IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING ORDNANCE to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: I ANDREW NOBLE late Captain in the Royal Artillery of Jesmonddine House
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Manufacturing Engineer do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH LOADING ORDNANCE to be as
follows:--
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech loading ordnance and
the improvements relate to that class of breech loading ordnance in which the
breech is held in place by interrupted screw threads upon it taking into corre-
spondingly interrupted screw threads within the interior of the breech so that by
giving a partial turn to the breech piece it can be made to engage with or be
disengaged from the screw threads within the breech.
The breech piece I make capable of being turned within a ring which is carried
by a binge joint at one side of the breech-I also preferably make the breech piece
in steps so that it is of larger diameter at its rear than at its front end as described
in the specification of a Patent granted to Josiah Vavasseur on the 22nd day of
November 1882 No 5559 and as is also described in that specification I preferably
make the portions of screw thread on the one step to be in front of the spaces,
between the portions of screw thread on the other step-but instead of making the
innermost step with parallel sides so that the breech piece has to be drawn back a
distance through the ring before it can be turned to one side I make it of a conical
form so that when the screw threads are not interlocking it may at once be turned
aside together with the ring which carries it without previously drawing it back a
distance as heretofore. In this way the speed at which the gun can be fired is
greatly increased.
It is not essential that the breech piece should be formed in steps in the manner
above described the breech piece might be formed with the ordinary divided screw
upon it and yet be made of such a form that it can be at once swung aside when
this divided screw is not interlocking with the corresponding divided screw within
the breech,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech Loading Ordnance.
,
I, ANDREW NOBLE late Captain in the Royal Artillery of Jesmond Dene House
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Manufacturing 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 :—
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech loading ordnance and
the improvements relate to that class of breech loading ordnance in which the
breech piece is held in place by interrupted screw threads upon it taking into
correspondingly interrupted screw threads within the interior of the breech so that
by giving a partial turn to the breech piece it can be made to engage with or be
disengaged from the screw threads within the breech.
Heretofore in breech loading guns of this class the breech piece has been so made
that when it has been turned to disengage it from the screw threads within the
breech it has had to be drawn back a distance before it could be turned aside
around a hinge joint at one side of the breech. According to iny invention I make
the breech piece of such a form that it can at once be turned aside without
previously drawing it back as heretofore.
The Drawings annexed shew the breech end of a gun closed in the manner above
described.
Figure 1 is a back view of the breech-Figure 2 a plan view and Figure 3 a
vertical section.
A is the breech piece with divided screw threads on its exterior to engage with
corresponding divided screw threads in the interior of the breech-B¹ is a pivot
which carries the breech piece A and on which the breech piece is free to turn in
the direction of screwing or unscrewing this pivot is at the end of a bar B which
at its other end can swing on a hinge joint C to one side of the breech.
In the construction shewn in the drawing the breech piece is made in steps so
that it is of larger diameter at its rear than at its front end and the portions of the
screw thread on the one step are made to be in front of the spaces between the
portions of the screw thread on the other step-the foremost step is also made
conical as best seen in Figure 3. By making this end conical the breech piece
when not interlocking with the screw threads in the breech can be freely turned to
one side on the hinge joint C. It is not essential that the breech picco should be
formed in steps as shewn-it might be formed with the ordinary divided screw but
tapered to such an extent that it can at once be swung aside when the divided
screw upon it is not interlocking with the divided screw in the breech.
In the construction shewn in the Drawing the breech piece A has fixed to its
rear end a ring A'-a portion of the rear end of this ring is slotted away where the
bar B lies across it-when one end of the slot comes against the upper side of the

page_text: bar the breech pieco is in its unlocked position and when the opposite end of
the slot is brought against the under side of the bar the breech piece is in its
locked position.
The ring A' has jointed to it a lever D by which the breech piece can be turned
on its axis B¹ and is also provided with a handle E by which the breech piece can
be turned to one side on the joint C.
Any suitable arrangement of mechanism may be used for firing the gun-the
arrangement shewn in the Drawings is as follows:-
The central firing pin or hammer F is as usual projected forwards by a coiled
spring G-the rear end of the hammer is connected to one arm of a crank lever H
the other arm of which has jointed to it a hook piece I-this hook is pressed by a
spring against the end of one arm of a crank lever J the other arm of which is
made to rest against a fixed cam surface K at the hinge C.
When the breech piece is turned to one side on the hinge C the crank lever J is
brought into such a position that the hook I can hook over it. When the breech
piece is being turned into position to close the breech the lever J returns to the
position shown in Figure 2 and acting through the hook I on the lever H causes
the striker to be drawn back. The parts of the firing mechanisın remain in this
position until the hook I is drawn back by a lanyard-the spiral spring G then
throws the striker forward and fires the gun.
In order to prevent the gun from being fired unless the breech is securely closed
I preferably use a safety bolt such as shown at L Figure 3. When the safety bolt
is in the position shown in this Figure the hammer cannot be thrown forward
sufficiently to fire the gun and the gun cannot be fired until the lever arm D.is turned
down into the position shewn by dotted lines so as to raise the safety bolt out of the
way of the hammer.-As will be seen the lever arm cannot be moved into this position
until the breech piece has been turned into its locked position and the boss of the
lever D has so been brought opposite to a recess M in the rear end of the breech.
The safety bolt drops into position to prevent the gun from being fired at the time
when the hammer is drawn back to full cock as the breech is being closed.
M is a recess in the rear end of the breech into which the cam N on the heel of
the lever D enters when the lever D is turned down to the position D D.
This cam locks the breech-piece when closed, so that it cannot be unscrewed by
the vibrations and strains of firing.
When the breech piece has been swung into its position within the breech, the
breech-piece has to have a partial turn given to it to cause the divided screw upon
it to lock with the divided screw in the breech-this cannot be done unless the
lever arm D extends outwards from the ring A¹ in the position shown by full lines
in Figure 3. The safety bolt must therefore of necessity be free to drop into
position to lock the hammer and the safety bolt cannot be again raised until the
breech piece is securely locked.
I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the use of this
particular means of firing the gun as other arrangements might be employed for
the purpose-the arrangement shewn is however a convenient one.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The construction of the breech piece of breech loading ordnance with inter-
rupted screw threads upon its circumference to engage with correspondingly
interrupted threads in the breech and made of such a tapered form that im-
mediately the screw threads upon it have been disengaged from the screw threads
within the breech it can at once be turned aside on a hinge joint at one side of
the breech substantially as described.
2. The construction of the breech piece of breech loading ordnance in two or
more steps with interrupted screw threads upon their circumference to engage with

page_text: correspondingly interrupted threads in the breech and with the innermost step
made of a tapered form so that immediately the screw threads upon the breech
piece have been disengaged from the screw threads within the breech the breech
piece can at once be turned aside on a hinge joint at one side of the breech sub-
stantially as described.
.3. The construction of breech loading ordnance substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the drawing annexed.