IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS OF VARIOUS DESCRIPTIONS, AND IN AMMUNITION FOR THE PURPOSES OF FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1834

page_text: ALD
HENRY SHRAPNEL, of Salisbury, in the County of Wilts, Major General
in the Army and Colonel in the Royal Artillery, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Sixth day of September, in the fifth
year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Henry Shrapnel, His especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Henry Shrapnel,
my exors, adfiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Shrapnel, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS OF VARIOUS
DESCRIPTIONS, AND IN AMMUNITION FOR THE PURPOSES OF FIRE-ARMS;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Henry
Shrapnel, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be

page_text: inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Henry Shrapnel, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon (that is to say):
Figure 1, represents the first part of my Invention, which consists in
certain sights or points, whereby a musket may be pointed with more
certainty. It is well known that in discharging muskets, particularly
where the object fired at is at a distance, that it requires the barrels of
the musket to be elevated considerably above the objects fired at, and
to obtain a knowledge of the quantity of elevation requires considerable
practice, which is seldom sufficiently pursued by the privates of a regi-
iment; at the same time the commanding officer has no positive means
of so directing a number of men to give the proper elevation as to ensure
an effectual fire. a, in Figure 1, is the fixed sight, and o, o, a moveable
sight, which is caused to move up and down by the screw Z.. It will
therefore be evident that if from practice the plate at o, be graduated
in such manner that it be found that by pointing the gun in such
manner that a line drawn from the moveable sight when affixed at any
point of the graduated scale will cross the fixed sight a, and also the
object fired at, and that the elevation of the barrel will be such as to hit
the object or mark at a certain distance, then the officer in command,
judging the distance of an enemy, will be able to direct the men to set
the moveable sight at a particular graduation, the men will then take
aim in such manner as to see the enemy, in a line with the moveable
sight o, and the fixed sight æ, the barrel being consequently at a proper
angle and it is the application of such moveable sight o, in conjunction
with the sight a, which constitutes the first point of my Invention.
Figures 2. 3. 4, and 5, shew the second point of my Invention, and
consists of the application of the prop Figure 2. shows the prop as

page_text: used in a horizontal position; Figure 3, shows the prop in a vertical
position. This prop turns on a hinge at one end, and has a spring
catch at the other, by means of which the person using such gun or
fowling piece may either use it in a horizontal or vertical position, the
object being to keep the hand which supports the piece as far from
the lock and barrel as possible, to avoid accident in case of bursting of
the barrel or blowing off the lock. Figures 4, 5, merely show variations
from the horizontal prop, Figure 2,
those at Figures 4 and 5, not being
moveable, but they may be hollow for the sake of lightness.
Figure 6, shows the third point of my Invention, and consists of a
moveable hinge or joint u, having a rack or screw plate s, which is to
be operated on by the screw Z, by which any required degree of bend
may be obtained to a wooden stock, and thus a gun may readily be
made to suit a variety of persons.
Figure 7, shows the fourth point of my Invention, and consists in
contracting the bore of the barrel just above that portion thereof as
receives the powder, as is indicated from a, to b. It will therefore be
evident that the ball or shot cannot approach nearer to the powder than
the distance froni a, to b, and this space will be occupied by air; by this
means it will be found that a much greater degree of effect will be
produced by guns so constructed.
The fifth point of my Invention consists in an improvement of that
part of a lock called the steel or hammer, that is to say, the part against
which the flint strikes; and the improvements consists in making the
sanie with projecting sides a. Figure 8, which stand at right angles to
the face against which the flint strikes; by this means the sparks will
not be allowed to spread laterally, but will be guided downwards into
the pan and thus more completely ensure the discharge of the piece.
Figures 9, and 10, show the sixth point of my Invention, and consists
of an improvement of locks for discharging by detonating balls; a, being
a hollow tube or magazine, with a cover at the end. This magazine is
to contain the detonating balls. b. is a sliding plate, which moves be-
tween two plates 6. c. The plate. is connected to the cock by a hinge
joint, and consequently moves with it, as will be evident on inspecting
the Drawing and it will be seen that the only difference between
Figures 9, and 10, is, that one of the locks is made with a straight

page_text: sliding plate b, and the other is made with a circular plate b. In cocking
either of these locks the sliding plate will be drawn over the recess near
the touch hole, and there being a hole in the sliding plate b, which
coincides with the opening at the end of the magazine, such hole will,
when the cock is down, receive one of the detonating balls, and in
cocking the lock such ball will be drawn forward and drop through the
hole in the plate b, and fall into a recess near the touch hole. On
pulling the trigger the plate b, will be drawn back, and allow of the
blow being given to the detonating ball.
The seventh point of my Invention consists in the application of a
similar prop to pistols as those shown applied to fowling pieces and
other fire-arms; but in this instance the object of such prop is, that
the pistol may be held by the hand grasping the prop and thereby
enabling the person to ward off the cut of a sword. See Figure 11.
The eighth point of my Invention consists in constructing the barrels
of rifle guns with parallel grooves, see Figures 12, and 13, by which
means more correct fireing will be obtained; and Figure 12, also shows
the ninth point of my Invention, which consists in having two or more
touch holes, in order more effectually to insure the ignition of the charge.
The tenth point of my Invention consists in constructing hollow shot
to be filled with small shot, as shewn in Figure 13, the interstices of
the small shot being filled up with tin or other metal which is equally
brittle, and the outer shell of the hollow shot should be so cast as to
give way immediately the shot comes in contact with any object; the
small shot will then be distributed, and do considerably more execution
than when fireing with solid shot. This part of the Invention consisting
in filling up the interstices with tin or other metal, as above described.
And, lastly, I would remark, that in fireing balls with muskets I
prefer that they should be formed of a compound of tin and lead or
iron; and when iron is used it is desirable to have them washed with
tin in order to prevent oxydation.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Shrapnel, have hereunto set
my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
HENRY (L.S.) SHRAPNEL.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of March, in
the year of our Lord 1835, the aforesaid Henry Shrapnel came before
our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.