts as herein set forth, particularly of the bolt or block,
and the substitution of the novel and improved parts for those hitherto
employed in fire-arms of this character. The improved parts which I
particularly claim are,―
First. The mainspring mounted in the handle, as above shewn and
described.
Second. The cartridge extractor.
Third. The striker.

page_text: and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and 5
seventy.
H. E. NEWTON. (L.s.)