IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING BALL PRACTICE WITH FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING BALL PRACTICE WITH FIRE-ARMS
"
commu-
nicated to him from Ernest Gaupillat a person resident at Paris in the
Republic of France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th July 1883.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING BALL PRACTICE
WITH FIRE-ARMS "-A communication to me from Ernest Gaupillat, a person
resident at Paris, in the Republic of France
This Invention relating to apparatus for facilitating ball practice with firearms
has for its object to enable shooting to be practised with a relatively small
expenditure of ammunition but with the same advantages to the marksmen as the
regular ball practice and it consists in the employment of a ball having the same
diameter as, but preferably shorter than, the regulation ball and a small central
cartridge loaded with powder alone in combination with a metal tube or socket
hereinafter described-The said cartridge being prepared in advance ensures
uniformity in the charges of powder employed and renders it unnecessary for the
marksmen to manipulate the powder or priming and also enables the tools usually
employed in preparing the cartridges to be dispensed with
By these means accuracy and precision in firing are combined with facility for
great rapidity in loading and working the weapon to which the apparatus is
applied.
In carrying out this Invention a metal tube or socket of the same form
externally as a regulation cartridge is provided for the reception of a ball
resembling a regulation ball with the cylindrical part or body removed to within
a short distance of the cone and provided in lieu of the said cylindrical body with
a grooved stem or projection which fits into the upper end of the tube so that the
ball is firmly supported in the latter-A small prepared cartridge containing the

page_text: explosive is inserted in the lower end of the tube which is of about the same
weight as a regulation cartridge.
In order to obviate an escape of gas backwards or at the breech which would be
liable to inconvenience the marksman, the outer surface of the tube is grooved
with grooves normal to its axis and sufficiently numerous and capacious to allow
the gas tending to escape backwards between the tube and the ohaimber of the
fire-arm to expand in such a manner as not to cause the shooter any inconvenience—
The tube is preferably strengthened by a. steel lining
The grooves herein before referred to in the stem of the projectile facilitate the
introduction of the latter into the socket or tube even when the latter is fouled
by repeated firing and also enable the projectile to be more firmly supported in
the said socket.
In using this Invention the tube or socket is placed in the breech of the gun
and the subsequent ignition of the explosive causes the ball to be discharged with
the same precision as when the ordinary ball cartridges are employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Patent Office on the 19th January
1884.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING BALL PRACTICE
WITH FIRE-ARMS a communication to me from Ernest Gaup Hat a person resident
at Paris in the Republic of France
it
This Invention relating to apparatus for facilitating ball practice with fire arms
has for its object to enable shooting to be practised with a small expenditure of
ammunition but with the same advantages to the marksman as are afforded by the
regular ball practice and it consists in the employment of a modified form of ball
having the same diameter or thickness as but being shorter than the regulation
ball and a small cartridge charged, with powder which modified form of ball and
cartridge are used in combination with a metal tube or socket hereinafter described.
The Cartridges are prepared in advance to ensure uniformity in the charges of
powder employed and render it unnecessary for the marksman to manipulate tho
explosives.
The small cartridge and ball employed according to this Invention are placed in
the metal tube or socket herein before referred to whose external configuration
corresponds approximately with that of a regulation cartridge and may be of
about the same weight as the latter. This socket together with the charge and
the ball are then introduced into the fire arm and the ball discharged in the same
manner as with an ordinary cartridge.
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 shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures:
Figure is an elevation and Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of a tube or
socket. Figure 3 represents a cartridge an Figure 4 a bullet (both drawn to a
larger scale) to be employed in combination with the said tube or socket.,
As shown in figures 1 and 2 the tube or socket (marked A in the drawing) is
externally of the same form as an ordinary cartridge and presents at A' a socket.
for the reception of a small cartridge B. figure 3. The other extremity of the tube
at A also presents a socket for the support of a small bullet C figure 4. This
bullet is provided with a grooved stem or projection o which fits into the end A² of
the tube A so that the said bullet C is firmly supported in the latter. The
cartridge B figure 3 containing a suitable charge of powder or other explosive is
inserted in the end A¹ of the tube and the said tube containing the cartridge and
bullet is placed in the fire-arm in the same manner as an ordinary or regulation
cartridge thereby enabling the bullet C to be discharged with precision and with a
relatively small expenditure of explosive.
In order to obviate an escape of gas backwards at the breech which would
be liable to inconvenience the marksinan and in order to render the tube less
liable to become distorted or forced out of shape the outer surface of the tube is
preferably grooved with circular grooves & sufficiently numerous and capicious to
allow the gas tending to escape backwards between the tube and the oha uber of
the fire arm to expand in such a manner as not to cause any inconvenience. The
tube is preferably strengthened by a lining a figure 2 of steel or other metal which
is better able to withstand the pressure of the gas than brass or bronze The
grooves in the stem c of the projectile C facilitate the introduction of the latter

page_text: into the tube or socket even when the latter is fouled by repeated firing and also
enables the projectile to be more firmly supported in the said tube or socket.
When the tube or socket A with the bullet and cartridge attached has been
introduced into the fire arm the breech of which it fills in the same manner as a
regulation cartridge the charge in the small cartridge B is ignited by the usual"
means and the bullet C is discharged with the same precision for short ranges as
when ordinary' ball cartridges are employed.
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 An apparatus for facilitating ball practice with fire arms the said
apparatus consisting of the combination of a tube or socket with a ball bullet or
projectile and a cartridge formed so that they can be slidden or fixed into the
opposite ends of the said tube or socket substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Second An apparatus for facilitating ball practice with fire arms the said
apparatus consisting of a tube or socket A grooved externally and having a lining
of steel or other strong metal and provided with a ball bullet or projectile and a
cartridge formed so that they can be slidden or fixed into the opposite ends of the
said tube or socket substantially as Lereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Third For use
-
.
with apparatus constructed as herein before set forth for
facilitating ball practice with fire arms a ball bullet or projectile having a stem or
projection b. provided with grooves for the purpose of facilitating the introduction
of the said stem into the tube or socket A and for enabling it to be firmly secured
in position therein substantially as herein before described and illustrated, in
Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I the said John Henry Johnson have to this my Specification
set my hand and seal this eighteenth day of January One thousand eight hundred
and eighty four.
J. HENRY JOHNSON (15)