IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Henry Daw, of Threadneedle Street, in the
City of London,. Gunmaker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 4th November 1862; and dated the 27th May: 1862..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Henry Daw at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,, on. the
27th May 1862.
I, GEORGE HENRY DAW, of Threadneedle Street, in the City of London,.
Gunmaker, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE--
MENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows: -
This Invention. has for its object improvements in fire-arms. These im-
provements are applicable to the breech-loading fire-arm described in the-
Specification of the Patent granted to François Eugene Schneider, dated the
11th day of June 1861 (No. 1487). In order that the lever for bolting. the.
barrels, and which works in a vertical direction, may. when the barrels. are in:
place be securely held under the trigger guard, I joint to it a small catch; this.
catch has a projection on it, and when the lever is up under the trigger guard
it enters a hole or recess therein, a spring with which it is fitted keeping it
up. To open the breech it is necessary only to press on the catch to cause its

page_text: spring to give way, so as to withdraw the projection from the hole or recess
and free the lever; this improvement is also applicable to other breech-loading
fire-arms in which the lever works vertically, and lays along under the trigger
guard when out of use.
Another improvement relates to the manner of securing the barrels to the
fore part of the body, as described in the Specification of Schneider's Patent
there is a projection on the barrel lump which enters a recess in the fore part
of the body. Now I have found it more convenient to reverse this arrange-
ment, and to form the projection on the fore part of the body, and the recess
in the barrel lump. I prefer for the sake of adjustment that the projection
should be a screw, as formerly; this improvement is applicable in other
breech-loading arms in which the fore part of the body is jointed to the hinder
part by a joint independent of the barrels.
Another improvement on the arrangement described in the Specification of
Schneider's Patent consists in taking the strain produced by the explosion off
the joint by means of a bar introduced across the recess, into which the barrel
lumps fits, and the barrel lump is notched to take the bar, which may
either be made in one piece with the body, or the body may be drilled, and
the bar tapped or driven into it. This arrangement is also applicable to other
breech-loading fire-arms in which the body is similarly constructed.
Another improvement in the arm described in the Specification of
Schneider's Patent has for its object the preventing the slide which expels the
exploded cartridge from being drawn out of its place when the breeches are
open, or when the barrels are removed from the stock, and consists in applying
projections to the forked ends of the slide, which coming against the guides
stop the slide when it is out as far as it ought to come. The slide may still
be removed for cleaning by springing the forked ends of the slide apart.
This improvement is applicable in other cases in which slides of this descrip-
tion are applied.
2
Another improvement applicable to the arm described in the Specification
of Schneider's Patent, and other arms in which the cartridge contains the
fulminating material, consists in working the pistons which receive the.blow
of the hammer, and explode the cartridge by means of straight in place of
spiral springs, thus greater durability and certainty, of action is obtained.
Another improvement on the arm described in the Specification of
Schneider's Patent, and other breech-loading arms, in which there is a joint
between the barrels and stock, consists in applying a connecting link or lever
behind or near the joint, so as to connect the breech, ends of the barrels
with, the stock, in order that in opening the breech the link or lever may

page_text: retain the barrels when they have moved a sufficient distance, thus the great
strain otherwise thrown on the joint is avoided.
Another improvement consists in an arrangement of the back sight of fire-
arms, and consists in connecting the slider to the bed by a link jointed to the
slider at one end, and capable of sliding along the bed at the other end in a
slot or way formed for it. This link serves both to keep the slider in place,
and to prevent light being secn beneath it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Henry Daw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HENRY DAW, of Threadneedle Street, in the City of London, Gunmaker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
ine, the said George Henry Daw, Her special licence that I, the said George
Henry Daw, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said George Henry Daw, 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 "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George Henry Daw, my executors or administrators, by an 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 George Henry Daw, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner. the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire-arms.
These

page_text: improvements are applicable to the breech-loading fire-arm described in the
Specification of the Patent granted to François Eugène Schneider, dated the
11th day of June 1861 (No. 1487). In order that the lever for bolting
the barrels, and which works in a vertical direction, may when the barrels are
in place be securely held under the trigger guard, I joint to it a small catch;
this catch has a projection on it, and when the lever..is up under the trigger
guard it enters a hole or recess therein, a spring with which it is fitted
keeping it up. To open the breech it is necessary only to press on the catch
to cause its spring to give way, so as to withdraw the projection from the
hole or recess and free the lever; this improvement is also applicable to other
breech-loader fire-arms, in which the lever works vertically, and lays along
under the trigger guard when out of use.
This method of securing the lever for bolting the barrels is shewn at
Figure 1, which is a longitudinal section of a portion of a breech-loading fire-
arm; this Figure also shews other improvements, herein-after referred to.
a, a, is the bolting lever, it is arranged to act in bolting the barrels in the
manner described in the Specification of the Patent granted to François
Eugène Schneider, and herein-before mentioned; a¹ is the catch for securing
this lever; it turns on a centre at a³, and is furnished with a spring a³, which
tends constantly to press the outer end of the catch a¹ upwards; a¹x is a
projection on the catch, which locks into a corresponding hole in the trigger
guard, and is kept there by the spring, so as to secure the lever; but by
pressing with the thumb on the extremity of the catch the projection is drawn
out of its recess and the lever is freed.
Another improvement relates to the manner of securing the barrels to the
fore part of the body, as described in the Specification of Schneider's Patent
there is a projection on the barrel lump, which enters a recess in the fore part
of the body. Now I have found it more convenient to reverse this arrange-
ment, and to form the projection on the fore part of the body and the recess
in the barrel lump. I prefer, for the sake of adjustment, that the projection
should be a screw, as formerly. This improvement is applicable in other
breech-loading arms, in which the fore part of the body is jointed to the
hinder part by a joint independent of the barrels.
This improvement is also illustrated by Figure 1. is the barrel lump, in
which a hole or recess b¹ is bored, and c a screw, projecting from the fore part
of the body; this, when the barrels are in their place, enters the hole or recess
in the barrel lump, and by these parts acting in conjunction with the ordinary
key and loop on the barrels holds the barrels securely in place. The screw c
has a collar on it at c, and this forms the bearing surface for the front of the

page_text: barrel lump, so that by turning the screw the position of the barrels can be
adjusted, so as to secure a perfect joint between the breech ends of the barrels
and the breech plate or false breech. Some of these parts are also shewn at
Figure 2, which is a side view, partly in section, of a portion of a breech-
loading fire-arm.
Another improvement on the arrangement described in the Specification of
Schneider's Patent, consists in taking the strain, produced by the explosion, off*
the joint by means of a bar introduced across the recess into which the barrel
lump fits. The barrel lump is notched to take the bar, which may either be
made in one piece with the body or the body may be drilled, and the bar
tapped or driven into it. This arrangement is also applicable to other breech-
loading fire-arms, in which the body is similarly constructed. In Figures 1
and 2, the bar employed for this purpose is marked d, and the notch in the
barrel lump, into which it fits when the breeches of the barrels are closed, is
marked d; it will be seen that any longitudinal strain tending to separate the
barrels and stock falls on the bar d, and is resisted by it.
Another improvement in the arm described in the Specification of
Schneider's Patent has for its object the preventing the slide which expels the
exploded cartridge from being drawn out of its place when the breeches are
open, or when the barrels are removed from the stock, and consists in applying
projections to the forked ends of the slide, which coming against the guides
stop the slide when it is out as far as it ought to come. The slide may still
be removed for cleaning by springing the forked ends of the slide apart; this
improvment is applicable in other cases in which slides of this description are
applied. In Figures 1 and 2 the slide for expelling the exploded cartridge is
marked e, and Figure 3 shews a plan, and Figure 4 a longitudinal section of
this slide separately; Figure 5 is an end view of the slide, and in red lines
an end view of the barrels is also represented. It will be seen that, as is
described in the Specification of Schneider's Patent, the slide works in
grooves in the sides of the barrel lump, and that it is moved outwards to
throw out the exploded cartridge by inclines on the breech plate near the
joint acting on its ends when the breeches are opened, and is afterwards
pushed back into its place by coming against the face of the breech plate as
the breeches of the barrels are closed; e', e¹, are the projections, which I now
apply to this slide; these, without interfering with the action of the slide, prevent
its being accidentally drawn out of its place, or falling out and becoming lost;
they still, however, allow of its being removed for cleaning by springing the
sides of the slide apart till the projections are able to pass the ends of the
Grooves.

page_text: Another improvement applicable to the arm described in the Specification
of Schneider's Patent, and other arms, in which the cartridge contains the
fulminating material, consists in working the pistons which receive the blow
of the hammer, and explode the cartridge by means of straight in place of
spiral springs, thus greater durability and certainty of action is obtained.
Figure 6 is a transverse section of a portion of the breech plate taken through
one of the nipples; and Figures 7 shew separately the straight spring which
is employed; this spring is marked f, it is attached by a screw at its lower
end to the breech plate, and at its upper end it is forked, and the prongs of
the fork rest underneath a collar on the piston g.
Another improvement on the arm described in the Specification of
Schneider's Patent and other breech-loading arms, in which there is a joint
between the barrels and stock, consists in applying a connecting link behind
the joint, so as to connect the breech ends of the barrels with the stock, in
order that in opening the breech the link or lever may retain the barrels when
they have moved a sufficient distance, thus the great strain otherwise thrown
on the joint is avoided. Figure 8 is a side view, partly in section, of a portion
of a breech-loading fire-arm, to which a connecting link, as above described,
is applied; and Figure 9 is a transverse section of the barrels and barrel
lump of the same. This link, which is marked h, is at one end jointed to the
body; it is convenient to make a pivot for it at the centre of the bar d, which
in this case is made in two parts, and introduced from the two opposite sides.
The other end of the link is made of a T-form, and is received in the slot i
of corresponding form in the barrel lump. When the breeches of the barrels
are closed this link lays flat between the barrel lump and the bottom of the
hollow in the body; but when the breeches are opened the T-head of the
link slides along the slot i, until its further progress is prevented (when the
barrels have moved a sufficient distance) by a suitable stop fitted into the
fore end of the slot in the barrel lump; this stop is removed when it is
desired to take off the barrels.
Another improvement consists in an arrangement of the back sight of fire-
arms, and consists in connecting the slider to the bed by a link jointed to the
slider at one end, and capable of sliding along the bed at the other end in a
slot or way formed for it. This link serves both to keep the slider in place
and to prevent light being seen beneath it. Figure 10 is a plan of a back
sight so constructed, and with the flap folded down; Figure 11 is a vertical
section of the same with the flap up and the slider partly raised; and
Figure 12 is a plan with the flap and slider in the positions in which they
are shewn at Figure 11. j is the bed of the sight, shewn in transverse section

page_text: at Figure 18; k is the flap, and its spring; these parts are of ordinary
construction; m is the slider, also arranged in the ordinary manner, except
that it has the link n jointed to it, the other end of the link has small studs
projecting from it, which are retained in the guides on each side of the
bed j.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Henry Daw, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of November, in the
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
year
GEORGE H. DAW. (L.S.)