IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Westley Richards, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING
FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 25th January 1867, and dated the 28th July 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Westley Richards at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th July 1866.
I, WESTLEY RICHARDS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 25th day of
March 1858, No. 633, was described a breech-loading fire-arm in which a
chamber or box at the breech was opened by turning up a lever on an axis at
right angles to the barrel; this lever carried a block capable of sliding
endwise upon it; when the lever was turned down the sliding block filled up
the chamber or box, a plug at the front of the block closed the breech end
of the barrel and supported the rear end of the cartridge, and when the
cartridge was exploded the back of the block bore against the back of the
chamber or box.
According to my present Invention in place of the back face of the sliding

page_text: block on the lever bearing against this abutment I hinge to the under side of
the lever at a short distance in rear of the sliding block a wedge-shaped piece,
which tapers downwards away from the lever; the back face of this wedge
piece when the lever is turned down bears against the face of the abutment
that takes the recoil (this face being at right angles to the axis of the barrel),
and the space between the back face of the sliding block and the wedge piece
is then filled up by another wedge piece hinged to the bottom of the chamber,
one face of this wedge piece being formed with an incline to correspond with
the incline on the wedge piece hinged to the lever. By this means when the
cartridge in the barrel is exploded the sliding block on the lever will not
move a distance backwards as heretofore, but will be held by the two wedge-
pieces firmly against the rear end of the cartridge.
Another improvement consists in grooving out the centre of the abutment
(that supports the recoil of the sliding block on the lever) from the top so as
to form a continuation of the passage through the barrel, in order that both
in loading and extracting the exploded cartridge the cartridge case may be
moved straight both into and out of the open end of the barrel. When a
wedgo piece is employed in front of this block then the wedge piece is
similarly cut away to facilitate the introduction and withdrawal of a cartridge.
By this means the length of the sliding block on the lever may be decreased.
Another improvement consists in combining with the sliding block a striker
that moves parallel with the axis of the barrel; the striker has on it a
projecting piece which projects out from one or other side of the block; this
projecting piece is struck by the hammer of the lock to force the striker
forward to explode a cap or other percussion arrangement in the rear end of
the cartridge in the barrel, and the striker is brought back either by a lever
and inclined plane attached to the cock, or by a spring similar to a sear spring
as described in the Provisional Specification of a Patent granted to me on the
6th day of March 1866 (No. 688); the spring is arranged either to act
directly or by an interposed piece on the projections on the striker; or in
place of the arrangement for forcing forward the striker the striker may be
driven forward by an oblique "driver" as herein-after described.
According to this Invention I also form the strikers of what are known as
central-fire fire-arms flat on the face which strikes the cap or other percussion
arrangement of the cartridge, and of a diameter equal to the diameter of the
cap; I also arrange that this flat face of the striker (which is arranged to
move parallel with the axis of the barrel) shall when not forced forward be
fiush with the surface of the block or instrument that comes behind the rear
end of the cartridge; the rear end of the striker is for this purpose arranged

page_text: to come against a suitable stop or abutment. By so arranging the striker of
central-fire fire-arms, when the striker explodes the cap of the cartridge the
striker will be forced back by the cap until its rear end bears against its stop
or abutment; the forward flat face of the striker will then support the back
of the cap in place of the cap being supported as heretofore by the face of the
block or instrument that supports the cartridge. With this arrangement the
striker need not in all cases be provided with a spring to bring it back, as it
is forced back by the cap.
In double-barrel guns where the breech is opened by the barrels being
turned downwards on a hinge, I arrange the strikers to move parallel
with the axis of the barrels, and form them by preference in the manner
above described. To drive forward the striker to eplode the cap of, the
cartridge I cause the hammer of the lock to strike a "driver" piece
which passes down obliquely to the striker. Each striker has a notch formed
in its upper side at a point intermediate of its length, and the lower end of
the piece struck by the hammer is caused to act on the forward end of the
notch in the striker, so that when the piece struck by the hammer is driven
down its end forces the striker forwards and explodes the cap. I prefer to
arrange that the oblique pieces above mentioned should be struck by the neck
of the cock or bammer, as by so doing the fire-arm may, without removing
the striker, be used with a pin cartridge. The face of the hammer is employed
for striking the pin of such cartridge, and the hammer is so formed as to
strike the pin of a pin cartridge when such is employed before it has
descended low enough to strike forward the horizontal striker used for igniting
central-fire cartridges.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Westley Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WESTLEY
RICHARDS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Westley Richards, Her special licence that I, the said Westley
Richards, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Westley Richards, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at

page_text: 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Westley Richards, my executors or administrators, 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 Westley Richards, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on the 25th day of
March 1858 (No. 633) was described a breech-loading fire-arm in which a
chamber or box at the breech was opened by turning up a lever on an axis at
right angles to the barrel; this lever carried a block capable of sliding end-
wise upon it; when the lever was turned down the sliding block filled up the
chamber or box, a plug at the front of the block closed the breech end of the
barrel and supported the rear end of the cartridge, and when the cartridge
was exploded the back of the block bore against the back of the chamber or
box.
According to my present Invention in place of the back face of the sliding
block on the lever bearing against this abutment I hinge to the under side of
the lever at a short distance in rear of the sliding block a wedge-shaped piece
which tapers downwards away from the lever; the back face of this wedge
piece when the lever is turned down bears against the face of the abutment
that takes the recoil (this face being at right angles to the axis of the barrel),
and the space between the back face of the sliding block and the wedge piece is
then filled up by another wedge piece hinged to the bottom of the chamber, one
face of this wedge piece being formed with an incline to correspond with the
incline on the wedge piece hinged to the lever. By this means when the
cartridge in the barrel is exploded the sliding block on the lever will be held
by the two wedge pieces firmly against the rear end of the cartridge; or in
place of two wedges one wedge can be used, the wedge being a segment of a
circle hinged to the back of the block.
Another improvement consists in grooving out the centre of the abutment

page_text: (that supports the recoil of the sliding block on the lever) from the top so as
to form a continuation of the passage through the barrel in order that both in
loading and extracting the exploded cartridge the cartridge case may be
moved straight both into and out of the open end of the barrel. When a
wedge piece is employed in front of this abutment then the wedge piece is
similarly cut away to facilitate the introduction and withdrawal of the cartridge.
By this means the length of the sliding block on the lever may be decreased.
Another improvement consists in combining with the sliding block a
striker that moves parallel with the axis of the barrel; the striker has on it a
projecting piece which projects out from one or other side of the block; this
projecting piece is struck by the hammer of the lock to force the striker
forward to explode a cap or other percussion arrangement in the rear end of
the cartridge in the barrel, and the striker is brought back by a spring similar
to a sear spring as described in the Provisional Specification to a Patent
granted to me on the 6th day of March 1866 (No. 688); the spring is arranged
either to act directly or by an interposed piece on the projection on the striker;
or in place of this arrangement for forcing forward the striker the striker may
be driven forward by an obliqué driver as herein-after described.
cap.
According to this Invention I also form the strikers of what are known as
central-fire fire-arms flat on the face which strikes the cap or other percussion
arrangement of the cartridge, and of a diameter equal to the diameter of the
I also arrange that this flat face of the striker (which is arranged to
move parallel with the axis of the barrel) shall when not forced forward be
flush with the surface of the block or instrument that comes behind the rear
end of the cartridge; the rear end of the striker is for this purpose arranged
to come against a suitable stop or abutment. By so arranging the striker
of central-fire fire-arms when the striker explodes the cap of the cartridge.
the striker will be forced back by the cap until its rear end bears against
its stop or abutment, the forward flat face of the striker will then support the
back of the cap in place of the cap being supported as heretofore by the face
of the block or instrument that supports the cartridge. With this arrange-
ment the striker need not in all cases be provided with a spring to bring it
back as it is forced back by the cap.
In double-barrel guns where the breech is opened by the barrels being
turned downwards on a hinge, I arrange the strikers to move parallel with
the axis of the barrels, and form them by preference in the mauner above
described. To drive forward the striker to explode the cap of the cartridge I
cause the hammer of the lock to strike a "driver" piece which passes down
obliquely to the striker. Each striker has a notch formed in its upper side at-

page_text: a point intermediate of its length, and the lower end of the piece struck by the
hammer is caused to act on the forward end of the notch in the striker, so
that when the piece struck by the hammer is driven down its end forces the
striker forwards and explodes the cap. I prefer to arrange that the oblique
pieces above mentioned should be struck by the neck of the cock or hammer,
as by so doing the fire-arm may, without removing the striker, be used with
pin cartridge; the face of the hammer is employed for striking the pin
of such cartridges, and the hammer is so formed as to strike the pin of a
pin cartridge when such is employed before it has descended low enough to
strike forward the horizontal striker used for igniting central-fire cartridges.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
a
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 show views of my breech-loading arrangement,
wherein what I have above called the sliding block is wedged or locked
securely, so that its forward end is against the back of the cartridge, and so
that it is unable to move back on the explosion taking place. Figure 1 is a
side view of the breech arrangement; Figure 2 a longitudinal section shewing
the breech open; Figure 3 a longitudinal section with the breech closed;
and Figure 4 a plan of the same. In these Figures a is a body piece which
screws on to the breech end of the barrel, and which is fitted into the wooden
stock; this body piece carries the breech-loading arrangement; it is formed
as described in the Provisional Specification to a Patent granted to me on the
8th day of December 1866 (No. 3243), in such manner that the rearmost
portion of the bore is formed in the body piece itself, as shown. The breech-
loading arrangement is, as described in my said former Specification of the
25th day of March 1858, composed of a lever b which carries a block o
capable of a slight endway play; but in place of the back end of the block
coming back when the breech is closed against an abutment, a wedge piece d
is hinged to the lever at a short distance in rear of the block. The back face
of this wedge piece comes against the abutment a¹ formed by the rear end of
the body piece, and the space between the wedge piece d and the block c is
filled up by another wedge piece e hinged to the body, the two wedges acting
together wedge forward the block c and lock it securely in such manner that
it does not move back as heretofore. The sliding block c of the breech-loading
rangement shown in the Figures above mentioned is also fitted with a
striker acted on by an oblique driver g as herein-before described, and the
striker itself is also formed with a flat striking face, which supports the back

page_text: of the cap on the explosion taking place; this flat face of the striker when
the striker is in its rearmost position is flush with the front face of the block,
the striker being prevented from moving further back by the screw h, as
shown. In some cases the striker may be brought back to its original position
on the lever b being turned up to open the breech, and this may be effected
by the projection on the striker then coming against a lever or stop, or other
arrangements may be adopted for bringing back the striker; but in other
cases no such mechanism is required, as the striker will be forced back by the
cap on the explosion taking place. The abutment a¹ at the rear end of the
body and the wedge piece c in front of it are also as above described grooved
out in the centre so as to form a continuation of the channel through the
barrel to allow of a cartridge case being pushed straight either into or out of
the bore of the barrel.
In place of employing two wedge pieces as in the arrangement above
described a single wedge or locking piece hinged to the rear end of the block c
inay be employed, as shown at Figures 5, 6, and 7; Figure 5 being a side
view of this arrangement; Figure 6 a longitudinal section shewing the breech
open, and Figure 7 a plan of the same. The block c in this arrangement
turns on a hinge joint carried by a sliding piece capable of sliding in guides
on the top of the body; this allows of the back edge of the slide c³ being used
as an extractor to withdraw the empty cartridge case, the slide c² being for
this purpose drawn backwards after that the breech block has been turned up.
When the block c is turned down to close the breech it is locked by turning
down behind it the curved wedge or locking piece d which is hinged to the
rear end of the block near its under side, the front face of the locking piece
working against the rear end of this block, and the back face of the locking
piece coming against the abutment a' formed at the rear end of the body as
shown. As the curves of the back and front faces of this wedge piece are
each struck from a short radius as compared with their distance from the
centre upon which the block c turns, and as the point from which they are
struck is also below this centre, the block c is securely locked and prevented
both from turning upwards on its hinge joint and also from moving back on
the explosion taking place; the wedge or locking piece d is furnished with a
lever handle by which it can be turned. The abutment a' at the back end
of the body is hollowed out as in the arrangement first described to facilitate
the introduction or withdrawal of å cartridge into or from the barrel. The
block c in this arrangement is fitted with a striker f, which has upon it a
projection which is struck directly by the bammer; the striker also works
parallel to and in a line with the axis of the barrel, and its forward face is

page_text: formed flat and of such a width as to support the back of the cap on the
explosion taking place. Figures 8 and 9 show my improved arrangement of
striker adapted to double-barrel guns in which the breech is opened by turning
the barrels downward on a hinge. a, a, are the strikers, received in holes
bored in the breech-plate b; the forward face of the strikers is made flat and
of a sufficient size to support the back of the cap on the cartridge being
exploded, and the back of each striker is arranged to come against a collar or
stop when the face of the striker is flush with the face of the breech-plate.
Each striker is combined with an oblique driver c, the upper end of which is
struck by the hammer, and when so struck its lower end acts on the striker
by suitable inclines, as shown, and drives it forward. When the explosion
takes place the back of the cap presses on the face of the striker, and as the
back of the cap is supported by the striker the force with which the cap is
driven back is sufficient to bring back the driver against its abutment. No
spring is therefore required to bring back these strikers. The "driver," as
shown, is struck by the neck of the hammér, as herein-before explained, to
allow of the face of the hammer being employed for exploding a pin cartridge,
as is usual when pin cartridges are used; so that by this arrangement either
a pin cartridge or a central-fire cartridge may be employed.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein described; but what I claim is, the
combining with a lever and sliding block for closing the breech of the barrel,
as is described in the Specification of my former Patent, No. 633, in the year
1858, wedging instruments to set and hold the face of the block up to the
breech end of the barrel, as herein described.
I also claim the modification of the above arrangement described in respect
to Figures 5, 6, and 7.
I also claim in constructing fire-arms in which the breech is closed by a
block, as described in the Specification of my said former Patent, the grooving
out the abutment that supports the recoil of the block to facilitate the
introduction of the cartridge, as herein described.
I also claim in constructing fire-arms in which the breech is closed by a
sliding block, as is described in the Specification of my said former Patent,
the combining with such block a striker to explode the cartridge; such striker
moving parallel with the axis of the barrel, and having upon it at one side a
projection which the hammer strikes, as herein described.
I also claim in central-fire fire-arms the arranging the strikers flat on the
face, and so that the striker after exploding the cap of the cartridge rests on a

page_text: solid abutment so as to support the cap of the cartridge and prevent its
fracture, as herein described.
I also claim the constructing the strikers of central-fire fire-arms without
springs, and in such manner that on firing they may be driven back by the
cap of the cartridge, as described.
I also claim the arranging the strikers of central-fire fire-arms moving
parallel to the axis of the barrel in such manner as to be acted on by a driver
piece struck by the hammer of the lock, such driver piece passing in an
oblique direction down to the striker.
I also claim the arranging breech-loading fire-arms as herein described, so
that they may be used either with central-fire or pin cartridges.
In witness whereof, I, the said Westley Richards, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WESTLEY RICHARDS. (L.S.)