IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES.
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Gawthorpe Greenhow, of Llanidloes,
in the County of Montgomery, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES.".
Sealed the 18th September 1868, and dated the 21st March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Gawthorpe
Greenhow at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 21st March 1868.
I, ROBERT GAWTHORPE GREENHOW, of Llanidloes, in the County of
Montgomery, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES," to be as
follows:-
According to my improvements in breech-loading fire-arms I make an
opening in the rear end of the barrel for the insertion of the cartridge, and
in rear of said opening and in line with the barrel I fix a solid plug, upon
which is fitted a short tube or hollow cylinder capable of sliding longi-
tudinally in either direction on the solid plug for the purpose of opening
or closing the cavity in the breech. The breech-closing tube is operated
by a projecting knob or hand lever working in a bayonet slot made a

page_text: one side of the breech, the locking being effected by partially rotating
the closing tube and engaging the knob or lever in the end of the
bayonet slot, it being partially rotated in the opposite direction and slid
backwards for the purpose of opening the cavity and inserting a cartridge.
The nose of the breech-closing tube is made conical, and fits into a
corresponding recess in the back end of the barrel. Instead of the
projecting hand lever or knob being made to lock the breech, as above
described, it may simply be used for operating the longitudinal movements
thereof, and the locking be effected by the aid of a stud or pin fixed at
the under part of the sliding tube taking into a groove made in the
bottom or interior of the breech, the end of said groove being made at
an obtuse angle for imparting a kind of thrusting motion to the sliding
tube in a forward direction when partially rotated for the purpose of
keeping the nose up to the face of the recess in the barrel when in the
locked position.
I adapt central-fire cartridges for use with these improved fire-arms
in the manner I will now proceed to describe. I prefer the cartridge
case to be of metal, which I slightly contract on the conical end of the
bullet, so that when inserted in the barrel the metal case shall slightly
enter therein and cover the joint between the barrel and the sliding
breech tube; in this manner, on the explosion taking place, the metal
case will be expanded and prevent all escape of gas at that point. In
loading the cartridge is inserted in the breech cavity in front of and in
a line with the fixed plug before mentioned, which is made of the same
diameter as the cartridge, so that the sliding breech tube may be readily
slid forward on to and enclose the cartridge in closing the breech in the
manner before described. In loading the nose of the cartridge is inserted
in the end of the barrel, while it is supported in position by means of
a projecting cap at its rear end containing the fulminate; this cap,
which may be made. slightly conical, and be received in a small (by
preference slightly dovetailed) slot made in the front end of the fixed.
plug of just sufficient.extent to allow of the cartridge being brought in
a line with the said fixed plug, when the sliding closing piece is imme-
diately brought forward to enclose the cartridge and locked as before-
mentioned. I produce the explosion of the cartridge by the aid of a
pin or striker contained in the fixed plug and operated by either of the
modes now in use with central-fire cartridges, but which forms no feature
of the improvements.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Gawthorpe Greenhow in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 21st September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
GAWTHORPE GREENHOW, of Llanidloes, in the County of Montgomery,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Robert Gawthorpe Greenhow, Her special.
licence that I, the said Robert Gawthorpe Greenhow, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Gawthorpe
Greenhow, 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 for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Gawthorpe
Greenhow, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Robert Gawthorpe Greenhow, 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 Sheet
of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-

page_text: According to my improvements in breech-loading fire-arms I make
an opening in the rear end of the barrel for the insertion of the cartridge,
and in the rear of said opening and in a line with the barrel I fix a
solid plug, upon which is fitted a short tube or hollow cylinder capable
of sliding longitudinally in either direction on the solid plug for the
purpose of opening or closing the cavity in the breech. The breech-
closing tube is operated by a projecting knob or hand lever working
in a bayonet slot made at one side of the breech, the locking being
effected by partially rotating the closing tube and engaging the knob
or lever in the end of the bayonet slot, it being partially rotated in the
opposite direction and slid backwards for the purpose of opening the
cavity and inserting a cartridge. The nose of the breech-closing tube
is made conical, and fits into a corresponding recess in the back end
of the barrel. Instead of the projecting hand lever or knob being made
to lock the breech-closing tube, as above described, it may simply be
used for operating the longitudinal movements thereof, and the locking
be effected by the aid of a stud or pin fixed at the under part of the
sliding tube and taking into a groove made in the bottom or interior
of the breech, the end of said groove being made at an obtuse angle for
imparting a kind of thrusting motion to the sliding tube in a forward
direction when partially rotated for the purpose of keeping the nose
up to the face of the recess in the barrel when in the locked position.
I adapt central-fire cartridges for use with these improved fire-arms
in the manner I will now proceed to describe. I prefer the cartridge
case to be of metal, which I slightly contract on the conical end of the
bullet, so that when inserted in the barrel the metal case shall slightly
enter therein and cover the joint between the barrel and the sliding
breech tube; in this manner on the explosion taking place the metal
case will be expanded and prevent all escape of gas at that point. In
loading the cartridge is inserted in the breech cavity in front of and in
a line with the fixed plug before mentioned, which is made of the same
diameter as the cartridge, so that the sliding breech tube may be readily
slid forward on to and enclose the cartridge in closing the breech in the
manner before described. In loading the nose of the cartridge is
inserted in the end of the barrel, while it is supported in such position
by means of a projecting cap at its rear end containing the fulminate;
This cap, which may be made slightly conical, and be received in a
small dovetailed groove by preference made in the front end of the fixed

page_text: plug of just sufficient length to allow of the cartridge being brought
in a line with the said fixed plug, when the sliding closing piece is
immediately brought forward to enclose the cartridge and locked as
before mentioned. I produce the explosion of the cartridge by the aid
of a pin or striker contained in the fixed plug by either of the modes
now in use with central-fire cartridges, but which forms no feature of
the improvements.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings shows a side view of a breech-
loading fire-arm fitted with the improvements of my Invention, and
Figure 2 a plan of the same, both Figures showing the firing position;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the breech-closing parts with the
cartridge in position; Figure 4 a similar section with the closing tube
slid back for the insertion of a cartridge, while Figure 5 is a transverse
section of the breech looking towards the butt.
A is the barrel, at the breech end of which is made an opening B for
the admission of the cartridge. At the rear of the said opening in
the interior of the breech and in line with the barrel I fix a plug C
solidly connected to the breech and tail piece, as seen in the section.
On this plug C a short tube or cylinder D is fitted to slide longitudinally
in a forward direction for closing the aperture B at which the cartridge
is introduced, and in the backward direction for uncovering said aperture.
The longitudinal movements of the tube D are operated by means of a
projecting knob or hand lever E fixed thereto, and working in a bayonet
slot E made in the breech at one side. The hand lever E locks the
tube D when in its forward position by partially rotating the same and
engaging the lever in the end of the bayonet slot, as shown in Figure 1.
The breech-closing tube is partially rotated in the reverse direction and
slid back on the plug C for uncovering the breech opening. The nose
end of the sliding tube D is made by preference conical and fits in a
corresponding recess in the end of the barrel.
The cartridges I adapt for use with my improved fire-arms are what
are known as central-fire cartridges, one arrangement being shown in
position in the breech at Figure 3, and separately at Figure 6, consisting

page_text: of a thin metal casc a containing the charge, which case is slightly
contracted on the bullet at the front end, so that it may enter the
barrel and form a gas-tight joint between it and the sliding tube D.
The rear end of the cartridge is closed by a cap 6 containing the per-
cussion cap at its centre, which is held in place by a pasteboard wad,
said cap being also provided with a projecting end c of rather less
diameter than the case itself, which end is received (on introducing the
cartridge into the cavity B) in a recess d made in the face of the breech
plug C. In this manner the cartridge will be supported at both ends
on its insertion, and allow the tube D to be freely slid over it in the
manner shown in Fig. 3, so as to enclose the same, the plug C forming
a solid abutment for the rear end of the cartridge. Instead of the above
described mode of holding the cartridge in the breech cavity I may
provide it with a projecting cap at its rear end made of slightly conical
form, and fitting into a dovetailed vertical or other groove in the front
end of plug C.
Figure 7 shows a modified arrangement of cartridge, in which the
tapered end of the case, before described, is replaced by a rim e
entering a recess in the end of the barrel to serve as an abutment for
the cartridge, and also preventing any escape of gas at the joint between
the barrel and the closing tube. The rear end of the cartridge is similarly
arranged to the one before described. The striker f, Figures 3 and 4,
may be operated for effecting the discharge of the cap by either of the
modes now in use with central-fire cartridges, and when applying the
improvements to existing muzzle-loading guns the ordinary lock may
be retained, as seen dotted in Figures 1, 3, and 4, and an additional
hammer g be mounted on the tumbler axis for acting on the striker f.
Instead of making the hand lever E to lock the breech closing tube,
as before described, it may simply serve for operating the longitudinal
motion of same in opening and closing the breech, and the locking be
effected by the aid of a pin or stud fixed on the sliding tube and taking
into a groove in the interior of the breech chamber containing the fixed
plug C. This improvement is shown in partial longitudinal section at
Figure 8, and in partial horizontal section at Figure 9, with plug C
removed. Figure 8 shows the closing tube slid forward before reversing
the hand lever, while Figure 9 shows the hand lever E turned down with
the pin engaged in the end of the slot. K is the stud on sliding tube D
running in a longitudinal groove in the breech. The end of groove

page_text: is made at an obtuse angle at m, by which means a kind of forward
thrust is imparted to the closing tube in rotating the same by means of
the hand lever E for the purpose of keeping the nose of said tube up to
the recess in the barrel for its reception in the locked position. In this
arrangement the hand lever E is shown as fitted to the nose end of the
sliding tube, and on the reverse side to the former Figures, which would
be the case when constructing guns on this principle.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to
be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the
improvements in breech-loading fire-arms, substantially as shown and
described.
Secondly. I claim the improvements in central-fire cartridges, adapting
them for use with such improved fire-arms, substantially in the manner
shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Gawthorpe Greenhow, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.