IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William James Harvey, of Exeter, Gun Manu-
facturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William James Harvey
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th April 1860.
I, WILLIAM JAMES HARVEY, of Exeter, Gun Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, ALSO IN CARTRIDGES APPLICABLE FOR THE
SAME, to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-arms
and in cartridges to be used therowith. In constructing breech-loading fire-
arms according to my Invention, the barrel is connected to the fore part of the
stock or frame, which is made in one piece of iron or steel, with the breech
end or body in such manner that it can be moved backwards and forwards, to
and from the breech plate, so as to open and close the breech end of the barrel;
the barrel being formed with a projection on its under side, which slides in a
dovetail guide in the fore part of the stock or frame. This to-and-fro motion
is given to the barrel by means of a lever hinged at its end nearest the muzzle
to the under side of the fore part of the stock. To this lever at a point inter-
mediate of its length is connected one end of a link, which extends backwards
towards the breech, and is connected at its other end to the projection on the
under side of the barrel, a slot being formed in the fore part of the stock,
through which the link passes. By this means when the lever is turned on

page_text: its axis the barrel is moved to and from the breech plate. When the breech
end of the barrel is against the breech plate, the lever lies within a groove in
'the under side of the stock, and at the other end of the lever to that which is
hinged to the stock, the lever is curved, so as to project from the stock, in
-order that the lever may readily be taken hold of to move the barrels forward.
The breech end of the barrel is held in position against the breech plate by
means of a catch turning on a centre at the end of the straight portion of the
lever, being pressed by a spring into a notched recess in the projection on
the under side of the barrel. This catch is fitted through a slot in the fore
part of the guard, and is provided with a handle curved in a similar manner
to the end of the lever, and when the catch is pressed in its place to secure
the barrel, the end of the curved handle passes through a slot in the under
part of the guard, and is suitably formed to catch and bear against the inside
of the guard, and in order to move the barrel from tho breech plate to load
the piece, the catch is withdrawn from the notch in the under side of the barrel
by pressing back its curved handle, and the lever is then turned on its centre,
by which the barrel is moved forward a sufficient distance to allow of a fresh
charge being inserted.
Cartridges for breech-loading fire-arms have heretofore been made with
'metal cases, and they have been provided with a metal tube containing a
fulminating compound, the tube being made to project from the exterior of
the case, so that the charge contained within the case might be exploded by
.the hammer of the fire-arm striking the tube.
Now, in forming such descriptions of cartridges according to my Invention,
in place of the tube containing the fulminating compound being made to
project from the exterior of the case, it is contained within the case, and is
.exploded by the hammer of the fire-arm being provided with a projecting pin,
.which when the piece is fired enters a short distance into the tube, and
explodes the cartridge. This pin also serves to hold back the empty case of
the cartridge after the piece has been exploded, when the barrel is moved
forward in order to reload the piece.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William James Harvey in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th October 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM S
JAMES HARVEY, of Exeter, Gun Manufacturer,, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William James Harvey, Her special licence that I, the said
William James Harvey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William James Harvey, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARES, ALSO IN CARTRIDGES APPLICABLE FOR THE SAME," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William James Harvey, 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 William James Harvey, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-arms
and in cartridges to be used therewith. In constructing breech-loading fire-
arms according to my Invention, the barrel is connected to the fore part of the
'stock or frame, which is made in one piece of iron or steel with the breech
end or body, in such manner that it can be moved backwards and forwards to
and from the breech plate, so as to open and close the breech end of the
barrel; the barrel being formed with a projection on its under side, which
slides in a dovetail guide in the fore part of the stock or frame. This to-and-
fro motion is given to the barrel by means of a lever hinged at its end nearest
the muzzle to the under side of the fore part of the stock. To this lever at
a point intermediate of its length is connected one end of a link, which extends
backwards towards the breech, and is connected at its other end to the pro-
jection on the under side of the barrel, a slot being formed in the fore part
of the stock, through which the link passes. By this means when the lever is
turned on its axis the barrel is moved to or from the breech plate. When

page_text: '
the breech end of the barrel is against the breech plate, the lever lies within
a groove in the under side of the stock, and at the other end of the lever to
that which is hinged to the stock the lever is curved, so as to project from
the stock, in order that the lever may readily be taken hold of to move the
barrels forward. The breech end of the barrel is held in position against the
breech plate by means of a catch turning on a centre at the end of the
straight portion of the lever, being pressed by a spring into a notched recess in
the projection on the under side of the barrel. This catch is fitted through a
slot in the fore part of the guard, and is provided with a handle curved in a
similar manner to the end of the lever, and when tho catch is pressed in its
place to secure the barrel, the end of the curved handle passes through a slot
in the under part of the guard, and is suitably formed to catch and bear
against the inside of the guard; and in order to move the barrel from the
breech plate to load the piece, the catch is withdrawn from the notch in the
under side of the barrel by pressing back its curved handle, and the lever is
then turned on its centre, by which the barrel is moved forward a sufficient
distance to allow of a fresh charge being inserted.
Cartridges for breech-loading fire-arms have heretofore been made with
metal cases, and they have been provided with a metal tube containing a
fulminating compound; the tube being made to project from the exterior of
the case, so that the charge contained within the case might be exploded by
the hammer of the fire-arm striking the tube.
Now in forming such descriptions of cartridges according to my Invention,
in place of the tubo containing the fulminating compound being made to
project from the exterior of the case, it is contained within the case, and is
exploded by the hammer of the fire-arm being provided with a projecting pin,
which, when the piece is fired, enters a short distance into the tube, and
explodes the cartridge; this pin also serves to hold back the empty case of
the cartridge after the piece has been exploded, when the barrel is moved
forward in order to reload the piece.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
fire-arm constructed according to my Invention. The parts of the pieco in this
view are in the positions they assume when the barrels are slid forward for the
piece to be loaded. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, showing the

page_text: barrels moved back to be ready for firing. a is the fore part of the stock
made in one piece of metal with the breech plate b, which closes the ends of
the barrels; this plate is connected as is shown in the Drawings to the wooden
stock c. A plan view of these parts is shown at Figure 3. d, d, are the
barrels, having on their under side a projection e, which is received in a slot a¹
in the fore part a of the stock; the sides of this slot have dovetailed projections
a², which enter corresponding recesses in the sides of the projection e; the
barrel is thus held to the stock, but is free to slide to and fro along it. By
referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that a portion of the projections a² on
each side of the slot a' is cut away; a portion of the projection on the
under side of the barrel is also cut away, as is shewn in the under side
view of the barrels at Figure 4, so that by sliding the barrels forward until
the parts of the projection e, which are not cut away, are opposite the parts
of the slot a where the projections a have been removed, the barrrels
may be separated from the stock. The barrels are moved to and fro in their
guides in the fore part of the stock by a lever f (shewn separately at Figure 5),
which at its forward end turns on a pin f', carried by the fore part a of the
stock; to this lever, at a point intermediate of its length is connected by a pin
joint one end of a link g (shewn separately at Figure 6), the other end of
which is similarly connected to the projection on the under side of the barrels,
so that by turning the lever f on its axis the barrels may be moved to and fro;
the rear end of the lever f is curved, as shown, so as to form a handle by which
the lever may be readily taken hold of to move the barrels forward; h is a
catch shown separately at Figure 7, which is connected by a pin joint to the
end of the straight portion of the lever f; this catch is provided with a curved
trigger handle similar to the handle of the lever f; the upper portion of the
catch has a projecting piece h¹ as shown, and the catch is constantly pressed on
by a spring i, so that when the breech end of the barrels are moved up to the
breech plate b, the projecting pieco h' of the catch is caused to enter a notch e'
in the projection & on the under side of the barrels; the lever f is thus held in
position, and the barrels are prevented from moving away from the breech plate.
When the pieces are in this position the end of the curved trigger handle of
the catch passes through a slot in the trigger guard k. In order to move
the barrels forward from the breech plate to load the piece, the catch is
withdrawn from the notch in the projection e by pressing back the curved
trigger handle, and the lever is then turned downwards so as to bring the
parts into the positions shewn at Figure 1, the barrels being then moved forward
a sufficient distance to allow of a fresh cartridge being inserted, but the
barrels cannot be moved forward a sufficient distance to allow of their

page_text: being separated from the stock unless the pin fon which the lever f turns
is first removed.
Figures 8 and 9 (Sheet 2) show longitudinal sections of another breech-
loading double-barrelled fire-arm, constructed in such manner that the barrels
may be slid forward by a lover which is connected at its rear end to the barrels.
and is connected by means of a link to the fure part of the stock. In these
Figures the same letters of reference indicate like parts to those shewn at
Figures 1 and 2 (Sheet 1); the only variation in the arrangement of the parts
is that the lever f turns at its rear end on a pin carried by the barrels, instead
of at its forward end as in the arrangement above described. Separate views
of each of the parts are shown at Figures 10, 11, and 12.
Figures 13 show a cartridge case constructed according to my Invention.
The case consists of a metal tube 1, closed at one end by the disc m; on this
disc there is a projection m', by which the cartridge case is held in its proper
position when inserted into the rear end of a barrel, the upper part of the
breech end of the barrel being formed with a notch to receive it, as shown
in the Drawings. On the inner side of the disc mu there is a projection, through
which and partly through the disc a hole is bored to receive the explosion
'tube n; a portion of the back of this tube is cut away as shewn, and the end of
a screw screwing through the disc m, projecting into the slot thus formed,
prevents the tube from being withdrawn entirely from the disc; the disc is
held in the rear end of the tube 1 by the end of the tube n projecting beyond
the disc m, and through a hole in the tube 7; the tube 7 may either be arranged
so that the cartridge may be exploded by a fulminating compound contained
within the tube, or the cartridge may be exploded by an ordinary cap placed
on the top of the tube, as shown in the Drawings, and the top of the tube n
being under the top of the projection m', the cap will be protected from any
accidental blow; and in order to explode the cap or explosive compound, the
hammer of the fire-arm is furnished with a projecting pin o, as shown in the
Drawings; this pin also serves to hold back the empty case when the barrel is
moved forward for the piece to be reloaded.
In witness whereof, I, the said William James Harvey, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
WILLIAM JAMES HARVEY. (L.S.)