IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Augustus Braendlin, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 12th February 1864, and dated the 31st August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Augustus Braendlin
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st August 1863.
I, FRANCIS AUGUSTUS BRAENDLIN, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in constructing in the manner herein-after
described those kinds of fire-arms in which the barrels turn upon a joint on
the body, the breech ends of the barrels bearing against the face of the break-
off during discharge, and being raised from the break-off for loading. The
barrels turn: upon a joint on the body of the break-off in the ordinary way,
and in addition thereto the said barrels are made capable of a horizontal
sliding motion to and from the face of the break-off. I hollow out the break-

page_text: off in a line with the axes of the barrels, so as to form short chambers, and I
insert in the short chambers thus formed expanding rings or valves. The
ends of these rings or valves project beyond the face of the break-off into the
open body of the said break-off. The breech ends of the barrels have recesses
made in them, into which recesses the ends of the expanding rings or valves
enter when the barrels are forced against the break-off. The short chambers
in the break-off communicate with nipples, by which the fire-arm is dis-
charged. By the use of the expanding rings or valves a tight junction
between the ends of the barrels and the face of the break-off is effected, and
the escape of gas between the ends of the barrels and the face of the break-
off thereby prevented. When the ends of the barrels are required to be
raised for loading it is necessary that the said barrels be moved horizontally
a short distance from the break-off in order to withdraw the ends of the
barrels from the projecting ends of the expanding rings or valves. I effect
this motion of the barrels in the following manner :-On the upper side of the
body of the break-off a slide works, to which said slide the breech ends of the
barrels are connected. A. vertical axis passing through the under side of the
body of the break-off, carries at its end an excentric, a pin on which excentric
engages with a transverse slot in the slide, to which the barrels are connected.
By the motion of the said axis the slide may be moved from the break-off,
and the ends of the barrels withdrawn from the ends of the expanding rings or
valves, the barrels can then be turned on their joint for loading. After loading,
the barrels are shut down upon the body, and by moving the slide towards
the break-off the barrels are moved horizontally, and their ends engaged with
the expanding rings or valves in the break-off, and the said barrels fixed down.
The horizontal motion of the slide may be effected in various ways, which I
do not think it necessary here to describe. The ends of the expanding rings
or valves in the break-off may be made flush with the said break-off instead
of projecting therefrom. In this case the horizontal sliding motion of the
barrels is dispensed with. The expanding rings or valves may be placed in
the breech ends of the barrels instead of in the break-off.
My Invention consists, secondly, in fixing down the barrels of fire-arms of
the kind already described, and other fire-arms containing moveable breech
chambers turning upon joints, in the following manner :-Through the break-
off, against which the end of the breech chamber or barrels bear, a spring bolt
works, the end of the said bolt engaging with a recess or opening in the
breech chamber or in a lump on the barrels. The said bolt is connected to the
cranked end of a lever, the cranked part of the said lever being jointed to the

page_text: end of the said bolt. The other part or arm of the cranked lever is made in
the form of a flat finger plate, which bears upon the tang of the break-off.
The bolt is pressed forward by means of a flat spring connected by a swivel
joint to the cranked part of the lever. When the breech chamber or barrels
are shut down the face of the said chamber or ends of the barrels bear against
the inclined end of the bolt, and press the said bolt inwards, and allow the
breech chamber or barrels to be shut down. The breech chamber or barrels
being shut down, the bolt is pressed forward by the spring acting on the
cranked part of the lever, and the said chamber or barrels are firmly locked
against the face of the break-off. To unlock the chamber or barrels it is only
necessary to raise the finger plate of the cranked lever from the tang of the
break-off, when the bolt is drawn inwards and disengaged from tlie recess in
the breech chamber or barrels, and the said chamber or barrels can be raised
for loading.
My improvements may be applied both to single and double barrelled
breech-loading fire-arms.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Augustus Braendlin in the Great Seal Patent Office
the 22nd February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
AUGUSTUS BRAENDLIN, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mechanical
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Francis Augustus Braendlin, Her special licence that I, the said Francis
Augustus Braendlin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Francis Augustus Braendlin, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Francis Augustus Braendlin, my executors or ad-

page_text: ministrators, 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 Francis Augustus Braendlin, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
.
My Invention consists, firstly, in constructing in the manner herein-after
described breech-loading fire-arms in which the barrels turn upon a joint on
the fore part of the body, the breech ends of the barrels bearing against the
face of the break-off during discharge, and being raised from the break-off for
loading, the object of this part of my Invention being to prevent, on discharge,
the escape of gas at the breech. The barrels turn upon a joint on the body
of the break-off in the ordinary way. I hollow out the break-off in a line
with the axes of the barrels, so as to form short annular chambers, and I
insert in the short chambers thus formed expanding rings or valves. The
ends of the valves or rings are flush with the face of the break-off, or the
expanding rings or valves may project from the face of the break-off. In this
case the breech ends of the barrels have recesses in them, into which recesses
the projecting ends of the rings or valves enter when the barrels are forced
against the break-off. When expanding rings or valves of the kind last
described are used, the barrels, in addition to their vertical motion upon a
joint, are made capable of.. a sliding longitudinal motion to and from the
break-off in order to make the ends of the barrels engage with the projecting
ends of the rings or valves, or be withdrawn therefrom; this sliding motion
of the barrels may be effected in various ways. The expanding rings or
valves may be situated in the breech ends of the barrels instead of in the
break-off. By the use of the expanding rings or valves a tight junction
between the ends of the barrels and the face of the break-off is effected on the
discharge of the fire-arm, and the escape of gas between the ends of the said
barrels and face of the break-off thereby prevented.
My. Invention consists, secondly, in fixing down, in the manner herein-after
described, the barrels of fire-arms of the kind already described, and also the
moveable breach chambers of fire-arms having fixed barrels, the said breech
chambers turning upon joints on the said fixed barrels. Through the break-off

page_text: against which the end of the breech chamber or barrels bear a spring bolt
works, the end of the said bolt engaging with a recess or opening in the
breech chamber or in a lump on the under side of the barrels. The said bolt
is connected to the cranked end of a lever, the cranked part of the said lever
being jointed to the end of the said bolt. The other part or arm of the cranked
lever is made in the form of a nearly fiat finger plate which bears upon the
tang of the break-off; the bolt is pressed forward by means of a flat spring
connected by a swivel joint to the cranked part of the lever. When the
breech chamber or barrels are shut down, the face of the said chamber or ends
of the barrels bear against the inclined end of the bolt, and press the said bolt
inwards, and allow the breech chamber or barrels to be shut down. The
breech chamber or barrels being shut down, the bolt is pressed forward by the
spring acting on the cranked part of the lever, and the said chamber or barrels
are firmly locked down against the face of the break-off. To unlock the
chamber or barrels it is only necessary to raise the finger plate of the cranked
lever from the tang of the break-off, when the bolt is drawn inwards and
disengaged from the recess in the breech chamber or barrels, and the said
chamber or barrels can be raised for loading. My improvements may be
applied both to single and double barrelled breech-loading fire-arms.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent a portion of a double-barrelled breech-
loading gun in which my improvements are combined; Figure 1 represents a
longitudinal vertical section of the gun (the stock and other parts being
omitted), the barrels being fixed or locked down for firing; Figure 2 repre-
sents the said gun, the parts having the positions which they respectively
occupy when the barrels have been unfastened and raised from the break-off
for charging; Figures 3 and 4 represent horizontal sections of the barrels and
break-off'; and Figure 5 represents separate views of the locking bolt of the
gun, Figures 1 and 2. The same letters of reference are employed to indicate
the same parts in the several Figures of the Drawing.
⚫u are the barrels turuing upon a joint 6 on the fore part of the body c; d is
the break-off, against the face of which the breech ends of the barrels a bear
when the said barrels are shut down. I prevent the escape of gas on discharge
between the ends of the barrels a and face of the break-off d in the following
manner: In the said break-off d I make or hollow out short annular cham-
bere, marked e, e, the said chambers being in a line with the axes of the

page_text: barrels a. Ath, in the axis of each chamber, is a passage which communicates
with a nipple by which the barrel is discharged. One of these nipples is indi-
cnted in dotted lines in Figure 1. I insert in the said chambers e expanding
rings or annular valves f,f, (see Figure 3,) the front of the said rings or valves
being flush with the face of the break-off d. One of the rings or valves fis
shewn separately in Figure 3. The front of the said expanding rings or valves
has a shoulder or flange f2, the front of which shoulder bears against the
breech ends of the barrels a when the said barrels are brought down against
the face of the break-off d, as represented in Figure 3. The size of the
opening in front of the rings or valves f is equal to the bore of the barrels a.
When the gun provided with the expanding rings or valves f,f, is discharged
the gases from the explosion acting against the inner face of the shoulder or
flange f of the rings or valves f force the said rings or valves outwards from
the break-off against the breech ends of the barrels a. A tight junction
between the ends of the barrels and the break-off is thereby effected, and the
escape of gas between the ends of the barrels and break-off is prevented.
Instead of making the expanding rings or valves f. f, with a shoulder or
flange against which the gases act, as represented in Figure 3, the said
rings or valves may be made of the shape represented in Figure 4, in which
Figure the rings or valves are marked g. When the rings or valves are made
of the form represented in Figure 4 the gases from the explosion act against
the annular recess gs in the inner side of the said rings or valves and force the
said rings or valves against the breech ends of the barrels. The expanding
rings or valves may be placed in the breech ends of the barrels instead of in
the break-off. In this case the ends of the barrels are provided with recesses
in which the said rings or valves are placed, and on the discharge of the gun
they are forced by the explosion against the break-off d. Instead of making
the edges of the rings or valves ƒ and g flush with the face of the break-off, as
represented in Figures 3 and 4, they may project a short distance beyond the
break-off. When rings or valves of this kind are used the breech ends of the
barrels have recesses made in them, into which recesses the projecting ends of
the rings or valves may enter when the barrels are forced against the break-off.
The barrels a in this case must be capable of a longitudinal sliding motion to
and from the break-off d in addition to the said barrels turning on their joint b.
This sliding motion is necessary in order to withdraw the ends of the barrels
from the projecting ends of the rings or valves when the barrels are required
to be raised from the break-off for charging, and to re-engage the said ends of
the barrels with the ends of the rings or valves for discharge. The sliding

page_text: and the sides of the bolt i,
some play upon the pin p³ to
The bolt i is pressed forward,
motion of the barrels may be effected by any of the well-known methods that
may be found convenient for the purpose. I fix or bolt down the barrels a
against the break-off d for discharge, and liberate the said barrels from the
break-off for loading, in the following manner :-Through the lower part of
the break-off d a horizontal bolt i slides, the front end of which bolt is bevilled,
as represented. The bevilled end of the bolt i engages in a recess k³ in the
lump k on the under side of the breech ends of the barrels a and locks or fixes.
down the said barrels. The end of the bolt i external to the break-off dis
connected to the cranked end of the cranked lever 1, P, the said lever turning
on a horizontal axis m. The part or arm 7 is made in the form of a nearly
flat finger plate which bears upon the tang d² of the break-off d. The lever 1, 1,
and bolt i are shewn detached from the gun in side elevation and plan in
Figure 5. The rear end of the bolt i has a slot at 1, and in the said slot the
bottom of the cranked end of the lever l,, works, being jointed thereto by
a pin p passed through the slot o in the said end
as represented in the Drawing. The slot o has
permit of the required motion of the lever 1, P.
when at liberty to move, by means of a spring p connected by a swivel joint q
to the cranked part of the lever 1, . When the parts of the gun are in the
respective positions represented in Figure 1 the gun is ready for discharge.
To release the barrels a from the break-off' d for charging, the finger plate / is
lifted from the tang d, the bolt i is thereby drawn into the break-off d, and
the bevilled end of the said bolt disengaged from the recess k³ in the lump k,
and the barrels unfastened. The barrels a then turn upon their joint 6 and
lift their breech ends from the break-off, the several parts of the gun assuming
the relative positions represented in Figure 2. The finger being removed from
the plate it is pressed against the tang d and the bevilled end of the bolt
shot forward into the opening in the body c by the action of the spring p on
the cranked part of the lever 1, 1. After charging the barrels a they are
shut down against the face of the break-off d and body c. During this motion
of the barrels a the end of the lump k nearest the. break-off strikes against the
bevilled end of the bolt i, which is now in the opening r, and presses back the
said end into the break-off d until the recess in the said lump k comes
opposite the end of the bolt, when the said bolt springs forward, its bevilled
end engaging in the recess and fixing down the barrels, as represented in
Figure 1.
The spring p, Figures 1 and 2, by which the advancing motion of the bolt i is
effected, may be situated outside the tang instead of on the under side of the said

page_text: tang. This modification of my Invention is represented in Figures 6 and 7,
Figure 6 being a longtitudinal vertical section of a portion of a gun, and Figure 7
a plan of the body and break-off of the same. Figure 8 represents an end
elevation of the face of the breech ends of the barrels, and Figure 9 represents
an elevation of the cranked lever separately. In this modification the spring s
is fixed by a screw't to the upper side of the tang d³, the free end of the
said spring acting directly upon the cranked part of the lever 1, 1, instead
of being connected thereto by a swivel joint, as in Figures 1 and 2. The shape
of the finger plate and arm 1, Figures 6, 7, and 9, is somewhat different from
the plate and arm & Figures 1, 2, and 5; but in all other respects the locking
mechanism of the gun, Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9, resembles that of the gun,
Figures 1, 2, and 3, and the parts in Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9, are marked with
the same letters as corresponding parts in Figures 1, 2, and 5.
Although I have only represented the fixing or bolting mechanism con-
stituting the second part of my Invention as applied to a breech-loading gun,
the barrels of which turn upon a joint in a vertical plane, yet the said bolting
mechanism may be applied to the bolting or fixing down of the moveable
breech chambers of such breech-loading fire-arms as have breech chambers
turning upon joints on fixed barrels, the said breech chambers being capable
of being placed in a line with the axes of the fixed barrels for discharge, and
lifted from the said barrels for loading. But as the application of this part of
my Invention to the bolting or fixing down and liberating of the moveable
breech chambers of fire-arms having fixed barrels does not differ in any
essential respect from its application to the fire-arms herein described, I do
not think a further description necessary, excepting to remark that the
locking bolt, instead of engaging with a lump on the under side of the barrels,
engages with a recess in the back of the moveable breech chamber.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may
be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention. But I claim
as my Invention,-
Firstly, the improvements herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing in preventing the escape of gas at the breech on dis-
charge in such breech-loading fire-arms as turn in a vertical plane upon a joint
on the fore-part of the body, that is to say, by means of expanding rings or
annular valves, situated in chambers in the break-off or in the open breech ends
of the barrels, the said rings or valves, on discharge, being forced either against

page_text: the ends of the barrels or against the face of the break-off, and the escape of
gas between the said break-off and ends of the barrels thus prevented.
Secondly, the improvements herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing in bolting or fixing down and releasing the barrels of
such breech-loading fire-arms as turn in a vertical plane upon a joint on the
fore-part of the body, and also in bolting or fixing down and releasing the
moveable breech chambers of fire-arms having fixed barrels, that is to say, by
means of a cranked lever, worked from the tang of the break-off, and con-
nected with the rear end of the fixing down, as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Augustus Braendlin, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
F. A. BRAENDLIN. (L.s.)