IMPROVEMENTS IN Imperial French Army, for the Invention of BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jacques Philippe Pieri, of Ghisoni, Corsica, now
of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, formerly Major in the,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
Imperial French Army, for the Invention of
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 2nd March 1875, and dated the 3rd September 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jacques Philippe-
Pieri at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 3rd September 1874.
I, JACQUES PHILLIPPE PIERI, of Ghisoni, Corsica, now of No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, London, formerly Major in the Imperial French
Army, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:—
My said Invention relates to further improvements in the breech-
loading fire-arms described in the Provisional Specification filed with
my Petition for Letters Patent dated the 28th day of March, A.D. 1874,
No. 1087.

page_text: These fire-arms, as described in the said Specification, have at the rear
of the barrel or chamber in which is fitted a sliding barrel or bolt
carrying the firing mechanism, including the trigger, which lies in a
groove in the said bolt, and projects from the rear of the same. A
striking hammer is fitted inside the said bolt, and is released by
depressing the said trigger, and driven forward by a spiral spring. The
said bolt has at its forward end a head, which is so attached to the said
bolt that it moves endwise therewith, but allows the said bolt to turn
without turning the head; and this head is provided with a device for
extracting the empty cartridge shells. The breech bolt is moved in its
chamber to open and close the breech by a handle projecting at the side
of the said bolt.
According to my present Invention I modify this breech mechanism
as follows: The head at the forward end of the breech bolt is formed
with a groove, in which enters the point of a stop-screw that projects
through the side of the aforesaid bolt; and it also has a helicoildal
surface which acts on a shoulder of a firing pin or rod in cocking the
arm. This firing pin or rod is used in the place of the percussion rod or
hammer described in the said former Specification. The handle or lever
of the bolt is made solidly or in one piece with the cylindrical portion of
the same.
At the under side of the breech I arrange a safety device, which keeps
the bolt from turning when the handle is turned down, and from turning
or moving endwise in its chamber when the bolt handle is turned up-
ward, or in the position for withdrawing the said bolt; and when the
bolt is in this position the depression of the trigger will not actuate or
release the firing pin. This safety device consists of a small spring pin
or rod, which is fitted to move up and down, and turn in a hole formed
through the under side of the breech chamber. The said pin has a
shoulder or stud, which is so arranged in relation to a fixed shoulder
that when the said pin is turned into one position it will project up
through the bottom of the breech chamber into a hole or cavity in the
bolt, and hold the same immovably; but when it is desired to release
the said bolt the spring pin is pulled down, and turned partially around
in its hole. Its shoulder then catches the fixed shoulder, and the pin is
held down below and clear of the bolt.
The extractor of this improved arm is a flat bar of steel, or other
suitable metal, fitted in a recess in the side of the bolt, and sliding in. a.

page_text: longitudinal groove or channel in the bolt chamber.
The said extractor
has a claw or hook formed to take hold of the rim or flange of the
cartridge shell, and draw it from the barrel; and this hook holds the
shell until the bolt is fully retracted when it comes against the shoulder
of the side opening of the breech chamber, and the cartridge is thereby
expelled from the arm in a forward direction.
The barrel is rifled with six grooves, making one turn in fifty centi-
metres. The planes between the said grooves are salient to the extent
of two-tenths of a milimetre, and have each a central secondary plane
one-tenth of a milimetre extending one-third of the width of the first
planes. The first planes start from the centre of the part of the barrel
occupied by the projectile, and the secondary planes start at ten centi-
metres from the same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jacques Philippe Pieri in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd March 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JACQUES
PHILLIPPE PIERI, of Ghisoni, Corsica, now of No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London, formerly Major in the Imperial French Army, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Jacques Phillippe Pieri,
Her special licence that I, the said Jacques Phillippe Pieri, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Jacques Phillippe Pieri, 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

page_text: Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jacques Philippe
Pieri, 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 Jacques Philippe Pieri, do 1
hereby declare the nature of my 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 accom-
panying Drawings forming a part of this Specification:-
My said Invention relates to further improvements in the breech- 1
loading fire-arms described in the Specification of my former Letters
Patent, dated the 28th day of March, A.D. 1874, No. 1087.
These fire-arms, as described in the said Specification, have at the
rear of the barrel a chamber in which is fitted a sliding barrel or bolt
carrying the firing mechanism, including the trigger, which lies in a 2
groove in the said bolt, and projects from the rear of the same. A
striking hammer is fitted inside the said bolt, and is released by
depressing the said trigger, and driven forward by a spiral spring. The
said bolt has at its forward end a head, which is so attached to the said
bolt that it moves endwise therewith, but allows the said bolt to turn 2
without turning the head; and this head is provided with a device for
extracting the empty cartridge shells. The breech bolt is moved in its
chamber to open and close the breech by a handle projecting at the side
of the said bolt.,
According to my present Invention I.modify this breech mechanism 3
as illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, which I will now proceed
to describe.
Figure 1 is a plan or top view of the breech of a rifle constructed
according to my improvements, shewing the breech closed.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line x, x, showing the breech. 3
onen

page_text: Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of part of the barrel; and Figure 7,
an end view of the same drawn to an enlarged scale.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
A is the stock; and B, the barrel; a is the breech bolt, and 6 is the
head of the same; c is the firing pin; d is the trigger, and e is the
extractor. The head b at the forward end of the breech bolt is formed
with a groove b¹, in which enters the point of a stop-screw 62 that pro-
jects through the guide piece a' of the aforesaid bolt a; and the head 6
also has a helicoidal surface 63, which acts on a shoulder c¹ of the firing
pin or rod c in cocking the arm. This firing pin or rod c is used in the
place of the percussion rod or hammer described in the said former
Specification.. The handle or lever a³ of the bolt a and the guide piece a¹
are made solidly or in one piece with the cylindrical portion of the said
bolt, but the end of the said guide piece projects beyond the forward end
of the bolt, and partially over the head b, as shown in Figure 2.
At the under side of the breech I arrange a safety device, which
keeps the bolt from turning or moving back in its chamber when the
said bolt is pushed forward, but not locked in the said chamber; and
when the bolt is in this position the depression of the trigger will not
actuate or release the firing pin. This safety device consists of a small
spring pin or rod f, which is fitted to move up and down, and turn in a
hole formed through the under side of the breech chamber, as clearly
shown in Figure 2. The said pin has a shoulder or stud f¹, which is so
arranged in relation to inclines f, f³, on the under side of the breech
shoe that when the said shoulder is turned upon the incline f' the pin
will project up through the bottom of the breech chamber into a hole or
cavity in the bolt a, and hold the same immovably; but when it is
desired to release the said bolt the spring pin fis turned partially around
in its hole, and its shoulder f¹ then comes upon the incline f³, which is
not so deep as the incline f², and the pin fis then held down below and
clear of the bolt.
"
The extractor of this improved arm is a flat bar of steel, or other
suitable metal fitted and secured in a recese in the side of the holt

page_text: The said extractor has a claw or hook formed to take hold of the rim or
flange of the cartridge shell, and draw it from the barrel; and this hook
holds the shell until the bolt is fully retracted, when it comes against a
shoulder in the side opening of the breech chamber, and the cartridge
shell is thereby expelled from the arm in a forward direction.
E
The barrel is rifled with six or more grooves, making one turn in
about fifty centimetres. The planes between the said grooves are
salient to the extent of about two-tenths of a millimetre, and there are
central secondary planes / salient to about one-tenth of a millimetre,
and extending one-third of the width of the first planes j. The said 1
first planes start from about the centre of the part of the barrel occupied
by the projectile, and the secondary planes start at or nearly atten
centimetres from the same, the rise from the first to the second planes
being very gradual, as shown in Figure 6.
The object of this peculiar form of the rifling is the diminution of the 1
friction of the projectile in its passage through the barrel.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and shown how the
same may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I
wish it understood that I claim,-
First. Constructing the breech bolt of a fire-arm with a head, which 2
is connected to the said bolt by means of a screw passed through one
side of the bolt into a groove in the head, and is formed with the
inclined or helicoidal surface acting in combination with the shoulder of
the firing pin when the said bolt is turned in the breech chamber, as
herein set forth, and for the purposes specified.
2
Second. The breech bolt carrying the firing pin, and operating the
same by the peculiar devices above described, and fitted at its rear end
with a trigger arranged in combination with the said firing pin, as herein
set forth.
Third. The safety device arranged and operating in combination with 3
the breech bolt, as herein set forth.
Fourth. In a breech-loading fire-arm the peculiar means for connecting
the head of the breech bolt to the body of the said bolt, and for cocking
and discharging the arm, and the safety device constructed, combined,
and operating as herein set forth.
3

page_text: Fifth. The novel formation and arrangement of the grooving or rifling
f the barrel of a fire-arm, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jacques Philippe Pieri, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
five.
Witness,
WN. ROB LAKE.
I. PIERI. (L.S.)