IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND FIRE-ARMS, AND IN PROIECTILES TO BE WORD TH
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frost Nuthall, of North Lodge, Kilburn,
in the County of Middlesex, a Major in Her Majesty's Bengal Army,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND FIRE-ARMS, AND
IN PROIECTILES TO BE WORD TH
"
Sealed the 15th July 1859, and dated the 10th May 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Frost Nuthall
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th May 1859.
:
1, WILLIAM FROST NUTHALL, of North Lodge, Kilburn, in the County of
Middlesex, a Major in Her Majesty's Bengal Army, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORDNANCE AND FIRE-ARMS,
AND IN PROJECTILES TO BE USED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in the inner surface or bore of the piece,
being a series of ellipses on a square, hexagon, or any regular figure, each
ellipse being a tangent to the circle; secondly, in the lower portion of the
barrel being left smooth, or in the breech being a long smooth chamber; and,
thirdly, in the bullet being adapted to the bore by reducing the cylindrical
portion, excepting at the base and at the spring of the cone, the bullet having
a hollow stopped with a leaden or metallic disc. In order to overcome the
great difficulty experienced (especially in India) of loading a rifle, owing to
the friction caused by the disproportionate expansion of the bullet and
the barrel by crystalization and by imperfect lubrications and clogging,

page_text: I give the bore a perfectly smooth surface (the grooves rounding gradually
and almost imperceptibly into each other, thus obtaining the smallest possible
bearing between the bullet and barrel, and the breech being a smooth chamber),
and by reducing the ball or bullet, excepting where its weight rests upon the
barrel, and there leaving metal enough to preserve its axis with that of the
bore, of width sufficient to yield to the slightest pressure of the hand in
loading, and also to prevent windage, and yet insufficient to affect the flight
of the bullet. By reducing the friction to its minimum, preventing all
windage and providing for an uniform expansion of the bullet (there being no
lands or angles to create an unequal distribution of the expanded lead) rapid
and easy loading, will be ensured with accuracy of firing, for, every expanded
portion of the bullet having its exact counterpoise, the bullet will be held in
more perfect equilibrium during its spiral flight.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Frost Nuthall in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FROST NUTHALL, of North Lodge, Kilburn, in the County of Middlesex, a
Major in Her Majesty's Bengal Ariny, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Frost Nuthall, Her special licence that I, the said William
Frost Nuthall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Frost Nuthall, 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 ORDNANCE AND FIRE-ARMS, AND IN PROJECTILES TO BE USED
THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Frost Nuthall, my executors for administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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

page_text: 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 William Frost Nuthall, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention consists in so rifling arms and adapting projectiles thereto as
to reduce the friction to the lowest of which it seems capable, thereby to ensure
ease and facility in loading and yet maintain accuracy in shooting, and this is
accomplished, first, by giving the inner face or bore of the barrel a perfectly
smooth surface; and, secondly, by adapting the projectile to the arm, so that
only two fine diameters shall rest upon the bore. And in order that this may
be more fully understood I proceed to describe it, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed.
In the ordinary mode of grooving rifles, sharp angles are left between each
groove and land, as at a, a, Figures 1 and 2. These create great friction
with the projectile, both in loading and discharging. The lands also being
broad and flat as b, b, Figure 2 (the Enfield) add to the friction, and tend to
resist the expansion of the bullet. I remove these objections by rounding off
the lands into the grooves, i.e., making them a series of convex and concave
curves as c, d, Figures 3, 4, 5, the bore assuming a beautiful appearance to
the eye for the smoothness and evenness with which the lands and grooves
blend into each other. Heretofore the lands have been those parts of the
smooth bore left in their original state after the process of grooving has been
completed. By my system a cutter is now required to round off these lands
(the converse of the grooving cutter) care being taken to remove all points on
the original surface, so that a fine round bold bearing is obtained between the
barrel and projectile, which contributes to the expansion of the latter, by
easing off and moulding the lead into the grooves. This form of constructing
the interior of arms (for it is equally applicable to cannon) is entirely new,
and may be applied to any regular figure, that is to say, to any figure having
the grooves in exact proportion to each other. I am aware that there are
groovings somewhat similar in appearance, but to the scientific and practical
rifleman I will render these at once distinct. Take, for instance, the Boucher
five-grooved rifle "The cutter being just one-fifth of the circumference of the
"bore and very shallow, and care taken not to go so deep as to affect the five
points of the original surface where the bullet is seen to touch the sides, leaving
"the bore without any sharp edges." Now cut longitudinally through a piece
of barrel thus described and a piece as described by myself, so that in place
r

page_text: of a cylindrical surface a flat one will represent itself. It will be clear that
whilst in the one case each concave cut however fine, Fig. 6*, has reserved
the five concave points in the other, each bold convex cut has removed them,
rendering the contour of the Boucher plan, as shown at Figure 6, and of
mine as at Figure 7. Moreover, it is apparent that whilst the former can
be applied to the progressive system, the latter cannot, and necessitates the
original boring being a few decimals smaller than the calibre to which it has
to be reduced.
The adaptation of the bullet (or shot for cannon) to the bore, in order to
reduce the friction, is effected by diminishing the cylindrical portion, except-
ing at the base and spring of the cone, where sufficient metal is left as at e,
Figures 8 and 9, (or in case of shot a softer metal is added) to preserve
the axis of the projectile with that of the bore, so that the reduced portion f
may escape the barrel, Figures 8, 9, and the bearing of the projectile
yield to any obstruction in loading. If applied to cannon, the expansion of
the leaden rings will be effected by means of a horizontal wedge up the
centre acting upon tranverse wedges through the shot at the base and spring
of the cone, or only at the centre.
Having now fully described the nature and object of my said Invention of
improvements in ordnance and fire-arms, and in projectiles to be used
therewith, together with the manner in which the same is to be performed, I
would remark, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself to any
precise size of land or groove in rifling, as variations may be made in the number
of grooves, and in the depth and breadth thereof, according to the calibre of
But what I claim as my Invention, intended to be secured to me
by the herein in part recited Letters Patent, is the rifling of small arms and
ordnance with convex lands, and the adaptation of the bullet and shot as
herein shewn and described.
the arm.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frost Nuthall, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE, Patent Agent,
4, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross.
W. F. NUTHALL. (L.S.)