IM- IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM-
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."- A communication from
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th October 1862.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," (communicated
to me from abroad by Louis Julien Gastinne, of Paris, France,) to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to those breech-loading fire-arms in which the
Lefaucheux cartridge is used with detonating powder, for ensuring central
fire, and consists,-
First, in arrangements of piston and hammer for exploding the cartridge.
and for withdrawing the piston.
Second, in an improved means of forcing the cartridge extractor to protrude
beyond the rear of the barrels upon the same being tilted:
And, third, in an arrangement for extracting the cartridge in single-barrel
guns and pistols.
The exploding piston is hinged or attached by a-pin on a-horizontal plate,

page_text: or it is formed in a piece with the plate, which carries on the outer side a
projection, against which the face of the hammer strikes to drive forward the
piston and explode the charge; the plate also carries a stud or projection
farther back than that first mentioned, which lies in a curved slot formed in
the side of the hammer. On raising the hammer after firing the gun, the stud,
and consequently the piston, are withdrawn.
For forcing the cartridge extractor to protrude I fix on the bolt on which
the barrel and fore part of the stock are free to tilt an upright plate formed
with a notch on the under part. .On the barrels being tilted the fore end of
the back part of the stock coming against the notch on the plate, forces the
upper part of the plate forward, which, coming in contact with the fore end of
the extractor, causes the rear end thereof to be protruded.
For single-barrel guns and pistols I make the barrel to turn upon a pin
passed through an aperture in a lump formed in a piece with the rear end of the
barrel, and push back a hooked rod engaged under the flange on the cartridge
on withdrawing pressure from the rod a coiled spring returns it to its original
position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence, that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I; the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, 'adminis
trators, 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 FIRE-ARMS," (communicated
to me from abroad by Louis Julien Gastinne, of Paris, France,) upon the

page_text: condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 thereof reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to those breech-loading fire-arms in which the
Lefaucheux cartridge is used with detonating powder for ensuring central fire,
and consists,―
First, in arrangements of piston and hammer for exploding the cartridge
and for withdrawing the piston.
Second, in an improved means of forcing the cartridge extractor to protrude
beyond the rear of the barrels upon the same being tilted.
And, third, in an arrangement for extracting the cartridge in single-barrel
guns and pistols.
The exploding piston is hinged or attached by a pin on a horizontal plate,
or it is formed in a piece with the plate, which carries on the outer side a
projection against which the face of the hammer strikes to drive forward.the
piston and explode the charge; the plate also carries a stud or projection
farther back than that first mentioned, which lies in a curved slot formed in
the side of the hammer.. On raising the hammer after firing the gun, the stud,
and consequently the piston, are withdrawn.
For forcing the cartridge extractor to protrude I fit on the bolt on which the
barrel and fore part of the stock are free to tilt an upright plate formed with a
notch on the under part. On the barrels being tilted the fore end of the back
part of the stock coming against the notch on the plate forces the upper part of
the plate forward, which, coming in contact with the fore end of the extractor,
causes the rear end thereof to be protruded.
For single-barrel guns and pistols I make the barrel to turn upon a pin
passed through an aperture in a. lump formed in a piece with the rear end of
the barrel, and push back a hooked rod engaged under the flange on the
cartridge, on withdrawing pressure from the rod a coiled spring returns it to
its original position.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a view of the left side of a'
double-barrel gun constructed according to this Invention. The barrels and
fore part of the stock are free to tilt on the bolt G in the ordinary manner,
when the lever D is unlocked. Figure 8 is a view in plan of the pistons and
parts connected therewith for producing the explosion of the charge.. The'
pistons a, a', are hinged or attached by pins t, t,. to horizontal plates 1, 1,
jointed to the pin v; each of the plates carries on the outer side a projection e,
against which the face m of the hammer C strikes to drive forward the piston
a or a³, and explode the charge. The plates 1, 1, also carry studs or projec->
tions 8, s¹, which lie in curved slots f formed in the sides of the hammers; see 1
Figure 4. On pulling the trigger the face m of the hammer strikes against
the projection e, drives forward the piston a, and explodes the charge. On:
raising the hammer after firing, the studs, and consequently the piston a, are
withdrawn.
.
.[
The arrangement of the pistons may be modified, as shewn in Figure 5, 1
where the pistons do not move upon a stud, but are formed in a piece with
the plate; guides on the plater (Figures 1 and 2) enter-spaces Z, Z, in the
pistons, which are thereby guided.
Figure 5* is another form of piston and plate 'made in one piece, and with a
guide on the rear end of the piston; Figure 5b shews a plain groove in 2
which the plate and piston move to and fro. The pistons are prevented.
receding too far by projections formed on the lock plates P..
The improved means of forcing the cartridge extractor to protrude beyond
the rear of the barrel upon the same being tilted are represented in Figure 2..
1 fit on the bolt G an upright plate E, formed with a notch'i on the under 2
part; see Figures 6 and 7. On the barrels A being tilted the notch i coming.
against the fore end of the back part of the stock B forces the upper
part of the plate E forward, which, coming in contact with the rod F of the
extractor (shewn detached in Figure 8) causes the rear end thereof to be
protruded. The extractor carries a plate h curved at the sides, fitted between '8
the rear ends of the barrels (see Figure 9), and against which the flanges at
the rear of the cartridges rest. f is a guide rod; both rods F and ƒ work in
apertures formed in the metal between the two barrels, as in the guns for which
Letters Patent were granted to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, the 29th
day of November 1858, No. 2778, and assigned to Charles William Lancaster, 3
of New Bond Street, London, the 22nd day of November 1856. To retain
the cartridge extractor in place I form a recess c, d, in the rod F, into which
a small pink (Figure 2) takes. When the barrels are raised the extractor
resumes its original position.

page_text: Figures 10, 11, and 12 are views of the arrangement I adopt for extracting
the cartridge in single-barrel pistols and guns. I make the barrel I to turn
upon a pin L passed through an aperture in a lump formed in a piece with the
rear end of the barrel. Q is a rod, which is carried through the fore part of
the stock; this rod carries at its outer end a button N, and terminates at the
inner end in a hook p; R is a coiled spring for driving back the rod Q after
it has been passed inwards to extract the cartridge, as hereafter explained;
His a lever, carrying at one end a bolt k, which enters a recess made for its
reception in the side of a metal plate 7 fixed to the stock; the opposite end of
the lever is formed with a button m, free to move inwards when necessary to
release the bolt k. n is a hook on the upper and rear end of the barrel,.
which is locked by a hook formed on the end K of the metal plate on the
stock. In order to extract a cartridge I press down the button m, release the
bolt k, and turn the barrel partially round; I push back the rod Q, the hook
on the rear end of which is engaged under the flange of the cartridge M, and
thus drive the cartridge sufficiently from the barrel to enable it to be seized by
the finger and thumb; the spring R returns the rod to its original position, a
fresh cartridge is inserted, and the barrel is returned to its original position, in
which it is retained by the bolt k, ready for firing.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First, the arrangements of piston and hammer for exploding the cartridge
and for withdrawing the piston, herein-before described and illustrated at
Figures 1, 3, 4, 5, 5%, and 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the improved means of forcing the cartridge extractor to protrude
beyond the rear of the barrels, and thus force out the cartridges upon the
barrels being tilted, as herein-before described and illustrated in Figures 2, 6,
7, 8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawings.
Third, the arrangement for extracting the cartridge in single-barrel guns
and pistols, herein-before described and illustrated at Figures 10, 11, and 12
of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of April, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three.
R. A. BROOMAN. (L.s.)