US40884A - Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms - Google Patents

Description

J. H. MERRILL.

Breeeh-Luadng Fire-Arm.

Patented Dec. 8, 1853.

Nirnri @raras JAMES H. MERRILL, OF BALTIMORE,

Farrar Orifice.

MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO MERRILL PATENT FIRE ARM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. MLQQLL dated December 8, 1863.

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, .IAMEs H. MERRILL, of the city oi' Baltimore, county of Baltimore, andState of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading 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, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of the gun,with a portion of the stock and barrel broken away, and 'showing the breech as open and ready to be charged. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal vertical section through the gun as it appears when charged with a metallic cartridge and the breech closed. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section through the rear of the barrel, and showing an auxiliary hammer for exploding a metallic cartridge or metallic-cased cartridge. Fig. 4 represents a separate plug or plunger, which is used when paper cartridges are used, a shorter one, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, being used with the metallic-cased cartridge.

Cartridge-cases of paper and of metal are both used in the service, the former being exploded by the common percussion-cap and the latter kind by a blow upon a fulminate inclosed in its base, and owing to the different methods of exploding these two kinds of cartridges each required a specially-constructed gun for its special use.

The object and purpose of my invention is to construct a gun in which either the paper cartridge or the metallic cartridge may be used by simply changing the plug, plunger, or follower which forces the cartridge to its seat and closes the breech of the gun, each of these cartridges being exploded or iired in a different manner, 'but by the action of an ordinary hammer in both Cases. i

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

The method of opening up the breech to insert the cartridge, the ramming home of the cartridge, and the closing and fastening of the breech-plug are the same as those heretofore inventedV by and patented to me, and need not be minutely described here.

Through the side of the gun next to and in the path of the motion of the hammer A, I cut an opening, B, through which an auxiliary hammer, c, passes, it being'hinged to a suitable projection at c, so as to move hori- Zontally, while the hammer proper moves in a vertical are in the usual way.

Vhen a common paper cartridge, or even a loose load of powder and ball, is used, they are fired by the hammer A, exploding a common cap upon the nipple b, and when a me- 1 tallic-cased cartridge is used the blow of the hammer A comes against the auxiliary hammer O and drives its point c against the base of the metal cartridge-case, (shown in red lines in Figs. 2 and 3,) and explodes the fulminate contained in its base, and thus ignites the charge of powder. The two hammers A C do not interfere with each others separate action upon their special or peculiar kind of cartridge or loose load; nor would it require any change in the loading-drill, as the cap may be put onto thc nipple, and it maybe exploded Vevery time, whether immediately effective to ignite the charge or not, as it is not injurious, and therefore need not be avoided. On the plug E, I place a springcatch, d, which, when the breech of the gun is closed and a metallic-cased cartridge used, slips over the flange of the metal case, and when the breech is again opened to recharge the gun this catch or its hook draws out the empty case, which may be saved and reused again and again. The auxiliary hammer O falls back through its slot B, and is not in this position in the way of inserting a cartridge, and it may be thrown back and held back by a slight spring, if found necessary.

The gun as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is prepared for firing metallic cartridges, the plug E being quite short, so as not to run the cartridge any farther' forward than to bring its iiange against the rear of the barrel, in which position it is red; but when a paper cartridge is to be used a longer plug, FJ, as shown in Fig. 4, is substituted for the shorter one, this long plug E not only driving the paper cartridge farther forward into the bore, but closing up the bore behind the cartridge.

Vhen the gun is prepared for iiring paper cartridges, a loose charge may be used in it without changing any of its parts.

Having thusfully described the nature and said ordinary hammer, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

JAMES H. MERRILL.

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