CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PRIMERS FOR DISCHARGING FIRE-ARMS BY MEANS OF PERCUSSION
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM WESTLEY RICHARDS, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the
Fourth, by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great
Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-second day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, and
in the sixth year of His. reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said William Westloy Richards, His
especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said William Westley Richards, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Westley Richards, my
executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PRIMERS FOR DISCHARGING
FIRE-ARMS BY MEANS OF PERCUSSION;" in which said Letters Patent is

page_text: contained a proviso, obliging me, the said William Westley Richards,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the
said William Westley Richards, do hereby declare that the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My Invention of certain improvements in primers for discharging
fire-arms by means of percussion, applies to that kind or description of
percussion primers commonly called copper caps, or those in which the
detonating powder or priming is contained in a copper cap, or metal
shell or case, and have for their object the transferring or removal of
the explosion or discharge of the percussion or detonation powder,
whereby the necessity of deep projecting rims or shields round the
cavity of the cock is obviated, as no part of the metal cap, case, or shell,
of those improved primers can be projected from the nipple in firing,
and the liability of the head of the cock being broken by the explosion
of the priming (which frequently happens with the common copper
cap) is also obviated. And another object of these improvements is,
the making of the primers much larger than the ordinary copper caps,
so as to be more readily handled and casily affixed to the piece, at the
same time they are equally impervious to wet and better adapted for
naval and military purposes than the ordinary copper caps or other
percussion primers hitherto adopted for such purposes.
And my
improvements consist, first, in removing or transferring the percussion
or detonating powder or priming from immediate contact with the
inside of the head, or top of the copper cap or primer, and placing it
nearer to the mouth thereof, so that the explosion or firing of the deto-

page_text: nating primer shall not take place at the bottom of the interior or cup
of the cap but nearer to its mouth, whereby the fuse arising from the
explosion of the detonating powder will have free vent or escape, and
the explosion will only distend or partly open the sides of the cap or
primer, the space between the ordinary or old position of the priming
or detonating powder, and its position in my improved primers being
occupied by a piece of hard metal; and secondly, my improvements
consist in protecting the copper cap, or metal case or shell of the
primer, and preventing the possibility of its bursting, and any part or
portion thereof being projected or thrown from the nipple on the dis-
charge of the piece, by encompassing it with a second cap, case, or
shield placed around the former, and preventing the expansion or dis-
tention of the sides thereof, beyond a certain or given distance. And
as there are many different ways of carrying my improvements into
effect shall describe several different methods of constructing these
improved primers, and refer to the several Figures or Drawings here-
unto annexed, in order to illustrate the same; but I wish it to be
understood, I do not mean or intend to confine myself to the exact form
and dimensions therein shewn, or to the precise mode of constructing
the same, as they may be varied to suit different kinds or descriptions
of primers for various purposes. And in order that my improvements
may be better understood, I have shewn the various primers drawn on
an enlarged scale, in order the better to illustrate the same; similar
letters of reference being marked upon corresponding parts in all the
Figures. Fig. 1, is an enlarged vertical section of a copper cap of the
ordinary construction as in common use, which will serve to illustrate
the objects of my improvements. a, is the top of the cap; b, the sides
thereof; c, the ordinary position of the detonating ог priming powder;
the dotted lines shew the direction of the fuse and force of explosion
on the discharge of the priming, and the cause of the cap bursting and
flying off in pieces. Fig. 2, is a similar section of an ordinary copper
cap, which will serve to illustrate the first part of my improvements it
being applied thereto, viz', the novel position of the priming, the
percussion or detonating powder being removed from the top of the
cap into its novel position, nearer to the mouth thereof. a, is the top

page_text: of the cap; b, the sides; c, the position of the priming or detonating
powder, the dotted lines, as before, shewing the direction of the force of
explosion, whereby it will be seen that the metal cap. case, or shell
will be opened and distended only in a small degree, and not likely to
be burst to pieces as in the former, the space between a, and c, being
occupied by a piece of any kind of hard metal d, soldered or otherwise,
fastened into the cap. Fig 3. and 4, are an elevation and section, to
exhibit another mode of effecting the same object, viz. by placing the
priming material into a shallow copper cap or dish, fixed on to the end
of a piece of hard metal. a, b, is the cap; c, the priming; d, the piece
of hard metal. Figures 5 and 6, and 7 and 8, are elevations and sec-
tional representations of two other constructions of my improved primer.
a, b, the metal cap, case, or shell which surrounds the hard metal pin
d, and is fixed to it by pressure, or in any convenient manner, the
metal pin d, in those instances extending through the cap or shell; c, is
the position of the priming or detonating powder. Figures 9 and 10,
and 11 and 12, are elevations and sections of two of my improved
primers, with the second part of my Invention applied thereto, vizt, my
improved method of further protecting the detonating or percussion
primers by an outer cap, casing, or shield, surrounding or encompassing
the cap, case, or shell containing the detonating powder, which improved
primers I prefer for fowling pieces or sportsmen's use. a, b, is the inner
metal cap, case, or shell, which surrounds the detonating or priming
powder placed at c. The piece or pin of hard metal d, is placed within
the top part of the outer or safety case cap or shield e, e, which extends
down over the cap or shell a, b, leaving a small space around and
between it and the inner cap, as shewn more particularly in Figure 13,
which is a representation of the cap as looking towards the mouth.
On the ignition of the detonating powder the sides b, of the case or
shell a, will be forced open and distended, but will be prevented from
bursting or flying off by the outer case or shield e, which arrests the
sides b, of the case a, and stops their further progress or extension out-
wards, as shown in Fig. 14, which is a representation of one of these
iniproved primers, looking towards the mouth, after being discharged;
hence will be seen that by the aid of my improvements the possibility

page_text: of accidents from pieces of the copper cap or primer being projected or
flying off the nipple on the discharge is prevented. Figures 15 and
16, are an elevation and section of the kind of primer I intend for
naval and military use; d, is the hard metal pin. The cap case or
shell b, in this instance is a cylinder of copper, tin; or other metal, the
pin d, passing partly through it. The cylinder is secured to the metal
pin in any convenient manner, as by a rim or circular piece of tin, or
other metal f, passed over it, and serves to enlarge the primer, so that
it can be easily handled. I would here observe that these solid metal
primers cannot be exploded by treading on thein, or by any blow struck
on the sides of them, which objection has been made to the use of
copper caps on board of ships, where they are liable to be dropped upon
the deck.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
improvements, and manner of carrying them into effect, I wish it to be
understood that I do not intend to confine myself to any particular
metal or materials of which the primers may be made, or to the precise
form or construction herein shewn, or to any particular process of
manufacturing the same, as the different parts may be formed and
combined by hand or by machinery, as most desirable; but what I claim
as my Invention is, first, the novel position of the detonating or priming
powder, it being transferred, removed, or transposed from the head or
top part of the cap, and situated or placed nearer to the mouth of the
cap or primer, as above described; and, secondly, the protecting, encom-
passing, or enclosing the metal cap, case, or shell containing the said
detonating or priming powder by a second case, cap, or shield, in order
to prevent the flying off of pieces or parts of the inner cap on the ‹lis-
charge of the piece, and for the prevention of the fracture or breakage
of the cock head.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Westley Richards, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of Sep-.
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-six.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of
September, in the seventh year of the reign of His Majesty King
William the Fourth, the said William Westley Richards came before
our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknowleged the
Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument aforesaid
was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-
fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-six: