AN IMPROVED BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARM
Year: 1875

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Romain Piel, of the Firm Piel et C., of Rue
Richelieu, No. 59, at Paris, Manufacturers, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARM."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said. Romain Piel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th October 1875.
I, ROMAIN, PIEL, of the Firm Piel et C., of Rue Richelieu, No.
59, at Paris, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARM," to be as
follows:-
My Invention has reference to firc-arms in which the barrels or
barrel are hinged to the front of the stock, and are lowered or tilted on
the hinge when the cartridges have to be inserted.
In my improved fire-arm the barrels are turned on their hinge with-
out being unmounted or unhooked, and they fold longitudinally against
the trigger guard to enable the arm to be packed in a case in a small

page_text: back and have been retained by the catches or tumblers at the cocked
position. The cartridges are inserted into the barrels, which are then
returned into their first position, and the trigger guard is raised, whereby
the barrels will be again held ready for firing.
The two triggers can be easily reversed to make the gun convenient
for left-handed people, and they may be provided with hinges to allow
of their being turned down like those of some pocket revolvers.
Below the stock a small handle may be fitted to assist the holding of
the gun at the time of tilting the barrels. The barrels are provided
with small notches or holes at the back to allow persons to see from the
outside if the gun is loaded.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Romain Piel in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROMAIN
PIEL, of the Firm Piel et C., of Rue Richelieu, No. 59, at Paris,
Manufacturers, send greeting.
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WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Romain Piel, Her special
licence that I, the said Romain Piel, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Romain Piel, 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 "AN IMPROVED
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARM," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Romain Piel, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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,

page_text: springs; i, safety pieces or obturators; j, the bolt in which the head of
the lever d works and locking the gun in the position for firing; k, fixed
breech piece, in which are screwed the tubes which contain the strikers
and their springs; l, the barrels; m, a tenon or lump maintaining the
gun fastened in the position for firing; n, a bracket or "fore end"
attached to the barrels and forming their hinge or joint with the stock;
o, pivot of the hinge; p, spring pin or screw pin, which permits the
tilting of the barrels only for charging; q, automatic extractor operated
by the tilting movement of the barrels; for this purpose the rod of the
extractor abuts against a piece x which oscillates on the pivot o of the
hinge; r, filling piece between the tubes which contain the strikers and
their springs; 8, stoppers to the said tubes; t, t, the tubes.
The action is as follows:-Supposing the gun to be in the position
shown in Figure 1, that is to say, fastened, and the shot fired. In order
to charge and cock it again the lever d is lowered on its pivot into the
position shown in Figure 2. The excentric head of this lever thus
moves back the bolt j, which is consequently withdrawn from the tenon
or lump m on the barrels, and the barrels therefore tilt as seen in
Figure 2. At the same time the strikers have been pushed back and
have been retained by the catches or tumblers g at the cocked position.
The cartridges are inserted into the barrels , which are returned
into their first position and the lever d is raised, whereby the barrels
will be again held ready for firing. In this position, with the gun
loaded, it is impossible for the barrels to go off if the shooter does not
press on the safety obturators i, i, which are independent of each other.
In fact, as is seen in Figure 3, when these obturators project the strikers
cannot move sufficiently forward to explode the cartridges, while when
they are pushed in by pressure of the hand the strikers have more play
and can fire the charge. In Figure 3 the left-hand barrel cannot be
fired because the obturator is not forced in; the right-hand barrel on
the contrary has been fired, the corresponding obturator having been
pushed in. The two triggers e, e, can be casily reversed to make the
gun convenient for left-handed people, and they may be provided with
hinges to allow of their being turned down like those of some pocket
revolvers. Below the stock a small handle may be fitted to assist the
holding of the gun at the time of tilting the barrels. The barrels are
provided with small notches or holes at the back to allow persons to see
from the outside if the gun is loaded,

page_text: And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
1. The combination of mechanism herein-before described and
represented in the annexed Drawings, consisting of the lever with the
excentric head, the bolt for keeping the barrrels closed and for cocking
the strikers, the tubes with the strikers and their springs, and the
triggers.
2. The particular arrangement of safety obturators, as herein-
before described and represented in the annexed Drawings, for
preventing a discharge of the gun without the express wish of the
shooter.
3. The mode of hinging the barrels, as herein-before described
and represented in the annexed Drawings, which allows of their being
folded against the stock.
4. The arrangement of automatic extractor herein-before described
and represented in the annexed Drawings.
5. The general combination of parts forming an improved breech-
loading fire-arm, as herein-before described and represented in the
annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Romain Piel, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
ALBERT CAHEN,
Civil Engineer,
of Boulevard Saint Denis, 1,
at Paris.
ROMAIN PIEL. (L.S.)