IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS, AND IN PRIMING AND CAPPING THE SAME
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Cecil Henry Russell and Joseph
Needham at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 30th January 1865.
We, CECIL HENRY RUSSELL, of Old Square, Lincoln's Inn, Barrister-at-Law,
and JOSEPH NEEDHAM, of Piccadilly, Gunmaker, both in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS, AND IN PRIMING AND CAPPING THE SAME," to be
as follows:-
Our improvements in breech-loading fire-arms consist in adapting the nose
of the breech plug, or part by which the breech of the gun is closed, to receive
the priming cap by which the charge of the gun is exploded, the cap at the
same time acting as a packing to prevent the gas escaping from the rear of
the barrel.
In carrying out our Invention we enclose the action or part of it within
the breech plug, and we prefer to hinge such plug to the side of the barrel
at the end of the plug nearest the nose, and we form the nose somewhat like
such parts are ordinarily constructed, viz., with a cylindrical part entering the
bore, and a flange part to press against a shoulder, which renders the closure
tight; in this case we make the cylindrical part smaller than the bore, so that
a copper cap may be placed on it and still freely enter the breech bore. This
copper cap we make somewhat in the ordinary manner of an ordinary per-
cussion cap, that is to say, with a flange extending from the cylindrical body.

page_text: and with percussion powder in the top, the construction of which will be
herein-after more fully explained. The flange of the cap, when placed in
position on the plug nose is interposed between the shoulder thereof and the
recess or shoulder at breech end of the barrel, and renders it gas-tight; the
flange is slightly curled forwards, which curl gives way to the force of explosion,
uncurls and perfects the junction. The cap thus placed on the nose is thrust
forwards head first after the cartridge or charge, against which it presses.
The charge is exploded by a pin contained within the plug which is protruded
through the nose end and strikes against the inside of the cap which explodes,
and the fire passes through the top of the cap and enters the charge. Instead
of the cap fitting on the nose of the breech plug its position may be reversed,
that is to say, fitted into a cavity formed in the nose to receive it, but still
with the flange to form the packing as before. The lock action which as
before mentioned is contained within the movable breech plug consists of a
bolt placed concentric therein and propelled forwards by a spring encircling it,
the spring having an abutment at one end and bearing at the other end against
a pin projecting from the side of the bolt. The pressure of the spring propels the
bolt forwards when required and also constantly tends to depress the back end of
the bolt, on which there is a catch, this catch when cocked takes hold of a fixed
part from which it is released by the trigger at the time of firing. The bolt first
mentioned is reduced at the fore end and forms the hammer, punch, or striker
before referred to, which explodes the cap. At the rear end of the breech
plug is mounted a thumb lever for locking the plug in position. On the axis
of this lever in the hollow of the plug is a cylindrical piece, on the periphery.
of which is a single tooth somewhat like a ratchet tooth. This tooth takes.
into a gab or hollow in the side of the striking bolt and on the opposite side
to that of the holding or trigger catch before mentioned. When the breech
is released and opened by moving the thumb lever the tooth takes hold of a
shoulder and draws the bolt back, and so cocks the action. In closing the
breech and fixing the plug after loading, the lever motion is reversed, but not
completed, this withdraws the tooth from the shoulder by which it propelled
the bolt to cock it, but this tooth still presses on a rounded shoulder at the
other termination of the gab and keeps the bolt pressed down on the trigger
catch so that it cannot by any possibility go off. When it is desired to full
cock, the motion of the thumb lever is completed, which rotates the tooth to
a position where it no longer impedes the motion of the bolt, which will then
be free to be discharged by the trigger. The second motion of the lever is
inoperative as regards detaching or securing the breech plug, it being securely
fixed by the first motion. In discharging the fire-arm the trigger. simply

page_text: lifts the hooked or holding part of the bolt off the fixed catch at the rear end
of the breech plug, the bolt is then propelled forward and strikes the inside of
the cap as before explained.
Our improvements in caps and priming consist in placing the priming or
detonating powder in a space between two thicknesses of metal or other suitable
material forming the top of the cap, the inner thickness is made strong, while
the outer surface is very thin and may be further weakened by slits or fine
holes so that the fire may readily escape when the ignition and explosion
of the percussion powder takes place by the blow of the bolt or hammer on
the inner and thick plate; it is intended that this inner plate shall resist the
explosion of the priming, and remain solid, so as to prevent the gas entering by
the bolt or hammer hole in the nose of the plug, and so avoid fouling the
action, as is commonly the case in needle guns. When the cap is of large
diameter we confine the priming to a cavity formed by raising or stamping up
a sufficient area in the centre of the crown of the cap to the requisite height.
We sometimes form the cap and cartridge in one, using the cap, made as
before described, as the base of the cartridge. In this case the cartridge and
cap would be inserted in the bore, and the plug moved into the closed position,
when the nose would enter the cap and answer the same purposes as the
capping of the nose before closing, and as above described.
In order to withdraw the cap, should it not adhere to the plug, we fix two
arms on the plug axis, one at either side, and at a distance apart rather less
than the diameter of the flange, small cavities are made in the breech end of
the barrel to receive these arms, which are disposed in front of the flange, and
so that when the plug is rotated on its axis the arms move and bear on the
flange of the cap so as to draw it out, and it may be the cartridge case with it,
from the bore of the gun.