MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Franz Hayman at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th December
1866. A communication from Charles Robert Gillon, residing at Liège, .
in the Kingdom of Belgium.
I, FRANZ HAYMAN, Civil Engineer, of the City of Lille, in the Empire of
France, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
IMPROVE-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-arms.
The barrel of the fire-arm is at its breech fixed into the front end of a body of
a trough-like form open at top to allow room for the introduction of the
cartridge in loading and for pushing it forward into the barrel; the trough-
like space in the barrel is closed after the cartridge has been introduced by a
block jointed at its fore end to the top of the body. The block has a central
hole formed through it from end to end and contains a needle or striker for
exploding the cartridge by a blow on the centre of its base; the block also has
on its under side a strong hook or projection which descends through a slot cut
in the bottom of the trough form part of the body, and it is locked by a sliding
bolt working in guides on the under side of the body; this bolt receives its
motion from a lever, which when the block is locked in position fits close
underneath the trigger guard. The lever works on a horizontal axis at its
forward end, and has teeth upon it around the axis, and when the hinder end
of the lever is thrust downwards and forwards, as in unlocking the blocks, or
when the contrary movement is made in locking the block, the teeth gear with

page_text: rack teeth formed on the bolt. To lock the block the bolt enters into the hook
upon it, and in unlocking the bolt is withdrawn, whilst at the same time
another part in connection with the bolt comes against the back of the hook,
and by pressing against it partly raises the block so that the hand may readily
get hold of it to turn it-back. On the joint of the block there is a spring
acting like the spring of a pocket knife, and tending to bring the block to one
or other of the extreme positions. The blow to fire the cartridge is struck
by an internal hammer mounted on a spring arm, which when released throws
the hammer head forward so as to cause it to impinge upon the instrument
or striker within the block, and this striking the base of the cartridge fires it
the striker passes through a cavity containing grease, and is so kept lubricated.
The spring arm of the hammer is forced back to prepare it to strike the blow
by the action of the lever which locks and unlocks the breech block. When
the lever is moved so as to unlock the breech block, a projection upon it
comes against the spring arm of the hammer and forces it back until it is
caught and retained by a detent at the end of a short lever, and when the
trigger is drawn back to fire the charge it moves the short lever on its centre
and so sets the hammer free, and the tension of its spring arm causes it to fly
forward and strike the blow which fires the charge.
The cartridge I employ forms no part of this Invention; it is formed by
rolling paper on a mandril so as to form a tube, into which the ball is secured
at one end; the powder is then introduced, and the end of the tube is folded
over, a disc of cardboard with 'a percussion cap in the centre being introduced
and caused to rest firmly on the base of the powder; a wad of paper is pasted
over, and it is greased to render it impervious to moisture.