-AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Erskine, of Newton Stewart, in the
County of Wigtown, Scotland, Gunmaker, for-the-Invention-of-"-AN
IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 7th August 1868, and dated the 17th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said. James Erskine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the -
17th April 1868.
. I, JAMES ERSKINE, of Newton Stewart, in the County of. Wigtown;
Scotland, Gunmaker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of that
class of breech-loaders commonly called break-down guns, the object
being so to secure the "lump" to the barrels as to avoid the possibility
of accidents arising from its getting loose. Hitherto the lump which
fits into a dovetailed groove formed for it on the under side of the
barrels has been fixed in its place by bracing, but defects have frequently

page_text: occurred in this mode of attachment neither capable of detection by the
eye of the barrel maker, nor by the proof-house test, and when the gun
has been some time in use the barrels have been known under the act
of firing to part from the lump and consequently from the stock of the
gun, thus rendering a serious accident almost inevitable. To remedy
this defect in the construction of double-barrel breech-loaders I form a
dovetailed recess to receive the lump by closing the rear end of the
groove in the act of forging the barrels, and thus forming a shoulder for
the lump to abut against. The lump is slidden into this recess from
the forward end and secured as heretofore by brazing or soldering. If
now the brazing should be defective the parting strain between the
lump and the barrels can have no injurious effect because the lump will
be retained in the dovetailed recess by abutting against the closed end
thereof. If thought desirable the other end of the recess may be closed
after the insertion of the lump by rivetting a piece of metal to the
barrels in front of the lump.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Erskine in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ERSKINE, of Newton Stewart, in the County of Wigtown, Scotland,
Gunmaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Erskine, Her special, licence
that I, the said James Erskine, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Erskine, 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 "AN IMPROVE
MENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF. BREECH-LOADING: FIRE-ARMS," upon the
C
.
.

page_text: condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Erskine, my.
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Erskine, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-
This Invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of that
class of breech-loaders commonly called break-down guns, the object
being so to secure the "lump" to the barrels as to avoid the possibility
of accidents arising from its getting loose. Hitherto the lump which
fits into a dovetailed groove formed for it on the under side of the barrels
-has-been fixed in its place by brazing, but defects have frequently
occurred in this mode of attachment. These defects are not liable to
detection by the eye of the barrel maker, or by the proof house test,
and when the gun has been some time in use the barrels have been
known under the act of firing to part from the lump, and consequently
from the stock of the gun, thus rendering a serious accident almost
inevitable. To remedy this defect in the construction of double barrel
breech-loaders I form a dovetailed recess to receive the lump by closing
the rear end of the groove in the act of forging the barrels, and a
shoulder is thus formed for the lump to abut against.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of the under side
of a double barrel shewing the dovetailed recess a, which is formed to
receive the lump b, shewn detached in side elevation at Fig. 2, and end
view at Fig. 3. The lump 6 is slidden into this recess a from the forward
end, and is secured as heretofore by brazing or soldering. If now the
brazing should be defective the parting strain between the lump band
the barrels can have no injurious effect, because the lump will be
retained in the dovetailed recess a by abutting against the closed end a¹
thereof. If thought desirable the other end of the recess a may be

page_text: closed after the insertion of the lump 6, by rivetting a piece of metal
to the barrels in front of the lump.
Having now described my Invention of "An Improvement in the
Manufacture of Breech-loading Fire-arms, and having explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention
secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, binding the lump 6 to
the barrels, and rendering the two inseparable by-brazing, or securing
the lump in a dovetailed recess, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Erskine, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fourteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.