IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Sussex Place,
Loughborough Road, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A.
communication.
Sealed the 15th February 1856, and dated the 15th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the:
15th November 1855.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Sussex Place, Loughboro' Road,
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Inven-'
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS" to be as follows:―
The chief difficulty experienced in the construction and use of breech-
loading fire-arms arises from the tendency of the discharge to open the joints
between the barrel and the breech piece or chamber, the two being forced in*
contrary directions by the explosion, and however exact the workmanship or
strong the parts are made, the open joint will leak and the bearing surfaces
are soon fouled. To remedy this inconvenience is the object of this Invention,
which consists in the use of a cartridge case, made wholly or partially of soft'
nietal, which remains within the chamber or breech piece when the piece is'

page_text: discharged, and which is expanded by the force of the explosion into or against
the open joints between the barrel and the breech piece, chamber, or breech
pin, and effectually prevent leakage by packing the joints.
This Invention also consists in a moveable or sliding cone seat or breech
pin, by means of which the empty cartridge case is expelled or loosened from
the breech piece or chamber after the discharge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Sussex Place, Loughborough Road, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by-Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special license that I, the said
George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-
ARMS," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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 George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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

page_text: following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 is a side view of a rifle with the improvements attached; Fig. 2, a
longitudinal section through the same with the breech piece swung away from
its seat; Figs. 3, 4, and 5, details to be referred to hereafter; Fig. 6, a section
upon the line X, X, of Fig. 2. The chief difficulty experienced in the con-
struction and use of breech-loading fire-arms arises from the tendency of the
discharge to open the joints between the barrel and the breech piece, the two
being forced in contrary directions by the explosion, and however exact the
workmanship or strong the parts are made, the bearing surfaces are soon
fouled and leakage results. To remedy this inconvenience is the object of the
Invention, which consists in the use of a soft metal cartridge case, which
remains within the gun when the piece is discharged, and which is expanded
by the force of the explosion into or against the joints between the barrel and
the breech piece, and effectually prevents leakage, and counteracts the effects
of the tendency, before mentioned, to open at these points.
The Invention also consists in a movable or sliding cone seat, by means of
which the empty cartridge case is expelled or loosened from the breech piece
after the discharge.
To enable others skilled in the art to understand the Invention, I will
proceed to describe the manner in which it is carried out.
In the accompanying Drawings, A is the stock; B, the barrel; C, the
movable breech piece, which is pivoted at D, and is secured to the lever E,
by which it is operated; F is a movable cone seat, to which slight motion
in the direction of the axis of the barrel is communicated in the following
manner-g is a groove in one side of the cone seat, in which plays a pin a
projecting from the stock. This groove is so formed, that when the breech
picce is returned to its place, the cone seat is drawn back to its greatest
distance therefrom, as seen dotted in Fig. 1. In this position the nipple d is
brought immediately beneath the hammer ready to receive its blow. As the
breech pin is withdrawn the cone seat is advanced farther into it, as seen in
Fig. 2, for a purpose that will be presently explained.
The construction and operation of the soft metal cartridge case will now
be described. Fig. 3 is a section through one of the cases as it is cast, and
before it is charged. The hole c for the entrance of the cone d is closed with
varnished paper or tinfoil, and the powder is introduced as seen in Fig. 2; the
ball having been well tallowed is then inserted, and the case is closed around
it by pressure applied by hand or in a suitably formed press. In order that
the breech piece may not be thrown out of its position by the force of the

page_text: discharge, the rear of the movable cone seat is curved from a center in the
line of the axis of the barrel, and is made to bear upon a seat which is corre-
spondingly. curved; the discharge is thus caused to retain the breech piece in
its firing position, as it cannot be withdrawn therefrom until the movable cone
seat be advanced into the position seen in Fig. 2. This itself under ordinary
circumstances would be sufficient to retain the breech piece in place during
the discharge, but for additional security I have adopted the following device
for the purpose of more unfailingly accomplishing this end-H is a bolt which
passes transversely through the stock immediately in the rear of the movable
breech piece. This bolt is cylindrical, and is cut away upon one side f, Fig. 5,
to enable the breech piece to be returned to its place; the bolt is then
revolved by the thumb piece or handle I, by which means its cylindrical portion
is caused to enter a corresponding cavity g' in the breech piece, which is thus
held securely in place. In order that the piece may not be discharged until
the bolt H has been turned into its cavity g', the handle I is caused to lie
over the guard, as seen in red in Fig. 1, and obstruct the entrance of the
finger to the trigger whenever the breech piece is in place and not secured
by its bolt..
OPERATION.
The parts being in the position represented in Fig. 2, the metallic cartridge
is dropped into the breech piece, which is returned to its firing position by the
operating lever E, and bolted by bringing up the handle I. The joints
between the barrel and the breech piece, and between the latter and the
movable cone seat, are thus covered by the soft metal cartridge, which at the
instant of discharge is forced into or against these joints, thus effectually
preventing the passage of smoke through them, and keeping the parts brilliant
and untarnished. After the piece is discharged the breech piece is withdrawn,
as in Fig. 2, and the movable cone seat is caused to advance by the pin a, and
thus the empty cartridge case is slightly loosened from its chamber, and pro-
jected from the breech piece, so that it may easily be withdrawn by hand if it
be desired to save them to be again employed in a similar manner. Where
the firing is rapid, as in an action, the gun may be turned over after the breech
has been withdrawn, when the empty case will fall out, and may be instantly
replaced by a new one. It is evident that the above-described principle may
be employed in the construction of breech-loading cannon, or to fire-arms of
any other character or description.
Having now set forth the nature of this Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above recited Letters Patent I claim,

page_text: The use of a soft metal cartridge case as applied to breech-loading fire-arms,
and constructed and operating in the manner substantially as herein set forth.
2nd, I claim the movable cone scat in combination with the soft metal
cartridge case, operating as herein described to eject the empty cartridge case,
as set forth.
3rd, I claim the bolt H with its handle I, or its equivalent, operating in
the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, havo here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
R. BROWNING,
New Court, St. Swithin's Lane.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.s.)