CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTIONS OF GUNS AND FIRE-ARMS UPON THE SELF- PRIMING AND DETONATING PRINCIPLE
Year: 1822

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOSEPH EGG, of Piccadilly, in the Parish of St. James, in the City of
Westminster, Gun Maker, do send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the third year
of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Joseph Egg, His especial license, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Joseph Egg, my exors, adñiors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Joseph Egg, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention. of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTIONS OF GUNS AND FIRE-ARMS UPON THE SELF-
PRIMING AND DETONATING PRINCIPLE;" in which said Letters Patent there
is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Joseph Egg, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and

page_text: ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calender months next
and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, may more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Joseph, Egg, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described
and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the
following description thereof, that is to say:
My Improvements on guns and other fire-arms consist in the con-
structing of a priming magazine or chamber to be attached on the
outside of the barrel, and in the mode of conducting the powder from
this chamber to the pan or touch, hole, for the purpose of priming the
piece, and also in the mode of cutting off the communication between
the touch hole and the priming chamber at the time that the piece* is
discharged. Fig. 1, is a view of the lock and breech part of.a gun.
upon this improved principle, the parts standing as at half cock.
Fig. 2, a view of the same after the piece is discharged, or the cock
at bearer. Fig. 3, the inside view of the lock detached, the parts in
the position of Fig. 1. Fig 4, is also a view of the inside of the lock
detached, the parts in the position of Fig 2. Fig. 5, an horizontal:
view of a double barrel, shewing the priming chamber a, formed by a
recess between the barrels; the cover of the chamber is in this Figure
removed, for the purpose of shewing the groove or recess within.
Fig. 6, is a side view of the barrel, the cover being raised. The priming
powder (which for this construction of lock must be a detonating com-
position) is to be deposited in the recess a, and there secured by the:
cover, which fastens by a spring or other suitable contrivance; on raising
the muzzle of the piece the powder descends to the broad part of the
chamber b, and there passes through a small passage or passages c, c, in
a lateral direction, the outer part of this passage is closed by a sliding
plate d, shewn at Fig 3, 4, and 7, but when the cock is raised as
Fig. 1, an aperture 2, in this plate comes opposite the passage c, and

page_text: "
permits the priming powder to descend through it to the pan or touch
hole e; that side of: the plate'd, which slides against the barrel is per
fectly flat, as shewn at Figs. 3, 4, and 7, but the outer side of the plate
has a small protuberance, as shewn at Figures 1, and 8, in order to
form a cap or cover to the pan or touch hole. The channel' z, above
níentioned passes through this protuberance direct to the touch hole';
and hence, when the piece is at half cock, as Fig. 1, the priming
deposits itself in the touch hole, but on pulling the trigger the tumbler
brings down the lever f, which by its connection with the arm of the
sliding plate d, (seen at Figures 3, 4, and 7,) causes the plate instantly
fo rise up from its position at Fig. 8; to its position at Fig. 4, and by
that means cuts off the communication between the priming chamber
and the touchhole. A similar priming chamber may be applied to fire
arms intended to be primed with gunpowder, but in that case it will be
necessary to enlarge the passage leading from the chamber to the pan
or touch hole, and a differently constructed lock must be employed, with
a flint cock and hammer. I do not, however, claim any novelty in the
lock or any other part of the piece, except in those parts which are
marked with letters upon the Drawings and referred to as above. In
short my "Improvements in the Construction of Guns and Fire-arms
upon the Self-priming and Detonating Principle" are confined to the
construction of a priming chamber attached to the barrel or barrels of
any description of fire-arms, either as shewn in the Drawing or varied
in any other form, place, or position contiguous to the barrel; and in
the necessary shield or sliding guard, which also may be varied in shape
and position for the purpose of admitting the priming to the touch hole
when the piece is loaded, and of cutting of the communication between
the chamber and the touch hold when the piece is discharging.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Egg, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-
three.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of
January, in the year of our Lord 1823, the aforesaid Joseph Egg
came before our said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknow-
ledged the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified in form above written. And also the Specifica-
tion aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made
for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-three