IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-ARMS." A communication from abroad by Francis H. Bell, of
the City and County of Washington, in the District of Columbia, in the
United States of America.
Scaled the 24th June 1859, and dated the 25th March 1859. .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th March 1859.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," a communication from abroad by Francis H.
Bell, of the City and County of Washington, in the District of Columbia, in
the United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to what are technically known as "self-primers" for
fire-arms, and it appertains more particularly to that class of self-primers
wherein the magazine is contained in the hammer of the lock, as described in
the Provisional Specification filed by me in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th of February 1859, and numbered 367.
According to this Invention it is proposed to combine suitable mechanical
devices with the slide which pushes forward the individual primers (which are

page_text: of the flat or wafer kind) into the striking part of the hammer, by means of
which combination the slide can bo either kept rigidly in position over the
mouth of the magazine chamber, so as to intercept all communication with the
latter, or it may be thrown in gear with the lock plate, so that by cocking the
hammer it will be acted upon in such a manner as to force a primer from the
magazine chamber into the discharge chamber of the hammer on the descent
of the latter upon the nipple. By adopting suitable contrivances for throwing
the slide out of gear the hammer can be operated without disclosing the mouth
of the magazine or removing any of the primers therefrom, and consequently
the hammer can at any time be used with the ordinary percussion cap.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and
of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
'reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
'said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,. or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," a communication from abroad by Francis H. Bell,
of the City and County of Washington, in the District of Columbia, in the
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
.said John Henry Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
.scal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, .that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and.
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :—
.
:
The said Invention relates to what technically known as "self-primers ".
for fire-arms, and it appertains more particularly to that class of self-primers.
wherein the magazine is contained in the hammer of the lock, as described in
the Provisional Specification filed by me in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the Ninth of February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, and
numbered 367.
According to this Invention it is proposed to combine suitable mechanical
devices with the slide which pushes forward the individual primers (which aro
of the flat or wafer kind) into the striking part of the hammer, by means of
which combination the slide can be either kept rigidly in position over tho
mouth of the magazine chamber so as to intercept all cominunication with the
latter, or it may be thrown in gear with the lock plate, so that by cocking the
hammer it will be acted upon in such a manner as to force a primer from the
magazine chamber into the discharge chamber of the hammer on the descent
of the latter upon the nipple. By adopting suitable contrivances for. throwing
the slide out of gear the hammer can be operated without disclosing the mouth
of the magazine or removing any of the primers therefrom, and consequently.
the hammer can at any time be used with the ordinary percussion cap.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
The several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings represent sectional
and other details of a lock and. hammer with the various portions of my
improved primer in connection therewith...
The magazine chamber (A), Figure 3,) is represented as being arranged in
the hammer (B) in a horizontal plane, although it may be set at any suitable
angle; on the inner side of this chamber are cut one, or more slots a, a, two
being shown in the Drawing at Figures 2 and 3. These slots are made of a
size sufficient to give vent to such part of the discharge of the cap as may
possibly find entrance into the magazine when exploded. They are so arranged
that the pin (a), formed on or otherwise secured to the side of the plunger (b),
shall be seen as it traverses the slot (p), cut in the side of the magazine (D,
:

page_text: Figures 5 and 6), that contains the caps, by which arrangement the party
using the cock can always determine whether there are caps still remaining
in the magazine, for by the time tho pin (a) has travelled the full length of
the slot (p) in the magazine (D), and rests opposite the end of the slot (a) in
the side of the hammer next the discharging chamber (c), the last cap will
have been discharged from the magazine. These slots are also so formed that
should rain fall on the hammer and run down in the slots, it will pass out of
the same, their sides being properly bevelled for that purpose.
In the magazine chamber (which in this instance is of cylindrical form, to
suit the shape of the caps used, although it may be made of any other suitable
shape, either for circular or other shaped caps) is inserted the. magazine (D,
Figures 5 and 6). This magazine consists of a tube secured at one end to a
head plate (d), and having a slot (p). cut in its side, in which the pin (a) of the
plunger slides. The plunger for this purpose is inserted in the magazine (D),
previous to which, however, a spiral or other suitably formed spring (e) is first
secured at one end to the cap piece (d), or inserted in the magazine, so that its
other end shall act upon the plunger and force it outwards. On one side of
the slot (p) in the magazine is cut a small notch (*) at the end next the cap
piece, into which the pin (a) of the plunger is forced when it is desired to
charge the magazine with primers, as represented in Figure 6, Figure 5 repre-
senting the normal position of the plunger when the pin is disengaged from
the notch.
When the magazine is charged, and the plunger and spring still held in a
retracted position by the pin (a) being engaged with the notch (2), it is then
inserted in this condition into the chamber (A), and as the magazine
advances, the pin (a) is made to traverse a spiral or inclined groove, so cut in
the lower side of the chamber (A), that when the magazine has been fully
entered, the groove shall have disengaged the pin (a) from the notch (=), and
thus released the spring (e), which then acts on the plunger (6), and forces the
primers up against the guard plate (f), arranged in the forward end of the
hammer, thus bringing each primer in succession immediately over the upper
end of the slide (E). This slide forces the primers into the discharging
chamber (c) of the hammer through the spuco (0), left between the guard
plate and that part of the hammer that forms the front end of the magazine
chamber A, as seen in Figure 3.
. In making the plunger, it is deemed better to make it of some light
inaterial, such as hard wood, bone, or ivory, or soft metal, but ivory or bone
is preferred, as whilst they are of sufficient hardness, toughness, and strength
to retain their shape in continued use, they are still not of a weight sufficient.

page_text: to effect an explosion of the caps during the reaction of the spring on a
cap being exploded by the descent of the hammer on the nipple.
In order to retain the magazine (D) securely in the hammer on being
inserted in the magazine chamber (A), a spring catch (9) is suitably arranged
and secured to its side (as shown in Figure 5), which takes into a notch (u),
formed in the upper side of the chamber (A). This plan not only renders it
easy to be removed and replaced for the purpose of charging it, but also
lessons the projection of the head piece beyond the rear end of the hanımer,
which is for many reasons a great objection. The guard plate (f) is made
with a shoulder on one side, against which plays one side of the head h of
the slide E (Figures 7 and 8), thus forming a depression, as it were, of a
depth sufficient to permit that end only of the slide to play or slide freely
between the guard plate and the inner side face of the hammer opposite the
front end of the magazine chamber; thus made, the guard plate is dovetailed
into the hammer (B), as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 8, and held in place by
a screw i (Figure 1), the head of which is so cut as to admit of the guard
plate being inserted in the face of the hammer, and when inserted, to be held
therein by simply turning round the screw, as shown in Figure 1. By making
the guard plate removable, it enables the party using the lock thoroughly
to clear the chamber (A), should it become foul.
The slide or pusher (E) that forces the caps from the magazine into the
discharging chamber (c) is arranged to slide in a groove t (Figure 11), formed
on the inside of the arm of the hammer, both it and the hammer being
suitably curved (as in Figure 4), to bring the primer and discharging chamber
immediately over the nipple (1) of the gun; the nipple, in this instance, for
the purpose of illustration, being represented as forming a part of the lock,
while in practice it is attached or secured in the gun chamber. In the
bottom of the groove t is formed another groove (s), of a width and length
sufficient to receive the spring stop or tooth, this groove being inclined to a
depth suflicient to receive the spring tooth in its normal position, as shown in
Figure 7, for a purpose to be herein-after explained. To the side of the
pusher or slide (E is pivoted a spring stop or tooth, which projects
beyond the lower end of the slide, and rests on a cam 7 (Figures 9 and 10),
or half cylinder, suitably arranged in the arm of the hammer; to which it is
secured by a pin passing through the sides of the hammer, and taking into a
groover, formed on the end of the cylinder, so that it will be free to turn a
half revolution on its axis. In the side of the lock immediately opposito the
spring tooth is cut a hole q, of a size slightly larger than the tooth, so as to
allow a slight play therein, by means of which, and the pivoting of the spring

page_text: tooth to the slide, the necessary compensation will be given to the slide for the
difference between the orbit in which it plays and the orbit in which the
hammer works. This may also be effected, if deemed advisable, by hinging
the upper end h of the slide to its arm. On the end of the cam is formed
an arm m, of suitable shape, by means of which the cam is operated, so that
when the slide is in the position shown in black lines in Figure 4, and placed
on the lock (the notched side of the cam being upwards, thereby allowing
the spring to assume its normal position, as shown in Figure 7), the slide
will be out of gear and tightly kept in position by means of the groove t in
such manner as to shut off all communication with the magazine chamber,
and hence the hammer may be raised and lowered without operating the
slide or opening the mouth of the magazine, inasmuch as the spring stop or
pink is retracted or disengaged from its bearing 7 in the lock plate, and there-
fore is free to travel with the hammer as if it formed a portion of the latter.
But by causing the arın m of the cam to perform a half revolution
from its position in black lines to its position in red lines, Figure 4,
when the hammer is down on the nipple, the slide is put in gear as
that motion has caused the raised or full side of the cam to compress the
spring n, and force its tooth into the hole or bearing 9 in the lock, and free it
from the grooves, so that when the hammer is raised and moves on an axis
independant of and away from the axis k of the slide, it withdraws the slide
from the mouth of the magazine or shield D, and allows the plunger b, and
spring e, to force a primer against the inner side of the guard plate f,
immediately in front of the end of the slide. When the hammer is depressed,
and consequently moved towards the axis of the slide k, it causes the latter
to force the primer into the discharging chamber c, where it is held by centri-
petal force until discharged by the descent of the hammer upon the nipple.
By turning the arm m of the cam back again to its former position, so as to
turn the notched side of the cam towards the spring n, thereby allowing the
spring to assume its normal position, the slide will be thrown out of gear as
before, when the hammer, if desired, can be used in connection with the
common percussion cup. In order that the slide, when fixed for operating,
may be kept in gear, a spring v is secured to the front side of the arm of tho
hammer, which takes into a notch cut on the inner face of the arm of the
cam, and, if deemed necessary, another may be arranged to keep it out of
gear, or the spring catch v may be secured to the inner face of the arm m, as
shown in red lines in Figure 9, in which event suitable indentations may be
formed on the front side of the hammer to retain it in either position. Or
instead of the devices for throwing the slide in and out of gear being arranged

page_text: in the arm of the hammer, they may be suitably constructed and arranged in
the side of the lock plate, or other equivalent devices may be substituted for
these, and combined with the slide E, as arranged and operated, without altering
the principle of my Invention.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general combination and arrangement of mechanism for effecting
the self-priming of fire-arms, as herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
Second, the peculiar combination of mechanism with the slide or pusher E,
for the purpose of throwing such slide or pusher in or out of action as required,
and of maintaining it rigidly fixed over the mouth of the magazine, as herein-
before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of September, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)