378 



FIRE-ARMS 



The breeching is of three kinds 

 Jig. 870; and the patent,^. 871. 



bar, similar bars of scrap steel are made, and these are made up into a bundle a bar 

 of iron, and a bar of steel of eight or twelve bars. This is again welded into one bar, 

 and the result is, when the surface is polished, that the difference in the texture of the 

 two metals is distinctly visible. Now, if two bars of iron and one of steel, or two bars 

 of steel and one of iron, or any other combination of the two, be adopted, there will 

 be a variety in the pattern of the finished bar. 



In constructing the barrel this bar may bo twisted up singly, as described, or two 

 bars differing in pattern may bo welded together, and then twisted. It is usual to place 

 two bars together, to twist one into a screw and leave the other plain, or to give one 

 a right-handed twist and the other a left-handed one ; or sometimes three bars are 

 employed, and by twisting or otherwise previously to welding the bars together, and 

 turning or twisting the compound bar into a cylinder, a great variety of patterns are 

 produced on the finished barrel. 



the common; the chamber, plug, or mortar, 

 The common was formerly used for soldiers' 

 muskets and inferior pieces. The se- 

 cond is a trifling improvement upon it. 

 In the patent breeching, the screws do 

 not interfere with the touch-hole, and 

 the ignition is quicker in the main 

 chamber. 



The only locks which it is worth 

 while to describe are those upon the 

 percussion principle, as flint locks have 

 ceased to be employed. Forsyth's lock 

 (fig. 872) was an ingenious contrivance. 

 It has a magazine a, for containing the 

 detonating powder, which revolves round 

 a roller b, whose end is screwed into 

 the breech of the barrel. The priming 

 powder passes through a small hole in 

 the roller, which leads to a channel in 

 communication with the chamber of the 

 gun. 



The pan for holding the priming is 

 placed immediately over the little hole 

 in the roller. There is a steel punch c, 

 in the magazine, whose under end stands above the pan, ready to ignite the priming 

 when struck upon the top by the cock d, whenever the trigger is drawn. The punch, 



immediately after being driven down into the pan, is raised by the action of a spiral 

 spring. For each explosion, the magazine must bo turned so far round as to let fall 

 a portion of the percussion powder into the pun ; after which it is turned back, and 

 the steel punch recovers its proper position for striking another blow into the pan. 



The invention of the copper percussion cap was another great improvement upon the 

 detonating plan. Fig. 873 represents the ordinary percussion lock, which is happily 

 divested of three awkward projections upon the flint lock, namely, the hammer, 

 hammer spring, and the pan. Nothing now appears upon the plate of the lock, but 

 the cock or striking hammer, which inflicts the striking blow upon the percussion 

 cap. It is concave, with a small metallic ring or border, called a shield or fence, tor 

 the purpose of enclosing the cap, as it wen;, and preventing its splinters doing injury 

 to the sportsman,- as also protecting against the lino of flame which may issue from 



