IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Fletcher, of Gloucester, in the County of
Gloucester, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 12th April 1864, and dated the 19th October 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATON left by the said William Fletcher at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th
October 1863.
I, WILLIAM FLETCHER, of Gloucester, in the County of Gloucester, Gun
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved arrangement of the mechanism for
locking and unlocking the parts of breech-loading guns or fire-arms in which
the barrel is jointed to the breech piece or stock of the gun by a pin joint,
upon which it moves, so as to place the breech end of the barrel or barrels in
a position for being loaded, as is well understood; and part of my Invention
relates to the mode of securing the locks (which are of the "bar" pattern) to
the metal portion or breech piece fixed to and forming part of the stock of
the gun. For this purpose the under side of the barrels has two projections
formed thereon, one of which bears against the axis upon which the barrel or
barrels move; the other projection, placed near the breech end of the barrel,
is so formed as to engage with the curved end of a lever which is jointed to
the metal breech let into the stock of the gun. The other end of this lever is

page_text: so formed as to partially cover the "trigger guard" of the gun when the parts
are closed ready to discharge the piece, and there is a spring fixed in the
breech piece or stock of the gun, which acts on a projection on the lever so
as at all times to have a tendency to force the curved end of the lever to
engage with the projection on the under side of the barrel, and thus lock
or retain the barrel and breech piece securely together until the lever arm is
moved away from the "trigger guard " to raise the breech end of the barrel or
barrels for the purpose of loading the piece.
By the above-described arrangement of mechanism the barrels and breech
may be more readily closed and secured together, and again re-opened for the
purpose of loading, than by the arrangements of mechanism previously
employed for this purpose.
The breech piece constructed according to my Invention is so formed that
Jocks of the "bar" pattern may be employed in combination with my improved
mechanism for locking and unlocking the barrels and breech piece, and the
locks, according to this part of my improvements, are secured to the breech
piece, by a screw pin which passes through the locks and through a projection
formed on the back of the breech piece, by which arrangement I am enabled to
employ shorter cocks or hammers by placing them nearer to the breech end of
the barrels than in the arrangements of locks heretofore employed in com-
bination with breech-loading fire-arms of this character.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Fletcher in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FLETCHER, of Gloucester, in the County of Gloucester, Gun Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of October, 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 William Fletcher, Her special licence that I, the said William
Fletcher, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Fletcher, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for ." IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Fletcher, my executors or adminis
trators, 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 Fletcher, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to an improved arrangement of the mechanism for
locking and unlocking the parts of breech-loading guns or fire-arms in which
the barrel is jointed to the breech pin or stock of the gun by a pin joint, upon
which it moves, so as to place the breech end of the barrel or barrels in a
position for being loaded, as is well understood; and part of my Invention
relates to the mode of securing the locks (which are of the "bar" pattern) to
the metal portion or breech piece fixed to and forming part of the stock of the
gun. For this purpose the under side of the barrels has two projections
formed thereon, one of which bears against the axis upon which the barrel
or barrels move. The other projection, placed near the breech end of the
barrels, is so formed as to engage with the curved end of a lever which is
jointed to the metal breech let into the stock of the gun. The other end of
this lever is so formed as to partially cover the trigger "guard" when the
parts are closed ready to discharge the piece, and there is a spring fixed in
the breech piece or stock of the gun which acts on a projection on the lever,
so as at all times to have a tendency to force the curved end of the lever to
engage with the projection on the under side of the barrel, and thus lock or
retain the barrel and breech piece securely together until the lever arm is
moved away from the "trigger guard" to raise the breech end of the barrel
or barrels for the purpose of loading the piece.
By the above-described arrangement of mechanism the barrels and breech
may be more readily closed, and secured together, and reopened for the
purpose of loading, than in the arrangements of mechanism previously employed
for this purpose.
The breech piece is so formed that locks of the "bar" pattern may be
employed in combination with my improved arrangement of mechanism for
locking and unlocking the barrels and breech piece, and the locks, according

page_text: according to my Invention, the locking lever holding down the breech end of
the barrels in a position ready for being discharged. Figure 2 shows the
breech end of the barrels released from the lever catch, and in a position for
being loaded by having "Lefaucheux" cartridges inserted into the open ends,
as is well understood. The other Figures of the Drawing show different views
of some of the parts separately, the nature of which is written thereon, and
marked with corresponding letters of reference.
a, a', are projections formed on the under side of the barrels A, the pro-
jection a being suitably formed for receiving the pin forming the joint which
connects the moveable breech piece and stock B to the barrels A, as is well
understood in fire-arms of this construction. The projection a' is formed with
a curved opening and lip at the back for receiving and engaging with the
curved end b' of the lever b, when the parts are brought together. The
lever is jointed to the metal breech piece c by the pin 62, and the lower
part of the lever is constantly borne towards the trigger guard by the
spring d, so as to retain the lever b in position when the parts are locked or
closed together. In order to close the parts after inserting the charge, it is
not necessary to move the locking lever b back by hand, as the curved
incline a below the lip on the projection a', on being pressed against the
curved end b' of the lever b will act to drive it back, and when the breech end
of the barrels are fully closed down the curved end 6' of the lever b will be
forced by the pressure of the spring d to engage with the curved opening in
the projection a' on the barrels, and thus securely hold the parts together
whilst being discharged. The locks e, which, it will be seen, are of the bar
pattern, are secured to the metal breech piece c by the screw pin e', which
passes through the locks and through the breech piece c, at the back end of
the barrels, the lock plate being also arranged to fit the back of the breech

page_text: piece at c', so as to fix the locks securely thereto, and by reason of this
arrangement I am enabled to employ shorter hammers by placing them
nearer to the breech end of the barrels than in the arrangement of locks
heretofore employed in combination with breech-loading fire-arms of this
character.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fletcher, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
WILLIAM FLETCHER. (L.S.)
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.
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