IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIREARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Westley Richards, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIREARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 1st January 1870, and dated the 13th August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Westley Richards at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th August 1869.
i, WESTLEY RICHARDS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH," to be
as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-
arms and in cartridges to be used therewith.
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 12th
June 1868, No. 1931, was described a breech-loading fire-arm in which
the breech was closed by a block mounted at its rear end on a horizontal
axis, and at its forward end rested on and was coupled to one arm of
Prios &d.]

page_text: a lever in such manner that by turning the lever the front end of
the breech block was caused to descend, so making way for the intro-
duction of a cartridge into the breech end of the barrel. This descending
breech block in the arrangement described in the before-mentioned
Specification was arranged to carry a striker and a tumbler and hammer
to act upon it.
According to my present Invention in place of arranging the
descending breech block to carry a tumbler and hammer I form in
the under side of the breech block a slot or recess extending nearly
up to the front face of the block for a hammer turning below the block
on a pin carried by the body or frame to work through. In this new
arrangement of the hammer I prefer to use the ordinary gun lock
spring as in the breech-loading arm described in the Patent No. 1931,
dated 12th June 1868, but instead of placing the spring under the
tang of the breech piece I place it under the breech end of the barrel
in front of the breech piece. Other arrangement of springs may
however be employed. From the slot a hole passes to the centre of the
front face of the breech block to allow the nose of the hammer to strike
against the cap in the base of a cartridge placed in. the breech end of
the barrel, I prefer to arrange the hammer to turn around the same pin
as the lever which works the descending breech block, and when the
lever is turned to open the breech it at the same time acts on the
haminer to bring it to full cock. The slot or recess in the under
side of the breech block is only made of just sufficient depth to allow
of the hammer turning freely when the breech block is properly in
its place to close the breech end of the barrel. If the breech is not
properly closed the hammer will either close the breech or will be
unable to strike against the cap of the cartridge. The moveable breech
blocks of other arrangements of breech-loading mechanism in which
the breech block is hinged to the body or frame may similarly be slotted
on their under side for a hammer carried by the body or frame to work
through and strike against the cap at the base of a cartridge placed in
the breech end of the barrel.
In the breech-loading arrangement known as Remington's and
described in the Specification of a Patent granted. to. Sanuel Remington
on the 5th day of January 1869 (No. 36) the breech block turns at its
lower end on a horizontal pin, the hammer is in rear of the breech block,
and acts upon the rear end of a striker carried by it. These breech

page_text: blocks have 'ordinarily been formed with a thumb piece, by which they
can be turned down after the hammer has been set at full cock. By
this arrangement two movements are required to open the breech, one
to bring the hammer to full cock, the other to turn down the breech
block.
According to my Invention I employ to full cock the hammer and
at the same time to turn down the breech block a lever turning on a
horizontal axis situated below the hammer and breech block and just
in front of the trigger guard. The lower arm of this lever is formed
with an arm or loop extending forwards, by means of which the lever
can be turned. Another arm of the lever is connected by a kind of
knuckle joint with the breech block, so that by turning the lever the
breech can be opened, and when the lever is turned to open the breech
a third arm acts upon a tail on the hammer to bring it to full cock,
when the breech is again closed. By turning the lever the arm or pro-
jection upon it which brought the hammer to full cock moves away
from the hammer, leaving the hammer free to fall as soon as the trigger
is pulled.
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 6th day
of March 1866 (No. 688) was described the forming a breech-loading
cartridge with an outer metal copsule at its rear end, the angle of the
capsule forming the base of the cartridge being strengthened by an
inner ring dished or flanged thus, LJ.
According to tay present Invention in addition to thus strengthening
the angle of the capsule I render the joint around the hat cap more
secure by placing over the hat cap a disc dished in the centre thus
, to fit over the end of the hat cap and also perforated with a
perforation in the centre to correspond with the perforation of the hat
cap to allow the explosion of the cap to pass to the powder; gas will thus
be effectually prevented from escaping at the joint around the hat cap.
Also according to my Invention I deposit pure metals upon the
insides and outsides of cartridge cases by electro-plating to prevent
oxidation or deterioration from the action of the powder, the climate, or
from other causes. The metal I prefer is cadmium, but any other suitable
metal may be used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters l'atent,
filed by the said Westley Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WESTLEY
RICHARDS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Westley Richards, Her special licence
that I, the said Westley Richards, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Westley Richards, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Westley Richards, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument 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 Westley Richards, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me, and dated the
12th day of June 1858, No. 1931, there was described a breech-loading
fire-arm in which the breech was closed by a block mounted at its rear
end on a horizontal axis, and at its forward end it rested on and was
coupled to one arm of a lever in such manner that by turning the lever
the front end of the breech block was caused to descond, so making way
for the introduction of a cartridge into the breech end of the barrel.
This desceuding breech block in the arrangement described in the before-

page_text: and hammer to act upon it.
My present Invention relates, firstly, to a modification of the breech_
loading action above referred to, in which I use an improved construction
of striker apparatus arranged in a more convenient and efficient manner,
as will appear from the following description, reference being had to the
Drawings annexed.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a military riflo
shewing my improvements. The stock is not shown, and a part of the
barrel is broken off. The parts aro in the positions which they occupy
when the gun is ready to be loaded. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section
of the parts in the positions they occupy after firing: a, a, is a portion
of the barrel at the breech end, it is fitted into a shoe or frame b. The
part 6 consists of a socket at the front to receive the barrel, of two side
cheeks, which carry the pins or axes of the working parts, and of a tang
at the back to aid in attaching the shoe or frame to the stock. c is the
breech block mounted on the pin or axis c', on which it turns freely;
when raised it closes the breech, and when depressed it leaves it open
for the reception of the cartridge. The breech block is actuated by the
hand lever d mounted on the pin or axis d'; the inner arm d² of the lever
when its outer end or handle is pressed forward comes against the horn c²
of the breech block and draws it down. When the handle is brought
back again until it lies along under the trigger guard the arm d² engages
in the hollow in the block in front of the horn c, and so lifts the
block until the breech is closed, when the end of the arm escapes from
the hollow and passes underneath the shoulder c', and so securely
locks the block in the position for firing. e is the hammer, it is mounted
on the same pin or axis d as the lever d, which is made with a central
slot to receive it, and there is also a slot formed in the block c, so that
the hammer may work through it, and so that its nose e may be pro-
truded through the central hole in the face of the block c to strike
the priming at the base of the central-fire cartridge; f is the main
spring, the longer limb of which presses on the shoulder e on the
hammer. When the breech is opened the arm d² of the lever d carrieg
the hammer back with it, and it is then caught by the sear g turning
on a pin g', which is thrown into the notch or bent 63 on the hammer
by the sear spring h, so that when the breech is again closed the hammer
remains back until it is released by pressing the trigger i, which turns

page_text: on a pin , and when drawn back lifts the tail of the sear. When the
hammer is thus released it flies forward and fires the cartridge, provided
the hand lever d is in its place, but otherwise the hammer will be
checked by the slot in the lever into which it is fitted, the slot being
of such a size as only to allow of the action of the hammer when the
lever is properly placed. The sear g and the trigger i are both mounted
on the trigger guard k, which is secured to the shoe or body b. 7 is
the extractor to throw the cartridge case out of the barrel after firing;
it is mounted upon the pin or axis d, and its upper end is fitted into
a notch or recess at the back of the chamber or enlarged part of the
bore of the barrel, into which the cartridge is received, so that the
flange of the cartridge when in the gun rests against the end of the
extractor, which is immediately in front of it. When the breech is
opened a shoulder on the hand lever d comes against the extractor just
as the hand lever is completing its movement and throws it back so
as to eject the cartridge case, and as the breech is closed the breech
block itself in rising carries the new cartridge home into its place
and the extractor with it.
Figures 3 show a portion of the hand lever d.
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 6th day
of March 1866 (No. 688), was described the forming a breech-loading
cartridge with an outer metal capsule at its rear end, the angle of the
capsule forming the base of the cartridge being strengthened by an inner
ring dished or flanged thus L J.
According to the second part of my present Invention, which relates
to an improved construction of cartridge, in addition to strengthening
the angle of the capsule in the manner described in my former Specifi-
cation above mentioned I render the joint around the hat cap more
secure by placing over the hat cap a disk dished in the centre thus |17|_
to fit over the end of the hat cap, and also perforated with a perfo-
ration in the centre to correspond with the perforation of the hat
cap to allow the explosion of the cap to pass to the powder; gas
will thus be effectually prevented from escaping at the joint around
the hat cap.
a is
Figure 4 is a vertical section of a cartridge thus, constructed.
the metal capsule or powder case with a recess in its bottom to receive
the anvil and percussion cap as before; 6 is the inner angle ring, it
may advantageously, as the Drawing shows it, be so made as to com-

page_text: pletely cover (except at the vent) the projection of the capsule, in
which percussion arrangement is contained; c is the outer angle ring,
which when the cartridge is fired expands into and fills the angle at
the flange of the cartridge.
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 constructing breech-loading fire-arms, in which the
breech is closed by a block turning on a horizontal axis at its rear
end with a hammer turning on a separate axis, and so arranged that
its nose may be made to strike through the falling block directly upon
the priming apparatus in the base of the cartridge, substantially as above
described.
I also claim the actuating the hammer used for my improved striker
apparatus by means of a bent spring, like the mainspring of an ordinary
gun lock, such spring being placed in front of the hammer beneath the
barrel, substantially as above described.
I also claim the coustructing cartridges with dished or flanged rings b
and c to strengthen both the outer and inner angles, substantially as
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Westley Richards, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of February, in the year
of our Lord. One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
WESTLEY RICHARDS. (L.S.)