AN IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES ADAPTED TO SUCH ARMS
Year: 1867

page_text: "AN IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES ADAPTED
TO SUCH ARMS."
Sealed the 2nd August 1867, and dated the 5th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaac Morris Milbank at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th June 1867.
I, ISAAC MORRIS MILBANK, of Greenfield Hill, in the State of Connecticut,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES ADAPTED
TO SUCH ARMS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in a breech block hinged near the rear end of the
barrel, the said barrel opening at the breech into a groove or channel in the
metal parts that connect the barrel and stock, and into which groove the breech
block swings when the breech is closed. In order to sustain the breech against
the explosion I provide a cross mortice through the said breech block, in which
is a sliding bolt that enters a mortice in the metal below it, so that the recoil
is taken on that bolt, and the breech cannot be opened until the bolt is with-

page_text: drawn; this is effected by taking bold of the upper end of the bolt, or by a
lever having its fulcrum on the said bolt, and the short end of the lever acting
against the surface of the breech block; a spring throws the bolt down when
the breech is closed. I make use of a retractor set in a mortice in the front
end of the breech pin and moving on a fulcrum pin, and pressed downward by
a spring, and this retractor has a claw that takes the flanged base of the sheet
metal cartridge case to draw the same out of the barrel, the peculiar feature
of this retractor being a segmental projection that is formed on the claw, and
occupies a groove in the front end of the breech pin and sustains the shect
metal of the cartridge case, and prevents there being any opening in the
abutment behind the cartridge into which the sheet metal might bend and
break under pressure of the explosion.
The cartridges that I employ are formed of a thin sheet metal case adapted
to receive powder, and either shot or balls, and the case is of a size to fit
within the rear end of the barrel, and provided with a flange around the base,
by means of which the claw is enabled to draw the cartridge case out of the
barrel as the breech is opened. The peculiarity of this cartridge (as dis-
tinguished from others and from that shewn in my English Patent of February
23rd, 1867, No. 504,) consists in a disc or bridge soldered or brazed within
the sheet metal case, having a space or cavity between the said disc or bridge
and the sheet metal for the reception of fulminate or detonating material
introduced from the inside of the cartridge before the powder is put into the
-case, thereby the exterior shell is strengthened at the base; there are no
openings through the said case, and the explosion is effected by a blow on the
outside of the case. The bridge or disc becomes an anvil or support for the
fulminate, and causes its explosion by the blow on the outside of the case
without perforating that case. The shape and character of the anvil portion
of, the bridge or disc may be varied. I prefer that a cavity and hole be formed
in the disc, and that this be filled with the fulminate in a semi-fluid state after
the disc is soldered into place, but the fulminate may be introduced in the
form of a semi-liquid or a small wafer between the anvil portion of the disc or
bridge and the base of the cartridge case from the inside of that case, the said
anvil being the base of a cavity, or a projecting screw or stud upon or
sustained by the said bridge
or disc as aforesaid. The sheet metal case not
being injured by the blow in firing the cartridge can be reloaded and used
again by flattening the indentation if necessary.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Isaac Morris Milbank in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISAAC
MORRIS MILBANK, of Greenfield Hill, in the State of Connecticut, United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, A.D. One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her
heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Isaac Morris Milbank,
Her special license that I, the said Isaac Morris Milbank, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Isaac Morris
Milbank, 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 of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN. BREECH-.
LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES ADAPTED TO SUCH ARMS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Isaac Morris Milbank,. 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 Isaac Morris Milbank, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
In Fig. 1 the breech is shown in section as closed, and in Fig. 2 as open;.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the arm with the breech closed. Similar marks of
reference refer to like parts in all the Figs. of the Drawing.
My Invention consists in a breech block a hinged at 6 near the rear end of the
barrel, said barrel opening at the breech into a groove or channel in the metal
parts c that connect the barrel d and stock e, and into which groove the breech
blocks a swings when the breech is closed. In order to sustain the breech a
against the explosion I provide a cross mortice through said breech block, in

page_text: which is a sliding bolt f that enters a mortice in the metal below it, so that
the recoil is taken on that bolt and the breech cannot be opened until that
bolt, is withdrawn; this is effected by taking hold of the upper end of the
bolt or by a lever g, having its fulcrum on said bolt, and the short end of the
lever acting against the surface of the breech block. A spring throws the
bolt down when the breech is closed. I make use of a retractor k set in a
mortice in the front end of the breech block, and moving on a fulcrum pin
at i, and pressed downward by a spring o, and this retractor has a claw
that takes the flanged base of the sheet metal cartridge case to draw the
same out of the barrel; the peculiar feature of this retractor being a
segmental projection that is formed on the claw and occupies a groove in the
front end of the breech block, and sustains the sheet metal of the cartridge
case, and prevents there being any opening in the abutment behind the
cartridge into which the sheet metal might bend and break under pressure of
the explosion.
The cartridges that I employ are represented in the longitudinal sections
and end views, Figs. 4 to 14; they are all constructed upon the same general
plan, and I have shown the variations in the details of construction. They
are formed of a thin sheet metal case s adapted to receive powder and either
shot or balls, and the case is of a size to fit within the rear end of the barrel,
and provided with a flange 2 around the base 3, by means of which the
claw is cuabled to draw the cartridge case out of the barrel as the breech is
opened.
The peculiarity of this cartridge (as distinguished from others and from
that shown in Letters Patent grauted to me in Great Britain, February
23rd, 1867), consists in a disc or bridge r soldered or brazed within the
sheet metal case baving a space or cavity between the said disc or bridge and
the sheet metal for the reception of fulminate or detonating material
introduced from the inside of the cartridge before the powder is put into the
case, thereby the exterior shell is strengthened at the base; there are no
openings through the said case, and the explosion is effected by a blow on the
outside of the case. The bridge or disc becomes an anvil or support for the
fulminate, and causes its explosion by the blow on the outside of the case
without perforating that case. The shape and character of the anvil portion
of the bridge or disc may be varied; I prefer that a cavity and hole be formed
in the disc, and that this be filled with the fulminate in a semi-fluid state
after the disc is soldered into place, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5, but the
fulminate may be introduced in the form of a semi-liquid or a small wafer
between the anvil portion of the disc or bridge and the base of the cartridge

page_text: case from the inside of that case, said anvil being the base of a cavity or a
projecting screw or stud upon or sustained by the said bridge or disc
as aforesaid. If the sheet metal case is not injured by the blow in firing,
the cartridge can be reloaded and used again by flattening the indentation if
necessary.
In Fig. 6 the anvil is the end of a screw passing through the bridge r, the
ends of which are soldered to the inside of the case s, leaving a cavity for the
fulminate.
In Fig. 7 the same anvil is shown, but the bridge r is in the form of a disc,
and the anvil screw is perforated to allow the fire to pass from the fulminate
to the powder.
In Fig. 8 the bridge r and anvil are shown of one piece of metal soldered
at its ends to the case as before.
In Fig. 9 a disc bridge r like that in Fig. 7 is shown; this is adapted to
either a wafer or fulminate paste, the anvil being screwed down upon the paste
or wafer put into the cavity.
In Fig. 10 the anvil is in the form of a button, secured by being partially
rotated after it is passed down to place.
In Fig. 11 the fulminate wafer is entered through a hole in the disc r, and
slipped aside under the anvil part; and in Fig. 12 the anvil is held into the
central opening of the disc r by the edges of that opening being closed or
rivetted down over the ends of the anvil by a punch.
In Fig. 13 the fulminate is to be introduced into a tapering hole in the disc
and the edges pressed down over such fulminate. The fulminate may be
introduced into the cavity of the disc or bridge before it is soldered into the
case, provided the soldering is performed so that the heat will not explode the
fulminate which may be in a semi-fluid state.
In Fig. 14 the same form of anvil is shown as in Fig. 5, but with the
addition of vent holes through the disc at the sides of the hole containing
the fulminate; the object of these holes is to allow the gases from the
fulminate to readily pass into the powder without tending to tear the thin
sheet metal of the case from the disc to which it is soldered.
I find that in most of the forms shown the soldering of the bridge or disc
into the sheet metal case can be effected by the action of beat, the metallic
base being tinned sufficiently heavy. The disc or base may be made with a
circular flange, extending more or less along the inside of the case, and
soldered thereunto so as to increase the distance that the case is strengthened,
and said base may be of any desired thickness of metal.

page_text: What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
First, a swinging breech block in combination with a bolt passing trans-
versely through it and into a mortice in the groove receiving the breech block,
as set forth.
Second, a lever combined with said bolt and swinging breech. block to draw
up the bolt previous to opening the breech, as set forth.
Third, a metallic bridge or disc soldered or brazed within the metallic
cartridge case with a space between the sheet metal case and the said bridge
or disc for the reception of the fulminate introduced from inside the case, as
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isaac Morris Milbank, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, A.D. One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
ISAAC M. MILBANK. (L.S.)
Witnesses,
CHAS. H. SMITH,
119 & 121, Nassau St., New York...
GEO. T. PINCKNEY,
119 & 121, Nassau St., New York.