IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES."
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Westley Richards, of Birmingham, Gun Manu-
facturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND
CARTRIDGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Westley Richards at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th September 1858.
I, WESTLEY RICHARDS, of Birmingham, Gun Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND
CARTRIDGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire-arms and cartridges.
For these purposes in making breech-loading fire-arms, wherein plugs or
moveable pieces are used to close the breech ends, I apply to such plugs or
moving pieces hooks or instruments which enter into and hold wads or parts
at the back ends of the cartridges, in such manner that when the plugs or
moveable pieces are moved back to admit of fresh charges being introduced.
at the breech ends of the fire-arms, the hooks or instruments may withdraw
the wads or exploded cartridges. The arrangement of plugs or sliding pieces
for the closing of the breech ends of fire-arms which I prefer when using this
part of my Invention, is that described in the Provisional Specification of my
former Patent; but arrangements of plugs or moveable pieces different from
those described under my former Patent may also, according to this part of
my Invention, be combined with hooks or holding instruments, for holding and
withdrawing wads or cartridges from the barrels.

page_text: In constructing breech-loading fire-arms, where two barrels are used, the
two barrels and part of the stock are hinged or turn on a horizontal axis
forward of the breech end of the barrels, and the rib which is between and
connects the barrels together, is extended back beyond the breech ends of the
barrels, and is formed into a strong hook, eye, or suitable fastening, which is
locked in position by one end of a lever handle, which is formed with a counter
hook or fastening, so as securely to hold the ends of the barrels to the fixed
breech or plate. In making cartridges, more particularly when shot is used, I
apply in making up each cartridge, a hollow or conical thimble, which acts as
a false or temporary breech to a breech-loading fire-arm, and I prefer that the
hinder part of such a breech should be formed somewhat larger than the
bore of the barrel, so as to require to be drawn back out of the barrel after
the cartridge, to which it had been applied, has been discharged; though such
temporary breeches may be made to be pushed forward by the cartridges next
inserted into the breech ends of the fire-arms, and I arrange for igniting the
powder within such breeches by tubes or otherwise.
In place of using metal straps to embrace the barrels and the forward parts
of the stocks of fire-arms, I employ straps of leather, and retain them in
position on the stocks by screw or other fastenings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Westley Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th March 1859.
ΤΟ
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WESTLEY
RICHARDS, of Birmingham, Gun Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Westley Richards, Her special licence that I, the said Westley
Richards, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Westley Richards, 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 "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS AND CARTRIDGES," upon the condition (amongst others)

page_text: that I, the said Westley Richards, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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 Westley Richards, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire-arms and cartridges.
For these purposes in making breech-loading fire-arms wherein plugs or
moveable pieces are used to close the breech ends, I apply to such plugs or
moving pieces hooks or instruments which enter into and hold wads or parts
at the back ends of the cartridges, in such manner that when the plugs or
moveable pieces are moved back to admit of fresh charges being introduced at
the breech ends of the fire-arms, the hooks or instruments may withdraw the
wads or exploded cartridges. The arrangement of plugs or sliding pieces for
the closing of the breach ends of fire-arms, which I prefer, when using this
part of my Invention, is that described in the Specification of my former
Patent, dated 25th March 1858%; but arrangements of plugs or moveable
pieces different from those described under my former Patent may also;
according to this part of my Invention, be combined with hooks or holding
instruments for holding and withdrawing wads or cartridges from the barrels..
Figure 1 is a vertical section of part of a breech-loading gun constructed
in the manner fully described in the Specification of my former Patent.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same. It will be seen that a chamber open at the
top to admit the cartridge is fitted to the breech end of the barrel; this
chamber is furnished with a cover on which a sliding block is mounted, so as
to be able to slide to and fro a short distance, and the plug for closing the end
of the barrel is jointed to this sliding block. Figures 3 and 4 show re-
spectively a side view, and an under side view of the cover of the chamber;
and Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, show respectively a plan, a side view, an under
side view, a front view, and a back view of the sliding block and the plug
combined together. Figure 10 is a longitudinal section of the plug; e¹ is the
hook with which it is furnished to withdraw the exploded cartridge, and a
wad which I prefer to attach at the back of the cartridge. A cartridge
constructed in this manner is shown in section at Figure 11, and in end view.
at Figure 19

page_text: a is the wad, which is attached to the back of the cartridge by glue or
other cement, and which has a hole a formed in it, into which the hook e¹ on
the plug enters, so that when the plug is withdrawn it brings with it the wad a¹
and the exploded cartridge attached to it. In constructing breech-loading
fire-arms, were two barrels are used, the two barrels and part of the stock
are hinged or turn on a horizontal axis forward of the breech end of the
barrels, and the rib which is between and connects the barrels together is
extended back beyond the breech ends of the barrels, and is formed into a
strong hook, eye, or suitable fastening, which is locked in position by one end
of a lever handle, which is formed with a counter hook or fastening, so as
securely to hold the ends of the barrels to the fixed breech or plate. In
making cartridges, more particularly when shot is used, I apply, in making
up each cartridge, a hollow or conical thimble, which acts as a false or
temporary breech to a breech-loading fire-arm, and I prefer that the hinder
part of such a breech should be formed somewhat larger than the bore of the
barrel, so as to require to be drawn back out of the barrel after the cartridge:
to which it had been applied has been discharged; though such temporary.
breeches may be made to be pushed forward by the cartridges next inserted
into the breech ends of the fire-arms, and I arrange for igniting the powder
within such breeches by tubes or otherwise.
Figure 13 is a longitudinal section of part of a double-barrelled breech-
loading gun; and Figure 14 is a longitudinal section of a cartridge constructed
according to this part of my Invention; Figure 15 is a plan of the portion of
the gun. a is the stock, to which is attached the breech piece b, shown
separately in plan and edge view at Figures 16 and 17 respectively; c, c, are
the barrels, of which Figure 18 shows a side view, and Figure 19 an end
view; the rib c¹ between the barrels is so formed as to project below them
at c³, and when the barrels are in their place, the pin 61 carried by the breech
piece rests in a semicircular groove formed at the end of the projection c*, and
there is a piece d fixed to the fore part of the stock, which abuts on the pin
on the other side, so that the pin 6' is enclosed between the projection and
the piece d, and the pin 6¹ serves as an axis, about which the barrels are able
to turn to assume the position shewn by red lines at Figure 13. The rib c is
continued so as to project beyond the barrels at c³, and is formed into a hook,
which hooks into a hole in the breech piece, and at the extremity of the hook
is formed a recess for receiving a corresponding projection on the lever
handle e, which turns on a centre carried by the breech piece b; this handle,
when it lies parallel with the stock, locks the barrels in the position for firing,
but when turned into the position shewn by red lines in Figure 15, it allows

page_text: the breech ends of the barrels to rise for loading, as is also shown by red lines
in Figure 13. In loading, it is only necessary to place the cartridges in the
barrels, so that the explosion tubes f may rest in the notches formed for them
at the end of the barrels, and to return the barrels to the position for firing.
When one of the triggers is pulled, the hammer falls on the explosion tube,
and by flattening it on one of the small anvils 9 explodes it, and fires the
cartridge. The hollow or conical thimble h at the back of the cartridge, and
which is made of felt, or other suitable substance, acts as a false or temporary
breech, and it makes a tight joint against the breech piece 6, and around the
b,
notch by which the explosion tube passes. It will be seen, that the bore of the
barrel is enlarged at the breech end, to receive a felt thimble h, larger in
diameter than the bore of the barrel, so that after the barrel has been discharged,
it is necessary to pull out the thimble h with the exploded cartridge attached
to it before reloading. When other means of firing the charge are adopted,
the barrel need not be enlarged at its breech end, and the thimble h may, in
loading, be pushed on so as to act as a wad in front of the charge, but the
arrangement already described is preferred. The explosion tubes which I
employ are tubes of thin copper filled with fulminating materials.
In place of using metal straps to embrace the barrels and the forward parts
of the stocks of fire-arms, I employ straps of leather, and retain them in
position on the stocks by screw or other fastenings.
Figure 20 is a side view, and Figure 21 is an under side view of a portion
of a fire-arm in which the barrels are attached to the stock by means of straps
of leather. a, a, are the straps, they are sewn together so as to form rings,
which are slid along the stock into their places, and are secured by screws
passing through small covering slips of metal a¹, a¹.
In witness whereof, I, the said Westley Richards, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
WESTLEY RICHARDS. (LS.)
Witness,
EDW. O. SERMON,
of the Lozells, near Birmingham,
Clerk to Messrs. Whateley, Sol",
Birmingham.