IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE- ARMS.
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-
ARMS. A communication from abroad by Pierre Joseph Jarre, of 33,
Boulevart Saint Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 24th August 1866, and dated the 6th March 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th March 1866.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-ARMS," communicated to me from abroad by Pierre Joseph Jarre, of
33, Boulevart Saint Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, first, to fire-arms in which cartridges or charges are
supplied or presented to the cock one at a time by a moveable and separable
breech or breech piece propelled across the arm.
The first improvement relates to an arrangement for working the cock and
moveable breech piece; for this purpose a carriage slide, plate, or frame

page_text: herein-after called "carriage" only is fitted within the arm between the
trigger and the cock, so as to be free to move in guide ways in both direc-
tions (or to and fro) on being propelled by a knob or head on the trigger
working in a recess in the under side of the carriage. The carriage carries
a spring pusher or finger intended to raise or work the cock. The carriage
also carries a neb nose, moveable head, or tilting piece capable of tilting or
turning to a certain extent on a pin or pivot, and intended to propel the
breech piece; when the trigger is actuated it moves the carriage so that the
pusher bears on the tail of the cock and raises it, and a stud on the neb or
moveable head enters a notch on the breech piece, but before reaching the
end of such notch it comes against an abutment which tilts or turns the neb
or head upward, thereby causing the breech piece to move sufficiently to
present a cartridge to the cock ready to be exploded. When the trigger
is returned to position by its spring it moves the carriage back to its previous
position, and the neb comes against a projection and returns to its former
position and brings its stud ready to enter the next succeeding notch of the
breech piece.
The next improvement relates to the separable breech piece, and consists
in forming it of a plate, frame, or rack notched to receive the stud, and
pierced with holes to receive the cartridges, one hole to each. To keep the
cartridges in place the breech piece is fitted with a hinged plate or lid which
shuts down over the pins or nipples when pin cartridges are used, and is
fastened by a hook or the like.
.
The third improvement consists in an arrangement which may be applied
to fire-arms whether a moveable separable breech piece be used or not; it
consists of a modification of the carriage and addition to the trigger; a
spring is fitted to the carriage and engages in the mainspring. A tail, pro-
jection, or finger-piece is attached to the trigger and works in a groove in
the guard; this tail is hinged or jointed to the trigger so that it may be
turned up and laid along the guard out of the way when not in use. If the
trigger be worked by placing one finger on the trigger itself and the other
on the tail, then when the tail reaches the end of its groove it will control
the motion of the trigger which will raise the cock and keep it raised
while the spring on the carriage remains engaged with the main spring.
When the user continues to move the trigger without working the tail the
mainspring will be released from the spring on the carriage and the cock
will fall and discharge the arm.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
HENRY, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Michael Henry, Her special licence that I, the said Michael Henry, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Michael
Henry, 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 FIRE-ARMS," communicated
to me from abroad by Pierre Joseph Jarre, of 33, Boulevart Saint Martin,
Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Michael
Henry, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said Michael Henry, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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 thereof, as communicated to me, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
This Invention relates first to fire-arms in which cartridges or charges are
supplied or presented to the cock or bammer one at a time by means of a
moveable and separable breech or breech piece propelled across the arm, as
described in the Specification of a Patent obtained by me as a communication
from the said Pierre Joseph Jarre, dated 10th June 1861, and numbered 1486,
and the present Invention partly relates to improvements in the arrangements
described in such Specification.
if

page_text: The first improvement relates to an arrangement for working the
cock and the said moveable breech or breech piece. For this purpose a
carriage slide plate or frame, which to avoid unnecessary repetition is
herein-after called "carriage," only is fitted within the arm between the
trigger and the cock, so as to be free to move in guide ways in both
directions, that is to say, to and fro, on being propelled by a knob or head on
the trigger working in a recess in the under side of the carriage. The
carriage carries a spring pusher or finger intended to raise or work the cock.
The carriage also carries a neb nose, moveable head, or tilting piece, capable of
tilting or turning to a certain extent on a pin or joint, and intended to propel
the breech piece. When the trigger is actuated it moves the carriage so that
the pusher bears on the tail of the cock and raises it, and à stud on the neb
or moveable head enters a notch on the breech piece, but before reaching the
end of such notch it comes against a fixed abutment which tilts or turns the
neb or head upward, thereby causing the breech piece to move sufficiently to
present a cartridge to the cock ready to be exploded. When the trigger is
returned to position by its spring it moves the carriage back to its previous
position, and the neb comes against another projection or fixed abutment, and
is thereby returned to its former position, so that it brings its stud ready to
enter the next succeeding notch of the breech piece.
The next improvement relates to the separable breech piece, and consists in
forming it of a plate or frame, or rack, notched to receive the stud, and pierced
with holes to receive the cartridges, one hole to each. To keep the cartridges
in place the breech piece is fitted with a hinged plate or lid which shuts down
over the pins or nipples, supposing pin cartridges to be used, and the lid is
fastened by a hook or the like.
The third improvement consists in an arrangement which may be applied
to fire-arms, whether a moveable and separable breech piece as above
described be used or not; it consists of a modification of the carriage or
other apparatus used for working the cock, and of an addition to the trigger.
In this arrangement a spring is fitted to the carriage and engages in the main-
spring of the arm. A tail, projection, or finger-piece is attached to the trigger
and works in a slot in the guard. The tail is hinged or jointed so that it may
be turned up and laid along the guard out of the way when not in use. If
the trigger be worked by placing one finger on the trigger itself and the other
on the tail, then when the tail reaches the end of the slot it will control the
motion of the trigger, which will raise the cock and keep it raised, while the
spring on the carriage remains engaged with the mainspring. When the
user continues to move the trigger without working the tail, the mainspring

page_text: will be released from the spring on the carriage, and the cock will fall and
discharge the arm.
I proceed with reference to the accompanying Drawings to describe more
particularly in what manner the Invention may be carried into effect.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pistol to which these improvements are
applied; part of the wood of the stock is removed in order to shew the
internal or working arrangements. Figures 2, 3, and 4 are detached views of
the carriage h which works the hammer or cock, and also effects the gradual
forward motion of the separable breech piece. Figures 5, 6, and 7 are views
of the moveable or separable breech piece.
a is the trigger which actuates the carriage or slide h, and thereby works
the cock or hammer. The trigger blade is formed with a head or knob a*
rounded at top; this head works in a notch or recess formed in the under
side of the carriage h; this carriage is a piece free to slide to and fro in
grooves or guideways formed in the inner side of plates 6 fixed in the stock,
and which plates also receive the trigger spring c and the mainspring d. f* is
the cock and fits heel or tail; e is a finger or pusher fastened to the back
end of the carriage, and combined with a spring e* which tends to force it
backward; but when the carriage is moved or slidden forward, as after-
wards described, this finger e bears against the heel fof the cock, and thereby
raises the cock or "cocks" the arm; i is a neb head or tilting piece forming
part of the carriage h with which it is connected so as to move with it when
the carriage is worked in either direction. This neb or head turns or tilts
on a pin or centre p fixed on the carriage h. Figures 2, 3, and 4 shew
the position of the neb i when the carriage is in its quiescent or stationary
position. m is a stud on the neb or tilting piece i intended to engage in the
notches n of the breech piece; o is an abutment fixed in the pistol near the
breech.
The separable or moveable breech or breech piece, sbewn in Figures 5, 6, and 7,
is a block or rack in which are formed a number of holes, each of which is in-
tended to contain a cartridge. n, n, are a number of notches formed on one side
of the plate or block N corresponding in number with the holes for receiving
the cartridges. This separable breech piece is introduced in the arm and actuated
as follows:-When the trigger a is actuated its head a*, which as before stated
engages in a notch in the under part of the carriage h, pushes the carriage
forward, and the spring finger e acting on the heelf of the cock draws it
forward with it and thereby cocks the arni. As the trigger is actuated and

page_text: !
continues to move the carriage h, the stud m on the neb i as the neb advances
with the carriage engages in one of the notches n of the breech piece N, but
before it attains the end of the said notch the stud meets with the abutment
or stop o, Figure 1, which forces the neb or head i to turn, work, or tilt on
its centre p and to take up the position shewn in dotted lines, Figure 3, and in
this position the neb being fully engaged in the notch n, moves the breech pieco
forward with it, so as to cause it to present one of its cartridges to the breech
ready to be discharged, that is to say, the breech piece N is propelled a distance
corresponding with the interval between two consecutive cartridges, and when
this is effected the cock which, as above described, had been raised by the
spring finger é, is suddenly abandoned by it in the forward travel of the
carriage h, and being thus released to the action of its own spring d descends
forcibly on the pin of the cartridge in the breech piece and discharges it.
Immediately on the descent of the cock the trigger is returned by its own
spring (the trigger spring) to its previous or original position, and in this its
return motion it moves the carriage h back with it, so as to restore the said
carriage to its original or previous position, and in this return travel of the
carriage the neb or tilting head i comes in contact with a projection or
abutment fixed on the counter breech or breech case, and the said neb or
head is thereby returned or restored to its previous or straight position ready
to take into the next succeeding notch n of the breech piece and bring the
said breech piece forward for the interval of another notch or cartridge when
the trigger is pulled or actuated as above described.
The mechanism or works described are thus of simple construction, and
when the parts are arranged and combined, as above explained, they form a
strong combination; they may be made in malleable cast iron, and thus
be cheaply manufactured.
The improved breech piece shown in the Drawings is formed as above
described with a number of notches n, and it is also provided with a lid or
cover m*, which is a plate hinged to one end of the piece N so that it may
be opened and closed. When closed it shuts down over the nipples or pins
of the cartridges in the holes of the breech piece, and thereby prevents the
cartridges from falling out. n* is a bolt or catch for fastening the cover when
* closed down.
Figure 8 is a side elevation showing the improved arrangement for raising
. the hammer or cock with precision by means of an improved trigger. A is a
carriage or sliding piece worked to and fro by a rounded head on the trigger
blade engaging in a recess formed in the under side of the carriage; B is a
piece. fixed to the back end of the carriage. To this piece is fixed a spring C

page_text: terminating in a neb or point in which a stud D engages as herein-after
described; this stud D is fixed on the main spring E. F is an additional
piece or tail hinged or jointed to the lower end of the trigger a. This tail.
piece: F travels or works in a slot or guideway cut in the trigger guard G.
When the pistol is not in use the tail piece is raised and lies up along the
guard. To pull the trigger the little finger and middle finger are used, the
former being placed on the main piece a of the trigger within the guard, and
the latter on the tail piece F outside the guard. When the tail piece is
drawn to the extreme end of the slot in the guard it stops the travel of the
main piece a of the trigger, and the trigger in its motion raises the cock (by
the engagement of the spring E with the spring C), and the cock or hammer
is kept in a raised position as long as the hooked end of the spring E remains
engaged in the catch, point, or neb on the spring C. But if the person who
uses the pistol continues to pull with bis little finger without touching the
tail piece, the..spring. E will be disengaged from the spring C, and will act at
once on the hammer, which will descend without difficulty; thus, to raise
the hammer the trigger must be actuated with two fingers, and to cause it to
descend it must be actuated with only one finger. This improved arrange-
ment of trigger in which a tail piece is used may be applied in like manner
to fire-arms other than those provided with the moveable or separable
breech or breech piece, and with the arrangements described in reference to
Figure 1.
The improved trigger arrangement being contrived as above described, so
that by acting on both the main piece of the trigger and the tail piece thereof
the cock or hammer is raised, and when the main piece of the trigger alone
is acted on the cock descends; also, although the Figures illustrate the
improvements as applied to a pistol they may be applied in like manner to
other descriptions of fire-arms.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, 1 declare that I claim as these improvements in
fire-arms,―
First, the employment of a carriage sliding or working between the trigger
and the cock and provided with a moveable head, neb, nose, or tilting piece
carrying a stud, the whole being arranged, worked, and operating substantially
in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
Second, the improved trigger in which a tail piece is employed, arranged
and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.
Third, the improved separable or moveable breech or breech piece having
notches and a hinged cover, arranged substantially as described.

page_text: Fourth, the general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the.
improved pistol or other fire-arm, in which a separable breech or breech
piece is combined with a carriage, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
M. A. GREEN,
68, Fleet Street,
London.
M. HENRY. (L.S.)