IMPROVEMENTS IN BREACH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Agnew, of Welshpool, in the County of
Montgomery, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREACH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 12th February 1864; and dated the 29th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Agnew at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
August 1868.
I, ARTHUR AGNEW, of Welshpool, in the County of Montgomery, Gun
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to those kinds of breech-loading fire-arms in which
the barrels turn upon a joint on the body, the breech ends of the barrels being
raised from the break-off for the introduction of the charge into the said
barrels, and depressed and held against the face of the break-off during
discharge.
My Invention consists principally of the improvements herein-after de-
scribed in constructing the mechanism for locking down the barrels of the said
fire-arms during discharge, and for unlocking the said barrels for re-charging.
I lock and unlock the barrels of the fire-arms. by means of a spring bolt
sliding in an opening underneath the break-off. The end of the said bolt.
nearest the barrels is bevilled off, and engages when the barrels have been.
shut down in a recess in the lump on the under side of the barrels, the said

page_text: recess having a shape corresponding with that of the end of the bolt. The
end of the bolt furthest from the barrels is pressed upon and urged forward by
a flat spring. When the barrels are shut down the lump acting against the
bevilled end of the bolt presses back the said bolt, and after the barrels have
been depressed to their fullest extent the said bolt is urged forward by its
spring, and its bevilled end made to engage with the recess in the lump on the
under side of the barrels; the said barrels are thereby fixed down, and the
fire-arm is ready for discharge. The spring bolt is withdrawn from the lump
on the barrels, and the barrels are unlocked for loading by means of
mechanism constructed as follows:-On the under side of the trigger plate is
a slide, one end of which is connected to the bolt by means of a screw pin
passed through the said slide and trigger plate and engaging with the bolt.
A slot is made in the trigger plate and lower part of the body of the break-off
to permit of the sliding motion of the connecting screw pin. The other end
of the said slide is connected with one arm of a lever, the other arm of the
said lever being made of the form of a trigger. The said trigger lever is
situated in the trigger guard of the fire-arm, and turns on a centre on the
front of the said guard. By pressing upon the trigger of the trigger lever the
slide to which the bolt is connected is moved horizontally towards the stock
and its bevilled end withdrawn from the lump on the under side of the barrels.
The said barrels can now be raised from the face of the break-off and the
said barrels charged. When the barrels have been raised from the break-off
the bolt is again shot forward by its spring, ready on shutting down the
barrels to re-engage with the lump on the said barrels.
By my Invention the long and unsightly lever which is commonly employed
to actuate the mechanism for fixing down the barrels is dispensed with, the
exposed part in my Invention- for withdrawing the fixing bolt consisting of a
trigger lever within the trigger guard of the fire-arm. In order to transfer
the strain on the discharge of the fire-arm from the joint to the body, I give
to the face of the lump furthest from the break off a slightly hollow or con-
cave figure, instead of making the said face flat as heretofore. The said face
of the lump has the figure of a portion of the circumference of a circle, and.
that face of the opening in the body of the break-off into which the said
lump enters, and against which the said lump bears,, is made slightly convex,
that is, has a convexity equal to the concavity in the face of the lump. When
the barrels are shut down the hollow face of the lump engages firmly with the
convex face of the opening, and on the discharge of the arm relieves the joint.
from the greater part of the pressure or strain.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Arthur Agnew in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARTHUR
AGNEW, of Welshpool, in the County of Montgomery, Gun Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Arthur Agnew, Her special licence that I, the said Arthur Agnew, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Arthur
Agnew, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and 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, au Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING. FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Arthur Agnew, 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 Arthur Agnew, 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 state-
iment thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention bas reference to breech-loading fire-arms in which the barrels.
turn upon a joint on the fore part of the body, the breech ends of the barrels.
being raised from the break-off for the introduction of the charge into the said.
barrels and depressed and held down and against the face of the said break-off,
during discharge.

page_text: My Invention consists principally of the improvements herein-after described
in constructing the machanism for fastening down the barrels of the said fire-
arms during discharge and for unfastening the barrels for charging. I fasten
the barrels by means of a bolt sliding in the lower part of the break-off' or
after part of the body; the end of the said bolt nearest the barrels is bevilled
off and engages when the barrels have been shut down in a recess in the lump
on the under side of the breech ends of the barrels, the said recess having a shape
corresponding with that of the end of the bolt. The end of the bolt furthest
from the barrels is pressed upon and urged forward by a small spring. . When
the barrels are shut down the bevilled end of the lump on the barrels acting
against the bevilled end of the bolt presses back the bolt, and after the barrels
having been depressed to their fullest extent the said bolt is urged forward by
its spring and its bevilled end made to engage with the recess in the lump on
the under side of the barrels. The said barrels are thereby fastened down and
the fire-arm is ready for discharge. The bolt is withdrawn from the lump on.
the barrels and the barrels unfastened for loading by means of mechanism
constructed as follows:-On the outside of the trigger plate is a slide, one end
of which is connected with the bolt by means of a solid arm on the under side.
of the bolt passing through the trigger plate and said slide and secured by
means of a small screw which is made to pass through the said arm of the bolt:
and the slide, the other end of the slide is attached to a lever of the form of a
trigger in the inner side of the front of the trigger guard by means of a small
screw made to pass through the said slide and the trigger lever. Instead of
the arm described a screw pin may be used. The trigger lever turns upon.
and is secured to the guard by means of a screw pin which passes through the
lever and a stud of metal on the inner side of the front of the trigger guard.
A slot is cut in the under side of the body and through the trigger plate to
allow of the sliding of the arm of the bolt or screw pin. By pressing upon the
trigger of the trigger lever in a forward direction, the slide to which the bolt is.
connected is moved horizontally towards the stock, and the bevilled end of the
bolt is withdrawn from the lump on the under side of the barrels, and the said
barrels can now be raised from the face of the break-off and charged. When
the barrels have been raised from the break-off the pressure is removed from
the trigger lever and the bolt is again shot forward by its spring, rearly
on shutting down the barrels to re-engage with the lump on the under side of
the said barrels.
By my Invention the long and unsightly lever which is commonly employed
to actuate the mechanism for fixing down the barrels is dispensed with, the

page_text: exposed part in my Invention for withdrawing the fixing bolt consisting of a
trigger lever within the trigger guard of the fire-arm. In order to transfer
the strain on the discharge of the fire-arm from the joint pin to the borly, I
give the face of the lump on the barrels furthest from the break-off a slightly
hollow or concave figure, or the figure of a portion of the circumference of a
circle, and the face of the opening in the body of the break-off into which the
said lump on the barrels enters and against which the said face of the lump
bears, is made slightly convex, that is, it has a convexity equal to the concavity.
in the face of the lump. When the barrels are shut down the hollow.face.of
the lump on the barrels engages firmly with the convex face of the opening in
the body and on the discharge of the fire-arm relieves the joint pin from the
greater part of the pressure or strain.
Having explained the nature of. my Invention, I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation a portion of a double-barrelled breech-
loading gun to which my improvements are applied, the parts of the said gun
being in the positions which they respectively occupy when the barrels are
fastened down and the gun ready for discharge. Figure 2 is a longitudinal
vertical section of a portion of the same, and Figure 3 is a vertical transverse
section of the same taken through the dotted line 1, Figure 1, the bolt being
omitted in the said Figure 3. The other Figures represent detached portions
of my Invention and a modification thereof, as herein-after explained. The
same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each Figure of the
Drawing.
a are the barrels of the gun turning on the joint b, on the forepart of the
body c; d is the break-off, against the face of which the open breech ends of
the barrels a are held by the bolt e, sliding in an opening &* (see Figure 3) in
the lower part of the break-off' d. The bolt e is shown separately in end.
elevation, side elevation, and plan of upper side in Figure 4. The front end.
of the bolt e is bevilled off, and the opposite end is pressed upon and urged.
forward by the free end of the spring e, the said spring being fastened by the
screw i to the back of the break-off d. The shape of the spring e³ will be
readily seen by referring to the section, Figure 2, and to the separate views,
Figure 5. When the barrels a are shut down against the body c and face
of the break-off d, the bevilled end of the bolt e engages with a recess f² in
the lumpf on the under side of the breech ends of the barrels a, and fixes
down the said barrels firmly against the said body c and break-off d, as

page_text: illustrated in Figure 2.
bevilled end of the bolt e.
The shape of the recess få is similar to that of the
Secured to or made in one piece with the bolt e
said trigger
is an arm g, the lower end of which arm passes through the trigger plate h,
and is connected to one end of the slide k, on the outside of the
plate h. The slide k is shewn separately in plan in Figure 6. The end of
the arm g fits in a recess k³ in the slide k, and is fastened therein and to the
said slide by a screw 7 passed through the said end of the arm-and the slide
k. The other end of the slide k is forked as represented, the fork passing on
either side of the front of the trigger guard m, and being fastened by a screw
n to the short upper arm o of the lever o, p, the part p of the said lever
being in the form of a trigger. The said lever o, p, turns upon a joint 7,
carried by the stud or projection r, on the inner side of the front of the
trigger guard m. The trigger lever o, p, is represented separately in front
elevation in Figure 7. A slot is made in the under side of the body c, and
through the trigger plate h, to permit of the sliding motion of the arm g of
the bolte (see Figure 2).
•
When the parts of the gun are in the respective positions represented in
Figures 1 and 2 the gun is ready for discharge. After discharge, in order to
unfasten the breech ends of the barrels a from. the break-off d for re-loading,
the trigger lever p is pressed by the thumb towards the front of the trigger
guard m. The said lever o, p, turns upon its joint q, and its short arm o moves
the slide k horizontally towards the stock, and withdraws the bolt e from the
recess in the lumpf in which it was engaged. The positions of the
lever o, p, slide k, bolt e, and spring e³, when the said bolt e is withdrawn from
the lump, are indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. The bolt e having been
withdrawn to the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2, the barrels a
turn upon their joint b, the muzzle ends fall and lift their open breech ends
from the face of the break-off d ready for re-charging. After the breech ends
have been raised from the break-off, the thumb is removed from the trigger
lever p, when the bolt e is shot forward by the spring es into the opening s in
the body c, from which the lump f has been removed. When the barrels a
have been charged they are shut down against the body c and face of the
break-off d. On shutting down the barrels the bevilled end of the lump f
strikes against the bevilled end of the bolt e, and presses back the said bolt into
the break-off. The barrels having been depressed to their fullest extent, the
recess f³ in the lump f is brought opposite the end of the bolt e, when the
said bolt is urged forward by the spring 3, and the bevilled end of the said
bolt made to engage in the said. recess, and thus fasten down the laurels, as

page_text: illustrated in the Drawing. I make in the upper side of the bolt e a groove e',
down which oil can be supplied to the spring without taking the gun to
pieces. Instead of connecting the slide k to the bolt e by means of the solid
arm g, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, a screw pin may be employed for that
purpose. This modification is represented in Figure 8 of the Drawing, and
the parts are marked with the same letters as corresponding parts in Figures
2 and 4. I prefer, however, to use the solid arm 9, as it is much stronger and
safer than the screw pin represented in Figure 8. I give the face of the
lumpf most distant from the break-off d a slightly hollow or concave figuro
(see Figure 2); and I give the face of the opening in the body c against
which the said hollow or concave face of the lump bears when the barrels are
shut down a convex figure, the convexity of the said face of the opening being.
equal to the concavity of the face of the lump. Each of the faces described
of the lumpf and opening s is a portion of the circumference of a circle struck
from the centre 6 on which the barrels a turn, as represented in Figure 2 of
the Drawing. When the barrels are shut down the hollow face of the lump f
bears accurately against the convex face of the openings, and on the discharge
of the gun relieves the joint pin 6 from the greater part of the pressure or
strain. In the fore part of the body c I place a screw t, which can be advanced
when required against the lump f. When by wear the bearing faces of the
lumpf and opening s do not accurately fit, and the junction between the ends
of the barrels and face of the break-off is thereby rendered defective, the end
of the screw t is slightly advanced into the opening s. On shutting down the
barrels the lumpf bears against the end of the screw t, and the breech ends of
the barrels are thus forced against the face of the break-off, and the escape of'
gas on discharge prevented.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from
the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention of improvements in
breech-loading fire-arms in which the barrels turn upon a joint in a vertical
plane on the fore part of the body,―
Firstly, fastening down the barrels of the said fire-arms during discharge,
and releasing the said barrels for charging by means of mechanism, the parts
of which are combined or arranged essentially in the manner herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, relieving or partly relieving the joint pin on which the barrels

page_text: turn from pressure or strain during discharge by making the faces of the
lump and opening respectively of the figure of a portion of the circumference
of a circle, as herein-before described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Agnew, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord. One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
JOHN PATTISON AGNEW,
Welshpool.
ARTHUR AGNEW. (L.S.)