IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS.
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,.
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS.".
A communication.
Sealed the 1st April 1856, and dated the 16th October 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left. by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th October 1855.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF, FIRE-
ARMS" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the construction, application, and use of an
adjustable charging chamber in the breech of the gun, and in operating the
same by means of a cam and lever in combination, which lever forms also
the trigger guard. By throwing the end of the lever forward it draws down
the charging chamber to receive the cartridge from the cartridge chamber or
magazine, and by reversing or throwing the end of the trigger guard back
again to its original position, it raises or re-adjusts the charging chamber," so
as to bring the cartridge on a line with the bore of the gun. In raising the
cartridge to this position, the back end of it is cut off and discharged through
an opening in the breech of the gun for that purpose, thereby leaving the
powder of the cartridge exposed to the direct action of the fuse.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, 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 Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, my exécutors; 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS," being a communication
from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This. Invention of "Improvements. in: the Construction of Fire-arms" is
described by my foreign correspondent as consisting in the construction, appli-
cation, and use of an adjustable charging chamber. in the breech of the gun,
and operating the same by means of a cam.and lever in combination, the latter
being also:used as the trigger guard, so that by throwing the end of it forward
it draws down the charging, chamber, thereby bringing the latter into the proper
position to receive the cartridge from the cartridge chamber or magazine, and
by reversing or throwing the end of this lever. or trigger guard back again to
its original position raises or re-adjusts the charging chamber, so as to bring

page_text: the cartridge on a line with the bore of the gun. In raising the chamber to
this position, the back end of the cartridge is cut off and discharged through an
opening made in the breech of the gun for that purpose, and thereby leaves the
powder of the cartridge exposed to the direct action of the fuse.
In order, however, that the nature and object of the present improvements
may be more clearly understood, I have shewn in the accompanying Drawing
various views of part of a gun constructed according to this Invention.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a gun, showing the principal parts; Fig. 2 is a longi-
tudinal section of the gun, showing the charging chamber, with a cartridge in
it ready for being discharged, and also the cartridge magazine in combination
with the gun; Fig. 3 is another longitudinal section of the breech of the gun,
shewing the charging chamber. drawn down, or adjusted for receiving the
cartridge from the cartridge magazine; Fig. 4 is a, detached perspective
view of the charging chamber. The stock A of the gun is made in the
ordinary way, and the lock, which is operated by the dog or hammer B and
the trigger C in the usual way for discharging guns, is affixed to the stock by
screws or otherwise; D is the nipple, having a vent leading to the charging
chamber H. The breech E of the gun is made of steel or other suitable metal,
and into the front end of it is tapped or otherwise let in and secured the barrel
F of the gun, and also the charging magazine G. The back end of the breech
is made to clasp the stock, and is secured thereto by suitable screws or other-
wise, for the purpose of holding the stock, the gun barrel, and the charging
magazine securely and firmly together.
In the under side of the breech E is cut a square mortise, and in this
mortice is placed, the charging chamber H, which is made to fit the mortise as
accurately as possible, and yet be allowed to move up and down therein.
Through the upper part of the chamber H is bored out the chamber I,
for receiving the cartridge or charge of powder and ball. The lower part of
this charging chamber is cut away from the middle of it longitudinally and
transversely, so as to leave the metal at the four corners projecting from the
body, of the charging chamber, somewhat like the posts or legs of a táble, as
shewn in Fig. 3, and seen also, in dots in Fig. 2, but seen best in the perspec-
tive view, Fig. 4. The object of the longitudinal cut 'h is for the purpose of
allowing space for the cam J on the end of the trigger guard lever K 'to operate
in the centre of the charging chamber, and thereby when raising it keep the
sides of it always parallel with the sides of the mortise in the breech, so as to
prevent binding or friction of the parts; and the object of the transverse cut h³
is to allow space for the charging chamber to drop down low enough between
the cheeks of the breech piece (by straddling the pin L, which holds the trigger

page_text: guard,) for the introduction of the cartridge M into the bore I of the charging
chamber H. These parts may be modified by many well-known equivalent
mechanical contrivances, but as I deem this the best and simplest construction,
I have not considered it necessary to describe others, though I consider the.
present Invention to cover all the modifications that may be introduced to
effect the results specified.
The cam J is for adjusting the charging chamber H, and is held by a pin L
passing through the lower ends of the cheek pieces of the breech. In the
cam J is a curved slot or opening 2, which acts as a hollow cam for drawing
down the charging chamber by means of the pin N, that passes through the
back legs of the charging chamber and the opening h².
arrangement of parts is to draw the charging chamber H
the bore I on a line with the bore of the cartridge magazine G to receive the
cartridge M. The periphery of the cam serves to raise the charging chamber
to a line with the bore of the barrel of the gun by the forward or backward
movement of the end of the guard lever K.
The object of this
down so as to bring
On the
An opening P is made in the back and lower side of the breech piece on a
line with the bore of the cartridge magazine, and transversely of this opening.
is a pin R, and at the upper edge of it a cartridge cutter S. The object of this
opening is to discharge the fragments of the cartridge as cut off by the cartridge
cutter S during the act of raising the charging chamber H, while the use of
the pin R is to stop the cartridge from going back too far, yet allowing the end
of it to come in contact with the edge of the cutter S as it is being raised so
as to expose the powder. A small right-angled lever T is secured by a pin t
at the end of the lever immediately in front of the charging chamber.
upper arm of this lever is a stump t³, which is intended to fit into a notch t' in
the front end of the charging chamber directly below the bore I of the chamber.
The object and use of this lever is to hold back the cartridge during the
operation of raising the charging chamber to a line with the bore of the gun
barrel, and thereby prevent crowding the cartridges too fast upon the chamber
H. This is effected by the upper arm of the lever T being thrown back, in
consequence of the stump & drawing out of the notch as the charging
chamber is being raised, and held in that position by the stump sliding upon
the face of the chamber H.
A plug U is placed at the end of the cartridge magazine G, and on the stem
of this plug is a spiral spring V, which pushes forward the cartridges M into
the bore of the charging chamber H in the succession in which they are placed
in the cartridge magazine G.
The operation of the various parts of this improved gun is as follows: After

page_text: having filled the cartridge magazine G, the end of the trigger guard or lever K
is thrown forward, as seen in Fig. 3, in which position it presents the bore I of
the charging chamber H directly on a line with the bore of the cartridge
magazine G, thereby allowing the spiral spring to force a cartridge into it.
When thus charged, the guard or lever K is drawn back again, as seen in
Fig. 2, and the charging chamber thereby raised, so as to bring its bore on a
line with the bore of the gun barrel, and at the time that it is being raised
the end of the lever T presses back the succeeding cartridge, so as to allow the
charging chamber to rise freely, whilst the back end of the cartridge in the
charging chamber is cut off at the same time by the piece S, so as to expose
the powder to ignition by the spark from the cap on the nipple D, Fig. 1.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in the Construction
of Fire-arms," together with the mode of carrying the same into effect, as com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, I would observe that I do not
claim the exclusive use of a chamber for receiving several charges and holding
them ready to be transferred to the barrel or breech of the gun, except the
same is constructed and arranged in the manner substantially as above shewn
and described; but what I claim as new in the present improvements, and
therefore wish to secure by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is, the use of the
double-acting cam and its combination with the charging chamber and breech
piece, or their equivalents, for the purposes. herein-before set forth.
I further claim the use of the opening P in the breech for discharging the
fragments of the dissevered cartridge, and also the pin R for stopping the
cartridge, and the cutter S, or their equivalents, for the purposes herein-before
set forth.
I also claim the use of the lever T, or any mere mechanical equivalent, in
combination with the charging chamber H and cartridge magazine G, for the
purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)