IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Needham, of Piccadilly, in the County of
Middlesex, Gunmaker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 18th October 1867, and dated the 22nd April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Needham at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd April 1867.
I, JOSEPH NEEDHAM, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Gunmaker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate, first, to a breech-loading gun in which the breech
is closed by means of a hinged plug jointed at the end next the barrel and
shutting into a cavity, the rear end of which forms the abutment for the plug.
This plug I prefer to fit on a vertical axis so that it opens out sideways from
the gun;
it is furnished with a tail end or lever at the back part which lies
close to the stock when shut, by which the plug is operated.
The improvements consist in disposing the lock in the said plug in com-
bination with certain parts which operate it by the motion of the plug, as for
instance, a lever mounted in the plug, one end of which takes into a slot or
otherwise in the plug seat so as to cock the action when the breech is opened,
and further, the breech plug is locked in position at the time of firing by a
nose end or part of the trigger entering the plug and securing it before it
releases the striker. I further prefer to mount the plug on a split pin or axis

page_text: which causes it to spring backwards and forms somewhat of a catch for it
when in its seat. The extractor is mounted on a hinge as usual.
The second part relates to a sliding plug breech-loading fire-arm in which
the plug when slid forward rises up and catches its abutment; it is furnished
with a lever handle piece for operating it lying snug along the barrel, and it
is held in its locked position by a nose piece or part on the trigger when it is
operated for firing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Needham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd October 1867.
-
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
NEEDHAM, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Gunmaker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joseph Needham, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Needham,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Needham, 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 BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Joseph Needham, my executors or administrators, by an instrument 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, 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 Joseph Needham, 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, reference being had to the Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements relate, first, to a breech-loading gun in which the breech

page_text: is closed by means of a hinged plug jointed at the end next the barrel, and
shutting into a cavity, the rear end of which forms the abutment for the plug;
this plug I prefer to fit on a vertical axis, so that it opens out sideways from
the gun; it is furnished with a tail end or lever at the back part which lies
close to the stock when shut, by which the plug is operated. The im-
provements consist in disposing the lock in the said plug in combination
with certain parts which operate it by the motion of the plug, as, for instance,
a lever mounted in the plug, one end of which takes into a slot or otherwise
in the plug seat so as to cock the action when the breech is opened, and
further, the breech plug is locked in position at the time of firing by a nose
end or part of the trigger entering the plug and securing it before it releases
the striker. I further prefer to mount the plug on a split pin or axis which
causes it to spring backwards and forms somewhat a catch for it when in its
seat. The extractor is also mounted on the axis.
The second part relates to a sliding plug breech-loading fire-arm in which
the plug when slid forward rises up and catches its abutment. It is furnished
with a lever handle piece for operating it lying snug along the barrel, and it
is held in its locked position by a nose piece or part on the trigger when it

page_text: section at Figure 8. The lock action is operated by the motion of the plug C
on being opened out from the breech chamber by the aid of a small lever or
piece 6 jointed in said plug and projecting through a slot c on one side of the
breech near the upper part, and so arranged that on the plug being pulled
outwards from the barrel the said lever will be caused to abut against one end
of slot c, as shown dotted in Figure 1, and by this means effect the retrograde
motion of a central striker d disposed longitudinally in the plug. The inner
end of the lever piece 6 lies in a recess or opening e near the fore end ƒ of
the striker, which is provided with a nose or pin g for exploding the cartridge,
said opening e being made sufficiently large to permit of the necessary forward
movement of the striker, while at same time it is free to be acted on by lever
piece for cocking the striker. The striker terminates in a thin plate h acting
as a spring extending backwards to the rear end of the plug, where it has a
nib or projection i on the under side forming a kind of sear catching on to a
part of the metal of the plug for holding the striker in the cocked position
until released by the trigger, the nose k of which protrudes through an opening
in the bottom of the breech at the rear end of the plug. The act of pulling
said trigger raises the nib i of the striker, when the latter is free to be pro-
jected forwards by its spring 1 for exploding the cap of the cartridge, and on
again opening out the breech plug C the striker will be again cocked by the
lever piece b, as above described. The trigger is mounted between cheek
plates formed on the breech end of the barrel, the nose k being received in a
recess in the rear end of the plug C at the time of firing, so as to firmly lock
it in position before releasing the striker. The striker may further be locked
in the cocked position to prevent its accidental discharge from any cause by
means of a bolt n bearing on the striker plate h over the nibi fitted transversely
in the breech plug, as seen in cross section Figure 9; this bolt is provided
with a thumb lever o sliding on the face of the breech plug, and is of a half
round form, and such that when in the line position, Figure 1, the striker will
be free to act, while with the thumb piece o in the dotted position the nib i
m is the extractor
of the striker will be prevented from becoming released.
mounted on the vertical axis of the breech plug C for ejecting the discharged
cartridge cases, while p is a thumb lever for facilitating the removal of the
plug axis when dismounting or cleaning the breech-closing parts.
The second part of my Invention, which relates to a sliding plug breech-
loading gun, is illustrated in Figures 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the Drawings,
Figure 10 showing a partial side view, Figure 11 a plan, and Figure 12 a
longitudinal section of the fire-arm, while Figure 13 shows separate views of
the sliding plug.

page_text: A¹ is the stock, and B₁ the barrel of the gun, in which is a sliding breech
plug C¹ provided on the top with a lever handle D¹ lying close along the barrel,
as shown. This breech plug is of cylindrical form and slides in a cavity in the
breech forming a continuation of the bore of the gun; at its rear end it has
a mortise or recess r extending across its face, by means of which the plug
when slid forwards for closing the breech is caused to abut against the under
face of the breech at s, and is so held in position when firing. The breech plug
contains the parts for exploding the cartridge consisting of a striker rod t
baving a slotted link u at the rear end, in which is received a curved projection v
formed on the end of a spring w recessed in the bottom of the plug C¹. The
projection u bas a nib formed on it which catches on to the sear x when the
action is cocked, this being effected by pressing down the plug C¹ above
mentioned, which simultaneously draws back the striker by the aid of the link u
and projection von spring w. The action being thus cocked the nose g of the
trigger is caused to act (by pulling the same) on the tail end of the sear x, when
the nib of spring u is immediately released and the striker immediately projected
forwards for acting on the cap. The breech plug is further held in position
when firing by a part of the trigger bearing against the under part of the
same.. The cartridge extractor consists of two nibs 1, 1, formed on the nose
of the breech plug C in which the rim of the cartridge is inserted, and by
which the case is readily withdrawn after firing.
It will be understood that the same arrangements of parts are applicable
to double guns as well as to single guns as before described.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by
the berein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the arrangement and combination of parts constituting a breech-
loading gun represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawings annexed.
Secondly, I claim the arrangement and combination of parts constituting a
breech-loading gun represented in Figures 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Needham, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven
JOSEPH NEEDHAM. (L.S.)