IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH- LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Rose, of Hales Owen, in the County of
Worcester, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE."
Sealed the 18th January 1861, and dated the 25th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Rose at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th July 1860.
I, WILLIAM ROSE, of Hales Owen, in the County of Worcester, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE," to be as follows:-
My improvements in breech-loading fire-arms consist in raising the barrel or
barrels from the stock by means of a screw and lever or excentric, so that the
butt end of the barrel is left open for the reception of the charge, as will be
better understood by the accompanying Drawings, in which (A) represents the
barrel; (B) the butt or break-off, as it is termed in the trade, hinged as at
(C), to the under side of the barrel; (D), a screw box attached to the under
side of the barrel, which screw box contains a small stud working in the
thread of a quick screw (E), to which the lever (F) is secured. (G) is a
slotted stud attached to the barrel and passing through the stock, when the
barrel is brought home for discharge into the slot (G'), of which the bolt (H),

page_text: on the lever (F) engages, and thus lends additional security to the arm,
locking the parts firmly together.
In applying these improvements to ordnance, I take a tube with its trun-
nions, and attach to the breech end a "break-off" or breech piece similar to
that already described, strapping them together as described for the small
arms, and in similar manner I place the swivel at the fore part of the strap, so
that the screw is placed under the tube. Upon the under side of the tube, at or
near the breech, is attached the slotted stud to receive the bolt, so that when
the tube rests upon the "break-off," the bolt upon the locking lever may
engage in the slot. For additional security I also employ a top bolt worked
over the upper side of the breech of the tube, with a screw to prevent the tube
from rising when discharged, so that the tube is firmly held on both upper and
under sides.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Rose in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROSE, of Hales Owen, in the County of Worcester, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Rose, Her special license that I, the said William
Rose, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Rose, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at 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, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE," upon the con-
dition (amongst others), that I, the said William Rose, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, 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

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Rose, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My improvements in breech-loading fire-arms consist in raising the barrel
or barrels from the stock by means of a screw and lever or eccentric, so that
the butt end of the barrel is left open for the reception of the charge. The
butt, or break-off, as it is termed in the trade, is hinged to the under side of
the barrel, a screw box is also attached to the under side of the barrel. This
screw box contains a small stud working in the thread of a quick screw, to
which a lever is secured. A slotted stud secured to the barrel passes through
the fore end of the stock, when the barrel is brought home for discharge;
into which slotted stud a bolt upon the lever engages, and thus lends additional
security to the arm, locking the parts firmly together.
In applying these improvements to ordnance, I take a tube with its trun-
nions and attach to the breech end a "break-off" or breech piece similar to
that already described, strapping them together as described for the small arms,
and in similar manner I place the swivel at the fore part of the strap, so that
the screw is placed under the tube, and upon the under side of the tube, also
at or near the breech is attached the slotted stud to receive the bolt, so that
when the tube rests upon the "break-off," the bolt upon the locking lever may
engage in the slot. For additional security I also employ a top bolt worked
over the upper side of the breech of the tube, with a screw to prevent the
tube from rising when discharged, so that the tube is firmly held on both upper
and under sides.
The Invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying
Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Sheet A, Figure 1 represents a side view of a portion of a double-barrelled
gun locked and ready for discharge; Figure 2 shews the manner in which I
raise the barrels out of the fore end of the stock to insert the cartridges;
Figure 3 is an under side view of the barrels detached from the stock, and
Trimuse 1 a tan viate of the "brook-off" or breech end of the stock and strop

page_text: Figures 5 and 6 represent severally details of the hinge and screw, with its
screw box.
Sheet B represents my improvements as applied to ordnance. Figure 7 being
a view of a gun closed and ready for discharge; Figure 8 shewing the same
open for the cartridge or charge to be inserted, and Figure 9 a section across
the piece and through the chair or break-off. Like parts in all the Drawings
are represented by like figures.
I will now proceed to explain more fully the application of my improvements
as applied to the double-barrelled gun, shewn in Sheet A, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
In which (A, A',) represent the barrels; (B) the butt or break-off, to which at
at its fore end are hinged the barrels (A, A',) as at (C). A screw box (D) is
hung to the under side of the barrels, being pivotted between lugs fixed on the
barrels, in which screw box works a quick travelling screw (E), (either single,
double, or treble threaded), and to which screw on, the under side of the
break-off is attached the lever (F); (G) is a slotted stud attached to the
barrels. This stud passes through a slot (K) in the break-off, when the barrels
are brought home for discharge, and a bolt (H) on the inside of the lever F
engages in the slot (G), thus locking the barrels firmly down to the breech
piece or break-off. In loading it is simply necessary to bring the hammers
(I, I¹,) up to half-cock; unlock the piece by turning the lever in a direction.at
right angles, or nearly so, to the gun; by which movement the action of the
screw (E) in the screw box (D), raises the barrels to the position seen in
(Figure 2), and thus admits of the insertion of the cartridges (X).. The
return of the lever to the position seen in (Figure 1), secures and bolts the
barrels, and the piece is ready for discharge.
I can alse construct a modification of this form of breech-loader, dispensing
with the lever and screw altogether, by fixing a spring or springs (if the gun
be a double-barrelled one) upon the strap on the breech piece or fore end, and
under the barrel or barrels, hooking the barrels to the fore end of the stock, as
already described. The slotted stud (G) in this case will engage in a spring
catch inserted in the slot (K) of the stock or break-off, a small thumb piece of
the form of that attached to the lever (F) in (Figures 1 and 2,) must be pro-
vided as a means of withdrawing the spring catch, in order to allow the bed
springs on the break-off to throw up the barrel or barrels for charging. The
chargo having been inserted, the pressure of the hand bearing upon the breech
end of the barrels forces them back to their bed upon the stock, in which posi-
tion they are securely retained by the spring catch in the slot (K) taking into
the slot (G) on the stud (G). When it is desired to remove the barrel or

page_text: barrels from the stock or breech piece to allow of the gun being put into its
case or for convenience of carriage or cleansing, by pushing out the handle or
lever (F) until the screw becomes disconnected from the screw box, the barrel
or barrels will turn downwards and allow of the hook (U) being released from
the catch (V).
Although I have described my improvements and represented them in the
Drawings as applied to a double gun, it will be evident that they are equally
intended to apply to single-barrelled arms of every description.
In applying these improvements to ordnance as illustrated in Sheet (B),
Figures 7, 8, and 9, I take a tube or cannon (A) with its trunnions (B), and to
the under side of the tube on the breech side of the trunnions (B) I hinge a
cast-iron, wrought-iron, steel, brass, or other metal chair or break-off (C),
through which passes the screw (D) working into a screw box (K), also
hung or pivotted in lugs (L) secured to the under side of the tube. To the
screw (D) is attached the lever or arm (E), a bolt F on which passes
through or under the chair or break-off (C), and through the stud (G), forged
or cast on to the under part of the tube, and falling into a slot (H) in the
chair, in a similar manner to that already described for the improvements in
small arms.
For heavy guns I dispense with the lever or arm and uso a slower travelling
screw placed nearer to the breech end, and worked by bevilled gearing or
other suitable mechanical means.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be clearly understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the
same will admit of considerable variation; but that which I claim and desire
to have secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
Firstly, the improvements in the construction of breech-loading fire-arms,
as described under the first head of my Specification, namely, the method of
raising or lowering the barrel or barrels out of or on to the stock or break-off
by means of a screw or eccentric worked by a lever having a side bolt attached
to it, the barrel or barrels being secured when down by the said side bolt
passing through the slotted stud affixed to the under side of the breech end of
the barrel or barrels, in manner herein more fully set forth and specified.
Secondly, I claim the improvements in the construction of breech-loading
fire-arms described under the second head of my Invention, namely, causing
the barrel or barrels to be thrown upwards from their seat in the stock
or break-off by the action of a spring between the break-off and the barrel

page_text: or barrels. The said barrel or barrels being secured by a spring catch in the
break-off engaging with a slot in a stud affixed to the breech end of the barrel
or barrels.
Thirdly, I claim the improvements in the construction of breech-loading
ordnance substantially as herein more fully set forth and specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Rose, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WILLIAM ROSE. (L.S.)