IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to The Most Noble George Marquis of Tweeddale,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Most Noble George
Marquis of Tweeddale at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with his Petition, on the 18th May 1871.
I, The Most Noble GEORGE MARQUIS OF TWEEDDALE, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS, to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object "Improvements in Breech-loading
Fire-arms," and is applicable to the class of fire-arms in which the barrel
is closed by a bolt concentric with it, and sliding backwards and
forwards in a trough or loading chamber in which the barrel terminates.
At the back of the trough or loading chamber there is a guide socket
through which the bolt passes. The bolt is tubular or hollow in its
centre part. It has a rib or projection upon it with a handle at the
outer end of the projection. The front part of the bolt is moveable on
the centre part. In closing the breech the bolt is pushed forward until

page_text: the front part of the rib or projection on the bolt comes in contact with
the bevelled end of the barrel, and the rear part of the rib or projection
has cleared the groove in the socket of the loading chamber, the front
part of the socket being bevelled to correspond with the end of the
barrel. The bolt is then turned over to the right and securely locked in
its place. The front part of the bolt does not turn with the centre part,
but is pushed forward to the end of the barrel by the working of the
rib or projection on the bevelled part of the barrel and socket when the
bolt is being turned to the right. In opening the breech the bolt is
turned partly round to the left until the rib or projection corresponds
with a groove in the socket, and the bolt can then be drawn back, the
projection passing through the groove. Within the bolt there is a
striker and a coiled spring so arranged that when liberated by the trigger
the nose of the striker protrudes beyond the end of the bolt, and by the
blow which it strikes on the percussion cap of the central-fire cartridge
the cartridge is exploded. There is a stud which projects through the
bottom of the guide socket; it is mounted on a lever on which (through
another lever) the trigger acts in such manner that when the trigger is
pressed the stud is drawn back. A slot in the bolt receives this stud,
and is so formed that the stud may not interfere with the motions of the
bolt in opening and closing the breech. This stud when the breech is
being closed catches on a collar on the striker and retains it, so that its
coiled spring is compressed by the act of forcing the bolt home to close
the breech. When the stud is drawn back by pressing on the trigger the
striker flies forward and explodes the cartridge. This stud also forms a
stop to prevent the bolt from being drawn entirely out of the socket.
The stud has also a groove cut in the front and left side, which is so
arranged that the bolt takes hold of it and prevents it from being drawn
down by the trigger until the bolt is securely home, or at the point
where the stud has to go over the collar of the striker in the act of
drawing out the bolt. To draw out from the barrel the case of the
cartridge after firing, an extractor consisting of a straight steel spring is
employed. It is attached to a ring on the back of the bolt which can
turn freely in the ring. The spring lies in a longitudinal groove formed
for it in the trough or chamber, and it terminates in front in a hook,
and when the breech is closed this hook fits into a notch or recess in the
shoulder, against which the flange of the cartridge rests when it is in the
bore. This hook when the breech is opened draws back the cartridge
case with the bolt, and when the case is clear of the barrel it meets a

page_text: spring projection at the rear end of the trough or loading chamber which
tilts the case upwards, and it falls out of the chamber. The bolt can be
locked, if desired, by a pin or axis at one side of the trough. It has a
with
projection upon it, and can be turned so that the projection engages
notab in the holt
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Most Noble George Marquis of Tweeddale in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th November 1871..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENT SHALL COME, I, THE MOST
NOBLE GEORGE MARQUIS OF TWEEDDALE, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Marquis of Tweeddale, Her special
license that I, the said George Marquis of Tweeddale, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Marquis of Tweeddale, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said George Marquis of Tweeddale,
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 George Marquis of Tweeddale, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading
fire-arms, and is applicable to the class of fire-arms in which the barrel

page_text: is closed by a bolt concentric with it, and sliding backwards and for-
wards in a trough or loading chamber in which the barrel terminates.
At the back of the trough or loading chamber there is a guide socket
through which the bolt passes. The bolt is tubular or hollow, and has
a handle at its outer end; it also has a projection upon it, which when
the breech is closed abuts on the front of the socket, and locks it
securely in its place. In opening the breech the bolt is turned partly
round to the left until the rib or projection corresponds with a groove
in the socket, and the bolt can then be drawn back, the projection
passing through the groove. The front part of the bolt or the part
which abuts on the base of the cartridge does not turn in opening and
closing, the breech being so attached that the other part of the bolt can
turn independently of it. Within the bolt there is a striker and a coiled
spring, so arranged that when liberated by the trigger the nose of the
striker protrudes beyond the end of the bolt, and by the blow which it
strikes on the percussion cap of the central-fire cartridge the cartridge is
exploded. There is a stud which projects through the bottom of the
guide socket; it is mounted on a lever on which (through another lever)
the trigger acts in such manner that when the trigger is pressed the
stud is drawn back. A slot in the bolt receives this stud, and is so
formed that the stud may not interfere with the motions of the bolt in
opening and closing the breech. This stud when the breech is being
closed catches on a collar on the striker and retains it, so that its coiled
spring is compressed by the act of forcing the bolt home to close the
breech. When the stud is drawn back by pressing on the trigger the
striker flies forward and explodes the cartridge. This stud also forms.
a stop to prevent the bolt from being drawn entirely out of the socket.
The stud bas also a groove cut in the front and left side, which is so
arranged that the bolt takes hold of it, and prevents it from being drawn
down by the trigger until the bolt is securely home, or at the point
where the stud has to go over the collar of the striker in the act of
drawing out the bolt. To draw out from the barrel the case of the
cartridge after firing, an extractor, consisting of a straight steel spring, is
employed. It is attached to a ring on the back of the bolt which can
turn freely in the ring. The spring lies in a longitudinal groove formed
for it in the trough or chamber, and it terminates in front in a hook,
and when the breech is closed this hook fits into a notch or recess in
the shoulder, against which the flange of the cartridge rests when it is
in the bore. This hook when the breech is opened draws back the

page_text: cartridge case with the bolt, and when the case is clear of the barrel it
meets a spring projection at the rear end of the trough or loading
chamber which tilts the case upwards, and it falls out of the chamber.
The bolt can be locked, if desired, by a pin or axis at one side of the
trough. It has a projection upon it, and can be turned so that the
projection engages with a notch in the bolt.

page_text: down so that its stud or end descends out of the groove c³, and then
the bolt c can be drawn entirely out of the socket 6³, as is necessary,
in
order to clean the gun; within the hollow bolt c is the striker e which
has a collar e¹ upon it, and a coiled spring f tends constantly to press
it forward so that its end may project through the hole in the centre of
the plug c. The spring fabuts upon the piece which closes the end
of the bolt. When the bolt c is thrust forward to close the breech,
the stud or end d¹ of the lever d comes against the collar e¹ and
prevents the striker e moving with the bolt; when the bolt c is home
the handle c³ is turned to the right hand, and the bolt then becomes
locked by the rib or projection c* abutting on the front of the socket b².
This part of the socket b² and the corresponding face of the socket b¹
may be slightly inclined, so that in turning the bolt it may be pressed
more firmly to its seat. The lever d is jointed to the inner side of the
trough b, and it is acted upon through another lever g jointed to the
part b at g', and its hinder end is pressed down against the trigger h
by the spring g²; this spring yields readily to the trigger and allows the
stud or end d' of the lever d to be drawn down. If this be done when
the breech is closed and the spring compressed, the striker e imme-
diately flies forward and strikes the priming of the cartridge, and the
piece is discharged. The trigger can only act on the lever d when
the catch on its stud or end is not retained by the overhanging lip c**
of the groove; it is only when the bolt is in certain positions that the
lover is allowed to be free in order that the gun may not be fired when
the breech is imperfectly closed. In order to extract the cartridge
case from the barrel after firing, the extractor i is used; it consists of
a spring hook, the end of which in closing the breech passes over the
flange of the cartridge, and when the breech is closed is received into
a recess at the end of the chamber of the gun, so that it stands in
front of the cartridge. The stem of the extractor is fixed to a ring "
surrounding the button c closing the end of the bolt c; b³ is a groove
in the trough b in which the extractor lies, and along which it slides
as the breech is opened and closed; k is a spring stud projecting through
the bottom of the trough b, it presses against the side of the bolt c,
when in opening the breech the bolt is drawn back, the extractor
bringing the cartridge case with it, and as soon as the plug c has passed
over the spring stud k it flics up, and the flange of the cartridge case
being struck by it is projected upwards in such manner that the case
is thrown out of the trough or loading chamber, leaving it free to

page_text: receive another charge. The stem of the spring ejecting stud k is fixed
to the outer side of the part b. The extractor i and the plug c are
shewn separately at Figure 9, where it will be seen that a peg on the
spring blade of the extractor enters a hole in the side of the plug; 1
is a bolt to lock the part c if so desired; the pieces which compose it
are shewn separately at Figures 10, videlicet, an axis ♬ with a stud ♫*
at its upper end, which can by turning the axis by means of the thumb-
piece be caused to enter the recess c³ in the piece c, when this picce
is brought to such a position that the recess may be opposite the stud;
the breech is then a short distance open.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I
claim,―
First. The combination of parts to form a breech-loading fire-arm,
substantially as described.
Second. The spring ejector k arranged and operating to eject the
case of the cartridge when the breech is opened, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Marquis of Tweeddale,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred
and seventy-one..