IMPROVE- MENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Rock Cooper, of Birmingham, in the.
County of Warwick, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed' the 16th March 1858, and dated the 19th January 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Rock Cooper
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th January 1853.
I, JOSEPH ROCK COOPER, of Birmingham, in tlie County of Warwick,.
Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS" to be as follows:-
This Invention is applicable to breech loading fire arms, and consists
of constructing the breech in the following manner-Part of the
breech is made moveable, near its back end, and it moves on a hori-
Ozontal axis, so that its fire end may assume an angular position to.
receive the charge. The moveable breech is caused to assume the
angular position by means of a lever, having its axis of motion at one.
side of the fire-arm, which lever, by a projection, acts on an incline on:

page_text: the side of the moveable breech, and the moveable breech is returned
to its firing position by the bringing back of the lever, which comes
between the moveable and the solid parts of the barrel. The side of
the lever is slightly inclined, and forces the movcable breach up to the
barrel. The lever has a tendency of remaining in either of its two
positions (till it is forcibly acted on) by being acted on by a spring. Or
the side of the lever may be bored out, and itself become the moveable
breech of the fire-arm...
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Rock Cooper in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 18th July 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOSEPH ROCK COOPER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Gun Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Rock Cooper, Her special
licence that I, the said Joseph Rock Cooper, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Rock Cooper,
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," upon the condition. (amongst others)
that I, the said Joseph Rock Cooper, by an instrument in writing.
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain.
the nature of the said Invention, and in what mannèr 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 Joseph Rock Cooper, 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 (that is to say):"
This Invention is applicable to breech loading fire-arms, and consists
of constructing the breech in the following manner:-Part of the breech
is made moveable, .near its back end, and it moves, on a.horizontal axis,
so that its fore end may assume an angular: position to receive the
charge. The moveable breech is caused to assume the angular position
by means of à lever,, having its axis of motion at one, side of the fire
arni; which lever, 'by a projection, acts on an incline at the side of the
moveable breech, and, the moveable breech. is: réturned.. to 'its, firing
position by the bringing back of the lever, which comes between the
moveable and the solid parts of the barrel. The side of the lever is
slightly inclined, and forces the moveable breech up to the barrel. The
lever. has a tendency of remaining in either of its two positions (till it is
forcibly acted; on) by being acted on by a spring: Or the side-of-the
lever may be bored out, and itself become the inoveable, breech of the
fire-arm.
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And in order that my said Invention 'may be more fully under
stood, and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to .describe the
-means, pursued.-by-me
2. e. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
97
Figure 1, is a longitudinal section of the back end of a barrel.com,
structed, and, arranged suitably for carrying out my...Invention.
Figure 2, shows a side view, of the moveable breech. Figure 3 shows
a section of, the barrel taken at A, B, in Figure 1. Figure,1,,shows a
front and a back end view. of the breech. Figure. 5, shows two views
of: the lever which moves the breech when about to, load, and which
fastens the breech when in a firing position. Figure 6, shows a longi
tudinal section of part of; the barrel with the breech fastened in the
position for firing. Figure 7, shows the breech raised into an angular
position for loading. Figure.8, shows the breech in the position after
loading, and before the lever has forced it up to the barrel;:, and
•

page_text: Figure 9, shows a side view of the barrel and breech on which the lever
is applied. In all these Figures the same letters are used to indicate
the same parts. a, is the barrel, and a', is the solid part at the back
end, between which and the back end of the moveable breech the
lever comes, in order to fasten the breech, and to force it up to the
position for firing. 6, is a spring, which acts on the projecting part of
the breech, as shown; and this spring causes the breech and the lever to
have a tendency to remain in cither of the two positions into which the
lever may
be placed.
c, is the moveable breech, having an under pro-
jection e', with a slot in it, by which means it can not only be slided to
and from the barrel, but also be moved on the pin d, as an axis, there
being a slot formed in tlie barrel a, at a², for receiving the projection c'
'of the breech c, as shown. The form of the breech and the end of the
barrel being-shewn in the Drawing, it will not require further descrip-
tion. e, is the lever; it moves on an axis e', supported in projections on
the side of the barrel; the lever has a projection, which, passing
through an opening in the barrel and the end of this projection, enters
into a groove e³, formed in the side of the breech, by means of which,
when the lever e, is moved over, it will release the back end of the
breech, and by the end of the projection ", it will move back and raise
the breech into an inclined position to admit of its being loaded; and
the moving of the lever e, across the barrel will first cause the breech to
assume the position shown at Figure 8, and will then by its inclined
side force the breech up to the barrel, and cause it to assume the
position, Figure 6.
In Figures 10, and 11, is shown a variation of my Invention from
that above described, and it consists of having the lever so formed that
the breech is made by boring into the side, at the same time the lever is
capable of such movement as to admit of the breech being forced up to
the barrel, and of being held securely when firing. f, is the lever, which
consists of two parts f, and f; the part f, is bored out to form the
hollow breech of the fire-arm, of which a, is part of the barrel. a', is
the solid end thercof, there being an opening in the upper part of the
barrel to receive the lever breech f, as is shown. The lever breech turns
on an axis f², carried by projections at one side of the barrel, which

page_text: allows of an endway movement to the breech to allow of its moving to
and from the barrel a. The part f, of the breech turns on an axis fª,
at the back end of the breech, and the part f', where it embraces the
axis fa, is made excentric, by which means, when the lever breech f,
has been loaded and moved into position behind the barrel a, the folding
down of the part f', will cause the lever breech f, to be forced up to
and retained in position for firing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no
claim to the mechanical parts separately. But what I claim, is, first, the
mode of combining the parts described with reference to Figures 1, to 9,
inclusive; and, secondly, I claim the mode of combining the parts which
I have called the lever breech, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Rock Cooper, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
ROBERT SAULER.
JOSEPH ROCK COOPER. (L.S.)