Im- PROVEMENTS IN 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS."-A communication from abroad by Sylvester
Hayward Roper, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 2nd July 1867, and dated the 24th January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 24th January 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 FIRE-ARMS," a communication to me from abroad by Sylvester
Hayward Roper, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States of America, to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to repeating or revolving fire-arms, and is
partly applicable also to single shooters adopted to the use of the well-known
metallic flanged cartridge primed with percussion fulminate at its base; and,
secondly, to small shot guns or fowling pieces.
In carrying out the first part of this Invention it is proposed to combine a
revolving carrier for holding the cartridges contained within a fixed cylindrical
case with a piston or plunger sliding to and fro in one of the chambers of:

page_text: the carrier, such piston being connected by a link with the hammer or cock,
and operating when the hammer is released or allowed to fall in such a
manner as first to drive the cartridge into the breech end of the barrel
and then by the action of a sliding bolt in the said piston or plunger to
explode the fulminate and fire the charge. The chambers in the revolving
.carrier do not consist of bored cylindrical cells as heretofore, but are merely
open channels or deep grooves, the cartridges being retained therein by the
fixed cylindrical case which encloses the carrier. An inclined plane is formed
upon the rear end of the piston, and another inclined plane is provided on the
head of the hammer or cock, the two inclines when the piston is driven
forward tending to lock the said piston in its forward position and thereby
preventing its recoil. This combination of inclines may be employed either
with a revolving carrier or with a stationary cartridge bed. A double-acting
spring is employed for rotating and locking the revolving carrier, such spring
acting at one end against the teeth of a ratchet wheel on the rear end of the
carrier, whilst its opposite end is actuated by an eccentric slot in the foot of
the hammer which imparts the desired movement to the lever. A thumb-
screw is inserted into the lock case, by means of which the front end of the
double-acting spring may be secured so that it cannot rise or act upon and
turn the ratchet wheel and revolving carrier, in which position the carrier
will be free to be revolved by hand; or the thumbscrew may be caused to
lock the spring in such a position when the hammer is at full-cock as to
hold the carrier fast and prevent it from revolving, in which condition tho
arm may be used as a single-loader, as the same groove in the carrier will be
kept permanently in line with the barrel till the spring is again released by
turning the thumbscrew. In lieu of attaching only one end of the main-
spring of the lock to the hammer it is proposed either in repeating or in
ordinary fire-arms to attach both ends of the mainspring by separate stirrups so
connected with the foot of the hammer that their connecting points are at right
angles, to each other in respect of the centre pin on which the hammer turns;
by this arrangement the friction on the centre pin is considerably reduced.
If the forward stirrup be set at a greater distance from the centre pin than
the rear one, and is placed so that the spring acts upon the greatest leverage
as the hammer is just finishing its stroke, the hammer will move with
increased velocity from the beginning to the end of its stroke. The cover or
case of the revolving carrier is provided with a hinged lid for introducing the
cartridge, and a spring is fitted to the under side of the lid which presses
upon the cartridge with a view to holding the cartridge which is about to be
fired steadily in its place.

page_text: The second part of this Invention consists in the employment of an
attachable and detachable muzzle piece to small shot guns or fowling pieces
with a view to varying the scatter of the shot, the muzzle piece being made of
a slightly expanded form if intended to scatter the shot, or slightly contracted
when the reverse effect is to be produced. By screwing one of these muzzle
pieces on to the end of an ordinary fowling piece it may be made to scatter
or concentrate the shot as desired.
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 23rd July 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 Twenty-fourth day of January, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-ARMS," a communication to me from abroad by Sylvester Hayward
Roper, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States of America, upon the cou-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates, firstly, to repeating or revolving fire-arms, and is
partly applicable also to single shooters adapted to the use of the well-known
metallic flanged cartridge primed with percussion fulminate at its base; and,
secondly, to small shot guns or fowling pieces.
In carrying out the first part of this Invention it is proposed to combine, a
revolving carrier for holding the cartridges contained within a fixed cylindrical
case with a piston or plunger sliding to and fro in one of the chambers of the
carrier, such piston being connected by a link with the hammer or cock, and
operating when the hammer is released or allowed to fall in such a manner
as first to drive the cartridge into the breech end of the barrel, and then by
the action of a sliding bolt in the said piston or plunger to explode the
fulminate and fire the charge. The chambers in the revolving carrier do not
consist of bored cylindrical cells as heretofore, but are merely open channels
or deep grooves, the cartridges being retained therein by the fixed cylindrical
case which encloses the carrier. An inclined plane is formed upon the rear
end of the piston, and another inclined plane is provided on the head of the
hammer or cock, the two inclines when the piston is driven forward tending
to lock the said piston in its forward position, and thereby prevent its recoil.
This combination of inclines may be employed either with a revolving carrier
or with a stationary cartridge bed.. A double-acting spring is employed for
rotating and locking the revolving carrier, such spring acting at one end
against the teeth of a ratchet wheel on the rear end of the carrier, whilst its
opposite end is actuated by an eccentric slot in the foot of the hammer which
imparts the desired movement to the lever. A thumbscrew is inserted into
the lock case, by means of which the front end of the double-acting spring
may be secured, so that it cannot rise or act upon and turn the ratchet wheel
and revolving carrier, in which position the carrier will be free to be revolved
by hand; or the thumbscrew may be caused to lock the spring in such a
position when the hammer is at full-cock as to hold the carrier fast and
prevent it from revolving, in which condition the arm may be used as a single
loader, as the same groove in the carrier will be kept permanently in line
with the barrel till the spring is again released by turning the thumbscrew.
In lieu of attaching only one end of the mainspring of the lock to the hammer
it is proposed, either in repeating or in ordinary fire-arms, to attach both ends
of the mainspring by separate stirrups, so connected with the foot of the
hammer that their connecting points are at right angles to each other in
respect of the centre pin on which the hammer turns; by this arrangement

page_text: the friction on the centre pin is considerably reduced.
If the forward stirrup
be set at a greater distance from the centre pin than the rear one, and is
placed so that the spring acts upon the greatest leverage as the hammer is
just finishing its stroke, the hammer will move with increased velocity from
the beginning to the end of its stroke. The cover or case of the revolving
carrier is provided with a hinged lid for introducing the cartridges, and a
spring is fitted to the under side of this lid, which presses upon the cartridge
with a view to holding the cartridge which is about to be fired steadily in its
place.
The second part of this Invention consists in the employment of an
attachable and detachable muzzle piece to small shot guns or fowling pieces,
with a view to varying the scatter of the shot; the muzzle piece being made
of a slightly expanded form if intended to scatter the shot or slightly con-
tracted when the reverse effect is to be produced. By screwing one of these
muzzle pieces on to the end of an ordinary.fowling piece it may be made to
scatter or concentrate the shot as desired.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a vertical longitudinal section of that portion
of the gun which contains the lock, the revolving carrier, and the rear end of
the barrel, the hammer being down as when the gun is discharged; Figure 2
is a similar section showing the hammer drawn back to a full-cock; Figure 3
is a view of the piston or breech plug, the head of the hammer, and the link
which connects them; Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of the
revolving carrier; and Figure 5 is a rear end view of the same.
A is the breech piece or frame which carries the lock, the front end being
cylindrical and forming the rear end of the cylindrical chamber which contains
the revolving carrier; B is a cylindrical case within which the carrier revolves,
and which is screwed to the front cylindrical end of the breech piece at X;.
C is a section of the barrel screwed to the cylindrical case at Y; D is a
revolving carrier with the rear end of the axis D¹ extending through the front
cylindrical end of the breech piece A, and having a ratchet wheel E on its
rear end. The rear journal on which this ratchet wheel with the revolving
carrier turns has its bearing in a plug or stul at the rear end of the bore, in
which the axis D' and the ratchet wheel E are inserted, covering such bore
in the rear; F is the hammier; G, the piston or breech plug; and G', a link

page_text: connecting the piston with the head of the hammer; H is a double-acting
spring, the front end of which moving in a narrow slot formed by cutting
away the side of the plug or stud immediately in the rear of the ratchet
wheel acts upon the ratchet so as to move the revolving carrier one-eighth of
a revolution whenever the bammer is drawn back to full-cock, as will be.
herein-after more fully explained; I is the mainspring which actuates the
hammer; each end of this spring is connected with the foot of the hammer
by means of a separate stirrup a and a', and these stirrups are so connected.
with the foot of the hammer that their connecting points are at right angles
to each other in respect of the centre pin on which the hammer turns. The
forward stirrup a¹ is attached to the foot of the hammer at a greater distance:
from the centre pin than the rear one, and is so attached and arranged that
the spring acts upon the greatest leverage as the hammer is just finishing its
stroke, so that the hammer moves with an increasing velocity from the:
beginning to the end of its stroke: These two stirrups connecting each end
of the mainspring with the hammer as aforesaid tend to lessen the friction
on the centre pin. The revolving carrier is somewhat similar in form and
construction to the revolving cylinder in an ordinary revolving fire-arm,"
except that instead of being bored with a series of chargé chambers it has
a series of nearly semicircular grooves, as shown at b, Fig. 5, into which
the cartridges may be inserted laterally. The cylindrical case B holds the
cartridges in their places, and it has an opening in its upper side through
which they are inserted, with a hinged cover d and a catch to fasten the cover
when it is closed down. On the under side of the cover there is a spring e,
which presses lightly on the cartridge in order to hold it steadily down in its
bed, and secure the effective action of the retracting book upon it, as well as
to accommodate the cover to any slight variations in size in the flanges of the
cartridges. The cylindrical case B has a round hole in its front end,
immediately in rear of and in line with the barrel through which the cartridge
passes when it is pushed forward from its bed in the carrier to the barrel.
It has a similar bore in its rear end also in line with the barrel, extending
back through the breech piece A to the point where the hammer strikes, in
which bore the piston moves. The piston G has neatly dovetailed into it
longitudinally a percussion bar o, which is rather longer than the piston itself,
the front end of which being driven against the flange of the cartridge by the
lammer as it completes its stroke explodes the fulminate. The wings of the
.revolving carrier which separate the cartridge chambers or beds are bevelled at
their rear ends, so that in moving past the end of the percussion bar they
present to it inclined planes n, n, n, Figure 5, and on coming in contact with

page_text: it will slide the bar back so as to pass it freely. The link G", which connects
the piston with the head of the hammer, is composed of a thin plate of steel,.
and its front portion is inserted in a central longitudinal and vertical slut in.
the rear end of the piston to which it is pivoted at p. The rear end of the.
said link is, inserted, in a slot in the hammer head to which it is pivoted at r,"
this pivot passing through an elongated hole or slot, in the end of the link to,
allow the necessary play as it moves into line with the piston or departs
therefrom. The rear end of the piston is bevelled on its lower side, as shown
at v, so that when the hammer is down, as shown in Figure 1, the inclined;
plane of the piston bearing against the inclined plane w of the hammeri
head completely locks the hammer against the possibility of being raised.or.
thrown back by the recoil of the piston. The hammer is in fact thus secured.
against the possibility of being thrown back by any recoil of the piston before
it has completed its stroke, or, from the time that the said inclined planes v.
and u come in contact with or in opposition to each other. The spring H is
pivotted to the breech piece or frame A at i, and the rear end has a laterally.
projecting bead which moves in an eccentric slot s in the foot of the hammer,
whilst the front end presses laterally against the ratchet wheel; but when the.
hammer is drawn back and the spring is in the position shown in Figure 2
its front end is so confined in the narrow space through which it passes that.
it cannot be sprung laterally away from the ratchet, hence the spring at
cach upward movement can move the ratchet wheel no further than the
spring itself, moves, since the next tooth to the one upon which the spring-
acts cannot pass the end of the spring whilst it is so confined and kept close
up to the ratchet wheel by the narrow space; but this narrow space is so
formed that as soon as the front end of the spring begins to descend it bas
room to depart laterally from the ratchet wheel a sufficient distance to pass
over the inclined plane presented by the next tooth, and it will then spring
back into the proper position to engage with the said tooth on its next upward
motion. As the hammer is drawn back the rear end of the spring is depressed
by the eccentric slot or cams in the foot of the hammer, causing the front
end to bear upwards against a tooth of the ratchet wheel, which it prevents
from revolving however so long as the piston remains in the groove of the
carrier; but so soon, as the piston passes out of the groove the spring acts
instantly upon the ratchet and throws the carrier forward until the next
groove comes in line with the barrel. As the hammer descends the rear end
of the spring rises, causing its front end to fall below the ratchet and out of
the way of its teeth. A thumbscrew is set in the frame A, the position of
which is shown in red lines at 7, by means of which the front ends of the

page_text: spring may be secured in the position last mentioned, or as shown in Figure 1,
so that in drawing the hammer back the said front end of the spring will not
rise or act upon the ratchet. When the front end of the spring is thus kept
down by the thumbscrew the carrier may be revolved freely by manipulating
it with the fingers for the purpose of cleaning or recharging it. In like
manner the thumbscrew may be set when the hammer is at full-cock and the
spring in the position shown in Figure 2, so as to confine the spring in that
position and prevent the carrier from revolving. The arm may thus be used
as a single-loader, as the same groove in the carrier will be kept permanently
in line with the barrel till the spring His again released by turning the
thumbscrew. The front end of the piston is provided with a hook for
retracting the cartridge, and in the bottom of each cartridge bed there is a
narrow groove c for the said hook to run in. There is an open space j
between the magazine or cylindrical case B and the barrel, complet ely
separating the barrel in which the cartridge is exploded from the magazine;
this affords a protection against fouling and premature explosion of cartridges
in the magazine, in case of bursting the cartridge flange as may sometimes
occur. The revolving carrier or magazine is charged with cartridges by
dropping them successively through the opening d'as the carrier is revolved,
the hammer standing at full-cock. When the carrier is completely charged
the cover is shut down and fastened; the gun may then be fired as rapidly as
it can be cocked and snapped until all the cartridges are exhausted. As the
liammer goes down it pushes the piston forward, its head being all the time
pressed firmly against the rear end of the piston, and as the hammer completes
its blow it is in a position to receive the recoil of the piston and present a
firm and secure resistance thereto. The piston pushes the cartridge before
it into the barrel, and just as the cartridge is fairly pushed home the hammer
in completing its stroke drives the percussion bar o forward and explodes the
fulminate. As the hammer is drawn back the hook h seizing the empty
cartridge shell by its flange draws it back into the same bed from which it
has been pushed forward, and at the instant when the front end of the piston
passes behind the rear end of the carrier the spring H throws the carrier
suddenly forward, so as to bring a fresh cartridge in line with the barrel
whilst the empty shell is moved on the same distance. The gun may be
discharged at the half or at the full cock, but to discharge it at the half-cock
the bammer must first be drawn back to the full-cock, in order to withdraw
the piston so as to allow the carrier to revolve; the hammer may then be
let down slowly, pushing the cartridge into the barrel, and may afterwards be
drawn back to the half-cock when it is desired to discharge the
gun.

page_text: It is manifest that this part of the Invention is applicable to a single
shooter as well as to a repeater. Instead of a revolving carrier there may be
a single stationary bed for the cartridge, and thus by means of the same
mechanism a good single shooting breech-loading gun may be produced.
The second part of this Invention, which is applicable to shot guns only, is
illustrated by Figure 6 of the Drawings. It is well known that some shot
guns will scatter the shot much more than others of the same calibre.
Repeated experiments have shown that the scatter of the gun depends nainly
upon the shape of the extreme end of the barrel or muzzle, and that the same
gun may be made to scatter or shoot close by expanding or contracting the
muzzle. It is well known to sportsmen that in some kinds of shooting it is
desirable to have the gun scatter the shot more widely than in other kinds.
The object of this part of the Invention is to produce a gun which may be
easily and readily converted into a close shooting or scattering piece as
circumstances may require, and it consists in providing an attachable and
detachable muzzle to vary the scatter of the shot by attaching it to or
detaching it from the barrel.
In the accompanying Drawing A (Figure 6) represents the muzzle end of
the barrel of a shot gun, and B the detachable muzzle which is connected
with the main barrel at by a screw joint. This detachable muzzle is
slightly contracted at its forward end, and when attached to the gun will have
the effect of causing it to throw the shot more compactly than when it is
removed; instead of being contracted, however, it might be slightly expanded,
in which case it would have the effect of increasing the scatter when attached
to the barrel.
It is manifest that this improvement may be applied to old guns as well as
to new, it being simply necessary to cut a male screw on the end of the
barrel to fit the female screw of the detachable muzzle.
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 combination of the revolving carrier, the piston, the hammer,
and the connecting link G¹, arranged and operating substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Second, the inclined plane v on the end of the piston in combination with
the inclined plane u on the head of the hammer, in order to lock the hammer

page_text: as described, whether used in combination with a revolving carrier or with a
stationary cartridge bed.
Third, the double-acting spring H, constructed and arranged as described
in combination with the ratchet wheel E and the eccentric slot s, as and for
the purposes herein-before specified.
Fourth, the ratchet wheel E and the eccentric slots in combination with
the double-acting spring H; also the thumbscrew I, as and for the purpose
herein-before described.
Fifth, the connecting of each end of the mainspring to the hammer by a
'separate stirrup arranged and operating as herein-before described.
Sixth, in combination with the cylindrical case B and its cover d I claim
the yielding spring e, as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Seventh, the application and use of an attachable and detachable muzzle to
and in shot guns, in order to vary the scatter of the shot, substantially as
hercin-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my
Specification hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of
July One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
J. HENRY JOHNSON.
(L.S.)