IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE- ARMS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Norton, of Cork, in the County of Cork,
Ireland, Esquire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-
ARMS."
Sealed the 7th April 1854, and dated the 19th October 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Norton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 19th October 1853.
I, JOHN NORTON, of Cork, in the County of Cork, Ireland, Esquire,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-ARMS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of rifle cannon and other
fire-arms by the single process of casting such arins with the rifle
grooves therein complete, instead of the ordinary process of boring and
separate rifling. The preferable mode of proceeding in casting such
rifled pieces is by taking a wooden core corresponding to the intended
bore of the piece, and setting the same in a wooden box divided into
three separate parts. The first of such parts is fixed, the second is

page_text: arranged to draw from the side, and the third to lift off. The box
filled with plaster of Paris completes the mould for the core. The
piece is cast on end, and the requisite number of rifle grooves are
carried down to within a few inches of the bottom of the box, and are
then brought finely off. The short or missiles used in such pieces are
elongated, expanding, or cylindro-conoidal, similar to those for which
Capt. John Norton has already obtained a grant of Letters Patent.
Malleable cast iron is adopted by preference in such shot. The rifled
core for cannon and other fire-arms may be satisfactorily made from a
tube of brass or gun.metal of the same diameter as the intended bore of
the piece; this tube being in three longitudinal sections well secured
together, and then rifled by the usual machinery as if the tube were a
solid piece. Into this tube the composition of plastic substances used
as the core material is driven hard into the rifled tube, and the sections
of the tube are then drawn asunder.. leaving the completely moulded
core ready for inserting in the cannon mould..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Norton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th April 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN NORTON, of Cork, in the County of Cork, Ireland, Esquire, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Norton, Her special license
that. I, the said John Norton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Norton, my executors, administrators,
or 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

page_text: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Norton,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 John Norton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to the construction of rifle cannon and
other fire-arms by the single process of casting such arms with the rifle
grooves therein complete, instead of by the ordinary process of .boring,
and separate and subsequent rifling. The preferable mode of proceeding
in casting such rifled picces is by taking a wooden core corresponding
to the intended bore of the piece, and setting the same in a wooden
box divided into three separate parts. The first of such parts is fixed,
the second is arranged to draw from the side, and the third to lift off.
The box filled with plaster of Paris completes the mould for the core.
The piece is cast on end, and the requisite number of rifle grooves are
carried down to within a few inches of the bottom of the box, and then
brought finely off. The shot or missiles used in such pieces are elon-
gated, expanding, or cylindro-conoidal, similar to those for which I
have already obtained a grant of British Letters Patent, in the year One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two. Malleable cast iron is adopted
by preference in such shot, so that the expanding and accurate self-
fitting of the shot to the rifle grooves may be more complete. The rifled.
core for cannon and other fire-arms may be satisfactorily made from a
tube of brass or gun metal of the same diameter as the intended bore
of the piece: this tube being in three longitudinal sections well secured
together, and then rifled by the usual machinery as if the tube were in a.
solid piece. Into this rifled tube the composition of plastic substances

page_text: used as the core material is driven hard down, and the sections of the
tube are then drawn asunder, leaving the completely moulded core ready
for inserting in the cannon mould.
And in order that my said may be properly understood I shall now
proceed to describe the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto attached. Figure 1, on my Sheet of Drawings is a complete
external plan of one form of core-box or moulding apparatus which I
employ for shaping or producing the rifled cores to be used in coring
out or forming the internal rifled surface of a cannon. Figure 2, is an
external end elevation of this core-box as looking on the open or mouth
end of the box. Figure 3, is a longitudinal view of the section A, of
the core-box, with its sections B, C, removed so as to exhibit the interior
of the core shaping surface. Figure 4, is a longitudinal edge or side
elevation of the core-box in correspondence with the plan Figure 1.
Figure 5, is an end view of the core-box, looking on the closed portion
thereof. Figure 6, is a transwerse section of the core-box, taken at
the part indicated by the dotted line a, b, in Figure 4, being at the
junction of the rifled portion with the plain cylindrical steadying ter-
minal piece, the encircling holding boards being removed. Figure 7,
is a similar transverse section at the line c, d, in Figure 4, showing the
binding or holding details in position. Figure 8, is a transverse section
of the moulded core itself, taken at the dotted line e, f, in Figure 9.
Figure 9, is longitudinal elevation of the completed core, as removed
from its mould-box. Figure 10, is a plan of a gun as cast with four
rifled grooves by the aid of the apparatus already referred to. Figure
11, is a mouth end elevation of the gun; and Figure 12, is a longi-
tudinal section of the same corresponding.
In this modification of my improved arrangements the core-box for
the intended rifle core is composed of three separate longitudinal sec-
tional pieces A, B, C, the two parts B, C, being brought into contact
laterally with a plain straight junction line, whilst the third one A,
answers as a species of cap, and is contrived to slip down upon the
other two, forming an angular checked junction line. These three
pieces, being first planed or otherwise prepared with accurately fitting
junction surfaces radiating from the centre, are firmly held toge-

page_text: And
ther or bound up to form one mass in any convenient manner.
this composite mass is then bored out and rifled in the usual way,
one end being bored out plain as at G, to form the cylindrical end
bearing of the core, whilst the other end has a plain cylindrical portion
H, for the breach. In the present instance I have supposed the piece
to be rifled with four grooves, the pitch of the rifle spiral being after
the rate of one complete turn in eight feet of the cannon's length.
When so rifled the core-box is as accurately formed as if it were rifled
in a single piece, and it may be separated and rebound up at pleasure,
always fitting accurately at its joints. When it is to be used for
moulding a core it is tightly bound up by the three encircling bands
D, E, F, the two outer bands D, F, being simply passed tight upon
the slightly tapered ends of the box, whilst the central band E, is
keyed or wedged up fast with separate wedge pieces. In this con-
dition the plaster of Paris or other plastic material to form the substance
of the core is driven or forced hard down into the core-box, and the
sections of the box being thereafter taken asunder, the finished core so
moulded is left clear for use as represented in Figure 9. When dressed
off, the core is inserted in the actual cannon mould prepared in the
usual way; and the piece, as at Figure 10, is cast in a completely rifled
state. The cannon cast in this way when dressed is ready for use
without any subsequent rifling treatment. For the rifle grooves I
prefer to use four equi-distant spiral channels I, of considerable depth,
the bearing surface being equal in surface to the breadth of the actual
grooves. This system of manufacture is applicable to all cast guns, and
by its adoption accurately rifled pieces are obtainable at at a very cheap
rate. The accuracy of performance of such guns being very superior
to any smooth bore guns, it is intended that all cast metal guns should
be thus made so as to render the practice of rifle gunnery universal.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made
therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of my

page_text: Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangements and construction of fire-arms, as
herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of manufacturing or producing rifled
fire-arms by casting the rifled grooves or channels therein.
Third, the manufacture of rifled fire-arms by the operation of mould-
ing and casting.
Fourth, the system or mode of producing rifled core-boxes by rifling
the sections or division pieces of such boxes in a state of combination.
Fifth, the application and use in the nianufacture of fire-arms of
rifled cores.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Norton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of April, in the
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
year