Improvements in Rifling and Machinery for Boring Fire-arms; also in the Manufacture of Percussion Tubes for the same.
Year: 1850

page_text: Improvements in Rifling and Machinery for
Boring Fire-arms; also in the Manufacture of
Percussion Tubes for the same.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J,
CHARLES WILLIAM LANCASTER, of New Bond Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Gun Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victorin, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westininster, the Third day of
July, in the fourteenth year of Her reign, did give and grant unto me,
the said Charles William Lancaster, my exors, adññiors, and assigns,
Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said Charles William Lancaster, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said Charles William Lancaster, my exors, admors,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-ARMS AND CANNON, AND OF
PERCUSSION TUBES," within that part of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and

page_text: Town of Berwick upon Tweed, and also in the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, during the term of fourteen years
thence next ensuing; in which said Letters Patent there is contained a
proviso, requiring that 1, the said Charles William Lancaster, shall
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in
Her 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, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso I, the
said Charles William Lancaster, do hereby declare that the nature of
my Invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed
are particularly described and ascertained in and by this present Speci-
fication or instrument in writing, reference being had to the several
Drawings hereunto annexed, and in which said several Drawings
similar parts are marked and referred to by similar letters or figures
(that is to say):
My said improvements in the manufacture of fire-arms and cannon
consist, firstly, of an improved mode or improved modes of forming the
insides or bores of fire-arms and cannon, for the purpose of producing
the same effects as are usually produced by grooving the insides of the
barrels of rifles, but in what I deem a better mauner. The making of
grooves in the barrels of rifles in the ordinary manuer occasions the
formation of an angle at cach side of every groove, as shown in
Figure 1, of the said Drawings hereunto annexed, which Figure shews
a transverse section of the barrel of a rifle upon an enlarged scale,
having two ordinary grooves a, made in it, and by the making of
these grooves, the angles b. b, b, and b, are formed. These angles are
objectionable, and the object of this part of my Invention is to take
away these angles and to alter the internal form of a barrel or bore, so
that a transverse section of it will shew the substitution of a curved or
straight line, or of a line partly curved and partly straight, in lieu

page_text: of each of the angles I have mentioned. In Figure 2, of the said
Drawings, I have shewn a transverse section of the barrel or bore of a
rifle or gun, also upon an enlarged scale, in which, in lieu of having
two grooves such as shewn in Figure 1, and also shewn by dotted lines
in Figure 2, it is made with two longitudinal cuts of the. sectional
forms c, d, e, and f, g, h, a curved sectional line or form being substituted
for each angle of each of the two grooves.
This niode of constructing the interior or bore of a barrel has the
effect of making it's transverse section assume a form which is oval or
eliptical, or nearly so. The longitudinal cuts of this barrel should have
a spiral direction given to them in like manner as if they were grooves;
and if a barrel 'so formed be charged with a ball the sectional figure of
which has the same oval form as, and properly fits to, the bore of the
barrel, the twisting effect produced upon the ball during its progress
along the barrel when the piece is discharged' will be of the same
description as that produced upon a ball discharged from an ordinary
rifle. I have in Figure 2, shewn the longitudinal cuts made in sec-
tional curved forms, or with sectional curved lines extending to i, e,
and f, h, because I deem that to be the best form to use in constructing
such a barrel; but the shapes of the curves used in forming such cuts,
and the extent of them, may be varied, only taking care in every case
that the edges or sides of the cuts shall form tangents with the circular
bore of the barrel in which they are made. A. barrel made in this form
has no angles in the inside of it which can offer any frictional impedi-
ment to the progress of a ball along the barrel, and the interior of the
barrel may be cleansed with more facility or more effectually than the
ordinary grooves of a rifle. This niode of forming the interior of a
barrel for shooting with ball so as to avoid having any angles, the points
of which project into the interior of the barrel, may be applied to several
other forms of barrel as well as to that shewn in Figure 2. Thus, in
Figure 3, I have shewn a section of a barrel made with three longitu-
dinal cuts in lieu of a similar number of grooves; the dotted lines in the
Figure shewing the form of a barrel made with three ordinary grooves,
and the full lines the form of a barrel, made with three cuts in lieu of
grooves. In this Figure I have shewn each of the two cuts c, d, e, and

page_text: f, g, h, as made in forms, the transverse sections of which are curved as
shewn in the Figure; but other curves may be adopted in making the
cuts, taking care, as I have already mentioned, that their sides or edges
shall form tangents with the circular bore of the barrel in which they
are made. And instead of making such cuts in forms, the sections of
which are wholly curvilinear, as shewn in the cuts c, d, e, and f, g, h, they
may be made in forms, the sections of which will be partly curved and
partly straight, as shown in the cut i, k, l, Figure 3; the sides i and k of
that cut being straight, as shewn in the Figure. In Figure 4, I have also
shewn a mode in which a barrel may be made with four longitudinal
cuts in lieu of a similar number of grooves; the Figure shewing in full
lines the sectional figure of the bore of a barrel made with four curved
cuts, and in dotted lines the sectional form the interior of the barrel
would have assumed if made with four ordinary grooves. The same
mode or modes of making cuts in lieu of grooves in gun barrels
may be
applied to the making of any other convenient number of longitudinal
cuts in a barrel, but I deem four cuts to be as many as will be practi-
cally useful. But whatever may be the number of longitudinal cuts
which I may in any case make in the interior of a gun barrel, I make it
so that there shall be no angle formed, and also so that the sides or edges
of each cut shall be in such sectional shapes as to form tangents with the
circular borç of the barrel. Before making longitudinal cuts in the inside
of a barrel I would of course bore it true in the ordinary manner, and
then proceed to make the intended ents. These cuts may be made within
a barrel by any of the ordinary machinery or apparatus which are usually
called rifling machines or rods, the shapes of the cutters being varied
so as to produce cuts of the sectional figures required. Such longi-
tudinal cuts as I have described may also be made in the interior
surfaces of cannon, the size of the cuts in any cannon being of course
made in proportion to the size of its bore; and in the sectional figures
herein-after mentioned of the bore of the cannon, Figure 6, I have
shewn such bore made with longitudinal curves of the same description
as those shewn in Figure 2. The forms of the longitudinal cuts, or the
extent to which they deflect from a straight line in a spiral direction as
they progress from one end of the interior of a gun to the other, may

page_text: be regulated in the ordinary manner, or may be according to the effect
intended to be produced upon the ball or projectile to be thrown from
the gun. In Figure 5, I have shewn a side view of an ordinary
octagonal rifle barrel, with, two sets of sections placed, the one set
above and the other below the barrel, for the purpose of showing two
different and known modes of deflecting the cuts in a spiral direction,
either of which may be adopted. The most ordinary and well known
mode is that shewn by the sections placed below the gun barrel in
the Figure, in which the amount or degree of deflection is uniform
throughout the whole length of the barrel, and the deflection amounting
in the whole to what is commonly called a three quarter twist. Each
of the sections placed below the gun barrel in the Figure is to be
considered as made at that part of the barrel indicated by dotted lines
proceedling from the section across the barrel; and the variance in the
position or deflection of the cuts at the part of the barrel where each
section is made is shown by the dotted lines inaule outside of the
ordinary grooves in the section. The arrows upon the sections shew
the direction in which a ball would turn when being forced down in
charging the
gun. The sections placed above the gun barrel, Figure 5,
show another mode of deflecting the cuts in the inside of a gun barrel,
the extent of the leflection or twist progressively increasing from the
breach to the muzzle. The extent of deflection or twisting shewn by
those sections is only a quarter twist. Each of the sections placed
above the gun barrel in Figure 5, is to be considered as made at that
part of the barrel indicated by dotted lines proceeding from the section
across the barrel; and the variance in the position or deflection of the
cuts at the part of the barrel where each section is made is shewn by
the full lines shewing the positions of the longitudinal cuts in the
section. The arrows upon these sections above the gun barrel in the
Figure show the direction in which a ball would turn when forced
along the barrel by a discharge of the gun. In Figure 6, I have
shewn a side view, and in Figure 7, a front view of the muzzle end of
a cannon, the bore of which has been made with two longitudinal cuts,
according to this part of my Invention; the dotted lines in Figure 7,
shewing the round bore originally made in the cannon, and the full

page_text: lines immediately surrounding the dotted lines, shewing the sectional
form of the orifice at the muzzle after the two longitudinal cuts have
been made. The mode of deflecting these cuts in a spiral direction
within the bore of the cannon is shown by Figure 7, in conjunction
with the several transverse sections A, B, C, D, E, and F, of the bore
or interior of the cannon, each of those transverse sections being to
be considered as made at that portion of the cannon indicated by a
dotted line, which is marked with the same letter as the section. The
spiral deflection of the cuts in this cannon, shewn by these Figures,
amounts to a quarter twist, and the deflection or twist progressively
increases from the breach to the muzzle of the gun.
In Figures 8, 9, and 10, I have shown several views of a ball, such
as used for an ordinary two grooved rifle. In Figures 11, and 12, 1
have shown a side view and transverse section of a proper shape of
balt for using for a gun which has had two longitudinal cuts made in
it according to my Invention.
My said improvements in the manufacture of fire-arms and cannon
consist, secondly, of a machine or apparatus for boring or cutting the
cylindrical interior of a cannon or gun barrel, so that when completed the
sectional form of the bore at any part of its length should be oval or
elliptical, and also so that the position of the largest diameter of the bore
may progressively vary in position or twist as the operation proceeds,
in like manner as the spiral direction of longitudinal cuts herein-before
described. In Figures 15, 14, 15, 16, and 17, of the said Drawings, I
have shown several views of a machine for effecting this object; Figure
18, exhibits a side elevation of the machine or apparatus; Figure 14,
a top or plan view thereof; Figure 15, is a longitudinal and vertical
section taken through the line A, B, at Figure 14; Figure 16, is an
clevation of the driving end thereof; Figure 17, is an elevation of the
opposite end of the machine or apparatus. Figure 18, is a transverse
and vertical section taken through the line C, D, at Figure 15. Figure
19, is a transverse and vertical section taken through the line E, F, at
Figure 15. Figures 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27, exhibit several
views of parts detached. Several of the other Figures exhibit views
of the boring tool-drawn to an enlarged scale. Figure 29, exhibits a

page_text: partial longitudinal and vertical section of the boring tube and cutter
tool, as it would appear if divided through the line x x at Figure 30,
which is an end view thereof. Figure 81, exhibits the cutter tool and.
a part of the tube, as it would appear when in the bore of the cannon.
Figure 32, exhibits the change of position of the cutter tool from the
commencement of the cut. Figure 33, is threc views of the cutter
tool. Figure 34, exhibits two views of the bar employed for advancing
and drawing back the cutter tool. In Figures 18, 14, 15, and several
other of the Figures I have mentioned A', A', marks two castings or
the bed of the machine or apparatus; and the said castings are fixed
securely to longitudinal baulks of timber B', and transverse timbers C',
by bolts D', passing through the said timbers. The upper edges of the
castings A', A', are formed with V shaped projections a, over and
against which the casting E' slides and traverses, and carries with it
the plummer block F', and casting or "poppet "G', which are securely
fixed to the casting E', by bolts and nuts, as shown. The plummer
block F, is intended to support and securely hold the muzzle end of
the cannon b; and the casting or "poppet" G is furnished with an
adjustable screwed pin H', one end of which is formed of steel conically
shaped, hardened, and tempered, which takes into a hole drilled in the
breech end of the cannon, whereby the cannon is supported in a hori
zontal position. At the other and opposite end of the castings or
bed A', A¹, a casting or plummer block 1', is securely fixed by bolts
and nuts, as shewn; and there is another plummer block K', shewn
detached at Figure 21, and fixed to the casting I, and at right
angles thereto, or nearly so. In juxta position with the casting or
plummer block K', there is another plummer block L', which is
securely bolted to the transverse timbers C', as shown at Figure 14,
and Figure 20. The plummer blocks K, L, support a spindle
M', upon which are severally keyed or fixed the driving speed pullies
N1, worm O, and bevelled pinion P'. The worm wheel O' takes into
a worm wheel Q', keyed or fixed upon the. bar or rod R¹, which
bar extends along the entire length of the casting or bed A' A',
and is supported and maintained in its proper position by brackets
Si, suitably formed to receive the bar or rod R', and there is a

page_text: spur wheel T', placed upon the bar R', the same being connected
thereto by a feather let into the bar or rod R', so as to enable the
wheel T', to be slided into and out of gear with the spur wheel U
which may be effected by any of the means in known and common use
for that purpose. The wheel U', is keyed upon one end of a long
spindle V, which has a screw cut or formed around it, as shewn. The
spindle Vis supported and maintained in its proper position by castings
or plummer blocks W,X, securely fixed to the castings or bed A', A',
as exhibited at Figures 15, 17, and 18. Y', marks a casting shown
detached at Figures 22, and 28, which casting is securely fixed to the
under side of the casting G¹, by bolts. The piece Y', has a female
screw formed therein, through which passes the screwed part of the
spindle V, marks a cap or casting, shown detached at Figures 24
and 25, and also in section in Figure 15, which cap is furnished with
set screws c, c, for securing the cap over and around the muzzle of the
cannon b. It will be seen upon referring to Figures 15, and 25, that
the cap 7, is formed with a projecting ring &, over which one end of a
piece of wrought iron c, (shown separately in Figures 26, and 27,) is
placed and securely fixed to the cap Z', by screws ff. The opposite
or tail end of the piece e is forked, as shown at the detached Figures 26
and 27, which forked part is for the purpose of twisting or turning the
cannon partly round in accordance with the required twist of the bore,
as herein-before mentioned. g, marks a rail or guide piece securely
fixed upon the upper surface of the casting h, which is curved and
securely fixed to the castings or bed A', A', by bolts and nuts, as shown
at Figures 16, and 19. The arrangement and combination of parts
employed for effecting the elliptical movement of the cutting tool is as
follows, and is partially exhibited at Figure 15, of Sheet 2, but is more
clearly exemplified in several of the Figures of Sheet 4, where k, marks
a round rod of iron, upon one end of which a bevilled wheel I, is con-
nected or attached by a feather let into the said rod, and the other
and opposite end of the said rod carries the cutter tool m, and around
the ends of the rod k, eccentric collars and o are placed, and over.
these collars I pass a cylindrical shaped cast iron tube p, one end of
which has free liberty to revolve in the brasses of the plummer block K¹.

page_text: 11,
P,
do not
I would here remark that the centres of the shaft k, and tube,
coincide, the difference or amount of eccentricity required being exactly
one fourth of the difference between the longer and shorter axes of the
elliptical bore, which, for large size cannon, I prefer making in the
proportion of 62 to 56; and I form one end of the tube p with a flange.
and collar, as exhibited, to retain it in its proper position, and the other
and opposite end of the tube p is supported, when out of the bore of
the cannon, by a curved piece q, formed upon the casting F¹, as exhibited
detached at Figure 19, of Sheet 3; and I connect the cutting tool m. to
the rod A, in the manner exhibited at Figures 29, and 30, of Sheet 4,
at which Figures it will be seen that the end of the rod k, is formed
taper and fits into the taper eccentric collar of steel n, the cylindrical
eccentric collar o being formed of brass or gun metal. It will also be
scen, by reference to Figure 29, that the steel collar n fits into the end
of the tube p, which should be turned out to receive it; and there is a
circular recess formed at the outer end of the steel collar into which
two semi-circular shaped pieces of brass or gun metal r, r, are fitted
and placed; and there is a collar of wrought irons, placed upon that
end of the rod k, to which the cutting tool m is connected, said collar
being formed with an opening, as also the rod k, at this part to receive
the cutting tool m; and the end of the rod k, is "upset" or enlarged so
as to form a shoulder for one end of the collars to bear against, the
other and opposite end of such said collar taking its bearing against
the pieces r, ; and in order to keep the rod k, and the cutter tool per-
fectly steady as they revolve I employ a tightening nut t, which I place
upon the end of the rod k, which has a serew formed thercon to receive
it, as exhibited at Figure 29; and I effect the recipronting movement.
of the tool or the advancing and drawing back within the collar S, in
the following manner:-Along the entire length of the rod k, a groove
is formed, into which a rod or bar u, is placed, and has free liberty of
sliding therein; and I form one end of this bar with an inclined plane
surface, as exhibited at Figures 29, 80, 81, and 34, and I form the inclined
surface of the bar u, so as to fit the end of the tool m, exhibited at
Figure 33, so that when such part of the bar is placed within the V shaped
recess, the inclined part will have forced the tool outwards, as exhibited

page_text: at Figure 29; and when the bar is in the position exhibited at Figure 31
the tool will be drawn inwards; and I effect this movement of the bar a
by means of a key or spanner placed upon the nut v, situated upon the
screwed end of the baru, as exhibited at Figure 29 and 29*. w, marks
a bevilled wheel keyed upon the tubo p, said wheel is of corresponding
diameter to the wheel 7. The operations of this machine or apparatus
are performed in the following manner:-The operator first places and
secures the cannon to the castings F, G, in the manner before described
(the cannon having been previously bored true); he then adjusts the
cutting tool m, taking care to place it in the position exhibited at
Figure 31, of Sheet 4; after which he advances the cannon over the
said cutter tool by turning round the screw V, until the breech end of
the cannon arrives over the cutter tool m, and throwing the spur wheel
Rinto gear with the wheel U. motion is given to the machine by a
strap or band passed over the pullies N¹; and supposing these pullies to
be moving in the direction denoted by the arrows flight at Figure 18,
of Sheet 2, motion will be simultaneously imparted to the several wheels,.
that is to say, the worm wheel Q, will transmit motion to the screw V1,
through the medium of the wheels R', U', and thereby effect the sliding,
traversing, or drawing back of the casting E, and the cannon fixed
thereto, and the pinion P', taking or gearing into the bevilled wheels w
and 7, will cause such wheels to be driven or moved in opposite direc-
tions, and thereby effect the necessary elliptical movement of the cutter
tool m, which the operator now begins to bring into work by advancing
it gradually forward by means of the nut v, at Figure 29, until the said
cutter tool has been pushed out to its full extent, as exhibited at
Figures 29, 30, and 32, of Sheet 4, at which last-mentioned Figure m'
marks the position of the cutter tool at the commencement of the cut;
m², the position when the tool has been pushed out to its full extent;
and m, the tool with the point rounded, exhibiting also the appearance
of the bore during the operation; and by forming the part p' of the
tube of the same diameter as the circular bore of the cannon, the
part will serve as a guide to keep the cutter tool steady during its
rotation; and further, the false mouth of the cap piece Z, will support
and guide the part of the piece so as to bore the mouth of the cannon

page_text: as perfect as the other part of the bore; now. assuming the motion.of
the machine or apparatus to be continued, and the forked end of the
piece e, at Figures 26 & 27, of Sheet 3, to embrace the sides of the
curved rail g, it will be manifest that the forked piece e, will be moved:
in a direction coincident with the curvature of the rail g, whereby the
cannon during the operation of boring will be progressively twisted or
turned round one fourth of an entire revolution throughout the entire.
length of the bore, in accordance with the necessary twist herein-before.
stated with reference to Figure 6, of Sheet 1; and by the time the
cutter tool m, has arrived at the mouth of the cannon, and completed
the boring thereof, the enlarged part pl, of the tube will have entered
the curved surface of the piece q, and thereby prevent the tool from.
dropping.
The third part of my Invention, being improvements in the manu-
facture of percussion tubes, consists in wholly or partially covering such
tubes with leather or some other material possessing the same or a.
similar amount of compressability, and also in filling such tubes partly
with gunpowder and partly with detonating powder. I have in
Figures 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, exhibited several views of
the said percussion tube and tools for forming the same. Figure 34*,
exhibits the percussion tube, drawn to the natural size, and as it
would appear when formed; Figure 35, is an end view thereof, drawn
to a scale of six times the natural size to exemplify the construction
thereof more clearly; Figure 36, a side elevation of the said percus-
sion tube; Figure 37, a longitudinal and vertical section thereof taken
through the line N, O, at Figure 35; Figure 38, an elevation of the
percussion tube at O, Figure 35; and Figure 39, a longitudinal and.
vertical section thereof taken through the line P, Q, at Figure 35.
a, marks a piece of copper tubing, around one part of which a
piece of leather y, or other suitable elastic substance or material
is placed, and fits tight; and I form and shape such said substance
in the following manner and by the following means :-I take a
piece of leather and I steep it in a solution of soda and water or
other of the known means for softening the same, and when fit for use
I place it between the dies, and making the lower die z, a fixture,

page_text: of
I exert pressure upon the upper die z', which should be accurately
adjusted to ensure its passing into the die z; the effect of this j pressure
is first to punch a hole through the piece of leather by the part
the dic, and afterwards to punch a parallel shaped piece of the
external shape exhibited at Figure 85; and by continuing the descent
of the upper die ', such said piece will be squeezed or moulded into
the shape of the lower part of the die, which is similar in shape to
the picce y, exhibited at Figure 35; and the upward movement of the
die will lift the piece thus formed out of the lower dic 2, and the
said piece may be removed therefrom by a plate or wiper attached
thereto or other convenient means; and having placed the piece y, thus
formed upon the tube a, I fill the tube between the points 1 and 2,
with detonating powder, and the remaining part of the tube between
the points 2 and 3, I fill with gunpowder, and I finally cover the ends
and other parts with varnish so as to retain the powders in the tube
and protect them from damp or moisture; and I propose to employ the
percussion tube thus formed and prepared in the following manner:-
I construct the breech end of the barrels of fire-arms generally with an
opening formed in one side of the breech or plug thereof of similar
shape to the external surface of the piece y, at Figure 35, but some-
what smaller, so that when such part is placed in such said opening it
may fit tightly therein by reason of the elasticity of the substance or
material of which such part is formed; and there is a projecting piece
fixed to or formed upon the barrel or plug at a point immediately under
the uncovered part of the tube a, so that when the hammer of the gnu
strikes upon the tube the said projecting piece may offer resistance to
the blow, and thereby cause the detonating powder in the tube to
explode and ignite gunpowder in said tube, and finally the charge in
gun. and thereby discharge the contents thereof.
the
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles William Lancaster,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Third day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-one.
CHARLES WILLIAM (L.s.) LANCASTER.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of January,
in the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Charles William Lancaster
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein con-
tained and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for
that purpose.
Enrolled the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thonsand eight hundred and fifty-one.