IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Carter and George Henry Edwards, both of
Dempsey Street, Stepney, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Makers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 28th February 1868, and dated the 5th September 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Carter and George
Henry Edwards at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 5th September 1867.
We, HENRY CARTER and GEORGE HENRY EDWARDS, both of Dempsey
Street, Stepney, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention is chiefly applicable to such breech-loading fire-arms as
close with a sliding rotating bolt with projecting hand lever.
It consists, first, in leaving the back end of the breech as also the lever
slot open for the ready. withdrawal of the bolt when required for cleaning or
otherwise, and in applying a cap or cover to the hinder part of the shoe of a
gun, which cap completely covers in the groove in which the sliding. bok

page_text: works, with the exception of the opening necessary for the introduction of
the cartridge and for the necessary traverse of the hand lever of the sliding
bolt. This cover is rounded and partly follows the shape of the gun, its hinder
part being carried a little way down the neck of the stock, tapering off and
forming a part thereof. In adjusting the cover it is slid on the shoe of the
gun from the breech end; two projections disposed one on either side in the
interior of the cover taking into grooves made longitudinally in the shoe, by
which the cover is held closely down thereon. The whole is secured in place
by a screw passing down through a projection formed under the tapered part
of the cover and screwing into the tail piece of the shoe; this tail piece
has also a recess formed in it, which when the cover is pushed forward in
place receives the lower part of said projection, and through which the
screw passes, securing it therein, thus firmly fixing the cover and preventing
all movement thereof until the release of said screw. When it is desired
to withdraw the bolt from the gun it is simply necessary to release the
screw in order to take off the cover, the bolt is then free to be withdrawn
from the gun.
The Invention consists, secondly, in combining the trigger and sear together
so as to form but one piece. The sear may be shortened while the trigger
projects from the under side "thereof, thus obviating the necessity of a
separate fulcrum for the trigger, and rendering the action of the lock
quicker.
.
A third improvement consists in fitting the extractor applied to such
guns so that a dovetail end recessed into the sliding bolt shall be received
in an undercut and dovetail recess when the bolt is drawn backwards,
so as to prevent its falling from the bolt when it is withdrawn at the
breech.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Carter and George Henry Edwards in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 5th March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
CARTER' and GEORGE. HENRY EDWARDS, both of Dempsey Street, Stepney, in
the County of Middlesex, Gun Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord One

page_text: thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said Henrý
Carter and George Henry. Edwards, Her special licence, that we, the said Henry
Carter and George Henry: Edwards, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as, we, the said Henry Carter and George Henry Edwards,
our 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 BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Henry Carter and
George Henry Edwards, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, 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 we, the said Henry Carter and George Henry
Edwards, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the two Sheets of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters, and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
This Invention is chiefly applicable to such breech-loading fire-arms as
close with a sliding rotating bolt with projecting hand lever, for which
Letters Patent were granted to us, bearing date September 20th, 1865,
No. 2417.
It consists, first, in leaving the back end of the breech as also the lever
slot open for the ready withdrawal of the bolt when required for cleaning or
otherwise, and in applying a cap or cover to the hinder part of the shoe of
a gun, which cap completely covers in the groove in which the sliding bolt
works, with the exception of the opening necessary for the introduction of
the cartridge and for the necessary traverse of the hand lever of the sliding
bolt. This cover is rounded and partly follows the shape of the gun, its hinder
part being carried a little way down the neck of the stock, tapering off and
forming a part thereof. In adjusting the cover it is slid on the shoe of the
gun from the breech: end; two projections disposed one on either side in the
interior of the cover 'taking into grooves made longitudinally in the shoe, by

page_text: rigu
ccompanying Draw
presents
0150
breech part of a military gun fitted with the sliding cap or cover forming the
first part of our Invention; Figure 2 shows a plan of the same with the cover
removed; and Figure 3, a longitudinal section of the breech and cover mounted
on its stock; Figure 4 shows a side elevation of the breech end 'detached;
Figure 5, an end view looking towards the muzzle, while Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
and 11 show separate views of the cap and breech-closing plug.
A is the barrel; B, stock; C, breech-closing plug provided with a hand
lever D for operating its sliding and rotating movements. This plug C slides
in a groove D¹ in the breech end of the gun, which is made open at the rear
end to enable the plug to be readily withdrawn from the gun for cleaning or
otherwise. When the cap or cover E, seen in plan, section, and end view at
Figures 6, 7, and 8, is removed, this cover E entirely closes in the rear
portion of the groove D' while allowing of the free backward motion of the
plug to admit of the introduction of the cartridge in front of same. The
cover E is rounded in form corresponding to that of the breech-closing plug,
and tapers off in rear where it fits on the small of the butt so as to present a

page_text: smooth surface therewith. The cover E is fixed in position by a screw
passing down (through a solid abutment F formed on the inside of the cap or
cover E at the tapered end) into the breech tail piece into which the
abutment F is also recessed to secure it more firmly thereto. The cap E is
further provided with nibs or projections a, a, one on either side, which are
received in longitudinal grooves b, b, made in the breech, serving to connect
the cap. E thereto on its being slid forwards into position, or when being
drawn backwards for the purpose of removing the same.
The second improvement is illustrated in Figures 3 and 3*, where the
trigger G is shown as made in one piece with the sear H turning on a
fulcrum at c instead of having separate centres, as usual, thus simplifying the
lock action, and rendering it quicker. I is the sear spring fixed to the under
part of the breech tail piece; K is the tumbler, also serving as a hammer for
acting on the central striker L of the closing plug C when the said tumbler
is released by the sear H on pulling the trigger G. This action of the
tumbler K is ensured by the spring M fixed at the under part of the breech.
at such time only that the plug C is in the forward locked position for the
purpose of projecting the nose of the striker L from plug C to explode the cap
of the cartridge. The inclined projecting end d of the plug C serves to
prevent the hammer K from acting on the striker L except when the breech
is locked, supposing the trigger G should release the sear II from any cause;
the end d of plug C also serves for cocking the tumbler K on being drawn
back to the position shown. e is a screw closing the cavity in the plug C
containing the striker L, by removing which screw the said striker may be
readily. introduced or removed. The motion of the striker is limited by the
enlargement f made thereon sliding in recess g at the rear end of the plug.
The nose of the striker is pushed back by the end of the cartridge on moving
the plug C forward in the breech chamber in readiness to be again acted on
by the hammer K, as before described.
The third improvement relates to a mode of dovetailing the end 'h of the
extractor N in the sliding plug C, so that it may retain its hold by entering a
dovetailed recess i on the latter when withdrawn from the gun, as before
described.. This improvement is illustrated in Figures 9, 10, and 11, Figure 9
being a side elevation of the plug C with extractor N, and Figure 10 a
transverse section of same, while Figure 11 is an under side plan of the plug
and extractor N, showing the groove for allowing of the rotary motion of
the plug C without acting on the extractor, which is fitted to slide back and
forth with, the plug in the groove of the breech chamber, as shown in

page_text: Figure 3, for withdrawing the cartridge cases after firing, which are then
readily ejected by slightly tilting the gun on one side.
The action of the gun will be readily understood from the Drawing. The
breech-closing plug C being in the backward position seen in Figure 3 the
cartridge is dropped into the opening in the breech chamber, and the plug C
slid forwards by means of the hand lever D pushing the cartridge before it
into the rear end of the barrel; the plug is then rotated until the lever D is
brought to the line position shown in Figure 5, so as to abut against the end P
of the lever slot, when the sear H being released by pulling the trigger G the
hammer K is free to act on the striker L, and so produce the discharge of the
cartridge; the plug is then again partially rotated in the reverse direction
and drawn backward, bringing with it the cartridge case, the rim of which is
retained by the nib k of the extractor, and is then ejected, the hammer being
cocked at same time, as before explained. R is a spring placed on the
exterior at the under part of the breech chamber, having a nib or nose r at its
end entering one or other of the recesses &, s, in the plug C, see Figure 9,
when in its forward and locked positions for the purpose of opposing a certain
resistance to the motion of the plug, and prevent its loosening.
In order to prevent the possibility of the striker accidentally exploding the
cartridge on sliding forward the breech-closing plug, either through the said
striker becoming fixed by oxidation or from any substance getting in the
cavity of the plug, which if the nose of the striker protruded might have the
effect of exploding the cartridge, I modify the arrangement of the striker, as
seen in Figure. 12 and the following Figures.
Figure 12 shows a longitudinal, and Figure. 13 a transverse section of the
breech end of the gun arranged as before described, and provided with our
improved striker, it being shown as in the forward locked position after the
discharge; Figure 14 shows separately a plan of the plug with the striker in
the same position.
C is the breech plug (the handle D being removed); K is the tumbler ;
and H, the sear as before; L is the striker having a head a' at the rear end
provided with a tongue 6 projecting at right angles, fitted to slide in the
groove of the extractor N (which is lengthened in the backward direction for
the purpose), so as to prevent its turning with the plug C. The head a' of
the striker is made with an inclined cam surface, as seen, which while the
plug is in the forward half-cocked position is retained by the projecting end d
of the plug until it is partially rotated to bring it to the full-cock position in
the same manner as before described, when the cam of the plug will be

page_text: freed from contact with the head of the striker, which may then be driven
forward by the impact of the hammer for the purpose of exploding the
cartridge. After firing the plug is again rotated by raising the lever handle D,
during which motion the cam d¹ will act on the inclined cam surface of the
striker head, so as to draw it back to position within the plug in readiness for
the next discharge, and so on. In this manner all liability of the striker, to
stick from any cause is effectually prevented, it being operated in the one
direction by the hammer, and in the other by the cam on the rear end of the
plug C.
In addition to the position represented in Figures 12, 13, and 14 we
have in Figures 15 and 16 shown the striker drawn back or at half-cock
in elevation and plan, while Figures 17 and 18 show similar views with the
striker in position for firing. f¹, Figure 16, shows a small screw projecting
in the cavity of the plug, and serving to retain the striker and prevent its
falling out at any time.
Lastly, our improvements relate to a device for locking the trigger so as to
prevent the premature explosion of the cartridge when carrying the arm at
full-cock. This improvement is represented in Figure 1 in the longitudinal
section of the lock action, Figure 19, and in plan and transverse section at
Figures 20 and 21.
g¹ is a sliding bolt mounted, transversely on the trigger plate, and having a
knob or head g³ at either end, slightly projecting on either side of the trigger
guard in recesses made at the under part of the stock to be acted on by the
finger when desired. The bolt g¹ has a recess h¹, as seen, which when brought
to the dotted position, Figure 20, will permit of the trigger rising to act on
the sear for releasing the hammer while in the line position. The bolt g¹ is
made to enter a recess in the trigger G, which prevents its rising and holds it
securely locked until the bolt g' is slid back to the dotted position. The
bolt g¹ slides in a recess in the trigger plate, as seen. k, spring for returning
trigger to position; ", spring for regulating the action of the sliding bolt g'.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
1st. Making the rear end of the breech of such guns as close with a sliding
plug open for the purpose of withdrawing the same. for cleaning and otherwise,
and providing an adjustable cap or cover for closing the opening in the manner
herein-before described and represented in the Drawings.
2ndly. We claim combining the trigger and sear in the manner shown.

page_text: 3rdly. We claim dovetailing the extractor to the sliding plug in the manner
nd for the purpose described.
4thly. We claim the improved form of striker represented in Figures 12
18, arranged and operated in the manner and for the purpose described.
5thly. We claim the device for locking the trigger represented at Figures
9, 20, 21, and 22, as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof I, the said Henry Carter, for myself and on behalf
of the said George Henry Edwards, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Second day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
A. M. CLARK,
Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
HENRY CARTER. (L.s.)