IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS "
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Montgomery Storm, of New York, in the
United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR BREECH LOADING FIRE-ARMS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Montgomery
Storm at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th November 1860.
I, WILLIAM MONTGOMERY STORM, of New York, in the United States of
America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the details of the breech-loading
fire-arm, secured on my behalf by Letters Patent in the name of Alfred
Vincent Newton, and bearing date April 1st, 1857 (No. 907). In this breech-
loader the break of continuity between the moveable breech piece and the
barrel is covered by a loose tubular piece, which forms a lining to a portion of
the interior of the moveable breech, and projects into the rear end of the
barrel for the purpose of preventing the escape of lateral fire. With the view
of further securing this object I construct the face of this tubular piece (which
I term the gas check or valve), where it fits on to the rear of the barrel,

page_text: concave in profile instead of conical, as heretofore. The area of contact of
the front of the valve I make with its corresponding bearing into the rear of
the barrel relatively of such forms and proportions that, viewed in the direction
of the axis of the bore, a less annular surface so bearing will be presented
than that of the annular surface similarly viewed and exposed to the forward
force of the explosion at the opposite extremity or rear of the valve for the
reasons given. Between the exterior of the valve and the interior of the
breech-chamber wherein it rests an annular, space is left for the admission of
oil which will allow of its moving in its seat (when acted on by the ignited
powder) to bed closely against the rear end of the barrel. To give access to
this oil chamber I prefer to perforate the holding screw which couples the
breech piece to its hinge. Around the forward end of the valve or gas check
I form an annular groove, or raise a flange upon it slightly chamfering the
end of the breech piece to facilitate the removal of the valve from the breech
piece. To prevent its accidental removal from the breech piece I apply a clip
spring, the end of which will take into the annular groove, but not fit so tightly
therein as to prevent the slight endway motion of the valve before-mentioned,
The bolt that locks the moveable breech piece in place I arrange in a line
with the axis of the bore of the barrel, and I operate the bolt, by means of a
removeable crank arm or projection carried by the axle of the "tumbler" at the
opposite extremity from that bearing the hammer. In order to prevent the
breech piece from falling or swinging out of its place by its own gravity when
the locking bolt may happen to be withdrawn and the gun inverted I provide
a spring catch within the seat of the breech piece which will, by taking into a
notch in the breech piece, hold it in position. This breech piece, as heretofore
hung, turned in a vertical plane on its hinge, but when applying my Invention
to double-barrel guns I propose to make the breech pieces swing laterally.
To adapt the Invention to pistols I fix the breech piece and hinge the barrel
so as to allow it to drop and give access to the breech. The barrel I secure
in position by a ring lip or its equivalent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Montgomery Storm in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th May 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MONTGOMERY STORM, of New York, in the United States of America, Me-
chanical Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty, Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, ber heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Montgomery Storm, Her special license, that I, the said William
Montgomery Storm, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Montgomery Storm, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Montgomery Storm, by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Montgomery Storm, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the Letters and Figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
'
This Invention relates to improvements in the details of the breech-loading
fire-arm, for which Letters Patent were obtained on my behalf- in the name
of Alfred Vincent Newton, and bearing date 1st April 1857, (No. 907).
In this improved breech-loader the break of continuity between the
moveable breech piece and the barrel to which it is hinged is covered by a loose
internal tubular piece which forms a lining to a portion of the interior of the
moveable breech, and projects into the rear end of the barrel for the purpose
of preventing the escape of lateral fire.
With the view of further securing this object, and maintaining the efficiency
of the arm in this and some other respects, I now propose to introduce several
improvements in the details of construction, as shewn in the several views in
the accompanying Drawing.
Fig. 1 shews in longitudinal vertical section so much of a single barrel breech
loader as will serve to explain my improvements; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section
of the same; Fig. 3 is a cross section taken at the line 1, 2, of Figs. 1
and 2.

page_text: A, A, is the barrel screwed into the breech frame B, which is firmly secured
to the stock of the gun, and jointed to the breech frame is a hinge piece C
which is attached to the breech D by a coupling screw a; E is the loose
tubular piece which I term the gas check or valve. That face of the gas
check which fits on to the rear of the barrel. I form concave in profile instead
of conical as heretofore, taking as the radius for the concave the distance
between this face and the axis of the hinge. The relative areas of the
surfaces at the opposite ends of the valve exposed to the action of the confined
gases generated by an explosion of the powder is such, that the tendency will
always be to thrust the valve forward into close contact with its seat in the
rear end of the barrel; by this simple arrangement the closing of the joint
between the breech and barrel is effectually secured. Between the exterior
of the valve E and the interior of the chamber of the breech piece wherein it
rests an annular space is left for the admission of oil or other lubricant, which
will prevent the valve from sticking in its seat and ensure for it freedom to
move (when acted on by the ignited powder) and bed closely against the rear
end of the barrel if not previously to the discharge in close contact therewith.
This arrangement will therefore effectually prevent the fire of the ignited
charge from escaping laterally, which defect is now common in breech-loading
fire-arms. To give access to the annular space surrounding the valve E, I
prefer to perforate the holding screw a, which couples the breech piece to its
hinge, and the oil or other lubricant employed I apply through this hole. In
the forward end of the valve or gas check an annular groove is turned to
receive the end of a spring b, which is secured to the hinged breech. The
use of this spring is to prevent the accidental removal of the gas check or
valve from the breech piece should it by cleaning wear loose therein. The
end of the retaining spring must not, however, fit so tightly into the annular
groove as to prevent the slight endway motion of the valve under the circum-
stances before mentioned.
To facilitate the removal of the valve from the breech piece when required, I
slightly chamfer the forward end of the breech piece as shewn, and thus.
provide a space for the insertion of the thumb nail or a knife edge between it
and the shoulder forming one side of the annular groove in the valve, by which
means the valve is easily withdrawn. F is the bolt for locking the moveable
breech piece in place. This bolt which slides through the breech frame I
arrange in a line with the axis of the bore of the barrel, and I operate the bolt
by means of a removeable crank arm or projection G carried by the axle of
the "tumbler" at the opposite extremity from that bearing the hammer. This
crank arm is shewn best in the detached view, Fig. 4, which is a cross section

page_text: taken in the line 3, 4, of Fig. 1. The crank pin it will be seen takes into a
fork formed on the rear end of the bolt F, so that in removing the lock of the
gun for the purpose of cleaning, the crank pin may be readily disengaged from
the bolt.
In order to prevent the breech piece from falling or swinging out of its
place by its own gravity when the locking bolt may happen to be withdrawn
and the gun inverted I provide a spring catch c, placing it at any convenient
point upon the frame or seat of the breech piece which catch by taking into
a notch in the breech piece, or by pressing upon it, will serve to hold the breech
piece in position.
In the arrangement just described the breech piece is secured to the
hinge C by a screw a, and owing to this mode of attachment. the breech
piece when raised out of its chamber is free to swivel to a position at right
angles to the axis of the barrel, thus affording a facility for loading the arm
with loose powder, but other modes of hanging the breech piece may be
adopted.
When adapting my Invention to double barrel guns, I propose instead
of hanging the breech pieces so that they may turn in a vertical plane
to make the breech pieces swing laterally as shewn at Figs. 5 and 6,
where Fig. 5 is a side view, and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of a
double-barrel gun constructed according to my improvements. The letters
of reference in these Figures refer to corresponding parts in Figs. 1 and 2 and
therefore no further description will be requisite.
To adapt the Invention to pistols I fix the breech piece to the stock and
hinge the barrel to the breech so as to allow it to drop and give access to
the breech chamber for the insertion of the charge. This modification is
shewn at Figs. 7, 8, and 9, of which Fig. 7 is a plan view, Fig. 8, a
longitudinal section, and Fig. 9 a cross section.
For retaining the barrel in position I employ a coupling catch d, which is
carried by a loose clip ring e, that fits into an annular groove surrounding the
barrel. On the under face of this catch d are two projections which take into
grooves cut, the one in the upper face of the barrel, and the other in the upper
face of the breech D, the barrel and breech being thickened at such part for
the purpose of forming these grooves. By turning the coupling catch clear of
these grooves the barrel will be free to drop, but by bringing the barrel into
line, and giving the catch ring an axial motion in the reverse direction, the
projections of the catch will again enter the grooves and secure the barrel in
position.
Having now explained the nature of my Invention of improvements in

page_text: breech-loading fire-arms, and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim,-
:
First, the improved construction of gas check or valve as applied to breech
loading fire-arms, and the means for ensuring its proper action, and securing it
in place as above described.
Secondly, the means above, described whereby the breech when unbolted is
held in position in the breech frame.
Thirdly the application of the crank arm for operating the bolt which secures
the breech in position as described.
And, fourthly, the mode of coupling the barrel and breech of pistols together
as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Montgomery Storm, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May in the year of
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
W. MONT. STORM. (L.S.)