Jean Samuel Pauly
| Jean Samuel Pauly | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 14, 1766 Vechigen |
| Died | 1824 (aged 57–58) |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Other names | Samuel Johannes Pauly |
| Occupation | gunsmith |
Jean Samuel Pauly (April 14, 1766 – 1821), also Samuel Johannes Pauly, was a famous gunsmith of the early 19th century. Pauly was born at Vechigen near Bern, Switzerland on 13 April 1766.[1]
[edit] Career
In 1798, at 32, Pauly became an Artillery sergeant.[2] He fought as a member of the Swiss Army, together with the French, under Masséna. During his campaigns, in 1799, Pauly wrote a manual about the usage of firearms.
Pauly moved to Paris in 1802 where he worked on designing an airship and maintained contact with the weapon manufacturer of Saint-Étienne. In 1804 he designed an automatic bridge. Pauly used for himself the title "Colonel Jean Samuel Pauly".[2] He established a gunsmith worshop where he developed mercury fulminate platina. In 1809 he employed the German Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse who would later become the inventor of the famous Dreyse rifle.
[edit] Self-contained cartridge
In Paris in 1808, in association with French gunsmith François Prélat, Pauly created the first fully self-contained cartridges:[3] the cartridges incorporated a copper base with integrated potassium chlorate[4] primer powder (the major innovation of Pauly), a paper casing and a round bullet.[2] The cartridge was loaded through the breech and fired with a needle or a pin. The needle-activated central-fire breech-loading gun would become a major feature of firearms thereafter.[5] The corresponding firearm was also developed by Pauly.[3] Pauly made an improved version which was protected by a patent on 29 September 1812.[3] The cartridge was further improved by the French gunsmith Casimir Lefaucheux in 1836.
Upon the fall of Paris to the allies on 5 April 1814, von Dreyse left for Prussia and Pauly left for London, where he continued developing various weapons under the sponsorship of Durs Egg.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Johannes Samuel Pauly, later known as Jean Samuel or Samuel John, was born near Berne, Switzerland, in 1766" in Encyclopedia of Firearms - Page 225 by Harold Leslie Peterson
- ^ a b c Firearms by Roger Pauly p.94
- ^ a b c Chemical Analysis of Firearms, Ammunition, and Gunshot Residue by James Smyth Wallace Page 24 [1]
- ^ Pistols: an illustrated history of their impact by Jeff Kinard Page 106[2]
- ^ A History of Firearms By W. Y. Carman p.121
