British 1827
LETTERS PATENT to Henry Adams, trading under the style of Adams & Co., of Finsbury Place South, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker, for the Invention of “ Improvements in Revolving Pistols.”
Sealed the 8th July 1873, and dated the 20th May 1873.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Adams at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration, on the 20th May 1873, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Henry Adams, trading under the style of Adams & Co., of Pinsbury Place South, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for ” Improvements in Revolving Pistols/* and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Hoyal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I verily believe myself to be the first and true Inventor thereof. NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Adams, do hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to he performed, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed and forming part of this Specification, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:—
My Invention consists in the construction and application to revolving pistols of a self-acting safety lever for locking the hammer when cocked or uncocked, so as to prevent any accidental discharge of the pistol when in the pocket or in the holster of the saddle or otherwise, at the same time allowing of the arm being instantly fired when in the hand. This self-acting safety lever works on a pin or pivot in a slot made in the lower strap by which the pistol is fixed to the wooden stock; the upper end of the lever may form a catch and take into a notch in the lower part of the hammer or cock, or the upper end of the said lever may bear against and wedge the sear; the lower end of the lever is formed with a knob or button, and a spring acting on the lever keeps its upper end against the hammer or sear. By this arrangement the arm can be carried in the pocket or holster either cocked or uncocked without risk of accidental discharge, and when the pistol is taken in the hand for firing, the fingers will press the said knob or button inwards, and thereby release the hammer or scar from the upper end of the lever, allowing the arm to be fired in the usual manner. When the pistol is replaced the lever being relieved from the pressure of the fingers will be carried into its normal position by the spring and the hammer will be again locked.
To make my Invention better understood I will proceed to describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a six chambered revolver, constructed with my improvements, the stock of the pistol being removed ; Figure 2, similar view of an ordinary revolver with the improved self-acting safety lever applied thereto; Figures 3 to 13 details. Similar letters in all the Figures represent similar parts.
I will first describe my Invention by reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, G, and 7. a is the lever (shewn detached in side and front elevations at Figures 5 and 0); this lever is placed in a slot in the strap bi and pivots on the pin c passing through the hole d (Figure 5) in the lever a; c is tlio catch at the upper end of the lever taking into the notch /in the lower end of the hammer g, shewn in a separate view at Figure 4; h is the knob or button at the lower end of the lever by which the lever is actuated when the arm is to be fired, i is the spring of the lever screwed at its lower end to the strap by the screw l} the upper or free end of the spring presses against the lower arm of the lever «, forcing the knob or button h outwards, thereby causing the catch e to bear against the lower part of the hammer g9 and to take into the notch /, when the arm is cocked as shewn in dotted lines at Figure 1. The spring i is shewn detached in side elevation at Figure 7; Figure 3 is a view of part of the outer face of the strap b shewing the knob or button h of the lever a.
By these improvements, as will be seen by reference to Figure 1, when the hammer g is cocked the catch e of the lever a will by the action of the spring i, take automatically into the notch / of the hammer, and will lock the hammer in that position so that the arm cannot be discharged by pulling the trigger/ If however the pistol is to be fired it is only necessary to press inwards the knob or button h simultaneously with the pulling of the trigger when the catch e will be disengaged from the notch/, and the arm discharged in the usual manner.
Figures 8 and 9 shew views of the form of lever I prefer when applying my Invention to existing revolvers, as shewn in Figure 2. The lever a is made of a different form from that shewn in Figure 1 to adapt it to tlio different form of main spring Jci and different width of strap b; Figures 8 and 9 arc detached views of the lever. This lever is formed with a projection at m for fitting into a corresponding slot in the strap 5, the pin c passing through the hole d in the said projection m; the upper end of the lever instead of being formed with a catch as hercin-bcforc described is in this case plain and presses against and wedges the projection q of the scar o, shewn in side elevation at Figure 12, and in edge elevation at Figure 13; i, Figures 2,10, and 11, is the spring acting against the pin or stud n on the lever a, this pin or stud n passes through a hole in the strap shewn in dotted lines at Figure 10r which is a side view of the lower part of the strap b9 and the spring i; p is a hole in the lever a to free the screw of the trigger guard r.
The action of the lever a is the same as that hercin-bcforc described and shewn in Figure 2, except that the hammer g is locked when cocked or uncocked by the wedging of the sear o, instead of by the catch e, taking into the notch/of the hammer.
It will be understood that my improved self-acting safety lever may be applied to other constructions of revolving pistols, the form of the lever a being modified to adapt it to the different construction of lock or other parts of the mechanism of such revolvers.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein laid down and shewn in the Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the principle of my Invention; but what I claim is, the construction and application to revolving pistols of a safety lever and spring, arranged and operating substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-beforc described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Adams, have hereto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
HENRY ADAMS, (l.s.)