IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE- ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lieutenant Francis Bacon, of the Royal Marine
Artillery, of Wymondham Rectory, in the County of Leicester, for the
J
Sealed the 6th August 1867, and dated the 12th February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Bacon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th February 1867.
I; Lieutenant FRANCIS BACON, of the Royal Marine Artillery, of
Wymondham Rectory, in the County of Leicester, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-arms:
To the breech end of the barrel is fixed a dovetail guide parallel with the axis
of the barrel; along this guide a block is able to slide so as to close or open
the breech end of the barrel; the block is worked by means of a lever or
handle jointed to it, which when the block is resting against the breech end
of the barrel and so closing it turns down, and then a lump on the lever or
handle comes in behind the block and between it and a stump fixed on the
guide, and so the breech block is secured in its place. In connection with
the breech block is applied a hook or extractor, which when the block is
closing the breech fits into a notch or recess in the rear end of the barrel,
and when it is drawn back the extractor catches the flange at the back of
the cartridge case so as to cause the case to come back with the block. It is

page_text: fixed to the block and the
When the breech is opened
preferred to make the extractor in two parts, one
other capable of sliding longitudinally thereon.
during the first part of the movement of the breech block the two parts of
the extractor move with it as one, but when it gets near the end of its course
one part of the extractor ceases to travel, whilst the other goes on with the
block so as to facilitate the removal of the case and the introduction of a
fresh cartridge. This effect is obtained by making the part of the extractor
which is able to slide on the block with projections on its hinder end, which
projections by riding on the face of the block guide raise or cant up slightly
the hinder end of this part, and when so raised a notch on its upper surface
catches upon the end of the fixed portion of the extractor, and in this position
the two parts work with the block as one. When, however, the moving part
of the extractor has arrived at the place where it is to stop it finds recesses in
the guide underneath its projections and its rear end, then dropping down
becomes free from the block. In the breech block is a striker, which moving
in the axis of the barrel comes against the priming of the cartridge and
explodes it. The lock which gives this movement to the striker consists of
a frame fitted to the under side of the stock, and carrying a bar which is
parallel or nearly parallel with the barrel, but below it. On this bar is a
slide with a projection upon it passing upwards into the breech block, and a
spiral spring coiled around the bar tends constantly to force the slide forwards
until it is stopped by its projection resting against the back of the striker.
When the breech block is drawn back to open the breech the spiral spring is
overcome and the slide comes back with it, and then is caught and retained
by a sear in connection with the trigger, so that it remains back when the
breech is closed. When the trigger is pulled the slide is released and imme-
diately its spiral spring carries it forwards until its projection comes forcibly
against the štriker, and driving it forwards explodes the cartridge. There is
a trigger-like projection on the slide by means of which it may be lowered
quietly so as to relieve the tension of the spring when desired. A single screw
pin or key serves to retain the lock in its recess, and the breech block is kept
in its place, so that it cannot when the gun is in use slide off at the rear end
of its guide by the projection from the lock slide which acts on the striker;
hence when the lock is removed the breech block can be taken off without
releasing any other fastening, and the bore of the barrel is then left clear of
all obstruction at its breech end, so as to be very readily cleaned.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Bacon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Lieutenant
FRANCIS BACON, of the Royal Marine Artillery, of Wymondham Rectory, in
the County of Leicester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Francis Bacon, Her special licence that I, the said Francis Bacon,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Francis Bacon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
tinie agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that.
I, the said Francis Bacon, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Bacon, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-arms.
To the breech end of the barrel is fixed a dovetail guide parallel with the axis
of the barrel; along this guide a block is able to slide so as to close or open
the breech end of the barrel; the block is worked by means of a lever or
handle jointed to it, which when the block is resting against the breech end
of the barrel and so closing it turns down, and then a lump on the lever or
handle comes in behind the block and between it and a stump fixed on the
guide, and so the breech lock is secured in its place. In connection with the
breech block is applied a hook or extractor which when the block is closing
the breech fits into a notch or recess in the rear end of the barrel, and when it

page_text: its forward position is held up to the breech end of the barrel by turning
down its lever or handle d¹, so as to bring a piece d¹, which it carries between
the rear end of the block d and the lump on the shoe; the piece d¹* is
jointed to the lever d' at dxx to allow it to move freely into and out of its
place behind the block d. d is an extractor mounted upon the top of the
block and projecting from its face; it is formed with a flange to receive and
hold the flange at the back of the cartridge. A notch is formed at the rear
end of the bore of the piece to receive the projecting end of this extractor
when the breech is closed. c¹× is a groove formed in the face of the dovetailed
guide c', and in loading the piece the base of the cartridge is allowed to lie in
this groove with its fore end only inserted into the bore until the block d is
pushed home; when the cartridge is in this position its flange is below the end
of the extractor, but as the cartridge is pushed forward by the face of the
block its flange rises up behind the flange of the extractor d²; the extractor
is able to slide freely for a short distance along the top of the block. d³ is the
striker by which the cartridge is exploded; it is driven forward by the lock,
as is herein-after described, and is furnished with a coiled spring tending to
withdraw it when it is free. After firing when the block d is next drawn
back the extractor d' and 'the striker d³ between them hold the base of the
cartridge case, which is unable to escape them so long as its fore end remains
in the bore, but as the fore end of the cartridge case passes out of the bore
the pressure of the striker on the centre of its base cants it upwards out of the
extractor, and it falls clear away; it is able to escape from the extractor thus
freely in consequence of the slight movement which the extractor is able to
make on the top of the block d, which causes it to hold the cartridge case but
loosely when the breech is open. The lock which I employ is shewn separately
at Figure 5; it consists of a bar e carried at its fore end by a lugf on the
lock frame, and at its hinder end it is screwed into a link g jointed to the lock
frame. As will be seen, the lug fon the lock frame has a slotted hole in it,
and the bar e is flattened at the end, so that it can enter down through the
slot, and then be secured in the hole by turning it a quarter round; h is a
slide upon the bar e; it is acted on by a coiled spring el, tending constantly to
force it forward; this slide is made tubular, as is shewn, so as to accommodate
this spring within it; h' is a trigger-formed projection upon the slide h, passing
out through a slot in the lock frame; by it the slide can be drawn back, and
the spring compressed; h³ is a notch in the slide, into which when it is drawn
back the sear & jointed to the lock frame catches, so as to hold the slide back;
1 is a trigger also jointed to the lock frame by means of which the sear can bo
pushed out of the notch h² to allow the slide to fly forward to fire the piece ;

page_text: h³ is another projection on the slide h; it passes up through the slot c³ in the
shoe, and enters the interior of the block d, and when the slide h is in its
forward position the projection h³ bears on the end of the striker d³, the breach
being closed. By arranging the lock as above described a coiled spring of any
length can be used. When the block d is drawn back to open the breech it
brings the slide with it until it is caught by the sear, and is able to move no
further back, then the projection h³ forms a stop to prevent the block d being
drawn off at the end of its guide c'. The lock is received between the side
cheeks c' of the shoe, and it is held there by the single screw or key m; this
screw or key, as represented in the Drawing, passes through the cheeks c* and
through the stock turning therein, as in bearings; a thread is formed upon it
between the cheeks c, and there is a nut m¹ upon the thread; this nut is so
formed that it is unable to turn, so that when the screw or key m is turned it
traverses, and this takes the nib mx upon the nut underneath the hinder end
of the bar e, and so secures the lock, or contrarywise by turning the screw or
key in the opposite direction the lock is set free. The front end of the lock
enters under a covering plate fixed to the stock.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is the
general arrangement of the parts of a breech-loading fire-arm, as herein-before
described.
I also claim the combination of a breech block sliding on a guide longi-
tudinally to and from the breech of the barrel, and carrying a striker to explode
the cartridge with a coiled spring running beneath the barrel and actuating
the said striker.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Bacon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
FRANCIS BACON. (L.S.)