IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS, PATENT to Sir Eustace Fitzmaurice Piers, Baronet, of
Hartford, in the County of Chester, and John Scott Armitage, of
Pymmes Park, Edmonton, in the County of Middlesex, for the In-
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sir Eustace Fitzmaurice
Piers and John Scott Armitage at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th September 1872.
•
We, Sir EUSTACE FITZMAURICE PIERS, Baronet, of Hartford, in the
County of Chester, and JOHN SCOTT ARMITAGE, of Pymmes Park,
Edmonton, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,"
to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction, arrangement, and
combination of breech mechanism for breech-loading fire-arms, intended
more especially for military purposes, and consists,
First. Of a peculiar compound breech piece and mode of locking the
same, and pressing home the cartridge when finally closing the breech.

page_text: 3rdly. Of a peculiar safety bolt.
And, 4thly. Of a peculiar mode of discharging the spent cartridge
case after the same has been extracted from the chamber of the barrel.
The compound breech piece consists of two main parts, namely, a
cover piece and a bolt, which latter is connected to the cover piece by a
pin passing down through the cover and entering one side of an annular
groove in the rear end of the bolt. A notch is cut in one side of this
pin, so that on partially turning the same by a spring lever arm it will
either prevent the bolt from being drawn out apart from the cover, or it
will release the said bolt and enable it to be withdrawn separately, but
in no case does it interfere with the rotation of the said bolt in its
bearings at each end of the cover. The cylindrical part of the bolt fits
and turns in the bottom of the shoe, and has a handle secured to its rear
end for the purpose of partially turning the same. On one side of this
bolt there is formed a projection which corresponds to a recess made in
the side of the shoe, so that when the breech is closed and the handle
turned down to a horizontal position the entire breech piece will be
locked or held fast in its place. When the handle is brought to a
vertical position the projection is removed from its corresponding recess
and the breech is free to be pulled back or withdrawn for the purpose of
extracting the old cartridge case, and enabling a fresh one to be
introduced into the chamber of the barrel. On turning up the handle
for the purpose of unlocking the breech, two spiral or inclined cam
surfaces made respectively on the boss of the handle and in the bottom
of the rear end of the shoe, and working together, serve to start the
cartridge casc as soon as the breech piece is unlocked; a spring claw
attached to the cover piece and which had previously in the act of
closing tight the breech become engaged with the upper side of the ;
flange of the cartridge, withdrawing slightly the said case from the
chamber. The breech piece is now pulled back along the shoe, and
completes the withdrawal of the cartridge case, but just before it has
been withdrawn sufficiently far to fully open the breech the lower edgo
of the flange of the cartridge case strikes against a small fixed projection
or stop in the bottom of the shoe, the result being to cause the cartridge
case to spring out of the shoo and leave it free for the insertion of the
next cartridge.

page_text: Inside the bolt along its axial centre line there is fitted the striker
which is formed with a striking pin at its front end working through a
correspondingly sized opening in the end of a socket piece on the front
end of the cover piece. A countersunk chamber is formed round the
striker in the end of the breech bolt to prevent accidental explosion of
the cap. The striker is pushed forward against the cartridge in order to
explode the same by the action of a helical spring which bears at one
end against a shoulder on the striker, and at the other against the end of
the recessed or enlarged chamber made to receive it inside the bolt. As
the striker is provided with lateral fins or feathers which engage into
slots in the bolt it follows that any rotation of the bolt will be imparted
to the striker; and this rotation of the striker is caused to effect its
withdrawal. For this purpose two inclined or spiral cam surfaces are
made near the front end of the striker which engage with corresponding
inclined or spiral cam surfaces made inside the socket on the front end
of the cover piece, so that as the striker is partially turned it will at the
same time be forced inwards, the same motion bringing the bolt into its
A notch
unlocked position by turning the projection out of its recess.
or bent is made on the rear end of the striker which when the latter is
withdrawn and its spring compressed, engages with a notch or bent on
the scar. The sear moves on a hinge pin in the bolt itself, and is acted
upon by a sear spring.
A bent portion of the sear works in an opening formed transversely
through the bolt, and its extremity is elevated or pressed against by the
head of the trigger when the latter is drawn so as to release the striker
from the sear bent and explode the cartridge. Just before the perfect
and complete closing of the breech the cartridge is forced well home
into the chamber of the barrel by the conjoint action of two inclines
formed respectively on the rear end of the locking projection and on the
rear end of the recess, thus performing the last portion of the movement
for closing the breech by a steady pressure rather than by a sudden
blow which is liable to injure the cartridge.
In order to allow of the free rotatory motion of the bolt it is grooved or
channelled circumferentially to allow of its clearing the fixed stock and
the head of the trigger, and with a view to the free withdrawal of the
said bolt when opening the breech a longitudinal groove is made therein
on the side which is turned down when ready for being opened, a corre-
sponding but narrower groove being also made in the under side of the

page_text: socket piece. These grooves serve to clear the head of the trigger and
the fixed stop respectively when the bolt is being slid back on opening
the breech. A safety bolt is fitted eccentrically in the breech bolt and
is for the purpose of engaging with or locking both the striker and the
sear when the loaded gun is not required for immediate use. This bolt
is held in its place by a pin and groove; it consists of a pin turning
freely in the breech bolt through a portion of a revolution by the aid of
a spring lever arm. A projection or catch is formed on the end of the
safety bolt which engages with a corresponding notch in the side of the
striker when the latter is to be locked, and a notch is also made in the
side of the safety bolt, which when the latter is turned slightly in one
direction enters a notch made in the side of the sear, and effectually locks
the latter, but when turned in the opposite direction leaves the sear free
to be actuated by the trigger head, and also unlocks the striker. Until
the bolt is locked the scar cannot be brought into such a position as to
bc acted on by the trigger head.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Sir Eustace Fitzmaurice Piers and John Scott
Armitage in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 26th March 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Sir
EUSTACE FITZMAURICE PIERS, Baronet, of Hartford, in the County of
Chester, and JOHN SCOTT ARMITAGE, of Pymmes Park, Edmonton, in
the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
36th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Sir Eustace Fitzmaurice Piers and John
Scott Armitage, Her special license that we, the said Sir Eustace
Fitzmaurice Piers and John Scott Armitage, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Sir Eustace Fitz-
maurice Piers and John Scott Armitage, our executors, administrators, or
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

page_text: Figure 2 is a rear end elevation of the breech piece and handle for
opening, closing, and locking the same, and for withdrawing or locking
the striker.
Figure 3 is a plan of the shoc, showing the recess for locking the
breech piece and the incline or cam surface for forcing home the
cartridge when loading.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the bolt of the breech piece detached,
shewing it in the position for locking the arm; Figure 5 is a plan of the
under side of the same bolt when turned in the position for unlocking
and withdrawing or opening the breech piece; and, Figure 6 is a 1
perspective view of the safety bolt.
The compound breech piece consists of two main parts, namely, a
cover piece A and a bolt B, which latter is connected to the cover piece
by a pin passing down through the cover and entering one side of an
annular groove a in the rear end of the bolt. A notch is cut in one side 1
of this pin so that on partially turning the same by the spring lever
arm (Figure 1), it will either prevent the bolt from being drawn out
apart from the cover, or it will release the said bolt and enable it to be
withdrawn separately, but in no case does it interfere with the rotation
of the said bolt in its bearings at each end of the cover. The cylindrical
part of the bolt fits and turns in the bottom of the shoe C, and has a
handle D secured to its rear end for the purpose of partially turning the
same. On one side of this bolt there is formed a projection E (Figure 4)
which corresponds to a recess F made in the side of the shoc (Figure 3),
so that when the breech is closed and the handle D turned down to a
horizontal position, as shown in Figure 2, the entire breech piece will be
locked or held fast in its place. When the handle D is brought to a
vertical position, the projection E is removed from its corresponding
recess F, and the breech is free to be pulled back or withdrawn for the
purpose of extracting the old cartridge and enabling a fresh one to be a
introduced into the chamber of the barrel. On turning up the handle D
for the purpose of unlocking the breech, two spiral or inclined cam
surfaces and o made respectively on the boss of the handle and in the
bottom of the rear end of the shoe and working together, serve to start
the cartridge case as soon as the breech piece is unlocked. The spring 3
claw attached to the cover piece A, and which had previously in the
act of closing tight the breech become engaged with the upper side of

page_text: the flange of the cartridge withdrawing slightly the said case from the
chamber. The breech piece is now pulled back along the shoe, and
completes the withdrawal of the cartridge case, but just before it has been
withdrawn sufficiently far to fully open the breech the lower edge of the
flange of the cartridge case strikes against the small fixed projection or
stop & in the bottom of the shoe, the result being to cause the cartridge
case to spring out of the shoe and leave it free for the insertion of the
next cartridge.
Inside the bolt B along its axial centre line there is fitted the striker G
which is formed with a striking pin e at its front end, working through a
correspondingly sized opening in the end of the socket picce A', on the
front end of the cover piece A. The striker is pushed forward against
the cartridge in order to explode the same by the action of the helical
spring which bars at one end against a shoulder on the striker, and at
the other against the end of the recessed or enlarged chamber made to
receive it inside the bolt. As the striker is provided with lateral pins or
feathers g, g, which engage into slots h, h, in the bolt B, it follows that
any rotation of the bolt will be imparted to the striker G, and this
rotation of the striker is caused to effect its withdrawal. For this
purpose two inclined or spiral cam surfaces i aro made near the front
end of the striker which engage with corresponding inclined or spiral
cam surfaces made inside the socket A' on the front end of the cover
picce, so that as the striker is partially turned it will at the same time
be forced inwards, the same motion bringing the bolt B into its unlocked
position by turning the projection E out of its recess F. A notch or
bent k is made on the rear end of the striker, which when the latter is
withdrawn and its spring compressed engages with the notch or bent 1
on the sear H. The sear moves on a hinge pin in the bolt itself, and is
acted upon by the sear spring m,
The bent portion I of the sear works in an opening formed
transversely through the bolt B, and its extremity is clevated or pressed
against by the head K of the trigger when the latter is drawn so as to
release the striker from the sear bent, and explode the cartridge just
before the perfect and complete closing of the breech; the cartridge is
forced well home into the chamber of the barrel by the conjoint action
of two inclines n' and o', formed respectively on the rear end of the
locking projection E, and on the rear end of the recess F, thus per-
forming the last portion of the movement for closing the breech by a

page_text: Third. The peculiar construction of safety bolt and its mode of action
as herein-before described.
Fourth. The peculiar arrangement for discharging the spent cartridge
case after its withdrawal from the chamber of the barrel, as herein-before
described.
Fifth. The application and use of the cam surfaces n and o, for first
starting the cartridge case from the chamber of the barrel, as herein-
before described.
Sixth. The peculiar combination of parts constituting my improved.
breech mechanism for military breech-loading fire-arms, as herein-before
described and illustrated by my Drawings.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Scott Armitage on behalf of
myself and the said Sir Eustace Fitzmaurice Picrs, have to this
our Specification set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of
March, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
JOHN SCOTT ARMITAGE. (L.S.)