IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN PROJECTILES USED THEREWITH
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugo Frederick Forbes, of Park Place, Regent's
Park, London, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN
PROJECTILES USED THEREWITH."
Sealed the 14th October 1856, and dated the 15th April 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugo Frederick Forbes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th April 1856.
I, HUGO FREDERICK FORBES, of Park Place, Regent's Park, London,
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND
IN PROJECTILES USED THEREWITH, to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, in the first place, in forming the breech end of the
barrels of fire-arms and of ordnance generally with a cylindrical swelling,
sufficiently large to admit or receive a screw, the diameter of which is some-
what more than twice the bore of the gun. This screw is bored through
eccentrically, so that a part turn of the screw may bring the axis of its bore
in the line of prolongation of that of the gun or barrel, while, when both the
axes correspond, a reverse turn will remove the eccentric bore and close the
breech.

page_text: The second part of my Invention refers to projectiles, as aforesaid, and
consists in giving to the under part of cylindro-hemispherical shaped projec-
tiles, when it is desirable to increase their weight, a termination of decreasing
cylinders.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hugo Frederick Forbes in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HUGO
FREDERICK FORBES, of Park Place, Regent's Park, London, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Hugo Frederick Forbes, Her special licence that I, the said Hugo Frederick
Forbes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Hugo Frederick Forbes, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN PROJECTILES USED
THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Hugo
Frederick Forbes, 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 Hugo Frederick Forbes, 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 :-
.
These improvements consist, firstly, in terminating the breech end of fire-
arms with a cylinder eccentric to the barrel, and in inserting within this
cylinder a screw, its centre corresponding with that of the cylinder, and its

page_text: diameter being more than double the diameter of the bore.
This screw is
bored through eccentrically, so that when screwed home the solid part of it
closes the bore of the barrel, while part of a contrary turn from this position
will bring the hole to correspond with the bore. The screw projects beyond
the cylinder to admit the insertion of a handle, by means of which the screw
is moved.
And, secondly, in projectiles for such fire-arms & ordnance, by making the
head heavier than the tail, thereby placing the centre of gravity forward of
the projectiles centre.
The accompanying Drawing fully illustrates my Invention, in which Fig. 1
is an elevation of the breech part of the barrel of a fire-arm with my improve-
ments; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of same; Fig. 3 is an end view of the
breech of same; Fig. 4 is an elevation of a projectile for a rifled fire-arm;
Fig. 5 is a section of a projectile to be used when the barrel is not grooved.
A is the barrel of the fire-arm, having a thread or worm cut in the said
eccentric cylinder of the breech of the same; B, the bore of the said barrel;
C is a screw piece, placed eccentric to the barrel & in the said cylinder;
D, an eccentric opening in the said screw piece, corresponding in size with the
bore B; E, a handle or lever, screwed into the said screw piece for the
purpose of operating it.
The modus operandi is as follows:-The screw piece C is moved to the
position, as shewn in Fig. 2, by the handle or lever E, and a cartridge placed
in a cavity on the stock of the fire-arm, and then moved forward in any
convenient manner into the barrel to the position shewn. The screw
piece is then, by giving it a part turn, made to assume the position as
shewn in Fig. 3, thereby effectually closing the breech. To prevent any
dust, &c. from getting between the breech & screw piece C when in the
position as shewn in Fig. 2, a ring a is placed in the opening D, so that
when the cartridge moves therein this ring is carried forward & covers the
space between the screw piece and breech, and all dust, &c. is moved forward
into the barrel; this ring must be inserted in such a manner as not to slide
outwards. At the breech end of the cartridge 6 is placed a wadding c, which
may be made concave or convex, and fitting as air-tight as possible to the
barrel, so that when the fire-arm is discharged the wadding remains in it and
receives all the impurities of the gunpowder on its surface; the next cartridge
moves the said wadding forward, and is sent out of the fire-arm at the next
discharge. The constant firing of the gun will most probably dry up all the
oil in the screw piece, and if it should be required to keep up the supply, I

page_text: can screw a cylindrical reservoir of oil (if oil be used) into the front part
of the eccentric cylinder, which can only escape by a small eccentric hole
through another small hole in the said cylinder to the screw piece. When
this cylinder, which projects externally, is screwed home by any convenient
means the hole is closed, but when partly unscrewed the oil flows out &
communicates with the inside of the apparatus. If grease be made use of
this cylinder becomes useless, inasmuch as a supply is kept up by means
of the wad, which forms the bottom of the cartridges. I diminish; as much as
possible, the two surfaces of contact, when the breech is closed, by means of
small holes made on the face of the screw piece, which holes are useful as
small reservoirs wherein the oil or grease is forced when the breech is closed.
The dotted lever in Fig. 3 represents the position of the lever E when the
screw piece is as shewn in Fig. 2. For ordnance the same description of
screw piece is employed, with a square thread cut thereon, instead of the one
as shewn in Fig. 2. For double fire-arms two screw pieces may be adapted
for them, or one screw piece with two openings.
The projectiles, as shewn in the Drawings, can be used as well for my
breech-loaders as others, and also for fire-arms loaded at the muzzle. The
head, of the projectile for a rifled gun, as shewn in Fig. 4, is hemispherical,
the body cylindrical, and the tail composed of a succession of decreasing
cylinders ending in a small cone d, e, f, the height of which is equal to its
radius. By this construction of projectile the head is much heavier than the
tail, and therefore the centre of gravity is placed forward of the projectiles
centre, although the projectile is solid, or without any hollow, while the gases
act against a succession of surfaces perpendicular to the axis of the projectile.
The body might be grooved to receive some grease. If. the barrel has no
grooves I make use of a cylindro-hemispherical projectile, Fig. .5. The
cylinder is hollowed out .considerably, & filled up with a plug of some light
substance. The hollow must be sufficient to cause the centre of gravity to
fall on the solid cylinder. The total length of the cylinder must be such that
the portion between the centre of gravity and the bottom of the projectile
should be very considerably longer than the solid part; in Fig. 5 it is double.
The plug might be made to contain explosive matters. For ordnance, pro-
jectiles may be used on this principle, and even shells, by making the head
hollow; for artillery particularly, the plug of this projectile may be made to
carry explosive matters. This last projectile must not have a diameter larger
than that of the barrel; they must fit nicely.
Having thus fully described the particulars and nature of the said Invention

page_text: and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, it must be
particularly understood that I do not confine myself to the mode of operating
the screw piece C by the lever E; but what I claim is,―
The loading all description of fire-arms and ordnance at the breech by
means of the screw piece C having an eccentric opening D therein cor-
responding in size with the bore of the barrel, substantially in the manner
herein shewn and fully described.
Also making the head of projectiles for such fire-arms and ordnance heavier
than the tail, thereby placing the centre of gravity forward of the projectiles
centre, substantially, in the manner herein shewn and fully described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugo Frederick Forbes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
H. F. FORBES. (LS.)