IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Moore, of Brooklyn, in the County of
King's, and State of New York, United States of America, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Moore at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
August 1862.
I, DANIEL MOORE, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and State
of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to
be as follows:-
The barrel of the piece is connected to the stock by metal straps in which is
an open mortice at the open rear end of the barrel. In this mortice are
two blocks; the forward block is set to slide on the line of the barrel, and the
rear block is set to slide crosswise or at right angles to the barrel. A lever is
provided below that also forms the guard for the ordinary trigger. This lever
has two arms, and when pressed down and forward one lever arm first draws
down the rear block, and then the other arnı draws back the forward block
to receive the cartridge that sets into a semicircular groove on the forward
end of said block resting on a part of the said lever that comes up to sustain
it or to remove an exploded cartridge case previous to the introduction of a new

page_text: cartridge. On moving said lever in the reverse direction to the rear the
forward block is pressed up to the rear end of the barrel, forcing in the
cartridge, and then the rear block is slidden up behind it to sustain the recoi!
in firing. The explosion is produced from a cap on an ordinary nipple com-
municating with a hole in the cartridge case, or from a needle or punch driven 5
upon detonating material in the cartridge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Daniel Moore in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
February 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
MOORE, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and State of New York, United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Daniel Moore, Her special license that I, the said Daniel Moore,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Daniel Moore, 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 Ire-
land, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Daniel Moore, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 Daniel Moore, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of my gun ready for firing;

page_text: Fig. 2 is a similar view with the parts in position for receiving the
cartridge;
39
"
3 is a cross section at the line x, x, of Fig. 2; and
4 is a detached section of the breech and cartridge as fitted when a
percussion cap is employed. Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.
The nature of my said Invention consists in double breech blocks, one
sliding on the line of the barrel and the other at right angles thereto, in such
a manner than the transverse moving block draws away from behind the longi-
tudinally moving block, and that draws away from the barrel for introducing
the cartridge, and is forced up again to the rear end of the barrel, and
the laterally moving block comes up behind it to sustain the explosion.
To effect this operation I make use of a peculiar lever acting upon these
blocks in such a manner that by a simple movement forward or back the two
blocks are slidden and the breech opened, or closed by the one motion of the
lever; said lever is not connected to either block, hence one can stand still
while the other block is moved, and vice versa.
In the Drawing, a is the barrel, either rifled or plain, and 6 is the stock,
these parts are to be of any desired construction; c, c, are the metallic straps
or connections between the barrel and stock, leaving a mortice containing the
breech blocks d, and e. The block d is fitted on or in slides in the inner faces
of the straps c, c, so as to slide longitudinally and in line with the barrel. 1, 1,
are the ribs for the said blocks to slide on. The block e slides transversely,
and is guided in the mortice by blocks 6, and a screw or pin entering a groove,
as at 2, prevents the said piece e from falling out. When the block d is
drawn back the cartridge is to be entered in a semicircular groove 3 on the
front end of the block d, said groove being adapted to receive the flange of the
copper case containing the powder and the base of the ball, as seen at f. The
rear end of the barrel is formed so as to receive this semicircular grooved
piece 8 and the cartridge and case. When this block d is slidden forward the
cartridge f is entered within the barrel, and the block e, being brought up
behind the block d, and filling the space behind it, sustains the block d
against the force of the explosion, the nietallic cartridge case preventing any
escape at the rear of the barrel. It will be evident that the blocks d and e
being rectangular and sliding at right angles to each other, the recoil of the
explosion is taken upon flat surfaces, and there is no chance for the parts to
become wedged, and there is really no wear upon the surfaces that sustain the
explosion. When the block e is depressed and the block d slidden back it
draws the copper case of the cartridge f out of the barrel, and the same is
removed and another cartridge inserted. To explode the piece the hammer g
.

page_text: When
is employed, and said hammer may either explode a cap 7 on a nipple upon
the block d, as seen in Fig. 4, or a sliding punch 8 in said block d may be
employed to explode the detonating material when contained in the flange
of the copper case of the cartridge, as seen in Figs. 1, 2, & 3. In order to
give the proper relative movements to the blocks d and e, I employ the two-
armed lever h, set and moving on the fulcrum 4, and said lever forms the
guard for the trigger, and is held up by a spring catch of any suitable character,
as at 5. and k are two arms to the lever h, one extending forward of the
fulcrum 4, and the other to the rear, as seen in Fig. 1, and in the ends of these
arms rollers are provided, as shown, to relieve friction. Slots are provided in
the respective blocks d and e, as shown, to receive these arms i and k.
the piece is ready for cocking and firing, as in Fig. 1, the arm k is near the
lower part of the slot in the block d, and the block e is held up in place by
the other arm i. If now the lever his pressed downward and forward to the
position, Fig. 2, the arm i, acting in the slot in the block e, first draws that
down and then ceases to act, because the arc described by the end i of the
lever clears the part of the slot in e upon which said arm i had been acting
(see Fig. 2); at this moment the arm k slides the block d back, drawing out
the cartridge or preparing the gun to receive another cartridge, as specified.
A spoon piece on the lever h serves to sustain the cartridge when dropped
เ
into place prior to insertion into the barrel, and also coming up against the
cartridge case when drawn out of the barrel loosens the same from the semi-
circular groove, so that it will easily drop away when the gun is turned side-
wise. Upon drawing the lever h back the block d is first slidden by the
arm k up against the rear end of the barrel, and then the block e is by the
armi passed in behind the block d to sustain it when fired. The plate m,
attached to the upper side of the block d, gives a smooth finished surface to
the upper side of the gun.
What I claim as my Invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-
First, the breech block d, sliding on the line of the barrel, combined with
the rectangular block e, moving at right angles to said block d in the
manner specified, so that the block e is drawn down for the block d to slide
back and over said block e, as set forth.
Second, I claim the lever h on the fulerum 4, with the arms i & k, in com-
bination with the blocks d and e, so that the movements specified are given to
said blocks by said lever, as set forth.
Third, I claim the semicircular grooved piece 3 to receive the flange of the
cartridge in combination with the breech block d, fitted and acting as set

page_text: Fourth, I claim the spoon-shaped piece on the lever h, to receive the
cartridge when entered, or to loosen the metallic case from the groove 3, as set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Moore, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witnesses,
A. J. BERGEN,
of Brooklyn, N.Y.
THO. GEO. HAROLD,
Brooklyn, N.Y.
DAN. MOORE.
L.S.)