IMPROVEMENTS IN GUNS. CARTRIDGES, AND PROJECTILES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Henry Cradock Monckton, of the Oriental
Bank Corporatiou, Threadneedle Street, London, Gentleman, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GUNS. CARTRIDGES, AND PROJECTILES."
Sealed the 11th February 1870, and dated the 9th October 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Edward Henry Cradock
Monckton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition and Declaration, on the 9th October 1869, pursuant to the
9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
HENRY CRADOCK MONCKTON, of the Oriental Bank Corporation, Thread-
needle Street, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GUNS, CARTRIDGES, AND PROJECTILES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal
Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I
am the true and first Inventor thereof.

page_text: My improvements consist as follows :-
Firstly. I diminish the size of the orifice of my cartridges, leaving
the cavity larger at the cap end, thus the cavity will be more or less
conically shaped while presenting a cylindrical surface outside. So long
as these conditions are observed generally it is not essential that the
interior of the cartridge shall be truly conical, though this form is to
be preferred. This construction may be variously effected by inserting
and securing pieces of thick strong tube of metal, pasteboard, wood
or other material. The metal forming the tube may be turned in so as
to narrow the orifice within the thin tube, the metal forming the case;
or, which is far preferable by casting the cartridge breech end in one
piece of the intended form of any suitable metal or alloy, as of brass,
copper, cast iron, malleable iron, steel, &c.
Secondly. I form my bullet conical at one end and partly flat at
the other, with a short cylinder projecting from the flat surface at its
centre, which is made to fit into and close the orifice of the cartridge,
while the flat part of the end abutts against its end, and thus by intro-
ducing a little varnish while inserting the bullet the hole is closed
water-tight. The cap is fitted on and fired by any of the known
methods. I prefer however in my cartridge to imbed it centrally with
a little varnish, using the central-fire system. A nipple may also if
preferred be introduced into a countersunk hole on the plan now in
use for converting breech into muzzle loading guns, or a pin may be
used to fire a cap placed within as now; or in lieu of the pin I intro-
duce a nipple in its place, and I enlarge the hole for the pin in the end
of the barrel so as to receive a suitable nipple, on which
cap should be placed as in all nipple guns.
precussion
Thirdly. I charge all cartridges and especially those of my construc-
tion by preference in the following way:-At the cap end I place a
small wad of gun cotton with a little of the cotton projecting centrally; I
then pour in the gunpowder, and over this I place another similar
wad of gun cotton, and above the whole hermetically with the bullet

page_text: and varnish, and I also place a little varnish round the central cap;
thus as a military weapon it is absolutely waterproof. For a shot cart-
ridge the shot is secured on to the end where it is made of metal
by paper, thin metal, wire, or by any other means now resorted to, and
for this purpose a part or the whole of the metal may be turned down
thinner, so as to admit of the thickness of the paper or metal fitting
properly on a level, and thus entering freely into the barrel. I prefer
for shot to secure the orifice air-tight, by placing a wad varnished on
the side over it, which also on firing acts as a barrel cleaner for re-
moving the soiling of the previous charge. Though I prefer to use
gun cotton together with gunpowder, as above described, I nevertheless
load my cartridges also with gunpowder only, and I also where I
use gun cotton distribute it in a variety of ways. Thus by another
method I. place a small cylinder of it up the centre of the charge, and
by another enclose the powder in a wrapper of gun cotton or cloth
made of the same material, by this means I insure a complete ignition
of the entire charge, and am enabled in some instances to reduce the
length of my cartridge by placing wads of gun cotton at each end. The
powder, by the rapid ignition of the cotton is fired from both ends,
before and behind, the forward wad giving the ball or wad its final
blow while nearing the muzzle, and also effectually fires any last
particles, which, in large guns especially, are usually blown out and
lost, a matter of immense importance, where, as in cannon, penetration
and long range are essential. The combination of gun cotton with
blasting powder in cartridges suitable for blasting effects great results
from effectually igniting the entire charge.
Fourthly. I do not confine myself to shaping the interior of the
cartridge as above described, for I sometimes reverse this practice where
desired, though I prefer the former, and I make the bore cylinderical
or the orifice as large or larger than the interior, with an inner bore
resembling the breeches of ordinary muzzle-loading fixed breech guns.
I use by preference solid metal, but I do not confine myself to any
particular method of construction so long as the principles of my
Patent are carried out. The cartridges may be cast, stamped, or
made in pieces, or of tubes or parts of tubes, and be united or
soldered together. They may be finished by turning or by pressing
into shape, and where preferred the bullet made flat may be inserted

page_text: into a cylinder or wrapper of thin sheet metal as now, the other part
slipping over the cartridge so as to make it gas-tight by expansion or
explosion. The advantages of these cartridges are long range, great
strength, that they are not easily to be damaged, waterproof, com-
pactness. By way of distinction I call these "breech cartridges'
because they form an interior moveable breeching most effectual for
giving strength to that end of the gun, especially useful in cannon
from their taking the wear and tear consequent on heavy discharges
from the interior of the gun breech and transferring them to the
cartridge breech ; in addition to this it gives greater facilities for
cooling, as the moveable breeches are replaced by others cool and fresh,
some cooling in the air or in water, while others are being loaded prior
to insertion. The cartridge breech could also be arranged so as to
have the part for receiving the powder from a part of the breech itself
and be screwed on if so preferred, but I prefer in cannon to insert the
ball and then the loose cartridge breech containing the powder, and
lastly to close the breech as is now done in a variety of ways, so that
if any of these breeches are injured their place is readily supplied with
others.
Though I have described the outside of my breech cartridge to be
by preference cylinderical, they may be made of any desired shape and
to fit into any desired shaped recess in the breech end of the gun.
The ball also and the end of the cartridge may be constructed of lead
and of any desired form to fit into each other, and the ball may be
made more or less hollow, or with a plug to admit of expansion if
required.
I further make my bullets of leaded iron in the following novel
ways By one method I insert an iron rod, by preference plate drawn,
within a tube of lead, both nearly fitting and of a suitable thickness to
form the bullet of the required diameter, and leave, say th of lead
round the iron, though any desired thickness of it may thus be applied;
the lead tube with the iron rod in it is then passed through holes in
draw, and thus the union is completed, the last hole in the plate
corresponding with the desired diameter of the ball; the leaded rod is
then cut across into lengths or cylinders suitable for bullets by means of
a rapid revolving circular saw. The balls are made conical as follows:-
The end of the rod is cut, burred, or turned conical by means of pressure

page_text: into a hollow chuck, furnished with cutters rapidly revolving on a lathe,
and the moment this is finished a bullet is cut off by a side pressure
against a rapidly revolving circular saw placed alongside, and thus
another end will be ready for being made conical, and the process be
very rapid. The cylindrical bullets may also be made conical by striking
them on their ends in conical dies, the centre being held by a clip
while the blow is given above. By another method I cast conical
ended bullet cores of iron or steel of a size smaller than required,
and cover them with lead by placing them in a bullet mould and
pouring the lead over them, thus the outside will partake of the shape
of the mould whatever it may be. The bullet is either cast with a
small central hole at the bottom, into which a pin projecting from
the bottom of the mould is inserted, or else it is made so that one
end shall fit into a hollow at the bottom of the mould, by which means
it is held in an upright position while the lead is poured round. These
cores need not necessarily be cast conical, as the lead will cover and
effect the conical shape, and any metal however common may be used
for making these cores, which can also if preferred be hardened by
chilling. Rods of drawn or rolled iron or thick wire may also be cut into
suitable lengths to make these cores, and be used in the place of the
cast-iron ones by inserting one end of the cylinder into the bullet
mould. Cast-iron rods of suitable size may also be used in lieu of
drawn ones of wrought iron, and be chopped, broken, or cut off into lengths
suitable for leading afterwards. Lead tubes may also be drawn over iron
or other metal tubes, and then be cut off in suitable lengths, and these
tubes may be afterwards filled with explosive material, &c., if so desired,
Iron bullets may be partially covered with lead by dipping, zincing, and
such like methods, but I prefer to use the methods above specified.
Fifthly. In order to enable cavalry, and to meet the requirements
of modern warfare, 1 introduce by preference a central-fire blunderbus,
steel barrel, breech, or muzzle loader with a large bore, this barrel is
made to interchange with the ordinary short rifle barrel now used,
which latter is fitter for long ranges and where accuracy of fire is
required, while the former is intended for breaking squares just prior
to the cavalry dashing upon them when from being at close quarters
accuracy is not needed so long as the square is hit. The blunderbus
is charged either with a chain shot, or with long thin cylindrical iron
bullets packed together, or with swan shot wrapped up in the chain.

page_text: The discharge of each blunderbus thus resembles a hailstorm, and
though the bullets would not penetrate to the same extent or be so
deadly as from rifles, yet the effect of destroying the square and ren-
dering it vacillating and easy to penetrate would be the same, because
the charge would be over before the men in the square could recover.
I introduce also a short blunderbus shaped steel cannon light enough
to be carried on horseback, and yet capable of throwing shot at a longer
range than the above blunderbus. Now if during the charge three
or more of these mounted cannons were to occupy each flank and fire
at rifle range the men could reserve their blunderbus fire till close in,
and the cavalry would thus be put on a par with the infantry and
ought to break the squares.
Sixthly. I rifle shot guns so that the barrel, which I prefer to make
of steel, may be used for either shot or ball. This by preference 1
effect by making the bore circular and rifled polygonally, with each
side hollowed a little and rounded off, as, for example, with 3, 4, or 5
or more hollow sides. I prefer to carry the rifled spiral varying
according to circumstances from an eighth to a third of a turn in the
barrel, though I do not limit myself to that or to any extent. Rifling
to a small extent, especially by using thick wads, will be found to cause
shot to be thrown better, especially at long ranges, and if a barrel so
made is not quite equal for ball shooting to one especially rifled, it will
in most cases be quite equal to all the requirements of sporting, especially
with my long iron lead coated ball, and far better than a mere smooth
bore, and I adapt such barrels to any system of breech-loading or muzzle-
loading and also to cannon, by which system cannon balls will not be
subject to having their lead stripped off. I by wrapping round and over
them cloth of any suitable open pattern, such as net or open muslin
that has been dipped in any non-absorbent adhesive mixtures, such as
in melted wax, parafin, grease, &c., and then well pressed so as to leave
the meshes and interstices open, by then applying sulphate of copper,
acids, or other corrosives the exposed parts of the barrel or other
furniture will be eaten away, leaving on it the pattern that was on the
cloth. By this system steel barrels that cannot be damasced may be
highly ornamented at a cheap cost with names and other designs.
I claim the application of well known substances and processes to pro-
duse improvements in cune cartridges and rainntilas without limition

page_text: myself to any particular form of construction so long as the application
of the novel principles of my Inventions are observed, and I disclaim
any part or parts that may bereafter be proved not to be novel appli-
cations.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Henry Cradock Monckton,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
E. H. C. MONCKTON. (L.s.)