IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Graham Stuart, of Sheffield, in the County of York,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS."
Sealed the 15th March 1867, and dated the 21st September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Graham Stuart at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st September 1866.
I, GRAHAM STUART, of Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to breech-loading guns, and one arrangement of my
improvements consists in forming in the back end of the barrel a circular con-
cavity, against the surface of which there is a moveable breech piece provided
with trunnions or pivots working in bearings connected to the barrel. The
said breech piece has a bore to correspond with the bore of the barrel, and
the outer circumference of the breech piece is slightly eccentric to the.
trunnions or pivots. When the gun is to be charged the breech piece is
turned by a handle, or worm and worm wheel, or other means, so that the
bore of the breech piece is in line with and open to the bore of the barrel,
and when the charge is passed through the bore of the breech piece into the
bore of the barrel the breech piece is turned to bring its solid part in contact

page_text: with the concave end of the barrel, thereby closing the breech ready for the
gun to be discharged, and as the outer surface is eccentric to the trunnions
or pivots it is forced against the concave surface at the end of the barrel
with great power, and prevents the escape of the gases when the gun is
fired.
In another arrangement I make the concavity at the end of the barrel of a
partly spherical form, and employ a cam-shaped breech piece provided with
trunnions or pivots and having a bore to correspond with the bore of the barrel.
The outer surface of the breech piece is formed similar to a volute gradually
widening transversely from its least to its longest radius, so that when turned
to close the barrel the surfaces can be held in contact with great power and
certainty and prevent the possibility of any escape of gas when the gun is
discharged. In this arrangement I form the bearings for the breech piece in
the end of the barrel, there being transverse slots in the back of the barrel to
allow the trunnions to pass through to their places, which slots are afterwards
filled by blocks forming one side of the bearings and the blocks kept in their
places by internal and external screwed rings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Graham Stuart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GRAHAM
STUART, of Sheffield, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Graham Stuart, Her special licence that I, the said Graham
Stuart, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Graham Stuart, 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 BREECH-LOADING GUNS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Graham Stuart, my exccutors or administrators, by an

page_text: instrument in writing under my, 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 I, the said Graham Stuart, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 accompanying 4 Sheets of Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention relates to breech-loading guns, and one arrangement of my
improvements consists in forming in the rear end of the barrel a spherical
concavity, against the surface of which there is a movable breech piece pro-
vided with trunnions forming its axis and working in bearings connected to
the barrel. The said breech piece has at right angles to its axis a circular
bore to correspond with the bore of the barrel, and the outer circumference of
the breech piece is slightly eccentric to its trunnions. When the gun is to be
charged the breech piece is turned by a handle, or worm and worm wheel, or
other means, until the bore of the breech piece is brought in a line with and
open to the bore of the barrel, and when the charge is passed through the bore
of the breech piece into the bore of the barrel the breech piece is turned so as
to bring its solid part opposite the bore of the barrel, and thereby close the
breech ready for the gun to be discharged, and as the outer surface of the
said breech piece is eccentric to its trunnions it can be forced against the
surface of the said spherical concavity with great power, and thus prevent
the escape of gases when the
gun is fired.
In another arrangement I make the concavity at the rear end of the
barrel of a partly spherical form, and employ a cam-shaped breech piece
provided with trunnions, and having a bore to correspond with the bore of the
barrel. This breech piece is a combined eccentric and volute, so that when
turned to close the breech the surfaces can be held in contact with great
power and certainty, and thus prevent the possibility of any escape of gas
when the gun is discharged. In this arrangement I form the bearings of the
breech piece in the rear portion of the barrel, there being two slots to allow
the trunnions to pass to their places, which slots are afterwards filled by
wedge-shaped blocks, each having at one end a semicircular recess for forming
one side of the bearings, and the blocks are kept in their places by internal
and external screwed rings.
. On the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 a

page_text: plan, Figure 3 a vertical section, and Figure 4 a horizontal section of a
breech-loading canion or piece of ordnance constructed according to the
first arrangement of my improvements.
Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 are similar views representing my second arrange-
ment, and Figures 9 and 10 are outside views of a breech piece of my second
arrangement shewn detached.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 A represents the barrel or body of the gun; B,
the bore of the barrel; C, the trunnions of the gun; D, the spherical con-
cavity at the rear end of the breech; E, the breech piece; F, the bore of the
breech piece, and G, its trunnions. To the body of the gun are forged pro-
jecting pieces H carrying links I, having boles or bearings into which are
fitted the trunnions G, the ends of which are squared as at K for carrying the
levers or handles L for turning the breech piece as required, or have holes
bored through them admitting the end of a loose lever employed for the same
purpose.
In Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 the barrel with its bore and trunnions are
marked A, B, C, the same as in the former Figures, but the breech end of the
barrel is made longer and thicker as at M, and for some inches down has an
enlarged bore, the bottom of which is so formed as to fit accurately the breech
piece O, or into which enlarged bore is seated when desirable a block N wheu
desirable having a partly spherical concavity forming the outer end of the
breech, to which block is fitted the breech piece O, having a bore P, trunnions Q
and levers or handles R, as in the first arrangement, the breech piece being
so formed that every vertical section taken in the direction of the axis of the
gun is a true spiral, but diminishing in diameter and eccentricity as the
trunnions are approached on either side. In the sides of the part M there
are two semicircular recesses and two wedged-shaped slots having their wider
ends towards the muzzle, and the slots are filled up with blocks S of exactly
the same size and shape, but having semicircular recesses corresponding with
the recess before mentioned for forming the bearings of the trunnions of
the breech piece O, shewn detached in Figures 9 and 10. After the blocks
are fitted, internal and external screws are cut in the back of the enlarged
part M, the threads crossing the inside and outside of the blocks, and to the
internal screw is fitted the internal screwed ring T, and to the external screw
the external screwed ring U. When the movable breech piece has to be
placed in its seating the rings T, U, are unscrewed, the blocks S removed, and
the trunnions Q passed through the slots, after which the blocks are placed
in the slots, and then the rings are screwed in and on tightly so as to hold the
block so strongly to the body of the gun that they become almost as rigid as

page_text: if they and the gun were of one solid piece. The whole force of the explosion
has to be resisted by these blocks, but their peculiar shape causes them to
transmit it directly to the body of the gun without the intervention of the
screwed rings, thus preventing any straining or giving way of the threads,
and I may here remark that the breech piece in the first arrangement can be
applied to a gun having the rear of the barrel formed as in the second
arrangement, and vice versa.
I have only shewn the application of my improvements to a cannon or
piece of ordnance, but it is evident that they are equally applicable to rifles,
fowling pieces, and all description of small arms and guns, it being only
necessary to adapt the dimensions and strengths of the parts according to the
requirements.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that in breech-loading guns I claim,―
First, the system of making the rear of the barrel of a spherical or partly
spherical form and employing a spherical breech piece slightly eccentric to its
trunnions or axis, or a breech piece formed similar to a gradually widening and
lengthening volute, each breech piece having a bore which can be placed in a
line with the barrel for the admission of the charge and solid parts for
hermetically closing the breech:
And, secondly, the wedge-shaped slots and blocks in the rear part of the
breech for enabling the breech piece to be seated in the concave end of the
breech, and the internal and external screwed rings for keeping the blocks
tight in their places, as all such improvements are herein described and
illustrated on the accompanying four Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Graham Stuart, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
GRAHAM STUART. (L.S.)