IMPROVEMENTS ON BREECH- LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernst Engel, Merchant, of St Petersburg, Russia,
Prussian Subject, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS ON BREECH-
LOADING FIRE-ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernst Engel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th July 1875.
I, ERNST ENGEL, Merchant, of St. Petersburg, Russia, Prussian
Subject, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS ON BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
:-
My Invention relates to the mechanism for inserting, firing, and
extracting cartridges, and closing during fire the breech of breech-
loading fire-arms, the object of my improvements being to render this
mechanism simple, easily worked, cleansed, or repaired, and such as to
render the fire effective with moderate charges.

page_text: I will describe the breech mechanism for a single barrel -The barrel
is prolonged backwards behind the breech so as to form a cylindrical
chamber, in which a cylindrical breech piece is fitted to slide A slot is
cut in the upper part of the chamber, through which slot passes a pro-
jection from the breech piece with a knob, by which the breech piece
can be slid forwards or backwards by the finger and thumb. The slot is
deeply recessed laterally in its front part and a little recessed in its
hinder part, so that when the breech piece is moved forwards and turned
partly round on its axis the projection from it catches in front of the
shoulder of the deep recess, so as to hold it firmly forward against the
breech during fire; and also when the breech piece is drawn back
and turned partly on its axis the projection from it catches behind the
shoulder of the hinder recess, holding it back while a cartridge is being
inserted Under the breech piece is fitted to slide an extractor, the front
part of which projects upwards so as to catch the flange lip of the
cartridge, and thus when the breech piece is slid back the extractor
moving with it draws the discharged cartridge out of the breech.
Within the breech piece is fitted a sliding rod, having at its front end
the discharging needle, which passes through a central hole in the head
of the breech piece. The hunder part of the rod passes through a hole
in the back end of the brecchi piece, and is secured to a sliding dog, from
which a roughened thumb picce projects upwards The sliding rod has
on it a collar fitting the interior bore of the breech piece, and between
this collar and the back end of the brocch piece is placed a helical
spring, which pressing against the collar of the rod tends to urge it and
the needle forwards
Under the prolonged part of the barrel is fixed a blade spring, having
two projections extending upwards from it through slots in the barrel.
Ou this spring is pivotted a trigger in the form of a bent lever in such
manuer that when the trigger is pulled backwards in the usual way it
causes the blade spring to be bent downwards, thereby drawing down the
projections upon it One of these projections has a nose piece on it,
which when the sliding dog is drawn backwards a certain distance catches
over a nose thereon, and in this condition the trigger cannot be moved;
but when the sliding dog is drawn farther back until the collar on the
sliding rod passes behind the other projection from the blade spring, then

page_text: The operation of the mechanism is as follows:-The sliding dog is
drawn back by the thumb till it catches behind the first-named pro-
jection, thus withdrawing the needle and partly compressing the helical
spring, but holding all the parts at rest. On farther drawing back the
dog the spring is farther compressed and the collar of the sliding rod is
brought behind the second projection of the blade spring by which it is
held. The breech piece is then by the finger and thumb applied to its
knob, turned partly round till its projection is clear of the recess, where-
upon the compressed spring causes it to fly back, and the extractor
moving with it draws out the fired cartridge. A new cartridge is then
inserted, and is pushed home by sliding the breech piece forward by
hand, the spring being again compressed by this movement and the
breech piece being caught in the front recess. On pulling the trigger
the blade spring is bent downwards, and its projection being thus drawn
down from behind the collar on the sliding rod, the latter is urged
forward by the spring, and the needle being thus driven against the cap
fires tho charge.
In order to facilitate cleansing and repairs the parts are held together
by pins that can be readily removed, so that very little time is occupied
in taking the mechanism apart or putting it together.
Table konnalled
21532
Hand
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ernst Engel in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th November 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ERNST
ENGEL, Merchant, of St. Petersburg, Russia, Prussian Subject, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Пer heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Ernst Engel, Her special license

page_text: that I, the said Ernst Engel, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Ernst Engel, 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," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Ernst Engel, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should par-
ticularly 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 Ernst Engel, 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 thercof, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that
is to say :-
My Invention relates to the mechanism for inserting, firing, and
extracting cartridges and closing during fire the breech of breech-
loading fire-arms, the object of my improvements being to render this
mechanism simple, easily worked, cleansed, or repaired, and such as
to render the fire effective with moderate charges.
I will discribe the breech mechanism for a single barrel.—The barrel
is prolonged backwards behind the breech so as to form a cylindrical
chamber, in which a cylindrical breech piece is fitted to slide. A slot is
cut in the upper part of the chamber, through which slot passes a pro-
jection from the breech piece with a knob, by which the breech piece can
be slid forwards or backwards by the finger and thumb. The slot is
deeply recessed laterally in its front part and a little recessed in its
hinder part, so that when the breech piece is moved forwards and turned
partly round on its axis the projection from it catches in front of the
shoulder of the deep recess, so as to hold it firmly forward against the
breech during fire; and also when the brecch piece is drawn back and

page_text: inserted, and is pushed home by sliding the breech piece forward by
hand, the spring being again compressed by this movement, and the
breech piece being caught in the front recess. On pulling the trigger
the blade spring is bent downwards, and its projection being thus drawn
down from behind the collar on the sliding rod, the latter is urged for-
ward by the spring, and the needle being thus driven against the cap
fires the charme

page_text: 2
by catchung against the shoulder of another less deep recess formed in the
hinder part of the slot. The breech piece E is made with a cylindrical
bore enlarged at the mouth for the reception of the head K. (Figs. 20
and 21), which is held in its place by the pin of a spring L (Figs. 22
and 23). The short end of this spring catches in a notch in the front
part of the breech piece The longer end is made with a projection q,
which snaps into a little hollow in the breech piece. On turning asido
the spring its pin can be drawn out, and the head K can then be
withdrawn. A knob F (Figs. 12 and 13) is screwed into the brocch
piece for moving it by hand. From h to the breech piece is bored with
a cylindrical hole to contain the fining gear, consisting of the sliding
rod II (Figs. 16 and 17) with its needle I (Figs. 18 and 19), and helical
spring G (Figs. 14 and 15), which at one end abuts against a collar on
the rod H and at the other end against the shoulder 2, where the bore of
the breech piece is made smaller. On the under side of the breech
picce E is an clongated slot n (Fig. 10), which permits the nose 6 of the
trigger spring B (Fig. 4) to catch against the collar a of the sliding rod.
In this slot also the projection o of the extractor O (Figs. 28 and 29) is
engaged, so that on drawing back the breech piece E the extractor is
drawn back with it, and its front hook e catching the flange of the
cartridge brings it back out of the barrel. Finally, the breech piece E
has an oblique notch p, shown in the transverse section at Fig. 11, which
at the time of firing is entered by a projection p on the dog M (Figs. 24
and 25) to prevent the breech piece from turning round. The sliding
rod H (Figs 16 and 17) has in front of its collar a two long chases on
opposite sides, one of which is presented at the lower side towards the
catch b, which it receives, and which when the sliding rod is drawn back
prevents it from turning. When the collar a becomes worn on its under
side the rod H can be turned half round, so as to bring the other unworn
side into use. The needle I (Figs. 18 and 19) is screwed into H, and if
it should be upset or worn at the point its length of projection can be
adjusted by unscrewing it. A screw N (Figs. 26 and 27) fastens the
dog M to the sliding rod H. The trigger C (Figs. 6 and 7) is mounted
by a pin (Fig. 31) in the slot of the spring B, so that when the trigger
is pulled back its angle s bearing against the under side of the barrel
causes the spring B to be bent downwards.
In operating with this breech mechanism the dog M is drawn back by

page_text: sliding rod H and needle I, partially compressing the spring G until the
projection p of the dog catches under the noso c of the spring B. The
trigger has then no power of discharging, as the spring B is prevented
from bending down, and at the same time the breech piece E is prc-
vented from turning by the same projection p being engaged in the
oblique notch of the breach piece. When the dog M is drawn farther
back the collar a pushes down the projection b, which rises in front of
it, and prevents the sliding rod from moving forwards in obedience to
the spring now fully compressed; at the same time the projection p
being withdrawn from the notch in the breech piece E the breech piece
can be turned partly round to the left by the finger applied to the knob F
till it is disengaged from the lateral notch in the slot of the barrel,
whereupon it is caused by the force of the spring G to fly back,
and striking the hook o of the extractor O draws it back, extracting the
cartridge. A fresh cartridge being inserted into the barrel the breech
piece E is pushed forward and turned to engage in the lateral notch, thus
again compressing the spring G³ and pushing the cartridge into the
barrel;
then by pulling the trigger C the spring B is bent down, drawing
its catch 6 away from the collar a, whereupon the rod H is forced
forwards by the spung, its needle I staking the explosive of the 2

page_text: described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernst Engel, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Fifteenth day of October, in the yoar
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.