IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," No. 12, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A communication from abroad by James
Connectiont United States of America.
T
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st
May 1864.
I, GEORGE HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 12, South-
ampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a communication, to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to breech-loading fire-arms, and said Invention
consists chiefly in the breech cap hinged at the extremity of the barrel, so
arranged with reference to other parts that said breech cap cannot be moved
longitudinally by the expansive force of the charge; in the means adopted for
securing the breech cap firmly in position when closed without preventing its
being readily opened; and in the devices employed for extracting the metallic

page_text: cartridge case after the discharge. Upon the breech end of the barrel is
firmly fixed a ring or band provided with an enlargement at the left side,
which forms a part of the hinge of the breech cap, and with a tongue which is
extended rearward and secured in the stock. A groove is formed in the
breech
спр which fits closely over the ring or band. Immediately in the rear
of the barrel a notch is cut in the tongue and in the stock on either side of
the said tongue, into which notch a part of the lower portion of the breech cap
fits when the latter is closed, a portion of said breech cap extending in the
rear of the notch, and resting upon the tongue and stock. The breech cap
turns upon a binge formed on the left side, and is secured down by a pin
fitted in said breech cap, and forced into a hole formed in the ring or band by
means of a spring. Other suitable means may be employed for this purpose,
the object being to securely retain the breech cap in place when closed without
preventing its being readily opened by means of a projection or lip formed on
the right side of the breech cap for the purpose. There is a rim formed on
the breech end of the barrel extending slightly in the rear of the ring or band,
said rim being cut away for a short distance at the top, and for a longer
distance at the left side. Through the latter space moves a curved wedge-
shaped eccentric secured to the breech cap. On opening the breech cap the
outer edge of this eccentric acting as a wedge is carried in front of the rim
which extends around the end of the metallic cartridge case, by which means
the latter is drawn from the barrel sufficiently far to be easily removed with
the fingers. Instead of this mode of removing the metallic case after the
discharge or in combination with the eccentric, may be employed a pin
inserted in the stock directly under the breech cap acting against a spring.
When the cartridge case is put into the barrel by closing the breech cap, the
cartridge with the pin in front of the rim before mentioned is forced forward,
the pin passing into an aperture formed in the lower part of the breech cap.
When the cap is opened the force of the spring carries the cartridge case
which has been started by the eccentric away from the barrel, avoiding the
necessity of using the fingers for this purpose. The fulminating material is
placed in the cartridge case, and the cartridge is exploded by means of a
piston or rod extending through the breech cap, said piston being acted upon
by a hammer of the ordinary description. This piston or rod when the
hammer is removed is forced back by a spring.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said George Haseltine
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 12, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Haseltine, Her special licence that I, the said George
Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said George Haseltine, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," a communication, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Haseltine, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their bands 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 George Haseltine, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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 accompanying Drawings making a part
of this Specification:-
These improvements relate to breech-loading fire-arms, and the said Inven-
tion consists, first, in a breech cap hinged at the extremity of the barrel, so
arranged with reference to other parts that said breech cap cannot be moved
longitudinally by the expansive force of the charge; second, in the devices
adopted for securing the breech cap firmly in position when closed without
preventing its being readily opened; and, third, in the means employed for
extracting the metallic cartridge case after the discharge.

page_text: Figure 1 is a side view of a fire-arm with my improvements suowing the
breech cap partially open and the hammer at half cock; Figure 2, a side
view with a longitudinal section of the breech and a portion of the barrel, the
cartridge being in position and the hammer at full cock, ready for a discharge;
Figure 3, a plan of the same; Figure 4 is a side elevation showing the position
of the bammer after discharge; Figure 5 is a transverse section at the line a, a,
Figure 2; Figure 6 is a detached view of a wedge cam for withdrawing the
cartridge case after the discharge; Figure 7, a detached view of a wedge cam
of a modified form for the same purpose; Figure 8 is a view of one of the
devices employed for securing the breech cap. Like letters refer to corre-
sponding parts in all the Figures.
Upon the breech end of the barrel A is firmly fixed a ring or band B with
an enlargement at the left side, which forms a portion of the hinge for the
breech cap C, clearly shown in Figure 3. A tongue a formed on the ring B
extends rearward, as shown in Figure 3, and is secured to the stock of the
fire-arm in any convenient manner. A recess is formed in the breech cap C,
as shown in Figure 1, corresponding with the size of the ring B on the
barrel A. By this construction the rim on the outer edge of the breech cap C
when the latter is shut down fits closely over the ring or band B, with the
under portion resting upon the barrel A. This in combination with the parts
elsewhere described effectually prevents any longitudinal movement of the
breech cap C by the expansive force of the charge. In addition to this means
of averting all danger of the breech cap being moved by the expansive force
of the charge, the projecting part d of said breech cap when closed fits into a
notch c cut in the stock, the tongue a also being hollowed out for the purpose
of admitting said projecting part, as shown in Figure 1 and 2. When the
breech cap C is closed a portion of the same extending in the rear of the
notch c rests upon the tongue a and the stock of the fire-arm, as clearly shown
in Figure 2. The breech cap C turns upon a hinge on the left side of the
fire-arm. One part of this hinge is formed on the breech cap and the other
on the ring or band B, the two being united by a pin e, clearly shown in
Figure 5. The breech cap is secured when closed by a pin f fitted in said
breech cap, and forced into a hole formed in the ring or band B by means of
a spring, as shown in Figure 5, or may be secured by a projection formed on
the knob D, Figure 1. When the breech cap is shut down this projection is
pressed into the notch cut in the ring or band at h by means of the spring

page_text: shown in dotted lines. To open the breech when fastened in this manner it
will be necessary to pull out the knob D a short distance to allow the pro-
jection to clear the notch at h before throwing back the breech cap. When
secured by this method it is impossible for the breech cap to be thrown open
by accident. Another mode of fastening the breech cap down is shown in
Figure 8, where the knob D with its projection g turns on a pivot i, and is
force.l into the notch at h by the spring j attached to the knob D on the
opposite side to the projection g. In this latter method it is only necessary to
pull back the knob D before throwing open the breech cap. Other suitable
means may be employed for this purpose, the object being to securely retain
the breech cap in place when closed. There is a ring or boss k formed on the
breech end of the barrel A extending slightly further back than the ring or
band B, said ring or boss being cut away at the top and left side, as clearly,
shown in Figure 5. Through the side space moves the wedge cam E,
Figures 5 and 6. As shown in Figure 5 this wedge cam is placed between
the two portious of the hinge, and turns with the breech cap C on the hinge
pin e being attached to the breech cap by a small pin shown in Figure 6;
which fits into a corresponding hole in the side of said breech cap. When the
form shown in Figure 7 is employed, it is fixed directly to the left side of the
breech cap by means of one or more screws, and in the position shewn by
dotted lines in Figure 1. The metallic cartridge case F, Figures 1 and 2, is
formed with a rim, which when in position for discharging, comes in contact
with the ring or boss. When the breech cap is opened after the discharge
the cam E, acting as a wedge, is carried between the rim of the cartridge case
and the end of the barrel, by which means said case is withdrawn from the
barrel sufficient to be easily removed by the fingers or by the spring 1,
Figures 1 and 2. This spring is secured at its extremity in the lower part of
a recess formed in the stock, below the projecting part d of the breech cap C.
When the cartridge case is inserted in the barrel the rim being pressed
against the spring 1 forces it forward into the position shown in Figure 2, tho
ring being cut away at the bottom to admit said spring. This spring may be
made sufficiently strong to withdraw of itself the cartridge case, but the use of
the means above described is preferable. It is not designed to fully insert the
cartridge in the barrel by means of the fingers, which in case a spring 1
sufficiently strong to withdraw. the cartridge case were employed would be
difficult, but the under side of the breech cap C is bevelled off at its edge, as
shown in Figure 1, so that the cartridge case is forced into the required
position by the closing of the breech cap. There may, if desired, be an
aperture or vent hole in the breech cap, as shown in the Drawings. These

page_text: improvements are more especially designed for the use of metallic cartridges
containing their own fulminate. The cartridge F, shown in the Drawings
is exploded by means of the piston or rod H, Figure 2, actuated by the
hammer. The point of this rod come in contact with the edge of the cartridge
case when forced forward by the hammer, and by its concussion ignites the
fulminate. When the hammer is withdrawn the spring m forces back the
piston H. The extent of the movement of the piston H in either direction is
limited by a screw or pin n and the recess in the said piston. The part of the
piston projecting beyond the breech cap C may be surrounded by a cap or
band I, which band extends beyond the end of the piston, and thereby forms a
valuable safeguard against any accidental discharge of the fire-arm when the
hammer is at full or half cock, and being locked by the hammer at the
discharge of the piece also tends considerably to the security of the breech cap
when the charge is exploded.
The lock and stock of this improved fire-arm is of the ordinary construction
and need not therefore be described. These improvements being confined to
the breech of the fire-arm, are especially adapted for employment in the
conversion of muzzle-loading into breech-loading arms.. The conversion is
cheaply effected while the converted arm is little if any inferior to original
breech-loailers.
I now describe more plainly the operation of loading, discharging, and
extracting the empty cartridge case from my improved breech-loading fire-
arm. The hammer is first drawn back from the position shown in Figure 4
to half cock, the breech cap is then thrown open and the metallic cartridge
partially inserted in the barrel, as shown in Figure 1. When closing the
breech cap the bevelled edge of the projecting part d of the same, presses
against the head of the cartridge and forces it into the position shown in
Figure 2; the gun is then discharged in the usual manner, and on opening
the breech cap the wedge cam E withdraws the empty cartridge case a short
distance, when it can be easily removed with the fingers or by the spring
previously described.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of said
improvements as communicated to me from abroad, and shown how the same
may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I wish it
understood that I do not confine myself to the exact form of construction
herein set forth, as this may be considerably changed without essentially
altering the character of my Invention; but I claim,―
First, the breech cap C constructed in the manner and employed for the
purposes, substantially as described.

page_text: Second, the ring or band B in connection with a recess in the breech cap,
substantially as described.
Third, I claim a wedge cam when employed separately or in combination
with the spring when operating in the manner described.
Fourth, a spring catch for securing the breech cap when constructed
substantially in the manner and employed for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and scal, this Thirtieth
day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-four.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)
Witness,
ROWLAND GREEN.