IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGE-CARRIERS
Year: 1859

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Harding at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th December
1859.
I, WILLIAM HARDING, of Rutland Terrace, Forrest Hill, in the County of
Kent, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND IN CARTRIDGE-CARRIERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-arms
and in cartridge carriers.
The first part of the Invention is particularly applicable for double-barrel
fowling pieces. In constructing fire-arms of this description, the barrels which
are open at their breech ends are connected with the stock by a hinge placed
underneath the barrels at a short distance from their breech ends. The
barrels are capable of turning on this hinge, and thus their breech ends are
raised to allow of the charges being introduced. So far the arm is similar to
fowling-pieces heretofore constructed, but heretofore the breech ends of the
barrels, when they have been closed for firing, have rested up against a breech
plate attached to the stock. Now, in arms constructed according to this
Invention, the breech ends of the barrels, when turned up into position for
firing, do not come in contact with the breech-plate, and the space between
the end of each of the barrels and the breech-plate is filled by a block or
breech-piece, having a conical projection formed on it. This cone enters the
breech end of the barrel, which is made exactly to fit it. The breech-pieces are
hinged at the bottom of the barrels, and turn down on these joints out of the
way when the breech ends of the barrels are raised for charging. When the

page_text: arm is fired the breech-pieces are kept in their places by resting against
the breech plate. The breech-pieces are bored and fitted with nipples at the
top or side to receive ordinary percussion caps, which are exploded by
hammers working on either side of the stock, as is usual in muzzle-loading
fowling pieces. This arrangement permits of the piece being capped after the
barrels are locked in their places ready for firing. The arrangement above
described may be applied to single barrel guns; it is applicable to fowling-
pieces, rifles, and other arms.
Another part of the Invention relates to improvements in cartridge carriers.
The carrier is made of the same width as the length of the cartridge, and the
cartridges are placed side by side within the carrier, and are constantly
pressed by a spring to one, end of it. In the bottom of the carrier at the
end to which the cartridges are pressed there is a hole, through which, by
depressing a thumb-piece exterior of the carrier, the end cartridge may be
pressed out. The thumb-piece is provided with a spring in order that it may
spring back to its original position, when the pressure of the thumb upon
it
is removed so as to be ready to press out the next cartridge. Cartridge
carriers of this description are particularly applicable for holding cartridges
for breach-loading fire-arms, and for other cartridges which are inserted whole
into the barrel of the fire-arm, as the cartridges may be pressed direct from
the carrier into the barrel. The cartridge carrier is also provided with a cap-
holder, constructed as has before been proposed, so that the caps are pressed
to one end of the holder by a spring, at which end there is an opening
through which the cap may be pressed out on to the nipple of the fire-arm.