AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS.
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samúel Colt, of Pall Mall, in the City of Westminster,
Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
FIRE-ARMS.
Sealed the 17th August 1855, and dated the 9th June 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Colt-at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th June
1855.
SAMUEL COLT, of Pall Mall, in the City of Westminster, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of constructing the breech portion of fire-
arms, whereby their efficiency in action will be greatly improved, and the
opération of cleaning them will be facilitated. Instead of forging. a lump or
shoulder on the side of the barrel at the breech, as is usual, to receive the
nipple, I. forge the barrel without this lump, and I bore a hole in the side of
the barrel at this part, and tap it to receive a projecting hollow plug, which,
when inserted, is brazed to the barrel. The end of this plug-or-tube I-close
by a removable screw, and I bore a lateral hole into the plug to receive a cone-
shaped nipple; the action of this cone is to concentrate the percussion fire on the
charge, and by reason of its form it will not foul, but always clears itself in the
act of firing, The fire led down by this cone will act upon a comparatively large
surface of powder in the hollow space of the plug, which forms the cone seat,
..

page_text: and therefore the prompt discharge of the piece is ensured. But should the
breech by reason of the repeated firing of the piece become foul, it is only
necessary to remove the screw from the end of the cone seat, and the cleaning
of the breech may be readily effected.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Colt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th December 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
COLT, of Pall Mall, in the City of Westminster, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Colt, Her special license that I, the said Samuel Colt, my exccu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Colt,
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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Colt,
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 Samuel Colt, 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):-
This Invention relates to a novel mode of constructing the breech portion of
fire-arms, whereby not only is their efficiency in action greatly improved, but
the operation of cleaning them is much simplified..
:.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents, in side view, a portion of a
barrel constructed according to my.Invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of..the

page_text: same; and Fig. 3 is a cross section, taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. In these
views it will be seen that instead of forging a lump or shoulder on the side of
the barrel a at the breech end thereof, as is usual, for the purpose of receiving
the nipple, I forge the barrel without such lump, and I hore a hole in the
side of the breech barrel, and tap it to receive a hollow screw plug b, which
when inserted will project laterally from the barrel like the ordinary lump or
shoulder. When screwed up to its place I attach the plug permanently to the
barrel by brazing. The end of this plug I close by a removable screw c, and
I bore a lateral hole into the plug to receive a cone-shaped nipple d, which
is so constructed as to concentrate the percussion fire immediately before it
strikes upon the charge. This nipple d, by reason of its form, will not foul by
repeated use, but always clears itself in the act of firing. The fire led down
by this cone will act upon a comparatively large surface of powder in the
hollow space of the plug b, which forms the cone seat, and therefore the
prompt discharge of the piece is ensured. But should the breech, by reason
of the repeated firing of the piece become foul, it is only necessary to remove
the screw c from the end of the cone seat to gain access to the interior, and the
cleaning of the breech may then be readily effected.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improvement in
the Construction of Fire-arms," and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim the mode of fitting the nipple to the barrel of
fire-arms, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Colt, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.