IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING AND REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS, AND CANNON AND METALLIC CARTRIDGES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Bethel Burton at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th February
1864.
I, BETHEL BURTON, of the City of Brooklyn, State of New York, America,
at present residing at 21, Tollington Road, N., London, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING AND
REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS, AND CANNON AND METALLIC CARTRIDGES," to be as
follows:-
In plan No. 1 is a cylinder for a revolver. It will be seen that the bore in
cylinder does not run through, but a smaller hole is made through the cylinder
which forms a shoulder, and down on to this hole, and in the base of the
cylinder a slit is formed. The object of this slit is to allow the hammer or
cock to strike the upper side of the cartridge, and the object of the small hole
is to form a shoulder to prevent the metallic cartridge from being forced back
against the frame of the arm or pistol to prevent its revolving. On the same
plan will be seen the manner of constructing the cartridge, of copper or other
soft metallic substance, to be used in said cylinder. The comparative ease of
priming those cartridges compared with the cartridges now in use with the
priming in the rim, which require the greatest care to insure them being
primed all round the rim, will be readily seen. This cartridge is primed in the
usual manner of priming caps, and can be done with a certainty, and by fitting
the cylinder is prevented from swelling between the cylinder and frame of the

page_text: arm or pistol, which, in other pistols, has a tendency to prevent their freedom
of revolving.
Plan No. 2 is constructed in the usual way of forming a chamber in the
rear end of the barrel with a sliding breech pin supported by sectional screw
threads, or what are known as male and female screws. The forward part of
this breech pin is made with the end of one part running into the other, which
is chambered back close to the rear end. This pin answers to close up the
chamber, and is fastened together by a bayonet joint or other suitable means,
and through this forward part of the breech pin there is a bolt passing through
with a nut on the inside, and inside and into the upper side of this breech
pin there is a spring running along and flush with the surface of said
pin. This spring is kept in place by a screw; the point of this screw passes
down on to a flat on the side of the bolt, and answers to prevent the bolt from
turning in removing the nut to clean the bolt. In the chamber of this breech
pin there is a loose thimble and a spiral or coiled spring, and on the under
side of the barrel is seen a spring with two fingers; one of these fingers passes
up through into.the inner chamber of the breech pin, the other passes downwards
under the nose of the trigger. In the breech pin is cut an
-shaped
slot through into the chamber in which this finger works, and answers as a
guide to bring the screw threads into place. It may also be seen that as
soon as the breech pin is drawn back to allow of the cartridge being inserted
into the barrel through the opening on the side of the chamber of the barrel
that the spring below presses the finger on said spring up in front of the
thimble, and when the breech pin is shoved forward and screwed up and in
place the finger has forced back the coiled spring around which the thimble
acts to prevent the finger from catching into the coiled spring, and serves to
deliver the blow, when the trigger presses down the spring and finger and
relieves the coiled spring for the purpose of delivering the blow to the bolt to
ignite the detonating powder in the cartridge. This bolt can be made to
strike the cartridge in any desirable place, for which I place two pins on the
front of the bolt to strike the cartridge in two places at the same time in order
to insure the certainty of the fire. When the arm is discharged the spring on
the upper side of the breech pin which passes over the cartridge in loading,
when the breech pin is withdrawn the hook on this spring draws with it the
empty case or cartridge for the purpose of loading or unloading the piece.
On the side of the chamber of the barrel there is a spring safety lock, the
object of which is in carrying the arm when loaded to prevent its premature
discharge, and also to prevent the breech from turning and coming back in
manipulating the piece. This spring is fastened at one end by means of a

page_text: screw to the barrel, and at the other end there is a pin passing through and
enters a hole in the breech pin. This hole is so placed that when the pin on
the spring enters, the trigger is unable to draw down the spring and finger
that holds back the coiled spring in the inner chamber; there is a slot in the
spring lock, and a pin passing up through this slot from a sliding wedge, that
fits in a recess cut in the side of the barrel, raises the pin on the end of the
spring when shoved forward on the line of the barrel and allows of the working
of the breech.
Plan No. 3 is an adaption of this arm from a breech to a muzzle loader,
and vice versa, as the necessity of the case may require, that is to say, in case
of or want of suitable cartridges to load from the breech, the nipple piece is
made with a lump in the usual way, and the nipple hole runs through and is
screwed with a thread throughout. This nipple hole comes half way in on the
flange of the metallic cartridge, and the pin, as is seen, without a thread works
loose on the points of the threads in the hole in the breech pin, and is kept
from coming out by a set screw that fits on to a flat surface with a shoulder on
the loose pin and prevents its coming out, but allows of sufficient play to
admit of the pin delivering the blow given it from the hammer or cock on to
the flange of the cartridge in which is the fulminate; by removing this pin
and substituting the ordinary nipple, and by putting a hole in the base of the
cartridges before used, they can be loaded and fire.l as often as desired, or, by
leaving one of them in the gun, the gun can be loaded from the muzzle with
loose powder. The nipple piece is connected with the rear of the breech
pin, as shewn on Plan, with a screw having a square point passing down
through the rear breech pin. This screw is first put in, and when in allows
of the nipple piece being connected and disconnected at pleasure, a slot cut in
the end of the nipple piece running into the groove in which the point of the
pin works.
Plan No. 4 is a mode of constructing cannon of cast iron or metal of any
kind whereby the trunnions and other outside surfaces are removed for the
purpose of allowing of no obstruction to the metal's equal contraction in
cooling, which is prevented in all ordnance having trunnions or other lumps
upon their surface. The jacket of wrought iron on which the trunnions are
formed is made largely tapering to prevent the recoil of the gun forcing it
through the jacket, and there is also a shoulder turned on the gun in case the
continued recoil exerted too much strain upon the jacket; it is met by the
shoulder and prevented from a further strain beyond the endurance of the
strength of the jacket. The jacket being so much tapering and having its
greatest strength behind serves to prevent the separation of the cast metal

page_text: _-shape,
latterly as well as a support to the outer surface of the arch or surface of the
gun. The breech is secured with a screw formed into sections and a screw plug
of corresponding sections; in this screw plug is a slot of an
corresponding with the pitch of the thread or screw, and on the end of the gun
a hinged joint is secured, and through this hinge the screw plug passes, and in
this binge a guide pin is screwed that works in the slot of the breech pin, and
guides the screws in and out of place, and prevents the breech pin from being
pulled entirely out; the hinge joint carries the breech pin round to allow of
the charge being inserted in the gun. The hole in the joint it will be seen is
cut away into sections corresponding with the sections of screw in the gun
and on the breech pin, which allows the point of the breech pin to be with-
drawn to the end of the gun so as to allow of its turning out of the barrel
with the hinge. The cartridge in the gun is shewn to show the manner of
igniting the charge threin. The hole in the breech pin in the ordinary way.