CERTAIN IN- PROVEMENTS AS TO A NEW METHOD OR METHODS OF APPLYING PERCUSSION TO THE PURPOSE OF IGNITING CHARGES IN FIRE-ARMS GENERALLY, AND IN A NOVEL AND PECULIAR MANNER WHEREBY A REDUCTION OF THE PRESENT HIGH PRICE OF FIREARMS CAN BE EFFECTED, AND THE PRIMING IS ALSO EFFECTUALLY
Year: 1824

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
CHARLES RANDOM Baron DE BERENGER, of Target Cottage, Kentish
Town, in the Parish of Saint Pancras and County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the fifth year of His reign, did
give and grant to me, the said Charles Random Baron de Berenger,
my exors, admors, or assigns, His said Majesty's special license that I,
the said Charles Random Baron de Berenger, my exors, adñors, and
assigns, during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might use, exercise, and vend, within that part of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland called England, the Dominion of Wales,
and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IN-
PROVEMENTS AS TO A NEW METHOD OR METHODS OF APPLYING PERCUSSION TO
THE PURPOSE OF IGNITING CHARGES IN FIRE-ARMS GENERALLY, AND IN A
NOVEL AND PECULIAR MANNER WHEREBY A REDUCTION OF THE PRESENT HIGH
PRICE OF FIREARMS CAN BE EFFECTED, AND THE PRIMING IS ALSO EFFECTUALLY

page_text: PROTECTED AGAINST THE INFLUENCE OF RAIN OR OTHER MOISTURE; SUCH
INVENTION AND CONTRIVANCE RENDERING THE PERCUSSION PRINCIPLE MORE
GENERALLY APPLICABLE EVEN TO COMMON PISTOLS, BLUNDERBUSSES, AND MUS-
QUETS, AS WELL AS TO ALL SORTS OF SPORTING AND OTHER GUNS, BY GREATLY
REDUCING NOT ONLY THE CHARGES OF THEIR MANUFACTURE, BUT ALSO THOSE
IMPEDING CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH PERSONS HAVE TO ENCOUNTER WHILST LOAD-
ING OR DISCHARGING FIRE-ARMS WHEN IN DARKNESS, OR WHILST EXPOSED TO
WET, OR DURING RAPID PROGRESS; SERIOUS IMPEDIMENTS WHICH SOLDIERS
AND SAILORS, AND CONSEQUENTLY, THE SERVICE, MORE PARTICULARLY AND MOST
INJURIOUSLY EXPERIENCE;" in which said Letters Patent there is con-
tained a proviso, obliging me, the said Charles Random Barou <lc
Berenger, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to
be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent, as in and by the said Letters Patent, relation being
thereunto had, may and will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Charles Random Baron de Berenger, 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
Drawing hereunto annexed, and the following description thereof (that
is to say):
My improvements in fire-arms consist in the blending, uniteing, and
combining two principles in their construction, which are as follow:-
Firstly, instead of employing the usual agents and intermediate con-
necting links of machinery, such as tumblers, cocks, &c., in order to
produce the blow in percussion firing, I cause the main spring to act
more directly upon the percussion priming, be the latter made up
either in powder, pellets, patches, metallic caps, or in any other mode
whatever, and without any other medium between the main spring
and the priming than a steel screw, punch, or other hard substance of
any shape, and being either a part of the main spring itself, or attached
thereto by any of the known methods usually resorted to for such pur-

page_text: pose; and I also take particular care that the' percussion end of the
main spring shall not in any of its movements issue out of or extend
beyond the interior of the fire-arins constructed according to my. In-
vention. Secondly, I inclose and keep within the stock a small part
of the boot of the piece, the magazine or other mode of supplying
the percussion priming, be the latter of whatever description it may,
and the priming movement to and from the priming aperture, pan, or
touch-hole. The only parts which proceed from this interior machinery
being the trigger or triggers, levers, racks, keys, or other connecting
links or agents, by means of which the interior parts are moved, or in
any way held together. And by the union and combination of the
two principles; modes, or methods set forth, I produce the beneficial
results detailed in the above recited title of this Patent; and I hereby
claim as my Invention any and every method whereby my said union
and combination may be carried into effect. As, however, it is desirable
that I should afford a few examples of methods of applying my said im-
provements to practice, I shall do so by a reference to and a description
of the Drawing, which, as aforesaid, is annexed to this Specification,
and in which said Drawing the same letters of reference apply to the
similar parts in all the Figures. Fig. 1; is a longitudinal section of part
of a single barrelled percussion gun, taken at the dotted line in Fig. 2,
which is a transverse section of the same gun taken at the dotted line
in Fig. 1.A, A, the barrel; B, the breech pin or plug; C, the hook
of it; D, the hemispherical cavity and cone in the breech pin; E, the
pan and touchhole; F, an iron block fitted to the stock in place of the
false-breech, and secured to the guard by screws; G; a hook soldered
to the barrel, and made to fit into the gap or notch in the block F; H,
a substitute for the false breech tail; II, the priming trigger and
magazine; K, its axis; L, the main spring and percussion punch; M,
a lever (only partly sectionod), to draw back or cock the main spring,
with a moveable elongation jointed to it, and a spring which acting
upon a square joint retains the lever, either in an extended state as
shown by the dotted lines, or folded up to the guard; N, a spring
catch to secure the main spring at full cock; O, a steady pin and
screwed nut; P, the trigger, hung upon an axis in the top of the guard,

page_text: and passing through it below, upon being pulled depresses the spring
catch N, and thus releases the lever M, and allows the main spring to
effect the percussion; Q, an arched piece of iron affixed by screws to
the false-breech tail H, to keep the priming magazine I, in contact
with the face of the breech hook; R, a spring which opens or closes
the priming magazine, as will be described hereafter; S, a screw plug
to close an orifice in the stock T, made to introduce the priming into
the magazine; or a spring flap with a hinge, similar to those in Fig. 11,
(which will be hereafter described,) may be placed over the orifice
in its stead; U, the guard. The priming magazine I, is made to move
to and from the pan E, upon its axis K, by pressing the trigger I,
which is connected with it, into or out of the guard U; its upper part
has a cavity made in it to hold the percussion priming in; it may be
closed either by a lid with a hinge, as shewn, or by a slide. At the
lower part of the cavity is the aperture which delivers the percussion
priming to the touch hole. This aperture is shut by means of the
slider affixed to the spring R, which spring has a projection on its side,
as shewn in Fig. 4; this projecting part, when the priming trigger I,
is forced into the guard by coming into contact with the edge of the
breech-hook C, moves the slider and opens the priming aperture in
the magazine. On pressing the priming trigger I, out of the guard, the
spring R, being released from its contact with the breech hook, shuts
the aperture by means of the slider connected with it. Fig. 8, is a
front view of the upper part of the priming magazine I, the spring R,
being bent outwardly by coming in contact with the edge of the breech
hook C, as above described, and the slider withdrawn. Fig. 4, is a
side view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is a main spring with an elbow to it in
order to afford more play to the spring. This spring may be substituted
in place of the spring L, shewn in Fig 1, and 2. Fig 6, and 7, shew
a side and back view of the upper part of the main spring L, and as
having a screen affixed to it to hinder the flash from the pan E, from
reaching the magazine; in this case however it will be necessary to
reduce one side of the magazine I, in order to afford room for it. Fig. 8,
and 9, represent a straight priming trigger I, substituted in place of the
curved one I, shewn in Fig 1, and 2, whereby the trigger P, and the

page_text: spring catch N, as well as the steady pin O, shewn in the two latter
Figures, are done away with in the following manner:-The trigger I.
which serves in this new arrangement both as the priming and discharging
trigger, is pressed (at the time the main spring is held back by the elon-
gated lever M) into the guard U, in order to prime, and it is confined
against the shoulder V, in the guard, by the pressure of the spur or hori
extending from the cocking lever M, upon it, and upon its being again
pressed sideways in a contrary direction out of the guard, it releases the
cocking lever M, which enables the main spring L to discharge the piece.
In this case, however, it becomes necessary to place upon the square pin
K, which is secured with a screw nut, a cylindrical collar with a square
hole in it, as shewn in Fig. 8, for the priming and discharging trigger I,
to turn upon. Fig. 10, is a longitudinal section of part of a double
barrelled percussion gun taken at the dotted line in Fig. 11, which is
a transverse section of the same gun taken at the dotted line in Fig. 10,
but without the guard and the parts connected with it; some of the
parts, however, in both these and some of the succeeding Figures, are
not sectioned, as the shading will shew, and owing to their being
placed beyond or in front of the sectioned lines. In this case the main
spring W, the pan E, and the priming magazine X, are different from
those already described. The pan E, is formed in a cylindrical part
of the breech plug B, as shewn in a cross section at Fig. 11, by a
longitudinal section in Fig. 12, and by an end view thereof in Fig. 13.
Upon the cylindrical part, the priming magazine X, turns, it being
affixed to two hoops or rings which encircle the cylinder. One of
these hoops has teeth a, formed in it to move the magazine to and from
the touchhole, either by means of a toothed rack or an endless screw
working in those teeth, as will be described hereafter. Between the
hoops a cover Y, for the touchhole is placed, as shewn in Fig. 14,
which represents the hoop as being opened or expanded into a flat
shape for the purpose of shewing the openings between the hoops,
which are made to prevent the possibility of the priming in the maga-
zine exploding at the time of firing. The hoops are cut open and their
ends turned up at right angles, and holes are made through them for a

page_text: The racks have
into the stock in
screw to bind them together, as shown in Fig. 15. The magazine
X, has a hole in its bottom, through which the priming falls into the
pan E, when the magazine is in the situation shown on the right
barrell of Fig. 11, and it has a cover, either moveable upon a hinge or
made to slide as required; the priming magazines may either be moved
separately by means of the sliding tooth racks b, b, as shewn in Fig. 11,
or together by right and left endless screws upon one axis c, as is
shewn in Figure 16, by a front view, and by Fig. 17, which is a side
view of one of them; the teeth in the hoops being either made straight
across to act in the toothed racks, or oblique to work in the endless
screws, and as shewn by the two expanded views of them below,
Fig. 14. Z, in Fig. 11, is a guide piece to keep the racks in contact
with the teeth in the hoops of the priming magazines.
slits made in them for pins to enter, which are put
order to prevent the racks from being pulled out too far. d, d, are
collets or washers made of oiled leather or india-rubber to prevent the
entrance of wet into the cavity of the stock. e, is an iron screen placed
between the two pans E, E, shewn in Fig. 11, and forming a part
of the metal casing or cover to which the main springs are affixed, as
will be described hereafter. In case of moving the priming magazine
by turning the milled head upon the axis of the endless screws, as
shewn in Fig. 16, it will be necessary to have two projecting arms f,f,
affixed to the screen e, to regulate the movements of the magazines,
and to stop them when at the proper situations for priming. 9, 9,
are two side flaps or doors opening upon hinges, to supply the maga-
zines with the percussion priming powder through openings made in
the sides of the stock for that purpose when the magazines are brought
into the proper positions. These flaps or doors are also lined with
oiled leather and furnished with collets d, d, to prevent the entrance
of wet. The openings and flaps may also be placed in any other
suitable part of the stock which may be preferred. The main spring
W. is bent by turning the lever H, nearly round; upon the upper end
of the axis of this lever, a spiral inclined plane i, is affixed by a pin
passing through the collar or neck of it and through the axis; this

page_text: inclined plane i is placed underneath the main spring W, as shewn in
Fig. 10, and is so formed as to be out of the way of the spring when
giving the blow or percussion, and to commence bending it progres-
sively when turned, as above described, by the lever H, until that lever
is stopped by means of the catch in the spring k, entering into a
mortise made in an arm l, which projects from the lower end of the
lever h, as shewn in the plan of the inside of the guard U, in Fig. 18.
This arm 2, in its circular movement depresses an inclined plane at
the end of the spring k, until the mortise in the said arm comes im-
mediately over a depression or gap at the termination of the inclined
plane, which depression is not however sufficiently wide to embrace
the arm, but receives a rounded part made on the under side of it
within it, by a small rise of the spring, and on its moving a little
further, the projecting catch made in the spring a little beyond and
adjoining to the depression, lodges in the mortise in the arm, as shewn
in Fig. 19, which is a section through the lower dotted line in Fig. 18,
and retains it securely, until, by the action of the trigger j, upon the
spring k, conveyed by means of the short spur or horn upon the, under
side of the trigger j, the catch is withdrawn out of the mortise, and at
the same time another circular inclined plane m, formed upon the shorter
end of the trigger j, pushes the arm l, a little sideways, and with it the
circular inclined plane i, before mentioned, so as to withdraw the latter
from under the main spring W, and which, thus losing its support, sud-
denly falls, and the punch explodes the priming by its percussion. In
order to shew those actions more evidently, I have added Fig. 20, which
is a section through the upper dotted line in Fig. 18, and shews the trigger
j, at rest, but the catch of the spring k, in the mortise of the arm 1.
I have also given in Fig. 21, an enlarged view of the spring k, as
having been depressed in the manner before described, and the arm 1,
lodging in the depression between the inclined plane and the catch of
the spring just before the catch enters the mortise in the arm L. And
in Fig. 22, another enlarged view representing the spur of the trigger j,
as depressing the spring &, and removing the catch out of the mortise
in the arm, by the pressure of the finger upon the trigger ;, the

page_text: circular inclined plane m'; then by the continued action of the finger
upon the trigger pushes the arm 1, a little round, and removes the
circular inclined plane i, from underneath the main spring W, as before
mentioned. Fig. 23, represents the plans of right and left circular
inclined planes i, i; and Fig. 24, front and edge views of one of two
pairs of half holes, which are affixed upon the sides of the stock, the lower
part of each being noveable upon the screw, which passes through a
slit in it, in order to allow of the removal of the endless screw axis, which
turns in them when necessary. In Fig. 16, n, n, are two projecting arms,
affixed to the priming magazine X, X, to stop their movements when
arrived at the bottoms of the cylinders opposite to the touchholes E, E,
and as shewn by the dotted lines. In Fig. 10, o, is a screw to regulate
the force or power of the main spring W. In Fig. 11, p, is a gap or
opening inade in the iron or other metallic casing of the small of the
stock between the percussion springs W, W, for the purpose of taking
aim; if left solid, however, it will answer the purpose of the elevatel
rib between the barrels. In Figs. 10 and-1-1, r, r, represent sections
of the above mentioned metallic casing or covering, to which the per-
cussion springs W, are affixed by screws. In Figs. 10 and 19, 8, 8,
are safety bolts for the locking or fixing and releasing previously to
firing the lever h. In Fig. 10, t, is a collar screwed into the substitute
for a false breech F, in which the neck of the stem or axis of the lover
h turns, the lower pivot of which turns in a hole made to receive it
in the guard U. t, is a piece of iron let into the small of the cut
under the end of the metallic casing r, and secured by a screw passing
through both into the stock; it serves to resist the recoil, and which
resistance may be still farther increased by affixing an iron block inside
of the stock, as shewn by the dotted lines at v, close to and in the rear
of the breech hook C; to this block another collar, similar to that at t,
may also be affixed, to serve as an additional support to the axis of the
lever h. When the barrel or barrels, with breech plugs formed upon
this principle, are taken from their stocks, after previously removing
the magazines, for the purpose of cleaning, &c., the extremities of such
breech plugs should be enclosed within a cap or other covering, formed

page_text: of wood, copper, or other proper materials, in order to preserve and
defend them from injury.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Random Baron de Berenger,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and twenty-four.
CHARLES RANDOM (L.s.) DE BERENGER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-seventh day of
September, in the year of our Lord 1824, the aforesaid Charles Random
Baron de Berenger came before our said Lord the King, in His Chancery,
and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing
therein contained and specified, in form above written. And also the
Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute
made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.