IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jasper Henry Selwyn, of Woodland Crag, Grasmere,
Westmorland, Captain, R.N., for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CARTRIDGES FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 3rd April 1866, and dated the 12th October 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jasper Henry Selwyn at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th October 1865.
I, JASPER HENRY SELWYN, of Woodland Crag, Grasmere, Westmorland,
Captain, R.N., do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im.
PROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMB,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to cartridges, principally to be used with such
breech-loading fire-arms as have charge chambers hinged to the top or side
of the breech end of the barrel, in which charge chambers the cartridges are
inserted previous to the shutting down of the said charge chambers into the
open breech end of the barrel. Breech-loading fire-arms of this construction
are commonly known as "Mont Storm rifles," although cartridges con-
structed according to my Invention are especially applicable to rifles of the
kind described; yet the said cartridges may also be used with other rifles in
which the cartridge is introduced at the front of the charge chamber.

page_text: My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in con-
structing self-ignition cartridges for the said fire-arms, by which said improve-
ments the cartridges are made effectually to close the charge chambers, and
prevent the escape of gas on discharge, and to be started or partly drawn
from the said charge chambers when the latter are raised after discharge. I
make the cartridges of a conical figure, or of a spheroido-conical figure, the
cases of the said cartridges being made by preference of copper, or other
suitable metal or alloy; or the cases of the cartridges may be made of paper
or collodion, or partly of metal and partly of paper or collodion. The powder
and ball are made up in the cartridges in the ordinary way. At the summit
of the cone of the conical or spheroido-conical cartridge I place the fulminate
by which the ignition of the cartridge is effected. I do not limit myself to
any particular means for discharging the cartridges, as the discharge may be
effected in a variety of ways, for example, by means of a perforated and
inverted cap situated in the summit of the cartridge, which is closed by the
pin or striker, or by an anvil and cap, or by making a perforated semicircular
depression in the summit of the cartridge case in which the fulminate is
placed.
In introducing the cartridges into the charge chambers the narrow end of
the cone is first introduced, the base of the cartridge completely filling up
the open end of the charge chamber. On the base of the cone of the cartridge
case I make an annular projection, and immediately in front of the breech
end of the barrel I make an annular groove or depression, into which groove
the projection on the cartridge case may engage. I prefer to discharge the
cartridges by means of a bolt or striker which shall strike upon the fulminate
at the summit of the cone and at the same time hold or fasten down the
charge chamber. On the discharge of the cartridge the effect of the explosion
causes the cartridge to advance towards the muzzle end of the gun and
to force the annular projection on its base into the annular groove or
depression in the end of the barrel and thus make a tight joint and prevent
all escape of gas at the breech. By the use of this projection on the base of
the cone of the cartridge case the ordinary gas valve or ring may be dispensed
with. On raising the charge chamber from the breech end of the barrel after
discharge the base or wide end of the exploded cartridge case being fixed in
the end of the barrel the said case is started or partly drawn from the said
chamber during the rising of the same. A cartridge case extractor is thus
rendered unnecessary.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jasper Henry Selwyn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th April 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JASPER
HENRY SELWYN, of Woodland Crag, Grasmere, Westmorland, Captain, R.N.,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reign
did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Jasper Henry Selwyn, Her special licence that I, the said Jasper Henry
Selwyn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Jasper Henry Selwyn, 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 "IM.
PROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGES FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that T, the said Jasper Henry Selwyn,
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 Jasper Henry Selwyn, 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:-
My Invention relates to cartridges to be used either with breech-loading
fire-arms of the kind known as "Mont Storm rifles," that is to say, rifles in
which the charge chambers turn on a hinge on the top or side of the breech
end of the barrel, or with any other rifles in which the cartridge is introduced
at the front of the charge chamber.
My improvements in the said cartridges consist in making them of a conical
figure or of a spheroido-conical figure, the cases of the said cartridges being pro-
vided at their base with an annular projection or being left plain. The fulminate

page_text: I
by which the ignition of the powder is effected is inserted in the smaller end
of the cartridge, the discharge of the said cartridge being effected by means
of a perforated and inverted cap fixed in the summit of the cartridge or by
an anvil and cap, or by fulminate contained in a perforated hemispherical
depression in the smaller end of the cartridge case, as is well understood.
do not, however, limit myself to any particular means of discharging the car-
tridges. The powder and projectile are made up in the cartridges in the
ordinary way, the wider or fore end of the cartridge being occupied by the
projectile. I prefer to make the cases of the cartridges of copper or other
suitable metal or alloy; they may, however, be made of paper or collodion, or
partly of metal and partly of paper or collodion. In using my improved
cartridges the smaller end of the cartridge is first introduced into the charge
chamber of the rifle, the barrel of which has immediately in front of its
breech end an annular groove or depression, into which the aforesaid annular
projection on the fore end of the cartridge is forced by the explosion of the
powder; or (in the case of a cartridge formed with plain sides as aforesaid)
the sides of the said cartridge are forced into the said annular depression by
the explosion of the powder.
I prefer to discharge the cartridge by means of a bolt or striker which
strikes upon the fulminate and at the same time fastens down the charge
chamber. On the discharge of the rifle the expansion of the fore end of the
cartridge case into the annular groove or depression in the barrel makes an
air-tight joint, thereby superseding the ordinary gas valve or ring; the
expanded end of the cartridge case is at the same time so far fixed in the
barrel, that on raising or separating the charge chamber the exploded car-
tridge case is started from its position in the charge chamber and falls there-
from or can be readily removed by hand.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,"
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 represent longitudinal sections of self-ignition
spheroido-conical cartridges made according to my Invention, the means for
igniting the said cartridges being different in each Figure. In the said
Figures 1, 2, and 3, the copper or metallic case of the cartridge is marked a,
the projectile in its base b, and the gunpowder c. In Figure 1 the ignition
of the cartridge is effected by a perforated and inverted percussion cap d,
situated in the smaller end of the cartridge, at the bottom of which percussion
cap the fulminate is placed. In discharging the cartridge the pin or striker
of the rifle enters the cap d and strikes the fulminate therein, the flash or fire

page_text: from which passes through its perforated end to the gunpowder c. In Figure 2
the cartridge is discharged by the ordinary anvil and percussion cap at e. In
Figure 3, the cartridge is discharged by the pin or striker of the rifle entering
a perforated hemispherical depression in the smaller end of the cartridge, in
which depression the fulminate is placed. the said depression being closed by
a metallic or other disc. The cartridges may, however, be discharged in a
variety of ways, the details being changed according to the particular con-
struction of the gun with which the cartridges are to be used.
.
Figure 4 represents in longitudinal section the essential parts of a Mont
Storm rifle, to which a cartridge of the kind represented in Figure 2 is
applied the said Figure 4 also showing one of the methods used for dis-
charging the cartridge; and Figure 5 represents the rifle after the cartridge
has been discharged, the charge chamber being ready to be raised for a
re-charge, and to allow the exploded cartridge case. to fall therefrom. is the
hinged charge chamber of the rifle, the cavity in which chamber is of a
spheroido-conical figure corresponding with the cartridge a. In the free. end
of the charge, chamber f is an opening g, in which the pin or striker h for
igniting the cartridge is situated, the said pin or striker being acted upon by
the bolt,i. The return motion of the striker is effected by the coiled spring
represented, but which may be omitted. The said bolt i is worked from the
axis of the, hammer of the rifle, and when projected forward by the descent of
the hammer enters the opening g in the charge chamber f, and acts upon the
pin or striker h to discharge the cartridge, and at the same time holds or fastens
down. the said charge chamber during discharge. At the open breech end of
the barrel m is an annular groove or depression k, for the purposes herein-
after explained. In introducing the spheroido-conical cartridges into the
opening in the charge chamber f, the narrow end of the cone of the cartridge
is. introduced first and the cartridge is pushed home, so as to completely fill
up the charge chamber; the charge chamber is then turned down into the
barrel, and by raising the hammer of the rifle to full cock the rifle is ready
to be discharged. On the discharge of the rifle the explosion causes the metal
at the base or fore end of the cartridge case to be forced into the annular
groove or depression k in the barrel, and thus make a tight joint, and prevent
all escape of gas at the breech; the ordinary gas valve or ring is thereby
rendered unnecessary.
The base of the exploded cartridge case is illustrated in Figure 5, forced
into the groove or depression in the end of the barrel, the expanded base
being marked I. Instead of forcing the plain end of the cartridge case into
the annular depression in the barrel as described, an annular projection may.

page_text: be constructed on the end of the cartridge case, and be forced by the explo-
sion of the gun into the depression in the breech end of the barrel.
A cartridge case with an annular projection upon it is represented in
Figure 6, and marked 1. After the discharge of the rifle the bolt is with-
drawn from the opening in the charge chamber by raising the hammer to
The expanded base of
half cock when the charge chamber may be raised.
the exploded cartridge case being retained by or fitting tightly in the end of
the barrel, on raising the charge chamber the said cartridge case is started.
or partly drawn from the said chamber during the raising of the same, and
will fall out, or can be readily removed by hand, thus obviating the necessity
for a cartridge case extractor. In order to make the cartridges fit tightly
in the charge chambers the cases may have a longitudinal rib or ribs, or
projections made upon them, which ribs or projections act as springs, and
hold the cartridges firmly in the chamber. By this means the cartridges
accommodate themselves to slight variations in the size of the charge
chambers.
Although I have only described and represented in the Drawing the cases
of the cartridges as made of metal, and of a spheroido-conical figure, yet the
said cases may be made of paper or collodion, or partly of metal and partly
of paper or collodion. and of a conical figure without the spheroidal termi-
nation, and although I find it convenient to use a groove or depression in the
end of the barrel into which when cartridge cases made of metal, or partly of
metal are used, the base of the case is forced by the explosion, yet the said
depression may be varied in form, or even be dispensed with, and the exploded
cartridge cases removed from the charge chambers by hand, or by any
convenient means.
My cartridges may be used with all guns or rifles in which the cartridges
are introduced at the front of the charge chamber in addition to the rifle in
connection with which I have described and represented them.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein-before described and illustrated, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention;
but I claim as my Invention the improvements in self-ignition cartridges for
breech-loading fire-arms of the kinds herein-before mentioned, that is to say,
making the cartridges for the said fire-arms of a conical figure, or of a
spheroido-conical figure, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawing, by which improvements the cartridge cases
are made effectually to close the charge chambers to prevent the escape of

page_text: gas on discharge, and to be started or drawn from the said charge chambers
after discharge as herein-before explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jasper Henry Selwyn, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
J. H. SELWYN. (L.S.)