AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN RIFLING SMALL ARMS AND ORDNANCE
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Emanuel Jones, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
OR IMPROVEMENTS IN RIFLING SMALL ARMS AND ORDNANCE"
Sealed the 7th June 1861, and dated the 13th December 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Emanuel Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th December 1860.
I, EMANUEL JONES, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN RIPLING SMALL ARMS AND ORDNANCE," to
be as follows:-
My Invention consists in rifling small arms and ordnance with a series of
concave grooves or flutes, having such a curvature and depth that they pass
into the cylindrical figure of the bore of the gun without either making angles
or convexities between the said grooves or flutes. For example, when a gun
is rifled with four grooves according to my Invention, the bore of the gun
presents in cross section nearly the figure of a square with the angles very
much rounded, the said rounded angles being the grooves, and the less curved
parts between the grooves being portions of the cylindrical bore of the gun.

page_text: I do not limit myself to any particular number of grooves, but prefer to make
from three to six grooves at equidistant points in the barrel. The usual twist
is given to the grooves. The grooving or rifling may be effected by the
ordinary methods of rifling small arms and ordnance, the tools having such a
When the
figure as is proper to produce grooves of the required curvature.
projectile leaves a gun rifled according to my Invention, the said projectile is
without the grooves which are made by guns rifled in the ordinary manner,
and which said grooves interfere with the passage of the projectile through
the air
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 1
by the said Emanuel Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EMANUEL
JONES, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gun Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Emanuel Jones, Her special licence that I, the said Emanuel
Jones, my executors, administrators and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Emanuel Jones, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT
OR IMPROVEMENTS IN RIPLING SMALL ARMS AND ORDNANCE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Emanuel Jones, my executors or administra-
tors, 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 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 Emanuel Jones, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My said Invention consists in rifling small arms and ordnance with a' series
of concave grooves or flutes, having such a curvature and depth that they pass
into the cylindrical figure of the bore of the gun without either making angles
or convexities between the said grooves or flutes, as herein-after described, and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing. For example, when a gun is rifled
with four grooves according to my Invention, the bore of the gun presents in
cross section nearly the figure of a square, with the angles very much rounded,
the said rounded angles being the grooves, and the less curved parts between
the grooves being portions of the cylindrical bore of the gun.
Figure 1 of the Drawing represents a transverse section of a gun barrel,
grooved or rifled according to my Invention with four grooves or flutes, the
said Figure 1 being drawn double the size of an ordinary gun barrel. In the
said Figure 1 the grooves or flutes are marked a; and the spaces between
the said grooves or flutes forming the cylindrical surface of the bore of the
barrel are marked' b. Figure 2 représents a transverse section of another
barrel, drawn double size, the said barrel being rifled or grooved according to
my Invention with five grooves or flutes, the said grooves or flutes and the
spaces between them being marked a and b respectively..
Although I have only represented barrels of small arms rifled according to
my Invention, yet the barrels-of-ordnance may be rifled in a similar way, but
I believe the application of my Invention to ordnance will be sufficiently
understood by the description herein-before given of its application to small
fire-arms. I do not limit myself to any particular number of grooves, but
I prefer to make from three to six grooves at equidistant points in the barrel.
I have found in practice that a barrel rifled- or grooved with four grooves or
flutes, as represented in Figure 1, answers very satisfactorily. The 'usual'twist
is-given to the grooves or flutes. The grooving or rifling of the barrels maỹ.
be effected by the ordinary methods of rifling small arms and ordnance, the
tools used having such a figure as is proper to produce grooves of the required
curvature. When the projectile leaves'a gun or caunon rifled according to my
Invention, the said projectile is without or nearly without the projections or
ribs which are made by guns rifled in the ordinary manner; and which
said projections or ribs interfere with the passage of the projectile through
the-air.
When the barrels of fire-arms and ordnance rifled according to my Inven-
tion are intended to be fired from the breech, I prefer to construct the breech

page_text: chamber in the following inanner:-In barrels rifled according to the ordinary
method the grooves of the said barrels terminate abruptly at the front of the
breech chamber, a shoulder being formed between the rifled portion of the
barrel and the said breech chamber. The breech chamber thus constructed
fouls very quickly, and lead from the projectile accumulates at the shoulder of
the said chamber. I make the breech chambers of rifled breech-loading
fire-arms and ordnance, rifled according to my Invention, of a slightly conical
figure, the fore end of the chamber being of the same diameter as the barrel,
and the back of the said chamber being of somewhat larger diameter; and
I continue the rifling or grooving of the said barrels into the breech chambers,
the grooves or flutes gradually diminishing from the fore end to the back end
of the breech chamber, and terminating within a short distance of the plug or
closer by which the breech chamber is closed; no shoulder is thereby formed,
and the fouling of the chamber is much lessened, and the projectile on the
discharge of the fire-arm or ordnance expands into the said grooves or flutes
in the chamber, and reduces the recoil of the said fire-arm or ordnance. The
fire-arm thereby shoots more pleasantly and truly than fire-arms with the
ordinary chamber.
Figure 3 represents a longitudinal section of a portion of the barrel of a
breech-loading rifle, the breech chamber being made according to the ordinary
method; and Figure 4 represents a longitudinal section of a portion of the
barrel of a breech-loading rifle, the breech chamber of which is made
according to my Invention. The breech chambers of the barrels, Figures 3
and 4, are marked respectively c and d, and the plungers by which the said
chambers are opened or closed are marked respectively e and f.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my
Invention,-
Firstly, the improvement or improvements in rifling small arms and
ordnance herein-before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Draw-
ing, that is to say, rifling the barrels of small arms and ordnance with concave
grooves or flutes having such a curvature and depth that they pass into the
cylindrical figure of the bore of the barrel without either making angles or
convexities between the said groove or flutes, as before described, and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, continuing the rifling of the barrels of breech-loading fire-arms

page_text: and ordnance rifled according to my Invention into the charge chambers of the
said fire-arms and ordnance, and constructing the said chambers as herein-
before described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Emanuel Jones, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
EMANUEL JONES. (L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.