CERTAIN NEW IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF GUNS AND PISTOLS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION
Year: 1797

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN MANTON, of Dover Street, in the Parish of Saint George, Hanover
Square, Gun Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third
did, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day of April, in the thirty-
seventh year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said John
Manton, His especial licence that I, the said John Manton, during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick
upon Tweed, ny Invention of "CERTAIN NEW IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF GUNS AND PISTOLS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said John
Manton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to cause
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within One calendar month after the date of
the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same (relation being
thereunto had) may more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I,
the said John Manton, do hereby declare that my said Invention is
described in manner following (that is to say):
The first part of my new Inventions and improvements consist in the
construction of breechings for the barrels of guns and pistols of every
description. One of the greatest advantages in these breechings are,
they being made to screw or fix on the outside of the barrels instead of
fitting or screwing into the barrels, they are much safer, more durable,
and the barrels shoot stronger, by preventing the end of the barrels
from expanding, and letting the smoke, and by degrees the powder, into
the screw. All breechings that screw into the barrels are subject to this
and other defects; if the barrels should expand a little by quick firing, it
will make the screw tighter in this breeching that screws on. The end
that fits into the false breech (which forms a part of my new lock) is
round, and is confined in its place with a screw that passes through it
and the back part of the false breech. The touchhole is made in the
round part of the breeching, to answer, a hole that is made in or near
the center of the pan. The bottom end of the breeching may be
varied in its form, to fit into any false breech on the old principle; the
back end of the false breech is nearly like that of a pocket pistol; it
forms part of the lock, the cock hammer and pan being under instead
of being at either side or on top. The cock strikes upwards, the end of
the breech is chambered full as low, or a little lower, than the touch
hole, which is made in it opposite to a hole that is in or near the centre
of the pan. The prime being fired under the touchhole will light the
charge much quicker than those which are fired with the touch hole
in the side or top. The pan being under the gun prevents the rain or
wet from getting into the prime. The joint of the hammer is much
improved by having it made wider than common, 'and the middle of it
is taken out to admit a bit of steel, iron, or metal being put in for the
hammer spring or roller in the spring to work on, which is much better
than having a roller to act on each side. The hammer spring is
fastened to the hammer like that ofa pocket pistol. Another great advan-
tage in my locks is, the scar being fastened to the cock by a screw or pin,
it moves backwards and forwards with the cock, and the end or nose

page_text: slides on the short side of the main spring, which serves for the sear to
stop in at half cock, and at full cock it takes hold of the fore part of
the tricker blade, which is made thick with a slider in it to prevent the
sear from catching in the half cock. The tricker acts on a pin that
passes through the back part of the blade, and admits the fore part to
draw from the sear nose, when the tricker is pulled; there is a spring
fastened to the tricker plate or strap which presses on the back part of
the tricker blade behind the pin so as to make it take hold of the
scar nose; when drawn to full cock, the sear spring is fastened to
the sear, and is made to press against the inside of the upper part of
the main spring which is over it. The main spring is fastened to the
tricker plate or strap by a screw, stud, swivel, or hook; the upper end
or longest side is connected with a swivel which works on a pin in the
breast of the cock. The double guns and pistols with two trickers, and
single guns and pistols, are made to act on the same principle. I have
constructed a tricker for double guns and pistols on an improved
principle, which answers the purpose much better than having two
trickers; it is made to act on one lock at a time notwithstanding both
locks are cocked. The tricker acts on a pin which passes through the
fore part of the blade, but has a part fitted to the back end of the blade
with a joint and pin; the upper end of this part has a shoulder on it
for the sears to rest on when at full cock; this shoulder is made thick,
or wide enough for half of it to serve for one sear and the other for the
other. When the two locks are at half cock, the tricker may be pulled
to its full extent without the smallest hazard of disturbing either of the
the locks, as the blade of the tricker acts between the sears. There is
a small projection on each scar, both these are, by cocking the locks,
brought on the shoulder of the part that is jointed to the tricker, one
of the projecting parts being made about the eighth part of an inch
nearer the cock than the other; it acts first with the part or shoulder
jointed to the tricker, and draws it forward so as to pass the other sear
when the first lock is pulled off, after which the tricker is forced back
to its place by a spring that is fastened to the tricker plate or strap,
and presses the shoulder that acted on the first sear to take its place
for the same purpose. Under the other sear the end or nose of the sear

page_text: falls into a notch that is made behind the tricker for the half cock, and
a little nearer the tricker is another smaller notch for the full cock.
These notches or bents may be made in the tricker plate, or in a bit of
steel, iron, or metal, fitted to the tricker plate or strap for that purpose.
The stock is in two parts; the back part is fastened on by screws nearly
in the same manner as the stock of a turnabout double gun; the fore
part is fastened to the barrell with loops and bolts in the usual manner;
the end of the stock next to the hammer may be plated to make a good
finish, and it will also preserve the wood. The double guns sand pistols
have a plate fixed edgeways between the hammers to prevent the flash
of one prime from communicating with the other. The same principle,
hammer, and sear can be applyed to locks on the common construction,
or such as are in general use, by making the scar to move or slide
backwards and forwards with the motion of the tumbler or cock, which
is much the best way, as the cock can be made to act on a small center
and will not require a tumbler with a square; the scar can be made to
act on a pin or screw fixed into the lower part of the cock by having a
notch in the plate to admit the motion required; the end or nose of
the sear is made to fall or catch at half cock in a notch, which is made
in a bitt of steel, iron, or metal fixed to the inside of the plate; in the
same there must be a set off for the sear nose at full cock. If the double
gun is made with one tricker, one of the sears must have its shank a
little before the other for the purpose already described, to bring it first
to act on the shoulder that is made in the upper end of the part that is
jointed to the tricker. The cock and hammer may be downward to act
as before described, with the pan over the hammer, and maderound on
the top so as to be let into the side of the breech, which will shorten
the touch hole and secure the prime from wet. Pistols and guns that
are not required to be taken to pieces so often, the end of the barrel
may be screwed or fitted into the false breech or back end (which has
already been described) to be similar to that of a pocket pistol.
1
In witness whereof, I the said John Manton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of May, in
the year of our Lord 1797, the aforesaid John Manton came before our
said Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt
according to the tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.