CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS OR PISTOLS FOR MILITARY AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE AND WILL ADMIT OF BEING APPLIED TO GUNS OR PISTOLS NOW IN USE."
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Crickmay, Gun Manufacturer, of Guildford
Place, Lower Kennington Lane, London, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS OR PISTOLS FOR MILITARY AND
OTHER PURPOSES, AND WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE AND WILL
ADMIT OF BEING APPLIED TO GUNS OR PISTOLS NOW IN USE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Crickmay at.
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th Febraury 1857.
I, CHARLES CRICKMAY, Gun Manufacturer, of Guildford Place, Lower
Kennington Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS OR PISTOLS FOR MILITARY
AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE AND WILL
ADMIT OF BEING APPLIED TO GUNS OR PISTOLS NOW IN USE," to be as follows (that
is to say):-.
My improvements relate, first, to the mode of connecting and disconnecting.
the breech with the barrel of breech-loading guns or pistols.
Secondly, in the form or manner of making the cartridges to be used with:
such guns or pistols in order that they shall be self-priming.
And, thirdly, in the use of a revolving collar containing a certain number of:
chambers for holding spare cartridges, and which collar is so arranged, that in
'

page_text: loading, a chamber containing a cartridge is brought round and the cartridge
dropped into an opening, and carried forward into the barrel by a moveable
breech or plug connected with the first part of my improvements, which I will
now further describe.
I adopt the same means specified in a Patent granted to me on the Twentieth
of June, One thousand. eight hundred and fifty-three, namely, the use of a desired
number of cams; as for instance, if the circle of the barrel be divided into six
parts, I form a cam on every, alternate part on or connected with the barrel,
and corresponding cams I form on the breech. The. connecting .surfaces of
these cams are inclined like the thread of a screw, that by twisting the breech
round the third of a turn the connection is made complete; but in my former
Patent I designed the barrel to be turned round and moved forward to effect
the desired object. In this case; however, I make the barrels a fixture and
the breech moveable, and in connection with the breech I form a plug, which
carries forward the cartridge and cuts off the escape of gas at this juncture, and
enables me to keep the cams before described some distance from the charge
when exploding, and also to form the cams in connection with the barrel on a
separate collar, and which collar is united to the barrel by tapping and screwing.
This arrangement is of the greatest importance because it admits of adjusting
the cams so as to insure perfect contact.. The touch-hole in this case is placed
on the under side of the barrel, and therefore protected from rain or moisture
getting into it; but instead of using a nipple and percussion caps, a striker or
nose piece is applied in connection with the cock, which striker passes in through
the touch-hole to a small hole in the breech, which hole is parallel to the
lengthway and concentric with the barrel; this hole is for receiving a small
tube formed or made in connection with the cartridge, which tube, being filled
with fulminating powder or other suitable composition, is exploded by the blow
given out by the striker in discharging the piece. I do not propose to confine
myself to the use of the revolving chamber for holding a supply of cartridges,
as such an arrangement may be unnecessary when such guns are not used for
military purposes; nor do I wish to confine myself to the use of one barrel,
as my plan and general arrangements admit of two barrels being used, as in
the ordinary way of making double-barrel birding guns; and in some instances
I propose to apply bayonets to such guns, such bayonets being made to lie along
on the under side of the barrel or barrels when not in use, and reversed and
fixed for use by means of a suitable spring or hinges.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Crickmay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, CHARLES
CRICKMAY, Gun Manufacturer, of Guildford Place, Lower Kennington Lane,
London, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles Crickmay, Her special license that I, the said Charles
Crickmay, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Charles Crickmay, my executors, administrators, or 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 CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING GUNS FOR MILITARY AND OTHER
PURPOSES, AND WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE AND WILL ADMIT OF
BEING APPLIED TO GUNS NOW IN USE;" upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Charles Crickmay, 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 Charles Crickmay, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
The nature and object of my improvements in breech-loading fire-arms are
sufficiently stated in my Provisional Specification to render any further general
remarks unnecessary, therefore I will proceed at once to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed, reference being made to the letters and figures marked
thereon, namely:-
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a sectional view of a breech-loading gun constructed in
accordance with my improvements, as named in my Provisional Specification
under the first head.

page_text: A is the barrel, broken off for convenience of space, and represented in
section at the breech end; and B, the stock, also broken off at the butt and fore
end, while the middle part is represented in section for the purpose of exhibiting
the break-off, and manner of connecting the stock and barrel together at this
part; a, a, is the break-off, also represented in section, clipping the barrel at
a; is a socket, which passes through the lock plate, with a countersunk
bearing, and united to the break-off by being tapped, so as to form one of the
means of uniting the lock plate, stock, and barrel together; c, c, is a collar,
tapped on the butt end of the barrel, with cams at its extreme end, the form and
position of which are shewn at d, d, d, Fig. 2, which is an end view of this
part. C is the butt end of the plug f, the two being connected by the bar g, g,
on which are formed corresponding cams, marked e, e, e; and the connecting
surface of the cams being inclined like the threads of a screw, it is evident that
by turning the part C in the direction of the arrow by the lever D the plug f
will be forced into close contact with the conical chamber in the interior of the
barrel, as here shewn.
I will now disconnect those parts for the purpose of shewing how I propose
to load this description of gun. The knob D is turned the sixth part of a
revolution in the reverse direction of the arrow, when the cams will be dis-
connected, and allow of the plug f to be pulled back from the chamber in the
position exhibited by the dotted lines, when the cartridge exhibited at Fig. 3
(hereafter to be described) is dropped through the opening marked h, h, ready to
be carried forward in the direction of the arrow by the plug into the
chamber or position marked i. A small tube on the end of the cartridge fits
into a small hole in the centre of the plugf, and which hole is shewn in dotted
lines. Before pulling the plug f back for the purpose of loading, the lock must
be half cocked, and the platej being acted on by a small spring will pull down
the striker k, as the hammer E will be then removed from it, so that the
cartridge may be carried freely forward into its position. The piece is discharged
by first cocking the gun and freeing the hammer (by the trigger), which will
knock the striker up, the small end of which will pass through a hole formed
in the plug in connection with the concentric hole before described, and there
come violently in contact with the small tube at the end of the cartridge, which,
being filled with detonating powder, will immediately explode from the blow
and communicate its fire to the charge.
I do not think it necessary to further elaborate on the description of the cams
herein-before mentioned, as they are particularly described in the Specification
of the Patent granted to me on the 20th of June 1853, with this difference,

page_text: "
that they are there placed in advance of the charge, and thereby subjected
to expansion, which is here entirely avoided.
Fig. 4 is a modification of Figure 1, constructed for the purpose of being
discharged by means of percussion caps; the break-off, marked m, m, m, is also
so arranged that a strip clips the barrel, and forms one of the means of uniting
it to the stock. The collar, marked n, n, is tapped on to the butt end of the
barrel, and is identical with the part marked c, c, Figure 1. The plug, marked
F, in this case is also conical, and is defined by being sectioned with red lines.
To load this piece, the plug F has to be turned, say, the sixth part of a
revolution (supposing that there are three cams used), which will relieve it,
when it may be pulled back into the position shewn by the dotted lines, marked
0, 0, which leaves the breech end of the barrel entirely open, when an ordinary
cartridge may be inserted and forced forward by the replacement of the plug F,
and as the chamber for the cartridge is conical it will be held tightly in its
position, so that the action of turning the plug for the purpose of locking it in
contact with the cams, two steel points, marked p, p, in front of the plug, will
tear the cartridge, and thereby loosen the powder, which will fall into the
nipple marked
The plug is united to the break-off by the screw r, which
works in a slot cut through the break-off at right angles with the lengthway
of the barrel, and then back through a slot in the direction of its length,
and which screw is shewn in dotted lines at r in connection with the plug,
shewn in dotted lines at o. o. The dotted circles at the butt end of the plug
F is simply to represent the position of a lever, as at D, Figure 1; not that I
purpose confining myself to a lever of that description, as in some instances
it may be preferable to let the lever when out of use lie alongside in the
direction of the barrel.
The lock here exhibited is new in its general arrangements, and is par-
ticularly applicable to this description of guns; the guard is not shewn, but it
can be applied and secured forward by the screw t, and behind the trigger by
the screw u, which also secures the sear spring.
In the description of guns exhibited at Figure 1, I purpose using thin plate
for covering over the opening in the breech where the cartridge is passed in
(in the process of loading), and which plate may be fitted either to slide in
a lengthway groove or to be fixed on the collar C, when it will be moved with
it; or the loading hole may be on the side of the breech instead of on the top,
and in that case the lever can be made, when out of use, to cover the hole.
I have not thought it necessary to exhibit a double-barreled gun constructed
according to these. my improvements, as the only difference consists in keying
the barrels into a solid collar, the action of the cams being identical..

page_text: Fig. 5 represents as much of a barrel and stock of a gun necessary to
illustrate my mode of applying to such guns a revolving chamber for holding
a desired number of cartridges; in this case I have, arranged it for holding
cight. H, H, is the barrel; and K, K, the stock; v, v, v, is the break-off, repre-
sented in a detached end view at Figure 6, shewing that it clips the barrel.
Lis a sectional view of the revolving chamber; and M, M, is an opening
through the barrel for the cartridge to fall through. This revolving chamber
may be cylindrical, or in the form shewn in a transverse section at Fig. 7, and
may be made of thin sheet copper or other suitable metal. The front plate w
is fixed to the break-off plate v, and has a small hole the size of a cartridge
placed in any suitable position, either top or sides, fitted with a small cap or
cover plate; this hole is for receiving the cartridges, the chamber being
turned, and one placed in until all its compartments are filled, one being
placed in the barrel, making in all nine charges. At the back or muzzle end
of the chamber a piece of tube fixed in the top hole of the break-off at the
part that clips the barrel, best seen at x. Figure 6; in this tube the small
bolt y is fixed, which bolt is actuated by the helical spring, as here shewn,
but may be pulled back by the projection at , which is attached to the bolt y
by tapping or otherwise. The use of this detant is to prevent the chamber
revolving but in one direction and moving through more than one of
its divisions without causing the bolt to rise over a tooth of a circular
ratchet placed at the back for that purpose, as exhibited detached at
Fig. 8. This arrangement is drawn for the use of cartridges, as exhibited at
Figure 3, and to be fired off in the same manner, as exhibited at Fig. 1. At
the top side of the concentric part of the plate w the supply hole may be
placed as exhibited in an inside detached view at Fig. 9. I do not purpose
in all cases to turn the chamber L by hand, as it may be easily arranged
that the lever attached to the plug which has to pass backward and forward
through a certain part of the area of a circle each time the plug is withdrawn
in the operation of loading; the same action of the lever may be made to
work a ratchet in connection with the revolving chamber, that at each time
the lever is raised the chamber may be made to revolve through one of
its divisions, and in this case, instead of charging the chamber at the front end,
as before described, it may be found desirable to charge it at the reverse end.
Nor do I purpose confining myself to the exact position of the cams as
herein shewn, as the collar c, c, in. Figure 1, and n, n, in Figure 4, may be
dispensed with, and the one set of cams formed on the breech end of the
barrel itself, so as to make a flush joint of the external collar of the plug and
the breech, end of the barrel, still keeping the cams behind the charge.

page_text: Fig. 10 represents a sectional view of the cartridge exhibited at Figure 3;.
and Figure 11, the same, showing the mode of making, which is as follows:-
A small pin is formed at the centre of the base of the ball, over which pin a
small tube is placed partially filled with fulminating or other combustible
compound that will explode by the percussion of a blow; I next pass over
the tube by a suitable tool a disc of felt or other such like material saturated
with any suitable greasy or fatty matter; this felt disc is slightly larger than
the periphery of the ball. In this state the ball is passed down into a mould,
and a tube of paper puckered or gathered in at the bottom is put into the
mould, so that the puckered or gathered in part of the paper tube shall
rest on the felt disc. I next place on the tube a thin disc of metal raised
into a conical form, that when it is pushed down to the bottom its outer
edge must rest on the puckered or gathered-in part of the paper tube; the
hole in this metal disc is the same size as the tube; and in the next process,'
which is that of flattening it, it is evident that it will tend to contract
the centre hole, which will cause it to impinge tightly on the tube, which
is of very thin metal, allowing of the impingement to be conveyed to the
lead pin formed on the base of the ball, thus uniting the parts together.
I next fill the paper tube with the requisite quantity of powder, which must
fill the tube within about three-sixteenths of its length, which superfluous
portion is subsequently gathered in and turned down flat towards the centre,
an operation easily performed by tools somewhat similar to those used in the
manufacture of Florentine or covered buttons, and over this I next place
a disc of thin paper slightly smaller than the circumference of the paper
tube; this disc I punch out of paper, covered on one side with gum or other
adhesive material, with a hole in the centre a little smaller than the tube, and
by placing on this disc, slightly moist on the under or gum side, and pressed
down with a suitable tool, it is evident the cartridge may be lifted or draw
from the mould in a perfect or compact form. This paper disc I have repre-
sented in a flat view at c', the metallic conical disc at d', and the felt disc at e'.
The edge view of the conical disc is represented by the red lines, before and
after flattening, in the Figures herein referred to, marked 10 and 11, while the
paper tube is represented by blue lines.
The bayonets, as applicable to the description of guns herein shown, are
fully exhibited in the Patent granted to me on the 20th June 1853, before.
referred to, and therefore unnecessary for me to again exhibit.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same may be carried into effect, I wish it understood that I do not
purpose. confining myself to any of the exact details or measurements herein

page_text: described and exhibited, as the whole will admit of considerable modifications
without departing from the general character of my Invention; but what I do
claim is,
Firstly, the mode herein exhibited, described, and referred to of connecting
and disconnecting the breeches of fire-arms in general for the purposes of
loading thereat, whereby I am enabled to insure a perfect gas-tight con-
nection.
Secondly, I claim the application to make such descriptions of guns or
pistols of a revolving chamber for a reserve or supply of charges, as herein
exhibited.
Thirdly, I claim the application to such guns of cartridges as exhibited
and described at Figures 3, 10, and 11.
And, lastly, I claim the application to such guns and pistols the arrange-
ment of the lock described, and exhibited at Figure 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Crickmay, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of August 1857.
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS, Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
CHARLES CRICKMAY. (L.S.)