AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-PRIMING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Noble Ward, of the Army of the United States
of America, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF SELF-PRIMING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 24th March 1857, and dated the 29th September 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Noble Ward at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th September 1856.
I, JAMES NOBLE WARD, of the Army of the United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-PRIMING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
It consists in feeding from a chamber in the hammer head, at the cocking
of the piece, such portion of the primer known as "Maynard's primer" as is
required for the discharge; and also in the severing of the protruding portion
of the primer by the hammer and cone, as the hammer falls.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Noble Ward in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
5 NOBLE WARD, of the Army of the United States of America, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred, and fifty-six, in the
year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and, successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Noble Ward, Her special licence that I, the said James Noble
Ward, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Noble Ward, or 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
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-PRIMING FIRE-ARMS," upon
the condition (amongst others)-that-J; the said James Noble Ward, 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 James Noble Ward, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 Drawing hereto annexed.:
Figure 1 is a side view of the hammer with cone removed, with vent tube
and portion of lock plate Figure 2 is a front view of the hammer; +Figure 3
is-an inside-view-of-same Figure 4 is an outside view of same complete. The
same letters indicate the same part of the fire-arm in all the Figures.
The nature of my Invention "consists in feeding from a chamber in the
hammer head, at the cocking of the piece, such portion of the primer known
asMaynard's primeras is required for the discharge, by certain mechanism
herein-after to be set forth; and also in the severing of the protruding portion
of the primer by the hammer and vent tube, as the hammer falls; the details
of construction and operation being as follows:-
In the Drawing, I is a pin fixed in the lock, L.,.over which passes, the slot. k
of the hammer P; in the head, of the hammer is, a cavity.M, constituting the
magazine of the arm. This cavity communicates with the channel e, leading
to the orifice H (as shewn in Figs. 2 and 4). In the lower portion, of
cavity M, upon a pin-n, are the wheels A and B, fastened one on the other, as
shewn in detached view, and capable of turning freely on said pin-n. On pin I

page_text: is a pawl C, held against the ratchet B by a spring O; this pawl makes an
invariable connection between pin I and the tooth of the ratchet in which the
lip of the pawl rests, so that as the hammer is drawn back, the wheels A, B,
are necessarily turned in the direction of the arrow. The spring pawl d
prevents the return of the ratchet on the falling of the hammer, the pawl c
then slipping backward. The pawl c lies within a cavity in the hammer,
whose inner plane is without the outer face of the feed wheel A. By this
construction, a clear passage is ensured for the primer, as none of the
mechanism can come in contact with it except the feed wheel. The primer p
is coiled in the magazine, as shown in Fig. 1, and being carried under wheel A,
is moved forward at each turn of the wheel, produced by the backward turning
of the hammer, as above set forth. Qis the vent tube, over which the primer
is brought as the hammer falls, the edge y of which passing close to the face =
of the hammer, severs the protruding portion of the primer previous to the
explosion, and covers the exit H from the fire.
The advantage of this Invention consists in the simple mode of feeding the
priming at the time of cocking, and the cutting off of the primer by means
of the hammer and cove, and thus dispensing with a separate attachment
therefor.
Disclaiming all other parts of the fire-arm not herein-after mentioned, as
being already in use, I claim as new and of my own Invention, the feed
wheel A, ratchet B, and pawl C, in combination with each other, and the coil
chamber M in the hammer head; said wheels being so situated relative to the
pawl, that the outer face of the feed wheel shall be within the inner plane of
the pawl cavity, the operation being as herein-before set forth.
I also claim the combination of the vent tube with the hammer, substantially
as specified, for severing the protruding portion of the primer, and closing the
primer passage.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, on this
Twenty-seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord Eighteen
hundred and fifty-seven.
T ATTI ADD
JNWARD. (..)