Improvements in Breech Appliances and Cartridges for Adapting Fire Arms for Miniature Ammunition.
Year: 1889

page_text: D te of Application, 7th Mar., 1859
Specification Accepted, 13th Apr., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech Appliances and Cartridges for Adapting
Fire Arms for Miniature Ammunition.
I, RICHARD MORRIS, of Bennett Park, Blackheath, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In my Specifications No. 285, and 1160 of 1885 I described a mode of adapting
fire arms for use with miniature ammunition by fitting in the charge chamber of the
arm a tube having a small bore suitable for a miniature cartridge.
It has been found that the shell of the miniature cartridge becomes expanded by
the explosion so as to hold firmly to the tube and consequently in extracting the shell
of a spent cartridge the tube was apt to become dislodged or withdrawn causing
trouble and inconvenience to the operator.
My present invention relates to a construction of the breech tube and miniature
cartridge such as avoids this objection, as I shall describe referring to the accom-
panying drawing which is a longitudinal section of the improved breech tube with a
miniature cartridge shewn in elevation in it.
A is the tube having a small bore suited for the miniature projectile B. The front
end of the tube A is tapered to suit the shape of the charge chamber where the
bore becomes reduced. The hole at the other or breech end D of the tube (which
does not reach the breech end of the charge chamber) is trumpet mouthed. The
miniature cartridge has its body E of the size to fit the breech part of the charge
chamber of the rifle, its flange F of the same size as that of the regular ammunition
and its projectile B of the size of the bore of A, the mouth of the cartridge shell being
tapered inwards to hold the projectile and to fit the trumpet mouth at D.
this cartridge is fired, it is principally its body E which tends to become expanded
by the explosion, and therefore it becomes tightened, not in the bore of the tube A,
but in that of the chamber of the gun. The front tapered part of the shell also
undergoes a little expansion sufficient to prevent escape of gas at D but not sufficient
to take hold of the tube from which its taper allows it to be readily withdrawn. For
When

page_text: extracting the shell of a spent cartridge, the ordinary extractor operates by the
flange F in the usual way. As the body and flange of the miniature cartridge are of
the same size as the base part of the ordinary cartridges, spent shells of the latter
can be used for making the shells of the miniature cartridges.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
For adapting fire arms for miniature ammunition, the use of a small bore tube
fitting the charge chamber but not reaching to its breech end, in combination with a
short cartridge fitting the part of the chamber not occupied by the tube, and having
a coned mouth and projectile entering the breech end of the tube, substantially as
described.
-+1
000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.