I have a percussion lock,double barrel, combination gun, 16 ga and 0.545 rifle. It has back action locks, prominently engraved "J. Hartmann" and "Wittenburg". It was fitted with hammer safety levers, now missing.
The barrels are twist, but it is the breeches that have my interest. The shot barrel breech is flat across the end of the threaded plug, with a hole in the center that communicates with the flash hole in the nipple. The rifle barrel plug, however, is hollow back to the end of the barrel It then has a conical post, 1 3/8 inches long, on the center of the bore, with a hole from the tip of the cone back to the flash hole of the nipple.
Obviously this arrangement is designed to ignite the powder near the front of the charge, rather than at the breech. The Prussians, with needle fire rifle experience, had realized an advantage in slightly increased velocity since the burning powder did not have to push the unburned part down the barrel along with the bullet. I have heard of this arrangement but not seen one before.
My questions are:
1. What is this kind of breech called?
2. What did they use as a cleaning tool, or what did it look like? The usual jag, or even a worm, with a wad of tow or whatever, would not have cleaned this breech very satisfactorily.
Thanks!
