A NEW BREECH- LOADING GUN
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Prince, of 138, New Bond Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "A NEW BREECH-
LOADING GUN."
Sealed the 26th July 1859, and dated the 28th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Prince at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th January 1859.
I; FREDERIC PRINCE, of 138, New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
NEW BREECH-LOADING GUN," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of a new plan for opening and closing the breech end
of fire-arms for the purpose of inserting the cartridge at said breech end, and
also a new method of priming the arm.
The means for producing the said results are herein-after described. The
cock or striker is to be placed on the top, side, or under part of the fire-arm
(the latter position, however, I prefer), and to have a swivel attached to the
same, and to a wedge or block passing through a slot in the barrel, which
wedge or block, on cocking the arm, is drawn out of the said slot, so as to
admit of the cartridge being inserted in the said slot and thrust up the breech
end of the barrel: On pulling the trigger, the fore part of the cock strikes the
nipple, while the block or wedge attached to the back part of the said cock,
by means of a swivel, is simultaneously forced in, so as to close the breech end
of the barrel. The only motion; necessary in loading and discharging, is to,

page_text: cock the gun, insert the cartridge, and pull the trigger. The self-priming is
effected by means of a tube containing several caps or primers running up the
fore end or side of the stock, or attached to the barrel, and so constructed and
arranged as to keep a percussion cap or other primer opposite to the nipple or
touchhole by means of a spiral or other spring. When the trigger is pulled,
the cock forces the said cap or primer on to the nipple or touchhole, and
explodes it simultaneously, and by means of slight projections on the inner
face of the cock, draws off the exploded cap by the act of recocking the arm,
wbilst another cap or primer is immediately pushed into the right position by
means of the slight pressure from the spiral spring, so as to be struck on to
the nipple or touchhole by the next blow of the cock, on the trigger being
pulled. A ring or ferrule of copper, platinum, or other substance may be
inserted into the breech end of the barrel, for the purpose of making the
surface joint between the barrel and wedge more perfect. A cartridge may
be used either with a wadding attached to its base, or with an extra fold of
paper and grease for the same purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederic Prince in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERIC
PRINCE, of 138, New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Frederic Prince, Her special licence that I, the said Frederic
Prince, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Frederic Prince, 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
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW
BREECH-LOADING GUN," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Frederic Prince, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 Frederic Prince, 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 in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:-
.
My Invention consists principally of a new plan for opening and closing the
breech end of fire-arms, for the purpose of inserting the cartridge at the said
breech end, and also an improved method of priming the arm. The means
for producing the said results are herein-after described. The cock. or striker
is to be placed on the top, side, or under part of the fire-arm (the latter.
position, however, I prefer), and to have a swivel or link attached to the same,
and to a wedge or block passing through a transverse slot in the barrel, which.
wedge or block on "cocking" the arm, is drawn out of the said slot, so as to.
admit of the cartridge being inserted in the said slot, and thrust up the breech
end of the barrel. On pulling back the trigger, the fore part of the cock
strikes the nipple, whilst the block or wedge attached to the back part of the
said cock by the swivel, is simultaneously forced into the slot, so as to close
the breech end of the barrel. This arm being self-priming, the only motion
necessary in loading and discharging the same, is to "cock "the gun, insert
the cartridge, and pull the trigger. The self-priming is effected 'by means of
a tube (containing several caps or primers) running up the fore end or side of
the stock, or attached to the barrel, and so constructed and arranged as to
keep one percussion cap or other primer always opposite to or over the nipple
or touchhole by means of a spiral or other spring. When the trigger is pulled,
the cock or hammer forces the said cap or primer on to the nipple or touchhole,
and explodes. it simultaneously, and by means of slight projections on tho
inner face of the cock draws off the exploded 'cap' by the act of recocking the
arm, whilst another cap or primer. is immediately pushed into the right
position by the pressure of the spiral or other spring, so as to be struck on to
the nipple or touchhole, and exploded by the next blow of the cock on the
trigger being again pulled. A ring or ferule of copper, platinum, or other
substance may be inserted into the breech end of the barrel; for the purpose of.
making the surface joint between the barrel and the wedge more perfect. Or
a cartridge may be used either with a wadding attached to its base, or with an
extra fold of paper and grease for the same purpose.

page_text: Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for a new breech-
loading gun," I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner of
carrying the same into practical effect, and in order that the same may be
perfectly understood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings, repre-
senting several views of a breech-loading carbine constructed according to the
principles of my Invention, and have marked the same with figures and letters
of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof;
and I would here remark that although, for the sake of illustration, my Inven-
tion is here shewn and described as applied to the construction of a military
carbine only, it will be evident that the same principle of construction may.be
applied to other descriptions of breech-loading fire-arms, and even to ordnance.
Figure 1 in the Drawings represents a side view of my "new. breech-loading
gun," shewn at half cock;" Figure 2 is a detached view of a modification of
the cock; Figure 3 is a similar view, shewn partly in section, of the gun when
"full cocked" ready for the insertion of the cartridge; Figure 4 represents
detached views of the self-priming apparatus; Figure 5 is a partial section of
the gun, shewing the position of the parts at the time of discharge, or when
the gun is "uncocked;" Figure 6 is a plan view of the barrel; and Figure 7
is a transverse section of the barrel through about the line Y-Z in Figure 6,
looking towards the breech end.
is a slot or
which is a
A, A, is the stock of the gun, and B; B, the barrel; C, C,
opening cut in a vertical direction through the barrel, behind
longitudinal opening D, D, for the insertion of the cartridge. The slot or
opening C, C, is opened and closed by the solid wedge or plug E, E, which is
connected by the link or swivel F, F, to the cock or striker G, G; H, H, is the
trigger; and I, I, the mainspring; K, K, is the nipple. The "comb" of the
cock or striker G may either be of one piece with the same, as shown at
Figures 1, 3, and 5, or it may form a compound lever, as shewn at a, b,
(Figure 2), the part 6 acting against the under part of the lock plate, and very
greatly reducing the "pull" necessary to withdraw the wedge E, E; L, L, is
a piston or thumb piece, which is used to press forward the cartridge into the
chamber at the breech end of the barrel (as shewn in red
b
lines in Figure 3),
and is drawn back by a spiral or other spring M, M; N, N, is the self-
priming tube (see also Figure 4), which is let into the under part of the fore
end of the stock. This tube is so constructed that the percussion caps or
primers fit closely in its interior, and it is provided with a piston c, c, furnished
with a spiral spring, which has a constant, tendency to thrust the percussion
caps towards the breech end of the barrel; the consequence is, that upon
cocking" the gun (see Figure 3), a percussion cap is thrust forward, and

page_text: held over the nipple between the next cap and a small concave or crescent
shaped projection O, ready to be struck on to the nipple, and exploded by the
next stroke of the cock or hammer G, G. It will be seen that the piston c is
provided with a small lever d, which travels in the slot of the tube N, without
projecting, but as soon as the last cap arrives over the nipple, this lever comes
against the inclined end of the slot, and is thrown up into the position shewn in
red, thus indicating, by coming in contact with the left hand, that a fresh
supply of percussion caps is needed. The piston is drawn back by means of
the small lever, which is then turned aside in the upper part of the slot at e,
and the caps dropped into the tube (mouth downwards) through the circular
opening at f. 9. 9. is a guard to prevent the left hand from coming acci-
dentally into contact with the cock. The gun being "full cocked," as shown
in Figure 3, a cartridge is inserted through the opening D, D, and thrust
forward into the chamber B* of the barrel by means of the thumb piece or
piston L (or by the finger or thumb), and the piece is then ready to be
discharged, or the hammer may then be let down to "half cock." Upon
drawing the trigger, the action of the cock or striker G, G, will force the
wedge E, E, tightly into the slot C, C, and thus effectually close the breech
end of the barrel, and simultaneously the head of the cock will strike the per-
cussion cap on to the nipple and explode the charge. The head of the cock
is provided with two fingers h, h, having small points projecting inwards (see
also end view at left hand of Figure 2), which, upon recocking the gun, with-
draw the exploded cap from the nipple, whilst another cap is thrust forwards
over the nipple ready for the next discharge.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Prince, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
BRISTOW HUNT,
Sol & Patent Agent,
1, Serle St., Lincoln's Inn.
FRED. PRINCE.
(L.S.)