IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS, AND IN ELEVATION SIGHTS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS, AND IN ELEVATION SIGHTS FOR THE
SAME." A communication from abroad by Alloyse Muller, of Paris,
in the Empire of France, Sub-Lieutenant in the 98th Regiment of
the Line.
Sealed the 10th August 1869, and dated the 16th April 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th April 1869.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS, AND IN ELEVATION SIGHTS FOR
a communication from abroad by Alloyse Muller, of Paris,
in the Empire of France, Sub-Lieutenant in the 98th Regiment of the
Line, to be as follows:-
THE SAME,
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction, arrangement, and
combination of parts constituting a central-fire breach-loader, such

page_text: arrangement being applicable both to military arms and to sporting
guns; also to an improved elevation sight for fire-arms.
In constructing a military arm according to this Invention the barrel,
which is rifled with wide grooves and narrow ridges of metal between
the grooves and with a quick or small pitch, is screwed into an open
fixed breech piece, which is permanently secured to the stock. Within
this fixed breach there is fitted a hollow sliding breech, having screwed
on to its front end a nozzle piece, which when closed fits into the end of
the barrel and with the cartridge case maintains the breach gas-tight.
The sliding breach is slid towards and from the barrel longitudinally, so
as to close or open the breech end thereof by being coupled at or near
the front end to a link, which connects it to a cover piece turning on a
hinge pin in the rear end of the fixed breech. This cover piece when
closed down completely encloses or covers the sliding breech, and pro-
tects it from injury by excluding dust and moisture therefrom. The
sliding breech contains within it a needle or central striking pin for
firing the cartridge, and such striker being actuated by a helical spring
also enclosed in the rear end of the sliding breech. An inclined catch
or projection is formed on the under side of the stem of the striker,
which catch when the striker is drawn back or on full cock is engaged
with a moveable catch acted upon by the trigger. This moveable catch
is carried on the upper end of a short spindle, which slides vertically in
a socket fixed for that purpose in the stock, such socket containing a
helical spring which tends to keep the moveable catch elevated. The
depression of the said catch and the consequent release of the striker is
effected by a cam surface formed on the trigger and acting against the
guard plate, the trigger being jointed to the lower end of the sliding
spindle above referred to. The cam is so shaped as to allow of the
trigger being pushed forward so as to lie close against the guard plate
when the arm is not in use. In order to prevent the accidental discharge
of the arm before the breech is fully closed a safety spring catch is
employed, which remains in action until the cover piece has been almost
completely closed, on arriving at which position a wedge-shaped pro-
jection on the link before referred to moves back the safety catch, and
leaves the striker free to operate when released by the trigger. A
cartridge extractor, consisting of a fine cylindrical piece of metal with
a claw or external flange at each end, enables the cartridge to be readily
withdrawn, the front claw or internal flange seizing the base of the

page_text: cartridge, whilst the rear claw or flange is engaged with the sliding
breech. The hinged cover piece before referred to is provided with a
spring catch and a knob on the right side for the facility of opening it
and ensuring its being forced well home when being closed. By suitably
arranging the position of the hinge pin of the cover with regard to the
joint pins in the connecting link and sliding breech as that when the
breech is closed the three pins shall be in the same line or nearly so a
powerful knee or toggle-joint lever action is obtained, which enables the
ball of the cartridge to be forced well into the rifle grooves by the action
of closing the breech.
These improvements are equally applicable to double-barrel guns,
whether for military or sporting purposes, and existing breech-loaders
may be easily converted to this system. In double-barrelled guns a
single trigger only may be used, having an excentric groove on each side
operating on its respective catch.
The improved elevation sight has a V groove cut annularly in a
horizontal screw spindle capable of lateral adjustment transversely to
the axis of the barrel to allow for side winds or other lateral disturbing
influences. The fixed sight on the muzzle of the gun is protected from
injury by a raised rib on each side standing up about the same height
as the sight, and thereby preventing it from being injured by an
accidental blow.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th October 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and 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 FIRE-ARMS, AND IN ELEVATION SIGHTS FOR THE SAME," &
communication from abroad by Aloyse Muller, of Paris, in the Empire
of France, Sub-Lieutenant in the 98th Regiment of the Line, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my
hand 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 I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement
of central-fire breech-loader, which is equally applicable to military arms
and to sporting guns.
The improved breech-loader differs essentially from those hitherto used
in the following particulars, that is to say :-
1st. In the increased simplicity of the mechanism.
2nd. In the double fastening of the breech by means of a lever cover
piece, which admits of the projectile being driven home and centred in
the rifle grooves.
3rd. In the peculiar arrangement of the trigger and parts in
connection therewith.
4th. In the peculiar safety apparatus for preventing discharges till the
breech is properly closed.
5th. In the peculiar system of cartridge extractor.
6th. In the peculiar system of rifle grooves having a sharp twist and
narrow projecting ribs between them.

page_text: 7th. In a peculiar elevation sight, which admits of the correction of
lateral deviation arising from any cause, the effects of which are very
sensible at long ranges.
Another of the distinctive characteristics of this improved fire-arm is
that when the breech is closed it presents neither cavity nor recess for
the passage of the cartridge, nor any projection with the exception of a
knob or button for the purpose of opening the breech in order to admit
the cartridge; the gun is consequently completely protected from injury
due to the entrance of rain, dust, or sand into the working parts.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheets of Drawings, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
corresponding Figures.
Sheet 1 of the Drawings illustrates the application of the improved
system to a military rifle, and Sheet 2 shews its application to an
ordinary double-barrelled sporting gun.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) is a side elevation, Figure 2 a plan, Figure 3 a
longitudinal section taken along the line A, B, (Figure 2), Figure 4 an
end elevation, and Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, transverse sections taken
respectively along the lines C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, N, and P, Q,
(Figure 3) of a portion of a military rifle constructed according to this
Invention.
The barrel is screwed into a fixed breech piece a, which receives a
portion of the mechanism, and the breech piece and barrel are secured
to the stock W by a couple of screws and clips. The breech is opened
by means of a lever cover piece d, which turns on a hinge c disposed at
the rear end of the fixed breech piece, and actuates the moveable or
sliding breech e by the intervention of a link jointed to the cover and
sliding breech respectively at the points g and h. These arrangements
are shewn more clearly in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The point his
situate on the moveable breech e, immediately behind a shoulder i, which
is screwed on to the extremity of the sliding breech, and the fore part j
of which forms a plug which enters the barrel and closes the same. The
part i bears against the rere face of the barrel and fixed breech piece in
order to form the joint, and its shoulder serves as a point of support for
the front end of the cover, and maintains the breech in position at the
time of the discharge, so as to prevent its being driven back by the

page_text: force of the explosion. When the cover d is turned down the three
joints c, g, h, are brought almost into a straight line, the direction of
which is slightly inclined to the axis of the barrel.
The relative
positions which the points c, g, h, assume are such that a considerable
pushing force is employed upon the plugj to effect the closing of the
breech, so that the projectile is readily driven home and centred in the
grooves of the barrel before receiving the expansive action of the charge.
In the ordinary way the projectile is not forced into the grooves before
the explosion, and it frequently occurs that as it is suddenly driven into
the grooves by the force of the explosion itself it does not retain its axis
parallel with that of the barrel, and consequently the accuracy of the firing
is materially affected; on the contrary, as in this system the projectile is
mechanically forced in a straight line into the grooves, it continues to
move therein in the same direction, and the accuracy of the firing is
thus insured. It will also be perceived that to insert the projectile in
the grooves necessitates a certain amount of mechanical force which the
powder is no longer required to exert, whence increased range of the arm
and lowness of trajectory are obtained. The cover moreover effects a
double fastening of the breech, which maintains the moveable breech
firm and prevents leakage, at the same time excluding water, sand, grit,
and other extraneous matters. When the breech is closed a portion of
the cover becomes interposed between the faces of the fixed breech
piece a and the shoulder i, which is secured to the front end of the
moveable breech e, thus forming a strong wedge to relieve the
joints c, j, h, from the shocks of the explosion, which are transmitted
to the faces k, the inclination of which is so arranged that the greater
the force acting upon it the more secure the fastening will be. The
cover d is provided with a knob or button (Figures 1, 2, and 9) having
a spring catch m fitted therein, which enters a recess in the shoulder i,
and thus ensures the tastening of the breech. In order to open the
breech it is simply requisite to push up the button / slightly, when the
catch m will be released, and the cover may be raised. The cylindrical
moveable or sliding breech e contains the central striking pin n, shewn
in elevation in Figure 3, which is actuated by a helical spring o confined
The
between the screw plug p and the end of the striking pin.
striking pin carries at his lower part a projection q, which slides in a
longitudinal groove formed in the lower portion of the moveable breech e,
and is bevilled so as to depress the trigger catch r when the breach is
opened or slid back. This catch, which is shewn in Figures 3 and 7, is

page_text: always returned to its original position by a helical spring 8, so that in
closing the breech, the projection on the striking pin being retained at
the back of the catch, the spring o is compressed, and the gun thus
cocked. In order to charge the gun without cocking it, it is simply
requisite to press the trigger t at the time the breach is being closed to
allow the projection on the striking pin to pass in front of the trigger
catch. The trigger t is provided with a species of cam u, and is jointed
to the catch r, so that the pressure exerted by the finger on the trigger
draws down the catch and allows the projection on the striking pin to
pass. This cam is also so arranged that in order to uncock the arm all
that is required is to turn the trigger over on to the trigger plate, where
it is maintained by the action of the springs and a stop disposed under
the trigger plate.
Figure 11 (Sheet 2) is a side elevation, Figure 12 a plan, Figures 13
and 14, longitudinal sections taken respectively along the lines R, S,
and T, U, (Figure 12), Figure 15 a horizontal section taken along
the line V, X, (Figures 13 and 14) of a portion of a double-barrelled
sporting gun constructed according to this Invention; Figure 16 is a
transverse section taken along the line a, b, (Figure 17); Figure 17 a
side elevation, and Figure 18 a plan of the muzzle end; and Figure 19 a
transverse section of the gun taken along the line Y, Z, (Figures 13
and 14).
In the double-barrelled sporting guns the parts are double and the
two moveable breaches are connected by the piece i, j, carrying also the
two plugs which close the barrels. The to-and-fro motion is effected
by a single lever or cover and one link. The trigger plate carries the
two triggers and catches.
The arrangement shewn at Figure 20 admits of the use of a single
trigger, which is then so disposed that by pressing the trigger one charge
only is fired, but by continuing the pressure without removing the finger
the other barrel is immediately discharged. For this purpose the lower
extremity of each trigger catch is provided with a pin traversing a groove
which is formed eccentric to the axis of rotation of the single trigger, as
shewn in Figures 21 and 22.
The cartridge extractor, which is shewn at (Figures 3 and 9), is
composed of a semicircular plate terminating at its fore part in one or
two claws or flanges, and provided at its opposite end with a similar
claw or flange acted upon by the lower shoulder of the plug i which

page_text: effects the motion of the extractor. Longitudinal channels are formed
along the bottom of the cartridge extractor for the purpose of collecting
any extraneous matters which may enter therein. In the double-
barrelled sporting guns the two cartridge extractors are united.
The safety apparatus employed to prevent the accidental discharge
before the breech is completely closed is illustrated in Figures 3, 8,
and 15. One side of the moveable breech carries a blade spring 6',
provided at its extremity with a bolt which exercises a slight pressure
upon the side of the striking pin n. This bolt is so arranged that it is
constantly in front of the projection q of the striking pin so as to bar its
passage at the time of closing the breech, but the projection q is released
from the bolt by the pressure of the nose a¹ (Figures 3 and 8) formed on
the link and which acts upon the spring b¹.
Figures 23 and 24 represent another safety arrangement, which is
composed essentially of a transverse pin c provided with one or two
notches d'according to the description of arm to which it is to be
applied. When the notch is opposite the striking pin n, as shewn in
Figure 23, it allows it to strike the cap, but when in the position shewn
in Figure 24 it obstructs the passage of the striking pin and con-
sequently prevents its projection. These different positions of the notch
in relation to the centre of the striking pin are obtained in the following
manner: The helical spring e¹ has a constant tendency to place the
pin c in such a position as to prevent the passage of the striking pin;
on the other hand the extremity of the catch m (Figures 1, 9, 11, 23,
and 24) when it is opposite the pin c¹ has the effect of forcing back the
latter to bring the notch in front of the striking pin, which can there-
fore act freely when the breech is completely closed and only in that
position. A screw f¹ is provided to act as a stop to the pin when the
catch m is maintained elevated.
The rifling of this system of arm has this property that the surface
cut away is greater than that of the metal left between the grooves, and
that it has a very sharp twist, so that the rapid rotatory motion imparted
to the projectile admits of obtaining great accuracy in the shooting.
The cartridges are composed of pure metal or of foil with a copper
bottom, and the weight of the charge varies according to the weight of
gun employed and the result to be obtained.
In order to compensate for lateral deviations in the shooting produced
by the action of the wind, the rifle grooves themselves, or any other cause

page_text: the slide of the back sight x carries a horizontal screw z on which is
formed a notch or groove y for determining the line of sight, which may
be therefore varied at will.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
First. The peculiar combination and arrangement of lever cover
piece d, link f, sliding breech e, and cartridge extractor v, operating
together substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
Second. The peculiar arrangement of double-acting trigger herein-
before described, which admits not only of the uncocking of the arm but
also of the breech being closed without cocking.
Third. The peculiar arrangement of single trigger for actuating
the two trigger catches of a double-barrelled gun, as herein-before
described.
Fourth. The peculiar arrangements for preventing the accidental
discharge of the arm, as herein-before described.
Fifth. The application and use of the peculiar system of smooth riflc
grooves of a sharp twist with narrow ridges or surfaces between the
grooves, as herein-before described.
Sixth. The peculiar arrangements of safety arrangement which
operate when the breech is not completely closed, as herein-before
described.
Seventh. The peculiar construction of elevation sight for the purpose
lierein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of
October One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)