IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE- ARMS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Moses Poole, of the Avenue Road, Regent's Park, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-
ARMS."-A communication.
Sealed the 21st July 1854, and dated the 12th May 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Moses Poole at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
May 1854.
I, MOSES POOLE, of the Avenue Road, Regent's Park, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
In breech-loading guns, as heretofore constructed, it has been found impos-
sible to produce a perfectly tight joint between the barrel and the breech piece,
or at least a joint that should remain tight after the parts which hold the
barrel and the breech together became ever so slightly worn by use.. This
difficulty arises partly from the fact, that while the friction of the ball and of
the discharge upon the bore of the barrel tends to carry the latter away from
the breech, the force of the discharge upon the breech itself tends also to
separate it from the barrel; and partly from the fact, that the parts are
constantly subjected to friction upon each other, while they are fouled by the
products of combustion.

page_text: The first part of the Invention consists in the use of a self-adjusting thimble
which is driven into the rear end of the barrel, and which is kept down upon
its seat by the force of the discharge, the thimble not being absolutely secured
to the barrel, but forced into its place sufficiently tight to prevent leakage
between it and the barrel, but at the same time so as to allow it to yield to
the force of the discharge, and be driven out against its seat, when from wear
of the parts or from any other cause the joint between the barrel and the
breech becomes loose in ever so slight a degree.
The improvement also consists in a peculiar method of attaching or of
securing the barrel to the breech of the gun, by which the barrel may be
expeditiously revolved for the purpose of loading and firing.
The self-adjusting thimble, which is preferred to be made of steel, and partly
of a conical and partly of a cylindrical form, is adjusted to the rear of the
barrel in such a manner that it may be driven therein with a force sufficient to
ensure a tight joint between it and the barrel, and also to prevent it from being
misplaced or knocked out.
The seat upon which this thimble rests is hollow and conical, to fit the bevel
upon the thimble, and is furnished with a conical point or piercer, through the
centre of which passes the fire from the nipple to the charge. The bearing
surfaces of the thimble and its seat are ground together with emery, and a
tight joint is thus at first produced. The peculiar action of this part of the
Invention is as follows:-
Owing to the form of the thimble, the force of the discharge exerted upon
the interior surface of the conical portion tends constantly to force it back-
wards out of the barrel and into & upon its seat, by which action any
looseness of the joint between the barrel and the breech is closed, and the joint
is kept at all times tight. The barrel is secured to the breech or handle in the
following manner:-There is a spindle attached to the breech and cut away
on one side; there is a sleeve fitted to this spindle, and to which is attached a
cylinder. Within this cylinder the barrel of the gun or fire-arm is allowed to
make a partial revolution. There-is-a-key-which passes through the cylinder
and the sleeve, and enters a notch in the barrel; by this means the barrel is
secured firmly to the cylinder, and the two together with the sleeve are per-
mitted to slide a distance forward upon the spindle, when the key, entering the
notch, allows the barrel to make a quarter revolution, to bring it into position
for loading. There are ears or wedge-shaped projections upon the interior end
of the barrel, which, when the latter is in place and ready for firing, pass under
hooks and hold the barrel firmly to the breech.
The adherence of the paper of the cartridge to the breech has been found to

page_text: be a hindrance to the ready manipulation of some breech-loading fire-arms.
This inconvenience is removed by the peculiar form of the powder chamber
furnished by the thimble, it being enlarged immediately within its entrance in
such a manner that the paper is forced against the walls of the enlarged
chamber, and retained there until the next cartridge forces it forward, no por-
tion of it adhering to the-breech or to the conical piercer. It is evident that
the length of the thimble employed to bear upon the breech piece is not
material, so long as it is of sufficient length to be retained in position, and also
to ensure a tight joint between it and the barrel of the gun. It is also
apparent that the thimble may be applied to any species of breech-loading
guns where the object is to obtain a tight joint between the barrel and the
breech.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Moses Poole in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MOSES
POOLE, of the Avenue Road, Regent's Park, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Moses Poole, Her special licence that I, the said Moses Poole, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Moses
Poole, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agrec
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 FIRE-ARMS," com-
municated to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Moses Poole, by an instrument in writing under my hand and scal, 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 Mcses Poole, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 thereof (that is to say):-
--
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, arc perspective representations of the different
positions which this gun assumes in loading and firing. Figure 5, a longitu-
dinal section through gun with the improvements attached. Figure 6, a
view of the spindle by which the barrel is attached to the breech. Figure 7,
a section through the self-adjusting thimble of full size. Figure 8, an end
view of the barrel and thimble. Figure 9, a section on the line X, X, of
Figure 5. Figure 10, an end and side view of the key by which the barrel
is secured to the spindle.
In breech-loading guns, as heretofore constructed, it has been found impossible
to produce a perfectly tight joint between the barrel and the breech piece, or at
least a joint that should remain tight after the parts which hold the barrel and
the breech together became ever so slightly worn by use. This difficulty arises
partly from the fact, that while the friction of the ball and of the discharge
upon the bore of the barrel tends to carry the latter away from the breech, the
force of the discharge upon the brecch itself tends also to separate it from
the barrel; and partly from the fact, that the parts are constantly subjected
to friction upon each other, while they are fouled by the products of
combustion.
The first part of the Invention consists in the use of a self-adjusting thimble,
which is driven into the rear end of the barrel, and which is kept down upon
its seat by the force of the discharge, the thimble not being absolutely secured
to the barrel, but forced into its place sufficiently tight to prevent leakage
between it and the barrel, but at the same time so as to allow it to yield to
the force of the discharge, and be driven out against its seat, when from wear of
the parts or from any other cause the joint between the barrel and the breech
becomes loose in ever so slight a degree.
The improvement also consists in a peculiar method of attaching or of
securing the barrel to the breech of the gun, by which the barrel may be
expeditiously revolved for the purpose of loading and firing.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the Invention, I will
proceed to describe the method which is adopted of carrying it out. A is the
self-adjusting thimble, which is preferred to be made of steel, and of the form
represented in full size in Figures 7 and 8; it is adjusted to the rear of the
barrel in sucli a manner that it may be driven therein with a force just suffi-
cient to ensure a tight joint between it and the barrel, and also to prevent it

page_text: from being misplaced or knocked out. The seat upon which this thimble rests
is hollow and conical, to fit the bevel upon the thimble; as seen at a, Figure 5, and
is furnished with a conical point or piercer b, through the centre of which passes
the fire from the nipple to the charge. The bearing surfaces of the thimble
and its seat are ground together with emery, and a tight joint is thus at first
produced. The peculiar action of this part of the Invention is as follows:-
Owing to the form of the thimble A (Figure 7), the force of the discharge
exerted upon the interior surface of the conical portion tends constantly to
force it backwards out of the barrel and into and upon its seat, by which
action any looseness of the joint between the barrel, and the breech is closed,
and the joint is kept at all times tight. The barrel is secured to the breech
or handle in the following manner:-C is a spindle attached to the breech D,
and cut away, as seen at f, Figure 6. E is a sleeve fitted to this spindle, and
to which is attached the cylinder F; within this..cylinder the barrel of the
gun G is allowed to make a partial revolution; the portions II and I are
secured to the barrel, and serve to assist in manipulating the same.
K is a
key which passes through the cylinder F and the sleeve E, and enters a notch į
in the barrel; by this means the barrel is secured firmly to the cylinder F, and
the two together, with the sleeve E, are permitted to slide forward upon the
spindle C from d to e, when the key K entering the notch g, allows the barrel
to make a quarter revolution to bring it into position for loading, as will be
hereafter explained. L are ears or wedge-shaped projections upon the interior
end of the barrel, which, when the latter is in place and ready for firing, pass
under the hooks M, and hold the barrel firmly to the breech. It is found that
it is not essential that these parts be so carefully made or fitted to cach, other
as in ordinary breech-loading fire-arms, on account of the self-adjustability of
the thimble A, for should there be a slight, play of the parts, which in other
breech-loading guns would cause leakage, the self-adjusting thimble will be
thrown back, an amount sufficient to bring it to a tight bearing upon its seat,
and the leak would be closed on the first discharge.
In Figure 1 the parts are represented in the position for firing, the barrel
being secured to the breech by the ears. L beneath the hooks M. To load.
the piece, the barrel is turned a quarter of a revolution to disengage the ears L
from the hooks, as seen in Figure 2; the barrel is then drawn forward into the
position seen in Figure 3, the motion of the barrel and the parts connected
therewith being limited by the key K striking against the shoulder e, Figure 5,
upon the spindle C: The barrel is now turned a quarter revolution, as seen in
Figure 4, the key K revolving into the notch g, Figure 6, and the parts are
thus brought into position for loading. The cartridge is now introduced

page_text: through the thimble A, and the barrel is returned into the position shown in
Figure 1, the piercer b entering the cartridge, as seen in the section, Figure 5.
The adherence of the paper of the cartridge to the breech has been found
to be a hindrance to the ready manipulation of some breech-loading fire-arms;
this inconvenience is removed by the peculiar form of the powder chamber
furnished by the thimble A, it being enlarged immediately within its entrance
in such a manner that the paper is forced against the walls of the enlarged
chamber, and retained there until the next cartridge forces it forward, no
portion of it adhering to the breech or to the conical piercer. It is evident
that the length of the thimble employed to bear upon the breech piece is not
material, so long as it is of sufficient length to be retained in position, and also
to ensure a tight joint between it and the barrel of the gun. It is also appa-
rent that the thimble may be applied to any species of breech-loading guns
where the object is to obtain a tight joint between the barrel and the breech.
Having thus described the. nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood, that what I claim as the
Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is, the self-adjusting thimble;
constructed and operating in the manner substantially as described.
Second, I claim the peculiar manner herein described of locking the barrel
to the breech by means of the wedged-formed cars L and the hooks M, in
combination with the method described of controlling the forward and revolving
motion of the barrel by means of the cylinder E, the sleeve F, and the
spindle C, the whole being connected together by the key. K in the manner set
forth:
In witness whereof, I, the said Moses Poole, have hercunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
B. GOBEY,
12, Cursitor Street,
Chancery Lane.
MOSES POOLE. (L.S.)