IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, ALSO IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Henry Daw and Perceval
Moses Parsons at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 30th October 1866.
We, GEORGE HENRY DAW, of Threadneedle Street, in the City of London,
and PERCEVAL MOSES PARSONS, of Arthur Street, London Bridge, also in the
City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS, ALSO IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CARTRIDGES AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in breech-loading fire-arms,
also in the manufacture of cartridges and apparatus employed therein.
One part of our Invention consists in an improvement on the Invention
described in the Specification of a Patent granted to one of us, vizt., the said
Perceval Moses Parsons, and dated the 28th day of March 1861 (No. 773).
In this Specification amongst other matters of Invention is described the
employment of a breech closer or plug formed by a bolt or tail piece, having
its front end terminated with a spherical knob or portion of a sphere arranged
in combination with an outside nipple. According to the present Invention
such bolt is constructed to receive within it a needle or spindle, acted on by
the hammer or striker of a lock, thus a fire-arm such as is described in the
said Specification is rendered suitable to discharge cartridges carrying their
igniting composition.
Another improvement is applicable to the Invention described in the Speci-
fication of a Patent granted to one of us, vizt., the aforesaid Perceval Moses

page_text: Parsons, and dated the 9th June 1864 (No. 1431). This improvement
consists in forming the breech plug therein described to receive in the interior
thereof a needle or spindle acted on by a hammer or striker of a lock, in
order as in the previous improvement to render the fire-arm suitable to receive
and discharge cartridges carrying their igniting composition.
Another improvement consists in combining with the breech closers or
plugs described respectively in the Specifications of the Patents aforesaid a
cartridge case extractor, in order that the opening of the breech end of the
barrel by moving such spherical breech closer or the breech plug may cause
the cartridge case extractor to be moved and to draw back the cartridge
case.
Another part of our Invention relates to the construction of cartridges for
such fire-arms; their rear ends are made concave to fit the convex forms of
the breech closer and the breech plug before mentioned, by which the advan-
tage is obtained that the central portion of the end of a cartridge being
recessed the igniting composition is less liable to be struck or displaced.
Another improvement in the manufacture of cartridges consists in intro-
ducing longitudinally in the cartridge cases formed of paper or other material
strips of metal or other strong substance to connect the metallic end of such
cartridge, in order more certainly to combine the metal end or cap with the
body formed of paper or other material, and thus to insure the parts being.
held together when withdrawing the case from the breech of a fire-arm; or
we form the body of the cartridge of a strip or band of metal or wire gauze
wound round spirally, and either combined or not with paper, canvas, or
other similar material.
The improved apparatus employed in the manufacture of cartridges consists
of a hollow cylinder to receive a cartridge, in which cylinder is a slit for a die
or tool to be introduced, which die or tool when the cartridge is caused to
revolve presses on to the forward end of the cartridge case, and closes it on to
the ball or projectile, and rounds or bevels such end of the case.