IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN STOCKS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN STOCKS."-A communication
from abroad by Charles Richard Alsop, of Middleton, State of Connec-
ticut, and Joseph Wright Alsop and Henry Chauncey, junior, both of
New York, all in the United States of America.
Sealed the 24th October 1861, and dated the 11th June 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th June 1861.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUN STOCKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in gun stocks consists in a novel construc-
tion of the stocks of fire-arms intended to be fired from the shoulder, whereby
a firmer grasp.is obtained for the right hand in firing, and the piece is enabled
to be held more steadily against the shoulder, and with the elbow depressed,
so as to be more out of the reach of an enemy's fire than with the ordinary
construction, and whereby provision is made for constructing the stock in two
parts, which may be disconnected for more convenient carriage, and for the

page_text: conversion of a piece from a gun into a pistol, and vice versa. The stock i
made in two parts, which may be connected or disconnected, so that the piece
may be used as a carbine or pistol, at pleasure, but the same form of stock
that is produced by the connection of the two parts may be adopted without
any provision for disconnection for rifles, fowling-pieces, muskets, or carbines
The rear portion or butt of the stock is of the same form as the rear portion
of an ordinary gunstock; but at the small part where a gunstock is ordinarily
grasped by the right hand in firing there is an opening large enough for the
thumb of the right hand to pass through, and for the reception of the ball of
the thumb; the portion of the stock immediately in rear of this opening being
made in the form of a bow, and the portion immediately in front of it being
nearly perpendicular to the line of the barrel, and of such form as to be
capable of being grasped by the hand with the thumb through the opening.
In constructing a stock of this form it will be more convenient to make
the bow of metal, but the butt and other parts may be made of wood. The
bow may be made with a tenon at its rear to fit the butt, and tenons may be
also provided on the front extremities of the bow to fit mortices in the handle
of the pistol or arm. In constructing the stock with the butt or rear part
moveable for the convenience of carriage, or for the conversion of the gun into
a pistol, the bow is to be connected permanently with the butt by a tenon,
and the bow is to be constructed with a short round tenon to fit a mortice in
the top of the handle, and with a tongue of dovetail-form in its transverse
section to fit a dovetail groove; in the bottom of the handle a small spring
bolt is slipped into a hole in the tongue to hold the same by pushing up the
bolt by its projecting knob; to liberate the tongue the bow with the butt
attached may be disconnected from the pistol handle and then the arm will be
simply a common pistol, and by replacing the bow in the handle the piece is
again converted into a gun.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office 3
on the 11th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special licence that I, the said William.
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN GUN STOCKS," being a communication from abroad, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention of improvements in gun stocks consists in a novel construc-
tion of the stocks of fire-arms intended to be fired from the shoulder, whereby
a firmer grasp is obtained for the right band in firing, and the piece is enabled
to be held more steadily against the shoulder than heretofore, and with the
elbow depressed, so as to be more out of the reach of an enemy's fire than with
the ordinary construction of gun stock. Provision is also made for construct-
ing the stock in two parts, which may be disconnected for more convenient
carriage, and for the conversion of a piece from a gun into a pistol, and
vice versa.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view of a combined pistol
and carbine; having the stock constructed according to the present Invention;
Fig. 2 is a top view of the same; Fig. 3 is a front view of one of the con-
necting portions of the stock; Fig. 4 is a side view of the same.
.
The stock is represented in the Drawing as made in two parts, which may
be connected or disconnected, so that the piece may be used as a carbine or
pistol at pleasure; but the same form of stock that is produced by the con-

page_text: nection of the two parts may be adopted without any provision for disconnee-
tion for rifles, fowling-pieces, muskets, or carbines.
I will first describe the form of the stock as a whole, which constitutes the
present Invention, and will then describe its construction in two parts to effect
the change from a gun to a pistol, and vice versa.
The rear portion or butt A of the stock is of the same form as the rear
portion of an ordinary gun stock, but at about the point where a gun stock is
ordinarily grasped by the right hand; in firing there is auf opening B large
enough for the thumb of the right hand to pass through, and for the recep-
tion of the ball of the thumb; the portion C of the stock immediately in
rear of this opening being made in the form of a bow, as shown in Fig. 1, and
the portion D immediately in front of it being nearly perpendicular to the line
of the barrel, and of such form as to be capable of being grasped by the hand
with the thumb through the opening.
In constructing a stock of this form it will be more convenient to make the
bow C of metal, but the butt A and part D may be made of wood. The bow C
may be made with a tenon C' at its rear, as represented in Fig. 2, and in the
detached view, Fig. 4. This tenon C' is made to fit the butt A, and it may
be secured by screws a, a, passing through it and the butt A, as represented in
Fig. 1; and tenons may be also provided on the front extremities of the bow C
to fit mortises in the part D, or handle of the arm, and the tenons may be
secured permanently in their respective mortises by transverse screws, or by
any other mode of permanently attaching the bow to the butt A and to the
part D.
In constructing the stock with tho butt or rear part moveable for the con-
venience of carriage, or for the conversion of the gun into a pistol, the bow C
is to be connected permanently with the butt by a tenon C' and screws a, a,
as herein-before described and represented in the Drawing, and the bow is to
be constructed with a short round tenon b, Fig. 4, to fit a mortise in the top
or upper part of the handle D, and with a tongue c of dovetail-form in its
transverse section to fit a dovetail-groove in the bottom of the handle D. In
the handle D there is also a small spring bolt E to slip into a hole in tho
tongue c, for the purpose of holding the same. By pushing up the bolt E by
means of its projecting knob e the tongue c will be liberated. The bow C,.
with the butt attached may be disconnected from the handle D, and then the
arm will resemble a pistol, and by replacing the bow in the handle D the
piece will be again converted into a gun, as shewn in the Drawing.
Having now described this Invention of improvements in gun stocks, and

page_text: having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, as communi-
cated to me by my foreign correspondent, I claim as the Invention secured to
me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, constructing the stock of a fire-arm
intended to be fired from the shoulder, in the manner herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)