IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Wilson, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th July
1860.
I, THOMAS WILSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, of the following method of constructing the'
breech ends of breech-loading fire-arms and ordnance, and the parts connected
therewith, for opening and securely closing the said breech ends. I elongate
the breech end of the barrel and make in the top of the elongated part an
opening for the introduction of the charge. A breech plug is situated in the
said elongated part of the barrel, which said plug by sliding backwards and
forwards opens or closes the breech of the gun. The said plug is cylindrical
and has a deep groove running nearly its whole length, in which said groove
an arm or rod fits, the said arm or rod being jointed to the plug near the
forward end of the said plug. The said arm or rod may either lie in the plug
flush with its surface, or its free end may be depressed so as to engage in a
recess or opening cut in the bottom of the elongated breech, in which last
position it abuts against the shoulder of the said recess and supports the plug
firmly in its place during discharge. When the plug is to be withdrawn for
charging the gun, the arm or rod is raised by a handle attached to its
rear end, by which said handle all the required motions of the plug are
effected.

page_text: My Invention consists, secondly, of the following method of constructing the
breech ends of breech-loading fire-arms and ordnance, and the parts connected
therewith for opening and securely closing the said breech ends. I elongate
the breech end of the barrel by screwing a tubular chamber therein, and
make an opening on the top of the said chamber for the introduction of the
charge. In the said chamber a plug is fitted, which said plug by sliding
backwards and forwards opens or closes the charge chamber. One side of
the said plug, is cut away through a portion of its length so as to make the
said plug at that part semi-cylindrical in figure. The tubular chamber is
partly closed by a semi-circular end made in one piece with the said chamber
and when the plug is turned so as to bring its semi-cylindrical end opposite
the semicircular end of the chamber, the said plug is firmly supported by the
said end of the chamber. When the plug is moved from the last described
position by being made to perform a semi-rotation the end of the plug is no
longer opposite the semicircular end of the chamber, but is in such a position
with respect to the said end, that it can be withdrawn and made to slide over
the said end. A handle or thumb plate is attached to the plug by which both
the sliding and rotatory motions of the said plug may be effected. The
opening by which the charge is introduced may in both the breech-loading
guns described be covered during discharge by a plate carried by the sliding
plug.
My Invention consists, thirdly, in making the rifle grooves in the barrels of
breech-loading fire-arms of the following form:-Each of the said grooves
consists of a concave flute, one edge of which is in the smallest diameter of the
barrel, the other edge of the said flute or groove being more distant from the
axis of the barrel.
A barrel rifled according to my Invention has the following internal figure
in transverse section:-The interior of the barrel is made up of a series of
six or other number of curves, each of the said curves being of nearly the
same radius as the interior of the barrel before rifling, but not concentric
with the axis of the barrel, each curve joining the next one by a step like
junction. The interior of a barrel rifled according to my Invention has in
transverse section the figure or nearly the figure of a ratchet wheel. The said
grooves may have any required amount of twist or turn. I employ by prefer-
ence.six of the said grooves, but do not limit myself to any particular number.