IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A communication from abroad by
Edmond Couturier, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 2nd August 1867, and dated the 12th February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th February 1867.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a communication to me
from abroad by Edmond Couturier, of Paris, in the Empire of France, to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to breech-loading needle guns, and is applicable
either to military rifles, smooth bores, or fowling pieces.
According to this Iuvention it is proposed to employ a reversible cartridge
chamber capable of being charged at both ends successively, such chamber
turning horizontally upon a fixed vertical pivot, and when locked in its proper
position the bore of the chamber is in the same axial line, and coincides with
the bore of the barrel of the gun; thus before or after the charge in the front
end of the chamber has been fired a fresh cartridge can be inserted into the
open rear end of the said chamber and brought into position for firing by
turning the chamber on its vertical axis which is situate in the longitudinal
centre thereof. Each end of the chamber is provided with a separate needle
and helical spring of its own, the spring tending to withdraw the needle from

page_text: the cartridge after it has been forced therein to produce the ignition of the
charge. This latter movement is effected by a cock, which when fully cocked
is entirely enclosed within a slot or opening made to receive it in the centre
of the vertical pivot, hence the two needles are acted upon alternately by the
cock on reversing the position of the chamber. A plate underneath the
reversible cartridge chamber and turning like it round the fixed vertical pivot
carries two spring levers provided each with a knob, which protrudes laterally
outside the arm. Each of these levers is connected with a locking bolt, which
serves to lock the chamber in its proper position as regards the bore of the
barrel. A sliding collar on each end of the reversible chamber is caused to
enter an annular groove or recess made in the face of the breech end of the
barrel, thereby preventing the escape of the gases, a helical spring tending to
keep each collar in its place in the annular groove. On drawing back that
one of the two levers which happens for the time being to be the front lever
the fourfold movement of elevating the cock, withdrawing the locking bolt,
releasing the packing collar or ring, and reversing the chamber is performed.
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
12th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a communication to me from abroad by
Edmond Couturier, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or,
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should

page_text: 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
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, Drawing, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to breech-loading needle guns, and is applicable
either to military rifles, smooth bores, or fowling pieces.
According to this Invention it is proposed to employ a reversible cartridge
chamber capable of being charged at both ends successively, such chamber
turning horizontally upon a fixed vertical pivot, and when locked in its proper
position the bore of the chamber is in the same axial line and coincides with
the bore of the barrel of the gun; thus before or after the charge in the front
end of the chamber has been fired a fresh cartridge can be inserted into the
open rear end of the said chamber, and brought into position for firing by
turning the chamber on its vertical axis which is situate in the longitudinal
centre thereof. Each end of the chamber is provided with a separate needle
and belical spring of its own, the spring tending to withdraw the needle from
the cartridge after it has been forced therein to produce the ignition of the
charge. This latter movement is effected by a cock, which when fully cocked
is entirely enclosed within a slot or opening made to receive it in the centre
of the vertical pivot, hence the two needles are acted upon alternately by the
cuck on reversing the position of the chamber. A plate underneath the
reversable cartridge chamber and turning like it round the fixed vertical pivot
carries two spring levers provided each with a knob, which protrudes laterally
outside the arm. Each of these levers is connected with a locking bolt, which
serves to lock the chamber in its proper position as regards the bore, of the
barrel. A sliding collar on each end of the reversible chamber is caused to
enter an annular groove or recess made in the face of the breech end of the
barrel, thereby preventing the escape of the gases, a helical spring tending to
keep each collar in its place in the annular groove. On drawing back that
one of the two levers which happens for the time being to be the front
lever the fourfold movement of elevating the cock, withdrawing the locking
bolt, releasing the packing collar or ring, and reversing the chamber is
performed.
And in order that the said Invention may. be fully understood I shall now

page_text: proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents in vertical longitudinal section the
trigger mechanism of the improved breech-loader..
The cock a which works in the interior of a special piece constructed and
arranged as herein-after described, turns on the pin 6 fixed in the parts c
secured by four screws. This cock a is provided with a notch which engages
with the end of the piece d by the aid of the spring e,"
which presses the end
of the lever d against the tail f of the trigger 9 mounted on the pin h. The
Drawing represents the parts in the position they assume after firing. A
spring tends constantly to press upon the tail of the cock in order to cause the
head to advance when the trigger is pulled. In effect the part fon being
elevated will lift the end of the lever d which turns on the pin i; the front
end of this lever which serves as a detent or stop is thus depressed and
releases the cock, which acted upon by the spring j assumes the position
indicated in order to strike the centre of the cartridge through the intervention
of the needle holder H, shown detached at Figure 2, and in position in the
longitudinal, vertical, and horizontal sections, Figures 5 and 6. These parts
are all disposed as shown in Figure 1 beneath the hollow or tubular chamber B,
which is shown in separate detail at Figure 4. This chamber has an opening
provided at each end for the passage of the cartridge, and in the centre thereof
there is fitted the cylinder C having a chamber or opening formed therein, as
shown in Figures 5 and 6, to allow of the free action of the cock a. Over
this cylinder C, which serves as a pivot for the double cartridge chamber B,
there is placed a plate A, a hole being made in the middle of the plate for the
passage of the part C; this plate A is shown in detail plan at Figure 8
mounted on the pivot C, and carrying on its upper surface the two lever
handles D, D', acted upon by the springs E, E', and passing through the
pieces F, F, which serve as locking bolts for securing the cartridge chamber
in its proper position. On the top of the plate A and over the part C as a
pivot there is placed the piece G, shown in detail plan at Figure 7. This
piece carries externally at each end the lateral projections x, which serve as
guides to the cylindrical packing pieces o, also provided with internal pro-
jections y. These parts o are shown in detail section at Figures 9 and 9º.
Helical springs t, similar to those shown detached at Figure 10, are disposed as
shown in Figure 7 in order to constantly force outwards the parts o, with a
view to preventing any escape of gas. The part G is bored to correspond to
the bore of the barrel of the arm, so as to be capable of receiving a cartridge

page_text: at each end thereof. The gun being loaded the cock a will be concealed
inside the cylindrical pivot C, the bolt F being also forced in to a corre-
sponding notche in the brush end of the barrel M (see detail, Figure 5* and
Figure 8). The packing slide o is also forced into the annular groove or
channel p in the breech end of the barrel, and thereby secures the hermetic
closure of the breech whilst the bolt F holds the cartridge chamber in position.
When the cask a is released it strikes the needle carrier H, compresses the
spring R (shown in detail at Figure 3), and causes the needle to advance and
explode the cartridge. Immediately the cartridge has been fired a fresh one
is inserted into the opposite or rear end of the chamber, the cover D is drawn
forward, thereby causing it to press against the cock a in order to cock the
gun, and by a continued pressure on the lever the locking bolt F is withdrawn
from its notch in the breech, and with it the cylindrical packing slide o; the
entiro piece G may then be rotated in company with the plate A round the
pivot C, and when the movement has been completed the lever D is released,
and the locking bolt F¹ in its turn engages with the notch in the breech and
locks the chamber in its reversed position in readiness for the next fire. If
the movement has not been quite completed a light tap of the hand will suffice
to bring the parts into their proper position.
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 construction and arrangement of breech-loading fire-arms,
as berein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Second, the application and use to and in breech-loading fire-arms of a
double cartridge chamber turning on a vertical axis, the actuating lever of
which cocks the arm and withdraws the locking bolt, substantially as herein-
before. described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of August, One
tuansand sight hundred and sixty-seven
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)