IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS." -A communication
from abroad by Benjamin Franklin Joslyn and Benjamin Tomes,
both of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st November 1870.
: I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County.
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS. IN. BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a com
munication to me from abroad by Benjamin Franklin Joslyn and

page_text: Benjamin Tomes, both of the City, County, and State of New York,
United States of Americ, to be as follows:-
'-
This Invention consists of an improved breech-loading fire-arm, which
by reason of its simplicity both of construction and operation can be
loaded and discharged with the greatest rapidity.
The most prominent features of this Invention consist, firstly, of a
sliding breech which carries the hammer, the spring for operating the
same, and the latch for retaining and releasing the hammer; and,
secondly, the hammer which is made to lock and retain the sliding
breech, and also serves as a medium for liberating the same.
The sliding breech consists of a cylinder bevelled at the rear to
conform to the inclination of the stock of the fire-arm. Extending
through this cylindrical breech is a vertical slot for the reception of the
hammer, mainspring, and releasing and retaining catch; the hammer
being connected to the breech piece by a pin and the outer end of the
spring being connected to an arm of the hammer by the usual link.
The catch is hung to a pin, its short arm being adapted to notches in
the edge of the hammer, and the long arm being acted on by a spring.
The breech with the appliances described is arranged to slide in a tubular
socket formed on and constituting a part of the frame which is secured
to the wooden stock by any of the usual appliances, and to the front end
of which is secured the rear end of the barrel, or if desired the frame with
its tubular socket may be made in one piece with the barrel. The
socket is open at the top, the hammer fitting snugly but so as to
slide freely in the contracted portion of the opening which prevents the
sliding breech from turning in the socket, and the opening of the latter
being enlarged for the free admission of the cartridge when the breech
has been moved back. A segmental projection on the under edge of
and forming part of the hammer is adapted to an opening in the frame,
both edges of the projection being formed on a circle of which the
fulcrum of the hammer pin is the centre, and the front end of the
sliding breech is made to coincide with the front segmental edge of
the hammer and its projection. It is this projection which effectually
locks the sliding breech to the frame when the hammer is down, or
when it is at half-cock.
The cartridges which it is proposed to use in connection with the fire-
arm are such as have metallic cases and a centre fire, the ignition being
effected by the hammer through the medium of a pin arranged to have

page_text: a sliding movement in the sliding breech. This pin however is. not
permitted to slide freely in the breech, but it is controlled in its move-
ments by the hammer, the head of the said pin being contained within
a groove of the hammer and being prevented from moving forward out
of the same by lips, against which the head of the pin bears. When
the hammer has been raised the pin has been drawn back owing to the
inclined groove which controls it, and in this position the pin will
remain withdrawn during the forward movement of the breech piece
and hammer, so that there can be no possibility of the point of the pin
being brought into violent contact with the head of the cartridge.
When the hammer is released, however, the last effect of its movement
after the locking of the breech by its segmental projection will be the
sudden projecting forward of the pin and consequent explosion of the
cartridge caused by the sudden contact of the inclined upper end of
the groove of the hammer with the conical head of the pin. It will thus
be seen that the pin is so effectually controlled by the hammer that it
cannot be the medium of igniting the cartridge before the breech piece
is effectually locked. Through the frame of the fire-arm passes a vertical
pin attached to a spring which is secured to the said frame, the spring
having a tendency to retain the upper rounded end of this pin in a
notch in the under side of the sliding breech. It should be understood
that while this spring pin will serve to retain the sliding breech when
the latter has been moved to the limit of its forward movement, the
retention is not a positive one as the pin will readily yield when the
requisite force is applied to pull the sliding breech back. In a recess
in one side of the sliding breech is secured a spring, the projecting end
of which is hooked so as to catch on the flange of the metallic cartridge
case. On a pin in the frame is hung a bell-crank lever, the long arm of
which remains undisturbed in a recess in the frame. On pulling the
sliding breech back, however, its inclined portion will strike the short
arm of the lever thereby suddenly raising the long arm and discharging
through the open top of the tubular socket of the frame the spent
cartridge case which had been previously drawn from the barrel by the
spring extractor. A trigger is hung to a pin on the frame and is so.
arranged that when pulled back its projection will elevate the long arm
of a catch and thereby release the hammer.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the
34th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license,
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a communication to me from abroad by Benjamin
Franklin Joslyn and Benjamin Tomes, both of the City, County, and
State of New York, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 inmediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 accompanying
Drawing, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
:―
The said Invention consists of an improved breech-loading fire-arm
which by reason of its simplicity both of construction aud operation can
be loaded and discharged with the greatest rapidity.

page_text: Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings is a vertical section of
the improved breech-loading fire-arm shewing the breech piece at the
limit of its forward movement and the hammer down. Figure 2.
represents the same as Figure 1 with the breech piece moved back and
the hammer elevated; Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1; Figure 4 is
a transverse vertical section on the line 1-2, Figure 1; Figure 5 is a
side view of the breech piece detached from the fire-arm; and Figure 6
is an exterior side view of part of the weapon.
The most prominent features of this Invention consists, firstly, of a
sliding breech which carries the hammer, the spring for operating the
same, and the latch for retaining and releasing the hammer; and, secondly,
the hammer which is made to lock. and retain the sliding breech, and
also serves as a medium for liberating the same.
The sliding breech, a detached view of which is shewn in Figure 5
consists of a cylinder A bevelled at the rear to conform to the inclination
of the stock of the fire-arm. Extending through this cylindrical breech
is a vertical slot for the reception of the hammer B, mainspring D, and
releasing and retaining catch E, the hammer being connected to the
breech piece by a pin a, and the outer end of the spring D being con-
nected to an arm 6 of the hammer by the usual link c, the rear end of
the spring being secured in any suitable manner. The catch E is hung
to a pin d, its short arm being adapted to notches f on the edge of the
hammer, and the long arm being acted on by a spring h. The breech
with the appliances described is arranged to slide in a tubular socket m
formed on and constituting a part of the frame F, which is secured to
the wooden stock by any of the usual appliances, and to the front end
of which is secured the rear end of the barrel G; or, if desired, the frame
with its tubular socket may be made in one piece with the barrel. Tho
socket is open at the top, the hammer fitting snugly but so as to slido
freely in the contracted portion x of the opening (Figure 3), which
prevents the sliding breech from turning in the socket, and the opening
of the latter being enlarged between the points 2 and 3, Figure 6, for
the free admission of the cartridge when the breech has been moved
back. A segmental projection i on the under edge of and forming part
of the hammer B is adapted to an opening ; in the frame f, both edges
of the projection being formed on a circle, of which the pin a is the
centre, and the end y (Figure 1) of the sliding breech is made to
coincide with the front segmental edge of the hammer and its pro-

page_text: Jection 2 IT IS HIS projection
to the frame when the hammer is down or when it is at half-cock, as
will more fully appear hereafter.
The cartridges which it is proposed to use in connection with this
fire-arm are such as have metallic cases and a centre fire, the ignition
being effected by the hammer through the medium of a pin n arranged
to have a sliding movement in the sliding breech. This pin, however,
is not permitted to slide freely in the breech, but is controlled in its
movements by the hammer, the head n' of the said pin being contained
within a groove o of the hammer and being prevented from moving
forward out of the same by lips o' against which the head of the pin
bears. When the hammer has been raised, as shewn in Figure 2, the
pin has been drawn back owing to the inclined groove which controls
it and in this position the pin will remain during the forward movement
of the breech piece and hammer to the position shewn in Figure 1, so
that there can be no possibility of the point of the pin being brought
into violent contact with the head of the cartridge. When the hammer
is released, however, the last effect of its movement after the locking
.of the breech by its segmental projection i will be the sudden projecting
forward of the pin and consequent explosion of the cartridge caused by
the sudden contact of the inclined upper end o² of the groove o of the
hammer with the conical head of the pin. It will thus be seen that
the pin n is so effectually controlled by the hammer that it cannot be
the medium of igniting the cartridge before the breech piece is effectually
locked. Through the frame F of the fire-arm passes a vertical pin g
attached to a spring q' which is secured to the said frame, the spring
having a tendency to retain the upper rounded end of this pin in a
notch in the under side of the sliding breech. It should be understood
that while this spring pin o̟ will serve to retain the sliding breech when
the latter has been moved to the limit of its forward movement the
retention is not a positive one, as the pin will readily yield when the
requisite force is applied to pull the sliding breech back. In a recess
in one side of the sliding breech is secured a spring I, the projecting
end of which is hooked so as to catch on the flange of the metallic
cartridge case. On a pin 8 in the frame F is hung a bell-crank lever K,
the long arm of which remains undisturbed in a recess in the frame, as
seen in Figure 1. On pulling the sliding breech back, however, its
inclined portion t, Figure 2, will strike the short arm of the lever, thereby

page_text: suddenly raising the long arm, and discharging through the open top
of the tubular socket of the frame the spent cartridge case which had
been previously drawn from the barrel by the spring extractor I. A
trigger M is hung to a pin on the frame F and is so arranged that when
pulled back its projection will elevate the long arm of the catch E
and thereby release the hammer.
The action of the said fire-arm is as follows:-Suppose that the
moveable parts of the arm are in the position shewn in Figure 1, that
a charge has just been fired, and that a new cartridge has to be intro-
duced into the rear of the barrel; the operator places the stock of the
fire-arm against his shoulder and seizing the projection B' of the hammer
pulls it smartly in a direction parallel or nearly parallel with the barrel.
The first effect of the force thus applied will be to elevate the hammer
to the full-cock position shewn in Figure 3, thereby withdrawing the
projection of the hammer from the opening of the frame, thereby
releasing the sliding breech. The next effect of the pull will be the
drawing of the sliding breech back until its pin v, Figure 6, strikes the
shoulder on the frame. In thus drawing back the breech, however,
the case of the spent cartridge must follow it, and when the breech
has nearly reached the limit of its rearward movement the case now
free from the barrel is kicked clear of the fire-arm by the long arm of
the lever K, the short arm of which has been suddenly struck by the
retreating breech.
It will be thus seen that the operator without releasing the hammer
and by one movement unlocks the breech, cocks the hammer, draws
back the breech, extracts the cartridge, and kicks it away.
After a new cartridge has been introduced into the rear of the barrel
and it is desirable to at once discharge the same all that the operator has
to do is to thrust forward the sliding breech until the spring pin q enters
its notch and then pull the trigger, thus load after load may be
discharged at the rate of thirty per minute.
It will be observed that as the pin n is controlled by the hammer,
and only moved forward during the last part of the movement of the
latter, no premature discharge can take place until the breech has been
locked by the segmental projection i of the hammer.
When it is not desirable to explode the cartridge immediately after
its introduction into the barrel the hammer after the breech has been
moved forward may be lowered to the position of half-cock, shown in

page_text: dotted lines in Figure 1, from which position it may be moved at any
time to full-cock without drawing back the breech, the spring pin q
being a sufficient retaining medium to resist the slight effort required to
cock the hammer.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The combination in a breech-loading fire-arm of a sliding
breech and a hammer carried by and sliding with the breech, and
serving the twofold purpose of locking the breech and discharging the
cartridge, substantially in the manner herein-before described.
Second. The hammer B with its mainspring and catch arranged on
and carried by the sliding breech and locking the latter substantially
as described, so that the breech may be unlocked, the hammer cocked,
and the breech drawn back by one manipulation of the hammer as
herein-before specified.
Third. The combination of the hammer B and its groove o with the
pin n and its head n¹, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before a
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day
of May One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.