British 1510
LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of tbe Pirm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Patent Agents, for the Invention of “ Improvements in Revolving Fire-arms.** — A communication from abroad by Messrs. Smith and Wesson, of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 20th July 1869, and dated the 17th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th May 1869.
I, William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “ Improvements in Revolving* Fire-arms,” a communication, to be as follows:—
The said Invention relates to revolving fire-arms in which the act of swinging the barrel forward away from the recoil block extracts all the cartridge shells at once. The arm is furnished with an extractor has a flat plate or head which lies in a recess at the rear of the revolving cylinder in such a position as to form a part of the surface against which the rim of each cartridge shell lies when the same is inserted into the chamber in the clyinder. The said extractor also has a shank, which extends through the center of the revolver cylinder and through a hollow centre pin upon which the revolving cylinder turns. Where the XXXX passes through the rear end of the revolving cylinder it is made square so that it has to turn with the cylinder when the latter is revolverd.
To the forward end of this extractor a rack is attache by a coupling join, which allows the extractor to revolver without turning the said rack. This rack may be made flat or may be curcular with the teeth cut entirely around it; and for many reasons the latter form is preferable. A chamber is provided for the rack through the stock below the XXXX and in line with the centre of the revolving cylinder. In XXX to operated the extractor by means of this rack I place in the join wheron the barrel turns a toothed pinion which engages with the rack. The peculiarity of this pinion is that when the barrel is swung forward the pinion first revolvers about one-eigth part of a turn, giving the cartridge shells room to clear the breech block before they are started from the chambers of the revolving cylinder; the pinion iB then caught and held by a pawl at its lower side, the rack being consequently forced back or left behind and with it the extractor, which as the barrel is turned further forward on the hinge pushes out the shells, the head of the extractor catching under their flanges. A projection is formed on the stock in front of the pinion, and when the barrel is swung far enough for this projection to strike against the head of the pawl and push it back the pinion revolves freely, and the rack flies forward to its former position, carrying with it the extractor and also turning th” pinion until it occupies its first place relative to the rack. In order to thus impel the rack when the pinion is released any suitably arranged spring may be used, for instance, on the forward end of the rack a rod may be formed or secured, the said rod having on its outer or forward end a head. The said rod passes through a collar made stationary by means of a set screw in the chamber wherein the rack is fitted, and a spiral spring is coiled around the said rod between its head and the collar. When the rack is forced back towards the revolving cylinder the spring is compressed, its recoil restoring the rack when it is released. In this manner by merely throwing forward the barrel as far as it will go the shells are all extracted, and the extractor is restored to its proper position for another operatien as soon as the barrel is returned to the breeoh.
In these fire-arms as heretofore constructed the pawl which holds the cylinder projects beyond the face of the recoil block to engage with the ratchet on the said cylinder, and is always liable to be broken off by the projecting heads of shells or even by the ratchet itself when the pistol barrel was forced suddenly back. In order to obviate this difficulty I provide a half-cock notch in the tumbler, and arrange the said pawl in such a manner in relation to the same that when the hammer is at half-cock the trigger presses against a short arm at the lower end of the pawl, and the long arm or point of the pawl which takes into the ratchet teeth is consequently thrown back. The trigger must project slightly at this side of the tumbler to enable it to catch against the pawl. This throws the pawl out of line with the breech block face and entirely out of the way, so that the barrel may be forced back with perfect safety when the piece is at half-cock.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, William Robert Lake, of the Pirm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention of “Improvments in revolving fire-arms,” the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert my executors or adminstrators, by an instrument in writing under or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly xx and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what xx the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in Great Seal Patent Offices within six calendar months nex and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE< that I, the said WIlliam Robert Lake, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the xx is to be perfomred, to be particularly described and ascertained in xx by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-- The said Invention relates to revolving fire-arms in which the act of swinging the barrel forward away from the recoil block extacst all cartridge shells at once. Description op the Drawing. Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a revolving fire-arm constructed according to these improvements; Figure 2 is a similar section with xx parts of the arm in a different position. Like letters indicate the xx parts in both of the Figures. The arm is furnished with an extractor A having a flat plate or XX which lies in a recess at the rear of the revolving cylinder B in such xx position as to form a part of the surface against which the rim of each cartridge shell lies when the same is inserted into its chamber in the said cylinder. The extractor A also has a shank, which extends through the centre of the revolving cylinder B and through a hollow central pin C upon which the revolving cylinder turns. Where the shank passes through the rear end of the revolving cylinder B it is made square so that it has to turn with the cylinder B when the latter is revolved. xx the forward end of this extractor is attached a rack D by a coupling joint E which allows he extractor to revolve without turning the rack xx. This latter may be made flat or may be a circular rod with the teeth cut entirely around it, as shown, and for many reasons the latter form preferable. A chamber F is provided for this rack through the stock below the barrel and in a line with the centre of the revolving cylinder xx. In order to operate the extractor by means of this rack I place a tooth wheel G- in the joint H in such a manner that it engages with the rack D above. The peculiarity of this pinion is that when the barrel is swung forward the pinion first revolves about one-eighth part of a turn, giving the cartridge shells room to clear the breech block before they are started from the chambers of the revolving cylinder; the pinion is then caught and held by a pawl N at the lower side, the rack being consequently forced back or left behind, as shown in Figure 2, and with it the extractor, which as the barrel is tinned further forward on the hinge pushes out the shells, the head of the extractor catching under their flanges, as shown at T. A projection is formed on the stock in front of the pinion, and when the barrel is swung far enough for t.his projection I to strike against the head J of the pawl N and push it hack, the pinion revolves freely and the rack flies forward to its former position, carrying with it the extractor, and also turning the pinion until it occupies its first place relative to the rack. In order to thus impel the rack forward when the pinion is released any suitably arranged spring may be used. In this instance I form on the forward end of the rack a rod K, which has on its outer end a head and passes through a collar L made stationary by means of a set screw M in the chamber F at a point near the end of the rack when at rest. A spiral spring is coiled around this rod between its head and the collar, and when the rack is forced back towards the revolving cylinder the spring is compressed, its recoil restoring the rack when it is released. In this manner by merely throwing forward the barrel as far as it will go the shells are all extracted and the extractor restored to its proper position for a new operation as soon as the barrel is returned to the breech. In these fire-arms as heretofore constructed there has been no provision made for the pawl O, which in the ordinary construction projects beyond the face of the recoil block in order to engage with the ratchet on the said cylinder, and is therefore always liable to be broken off by the projecting heads of shells or even by the ratchet itself when the pistol barrel is forced suddenly back. In order to obviate this difficulty I provide a half-cock notch on the tumbler, and arrange the pawl O in such a manner in relation to the same that when the hammer is at half-cock the trigger presses against the lower end of the pawl at R, and the pivot pin S being above this point the upper end or point of the pawl is consequently thrown back. The trigger must project slightly at this side of the tumbler to enable it to catch against the pawl. The pawl Is thereby thrown out of line with the breeeh block face and entirely out of the way, so that the barrel may be forced back with perfect safety when the piece is at half-cock. Haying thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, I claim,— First. The arrangement of the movable gear or pinion G in the joint H and the rack D upon the front end of the extractor in such a maimer that they engage with each other and operate the extractor by .the throwing forward of the barrel, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth, Second. The attachment of the extractor to the rack in such a manner that it is enabled to revolve independently of the rack, substantially a$ and for the purpose set forth. Third. The construction and arrangement of the pawl O in such n manner that when the hammer is at half-cock the point of the pawl is thrown back out of line with the face of the ratohet, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-, unto set my hand and seal, this First day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine. WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, (i.s.) Witness, Harry Wraight.