IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING RIFLES OR. FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Walsh at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd September.
-1864.
I, JOHN HENRY WALSH, of Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING RIFLES OR. FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
These improvements are designed chiefly with a view of converting ordinary
muzzle-loading rifles or fire-arms into breech-loaders, without interfering in
any way with their capability of being loaded at the muzzle when required
but the improvements are equally applicable to the manufacture of breech-
loading rifles or fire-arms which are not intended or required to be loaded at
the muzzle.
The cartridge to be used with the improved rifle or fire-arm (when loading
at the breech) is that which is now well known as the "Lefaucheux"
cartridge, having a metallic (or partially metallic) case inside, which is the
detonating cap, the latter being exploded by a blow upon a pin which projects
at a right angle or nearly so from the rear end of the cartridge case.
In carrying out my Invention I screw the breech end of the barrel into a
strong breech-piece, which is bored out to correspond with the barrel, and is
recessed at the back, to allow of the introduction of the cartridge in a line
with the bore of the barrel. The rear end of the barrel is closed by means of
a solid breech-block hinged at one side to the breech-piece, so as to be capable
of being turned over to expose the breech for loading, and of being turned

page_text: back again, so as to close the same, the binged breech-block being recessed
into the brecch-piece, so as to have a firm abutment against the latter to
resist the force of the explosion. At the opposite side to the hinge the breech-
block is provided with a thumb-piece, by means of which it is turned over and
brought back again. When the cartridge is inserted, the pin of the same pro-
jects through the breech-piece immediately in front of the hinged breech-block,
and in a vertical line above the axis of the barrel, and it therefore becomes
necessary to make arrangements so as to be able to strike this pin without
the-hammer-interfering-with-the-line-of-sight, and in-order-to accomplish this
I hinge a "striker" on to the thumb-piece, in such a manner that the outer
end of the striker (when the breech is closed) rests upon the pin of the
cartridge, so that by using the ordinary lock and hammer without alteration,
the hammer falls upon the striker just inside the thumb-piece, and the striker
transmits the blow to the pin and explodes the cartridge. It will be evident
that with this arrangement a longer pin can be used to the cartridge, the
hammer is kept well out of the line of sight, and also that it is impossible for
the hammer to explode the cartridge until the breech-block is in its place, at
the same time that the blow of the hammer forces the breech-block well home
if it should have been imperfectly closed. If it is intended that the rifle or
fire-arm should also be capable of being used as a muzzle-loader when
required, I screw an ordinary nipple into the hinged breech-block in a vertical
position immediately behind the cartridge pin, and I drill a hole of com-
munication in the front of the breech-block opposite to the axis of the barrel,
and in the place of having a cartridge case I insert into the breech a false
breech or cylinder of steel, of a sufficient length to fill the chamber, and to
contain rather less than the ordinary charge of powder. This cylinder is
closed at the rear end, and is fitted with a reversed nipple screwed therein,
and also with a pin for closing the hole occupied by the striking pin of the
cartridge when the breech-loading arrangement is used. The rifle or fire-arm
can then be loaded at the muzzle and fired with the ordinary percussion cap,
the same "striker" answering for both the pin and the nipple.