RIFLED TUBES FOR INSERTION IN THE BARRELS OF OTHER FIRE ARMS
Year: 1883

page_text: ROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Pieper at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 21st April 1883.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
HENRY PIEPER of Liége Belgium Gun Manufacturer.
RIFLED TUBES FOR INSERTION IN THE BARRELS OF OTHER FIRE ARMS
"
This invention has for its object improvements in rifled tubes for insertion in
the barrels of other fire arms.
For this purpose in place of the screw nuts and washers hitherto made use of
with these tubes a tube of steel or other suitable material is employed of a size
sufficient to pass over the muzzle of the rifle beyond the foresight, which tube is
closed at the upper end by a solid plate, and into the centre of this plate is screwed.
and rivetted the small rifled tube which enters the barrel.
The larger tube is furnished with a slot into which the fore-sight enters and a
ring similar to a bayonet ring. Thus when the tube is in its place a small turn of
the ring secures it firmly without the aid of any other contrivance. A sliding
piece of brass or copper moves freely on the smaller tube and enters the barrel for
a certain portion of its length.-The upper portion has a projecting ring turned
upon it which rests on the muzzle of the rifle and is free to enter the larger tube.
This tube serves as an additional means of centreing the small tube at the
muzzle, As also it slides freely on the small tube it is placed on the muzzle when
entering the latter-and thus prevents all friction between it and the interior of
the bore when pushing it home.
The small tube is continued in one piece as far as its own cartridge chamber, and
carries at its lower end a sliding steel cartridge fitted to the cartridge chamber of
the rifle which it entirely fills.
This cartridge acts as a guide to the small tube and at the same time as an
extractor. One half of the lower portion of the chamber of the small tube being
formed in it and one half in the tube itself for a short portion of its length.
The rim of the small cartridge is also held half by one and half by the other.
The steel cartridge as above stated slides freely on the small tube and is acted
upon by the extractor of the rifle direct. When therefore the gun is thrown open
the extractor sets in motion the steel cartridge and draws it out a certain distance
bringing with it the little cartridge of the practice tube which is thus thrown out
of the gun as effectively as would be one of its own cartridges.
Prine 7

page_text: In order that the steel cartridge may not be thrown out of the gun, or have more
motion than is necessary it is furnished with a pin projecting inwards and the
said pin enters a slot in the smaller tube.
The first portion of this slot is formed lengthwise of the tube-then there is a
right angle bend in the slot and then again a longitudinal portion-The right angle
bend in the slot is turned in such a direction that the act of turning the ring on
the large tube at the muzzle of the rifle, will cause the pin to pass along the lateral
branch of the said slot in a proper direction.
When therefore it is desired to fix the tube in any rifle the steel cartridge is
first placed in the chamber and the breech is closed.
The sliding piece is brought to the lower end of the small tube which is then
placed in the rifle and pushed home. The small tube is now turned partly round
until the pin in the steel cartridge enters the slot in the small tube.
The larger tube is now pushed down until the foresight enters the slot and
passes through the bayonet ring. The latter is now turned, so as to secure the
whole in its place and a further slight motion causes the slot in the small tube to
pass over the pin above mentioned and the pin then enters the second longitudinal
branch of the bayonet slot-the cartridge is now free to slide to and fro under the
action of the extractor but not to leave the small tube or have more than its proper
motion.
.
To remove the tube this process is reversed.
In cases where it is necessary to adapt practice tubes to revolvers or to magazine
arms, the tubes are bored out in steel cartridges made to the pattern of the
cartridges actually used in these arms respectively.
The tubes are chambered and rifled but are not furnished with any extractor it
being sufficient the tubes being short to push out the empty shells after firing with
a short rod made for the purpose. The tubes are then recharged and replaced in
the chambers of the revolver or in the magazine of the rifle. These short tubes
being accurately fitted to the chambers and being comparatively long in proportion
to their interior diameter, give a sufficient accuracy of fire to be valuable means of
practice with weapons of the above kinds.