IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING FIREARMS AND FOWLING-PIECES."
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Grant, of St. James's Street, in the City of
Westminster, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIREARMS AND FOWLING-PIECES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Grant at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th June 1861.
I, STEPHEN GRANT, of St. James's Street, in the City of Westminster, Gun
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND FOWLING-PIECES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in breech-loading fire-arms and fowling-
pieces, consists of a novel mode of connecting the barrel with the stock, and of
constructing the joint, whereby this connection is effected. In order to load
from the breech, the barrel is made to rock on a pin, which is passed through
a projecting piece attached to the under side of the barrel, and also through the
forward end of an arm secured to the stock. The rear or breech end of the
barrel is supported on a solid breech plate or table, and is secured in its place
by a rotating wedge-shaped cam piece or catch, which is actuated by a lever
that works under the trigger guard. In order to bring the open end of the
barrel tight up against the fixed breech so as to form a perfect joint, a block
with a wedge-formed face is fixed on the under side of the barrel, and caused

page_text: to fit in a socket made in the breech-plate or table, but as by use this wedge-
formed piece will wear, and thereby tend to make the breech joint imperfect,
I make the working face of this wedge-formed piece capable of being detached,
so that when it has become worn it may be removed, and a new piece fitted in
its place. The joint pin upon which the barrel turns may be drawn out with
facility, and then the barrel may, if required, bo detached altogether from the
stock. The projecting arm which forms part of the rocking joint is secured
to the breech plate by screws or otherwise, so as to form a firm bed to assist in
supporting the barrel, or if preferred, this arm may be forged on and made to
form one piece with the breech plate. In order to throw the barrel up off
from its seat immediately that it is released from the catch preparatory to
loading, a strong spring is secured to the under side of the barrel, and is caused
to press against the face of the projecting arm.
There is nothing peculiar in the form of the cartridge used in conjunction
with my Invention, nor yet in the mode of loading the arm.
I would also observe that my Invention is particularly applicable to double-
barrelled guns.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Stephen Grant in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
GRANT, of 73, St. James' Street, in the City of Westminster, Gun Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of ler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Stephen Grant, Her special license that I, the said Stephen
Grant, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Stephen Grant, 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-ARKS AND FOWLING-PIECES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Stephen Grant, by an instrument in writing under

page_text: 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 Stephen Grant, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
:-
My Invention of "Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms and Fowling-
pieces," relates to a novel mode of connecting and securing the barrel to the
stock, and of constructing the joint, whereby this connection is effected.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn various views of so much
of a double-barrelled gun or fowling-piece as will be requisite to explain my
Invention.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a double barrel and breech-piece detached from
the wooden stock of the gun, but with the rear end of the barrel elevated
ready to receive a charge.
Fig. 2 is another side elevation of the barrel and breech-piece, but shewing
the barrel in its place, and with its rear end firmly secured against the breech-
piece, which is shewn in section.
Fig. 3 is a view of the under side of the barrel; and Fig. 4 is a plan view
of the breech-piece with the barrel removed.
The barrel a of the gun is provided on its under side with a block b, in
which is formed a socket or notch b' (Fig. 3) to receive the end of the
supporting arm d, which is firmly secured at its other end to the breech-piece e,
and at its other end has a hole made transversely through it to receive the pin c,
on which the barrel a rocks, as seen at Fig. 1, when it is secured in its place
by passing the pin c through the block b, and the end of the arm d. In order
to load the gun from the breech end of the barrel, the latter is made to rock
on the pin c, as seen in Fig. 1. This pin c is, as before mentioned, passed
through the projecting piece b attached to the under side of the barrel, and also
through the forward end of the arm d, but the barrel may be detached from
the arm d by merely withdrawing the pin c and lifting the barrel off from the
arm d; this arm d with the breech-piece e, is secured to the stock of the gun
in any convenient manner, and the rear or breech-end of the barrel is supported
on the solid breech-plate or table e, and is secured in its place by a rotating
wedge-shaped cam piece or catch f, which takes into a socket made in the
divided block h on the under side of the barrel; this rotating cam piece is

page_text: shewn detached in plan and elevation at Figures 5 and 6, and is actuated by a
lever g, that works under the trigger guard. In order to bring the open rear
end of the barrel a tight up against the vertical part of the fixed breech-piece,
so as to form a perfect and gas-tight joint when the barrels are charged, the
block h, which is divided into two parts, is provided with a wedge-formed face,
on which is fastened a detachable piece i, by screws or otherwise, as seen in
the Drawing, and this wedge-formed block is caused to fit in a socket made in
the breech-plate or table e. The object of adapting this detachable piece i to
the wedge-formed face of the block h, is to prevent or compensate for wear on
the face of the block, and which wear would tend to make the breech joint
imperfect. To obviate the difficulties and imperfections resulting from this
wear I make the working face i of this wedge-formed block capable of being
easily detached, as shewn in the Drawing, so that when it has become woru it
may be removed and a new piece fitted in its place. The joint pin c, upon which
the barrel turns, may be drawn out with facility, and then the barrel a, may,
if required, be detached altogether from the stock as before mentioned. The
projecting arm d, which forms part of the rocking joint, is secured to the
breech-plate by screws or otherwise, so as to form a firm bed to assist in
supporting the barrel a; or if preferred, this arm & may be forged on and
made to form one piece with the breech-plate e. In order to cause the block h
to enter its socket in the breech-piece properly when the barrel is brought
down to its seat, a steadying or guiding pin j is fixed in the arm d, and made
to enter a hole or socket made in the solid part between the two barrels; this
pin will hold the barrel steady and prevent it from having any lateral action,
which would prevent the block h from entering its socket in the table e of the
breech-piece. It will be seen on referring to Figures 2, 3, and 4, that a
transverse, and also a longitudinal slot is cut or made in the block h. The
transverse slot allows the rotating cam piece f to enter when it is turned
round by bringing the lever 9 in the position at right angles to the axis of the
gun. The barrel then having been brought on to its seat on the table e of the
breech-piece, it is secured thereon by turning round the cam piece f, by means
of the handle or lever g, and bringing the latter with its cam piece into the
position shewn at Figures 2, 5, and 6, when the projecting parts of the cam
piece will be brought into the longitudinal slot of the block h, as shewn in
Fig. 2, and all the parts will be held firmly and securely together. Upon
turning the cam piece f round by its lever g, as shewn by dots in Fig. 4, the
inclined part 1 (Fig. 6) of the cam piece will be brought against the bevilled-
off point 2 (Fig. 1) of the block h, and will consequently force the same up off
from its seat. In order to assist in throwing the barrel up off from its seat,
g

page_text: immediately that it is released from the catch f, preparatory to loading, a spring
may, if desired, be secured to the under side of the barrel, and caused to press
against the face of the projecting arm d.
There is nothing peculiar in the form of the cartridge to be used in con-
junction with my improved breech-loading fire-arms, nor yet in the mode of
loading the arm.
I would also observe that my Invention is particularly applicable to double-
barrelled guns.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Breech-loading
Fire-arms and Fowling-pieces," and having explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent
as aforesaid, the mode herein set forth of connecting and securing the barrel
or barrels of the arm to the breech-piece.
I also claim the use of the detachable piece i, which, when worn, may be
removed and another substituted therefor, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Grant, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
STEPHEN GRANT. (L.S.)