IM- PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMB
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Soper; of No. 28, Friar Street, Reading,
in the County of Berks, Gun Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMB."
Sealed the 13th February 1866, and dated the 19th August 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Soper at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th August 1865.
I, WILLIAM SOPER, of No. 23, Friar Street, Reading, in the County of
Berks, Gun Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as
follows-
The object of my improvements is to so construct breech-loading rifles and
fowling pieces as to combine therein the qualities of simplicity of construction,
rapidity and accuracy of firing, and safety in handling, and said improvements
consist,―
First, in a peculiar device by means of which the breech is opened, the
piece cocked, and the empty cartridge case thrown out at one operation.
Second, in the novel construction and arrangement of the trigger and
sear" for holding the cock.
And, third, in the mode of preventing the blowing out of the cartridge at
the breech, and the accidental discharge of the piece.

page_text: The breech-piece is formed of. a strong piece of iron or steel firmly. united
to the end of the barrel, and having a slot or aperture for the insertion of a
strong wedge for closing the breech. This wedge is attached by a hinged
joint to a lever, one end of which works on a pivot on the under side of the
stock; the other end thereof terminating in a scroll of the ordinary form.
When this lever is pressed up the breech is closed by the wedge, and the lever
and wedge are secured in that position by a trigger working on a pin fitted in
the scroll of said lever, and arranged to take hold upon a eatch formed
upon the strap of the stock. By one movement of the hand this catch is
released and the lever thrown down, thereby opening the breech, throwing
out the empty case, and cocking the piece. The lock, in which the various
parts are secured, is fixed in the centre of the stock, below the barrel in front
of the breech-picce, and is formed of brass or other suitable metal. The cock
of the rifle or fowling piece works upon a pivot secured in the sides of the
Jock. The one end of this cock is connected in the ordinary manner to the
mainspring, while the other end is connected by a swivel to the lever fixed
under the stock, the cock being formed with a slot or opening through which
this swivel can pass freely. The swivel is provided with a catch or projection
to operate the mechanism for ejecting the empty cartridge cases. This me
chanism consists of a lever working on a pivot, and for convenience of
construction passing through the slot found in the cock; one end of said lever
acting upon the sliding piece, which throws out the empty cases from the
barrel, the other end being acted upon by the catch formed on the swivel. A
spring is fixed in the lock in a suitable position to operate upon a catch
formed on the back of the ejecting lever; said spring being provided to draw
the ejecting lever and sliding piece back in position to allow the breech to be
closed by the wedge. At the end of the cock a notch or grove is formed for
the "sear" to fit into when the piece is cocked; said "sear" being operated
by the trigger for discharging the piece. [An ordinary trigger may be
employed for this purpose, but I prefer to use one consisting of a tongue of
metal, arranged to operate upon the side of the stock, and which in firing is
depressed by the thumb instead of being pulled by the finger. By using this
form of trigger all tendency to disturb the accuracy of the aim is avoided.
To prevent the accidental discharge of the piece a sliding bolt is provided, by
which the trigger can be secured and held at full cock. While the trigger is
so held the piece cannot by any possibility be discharged. If by accident it
should be attempted to discharge the piece while the breech remains unclosed,
the action of the trigger will push up the wedge, and the firing will not take
place till the breech is properly closed, or will be suspended altogether. The

page_text: breech-piece is formed with a groove therein, which acts as a guide for the
pin of the cartridge to insure säid pin entering the barrel in the right position
to be struck by the end of the cock when the piece is discharged.
The arrangement of parts I have described is applicable to the firing of pin
cartridges, but a modified arrangement of said parts can be adapted to other
descriptions of cartridge.
By one method a small pin is fitted to penetrate through the wedge which
closes the breech; said pin being connected to a lever pivotted to the back of
said wedge, and operated by the end of the cock. This lever and pin are kept
back when required by a small spring, and when released by pulling the
trigger the pin will strike the end of the cartridge and so discharge the piece.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Soper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
February 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SOPER, of No. 23, Friar Street, Reading, in the County of Berks, Gun
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS IIer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Soper, Her special licence that I, the said William
Soper, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Soper, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Soper, 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
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Soper, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings making
a part of this Specification:-.
The object of my improvements is the production of a breech-loading rifle
or fowling piece, in which are combined the qualities of simplicity of con-
struction, rapidity and accuracy of firing, and safety in handling, and the said
improvements consist,―
First, in a peculiar device by means of which the breech is opened, the
piece cocked, and the empty cartridge case. thrown out at one operation or
movement of the hand.
Second, in a novel mode of constructing and arranging the trigger and for
holding the cock or hammer.
Third, in the mode of preventing the blowing out of the cartridge at the
breech, and the accidental discharge of the piece.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of part of a rifle for firing pin
cartridges, shewing the breech closed; Figure 2 shews the same parts of the
rifle with the breech open; Figure 3 is an under side view of part of the rifle ;
Figure 4 represents a side view of the same; Figure 5 is a transverse section
on the line x, x, Figure 1; Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line y, y,
Figure 1 Figure 7 is a longitudinal vertical section of part of a rifle adapted
to the employment of central-fire cartridges. Like letters refer to corre-
sponding parts in each of the Figures.
A is the stock formed in two parts as usual in fire-arms of this description ;
B is the barrel secured to the said stock by any ordinary strong and convenient
method. The lock-box C, composed of strong plates of iron or other suitable
metal, is fixed between the two parts of the stock, to which it is firmly secured
by the pins a, a¹, and the screw b. The stock A, barrel B, and lock C being
also securely united together by the strap c passing over the said barrel and
attached to the stock by one of the pins a. The breech-piece D is formed of
iron or steel of suitable strength, and is firmly screwed into the end of the
barrel; the rear end of the said breech-piece being secured to the stock A
and strap E by the screw e. The groove or channel f is formed in the breech-
piece D to act as a guide to the pin of the cartridge to insure the said pin.
entering the breech chamber in the proper position. The breech opening D¹
through which the cartridges are inserted into the breech chamber is closed

page_text: when required by the adjustable breech wedge F. This wedge is connected
by a hinged joint g to the pillar G₁ of the lever G, one end of which lever is
secured so as to turn freely upon the pivot h fixed in the lock-box Con
the under side of the stock A: The other end of the said lever terminates
in a scroll i of any ordinary and convenient form. When the lever G
and wedge F are in the position represented in Figure 1, the breech is
tightly closed by the wedge F. The said lever and wedge are secured
and held in this position by the trigger H working on the fulcrum pin j
fixed in the scroll i. The end of the said trigger is formed with a catch k,
arranged to pass up through the slot formed in the strap E, and. takes
hold upon the said strap or a projection formed thereon. The cock or
hammer I for exploding the cartridges works upon the pivot or fulcrum
pin m, which is secured in the side plates of the lock C. One end of this
cock is connected by an ordinary swivel end to the mainspring J, the other
end being connected the swivel o to the lever G. The latter swivel is pro-
vided with a catch or projection p arranged to take hold upon a similar
projection q formed on the ejecting lever K, which works upon the fulcrum
pin r.
For convenience of construction the cock I is formed with a slot in
it for the lever I to work through; this slot being of such a size and form as
not to interfere with the movements of either the said cock or lever. The
end of the swivel also works in the slot formed in the cock or hammer I.
The pins s projecting from the sides of the said swivel fit into a recess t cut in
the end of the said cock or hammer, and extend beyond the sides thereof into
the curved guide ways u formed in the side plates of the lock C.. The upper
end of the lever K takes into a slot or aperture formed in the sliding piece or
extractor L, which slides under the end of the barrel and throws out the
empty cartridge cases from the breech chamber. The end L' of the said
extractor is formed to receive the pin of the cartridge and to fit into the
-recess D¹ in the breech-piece D, the end-of the extractor being formed to cor-
respond with the shape of the recess and to fit therein, and lie flush with the
surface of the breech-piece when the cartridge is pushed into the breech
chamber. A spring M is fixed in the lock with its end bearing upon the
catch g¹ formed on the ejecting lever K. This spring is provided to draw
back the said lever and the extractor L into the position shewn in Figure 1
to allow the breech opening D¹ to be closed by the wedge F. The end of the
cock or hammer I is provided with a notch or groove ³, and is held at full
cock by the hook or catch n' on the sear N. This sear is fixed upon the
fulcrum pin O, which also carries the trigger P, and is kept in the proper.
position to catch the end of the said cock by the spring 'n' secured to the side

page_text: of the lock C. The said trigger is arranged to operate at the side of the lock
as represented in Figures 3 and 4, and to fire the piece is depressed by the
thumb instead of being pulled by the finger. By the use of a trigger con-
structed and operating in this manner all tendency to disturb the accuracy of
the aim is avoided. If preferred, however, a trigger pulled in the ordinary
manner may be employed. to operate the sear N. To prevent the accidental
firing of the piece the bolt Q is provided, which stops and holds the trigger P
when set at full cock. When this bolt is in the position represented in
Figures 3 and 4 the said trigger cannot be depressed, and the piece therefore
cannot by any possibility be discharged; this method of construction
prevents the necessity of an arrangement of parts for setting the piece at half
cock as in ordinary fire-arms. The said trigger is still further protected by
the guard P¹ secured to the side of the stock A. If by mistake the trigger P
of the piece, represented in Figures 1 and 2, should be depressed to fire the
said piece while the breech remains unclosed, the act of depressing the
trigger will cause the lever G and wedge F to rise and close the breech before
the end of the cock or hammer I strikes and explodes the cartridge. This
is effected through the connection existing between the cock I and lever G.
When the trigger P is operated to fire the piece, and the said cock is released
from the sear N, the pins s of the swivel o attached to the lever G will be
supported in the recess t formed in the end of the cock, which as it flies up
will raise the said lever and wedge F, and close the breech before the end of
tho cock strikes the pin of the cartridge. The cock is prevented rising too
high by the pin a¹ passing through the lock. When the piece is to be loaded
the end of the cartridge is first placed in the opening D₁, with its pin resting
in the groove f, and is then pushed up into the breech chamber till the rim of
the cartridge enters the recess D formed in the end of the breech-piece D.
The breech is then closed by raising the lever G till the wedge F is in the
position represented in Figure 1. The said lever is secured in this position
by the trigger H, which takes hold upon the catch ¹. The piece is then
ready for firing, which is effected by placing the thumb upon the trigger P
and depressing the said trigger into the position represented in dotted lines,
Figure 4. This raises the hook or claw n¹ of the sear N out of the notch i
of the cock or hammer I, and thus releases the said cock, which is instantly
caused by the mainspring J to fly up and strike the end of the cartridge pin
and thereby explodes the cartridge. The trigger H attached to the lever G is
then depressed to free it from the catch ', and the said lever being released
will again fall into the position represented in Figure 2. As the lever F falls
the swivel o attached thereto draws down the cock or hammer I till the catch

page_text: on the sear N again takes into the notch i on the end of the said hammer,,
thereby again cocking the piece. At the same time the catch or projection p
on the swivel o drops upon the corresponding projection 9 on the ejecting:
lever K, and throws out the said lever and the extractor L. The said
extractor carries with it the empty cartridge case, and leaves the piece ready for
reloading, which is done in the manner above described. The several opera-
tions of loading, closing the breech, firing, and ejecting the empty cases are
thus performed with great ease, rapidity, and safety.
In the arrangement of parts illustrated in Figure 7 the breech wedge F is
provided with the hole v through which the pin or punch R penetrates. The
said pin is pivotted to one end of the lever S, which turns upon the fulcrum.
pin T secured in the wedge F, the said wedge being recessed or cut away to
allow the lever S to vibrate freely when required. The other end of this lever
is provided with the friction roller U. When the cock or hammer I is released
from the sear N, the end of the said cock (which in this case is curved or
rounded) comes sharply in contact with the friction roller U, and thereby
causes the pin or punch R carried by the other end of the lever S to strike
and explode the cartridge. If the closing of the breech before depressing the
trigger P to fire the piece should have been forgotten, the said trigger when
depressed will cause the wedge F to rise and close the breech. The cock or
hammer i in rising will pass the point at which it should come in contact with
the friction roller U before the said roller reaches that point, consequently the
pin or punch R does not strike, and the explosion of the cartridge will be
prevented till the piece has been again cocked. The operations of closing the
breech, firing the piece, and extracting the empty cases are performed in exactly
the same manner as described for the piece represented in Figures 1 and 2.
Having thus described my improvements, and shewn how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I wish it understood
that. I do not confine myself to the precise details herein.set forth and illustrated,
but what I do claim is,-
First, the combination of the breech wedge F, the lever G, and extractor L,
by which the operation of opening the breech, cocking the piece, and
extracting the empty cartridge cases are performed by one movement of the
hand, substantially in the manner set forth.
Second, the sear N for holding the piece at full cock, constructed and
operating substantially in the manner described.
Third, the trigger P releasing the cock or hammer I from the sear N,
constructed, arranged, and operating substantially in the manner described.
Fourth, the combination of the cock or hammer I, the lever G, wedge F;

page_text: and trigger P., by which the breech is closed when accidentally left open,
thereby preventing the blowing out of the cartridges at the breech, sub-
stantially in the manner set forth.
Fifth, the breech wedge F, punch R, lever S, and cock or hammer I for
exploding central-fire cartridges, combined and operating substantially in the
manner described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Soper, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
GEORGE HASELTINE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.
WILL. SOPER. (L.S.)