IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES AND PRO- JECTILES TO BE USED WITH THE SAME
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joseph Needham at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
July 1864.
I, JOSEPH NEEDHAM, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Gunmaker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES AND PRO-
JECTILES TO BE USED WITH THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My improvements relating to ordnance and other fire-arms, consist, first, in
closing the breech with a solid conical plug, which has on it a spiral worm or
thread taking into a like thread or worm formed in a conical cavity made at
the breech end of the gun for its reception. The advantage of using a wormed
or threaded cone for this purpose is that a single turn of the plug, or it may
only be half or other portion of a turn, will free the whole length of the worm
or thread of the plug from the conical recess into which it fits, and it may
then be withdrawn. For ordnance I mount this plug in a ring hinged at the
side or lower part of the breech of the piece, on which it may be readily
moved out of the line of the bore for loading. This plug although freed by a
partial revolution on its axis, may and should embrace several turns of the
thread on the plug to afford the necessary strength, and would, if cylindrical
and a screw, require a like number of turns to release it from its recess in the
breech. For small arms, this conical-threaded plug may be applied without
the hinged ring to carry it, and may slide in and out of position.
Further improvements in breech-loading fire-arms relate to means for

page_text: withdrawing cartridges or the metal packing shells of breech-loading small-
arms, and consist, first, in the application of a loose nose piece to the plug
applied for closing the breech, according to a Patent formerly granted to me,
and dated October 2nd, 1852, No. 184; this nose piece has projecting horns,
which in lowering the breech plug on its joint come down on and grip the
bead on the rear of metal packing cap, which horns hold and retain it while
closing and fixing the piece. On withdrawing the plug after firing, the horns
partially pull out the packing cap and cartridge, which may afterwards be
pulled out complete by the fingers, or it may fall out by inverting the gun.
Instead of the breech plug being hinged and moving out of the line of the
bore, as described in the Specification of Patent before referred to, such plug
may move only in the line of the bore and withdraw a sufficient distance to
permit of the insertion of the cartridge; in this case the gripping horns are
placed at the lower part of the plug, and the bead of the metal cap of the
cartridge when inserted is pressed down in such position that they grip it while
it is forced forwards into the bore, and while closing the breech in withdrawing
the metal packing a cartridge case is pulled out its entire length, and drops
away by inverting or tilting the gun on one side. By means of a thumb lever
taking into a kind of bayonet slot I slide and rotate the breech plug, and so
secure and close the breech.
Another improvement in breech-loading guns relates to a method of securing
the barrel in position for firing by a lever, the upper end of which is struck by
the cock in falling, the lever has a projecting nib on the opposite side about
half way between the fulcrum and contact point of the cock, this nib enters a
recess at the breech end of the barrel, which is pivotted to the breech piece or
stock. By reason of this arrangement the piece will not discharge if the nib
has not a secure hold, the hammer or cock in falling will strike it home or
will be altogether arrested in its fall, and the discharge prevented. I carry
this lever below the trigger guard and provide a thumb hold for operating the
lever and securing or releasing the barrel. The action of this lever also half or
full cocks the gun.
According to my improvements in cartridges and projectiles I form the rear
end of the bullet with a cup or hollow, and insert and fix the end of the cart-
ridge therein, which is throughout its length a little less than the bore of the
gun, the fore end of the cartridge is closed irrespective of the bullet fixed on it;
while the rear end has fitted on it a metal cap, as usual in breech-loading
small-arms. The bullet either fits the gun throughout its length, or has an
enlarged ring or band around it for that purpose, and it may be to fill the
rifling. By so fitting a cartridge to the bullet, the discharge drives both the

page_text: bullet and the cartridge out of the barrel, and in order to ensure the latter
result, I make slits or perforations at the rear end of the cartridge, and cover
them with thin paper or other material to retain the charge, but offering little
resistance to the explosion of the powder, and so ensuring the existence of the
force of the explosion on the outside of the cartridge case, as well as inside,
which prevents it sticking in the barrel. It will be recollected there is an
annular space left between the cartridge and the bore, and I have found in
practice that the explosion has access thereto without the slits before
mentioned by the withdrawal of the rear end from the metallic packing cap at
the moment of explosion, but it will be more thoroughly ensured by slits as
described.
Instead of applying a paper cartridge, I sometimes extend the bullet rear-
ward in the form of a hollow cylinder to receive the charge, and thus form
the cartridge and bullet in one piece.
I form the hollow part of the bullet smaller than the bore, so as to leave
the annular space before mentioned for the entrance of the explosion to prevent
its sticking in the barrel. I place a metallic packing cap in the rear of the
bullet to retain the charge, and for the purposes of breech-loading guns slits
or projections may also be adopted to ensure the presence of the explosion
between the hollow part of the bullet and the bore, as before explained.
The last part of my Invention consists in producing the rotation of a
projectile when discharged from a smooth bore by forming helical grooves or
rifling on the cylindrical exterior of the projectile only.