IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmond Pope, of Clonmel, Ireland, Gunmaker,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmond Pope at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st August 1863.
I, EDMOND POPE, of Clonmel, Ireland, Gunmaker, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of certain improvements in breech-loading guns to
be charged with the "Lefaucheaux" cartridge without moving the barrel in
any way whatever. The barrel is attached to the stock in the usual way
with two bolts, and also with hut and break off in a similar manner to that
of the common muzzle-loader. Behind the chamber is an open space in
which slides an elongated square dovetailed bolt, and parallel with the bore of
the barrel, with a projection inserting into the chamber like a breeched gun,
but without a screw. Attached to this elongated square dovetailed bolt, and
on its top surface is a semicircular guage with two inclined planės to its
cavity which slides forward with the dovetailed bolt, and accurately inserts the
entire charge into the chamber without any use of the hand or fingers in so
doing. When discharged, the inserting dovetailed bolt and semicircular
guage is drawn back, and thereby extracts by its own action from the chamber.
the empty case remaining after each shot, which does not impede the reloading
of the gun in any way. Attached to the trigger plate and through the guard
is an eccentric lever, which moves the resisting power in connection with
the dovetailed bolt, and also at the same time checks the action of the

page_text: trigger from the lock at all times while the gun is loading until it is ready
to be discharged. When this lever is moved about a quarter turn on its
axis it inserts the resisting power into the elongated square dovetailed bolt,
forming a compound resistance of several hundred pounds without the least
complication. The lock is the common foreaction principle, and attached in
the usual way like a muzzle-loader, but altogether inlaid in wood.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edmond Pope in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDMOND
POPE, of Clonmel, Ireland, Gunmaker, send greeting,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her.
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edmond Pope, Her special licence that I, the said Edmond Pope, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edmond
Pope, 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
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Edmond Pope, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
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 saine 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 Edmond Pope, do hereby declare,
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My Invention consists of certain improvements in breech-loading guns to.
be charged with the "Lefaucheaux" or other cartridge, without moving the
barrel in any way whatever.
In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I now

page_text: proceed to describe the same with reference to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and the figures and letters of reference marked thereon, as
follows:-
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, represents a side elevation of the gun, partly in section.
a is the stock; b, the barrel; and c, the open space or groove in the body
bebind the chamber; similar letters denote corresponding parts in each of the
Figures.
Fig. 1 represents the gun loaded, and Fig. 2 shews another elevation in
which the gun is in course of being charged with the cartridge; the open
space or groove c is contained in the metal body d, continued and held in
position by the bottom body plate d¹, screwed to the stock, through which
plate the bolt receiver e passes for holding the barrel in the stock; fis an
elongated dovetailed bolt sliding in the space c; and h is a resisting power or
stop passing upwards into the slot or groove i ent in the rear end of the bolt f;
this stop serves to maintain the bolt in position, and to resist its recoil at the
moment of discharge. To actuate the stop the hand lever j must be lowered
or raised, when the connecting piece k will elevate or depress the stop as it
may be requisite either to permit the bolt to be withdrawn, or the stop to be
inserted therein to enable it to resist the force of the discharge. Towards the.
rear of the groove, at the base thereof, a small spring is fixed, which serves to
raise or tilt the cartridge case slightly when it is drawn back from the
chamber, and thus aid in throwing it out.
Fig. 3 shews a plan view of the bolt and part of the barrel, and Figs. 3¹
and 32 are end views shewing a square and round form of bolt; when the
square form is adopted, lateral perforations should be made therein to receive
the lubricating material.
It will be observed that the fore end of the surface or top plate of the
bolt is made of a curvilinear form, terminating in a hook; the object of this
construction is, that when the bolt is drawn back, and the cartridge has been
dropped or inserted in the space c, the top plate will (while the bolt is being
closed into the breech or chamber of the gun) cause the percussion tube of
the cartridge to be driven to the hook part of the plate, and thereby brought
directly under the hammer. When the gun has been discharged and the
hammer raised to half cock, the hook will withdraw the cartridge case from
the chamber back again into the space c, whence it can be immediately
removed and another one substituted, thus affording a rapidity of loading and
discharging such as has never hitherto been accomplished by any other rifle.
The end of the bolt f¹ is a projection entering the chamber like a breeched
gun, but without a screw. I shews a small handle fixed by a hinge-to the

page_text: rear of the bolt in order to withdraw the same from the chamber; it is formed
in two parts, the lower part ¹ projecting slightly, below the lower level of the
bolt, as shewn when drawn back at Fig. 2, the object being, that when the
bolt is pushed forward into the chamber; the projection 11 comes in contact
with the edge of the metal body d, and throws the handle forward on to the
top plate of the bolt so as not to interfere with the sight, as shewn at Fig. 1.
The bolt is formed with a series of indentations or recesses o, the object being
to fill them with grease in order to afford free lubrication, the grease being
also inserted between the periphery of the bolt and the top plate or cover.
Figs. 4 and 5 shew plan views of the plate adapted for a double-barrel
rifle, the action being similar to that described for the single gun; with double
bolts.
Figs. 6 and 7 shew forms of cartridge guiders and extractors which may
be attached to the surface of the top plate of the bolt, if desired, instead of
forming the top plates with the curvilinear hooks. In Fig. 7 the extractor is
allowed to spring slightly on coming in contact with the percussion tube so as
to force the hook in front thereof ready to withdraw the empty cartridge case
after firing.
Fig. 1, Sheet 2, represents a method whereby the bolt is rendered capable
of being held in position by a self-acting spring stop; 1, 7, shews a compound
excentric lever bearing upon the surface of the stop h. When the handle
is lifted in order to withdraw the bolt, the stop will be depressed by the
descent of the arm 7' acting against the power of the spring p and the lever q,
tending to force the stop upwards into the cavity in the bolt; when, there-
fore, the bolt is replaced in the chamber, the stop h springs up into the bolt
and secures it from recoil. The lever q may be dispensed with, and a flat
spring only may be applied to actuate the stop.
In this example I shew a method whereby the stop is made to descend on
to the back of the trigger, as represented at s, Fig. 2, which shews the stop-
partly withdrawn from the gun. The object of this arrangement is to prevent
the accidental release of the tumbler by the pull of the trigger. Another
method is shewn by the tooth 2, Fig. 2, Sheet 1, entering a notch at the
back of the trigger, when the lever j is lowered. Fig. 3 shews another
method of actuating the stop.; j is a hand lever, the short end of which, j,
bears upon and depresses the stop h, when the handle is elevated; a spring p
serves to elevate the stop, and return it into position on the re-insertion of the
bolt. The handle j also is made use of to withdraw the bolt for the intro-
duction of the cartridge into the chamber c. Fig. 4 shews the same arrange-
ment with the handle ; elevated; and the stop depressed.

page_text: Fig. 5 represents a longitudinal vertical section of barrel and body attached.
differently to the other examples; this contrivance admits of the barrels being
taken from the stock like the common muzzle-loader without a break in the
fore part of the stock. The bolt D is moved the same as in the muzzle-
loader. The excentric bolt B is to be turned one half turn, by which means
all the locking parts are unlocked, and the barrels left out. The excentric
bolt B interlocks L into L', and F into F in the same degree, thus attaching
the body and barrels solidly together more so than in any other breech-loader
in use; this lock-fast action is applicable to both single and double guns.
Fig. 6 represents a plan view of the top of the body with a double guage
and cartridge extractors r, r, and a bottom plate d attached; Figs. 7 and 8
shew a front and side view of my excentric cartridge case extractor. If the
knife-edged cam a were turned by the rod b, so as to be concentric with the
serrated edge of the discs c, the extractor could be inserted into the cartridge
case, when the tube and copper cap thereof may have accidentally been torn away
by the extractors heretofore described; then by means of the jointed lever
hook d the excentric a is caused to bite the interior of the case, and withdraw
the same.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I would remark, in conclusion, that
I do not restrict myself to the precise details and configuration of parts
expressed and shewn herein, as the same may obviously be modified without
in any way departing from the principles thereof; but what I claim and desire
to be secured to me by the herein in part recited Letters Patent, are the
general arrangement and combination of parts, substantially as specified and
illustrated by the Drawings annexed, constituting "Improvements in Breech-
loading Fire-arms," according to the title hereof.
In witness whereof, I the said Edmond Pope, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
EDMP. POWER,
Sol.,
Clonmel.
EDMOND POPE. (L.S.)