Improvements in Shot-guns.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 21st Apr.,
1894
PROVIDIONAL
Improvements in Shot-guns.
I, HORATIO FREDERICK PHILLIPS, of Trinity Villa, Wealdstone, in the.
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to Improvements in Shot-guns (sometimes called
fowling pieces) and particularly to a construction of barrel that admits of a more
convenient distribution of weight and strength, the forward part of the barrel (or
barrels) being made lighter and the breech action heavier and stronger than with
such guns as heretofore usually made.
Since the introduction of smokeless powders many accidents have happened and
many guns have been broken through being too light and the breech actions
consequently very weak. It is the almost universal custom to use 1 oz. of shot in
a 12 bore gun, but if the sportsman wishes to use a light gun, such as a 16 or
20 bore, and still to fire 1 oz. of shot, the pressure of the powder gases is very
high, in consequence of the length of column of the shot charge, in the breech
chamber, and the pellets get crushed out of shape, and the shooting is irregular.
Now, according to this invention in order to obviate the above mentioned dis-
advantages the barrel is so formed that whereas in the breech chamber the column
of shot pellets will be comparatively short, the area of wadding large, and the
bursting pressure of the gases low yet after the explosion and whilst the velocity.
of the charge is comparatively low the column of shot in the barrel will become :
gradually comparatively long and sensibly smaller in diameter or cross sectional
area, a result being that with a comparatively light and strong gun, cartridges may
be advantageously used that contain a heavy charge of shot.
To this end the bore of the barrel (or of each barrel) from the fore end of the
breech chamber up to the muzzle or nearly to the muzzle is made not cylindrical
or almost cylindrical as heretofore has been usual, but starting from the breech.
chamber sensibly diminishes in diameter and goes on gradually so that if the bore
be for example 12 at that part that is next in advance of the breech chamber, then
at or near the muzzle the diameter will be considerably less than 12 bore, the
reduction in diameter being more pronounced in the neighbourhood of the fore end
of the breech chamber, than further on towards the muzzle, where however the
ordinary choke bore may in some cases be adopted in conjunction with my
invention.
On firing such a gun, as soon as the shot leaves the cartridge case, the formation
of the bore gradually changes the shape of the shot charge from a comparatively
short column of comparatively large cross sectional area to a longer column of
smaller cross sectional area, in which form it leaves the muzzle, unless further
elongated and reduced in diameter by the addition of the ordinary choke bore.
Very light guns can be made on this system, with barrels of full length and yet.
in consequence of the smallness of the bore for the greater portion of their length
they will be very strong. The breech actions can be made heavy and strong and
to restore the balance the interior of the stock may be milled out.

page_text: Guns made according to my invention will be extremely handy in consequence of
the greater portion of the weight being concentrated near the middle of the
length.
Dated this 15th day of June 1893.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Shot-guns.
.I, HORATIO FREDERICK PHILLIPS, of Trinity Villa, Wealdstone, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described. and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
F
This invention has reference to Improvements in Shot-guns (sometimes called
fowling pieces) and particularly to a construction of barrel that admits of a more
convenient distribution of weight and strength, the forward part of the barrel (or
barrels) being made lighter and the breech action heavier and stronger than with
Buch guns as heretofore usually made.
Since the introduction of smokeless powders many accidents have happened and
many guns have been broken through being too light and the breech actions
consequently very weak. It is the almost universal custom to use 1 oz. of shot in
a.12 bore gun, but if the sportsman were to use a light gun, such as a 16 or 20 bore,
and still to fire 1 oz. of shot, the pressure of the powder gases would be very high,.
in consequence of the length of the column of the shot charge in the breech
chamber, and the pellets would be crushed out of shape, and the shooting would be
irregular.
Now, according to this invention, in order to obviate the above mentioned
disadvantages, the barrel is so formed that whereas in the breech or cartridge
chamber the column of shot pellets will be comparatively short, the area of wadding
large, and the bursting pressure of the gases low, yet, after the explosion and whilst
the velocity of the charge is comparatively low, the column of shot in the barrel
will become gradually comparatively long and sensibly smaller in diameter or cross
sectional area, a result being that with a comparatively light and strong gun,
cartridges may be advantageously used that contain a heavy charge of shot.
To this end the bore of the barrel (or of each barrel) from the fore end of the
breech or cartridge chamber up to the muzzle or nearly to the muzzle, is made not
cylindrical or almost cylindrical as heretofore has been usual, but starting from the
breech or cartridge chamber sensibly diminishes in diameter and goes on gradually
diminishing so that, if the bore be, for example, 12 at that part that is next in
advance of the breech or cartridge chamber, then at or near the muzzle the diameter
will be considerably less than 12 bore, the reduction in diameter being more
pronounced in the neighbourhood of the fore end of the breech or cartridge
chamber than further on towards the muzzle; the ordinary choke bore may,
however, in some cases be adopted in conjunction with my invention.
The accompanying drawing shows in central longitudinal section, a portion of a
barrel of a shot-gun constructed according to this invention. 1 is the breech or
cartridge chamber from the fore end of which the bore of the barrel diminishes in
diameter towards the muzzle the diameter of which is, as shewn, of considerably
less diameter than that of the chamber 1. In the example shown, the portion 2 of
the bore immediately in advance of the breech or cartridge chamber is, for a length
of a few inches, say for example about 3 inches, made of rapidly decreasing
diameter, as shown, the portion 3 of the bore which is in advance of the portion 2,
T

page_text: decreasing very slightly in diameter either up to the muzzle, or as shown, up to
within say a few inches of the muzzle, the remaining portion 4 of the bore in this:
case being cylindrical. The decrease in diameter of the portion 3 from its inner to
its outer end may be made so small that the said portion 3 is of approximately
uniform diameter and therefore approximately cylindrical in form, the diameter
corresponding to that of the end portion 4 of the bore; or the bore from the
forward end of the contracted portion 2 to the muzzle end may be made quite
uniform in diameter and therefore truly cylindrical in form. In each case, the form
of the portions 2, 3 of the bore resembles that of the vena contracta. The exterior
of the barrel is made of approximately the same form as the bore.
The barrel may advantageously be made 30 inches in length, the bore of the
breech or cartridge chamber being of 12-gauge and about the usual length, and the
portion 2 being 3 inches in length, and gradually decreasing from 12 to 20 gauge,
the latter gauge being maintained to the muzzle, but these dimensions may
obviously be varied to suit requirement.
On firing a gun having its barrel constructed as described, as soon as the shot
leaves the cartridge case within the breech or cartridge chamber 1 the formation
of the bore at 2 gradually changes the shape of the shot charge from a compara-
tively short column of comparatively large cross sectional area to a longer
column of smaller cross sectional area, in which form it leaves the muzzle, unless
further elongated and reduced in diameter by the addition of the ordinary choke
bore.
It has been found that when 12-bore cartridges are used, the wads offer a certain
amount of resistance on reaching the narrow part of the barrel. To obviate this
disadvantage it is advantageous to slightly increase the ordinary charge of powder
and to use as a wad, a piece of soft felt arranged between two thin card wads, a
card being placed over the shot. When using Schultze, E.C. or S.S. powders the
charge should be increased by about 3 grains, but when Walsrode powder is used,
only an additional grain need be used to obtain the standard velocity and
penetration with my improved gun.
Very light guns can be made on the system hereinbefore described with barrels
of full length and yet in consequence of the smallness of the bore for the greater
portion of their length they will be very strong. Furthermore by the construction
described, the thickness of the wall of the breech or cartridge chamber can be
increased as shown so that such wall will be able to better withstand the pressure
set up when using smokeless powders than shot-guns as heretofore constructed and
this without increasing the total weight of the barrel. The breech actions can also
be made heavy and strong, and to restore the balance the interior of the stock may
be milled out.
The vibrations usually set up in the stocks of ordinary shot guns, and which
tend to produce gun headache, are almost entirely absent in my improved shot gun,
owing to the mass of metal surrounding the breech of the gun absorbing the greater
part of such vibrations.
Guns made according to my invention will be extremely handy in consequence
of the greater portion of the weight being concentrated near the middle of the
length.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A shot-gun having a barrel, or barrels, the bore of which, or each of which,
starting from the breech or cartridge chamber, diminishes in diameter and goes on
gradually diminishing up to a suitable point so that the diameter of the muzzle
will be considerably less than that of the breech or cartridge chamber, the reduction
in diameter being more pronounced in the neighbourhood of the fore end of the
said chamber than further on towards the muzzle, substantially as herein described
for the purposes specified.

page_text: 2. The improvements in shot-guns hereinabove described with reference to and
shewn in the drawings annexed for the purposes specified.
Dated this 15th day of March 1894.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London; W.C:, Chartered Patent Agent.