IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jacob Snider, junior, of the Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 2nd May 1865, and dated the 5th November-1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jacob Snider, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with. his. Petition, on the
5th November 1864.
I, JACOB SNIDER, junior, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows :-
My Invention primarily relates to certain improvements upon a portion of
the details of an Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to François
Eugène Schneider and myself bearing date 21st June, 1862, No. 1828.
Instead of securing the breech piece as therein described "by a spring catch
which enters a notch made in the opposite end of the barrel to that on which
the tube is fixed," I, in this my present Invention, altogether dispense with
the spring catch. I attach to or. form in a piece with the breech piece a

page_text: small projection at the rear thereof and opposite its hinged side; by this means I
place the projection in a better position than heretofore for lifting the breech
piece as the hammer is brought to the half-cock. I secure the breech piece in
position in the following manner :-I form an aperture through the breech pin
and insert therein a stud or pin. This stud or pin is made with a head which
abuts against a flange formed in the aperture aforesaid, and when projecting
through the aperture it is free to act on the recoil bearing surface of the
breech piece as hereafter described. A spring retained in place by a headless
screw presses the stud or pin forward. In the rear vertical face of the breech
piece I bore a small hole opposite the stud projecting on or from the recoil
bearing surface, so that when the breech piece is shut down in place, this
"latching "stud enters the hole in the vertical rear face of the breech piece,
and so retains it in place. Sometimes I reverse the position of the parts just
described and insert the stud in the breech piece, and form the hole for its
reception in the recoil bearing surface of the arm.
My Invention also consists in a new method of locking the breech of breech-
loading arms, and while being specially applicable to the arm herein-before
referred to and patented by François Eugène Schneider and myself, is equally
an improvement on and applicable to the systems known as "Lefaucheux,"
"Pidault," and various other systems of breech-loading arms.
In applying this improvement to the breech-loading arm patented as afore-
said by François Eugène Schneider and myself, I dispense with the spring
catch and spring, and adjuncts connected therewith as first herein-before
described, and substitute a solid projection to lift the breech piece as described,
and then in lieu of all other modes of "latching" the breech I make, a hole
thruggh the breech plug. In this hole I place a locking bolt which I so
operate as to be self-latching, and at the same time locking when the breech
is closed in place for firing. To this bolt I connect a shaft through a slot or
hole made in the tang of the breech plug or recoil bearing piece of the breech.
Such shaft having solid to its upper or outer part a chequered head or button.
Through the centre of this head or button, and the length of the shaft, I pass
a screw which screws into the bolt and attaches it firmly to the shaft.
Behind this bolt is a spring attached, to the breech plug or otherwise. By
slightly pressing back the button the bolt is withdrawn from the breech piece.
To assist the breech to rise, I sometimes place in the solid. under part of the
breech piece a concealed stud and spring, held in place by a headless screw,
similar to that described for latching; so that as the breech piece is freed by
pressing back the bolt, the small stud which projects from the under surface
of the breech piece and which presses upon the inner surface of the barrel

page_text: when the breech piece is locked in place, will tend to throw the breech picce
open. As the breech piece or any breech end of a barrel in other systems is
turned down into place, its rear face passes over the projecting curved end of
the bolt which is kept pressed out beyond the recoil bearing surface by the
spring at its rear, and thus the bolt self latches,into a hole made to receive it
in the rear end face of the breech piece or breech end of a barrel, and locks it
in place.
In applying the arrangements, before described, to breech-loading arms
other than that arm patented by François Eugène Schneider and myself
before referred to, it will be evident that the parts must to a certain extent
be modified to adapt themselves to the particular arm to which they are
applied, but this can, in all cases with which I am acquainted, be done
without departing from this my Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jacob Snider, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th May 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JACOB SNIDER,
junior, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign; did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Jacob Snider, junior, Her special licence that I, the said Jacob
Snider, junior, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Jacob Saider, junior, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Jacob Snider, junior, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jacob Snider, junior, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to
say:-
My Invention primarily relates to certain improvements upon a portion of
the details of an Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to François
Eugene Schneider and myself, bearing date the Twenty-first June, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, No. 1828. Instead of securing the
breech piece as therein described "by a spring catch which enters a notch
made in the opposite side of the barrel to that on which the tube is fixed,"
I, in this my present Invention, altogether dispense with the spring catch, I
attach to or form in a piece with the breech piece a small projection at the
rear thereof and opposite its hinged side, by this means I place the projection
in a better position than heretofore for lifting the breech piece as the hammer
is brought to the half-cock. I secure the breech in position in the following
manner: I form an aperture through the breech pin, and insert therein a
stud or pin; this stud or pin is made with a head which abuts against a flange
formed in the aperture aforesaid, and when projecting through the aperture it
is free to act on the recoil bearing surface of the breech piece as hereafter
described. A spring retained in place a headless screw presses the stud or
pin forward. In the rear vertical face of the breech piece, I bore a small hole
opposite the stud projecting on or from the recoil bearing surface, so that when
the breech piece is shut down in place this "latching" stud enters the hole
in the vertical rear face of the breech piece and so retains it in place.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a longitudinal section of so much
of the breech end of a fire-arm as will be necessary to illustrate one method in
which I carry this part of my Invention into effect. a is a stud or pin inserted
in the aperture formed in the breech pin b; this aperture is enlarged at one
end to receive the head of the stud a; c is a spring set between the head of
the stud and a screw d, which.latter retains the parts in position; e is a small
hole formed in the rear end of the breech piece h, into which the end of the
stud or pin a takes and so retains the breech firm. The breech is raised by
The act of lifting causes
the solid projection shown at f, Figures 3 and 4.
the pin a to retire and the spring c to contract, and as soon as the breech
piece is clear of the pin the latter again projects by the action of the spring
and remains in that position until again forced back by the closing of the
breech piece. Sometimes I reverse the position of the parts just described
and insert the stud in the breech piece and form the hole for its reception in

page_text: the recoil bearing surface of the arm. Figure 2 shows in longitudinal section
the arrangement applied as just described; the action is similar and the parts
are indicated by similar letters, only differing from the arrangement before
described by the position of the parts being reversed, in the former arrange-
ment the latching stud being placed in the breech pin, and in the latter in the
breech piece.
-
My Invention also consists in a new method of locking the breech or
breech-loading arms, and while being specially applicable to the arm herein-
before referred to and patented by François Eugene Schneider and myself
is equally an improvement on and applicable to the systems known as
"Lefaucheux,"
," "Pidault," and various other systems of breech-loading arms.
In applying this improvement to the breech-loading arm patented as afore-
said by François Eugene Schneider and myself, I dispense with the spring
catch and spring, and adjuncts connected therewith, as first herein-before
described, and substitute a solid projection to lift the breech piece as
described, and then in lieu of all other modes of "latching" the breech,
I make a hole through the breech plug. In this hole I place a locking bolt,
which I so operate as to be self-latching, and at the same time locking
when the breech is closed in place for firing. To this bolt I connect a
shaft through a slot or hole made in the tang of the breech plug or
recoil bearing piece of the breech. Such shaft having solid to its upper
or outer part a chequered head or button. Through the centre of this
head or button, and the length of the shaft, I pass a screw which screws
into the bolt and attaches it firmly to the shaft. Behind this bolt is a
spring, attached to the breech plug or otherwise. By slightly pressing
back the button the bolt is withdrawn from the breech piece. To assist
the breech to rise I sometimes place in the solid under part of the breech
piece a concealed stud and spring, held in place by a headless screw, similar
to that described for latching, so that as the breech piece is freed by pressing
back the bolt, the small stud which projects from the under surface of the
breech piece, and which presses upon the inner surface of the barrel when
the breech piece is locked in place, will tend to throw the breech piece
open. As the breech piece or any breech end of a barrel in other systems
is turned down into place, its rear face passes over the projecting curved
end of the bolt, which is kept pressed out beyond the recoil bearing surface
by the spring at its rear, and thus the bolt self-latches into a hole made
to receive it in the rear end face of the breech piece or breech end of
a barrel, and locks it in place. Figure 3 is a longitudinal section, with
the breech piece open, and Figure 4 is a plan of the arrangements just
-

page_text: described. a is the locking bolt inserted in an aperture formed in the
breech plug or pin b; c is a rod inserted in the locking bolt a, and carrying
a roughened or checkered head d, secured to the bolt by a screwe; g is
a spring secured at one end to the breech pin 6, and at the other free to
act against the tail of the locking bolt a, and so tends to keep it shot.
When the breech piece is closed the point of the locking bolt enters an
aperture formed in the rear end of the breech piece, and so retains it in
position. To unlock the breech piece the bolt is withdrawn by pressing
the finger or thumb on the roughened head d, and the breech is thrown
open by the solid projection, as before described. Figure 5 is a view in
longitudinal section, shewing the concealed stud and spring which I some-
times apply to the breech piece, in order to facilitate its being lifted out
of the shoe k; h is the stud, placed in an aperture formed in the under
side of the breech piece, with a helical spring at its rear; i is a headless
screw for retaining the stud in position. In the position shown in the
Drawing, with the breech piece secured by the locking bolt a, the helical
spring is tightly compressed, and the head of the stud lies flush with the
bottom of the breech piece,, but on withdrawing the locking bolt the breech
is released, the spring expands, and the point of the stud pressing against
the shoe greatly facilitates, as will be readily seen, the rising of the
breech piece.
In applying the arrangements before described to breech-loading arms
other than that arm patented by François Eugéne Schneider and myself
before referred to, it will be evident that the parts must to a certain extent
be modified to adapt themselves to the particular arm to which they are
applied, but this can, in all cases with which I am acquainted, be done
without departing from my Invention.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my "Improve-
ments in Breech-loading Fire-arms,"
-
First, the employment of a projection formed in a piece with or adapted
to the breech piece for opening and closing the same, as herein-before
described.
Second, the employment of a self-acting stud or pin for securing the
breech in position, acting substantially in manner herein-before described
and illustrated at Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the locking and securing the breech piece by means of a locking-
bolt, made to act substantially in manner herein-before described and
illustrated at Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying Drawings.

page_text: Fourth, the employment of a self-acting pin or stud in the breech piece for
facilitating the rise of the same substantially, as herein-before described and
illustrated at Figure 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jacob Snider, junior, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-five.
Witness,
G. JAMIESON,
89, Chancery Lane.
JACOB SNIDER, JUN³. (L.B.)