Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms, and Cartridge Cases and Projectiles therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 7th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms, and Cartridge Cases
and Projectiles therefor.
I, RAOUL RITTER VON DOMBROWSKI, of III Wassergasse No. 36, Vienna,
Austria, Man of Letters, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Revolvers and repeating pistols suffer, as the result of their construction, from a
very important defect, namely the uncertainty of hitting the mark therewith on
firing even at a distance of only a few paces. The same defect also occurs in
sporting guns firing with shot.
According to my present invention I obviate this defect in revolvers, repeating
pistols, sporting guns and short carbines as I will describe with reference to the
accompanying drawing.
I construct the fire arm with the bore of the barrel a Figs. 1 and 2 of square
section with rounded corners, and this bore is divided by eight projecting guide
ribs bb into four flight-sections. The cartridge case, which is of corresponding
section, encloses four rectangularly shaped projectiles or pellets cc, fitting closely
side by side, as shewn separately at Fig. 3, and fitted together in Fig. 4, the front
end of each pellet having an obtuse-angled_point, producing a corresponding
forward position of the centre of gravity. By means of the above described
configuration of the bore, the marksman is enabled to fire not merely a single
projectile but simultaneously four projectiles at his opponent, with reliable accuracy
of aim and effectiveness of penetration.
This construction of barrel and cartridges therefore enables breech loading fire
arms such as revolvers, repeating pistols and short-barrelled guns, when charged
with from five to six cartridges, to fire from twenty to twenty four projectiles, each
of which is propelled with deadly aim, and which can all be discharged against the
enemy in from five to six seconds.
On firing, each of the four projectiles entering the bore from the cartridge comes
in contact by means of two of its rectangular sides with two guide ribs of the bore,
and they are by these led in a straight unalterable direction towards the object
aimed at, this being effected with such accuracy that at a distance of from 15
to 20 metres for revolvers and pistols, and from 40 to 60 metres for carbines, they
will all cover the body of the enemy.
The above described construction of bore can also be used for sporting guns, and
it may also be applied with slight modification to cylindrical hores. Fig. 5 shews
a cross section of a barrel with cylindrical bore, divided by four ribs d d into four
flight-sections.
By means of this construction of the bore the following advantages are
attained:
a) By means of the flight-sections extending along the bore, the detrimental
rearward action of the peripheral vibrations of the sides of the barrel under the
pressure of the powder gases, is effectually prevented.
b) The peripherally arranged projectiles of the shot column passing from the
cartridge into the bore at once pass into one or other of the flight-sections and are
led within the same through the barrel in accurately regulated parallel positions
towards the object aimed at. The positions of the peripheral projectiles being thus
accurately determined, that of the inner ones will be equally fixed by reason of
their being more or less held in position by the inner meeting surfaces of the
peripheral ones, and they will consequently also be led through the barrel in
straight parallel lines towards the mark.

page_text: By this means the wedging action, and the irregular motion of the projectiles in
the bore which occur in ordinary guns and which are so detrimental to effective
firing, are entirely obviated, and a most perfect distribution of the shot projectiles
and effective penetration of the object aimed at, results.
c) The excellent results obtained by means of this construction of bore has
enabled the bore of the gun to be reduced to 16 inillimetres (calibre 20) and thus,
while obtaining a much more perfect fire, to effect a saving on an average of about
30 per cent. of the powder charge.
d) The peculiar nature of the bore enables also a perfectly calibrated ball or
single projectile to be employed either for the square section of the configuration
as at Fig. 4 or for the circular section of the configuration as at Fig. 6, which
projectiles will be propelled with perfect aim and penetration against the mark.
e) If the gun is fired with four calibrated projectiles simultaneously as with the
revolvers or pistols, the cone of divergence of these will be so small as to enable all
four to cover the body of animals such as wolves or lynx, up to a range of 60 metres
and more.
f) A single manual operation, namely the mere changing of the adjusted
cartridge, enables the fire arm to be used indifferently with ball or with shot
cartridges, which is a particular advantage in view of the excellent firing obtained
in either ca-e, such as has been unobtainable heretofore.
The application of the system of peripheral flight sections to cylindrical bores
furthermore enables sporting guns to be made which, by suitably narrowing or
widening the said sections, can be made to fire with unprecedented accuracy and
penetration with a certain kind or number of shot, while at the same time with
other shot or ball projectiles it will still give excellent results, such guns being
particularly advantageous for pigeon and mountain-cock shooting.
out 1
1 1001
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Breech Loading Small Arms, and Cartridge Cases
and Projectiles therefor.
I, RAOUL RITTER VON DOMBROWSKI, of III Wassergasse No. 36, Vienna,
Austria, Man of Letters, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
Revolvers and repeating pistols suffer, as the result of their construction, from a
very important defect, namely the uncertainty of hitting the mark therewith on
firing even at a distance of only a few paces. The same defect also occurs in
sporting guns firing with shot.
According to my present invention I obviate this defect in revolvers, repeating
pistols, sporting guns and short carbines as I will describe with reference to the
drawing accompanying my Provisional Specification.
I construct the fire arm with the bore of the barrel a Figs. 1 and 2 of square
section with rounded corners, and this bore is divided by eight projecting guide
ribs into four flight-sections. The cartridge case which is of corresponding
section, encloses four rectangularly shaped projectiles or pellets c c fitting closely
side by side, as shewn separately at Fig. 3, and fitted together in Fig. 4, the front
end of each pellet having an obtuse-angled point, producing a corresponding
forward position of the centre of gravity. By means of the above described
configuration of the bore, the marksman is enabled to fire not merely a single
projectile but simultaneously four projectiles at his opponent, with reliable accuracy
of aim and effectiveness of penetration.
This construction of barrel and cartridges therefore enables breech loading fire
arms such as revolvers, repeating pistols and short-barrelled guns, when charged

page_text: with from five to six cartridges, to fire from twenty to twenty-four projectiles, each
of which is propelled with deadly aim, and which can all be discharged against the
enemy in from five to six seconds.
On firing, each of the four projectiles entering the bore from the cartridge comes
in contact by means of two of its rectangular sides with two guide ribs of the bore,
and they are by these led in a straight unalterable direction towards the object
aimed at, this being effected with such accuracy that at a distance of from 15
to 20 metres for revolvers and pistols, and from 40 to 60 metres for carbines, they
will all cover the body of the enemy.
The above described construction of bore can also be used for sporting guns, and
it may also be applied with slight modification to cylindrical bores.
Fig. 5 shews a cross section of a barrel with cylindrical bore, divided by four
ribs dd into four flight-sections.
By means of this construction of the bore the following advantages are
attained:
a) By means of the flight-sections extending along the bore, the detrimental
rearward action of the peripheral vibrations of the sides of the barrel under the
pressure of the powder gases, is effectually prevented.
b) The peripherally arranged projectiles of the shot column passing from the
cartridge into the bore at once pass into one or other of the flight-sections and are
led within the same through the barrel in accurately regulated parallel positions
towards the object aimed at. The positions of the peripheral projectiles being
thus accurately determined, that of the inner ones will be equally fixed by reason
of their being more or less held in position by the inner meeting surfaces of the
peripheral ones, and they will consequently also be led through the barrel in
straight parallel lines towards the mark.
By this means the wedging action, and the irregular motion of the projectiles in
the bore which occur in ordinary guns and which are so detrimental to effective
firing, are entirely obviated, and a most perfect distribution of the shot projectiles
and effective penetration of the object aimed at, results.
c) The excellent results obtained by means of this construction of bore has
enabled the bore of the gun to be reduced to 16 millimetres (calibre 20) and thus,
while obtaining a much more perfect fire, to effect a saving on an average of about
per cent. of the powder charge.
30
d) The peculiar nature of the bore enables also a perfectly calibrated ball or
single projectile to be employed either for the square section of the configuration as
at Fig. 4 or for the circular section of the configuration as at Fig. 6, which
projectiles will be propelled with perfect aim and penetration against the mark.
e) If the gun is fired with four calibrated projectiles simultaneously, as with the
revolvers or pistols, the cone of divergence of these will be so small as to enable all
four to cover the body of animals such as wolves or lynx, up to a range of 60 metres
and more.
f) A single manual operation, namely the mere changing of the adjusted
cartridge, enables the fire arm to be used indifferently with ball or with shot
cartridges, which is a particular advantage in view of the excellent firing obtained
in either case, such as has been unobtainable heretofore.
The application of the system of peripheral flight sections to cylindrical bores
furthermore enables sporting guns to be made which, by suitably narrowing or
widening the said sections, can be made to fire with unprecedented accuracy and
penetration with a certain kind or number of shot, while at the same time with
other shot or ball projectiles it will still give excellent results, such guns being
particularly advantageous for pigeon and mountain-cock shooting.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Constructing the barrels of small arms such as revolvers, pistols, carbines and

page_text: sporting guns, with the bore of a square section, divided into separate flight sections
by longitudinal guiding ribs, substantially as described.
2. Constructing the barrels of sporting guns with a cylindrical bore divided by
longitudinal gnide ribs into separate flight sections, substantially as described.
3. The use, for small arms constructed as set forth in the first claim, of cartridge
cases and projectiles having a square cross section, substantially as described.
Dated this 7th day of December 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.