Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms.
I, ALICE ARGLES, of 61 Alexandra Road, Wimbledon, Surrey, Gentlewoman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to so arrange, modify, or form ordinary barrels of
fire arms and air guns (breechloaders) that bullet or shot cartridges of any smaller
kind or size for fire arms, and slugs, darts, or cartridges for air guns can be
employed without interfering with the gun as an arm.
In order to carry this invention into practice as relates to fire arms, I take a
breechloader shot gun of the brake down character and say No. 12 bore. I fit
therein a tube provided with an exterior washer or ring at one end and with a
splayed out collar or flange on the other, this I insert through the breech of the
arın to reduce the diameter of the bore, the recess in the breech end of the barrel
in which the flange rests is also of sufficient depth for the reception of a collet or
plug. One end of the collet or plug (which is drilled to the diameter of the
aperture in the tube) rests against the flange of the tube before referred to and
presents a flush or almost flush surface with the breech end of the barrel but the face
of the collet or plug may be recessed for the rim of a cartridge to bear against. The
face of the barrel breech is grooved transversely, and wings forming part of
the collet rest therein and it is preferred that their extremities project slightly
beyond the barrel to give a finger hold when a cartridge case has to be extracted
after which the collet is returned to its position for the reception of a fresh
cartridge. This enables the automatic extracting mechanism in fire arms to be
dispensed with but such mechanism can be applied if necessary..
The additions above referred to or some of them can be utilised in connection
with air guns notably the collet or plug with or without the wings, the collet being
either short or elongated in tubular form as a liner in the barrel.
By this means a No. 3 air gun can be altered to discharge a No. 1 or No. 2 size
of slug dart or cartridge.
The collet or plug may be the cartridge or shot container to be charged when
occasion requires.
Dated this 26th day of February 1895
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Alice Argles.
Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms.
1, ALICE ARCLES, of 61 Alexandra Road, Wimbledon, Surrey, Gentlewoman,
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:-
The object of my invention is :-
:-
1. In air guns to allow ordinary sporting shot to be fired by the use of a

page_text: detachable hollow plug which is fitted in a recess of the breech end of the barrel
and to employ such plugs as containers of the shot without the use of ordinary
cartridge casing as is usual.
2. In air guns, to allow slugs, darts, and special cartridges of various sizes to be
used in one gun by the employment of said detachable plug as above mentioned
either alone or in combination with a tube arranged in a part of the inside of the
barrel and of an equal bore.
3. In fire arms of the break down breech loading type, the use of the plug
before mentioned for containing the cartridge or part of it and also for extracting
or partly extracting the cartridge, the plug being used by itself or in conjunction
with a flanged tube to enable cartridges of various sizes to be used in the
same gun.
For the purpose of my invention, I take say the largest bore gun and recess the
breech end for the reception of a plug having wings which fit in notches formed in
the edge of the breech end of the barrel. This plug if I use same alone in the
gun or rifle is bored to the same diameter as the bore of the arm but if bored to a
smaller size it is used in conjunction with a tube of the same internal diameter
which fits inside the barrel.
My invention will be clearly understood by the following description with
reference to the annexed drawings.
Figure is a breech end view of a barrel of an air gun showing the recessed
and notched portion.
Figure 2 side elevation of same showing one of the notches.
Figure 3 is face and side views of a plug showing the position of the wings.
Figure 4 is a sectional side view of an air gun with the plug and tube as
separate articles in position.
Figure 5 is a face and side view of a plug and face and side elevation of a tube
as principally applicable for air guns.
Figure 6 is a sectional side view of a sporting rifle of the break down character
with the plug and tube as separate articles in position, the tube having its muzzle
and breech ends turned up to centralize it in the barrel to enable much smaller
cartridges than would fit the bore of the barrel to be employed.
A is the recess or boring of larger diameter than the bore of the barrel, and
B, B, are notches formed in the breech end of the barrel C. D is the hollow plug
which fits in the recess A, and E, E, are the wings formed on the plug for entering
the notches B, B, and by which wings, the plug D can be easily removed, the end
surface of barrel, face of the plug, and of wings being flush.
F is a tube arranged in conjunction with the plug D in the barrel C when
cartridges, slugs, darts, or other ammunition of a size smaller than the bore of the
barrel is used.
The tube has one or both ends enlarged by turning up or having a washer
thereon according to the size of the ammunition to be employed.
In Figure 4, the tube F has its breech end only turned up, said turned up
portion engaging in the recess A to fix it in position, the other portion of the
tube loosely fitting the inside of the barrel, whereas in Figure 6 the tube F has
both ends enlarged or washers arranged thereon for centralizing it in the barrel to
enable cartridges of much smaller diameter than the bore of the gun to be
employed.
By my invention, say a person has an air gun or rifle of the largest bore and
with a recessed breech of the barrel, he by simply inserting a plug and a tube of
the same bore into the barrel, can use slugs, darts, cartridges, or other ammunition
of the size of the hore of the plug and tube employed and of a smaller size than
the bore of the barrel of the arm.
The tubes and plugs are bored to various sizes to suit the size of ammunition.
When the hollow plug (with or without the tube) is used in air guns, I charge
same with ordinary sporting shot by simply filling the plug with the shot and
pressing a little mould or sand into the top and bottom of the plug to keep the

page_text: shot in the plug and make the charge airtight. This is one of the special uses
which these loose plugs can be put to in air guns, whereas at the present time,
slugs, darts, and special shot cartridges only can be used.
By removing the plug, the arm is rendered useless, thus providing perfect safety
from being tampered with by any person except the owner thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Recessing or boring out to larger diameter than the barrel the breech end of
au air gun or sporting gun or rifle, and inserting therein a detachable hollow
plug D having wings E fitting in notches in the barrel end, as and for the purpose
set forth.
2. For use in combination with a gun, rifle, or air gun barrel, and a detachable
hollow plug D having wings E a tube having enlarged end or ends for holding or
centralizing same in barrel as and for the purpose set forth.
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H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Alice Argles.