IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Harris, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS."
Sealed the 2nd May 1873, and dated the 9th November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Harris at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th November 1872.
I, ALFRED HARRIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing breech-loading small-arms,
whether for military or sporting purposes, in the manner herein-after
described, whereby great facility in opening the breech for the
introduction of the cartridge into the barrel, and in closing the breech
for firing is obtained.

page_text: I make the fore part of the body of the gun in the form of a frame,
open at its front end, that is to say, the body of the gun consists of a
vertical plate or break-off, against which the open breech end of the
barrel bears to close the said barrel, and two straps or plates projecting
nearly horizontally from either side the said vertical plate or break-off.
The barrel is jointed at about three inches from its breech end to the
front ends of the said straps of the breech frame, the said barrel being
capable of motion in a vertical plane. The jointing of the barrel to the
breech frame is effected by means of screw pins passed through the
said straps taking into lumps or trunnions on opposite sides of the barrel.
When the gun is held in its normal position the barrel turns on its joint
by the weight of the muzzle end. The breech end of the barrel is
thereby raised, and entering and filling up the breech frame closes the
breech, the open breech end of the barrel bearing against the face of the
break-off. The upper part of the face of the break-off is furnished with
a flange or projecting rim, against which a shoulder on the top of the
barrel accurately fits when raised for closing the breech. By means of
the said rim or flange and shoulder the escape of gas at the breech is
prevented, the said rim or flange also acting as a stop for the barrel.
In order to open the breech for loading the gun is inverted, the barrel
is thereby turned on its joint by the weight of the muzzle end, and its
breech end is raised from the face of the break-off, the open breech end
of the barrel coming nearly opposite the trigger guard of the gun; when
in this position the cartridge can readily be introduced into the open
breech end of the barrel. After charging the gun is returned to its
normal position, when the breech end of the barrel is, again raised into
the breech frame by the weight of the muzzle end of the barrel, and the
breech closed; thus the opening of the breech for charging is effected
by the inversion of the gun and the closing of the breech for discharge
is effected by restoring the gun to its normal position. The extent to
which on the inverting of the gun the breech end of the barrel can rise
from the break-off is limited by stops near the joint of the breech frame.
The said stops in conjunction with the flange or rim of the break-off- also
limit the rising motion of the breech end of the barrel to close the
breech.

page_text: the gun, and the striker may be employed to fasten the barrel in the
breech frame, or an independent bolt or snap fastening may be employed
to fasten the barrel in the breech frame.
My improvements are applicable to single and double barrel breech-
loading small-arms.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Harris in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
HARRIS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Harris, Her special license
that I, the said Alfred Harris, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Harris, 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 SMALL-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Harris, 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.

page_text: 'performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My Invention consists in constructing breech-loading small-arms,
whether for military or sporting purposes, in the manner herein-after
described, whereby great facility in opening the breech for the intro-
duction of the cartridge into the barrel, and in closing the breech for
firing is obtained.
I make the fore part of the body of the gun in the form of a frame
open at its front end, that is to say, the body of the gun consists of a
vertical plate or break-off, against which the open breech end of the
barrel bears to close the said breech, and two straps or plates projecting
nearly horizontally from either side the said vertical plate or break-off.
The barrel is jointed at about three inches from its breech end to the
front ends of the said straps of the breech frame, the said barrel being
capable of motion in a vertical plane. The jointing of the barrel to the
breech frame is effected by means of screw pins passed through the said
straps taking into lumps or trunnions on opposite sides of the barrel.
When the gun is held in its normal position the barrel turns on its joint
by the weight of the muzzle end. The breech end of the barrel is
thereby raised, and entering and filling up the breech frame closes the
breech, the open breech end of the barrel bearing against the face of the
break-off. The upper part of the face of the break-off is furnished with
a flange or projecting rim, against which a shoulder on the top of the
barrel accurately fits when raised for closing the breech. By means of
the said rim or flange and shoulder the escape of gas at the breech is
prevented, the said rim or flange also acting as a stop for the barrel.
In order to open the breech for loading the gun is inverted, the
barrel is thereby turned on its joint by the weight of the muzzle end,
and its breech end is raised from the face of the break-off, the open
breech end of the barrel coming nearly opposite the trigger guard of the
gun; when in this position the cartridge can readily be introduced into
the open breech end of the barrel. After charging the gun is returned
to its normal position, when the breech end of the barrel is again raised
into the breech frame by the weight of the muzzle end of the barrel,
and the breech closed. Thus the opening of the breech for charging is
effected by the inversion of the gun, and the closing of the breech for

page_text: discharge is effected by restoring the gun to its normal position. The
extent to which on the inverting of the gun the breech end of the
barrel can rise from the break-off is limited by stops near the joint
of the breech frame. The said stops in conjunction with the flange or
rim of the break-off also limit the rising motion of the barrel to close
the breech.
The gun may be discharged by a striker actuated either by an external
cock or hammer, or by mechanism situated within the body of the gun,
and the striker may be employed to fasten the barrel in the breech
frame, or an independent bolt or snap fastening may be employed to
fasten the barrel in the breech frame.
My improvements are applicable to single and double breech-loading
small-arms.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, Figure 2 in longitudinal vertical
section, and Figure 3 in horizontal section, the breech end of a breech-
loading small-arm or gun constructed according to my Invention, the
parts of the said gun being represented in position for discharge;
Figure 4 represents the said gun inverted, and the breech end of the
barrel raised from the break-off for loading; Figure 5 is a cross section
of the barrel and extractor, and Figure 6 represents in plan and side
and end elevation the extractor separately. The same letters of reference
indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the Drawings.
a is the barrel jointed to the body b, b, c, the said body being open
at top and bottom and at its front end. The said body consists of a
frame formed of the vertical plate or break-off c, and two horizontal
straps or plates b, b, projecting from either side the said break-off. The
ends of the straps or plates b, b, of the frame are connected together by
the strong screw pin e passing underneath the barrel; this pin e also
serves as the stop for actuating the extractor, and for limiting the rising
motion of the barrel when the gun is inverted for charging. The
barrel a is jointed to the open end of the body or frame b, b, c, by the
trunnions d, d, on opposite sides of the barrel taking into corresponding
recesses in the inner sides of the front ends of the straps or plates b, b,

page_text: as seen in the horizontal section, Figure 3. The barrel a can thus turn
in a vertical plane upon the trunnions d, d, for the purpose of opening
and closing the breech of the gun.
Other methods of jointing the barrel a to the breech body or frame
may be employed, for example, screw pins may be passed through the
straps b, b, and made to take into lumps or trunnions on the barrel, or
cylindrical blocks may be passed through the straps b, b, and made to
take into recesses on opposite sides of the barrel, the said blocks being
fixed in their places by screws. When the gun is held in its normal
position as represented in Figures 1 and 2, the barrel a turns on its
joint d, d, by the weight of the muzzle end. The breech end of the
barrel is thereby raised and enters and accurately fills up the breech
frame b, b, c, and closes the breech, the open breech end of the barrel
bearing against the face of the break-off. On the upper part of the
face of the break-off c is a flange or projecting rim f against which
a shoulder g on the top of the barrel a accurately fits when the barrel
is raised for closing the breech (see Figure 2). The rim or flange f
and shoulder g prevent the escape of gas at the breech, and the rim
or flange ƒ also acts as a stop to limit the rising motion of the barrel
in closing the breech. The barrel when raised into the breech frame,
and the breech closed may be fastened in its place by a horizontal snap
bolt in the break-off, taking into a recess i in the fore end k of the
gun. The bolt h is pressed home by the double spring h²; the said bolt h
is carried by the vertical axis 7, having at its end a lever m under the
body of the gun. By pressing the thumb plate end of the lever m
towards the butt end of the gun, the lip of the bolt is withdrawn into
the break-off, when the barrel is released and the breech may bc
opened.
Bolts of other kinds than that represented may be employed, or the
barrel need not be, fastened in the breech frame by a bolt, but I prefer
to use a bolt as illustrated in the Drawings.
n is the striker for discharging the gun actuated by the external
hammer p, or the gun may be discharged by a striker actuated by
mechanism situated within the body of the gun; q is the extractor
working on a dovetail piece made along the middle of the under side
of the breech end of the barrel, the cross bar at the fore end of the

page_text: said extractor on the rising of the breech end of the barrel to open the
breech bearing against the excentric cross pin e on the frame or body,
which causes the said extractor to be pushed outwards and extract the
empty cartridge case from the barrel. The sliding motion of the extractor
is limited by the stop pin » fixed on the dovetail piece on which the
extractor slides (sec Figure 2), against which stop pin the cross bar 2
of the extractor bears when the cartridge case has been extracted.
To open the gun for loading the gun is inverted, by then pressing
on the thumb plate end of the lever m of the bolt the barrel a is
released and turns on its joint d, d, by the weight of the muzzle end
of the barrel. The breech end of the barrel is thereby raised from the
face of the break-off c, and the empty cartridge case extracted, the parts
occupying the respective positions represented in Figure 4. A fresh
cartridge may now be introduced into the open breech end of the
barrel.
After introducing a fresh cartridge into the barrel the gun is returned
to its normal position, as represented in Figures 1 and 2, when the
breech end of the barrel is again raised by the weight of the muzzle
end into the frame or body and the breech closed, the barrel being
fastened in its place in the said frame or body by the snap bolt h. The
gun is now ready to be discharged.
The rising motion of the barrel when the gun is inverted to open the
breech is limited by the cross pin e against which the extractor bears,
that is to say, when the extractor has been advanced to the position
represented in Figure 4 its further advance (and the further rising of
the barrel) is prevented by the cross bar r² of the extractor coming
against the pin ».
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 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
breech-loading small-arms herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say, making the breech body of the
small-arm or gun of a frame open at its top and bottom and front end,
and so jointing the barrel or barrels to the open end of the said body

page_text: or frame that when the small-arm. or gun is in its normal position the
breech end occupies and fills up the said body or frame and closes the
breech, and when the small arm or gun is inverted the said breech end
rises out of the breech body or frame and exposes the open breech end of
the barrel or barrels for charging, the several parts of the small-arm or
gun being constructed and combined substantially as described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Harris, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
ALFRED HARRIS. (L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.