1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to means for transferring an ignition impetus through the wall of a firearm to a confined propellant, and more particularly to a nipple for use in conjunction with firearms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the early use of firearms, it has been necessary to transfer an ignition impetus from the exterior of the barrel or cylinder of a firearm to a propellant charge, such as black powder, disposed therein. Early in the 19th century, flintlocks, which touched off a small black powder charge were employed and this was later largely replaced by the use of percussion caps which, upon impact, produce a desired quantity of burning gas or "flash" which is employed to ignite the propellant charge. These percussion caps are customarily fitted to what is known as a nipple which is treated through an aperture disposed into the barrel of a rifle or hand gun, adjacent to the breech portion thereof, or in the rearward wall of a cylinder in a revolver. When the percussion cap is snugly in place on the nipple, the force of striking the percussion cap not only produces a flash but also forces this gas under considerable pressure through the nipple into the ignition chamber of the firearm.
Typically, the interior portion of the nipple terminates in an aperture. Unfortunately, a frequently incurred problem is the blockage of this aperture for various reasons. The result is the placing of a percussion cap on the nipple and the striking thereof with the end result of no ignition of the propellant charge.
Various methods of clearing such a blockage have developed over the years and there is keen interest in this problem today as the use of antique or reproduction of antique black powder firearms has become a large hobby. Solutions include the removal of the nipple and the clearing of the aperture in which the nipple was disposed, the forcing of a fine wire through the nipple and the somewhat, dangerous practice of removing the nipple, placing a small amount of fresh black powder adjacent to the location of the interior opening of the nipple, in the propellant, and replacing of the nipple. Unfortunately, none of these methods is totally satisfactory and, if a powder charge is in place covered by a lead ball or bullet it has been known to be necessary to employ a screw-type extractor or the like to remove the ball and permit removal of the powder charge so that a barrel or cylinder can be totally cleared for reuse with fresh powder.
In an attempt to solve other problems associated with these early firearms, various configurations were proposed for extending the flashhole in the nipple through the powder charge. U.S. Pat. No. 36,464 issued to Hopkins on Sept. 16, 1862; U.S. Pat. No. 21,802 issued to Schenkl on Oct. 12, 1858; and U.S. Pat. No. 15,292 to Halsey on July 8, 1856 teach the employment of a tige or tube disposed in the barrel of a rifle so that the point at which the flash from a percussion cap or the like touches off the powder is extended to a point somewhere remote from the point of entry of the flash into the barrel. These configurations are provided so that the powder can be ignited entirely before it is blown out of the rifle barrel. Further, in Halsey it is suggested that the tige principle can be used in conjunction with a nipple wherein the tige is a mere continuation of the nipple what is deemed a proper distance into the interior of the barrel to form a tube. Although these references teach methods of enhancing combustion, the basic problem of an orifice which can be clogged by a powder charge still exists.
The present invention overcomes the problems associated with the prior art by providing a nipple which provides an extended opening from which an ignition impetus such as that generated by a percussion cap can contact the powder thereby limiting the possibility of the extended orifice becoming clogged.
Other percussion nipples are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,335 to Ives and U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,506 to Pawlak. In addition, a percussion nipple is also shown in German Auslegeschrift No. 1,216,018 to Hintze. However, none of the references cited show or suggest the configuration of the present invention which has solved an extremely long standing problem.