IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward James Warmington at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
December 1866.
I, EDWARD JAMES WARMINGTON, of Brighton College; Brighton, in the
County of Sussex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED
THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
The objects of the Invention are so to construct breech-loading fire-arms
and cartridges to be used therewith that the breech may be opened and the
hammer "cocked" by the ordinary act of pulling a trigger, and also that the
ordinary act of pulling the trigger of the fire-arm shall close the breech,
'explode the cartridge, and if desired release the cartridge case from its fixity
of position within the barrel, so that when the breech is again opened the
cartridge case may be pushed forward further into the barrel on the insertion
of a fresh cartridge. To accomplish these objects I close the breech ends of
the barrels of breech-loading fire-arms by a breech piece, which at its rear
end turns on a pin at right angles to the length of the barrel, and the breech
end of the barrels is opened by turning down this piece on its pin; the lower
portion of the front end of the breech is made to project beyond the rear er.d
of the barrel, and the projecting piece is arranged to form the hammer and

page_text: explode the cartridge in the barrel; this it does by striking against a small
"striker" which passes through the under side of the barrel, and strikes against
the cap or other priming of the cartridge. On the axis of the breech piece
is the tumbler of the lock formed with notches with which a sear works, the
sear being acted on by a trigger as usual. In front of this trigger is another
trigger, which is connected with the axis of the breech piece, so that by
pulling back this trigger by the finger in the ordinary manner the breech
piece may be turned down to open the breech end of the barrel. The tumbler
is formed with three notches, two "half-cock" and one "full-cock." When
the trigger connected with the axis of the breech piece is pulled on it lowers
the breech piece, and carries round the tumbler until the sear catches in the
first half-cock notch, in this position the breech end of the barrel will still be
closed by the breech piece; when the trigger is still further pulled back the breech
piece will be further lowered until the sear catches in the second half-cock notch,
and in this position the breech end of the barrel will be open ready to receive
a fresh cartridge; by still further pulling back the trigger the breech piece
is further lowered until the sear catches in the full-cock notch; in this position
also the piece may be loaded. To explode the cartridge placed in the barrel
the trigger of the lock is pulled on the breech piece, is then turned up by
the mainspring, and first closes the breech end of the barrel, and afterwards
as it continues to turn upwards the projection at its front end forces in the
"striker" that explodes the cartridge. In order that the cap or priming of
the cartridge may in loading be brought to a position to be acted on by the
striker which passes up through the under side of the barrel the cap or priming
is placed at the side of the cartridge near its base, and I form the cartridge
with a pin projecting from its side; this pin is independent of the cap or
priming, and may be driven in without exploding the cartridge; when the
cartridge is inserted into the rear end of the barrel this pin enters a shallow
groove formed in the barrel; this groove first passes a distance down the
barrel in a direction parallel with its length; the groove then takes a sudden
turn, and is continued for a short distance at right angles to it; the base of
the cartridge has a piece projecting from it to form a handle by which the
cartridge can be turned round when it is in the barrel. In loading the front
end of the cartridge is inserted into the open breech end of the barrel, and the
pin projecting from its side is caused to enter the groove formed for it; this is
readily done
the handle at the base being in the same relative position to
the pin in all the cartridges; the cartridge is afterwards pushed home, and by
the handle at its base it is turned round to bring the pin to the end of the
portion of the groove that is at right angles to the length of the barrel, the

page_text: cap or priming will by this means be brought to a position to be acted on by
the striker. When the striker is caused to explode the cap or priming of the
cartridge it is at the same time caused to drive inwards the pin projecting
from the cartridge, and thus the cartridge case is set free in the barrel, and
can be pushed forward on the insertion of another cartridge.