US11685A

US11685A - Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms

Info

Publication number: US11685A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1854-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 1871-09-19

Description

H. W.. ADAMS.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arm.

Patented Sept. 19, 1854,

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INVENTOR WITNESSES To all whmn it nuty concern/2 'tudinal sections through the center of the view of the chamber of the barrel detached the bore, to allow the charge to be introduced UNTTnn STATES PATENT @rrren.

HENRY XV. ADAMS, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,685., dated September 19, 1854.

Be it known that I, HENRY XV. Annals, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Breech -L0ading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a rifle constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Figs. 3 and a are longichamber and breech of the same, showing different positions of the breech-roller. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the center of the breech-roller. Fig. 6 is a section in the plane indicated by the red line no 3 in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a back view of'the breeclrroller detached from the rifle. Fig. 8 is an outside from the rifle. Fig. 9 is an outside view of a short tube which fits to the back of the breechroller.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to that description of breech-loading fire-arms in which the breech is composed of a roller which when in one position closes the rear end of the chamber and in another position forms a continuation of through it into the chamber. This form of breech, I am aware, is not of itself new; but when heretofore employed, the firing of the charge has been performed by the breech shearing through fulminating compound attached to the cartridge, which I consider a dangerous arrangement, or else by some other objectionable means.

The first part of my invention consists in attaching the common gun-nipple to one end of the above-described roller and making a vent or priming hole extending therefrom to the surface of the solid part of the roller, which covers and closes the end of the barrel, so as to convey fire from the nipple to the center of the powder in the barrel.

In first applying the breech roller above mentioned, it was made to fit closely in every part of the seat or bearing which receives it,

and after the piece had been discharged a very few times it was found impossible to turn the roller, owing to the fire having worked its way between the roller and seat and the gas condensed. The seat was then enlarged, to leave a space about one-sixteenth of an inch wide around the roller, giving the latter a bearing only on a small surface surrounding the end of the barrel, which was made to project a sixteenth of an inch into the seat, thus, by reducing the surface of contact, to reduce the amount of adhesion and friction of the surfaces.

This invention therefore consists, secondly,

in forming a cavity within the seat all around the roller, and only leaving bearings at the ends of the roller and around the projecting end of the barrel, so as to reduce the friction in the greatest possible degree and prevent the roller from sticking tight in the chamber by the packing around it of the condensed gas or unconsumed part of the powder.

The invention consists, thirdly, in fitting the opening which ismade at the back of the breechroller seat in line with the barrel with a tube which projects into the cavity before spoken of around the roller, and fits closely up to the roller, and prevents any backward escape of fire or gas, and consequent injury to the face or other part of the person firing.

The invention consists, fourthly, in a certain method of constructing the chamber of the barrel,whereby any wear of the end which fits up to the breech-roller can be readily rectified.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the wooden stock of the rifle, to which is secured the breeclrsupporter B O, which consists of a stout tube, B, which receives the rear end of the barrel and the chamber, and a transverse cylindrical or conical seat, 0, which receives the breech-roller I). The breech-roller D is bored transversely to its axis, to thesame size as the rear of the chamber, and the rear part, a, of the tube B, behind the seat of the breech-roller, is bored to thesame size as the roller, in order that when the bore in the roller is brought into line with the bore of the barrel, as represented in Fig. 3, the charge may be passed directly through the rear end of the tube and through the roller into the chamber,where it willbe shut in by the change 1 into the front tube, B, so as to be incapable of the position of the roller to that shown in Fig. 4, which is at right angles to the line of the bore of the barrel.

The breech-supporter may be made of malleable cast-iron or gun metal, east all in one piece entirely solid, or of wrought iron or steel. The tube B and the seat 0 are bored in such a way that their axes intersect each other exactly at right angles. The seat G is first bored from the right-hand side to a proper size to receive the breech-roller tightly; but the same-size bore is not carried through, as a portion at the left-hand side requires to be smaller to form a bearing for the journalb of the roller. The tube B and the breech-roller D are both bored at the same time to the required size of the bore in the seat, the roller being driven tightly into the seat for the purpose. After the tube B and the roller D have been bored to that size,the roller is taken out. The part of the tube in front of the seat C is bored to a proper size to receive the detachedchamber E, and a female screw is cut in the front to receive a male screw on the end of the barrel; and that part a of the breecl1-supporter in rear of the seat 0 is bored for a short distance to, receive a short steel tube, F. The interior of the seat 0 is afterward bored out from c to 0 (see Fig. 5) to a larger size than the roller, and a collar, G, which serves as a bearing for the journal b, is fitted tightly into the end. The roller D is turned down at the end next the journal I), so as to leave a very small bearing-face to come in contact with the end of the seat, and the collar G-is turned off on its inner side to leave a very small face to come in contact with the end of the roller. Thus a spacefs s, is left within the seat all round and at the ends of the roller, as shown in Fig. 5, and from the space there are two holes, 0 0, passing through the top of the seat, for the escape of any fire or gas that may escape back from the chamber. The roller is confined to its place in the seat by means of a pin, (Z, which passes through one side of the collar G and the seat and holds the collar to its place, and it is further confined by a stud, e, which stands up within the bearing of the journal b, (see Fig. 6,) and enters a slot, f, in the journal, which extends far enough round to allow the roller the necessary amount of motion in the operation of loading the piece. The slot f turns at one end, toward the end of the j ournal, as shown in Fig. 7 in order to allow the roller to be put in and removed from its place.

The steel tube F, which fits into the back part of the breech-supporter, is bored out to the same size as the bore in the breech-roller, and is turned on the outside true with its bore, to drive tightly into its place behind the seat 0, being inserted from the front. The chamber E is made of steel, bored in front to about the same size as the barrel, and enlarged conically toward the rear end, where it is of the same size as the bore in the breech-roller. It is turned outside in a lathe, to drive tightly of turning therein, and the barrel. H, which is screwed firmly into the front of the breechsupporter, fits up closely to it. X Vhen the tube F and the chamber E are driven into their. places, there should be a considerable portion of each extending into the interior of the seat 0, in order that, by a proper cutter attached to a boring-bar running in false journals screwed onto each side of the breech-sup porter, they may be 'cut off to fit tightly to the periphery of the breeclrroller, which should be ground into its place with emery or some substance of similar character, and therefore is made with a very slight taper. The top of the back part, a, of the breech-supporter is cut away for conveniently inserting the charge.

The breech-roller is made of a solid piece of steel. Its journal I) protrudes far enough through the collar G to receive the nipple g, and to carry a lever, I, by which it is turned in its seat. The vent passes from the nipple in an oblique direction,so as to enter the chamber exactly in the center. TheleverI is made strong, but is capable of springing slightly in a lateral direction, in order to allow a stud, h,(see Figs. 1 and 2,) on its inner face to enter a notch in the back plate'and hold the roller in the position shown in Fig. lto close the chamber. The roller, in moving from the position shown in Fig. l, which closes the chamber, to the position shown in Fig. 3,which opens it to insert the charge, or vice versa, makes about onefourth part of arevolution. The proper movement is controlled by a stop-piece, 1', on the collar Gr,with which the nipple comes in contact when the lever is moved down to open the chamber, and by the stud e, which arrives at one end of the slot f when the chamber is closed, and prevents it moving farther. 'The removal of the roller from or its insertion ,within its seat is effected by withdrawing the pin d, taking out the collar G, and bringing the open endj of the slot in the journal I) opposite the stud 6. This position of the slot obtains when the bore of the roller is in line with the barrel.

In order to allow the barrel to be screwed farther into the breech-supporter,to tighten the fit between the back end of the chamber and the breech-roller, one of the sights, l, is cut in the top of the breech-supporter, and the other, an, is placed on one of the metal bands which confines the barrel to the stock. It is obvious that if the sights were attached to the barrel it could not be allowed to turn.

I will here remark that I am aware of a roller having been previously so applied as to form the breech of a gun; but in all such previous applications known to me the roller was only bored partly through, and its bore constituted the chamber of the gun and received the charge at its front part, which was turned upward for the purpose opposite a hole in the topof the seat, and when charged was placed in line with the barrel. The roller thus applied eonstituted, strictly speaking, a rotary or rolling chamber; but the roller applied as represented, and hereinbefore described, is a movable breech, serving only to open and close a fixed chamber in which the charge is contained.

, What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Though I do not claim the breech-roller having apass'age through it, so that when placed in one position in the chamber which receives it it will form a prolongation of the bore, and when placed in another position will close the rear end of the bore, I claim the combination, with the said roller, of the common gun-nipple, said nipple being inserted at one end of the said roller, which projects outwardly from the said chamber, and communicating with a vent bored to the surface of the central solid part of the said roller which covers the end of the barrel, so as to convey fire from the nipple to the center of the charge in front of the roller, substantially as herein set forth.

2. Though I do not claim the employment of a groove or grooves, as made in the charge holder of Alonzo D. Perry, I do claim forming a cavity or space, 5 8, within the chamber which contains thebreech-roller,when the said cavity extends all round the said roller, and so nearly from end to end thereof as to leave only sufficient hearing at the ends to keep the said roller in proper place, and is for the purpose of reducing the friction of the roller and for the prevention of its sticking tight in the chamber, as herein set forth.

3. Fitting the opening in the rear part, a,of

the breech-supporter with a tube, F,which enters the space 8 s between the breech-roller and its seat, and fits closely up to the roller, serving the double purpose of giving the roller a bearing opposite to where the force of the eX- HENRY IV. ADAMS.

Vitnesses:

J. XV. HAMILTON, J. IV. OooMBs.