IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Chattaway at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st October
1865. A communication from abroad by Emile Della-Noce, residing
at Via Berthollet, Turin, in the Kingdom of Italy.
I, CHARLES CHATTAWAY, of No. 11, Rood Lane, in the City of London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention relates to an improved arrangement of
mechanism for placing caps on to the nipples of fire-arms. For this purpose
a supply of caps is placed in a tube of an internal diameter slightly larger than
the diameter of the caps; this tube is fixed at the side of the barrel and parallel
with it. The tube at its end nearest to the mozzle is closed by a cap or stopper,
which can readily be removed and replaced. The other end of the tube is
connected to the lump which carries the nipple; through this lump a hole or
passage is made, which forms a continuation of the passage through the tube
containing the caps. At the back of this lump is placed a slide, which can
be moved to and fro in the arc of a circle by means of a thumb-piece; this
slide closes the rear end of the passage above mentioned formed in the lump.
In the face of the slide which closes the passage in the lump a hole is formed
of sufficient depth to receive a cap. When the muzzle of the fire-arm is raised
a cap will drop from the tube containing the caps into the hole in the slide;
the slide is then moved by its thumb-piece, so that the recess containing the
cap is brought over the top of the nipple; within the slide is a slot in which
32.

page_text: is placed a small lever, the upper end of this lever lies in the bottom of the
hole into which the cap is received; the lower end of the lever, when the slide
is moved to bring the cap over the nipple, is acted on by an incline, which
causes the lever to turn on its centre in such manner that its upper end forces
the cap out of the hole in the slide, and presses it firmly on to the nipple, the
slide is then by its thumb-piece moved back to its former position to be again
ready to supply another cap to the nipple when required.
In constructing breech-loading fire-arms I close the breech end of the barrel
by a plug capable of sliding backwards in a line with the barrel as has before
been proposed. The plug works to and fro in a tube which forms a continua-
tion of the barrel; the upper half of a portion of this tube is cut away so that
when the plug is drawn back a cavity is formed, into which a cartridge may
be dropped, and afterwards pushed forward into the barrel; the end of the
plug is caused to enter a short distance into the barrel, until a collar on
the plug comes against its rear end. In front of this collar a disc of vulcanized
india-rubber is by preference placed so that when the plug is pressed forward
into its place the disc may be compressed between the collar and the barrel,
and so form a tight joint. The rear end of the plug passes out through the
rear end of the tube in which it works, and at its end the plug has a knob or
handle formed upon it, by which it can be slid to and fro; the upper portion
of the extreme end of the tube is not cut away, but covers over the plug and
holds it down into the tube; to the top of the plug is connected a covering
plate which is attached to the collar at the front of the plug, and also to a
similar collar at the rear of the plug; the upper surface of this cover forms a
continuation of the upper surface of the barrel, and covers over the open
portion of the tube, and also passes over the top of the rear portion of the
tube which embraces the plug. When the plug is pushed forward so that its
forward end closes the rear end of the barrel, it is retained there by a small
block which passes down through a slot formed transversely across the rear
end of its covering plate; this block is formed on its under side to embrace the
plug, and a small recess is formed in the top surface of the plug, into which a
part of the block enters; the back face of the block bears against the front
edge of the rear portion of the tube which embraces the plug, and thus when
this block is in its place the plug is prevented from sliding backwards; the
back of the block and the surface of the tube against which it works are
made slightly inclined, so that when the block is pressed down into its place
the plug which closes the breech of the barrel is slightly pushed forward so as
to compress the ring of india-rubber at the front of the plug; the block is
binged to one side of the covering plate, and has a thumb-piece upon it by

page_text: which it can be turned upwards on its hinge in order to allow the plug to be
slid back to open the breech end of the barrel.
In constructing locks for fire-arms I construct them with a single bent spring,
similar to the ordinary mainspring of a lock as now usually constructed; one
limb or arm of the spring acts as usual on the tumbler which is on the axis of
the hammer, so as constantly to force down the hammer; the end of the other
limb or arm of the spring is formed to act as the sear of the lock, and to take
into the notches or bents of the tumbler; this limb or arm of the spring is also
formed with a piece projecting out from it, by which this end of the spring
can be depressed when the sear nose at its end is to be withdrawn from the
full-cock notch in the tumbler; this projection is acted on by the trigger. The
mainspring is connected to the lock plate by a pin, which projects out from
it near its elbow or bend, and enters a hole in the plate as is usual, and the
arm of the spring, at the end of which the sear nose is formed, bears at a point
intermediate of its length against a projection on the lock plate. The tumbler
I form with three notches or bents, into either of which the sear nose may
enter, the full-cock bent, the half-cock bent, and another bent, into which the
sear nose may enter when the hammer is only a short distance above the
nipple, so that in exploding the piece, if the trigger is not pressed back con-
tinuously, the hammer will not strike the nipple, but the sear nose will catch
in the third notch or bent. Thus the piece cannot be exploded accidentally.