Jean Samuel Pauly
Encyclopedia
Jean Samuel Pauly 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.
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". 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.
, Pauly created the first fully self-contained cartridges
: the cartridges incorporated a copper base with integrated potassium chlorate
primer powder (the major innovation of Pauly), a paper casing and a round bullet. 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. The corresponding firearm was also developed by Pauly. Pauly made an improved version which was protected by a patent on 29 September 1812. 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
.
Vechigen
Vechigen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.-Geography:Vechigen has an area of . Of this area, 62% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 7.7% is settled and the remainder is...
near Bern, Switzerland on 13 April 1766.
Career
In 1798, at 32, Pauly became an Artillery sergeant. 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
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
. In 1804 he designed an automatic bridge. Pauly used for himself the title "Colonel Jean Samuel Pauly". He established a gunsmith worshop where he developed mercury fulminate platina. In 1809 he employed the German Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse
Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse
Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse was a German firearms inventor and manufacturer. He is most famous for submitting the "Dreyse needle gun" in 1836 to the Prussian army, which was adopted for for service in December 1840 as the Leichte Perscussions-Gewehr M 1841—a name deliberately chosen to...
who would later become the inventor of the famous Dreyse rifle.
Self-contained cartridge
In Paris in 1808, in association with French gunsmith François PrélatFrançois Prélat
François Prélat was a French gunsmith and inventor. He is thought to have invented the first fully contained cartridge in 1808, as well as the percussion cap in 1818....
, Pauly created the first fully self-contained cartridges
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
: the cartridges incorporated a copper base with integrated potassium chlorate
Potassium chlorate
Potassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen atoms, with the molecular formula KClO3. In its pure form, it is a white crystalline substance. It is the most common chlorate in industrial use...
primer powder (the major innovation of Pauly), a paper casing and a round bullet. The cartridge was loaded through the breech and fired with a needle or a pin. The needle-activated
Pinfire
A pinfire firearm cartridge is an obsolete type of brass cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge....
central-fire breech-loading gun would become a major feature of firearms thereafter. The corresponding firearm was also developed by Pauly. Pauly made an improved version which was protected by a patent on 29 September 1812. The cartridge was further improved by the French gunsmith Casimir Lefaucheux
Casimir Lefaucheux
Casimir Lefaucheux was a French gunsmith. He was born in Bonnétable and died in Paris.Casimir Lefaucheux obtained his first patent in 1827...
in 1836.
Upon the fall of Paris to the allies on 5 April 1814, von Dreyse left for Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and Pauly left for London, where he continued developing various weapons under the sponsorship of Durs Egg
Durs Egg
Durs Egg was a Swiss-born British gunmaker, noted for his flintlock pistols and for his company's production of the Ferguson rifle.Egg was apprenticed in Solothurn and Paris before establishing his own business in London in 1772...
.