Improvements in We,
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 14th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 15th Dec., 1888
Improvements in
We, Sir HENRY ST. JOHN HALFORD, Baronet, C.B. of Wistow, in the County of
Leicester, Colonel 1st V.B. Leicestershire Regiment, WILLIAM ELLIS METFORD, of
Redland, Bristol, in the County of Gloucester, Civil Engineer, and ARTHUR
GREENWOOD, of the firm of Greenwood & Batley, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to projectiles or bullets for rifles and other guns and of that
class in which a core or central portion of lead, or an alloy of lead is enclosed in a
case or envelope of copper, or other metal or alloy harder than lead.
In the use of such projectiles great difficulty has arisen from the inaccuracy and
uncertainty of the practice in relation to the first shot from the rifle which has been
cleansed from the fouling of previous fire.
This inaccuracy and uncertainty, caused by the fusion, or partial fusion of the
core by the heat engendered by the friction, though specially attending the first shot
out of the cleansed bore, is also found to be more or less existent in and therefore
prejudicial to the efficiency and accuracy of the succeeding shots from such bore; or
in relation to efficiency it weakens the tenacity of the core and by so doing causes
the projectile to yield in its impact and even break up readily, while the shedding of
the melted material which at times takes place during its flight, as well as the limpness
due to the plastic condition of the core, will cause the inaccuracy and uncertainty
above referred to.
Heretofore, although the existence of the difficulty has been well known, and has
now been attributed to the right cause, viz. -the injury to the projectile in con-
sequence of the heat engendered by the friction of the projectile in the barrel causing
the fusion or partial fusion of the core, no satisfactory means have been discovered or
provided for its prevention.
We have, however, discovered that the difficulty may be overcome by protecting the
core or interior of the bullet from being heated to the melting or fusing point of

page_text: We effect this object as follows, that is to say, we insert between the core and the
outer case or envelope a tube, coil or sleeve of some slow or bad conductor of heat,
and thus so far prevent the passage of the heat through the casing to the core as to
prevent the melting or partial melting or fusing of the latter. For this purpose we
use paper, textile fabrics, leather, wood, asbestos, pigments or other slow conductors
of heat capable of application to the projectile in the manner specified.
Or we protect the core by interposing between it and the outer casing or
envelope a copper, brass or other metal tube, which, having a greater specific heat
and conductivity or diffusiveness than the core, will absorb a great portion of the
heat from the said casing, and will therefore prevent the heating of the core to
the fusing point..
Instead of providing this additional thickness of metal around the core by
inserting a copper or other tube or second casing between the core and the outer
casing, we sometimes increase the thickness of the metal of the casing to such an
extent as will ensure the protection of the core against melting or fusing in the
passage of the projectile through the barrel, that is to say, we ascertain by experiment
the precise quantity of metal required to absorb so much of the heat developed by
the friction, as will prevent the melting or fusing of the core, and we form the
casings or envelopes of the required thickness to contain this necessary quantity of
metal and substitute these for the ordinary cases or envelopes heretofore used for
such projectiles.
In some instances we combine the non-conducting or slow-conducting material
with the double or the thickened casing or envelope.
Dated this 16th love of Dasanton 1807
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicants. "

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Projectiles for Fire-arms.
We, Sir HENRY ST. JOHN HALFORD, Baronet, C.B., of Wistow, in the County of
Leicester, Colonel 1st V.B. Leicestershire Regiment, WILLIAM ELLIS METFORD, of
Redland, Bristol, in the County of Gloucester, Civil Engineer, and ARTHUR
GREENWOOD, of the firm of Greenwood and Batley, of Leeds, in the County of York,
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 :-
:-
Our invention is designed to provide improved projectiles or bullets for breech-
loading rifles and machine or other guns, and relates to that class of projectiles in
which a core or central portion of lead or other suitable metal or alloy is enclosed in
a case or envelope of copper or other metal or alloy harder than lead.
In the use of such projectiles, great difficulty has arisen from the inaccuracy and
uncertainty of the practice in relation to the first shot with a rifle which has been
cleansed from the fouling of previous firing.
This inaccuracy and uncertainty caused by the fusion or partial fusion of the core
by the heat due to the friction, though specially attending the first shot out of the
cleansed bore, is also found to be more or less existent in, and therefore prejudicial to
the efficiency and accuracy of, the succeeding shots from such bore. In relation to
efficiency, it weakens the tenacity of the core and by so doing causes the projectile
to yield on its impact and even break up readily, while the shedding of the melted
material, which at times takes place during its flight, and the softness or limpness due
to the plastic condition of the core cause the inaccuracy and uncertainty above
referred to.
Heretofore, although the existence of this difficulty has been well known, and has
now been attributed to the right cause, viz. the injury to the projectile in conse-
quence of the fusion or partial fusion of the core by the heat due to the friction of the
projectile in the barrel, no satisfactory means have heretofore been discovered or
provided for its prevention.
We have, however, discovered that the difficulty may be avoided by protecting the
core or interior of the bullet against the access of sufficient heat to raise the tempe-
rature of the core to the melting or fusing point of the lead or other metal or alloy
of which it is formed.
We effect this object as follows, that is to say, according to one method, we insert
between the core and the outer case or envelope a tube, coil or sleeve of some non-
conductor or slow conductor of heat, and thus obstruct the passage of the heat through
the casing to the core, to such an extent as will prevent the melting or partial melting
or fusion of the latter. For this purpose we use paper, textile fabrics, leather, wood,
asbestos, chalk, pipe-clay, pigments or other slow conductors of heat capable of
application to the projectile in the manner specified. If we use paper, textile fabric,
or the like we forin it into a tube and place the said tube on the core; or we wrap

page_text: or coil the paper or other material around the core before placing the envelope or case
thereon. If we use a pigment or the like, we apply it in any suitable manner to the
core before placing the latter in the case. Or we apply the protective substance to
the interior of the envelope or case at any convenient stage of its manufacture.
According to another method, we protect the core by providing additional thickness
of metal around the same. For instance, we interpose between the core and the outer
casing or envelope a copper, brass or other metal tube, which having a greater
specific heat and conductivity or diffusivity than the core, will absorb a great portion
of the heat from the said casing and will, therefore, prevent the heating of the
core to the fusing or melting point. The said tube may consist of one or more
thicknesses of copper or other metal.
According to another modification of this method of practising our invention,
instead of providing the additional thickness of metal around the core by inserting a
copper or other tube or second casing between the core and the outer casing as above
described, we increase the thickness of the metal of the casing to such an extent as
will ensure the protection of the core against melting or fusing in the passage of the
projectile through the barrel, that is to say, we ascertain by experiment the precise
quantity of metal required to absorb so much of the heat developed by the friction
that the temperature of the core will not be raised to the melting or fusing point, and
we form the casings or envelopes of the required thickness to contain this necessary
mass or quantity of metal, and substitute these for the ordinary cases or envelopes
heretofore used for such projectiles.
Another method of carrying our invention into effect consists in combining the
non-conducting or slow-conducting material with the double or the thickened casing
or envelope for the purpose above specified.
The protective material may be applied to the whole or a portion of the core.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we wish it understood
that we claim :-
A projectile or bullet which has a core or central portion formed of lead or other
suitable metal or alloy enclosed in a copper or other suitable case or envelope and
protected by, or according to, either of the methods hereinabove described against
fusing or melting in the barrel of a gun.
Dated this 12th day of September 1888.