Im- PROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Hookham at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th January
1867.
I, GEORGE HOOKHAM, of Summertown House, Summertown, in the County
of Oxford, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE, AND IN CARTRIDGES TO BE USED
THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
In constructing breech-loading fire-arms or ordnance according to my
Invention I form at the breech end of the barrel a chamber of larger diameter
than the bore of the barrel, so that a greater quantity of powder in proportion
to the weight of the projectile may be used than is now practicable, and the
breech block which closes the breech I form with a thin ring or band of
metal projecting from its forward end; the exterior of this ring is made just
to fit within the rear end of the enlarged charge chamber, and by expanding
when the explosion takes place makes a perfectly gas-tight joint. In order
to open the breech end of the barrel to allow of a cartridge being inserted
into it I make the breech block to turn down on a hinge below the barrel,
and when the breech is turned up to close the breech end of the barrel I

page_text: secure it by means of a strap, the two side arms of which are jointed to the
sides of the barrel, and the strap is turned down, so that its cross bar shall
come behind the breech block and lock it securely in position; the strap is
furnished with a lever handle, by which it can be raised and lowered, and the
strap and breech block are connected together by interposed mechanism in
such manner that when the strap is turned upwards it causes the breech block
to turn down on its hinge, and when the strap is again turned down it brings
back the breech block to its former position and locks it securely.
In all
Another improvement relates to the barrels of rifles and ordnance.
ordnance and fire-arms where the projectile fits the barrel closely only a
certain length of barrel is advantageous for velocity. The limit in each case
being discovered it is proposed to continue the barrel to a greater length, but
at the same time of a slightly larger diameter than the first part. The pro-
jectile fits the barrel closely so long as it is advantageous for it to do so, but
after this point it does not quite touch the barrel, and therefore moves in it
without friction. The projectile being only slightly smaller than the bore the
gas is still partially confined and moving with a velocity higher than that of
the projectile, it increases the velocity of the latter beyond the degree that is
possible in a tight fitting barrel. In some cases I attach to the side of a
breech-loading rifle a box to contain cartridges, and I connect the lid of the
box with the mechanism for opening and closing the breech in such manner
that the opening of the breech shall also open the lid of the box to allow of a
fresh cartridge being taken out, the object being to obtain increased rapidity
of fire.
In order to steady a rifle whilst shooting, and to allow of its being readily
held in position for shooting with one hand only, in order to leave the other hand
free for loading or for pulling the trigger, I connect to the under side of the
butt of the stock a small iron rod, which is capable of being slid out so as to
project from the stock in order that it may come under the shoulder when
firing and prevent the stock from turning upwards. To the forward end of
the rifle in front of where it is held by the left hand a strap is connected;
this strap is passed through a belt round the waist of the person and goes to
a stirrup under his foot or is otherwise attached to his leg.
In order to obtain increased accuracy in shooting, the trigger may while
firing be artificially lengthened by a key or handle held in the band, the
trigger may thus be pulled back very steadily.
In constructing cartridges for breech-loading ordnance and fire-arms I place
around the exterior of the case of the cartridge a spring clip of steel or other

page_text: elastic material; the spring is so made that to insert the cartridge case the
spring must be opened, hence on the explosion the spring clip will first open
out and fit the barrel and will then immediately spring together again and the
cartridge case will thus become perfectly loose in the barrel, so that the spring
and burnt cartridge case may readily be shaken out or withdrawn.