APPARATUS FOR ADAPTING BREECH LOADING GUNS FOR PRACTICE WITH MINIATURE AMMUNITION to be as follows:-
Year: 1885

page_text: miniature Ammunition.
I, RICHARD MORRIS of Bennett Park, Blackheath in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "APPARATUS FOR
ADAPTING BREECH LOADING GUNS FOR PRACTICE WITH MINIATURE AMMUNITION
to be as follows:-
"
In my Specification No 6776 of 1884 I described apparatus for adapting muzzle
loading guns for practice with miniature ammunition, the apparatus so described
being an improved arrangement of that described in my previous specification
No 4846 of 1883, which sets forth certain appliances for adapting both muzzle
loading and breech loading guns for practice with miniature ammunition.
My present invention relates to apparatus of a more convenient and effective
character for employing a small barrel placed within a breech-loading gun with
miniature ammunition charging it with a small cartridge, firing the charge, and
extracting the case of the spent cartridge, all these operations being performed
through the open breech.
The small barrel, which may be that of an ordinary rifle, is centred and held in
position within the bore of the gun by expanding a split cylinder by the advance of
a cone or cones screwed forward in a manner similar to that described in the
specification N° 4846 of 1883 above referred to. On the end of the barrel presented
towards the breech are two ears on which the breech piece engages in the manner
of a bayonet catch.
In the breech piece there is a spring striker arranged in a manner similar to
that described in the specification No 6776 of 1884 above referred to, that is to
Bay, from the spring slide a trigger stud projects upwards through a slot of the
breech piece, but the inner face of this slot is inclined so that as the stud is drawn
back by the inwardly projecting lip of the firing tube, the stud becomes depressed
by the incline, and finally escapes the lip of the tube, whereupon the striker is shot
forwards by its spring.
In order to prevent firing except when the breech piece is in its proper place,
studs are fitted to the striker bearing against inclines.
In placing the breech piece on the barrel it has to be slid on and then turned
partly round so as to engage on the ears of the barrel. If it is not so turned the
[Pence 8d 1

page_text: studs are kept back and prevent the striker from shooting forward. But when
the breech piece is so far turned as to be securely held by the ears of the barrel,
then the studs now facing the sunk parts of the inclines allow the striker to make
its full stroke forwards and fire the detonator. The firing tube is made with an
inwardly projecting lip sloped in front. It is pushed by hand along the breech
piece till its lip latches over the trigger stud, then, on pulling back the tube by
means of a lanyard, the striker is drawn back straining its spring until the trigger
stud escapes the lip, and the striker is then driven forward by its spring. For
extracting the shell of the cartridge after firing, I fit within the breech piece.a
tube capable of sliding to and fro a little. On the front part of this tube are two
spring latch hooks, which enter notches cut in the breech end of the barrel and
engage behind the flange of the cartridge. After firing a cartridge, the breech
piece is forcibly removed, the extractor tube is thus drawn back with the force due
to the momentum of the breech piece and thus with a hammer-like action the case
of the spent cartridge is extracted.

page_text: Miniature Ammunition.
I, RICHARD MORRIS of Bennett Park, Blackheath in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:—
In my Specification N° 6776 of 1884 I described apparatus for adapting muzzle
loading guns for practice with miniature ammunition, the apparatus so described
being an improved arrangement of that described in my previous specification
N° 4846 of 1883, which sets forth certain appliances for adapting both muzzle
loading and breech loading guns for practice with miniature ammunition. My
present invention relates to apparatus of a more convenient and effective character
for employing a small barrel placed within a breech loading gun with miniature
ammunition, charging it with a small cartridge, firing the charge, and extracting
the case of the spent cartridge, all these operations being performed through the
open breech or through the opening left on removing the obturator, as I will
describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
ribs c.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section shewing the rear part and Fig. 1ª shewing a part
farther forward of the bore of a large breech loading gun with a small barrel fixed
in it, and with the miniature firing apparatus suited for being worked with the
breech of the gun open or with the obturator removed. Fig. 2 is a transverse
section at X X, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section and Fig. 4 is a transverse section
at Y Y of the breech sleeve which fits as a bayonet catch on the breech end of the
small barrel A. This barrel is passed through a conical sleeve B which fits within
a casing C, which may itself be of diameter very nearly equal to that of the bore
of the gun, or when the bore is of larger diameter, may have on it the projecting
On the small barrel A is fixed by brazing or otherwise a collar a which is
held by a ring a¹ put on in halves to the casing C. This casing is split lengthwise
as shewn at c. By screwing the barrel A up into the conical sleeve B, this sleeve
is drawn into the casing C causing it to expand and thus to hold the barrel A firmly
centred in the bore of the gun. At its breech end the barrel A is chambered to
receive an ordinary rifle cartridge, and it has two projecting horns a³. The breech
sleeve D has two notches d turning at right angles, which admits the horns a³ of
the barrel, and on being turned partly round engage on them in the manner of a
bayonet catch. Within the sleeve D is fitted a piston E shewn in front view at
Fig. 5 and in plan at Fig. 6. It carries two spring extractors e. This piston is
free to slide within the sleeve D a distance determined by an interior collar d.
A pin el screwed into D projects into a curved hollow ee³ in the side of E. Also
at the rear of E there is a notch e with a sloping side. To the breech sleeve D is
fixed a tube F containing a helical spring which presses forward a striker G.
In G is fitted a stud g which is pressed upwards by a spring so as to project up
through a slot in the tube F. The underside of this slot against which bears the
shoulders of the stud g, slopes downwards towards the rear as indicated by the

page_text: line f¹. A firing tube H is made with an internal collar at h which, when
the tube H is thrust on F depresses the stud g and engages in front of it. Such
being the construction of the apparatus, it is worked in the following manner :-
The barrel A being fixed in the bore of the gun with its breech open, a cartridge
is inserted into the chamber of A, and then the breech sleeve D is put on, its
slots admitting the horns as of the barrel. At this time the piston E is pressed
forwards by the spring ƒ and the stud e¹ is at the point e³ (Fig. 6) of the
hollow in E, and the extractor hooks e enter notches formed at the rear of
the barrel A and engage in front of the flange of the cartridge. By pushing the
sleeve D on to the barrel A, the piston E is forced backwards until the pin e¹ is
at e (Fig. 6). The sleeve D being now turned partly round so as to engage the
horns in its bayonet catch notches, the piston E is prevented from being turned
at the same time because its extractor hooks e are already engaged in the notches
of the barrel A, and the pin e¹ is thus moved along the hollow of E to es (Fig. 6).
Owing to the engagement of the stud g in the slot of F, the striker G is made
to turn along with the tube F which is attached to the sleeve D, and a stud g'
projecting from G is brought round to the notch e' at the rear of E, which, it enters
by its slope, allowing the pin of the striker G to advance, but not so rapidly as to
fire the detonator. The barrel A being thus charged and ready for firing and the
gun being sighted and aimed, the firing is effected in the following manner :-
:-The
tube His pushed on to F until its front collar. h latches over the stud g and
engages in front of it. Then on pulling back the tube H the stud g and striker G
are drawn back with it compressing the spring f, but the stud g being, as it
retreats, pushed down by the slope of the slot in F, becomes at last released from h,
and the spring f thereupon shoots the striker G forwards, its pin firing the
detonator of the cartridge. Should it happen that the sleeve D has not been
turned sufficiently far to engage fully on the horns a³ of the barrel A, then as the
notch e of E would not in that case present itself to the stud g¹, the striker G
would be arrested before its pin could reach the cartridge. Thus the firing of the
cartridge cannot take place unless the sleeve D is fully secured on the barrel A.
The charge having been fired as above described, the sleeve D is turned partly
round so as to disengage its bayonet catch notches from the horns a³, and by this
movement the pin el is moved from e³ to e¹ (Fig. 6). The sleeve D being now
pulled back moves a certain distance without moving the piston E thus acquiring
a certain momentum, and when the collar d' meets the rear flange of E, it exerts a
blow causing E to move rapidly back. By this movement the extractor hooks e
start backwards the case of the cartridge, and then on pulling D quite back the
cartridge case is brought with it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In combination with a small barrel centred and held in the bore of a breech.
loading gun, the breech sleeve D with its striker and extractor, and with a firing
tube H, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In combination with apparatus such as is referred to in the preceding claim,
an extractor piston E arranged and operating substantially as herein described.
.
Dated this 5th day of Max 1886