IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Garrett Tongue at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
November 1866.-A communication from abroad by James Amsler-
Laffon, Mechanical Engineer, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
I, JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent
Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of fire-arms
which are charged at the breech end, being particularly applicable to the con-
version of muzzle-loaders into breech-loaders.
The Invention consisting in the general arrangement and the particular
mechanism for replacing and retaining the closing piece in its position, and
for the contrivance for withdrawing the exploded cartridge case. The
mechanism is extremely simple and durable, all the mechanical parts being
exposed to view, so that they can be readily examined and cleaned when
required. There is but one spring in the combination, the breaking of which
does not render the unserviceable. The copper cartridge employed, as in
the American system, cannot explode before the closing of the breech is
effected. The lock in the case of altered guns on this principle can be
retained, and only requires a slight alteration of the hammer, consequently
the cost of converting a muzzle to a breech-loader is very trifling. The
barrel is screwed into a suitably formed breech piece, which is substituted for

page_text: the ordinary breech piece. The closing of the breech end is effected by a
hinged block which turns over on to the barrel upon a pin or axis on the
front end of the breech piece. When the breech end is closed the hinged
block is kept in position by a lever carried thereby, which lever is so formed
as to interlock with projections formed on the breech piece, and thus hold it
securely in position when the parts are closed. The lever is let into a recess
in the breech piece, and moves on an axis, its movement being limited on one
side by a stop, and on the other by the upper part of the recess. When the
breech is closed the axis of the lever is below a line or plane passing through
the axis on which the breech piece turns and through the projections thereon
which secure it in position, and as the exterior surfaces of the projections on
the breech piece are curved it is impossible to move the breech piece upon its
axis before the locking lever is lifted, consequently the recoil cannot disturb
the parts which close the breech. The locking lever is furnished with a
thumb-piece, for the purpose of lifting and opening the breech. By raising
and turning the lever and breech piece over on to the barrel the end of a
spring or a stop is brought in contact with a projection on a lever or
** extractor" which is carried by and moves on the axis of the breech piece, so
as to withdraw the exploded cartridge case; should the spring happen to
break the stop or shoulder will still act to partially withdraw the cartridge.
The hammer of the lock is arranged so as to strike a pin or bolt carried by
the breech piece, the other end of the pin being arranged to strike and thus
explode the cartridge. The parts are so arranged that the hammer cannot
strike the exploding pin or bolt until the breech piece is perfectly closed.
The breech piece can be removed for the purpose of cleaning the barrel by
simply removing the screw or axis on which it turns. The arrangement of
the parts previously described may be slightly varied without departing from
the true character of the Invention.