IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Charles Coffey Alger, of Hudson, Columbia
County, State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 29th December 1868, and dated the 27th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th August 1863.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," to
be as follows:—
This Invention consists in constructing and combining the moveable breech,
and the hammer of a breech-loading fire-arm, so that the hammer, by the act
of falling to fire the charge, is caused to lock the breech securely against
the rear end of the barrel, and to brace it against the force of the explosion
of the charge, and the act of drawing back the hammer to cock it, unlocks the
breech, and leaves it at liberty to be open for reloading.
The object of the Invention is effected by combining the swinging breech
with the hammer, by means of shoulders on each, so that the hammer is made
to form a brace to lock and support the breech against the back pressure
consequent on the explosion of the charge.
To load. First, the hammer is brought to the position of half-cock, next the

page_text: breech is drawn back, then the cartridge is inserted into the chamber of the
barrel, and afterwards the breech is closed by simply pushing it forward,
the hammer is then brought to full cock, and the piece fired in the same way
as any other fire-arm, and the hammer in its fall or forward movement comes
and abuts against the rear of the breech, as herein-before described, and thus
braces it securely..
The cartridges or ammunition used may be of various kinds, and the
firing may be effected by a percussion cap or other kind of priming, but I
prefer to use the metallic cartridges, known as fixed ammunition, containing
the priming in a hollow flange formned around the rear of the shell. In the
arm constructed for the use of such ammunition, the hammer has its head
elongated, so as to strike through a groove in one side of the breech upon
the flange of the cartridge. There is a hook, which passes through the breech,
for withdrawing the discharged shells of such cartridges from the barrel, by
the act of opening the breech. This hook has applied to it a spring, which
is attached to the back of the breech, and permits it to pass under the flanges
of the cartridge shell, but brings it up to its place after having passed the
flange.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, WILLIAM
EDWARD. NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the
said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS," being

page_text: a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Edward Newton, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
-
This Invention of "Improvements in Breech-loading Fire-arms," consists
in so constructing and combining the movable breech and the hammer of a
breech-loading fire-arm, that the hammer, by the act of falling to fire.the
charge, is caused to lock the breech securely against the rear end of the
barrel, and to brace it, so that it may resist the force of the explosion of the
charge. The act of drawing back the hammer to coek it unlocks the breech
and leaves it at liberty to be opened for reloading.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view of a portion of the
barrel, the frame, the breech, and the hammer of a fire-arm, with the improve-
ment adapted thereto; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same,
showing also the lock; Fig. 3 is a top view of the same.
A is the breech frame, which connects the barrel B with the stock, and is
provided with a movable side plate A¹ on the left side, as in many other
breech-loading fire-armis, in order to facilitate the insertion, taking out, and
replacement of the movable breech C, and hammer E, which work in a
straight cavity i, provided in the breech frame, both being fitted between the
movable plate A¹ and the opposite side of the cavity i in the frame. The
movable breech C is opened and closed by a swinging movement toward and .
from the barrel, and for this purpose it is furnished on its sides with opposite
pivots or journals a, a, fitted to bearings provided in the frame A and side
plate A¹ in rear of and below the barrel, and it is furnished with a thumb
piece b, to which the pressure of the thumb is applied for opening and closing
it. D is a light spring for pressing upon a flat surface g at the bottom of the
breech, and so preventing it from dropping open when the hammer is drawn
back. The same spring also serves to hold the breech open during the
operation of loading, by pressing upon a flat surface h in rear of and oblique'
to g, when the breech is drawn back from the barrel.
In Fig. 2 the breech is shown closed in black outline, and open iä red

page_text: outline. The hammer E is arranged to swing in the same manner as the
hammer of other fire-arms, being pivoted to a bearing in the frame A on one
side, and a bearing in the plate A¹ on the opposite side, by means of two
pivots c, c, formed upon its butt or tumbler, the pivots c, c, being made stouter
than the pin upon which the hammer usually works in order to give the
hammer a firmer support. The breech C is made with a projecting shoulder d
on its rear, and the hammer is made with a projecting shoulder e on its front
below the head f, the shoulders d and e being so arranged that when the
breech is in contact with and closes the rear end of the barrel, and the hammer
has been thrown forward by the mainspring, the shoulder e abuts against the
shoulder d in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the hammer is
made to constitute a brace to the breech, and lock it securely against the
backward pressure consequent upon the explosion of the charge. The hammer
may have the mainspring F and trigger G applied and combined with it in
the usual or any convenient manner.
In order to load the arm, the following operations are required. First the
hammer is brought to, the position of half cock, next the breech is drawn
back, as shown in red outline in Fig. 2, then the cartridge is inserted into the
chamber of the barrel, and afterwards the breech is closed by simply pushing
it forward, the hammer is then brought to full cock, and the piece fired in
the same way as any other fire-arm, and the hammer in its fall or forward
movement comes to the position relatively to the breech, represented in Fig. 1,
and in black outline in Fig 2, and herein-before described, and so braces it
securely.
The cartridges or ammunition used may be of various kinds, and the firing
may be effected by a percussion cap or other kind of priming, but I prefer to
use the metallic cartridges, known as fixed ammunition, containing the
In the arm
priming in a hollow flange, formed around the rear of the shell.
constructed for the use of such ammunition, the hammer has its head f
elongated, so as to strike through a groove j, j, in one side of the breech upon
the flange of the cartridge.
Fig. 2 of the Drawing represents, attached to and passing through the
breech a hook for withdrawing the discharged shells of such cartridges
from the barrel by the act of opening the breech; this hook k has applied
to it a spring, which is attached to the back of the breech, and permits it
to pass under the flanges of the cartridge shell, but brings it up to its place
after having passed the flange.
Having now described the Invention of improvements in breech-loading
fire-arms, which has been communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,

page_text: and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as
the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, combining the
swinging breech C and the hammer E, by means of suitable shoulders d, e,
on each in such manner that the hammer is made to form a brace, so as.to
brace and lock the breech against the back pressure consequent upon the
explosion of the charge, as herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)