Improvements in Firearms and Pneumatic Guns and in the Ammunition therefor.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 25th May, 1894-Accepted, 4th Aug., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Firearms and Pneumatic Guns and in the
Ammunition therefor.
I, LEWIS CLEMENT, of 2 Whitefriars Street, in the City and County of London,
Editor of "The Shooting Times," do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to increase the efficiency of shot guns cannon for
discharging grape shot and canister pneumatic guns and the like by increasing the
horizontal and diminishing the vertical spread of the charge of pellets bullets or
other missiles.
Now according to this invention instead of forming the bore of the gun cylindrical
as usual I make the said bore in the form of an ellipse having the major axis
thereof horizontal and in the case of breech loading cannon in which the breech is
closed by a screw plug I make the diameter of the screw slightly larger than the
inajor axis of the ellipse.
The cartridge cases canisters wads and other ammunition I also form elliptical
to fit the bore of the gun.
I also alter existing cylindrical sporting guns to the elliptical bore by heating
the barrels and forcing them while hot over a mandrel of the required shape and
size the barrels being preferably heated by gas burners to avoid oxidizing the
interior of the barrel.
I prefer to form the bore in new guns, by forging the barrels on an elliptical
mandrel and afterwards boring them out by means of an elliptical chuck to which
the barrel is attached or by other suitable means but I may bore the barrel
cylindrical and afterwards convert it into an ellipse by means of a mandrel as above
described.
Dated this 3rd day of May 1894
T. E. HALFORD,
11, Furnival Street, Holborn, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Firearms and Pneumatic Guns and in the
Ammunition therefor.
I, LEWIS CLEMENT, of 2 Whitefriars Street, in the City and County of London,
Editor of "The Shooting Times," do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to increase the efficiency of shot guns machine
guns pistols cannon for discharging grape shot and canister and other firearms
pneumatic guns and the like by increasing the horizontal and diminishing the
vertical spread of the charge of pellets bullets or other missiles.
Now according to this invention instead of forming the bore of the gun or pistol
cylindrical as usual I make the said bore in the form of an ellipse having the
major axis thereof horizontal and in the case of breech loading cannon in which
the breech is closed by a screw plug I make the diameter of the screw slightly
larger than the major axis of the ellipse.

page_text: The cartridge cases canisters-wads and other ammunition I also form elliptical to
fit the bore of the gun.
I prefer to form the bore in new guns by forging the barrels on an elliptical'
mandrel and afterwards boring them out by means of an elliptical chuck to which
the gun is attached or by other suitable means but I may bore the barrel cylindrical
and afterwards.convert it into an ellipse by pressing or rolling it over a mandrel of
the required shape.
I convert existing cylindrical sporting guns to the elliptical bore by heating the
barrels and forcing them while hot over a mandrel of the required shape and size
the said barrels being preferably heated by gas burners to avoid oxidizing the
interior of the barrels.
፡
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I will proceed
to explain the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings in
which:-
Figure 1 represents the breech end of a double barrelled shot gun constructed
according to this invention.
Figure 2 is end view of cartridge for same.
Figure 3 is side view of same.
Figure 4 is top view of same.
Figure 5 is section of a cannon constructed according to this invention.
Figure 6 is section of same on line A. B. Figure 5.
Figure 7 is section of same on line C. D. Figure 5.
The same letters denote the same parts in Figures 5, 6 and 7.
In Figure 1a a are the barrels b the extractor. The barrels are bored elliptical
as shown on the drawing instead of circular as usual this may be done by cold
drawing or by forging the barrels on an elliptical mandrel and afterwards boring
them out by means of a cutter attached to a stationary boring bar the barrels
being held in a rotating elliptical chuck.
Or the elliptical bore may be formed by any other well known method employed
for boring the elliptical chambers usually called "cylinders" used in blowers
rotatory engines and pumps.
As shewn in Figures 2, 3 and 4 the cartridges used in connection with guns as
above described are also elliptical c being the base of the cartridge and d the cap
the wads also are elliptical to fit the inside of the cartridge case.
In the gun or cannon shewn in Figures 5, 6, and 7:-
fis the barrel or body of the gun formed by forging or casting in the usual
way g the elliptical bore the powder chamber k the breech screw.
The powder chamber his cylindrical as shewn at Figures 5 and 6 while the
remainder of the bore from the end h¹ of the said chamber to the muzzle is
elliptical.
The projectiles such as canister and case shot or shrapnel wads and other
ammunition with which the gun is loaded are also elliptical to fit the bore.
If the ammunition is put up in cartridge form the portion of the case containing
the powder is cylindrical gradually tapering down to and merging into an ellipse
where it receives the projectile which is preferably of the usual shape at the
head.
When my invention is applied to pistols the bullets used therewith are elliptical
with conical or conoidal heads.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of iny said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
I. Constructing cannon shot guns pistols and other small arms pneumatic guns
and the like with an elliptical bore for the purposes stated.
II. Constructing cartridge cases wads and other ammunition for elliptically bored
guns in the manner specified.
III. The improved gun or cannon having an elliptical bore and a cylindrical

page_text: powder chamber substantially as hereinbefore specified and shewn by Figures 5, 6.
and 7 of the accompanying drawings.
IV. Constructing shot guns with an elliptical bore by forging the barrels on an
elliptical mandrel and afterwards boring them out substantially as hereinbefore.
specified.
V. The improvements in firearms and pneumatic guns substantially as herein--
before set forth.
T. E. HALFORD,
11, Furnival Street, Holborn, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.