IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARKS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Edmond Green, of 13, Blandford Street,
Portman Square, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and John
Green, of Windemare Cottage, Winchmore Hill, in the said County,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARKS."
Sealed the 24th January 1871, and dated the 28th November 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Edmond Green
and John Green at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 28th November 1870.
We, CHARLES EDMOND GREEN, of 13, Blandford Street, Portman
5 Square, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and JoHN GREEN, of
Windemare Cottage, Winchmore Hill, in the said County, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-

page_text: The breech chamber of the arm is composed of a tube, the top of
which is cut away, and it is fixed by a screw on the exterior of its
forward end to the rear end of the barrel, the screw entering a screw thread
cut in the barrel. Within the chamber is a sliding piston or bolt, by
which the cartridge is driven from the breech chamber into the barrel,
and connected to the sliding bolt is a cover, which when the bolt is in
its forward position covers the opening in the breech chamber. At the
end of the piston or bolt a moveable head is applied, it is made of steel
and has a stem which enters a hole bored for it in the end of the piston
or bolt. A longitudinal and a circumferential groove, leading the one
into the other, is formed on the stem, and there is a corresponding pro-
jection within the hole, it may be the point of a screw or pin inserted
for the purpose. The stem consequently can only be inserted into the
hole in one position, and then by turning it partly round it becomes
secured. The circumferential groove need not pass entirely around the
stem. A ring of vulcanized india-rubber or other elastic material is
inserted between the end of the piston or bolt, and its moveable head;
or by preference I use two such discs separated, the one from the other,
by a disc of thin steel. Under the pressure of the gas produced by the
pressure of the explosion the moveable head is forced back, and the
elastic material is thereby compressed and caused to expand laterally
in all directions, and so pressed against the interior surface of the breech
chamber, and thereby all escape of the gases produced by the explosion
is more or less obviated. The piston or bolt is capable of sliding to and
fro in the breech chamber, and can also turn in a bearing fixed on the
under side of the cover, the bolt or piston is so formed that it cannot.
move endwise in its bearings. The bolt or piston is formed at its
forward end with a projection, and in the side of the breech chamber
is a notch or recess to receive this projection when the head of the
piston or bolt has been pushed into the end of the barrel, and the piston
has been turned partly round by a lever handle fixed at its end, the
bolt will by this means be securely held from moving back when the
charge in the fire-arm is fired. The return of the piston is further
guarded against by forming an inclined projection on the boss of the
lever handle, and this when the handle is turned down to secure the
piston enters a corresponding notch at the rear end of the chamber.
A. stop furnished with a spring tending at all times to force the stop
upwards into the breech chamber is employed to stop the cover and the
piston or bolt from being drawn too far back, there being a groove in

page_text: the piston which the end of the stop enters, and when the extremity of
the groove comes against the stop it prevents the piston being further
moved in an outward direction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Edmond Green and John Green in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
EDMOND GREEN, of 13, Blandford Street, Portman Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, and JOHN GREEN, of Windemare
Cottage, Winchmore Hill, in the said County, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Charles Edmond Green and John
Green, Her special license that we, the said Charles Edmond Green and
John Green, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Charles Edmond Green and John Green, our exe-
cutors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Charles Edmond Green and John Green, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands
and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Green, on behalf of myself
and the said Charles Edmond Green, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be

page_text: particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :—
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading
fire-arms.
The breech chamber of the arm is composed of a tube, the top of
which is cut away, and it is fixed by a screw on the exterior of its
forward end to the rear end of the barrel, the screw entering a screw
thread cut in the barrel. Within the chamber is a sliding piston or bolt
by which the cartridge is driven from the breech chamber into the
barrel, and connected to the sliding bolt is a cover, which when the:
bolt is in its forward position covers the opening in the breech chamber.
At the end of the piston or bolt a moveable head is applied; it is made
of steel, and has a stem which enters a hole bored for it in the end of
the piston or bolt. A circumferential groove is formed on the stem,
and there is a corresponding projection within the hole, it may be the
point of a screw or pin inserted for the purpose. A ring of vulcanized
india-rubber or other elastic material is inserted between the end of the
piston or bolt and its moveable head; or by preference we use two such
discs, separated the one from the other by a disc of thin steel. Under
the pressure of the gas produced by the pressure of the explosion the s
moveable head is forced back, and the elastic material is thereby com-
pressed and caused to expand laterally in all directions, and so pressed
against the interior surface of the breech chamber, and thereby all
escape of the gases produced by the explosion is more or less obviated.
The piston or bolt is capable of sliding to and fro in the breech chamber, !
and can also turn in a bearing fixed on the under side of the cover;
the bolt or piston is so formed that it cannot move endwise in its bearing.
The bolt or piston is formed at its forward end with a projection, and,
in the side of the breech chamber is a notch or recess to receive this
projection. When the head of the piston or bolt has been pushed into :
the end of the barrel and the piston has been turned partly round by a
lever handle fixed at its end, the bolt will by this means be securely
held from moving back when the charge in the fire-arm is fired. The
return of the piston is further guarded against by forming an inclined
projection on the boss of the lever handle, and this when the handle is a
turned down to secure the piston is caught by a corresponding spring
at the rear end of the chamber. A stop in the breech chamber is`
employed to stop the cover and the piston or bolt from being drawn

page_text: too far back, there being a groove in the piston which the end of the
stop enters, and when the extremity of the groove comes against the
stop it prevents the piston being further moved in an outward direction. *
In order that our said Invention may be most fully understood and
5 readily carried into effect we will proceed to describe the Drawings
homounto annexed
Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a breech-loading fire-arm con-
structed according to our Invention. No part of the stock is shewn.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section; Figure 3, a plan; and Figure 4, a
back view; Figures 5 and 6 are transverse sections taken respectively
at the lines 1, 1, and 2, 2, in Figure 1.
a is a portion of the barrel into which the breech chamber 6 screws;
c is the bolt or piston sliding within the chamber, it turns in the
bearing d¹ on the sliding cover d of the breech chamber. The bolt c is
provided with a moveable head c³, shown separately at Figure 7, its
grooved stem enters a hole in the bolt and is retained by the small
screw c³; c³, c³, are two expanding rings of vulcanized india-rubber with
the thin steel ring between them, or for these three rings a single
thicker ring of vulcanized india-rubber may be substituted; c¹* is a
handle on the back of the bolt for turning it in opening and closing the
breech; c is a projection on the side of the bolt entering a recess b'in
the side of the breech chamber; e is a stud projecting into the bottom
of the breech chamber, it serves two purposes, it prevents the bolt c
being drawn too far out in opening the breech, the head c³ coming
against it, and it prevents the discharge of the piece when the breech
is not properly closed, for which purpose, as is shewn, the stud e is
connected with the trigger f, so that the trigger can only be drawn back
when the cavity c³ in the bolt corresponds with the stud. The trigger
is constantly supported by a spring, which, however, does not interfere
with the plug necessary for the action of the lock. The trigger can be
pressed forward (deflecting the spring f' downwards), and in this way
the stud e can be withdrawn from the breech chamber, and the bolt can
then be removed. 6³ is a small spring fixed to the breech chamber 6,
it rides over a projection c² on the lever c*, and catches upon it, so
as to retain the bolt in its place, but it yields freely to moderate force.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that we
claim the combination of the several parts of the bolt c with its moveable
expanding head, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Green, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of May in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.