IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN THE MEANS OF EXTRACTING CARTRIDGE CASES THEREPROM
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Walsh, of Kensington, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS, AND IN THE MEANS OF EXTRACTING CARTRIDGE CASES THEREPROM."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Walsh at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th August 1863.
I, JOHN HENRY WALSH, of Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN THE MEANS OF EXTRACTING CARTRIDGE CASES THEREFROM,
to be as follows:-
I attach a false breech to the rear end of the barrel by a strap connected to
the barrel by a hinge joint placed about two inches in advance of the breech.
This false breech carries also the lock plate and working parts of the lock, and
opens out sideways (turning on the binge joint) so as to remove the false
breech from the rear end of the barrel and leave the breech open for loading.
The false breech, when in its place, is backed up by a solid strap which con
nects the barrel with the handle or stock and receives the recoil, thus taking
the strain off the hinge joint. Working against the inner side of the lock
plate is a small lever the end of which projects and forms a small thumb-
piece by means of which the lever can be raised or depressed. The fulcrum
of this lever carries a projecting boss or roller which (when the breech is

page_text: closed) fits closely into a recess in the second-named strap, and also assists
in taking the recoil off the hinge joint. This boss is furnished with two teeth
or pins fitting into bayonet slots in the recess, so that when the lever is
depressed the false breech and its appurtenances are locked firmly into their
place. When the lever is raised the teeth come opposite to the openings in
the bayonet slots, and the false breech with the lock plate and lock are
thrown outwards by a spring, leaving the breech uncovered and free for with-
drawing the old cartridge case and reloading. The breech is then closed and
locked by depressing the lever, which latter is so formed that the piece cannot
be full cocked till the lever has been depressed.
The improvement in the means of extracting cartridge cases is appli-
cable principally to rifles. In this class of fire-arnis I make the strap (carrying
the false breech and lock) to open much further outwards than in shot guns.
and I cut a small recess in the lower part of the breech end of the barrel and
fix a stout pin in the corresponding part of the cartridge case opposite to the
ordinary striking pin, so that a small instrument with an eye at the end can
be placed over the said pin and used as a lever of the first order to withdraw
the cartridge case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Walsh in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY WALSH, of Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Henry Walsh, Her special license that I, the said John
Henry Walsh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Henry Walsh, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, AND IN THE MEANS OF EXTRACTING
CARTRIDGE CASES THEREPROM." upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the

page_text: said John Henry Walsh, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of
them, 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 tho said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Walsh, 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
following statement in writing, and on reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :-
I attach a false breech to the rear end of the barrel by a strap connected to
the barrel by a hinge joint placed about two inches in advance of the breech.
This false breech carries also the lock plate and working parts of the lock and
opens out, sideways (turning on the. hinge joint) so as to remove the false
breech from the rear end of the barrel and leave the breech open for loading.
The false breech when in its place is backed up by a solid strap, which
connects the barrel with the handle or stock, and receives the recoil, thus
taking the strain off the hinge joint. Working again the inner side of the lock
plate is a small lever, the end of which projects and forms a small thumb-
picce, by means of which the lever can be raised or depressed. The fulcrum
of this lever carries a projecting boss or roller which (when the breech is
closed) fits closely into a recess in the second named strap, and also assists in
taking the recoil off the hinge joint. This boss is furnished with two teeth or
pins fitting into bayonet slots in the recess, so that when the lever is depressed
the false breech and its appurtenances are locked firmly into their place.
When the lever is raised the teeth come opposite to the openings in the
bayonet slots, and the false breech with the lock plate and lock are thrown
outwards by a spring leaving the breech uncovered and free for withdrawing
the old cartridge case and reloading. The breech is then closed and.locked
by depressing the lever, which latter is or may be so formed that the piece
cannot be full-cocked till the lever has been depressed.
The improvement in the means of extracting cartridge cases is applicable
principally to rifles. In this class of fire-arms I make the strap (carrying the
false breech and lock) to open much further outwards than in shot guns, and
I cut a small recess in the lower part of the breech end of the barrel, and fix
a stout pin in the corresponding part of the cartridge case opposite to the
ordinary striking pin, so that a small instrument with an eye at the end can
be placed over the said pin, and used as a lever of the first order to withdraw

page_text: the cartridge case; or I use a self-acting extracting slide moved by teeth on
the binge joint.
Improvements
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "
in Breech-loading Fire-arms, and in the Means of Extracting Cartridge Cases
therefrom," I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which
the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in
order that the same may be distinctly understood, I have annexed hereunto a
Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation
thereof, that is to say,-
In the annexed Drawing, which is made about two-thirds the actual size,
Figure 1 represents a side view of so much of a double barreled fowling-piece
as is requisite to illustrate my Invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the
same, as seen from above the breech of the left-hand barrel, being represented
as opened, and the cartridge case partly withdrawn; Figure 3 is a side view
with the false breech and its appurtenances removed, and Figure 4 is an
inside view of the false breech, lock plate, &c. so removed.
a, a, is part of the stock, and b, b, part of the barrel; c, c, is the false breech
attached to the rear of the barrel by a strap d, d, connected therewith by a
hinge joint at e, c. This false breech carries also the lock plate and working
parts of the lock, and the whole opens out sideways on the hinge joint (as
shewn at Figure 2), in order to remove the false breech c, c, from the rear end
of the barrel, so as to leave the breech open for loading or for removing
the cartridge case. The false breech c, c, when in its place, is backed up by
the solid strap f, f, which connects the barrel b, b, with the stock a, a, and
thus the latter receives the recoil and takes all strain off the hinge joint.
Working against the inner side of the lock plate is a small lever g, g, the end
of which projects and forms a small thumb-piece by means of which the lever
can be raised as shewn at Figure 4 or depressed. On the fulcrum of this lever
is a projecting boss or roller h, h, which (when the breech is closed) fits
closely into a recess i, i, in the strap f, f, so as to assist in taking the recoil off
the hinge joint. This boss is provided with two teeth or pins k, k, fitting into
slots 1, 1, in the recess i, i, so that when the lever g, g, is depressed, the falso
breech and its appurtenances are locked firmly into their place. When it is
desired to open the breech for loading or for withdrawing the cartridge case,
all that is necessary is merely to raise the lever g, g, by means of the thumb-
piece into the position shown in Figure 4, when the pins k, k, will be brought
opposite to the openings of the bayonet slots 1, 1, and the false breech being thus
unlocked, the whole action will be thrown outwards by means of the spring m

page_text: (as shewn in Figure 2), leaving the rear end of the barrel perfectly open and
free. The breech is closed and locked by simply pressing the whole action
inwards into its place, and at the same time depressing the lever g, g.
I may here remark that although I have only shewn the gun as adapted
to a cartridge discharged by means of a pin, as used with the ordinary
"Lefauchaux" breech-loader, yet it will be evident that but very slight
modification will be required to adapt it to the ordinary percussion cap and
central fire-cartridge.
The means which I employ for extracting the cartridge cases from small
bore rifles and other guns where a metal cartridge case is employed as
represented at Figures 5, 6, and 7. In the first place I make the strap which
carries the false breech, &c., to open out much further than is shown in Figure 2,
and I cut a small recess in the lower part of the breech end of the barrel, as
shown at n (Figure 5), and I fix a stout pin o (Fig. 6), in the corresponding
part of the cartridge case opposite to the ordinary striking pin, this inner end
of the pin o forming as it were the anvil upon which the percussion cap is
struck. Figure 7 represents the instrument which I employ for extracting the
cartridge case. The eye p is placed over the end of the pin o, and the
instrument is used as a lever to force or prize the cartridge case backwards,
the edge or side of the recess n forming the fulcrum. The cartridge caso
having been thus started from its seat in the breech end of the barrel, can
then be easily withdrawn entirely therefrom.
Another method of extracting cartridge cases, which is self-acting, is
illustrated at Figure 8, and consists in providing the inner end of the strap d,
with small teeth which gear into a rack q, q, capable of sliding in a groovo
formed half in the lower side of the barrel and half in the tail piece. The
rear end of this rack carries a hook which comes against the stout pin o, on
the under side of the cartridge case, and as the strap is turned outwards forces
the cartridge case from its seat as shown in the lower side in Figure 8.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms, and in the Means of Extracting
Cartridge Cases therefrom," together with the manner in which the same is to
be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in
conclusion that I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly, mounting the false breech and its appurtenances so as to open
out sideways on a hinge joint placed in advance of the breech end of the
barrel.
Secondly, the method of backing up the same by a solid strap which takes
the force of the recoil off the hinge inint

page_text: Thirdly, the method of and appartus for locking and unlocking the same.
And, fourthly, the means of extracting metal or metal headed cartridgo
All being constructed and operating substantially in the manner and
for the purposes above particularly set forth and illustrated by the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Walsh, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
BRISTOW HUNT,
Sol. & Patent Agent,
1, Serle St., Lincoln's Inn.
J. II. WALSII. (L.S.)