British 2693
LETTERS PATENT to William Greener, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Maker, for the Invention of “ Ixprovmkkts nr Repeatihq Military Rifles, Carbihis, ahd Pistols, ahd ih Cartridges to
BE USED THEREWITH.”
Sealed tlie 15th June 1855, and dated the 21st December 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Greener at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st December 1854.
I, William Greener, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “Improvements in Repeating Military Riples, Carbines, and Pistols, and nr Cartridges to be U3ED therewith,1 * to be as follows, that is to say:—
This Invention consists in a novel construction of repeating fire-arms, whereby I cause the chambers containing the charge to make a retrograde movement and a partial revolution by the motion of a supplementary trigger. I employ under the barrel or barrels of a single or double rifle, carbine, or pistol an additional tube or tubes, of light metal, or other suitable material, formed to contain a certain number of cartridges at the time of discharging the repeating chambers, being in close contact with and inserted into the breech end of the barrels. The under tubes supply the under chambers with a fresh charge. After the discharge, by a motion of the supplementary trigger, before named, the chambers recede from the barrels, partially revolve, and bring up those under chambers to the barrels, the arm being again ready to discharge, and those last used being replenished with a fresh charge. I also employ a simple arrangement of self-priming, causing a cap to be placed on each nipple at the time of charging.
My improvements in cartridges consist in making the cartridge cases of a thin metal, composed of lead, zinc, and bismuth, similar to that used in making the fusees of Moorsom s shells, which at a low heat becomes reduced. At the bottom of this case I perforate a number of small holes. The nipple I use differs from those at present employed, in having tlie aperture in the form of a slit instead of round, and in being much larger at the top than at the base. On the explosion of the cap the flame is forced through the perforations in the bottom of the cartridge case, thoroughly destroying it, and preventing the slightest particle remaining in the chamber, or any deposit being left therein.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by the said William Greener in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th June 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, William Greener, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Greener, Her special license that I, the said William Greener, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Greener, 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 “ Improvements in Repeating Military Rifles, Carbines, and Pistols, and in Cartridges to be used therewith,” (upon the condition, amongst others) that I, the said William Greener, 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 Greener, 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 (reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon), that is to say:—
My Invention consists, firstly, of improvements in the construction of repeating military rifles, carbines, and pistols of the description termed breechloading, by causing the barrel or barrels to advance from the breech for the purpose of loading.
And, secondly, of improvements in the construction of metal cases for cartridges to be used therewith.
Description op the Drawings.
Sheet A, Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 a section, of a repeating rifle made according to my Invention.
Sheet B, Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 a section, of a carbine.
Sheet C, Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 a section, of another single barrel piece, shewing another mode of advancing the barrel.
I will now proceed to describe the construction of the repeating rifle shewn in Sheet A. (a) is a series of revolving chambers, made upon any ordinary and suitable plan, and provided with a cone (J) on each chamber, which cone fits into a corresponding conical chamber (c) on the end of the barrel; the grooves (d, d,) sunk round the cones (b) and the chamber (c), are for the following purpose :—I find a body of gas the best medium for resisting the retro-pulsive force of the gas generated by the explosion of gunpowder, and I therefore construct these grooves for the purpose of retaining a certain portion of gas to resist that which will be generated by every discharge, and thus prevent any escape and loss of power consequent thereon at the junction of the cones. After each discharge the barrel is caused to slide forward in the telescope tube (