Improvements in Ordnance.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 24th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 11th Mar., 1887.
Improvements in Ordnance.
I GEORGE QUICK of Chipping Campden, in the county of Gloucester, Chief
Engineer, Royal Navy, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in breech loading ordnance.
In carrying out my invention I substitute for the breech screw and sliding carriage
or sliding block described in the specification of former Letters patent granted to me
No. 256 dated 21st January 1880 No. 2251 dated 24th May 1881 No. 1115 dated
10th January 1884 and No. 17,007 dated 29th December 1884 a solid cylindrical
breech screw having two flat smooth surfaces formed on opposite sides thereof so as
to remove about one fourth of the screw thread by each flat surface formed thereby
leaving two screwed surfaces opposite each other, each screwed surface occupying
about one fourth of a circle and I form a suitable slideway or recess, part of which
is smooth and flat and part of which has a female screw thread to receive the said
breech screw of flattened cylindrical form, so that the said breech screw may be
caused to revolve when required or to slide horizontally to or from the centre of the
gun to open or close the breech. On the rear end of the said breech screw I form
projections for butting up against guides formed on the rear face of the breech of
the gun so as to allow the said breech screw to be turned exactly through the required
angle to bring it into position for sliding in the slideway, from the centre to the
outside of the gun so that the breech may be opened by means of one motion of the
breech screw lever, which lever is secured to the rear end of the said breech screw.
With the hereinbefore described mechanism I can use either metallic obturation or
what is known as the De Bange system.
For heavy guns in which the breech screw may be of such weight that additional
power would be required I mount a small toothed wheel or pinion with crank lever
attached in the end of the lever, to gear into a rack cut in the rear face of the breech
of the gun the said rack being partly circular and partly straight and constructed so
that the continuous motion of the said pinion will cause the breech screw to revolve
through a part of a revolution and then to move in a straight line to or from the

page_text: centre of the gun. In still heavier guns the necessary revolving and sliding motion
would be imparted to the breech screw by means of a fluid pressure actuating a piston
with toothed rack gearing into a wheel as described in the specification of my said
former Letters Patent No. 1115 of 1884.
I provide for firing the gun by percussion or electric primers by means of a self-
cocking percussion lock similar to that described in the Specification of former Letters
Patent granted to me No. 11,132 dated 11th August 1884 and I actuate the vent
shutter forming the base of the lock by means of a locking lever mounted in the end
of the breech screw lever, the said locking lever being provided with a toothed sector
to engage in a rack formed on the vent shutter or base of the firing lock, or by other
equivalent well known substitutes for communicating a reciprocating motion.
I employ an improved primer extractor which is actuated by means of the motion
of the vent shutter or percussion lock. The extractor plate is formed in one piece
and a guide pin is secured on the upper side thereof on one part of which guide pin
rack teeth are cut. Into the other or lower end of the extractor plate I screw another
guide pin which works in a suitable recess under the primer chamber, which recess
may contain also a spiral spring in a state of compression to assist in suddenly
forcing out the extractor plate. In a recess formed immediately over the rack teeth
in the upper guide pin 1 hang a lever with two arms; the end of each arm is circular,
and in each end teeth are cut. The teeth in the lower or longer arm gear into the
rack cut in the guide pin attached to the extractor plate, and those in the other arm
of the lever gear into rack teeth cut in the under side of the vent shutter or
percussion lock. By these means the act of lifting the locking lever unlocks the
breech screw from the gun, uncovers the vent and ejects the primer.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I GEORGE QUICK, of Chipping Campden, in the county of Gloucester, Fleet
Engineer Royal Navy, 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:-
My invention relates to improvements in breech-loading ordnance.
In carrying my invention into effect I substitute for the breech-screw and sliding-
carriage or sliding block described in the Specifications of former Letters Patent
granted to me No. 256 dated the 21st day of January 1880, No. 2251 dated the
24th day of May 1881, No. 1115 dated the 10th day of January 1884 and No. 17007
dated the 29th day of December 1884, a solid cylindrical breech-screw without any
sliding carriage connected therewith. I make this breech-screw considerably larger in
diameter than the powder chamber and I form parallel plane surfaces on opposite sides
thereof so as to remove on each side about one quarter of the screw thread thereby
leaving two screwed surfaces opposite each other, each screwed surface occupying
about one quarter of the circumference of the said breech-screw. I form a suitable
slideway or recess in the breech of the gun one part of which has parallel plane surfaces,
and the other part of which, immediately in the rear of the powder chamber, is
cylindrical. In the cylindrical recess a female screw thread is formed to receive the
screwed part of the said breech-screw, so that the said breech-screw may be made to
revolve in the rear of the powder chamber. It will be seen that the breech screw can
thus slide in the plane part of the recess and rotate in the circular portion of the
recess.
In connection with the rear end of the said breech-screw I form a projection for
butting up against a slot or guide formed on the rear face of the breech of the gun so
as to allow the said breech-screw to be turned exactly through the required angle, to
bring it into position for sliding in the plane part of the slideway from the centre to
the outside of the gun so that the breech or powder-chamber may be opened by means
of the lever which is secured to the rear end of the said breech-screw..
With this mechanism metallic obturation or the Asbestos pad known as the De
Bange system of obturation may be used..
For heavy guns in which the breech-screw may be of great weight I mount a small
gear wheel or pinion which may carry a crank handle on the end of the breech-screw
lever to gear into a rack affixed to the rear face of the breech of the gun the said rack
having one part circular and one part straight and constructed so that in opening the
breech the continuous turning of the said pinion will cause the breech-screw to revolve
through a part of a revolution and then to move in a straight line from the centre of
the breech to the side of the gun. The reverse motion of the said pinion will slide the
breech-screw in a straight line back to the centre of the gun and then cause the said
breech-screw to revolve so as to effectually close the breech.
In still heavier guns the revolving and sliding motion would be imparted to the
breech-screw by means of fluid pressure actuating a piston with a rack attached gearing
into a wheel secured on the breech-screw somewhat as described in the Specification
of my said former Letters Patent No. 1,115 dated the 10th day of January 1884.

page_text: I provide for firing the gun by percussion primers, or electric primers by means of
a self-cocking percussion lock similar to that described in the Specification of former
Letters Patent granted to me No. 11,132 dated the 11th day of August 1884 and I
actuate the vent shutter which forms the base of the said percussion lock by means of
a short locking lever which is mounted in the end of the breech-screw lever somewhat
as described in the Specification of my Letters Patent No. 17007 dated 29 December
1884. This locking lever is provided with a toothed, sector which engages in a rack
formed on the base of the firing lock or by other well known substitutes for communi-
cating a reciprocating motion.
I employ an improved primer extractor which is actuated by means of the motion of
the percussion lock. The extractor plate has a guide pin secured on the upper side
thereof on one part of which guidepin rack teeth are cut and in the lower end of the
extractor plate 1 secure another cylindrical guide pin which works in a suitable recess
under the primer chamber.
I form a recess immediately over the rack teeth of the upper guide pin and fit
therein the extractor lever having two arms at right angles, the end of each arm is
formed to the segment of a circle and suitable teeth are cut therein. The teeth in
the lower and longer arm gear into the rack cut in the upper guide pin of the
extractor and those in the other or short arm of the lever gear into a rack formed in
the under side of the percussion lock. By these means the act of lifting the locking
lever withdraws the percussion lock from the primer chamber and jerks the extractor
plate from its seat by which the primer is sharply ejected.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawings in the several figures of which
similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. Figure 1 is an elevation of
the rear face of the breech of the gun without any of the breech mechanism attached.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the left hand side of the breech shewing the recess for the
sliding breech-screw; figure 3 is an elevation of the right hand side of the breech;
figure 4 is a vertical transverse section on line a, a, of figure 2 looking towards the
muzzle of the gun; figure 4", is a similar section shewing the breech-screw in position
ready for sliding out to open the chamber or for screwing up to close the chamber gas
tight; figure 4, is a similar section shewing the breech-screw in position as when
screwed up with chamber closed ready for firing; figure 5 is a vertical transverse
section also on line a, r, of figure 2, but looking towards the rear end of the breech;
figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal section shewing the right hand side of the gun and
figure 7 is a similar section shewing the opposite or left hand side of the gun. In
these figures no breech fittings are shewn (except the breech-scrow in figures 4"
and 4").
Figure 8 is an elevation of the forward end of the breech-screw shewing the face for
closing the rear end of the powder chamber; figure 9 is an elevation of the rear end
of the breech-screw without lever or fittings and figure 10 is an elevation of the left-
hand side of the breech-screw also without fittings and figure 10" is a plan of the same.
Figure 11 is an elevation of the rear face of the breech of the gun with breech-screw
and lever complete closed as when ready for firing; figure 12 is a similar view
shewing the breech open as when ready for loading. Figure 13 is a plan of the breech
closed as when ready for firing. Figure 14 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal
section of the breech when closed as ready for firing.
Referring to these figures A, is the body of the gun, B is the recess formed to
receive the sliding breech-screw C; D, is the breech-screw-lever and E, is the locking
lever (shewn on a larger scale in figures 18 and 19) mounted in the end of the breech-
screw lever to secure the same to the gun by means of a projection on the end of the
lever which takes into a notch e in the breech of the gun when the lever E, is pulled
into the position shewn in figure 19. F, is the firing lock for igniting the charge and P,
is the powder chamber.
a, figures 1, 2 and 7, indicates a guide cut in the rear face of the breech of the gun
and a, figures 9 and 10, indicates the stop on the breech-screw which engages in the
guide a, by which the breech-screw is allowed to turn only into the correct position

page_text: for sliding outwards to the side of the gun. The groove b, cut in the rear face of the
gun has the curved part concentric with the chamber and in the front side of the
breech-screw lever a pin is fitted to gear into this groove so that as the lever is
turned round the breech-screw shall be drawn directly into the centre line of the
chamber.
In figures 2, 5 and 7, c, indicates a stop pin in the base of the rectangular recess
which stop pin is inserted after the breech-screw is placed in the gun to prevent the
breech-screw being drawn too far out of the recess; c¹, in figures 10 and 10%, indicates
the shallow groove cut in the side of the breech-screw to gear over the said stop pin c.
The operation of my improved gun is as follows :-
When the breech-screw is in the position shewn in figure 12 the breech is open
ready for the gun to be loaded. The gun having been loaded the breech screw is
then caused to slide along the plane surfaces of the recess by pulling the handles D
and E of the breech-screw lever.. During this motion of the breech-screw the plane
faces of the breech-screw formed on the forward portion thereof (which is of greater
diameter than the bore of the gun) and the middle portion (which is of the same
diameter as the bore of the gun) slide upon the plane faces of the forward and rear
portions of the recess. At the same time the guide or stop a¹ (figures 9, 10 and 10º)
slides in the guide way a and the guide way c¹ (figures 10 and 10ª) slides over the
stop c, (figures 2, 5 and 7) and the nose of the breech-screw rests upon and slides
along the lower plane surface s¹ in the front of the recess. When the breech-screw
has arrived at a position concentric with the axis of the gun chamber, the forward
screwed portion of the breech-screw is engaged in the female screw of the recess and
a motion of rotation is communicated to the breech-screw by means of the breech-
screw lever D. The breech-screw is thus caused to turn through a right angle by
which movement the nose of the breech-screw is brought tight up against the gas
ring N, (see figure 14) and a good joint is made. When the breech-screw has thus
been turned into the firing position, the handle E, is pulled out from the position shewn
in figure 18 to that shewn in figure 19 and the gun is by this movement locked and
made ready for firing as hereinafter explained.
Figure 17, is an elevation on an enlarged scale of the front face of the breech-screw
lever; figure 18, is a vertical section of the same, on a further enlarged scale, with
firing lock drawn back and vent open ready for priming and figure 19 is a similar
section of the same closed ready for firing shewing the combination of the locking
lever E, with the percussion firing lock F, and of the percussion lock F, with the
primer extractor 9. In these Figs. 17, 18, 19, ¹ is the pin in the lever for gearing
into the groove b in the breech of the gun.
The breech-screw lever D, (figures 18 and 19) the locking lever E, and the firing
lock F, are somewhat similar to those described in the Specification of my said former
Letters Patent No. 11,132, dated the 11th day of August 1884, but modified so as to
be actuated by the locking lever E, as described in the Specification of my said
former Letters Patent No. 17007 dated the 29th day of December 1884. Q, represents
the primer chamber and the extractor plate; and is the extractor lever with two
arms each arm having teeth therein those in the upper arm gearing into the rack k
formed in the base of the firing lock, and those in the lower arm into the rack formed
in the guide pin », of the extractor plate q.
Figure 15 is an elevation of the breech of a gun of large size in which figure a
pinion g, is shown mounted in the end of the breech-screw lever D, which pinion
gears into the curved rack G, which is secured on the face of the gun A. Figure 16,
is an elevation of the breech of a gun also of large size shewing the application of
fluid pressure for working the breech-screw in a similar manner to that shewn in the
Specification of my said former Letters Patent No. 1,115 of 1884. In figure 15,
G, is the curved and straight rack secured to the gun and g, is the pinion mounted in
the lever for gearing into the said rack, and H is the crank lever for working the
pinion g.
In figure 16 M, represents the cylinder for fluid pressure; R, is the rack actuated
by the piston in the cylinder M; and u, is the lever for admitting and exhausting

page_text: the fluid from either end of the said cylinder. T, is the gear wheel secured to the
breech-screw C; and E is the locking lever and F is the firing or percussion lock.
All the figures hereinbefore described show the details of this breech-loading system
as applied when using a metallic obturation. But for using the asbestos obturation in
this system certain modifications would be required as shewn in figures 20, 21, 22,
22ª, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29.
Hence
Figures 20 and 21 shew transverse sections similarly taken to the sections in
figures 4 and 5; figure 22 is a vertical longitudinal section; figure 22ª, is also a
similar section of the gun but shewing the breech-screw C, in elevation and in
position as when the gun is ready for firing. Figure 22 is also a similar section of
the gun but shewing the breech-screw in elevation and in position ready for sliding
out to the side of the gun to open the breech or for being pushed forward into
position for screwing up to the firing position and figure 23 a horizontal section of
the breech of the gun. In these figures it will be observed that the female screw
thread is removed from the right hand side of the breech-screw recess B at w.
in the operation of closing the breech for firing, when the breech-screw has been
caused to slide into the position in which it is co-axial with the gun chamber, there is
no engagement of the breech-screw thread with the female screw thread of the recess.
Hence the breech-screw can be pushed forward so as to insert the asbestos obturator
into the chamber and after this forward movement the breech-screw is turned through
a right angle as before, the screw threads engage and the breech-screw is locked in
position. In opening the breech after firing the process is reversed. The breech-
screw is first turned through a right angle which disengages the screw threads. The
breech-screw is then pulled back in the recess so as to withdraw the obturator and the
breech-screw is then caused to slide transversely so as to open the breech.
Figure 24, is an elevation of the rear face of the breech-screw shown with a
portion of the end removed. Figure 25, is an elevation of the front face of the
breech-screw with an asbestos obturator. Figures 26 and 27 are views of the breech-
screw in directions at right angles to one another. Figure 28 is an elevation of the
left hand side of the breech of the gun shewing the form of recess for the breech-
screw with asbestos obturator, and Figure 29 is an elevation of the rear face of the
breech of the same gun, without the breech-screw fittings.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said invention I wish it to be
distinctly understood that I do not confine myself strictly to all the details herein
described as such may be varied somewhat without departing from the principles or
essence of the said invention but what I claim is :-
1. A breech-loading gun having a breech-screw with parallel plane surfaces formed
upon it moving in a suitable recess formed in the breech of the gun, arranged so
that the breech of the gun may be closed by moving the breech-screw transversely to
the axis of the powder chamber into a position co-axial with the powder chamber and
then turning the breech-screw about such axis and opened by the reverse process,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The improved breech-loading gun constructed substantially as herein before
described with reference to figures 1 to 19 of the drawings.
3. The improved breech-loading gun constructed substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to figures 20 to 29 of the drawings.
4. The combination consisting of the locking lever, vent shutter, firing lock, primer
extractor and extractor lever arranged and operating as hereinbefore described and
illustrated more particularly in figures 18 and 19 of the drawings.