IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Trulock, Richard Trulock, and William
Trulock, all of Essex Quay, in the City of Dublin, Gun Makers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 24th December 1867, and dated the 29th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Trulock, Richard
Trulock, and William Trulock at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 29th June 1867.
We, SAMUEL TRULOCK, RICHARD TRULOCK, and WILLIAM TRULOCK, all of
Essex Quay, in the City of Dublin, Gun Makers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the small pin called the "striker," which
upon being struck by the hammer explodes the cap of the central-fire cartridge,
and consists in forming it with an enlarged head at its lower end forming a
double incline plane above and below; it is passed upwards from the breech
or back end of the action towards the hammer, leaving the enlarged end
projecting beyond the breech; a spring is placed round it acting in the opposite

page_text: direction to the spring on the pin now in use, that is to say, acting downwards,
so that the end of the striker next the hammer does not project at all over the
level of the surrounding surface except when the gun is loaded, when the
pressure of the cap on the projecting head of the pin below causes the pin to
move upwards, and in this way the pin always indicates whether the is
gun
loaded or not; when this pin is used in lock-fast guns the inclined plane on the
head need only be on the upper side thereof so as to act whilst the breech is
being closed after placing the cartridge in the barrel. In guns not on this
principle, the inclined plane on both sides is requisite in order to free the
cartridge from being held by the pin.
This principle when applied to the Snider gun is accompanied by a further
improvement, which constitutes the second part of our Invention.
By this additional improvement the gun is put on half-cock at the same time
that the cartridge is withdrawn. This is effected by fixing the moveable breech
upon a pin nearly similar to the one on which it turns at present; this pin
(in the new arrangement) slides or passes through the two hinges or knuckles
on the side of the barrel causing the end of the pin next the hammer to
project about half an inch towards the cock when the breech is open, and
drawn back (in the usual way) to withdraw the cartridge from the barrel.
Upon the end of this projection there is fixed a small upright piece of steel
or a lever which comes into contact with the breast of the cock or hammer
when down, so that the movement of the pin backwards forces the gun on
half-cock. In opening the breech the action of the inclined plane on the
lower head of the striking pin forces the cock backwards slightly and allows
the breech to be turned out of the barrel without first putting the gun on
half-cock which cannot be easily effected with the present Snider gun.
The third part of our Invention relates to lock-fast guns. In ordinary
lock-fast guns the movement of the barrels backwards in the stock is effected
by an eccentric pin placed across the line of the barrels with a lever at the side.
The side lever is considered objectionable upon many grounds, and the present
improvement consists in employing an eccentric disc made to revolve in the
"steel lump" under the barrels, such eccentric being turned by. a lever which
passes over the trigger guard.
This latter arrangement admits of the use of a larger eccentric and lever,
both of which are desirable.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Trulock, Richard Trulock, and William Trulock
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, SAMUEL
TRULOCK, RICHARD TRULOCK, and WILLIAM TRULOCK, all of Essex Quay, in the
City of Dublin, Gun Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One 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 Samuel Trulock, Richard Trulock, and William Trulock, Her
special license that we, the said Samuel Trulock, Richard Trulock, and
William Trulock, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Samuel Trulock, Richard Trulock, and William Trulock, our
executors, administrators, or 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 Samuel Trulock,
Richard Trulock, and William Trulock, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under band and seal, 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 Samuel Trulock, Richard Trulock,
and William Trulock, 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
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates, firstly, to the small pin called the "striker,"
which upon being struck by the hammer explodes the cap of the central-fire
cartridge, and consists in forming it with an enlarged head at its lower end
forming a double or single inclined plane or planes; a portion of the inclined
plane or planes project beyond the breech or back. end, a spring being placed
round the pin and made to act in a downward direction so as to prevent the end

page_text: of the striker next the hammer from projecting over the level of the sur-
rounding surface except when the gun is loaded. When the gun the pressure
of the cap on the lower projecting end of the pin causes such pin to move
upwards so as to project above the surrounding surface, and in this way
indicates when the gun is loaded; when this pin is used in lock-fast guns the
inclined plane on the head need only be on the upper side thereof, so as to act
whilst the breech is being closed. After placing the cartridge in the barrel in
guns not on this principle the inclined plane on both sides is requisite in order
to prevent the cartridge being held by the piu.
This principle when applied to the Snider gun is accompanied by a further
improvement which constitutes the second part of our Invention.
By this additional improvement the gun is put on half-cock at the same
time that the cartridge is withdrawn. This is effected by fixing the moveable
breech upon a pin somewhat similar to the one on which it turns at present;
this pin is free to slide on the two hinges or knuckles on the side of the barrel.
so as to cause the end of the pin next the hammer to project about half an
inch towards the cock when the breech is open and drawn back to withdraw
the cartridge from the barrel. Upon the projecting end of this pin there is
fixed a small lever or upright piece of steel which bears against the breast
of the cock or hammer when down. The movement of the pin backwards in
extracting the spent cartridge by acting against the hammer forces the gun
on half-cock. In opening the breech the action of the inclined plane on the
lower end of the striking pin forces the cock backwards slightly and allows
the breech to be turned out of the barrel without first putting the gun on
half-cock, which cannot be easily effected with the present Snider gun.
The third part of our Invention relates to lock-fast guns. In ordinary lock-
fast guns the movement of the barrel backwards in the stock is effected by
an eccentric pin placed across the line of the barrels with a lever at the side.
The side lever is considered objectionable upon many grounds, and the present
improvement consists in employing an eccentric disc made to revolve in the
"steel lump" under the barrel, such eccentric being turned by a lever which
passes over the trigger guard.
This latter arrangement admits of the use of a larger eccentric and lever,
both of which are desirable.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood we shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of our Drawings represents in longitudinal section a portion of a

page_text: lock-fast gun with our improvements applied, the gun being represented as
loaded and ready for firing; Figure 2 is a similar view representing the gun
unloaded; Figure 3 is a detached view of the striking pin and spring, and
Figure 4 is a detail plan of the eccentric and lever for actuating the same.
A is the barrel which is free to turn on the pin B for the purpose of
loading; C is the striking pin, which is fitted into the false breech D, and is
acted on for firing by the cock or hammer in the ordinary way. The spring E
is placed round this pin, and bears at its lower end on the shoulder F formed
on the lower end of the striking pin, and at its upper end against the plug G,
which plug is screwed into the false breech. Through the plug G the upper
end of the striking pin passes, the spring always tending to force the pin in a
downward direction, so that when unloaded it will not project above the
surrounding surface, as is clearly shown at Figure 2. H is an eccentric
arranged to turn in a horizontal direction in the lump or projection formed on
the barrel, and carries at its lower end the lever handle I by which it is
turned, and the barrel of the gun locked and unlocked with the stock or false
breech. The lever handle I passes over the trigger guard when the barrel is
locked in place of along the side of the stock as is usually the case.
To load
the gun, the eccentric H is turned by the handle I, and made to bear against
the projection K fitted to or formed on the under side of the barrel so as to free
or unlock the barrel from the projection L formed on the false breech, on which
projection the barrel is forced when locked ready for discharging; the barrel
is then turned on the pin B, and the charge inserted; it is then turned down
into its position for locking. The lever handle I being then turned back over
the trigger guard causes the eccentric to force the barrel on to the projection L
by bearing against the projection M formed on the barrel; the cartridge in
the barrel at the same time is forced against the lower end of the striking pin
(which is made to project by the action of the spring E), and forcing it up
through the plug G shows that the gun is loaded. The hammer strikes this
projecting end of the pin and forces the lower end into or against the cap
contained in the cartridge and thus discharge the gun. The lower end of the
striking pin B is inclined on guns not on the "lock-fast" principle so as to
prevent the cartridge from being held by it.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Iuvention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider to be novel
and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the construction and arrangement of the striking pin of breech-

page_text: loading fire-arms so as to indicate when the gun is loaded, as herein-before
described and illustrated in the Drawings.
Second, the mode of locking and unlocking breech-loading lock-fast guns
by means of an eccentric arranged and operated horizontally, as herein-before
described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Third, the herein-before described arrangement for putting the Snider gun
at half-cock when the cartridge is withdrawn.
In witness whereof, we, the said Samuel Trulock, Richard Trulock, and
William Trulock, have to this our Specification, set our hands and
seals, this Twenty-eighth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
SAM. TRULOCK.
(L.S.)
RICHARD TRULOCK. (L.S.)
WILLIAM TRULOCK. (L.B.)
SAM. TRULOCK.
(L.S.)
RICHARD TRULOCK. (L.s.)
WILLIAM TRULOCK. (L.S.)