Britain 1605
A.D. 1872, 27th May. № 1605.
Repeating Fire-arms.
(This Invention received Provisional Protection only.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Edwin Wallis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th May 1872.
I, Charles Edwin Wallis, of Albert Street, Peckham, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “Improvements in Repeating or Revolving Fire-arms,” to be as follows:
The chief objects which these improvements in revolvers aim at effecting are simplicity of construction, facility in use, and unprecedented compactness in a very multiple-chambered revolver.
The Invention relates to that description of repeating fire-arms which have only a single barrel united or attached to a chambered cylinder or receptacle, the rotating axis of which is parallel to the axis of the barrel.
For the convenience of illustration, and in fact considering the conditions of my Invention as practically most suitable, I will describe a revolver constructed as I purpose having twelve cartridge or charge chambers. Six primary charge chambers form the centre of the revolving cylinder, and surrounding these in convenient and compact positions are placed six additional charge chambers.
These surrounding chambers and the method of effectively manoeuvring them constitute the principal features of my Invention. In order to bring the axial centre line of the barrel successively in a line with the axis of each of the said last six charge chambers, I place a stud, lug, or roller in a convenient position on that part of the outer edge or surface of the chambered cylinder closely contiguous to the barrel of the revolver. When the first six chambers have been fired the said stud, lug, or roller raises a narrow bridge, which is in connection with the barrel to such an extent as to place the centre of the said barrel in a line with the centre of one of the remaining six undischarged chambers. The chambered cylinder is then turned so as successively to present the mouths of the remaining five loaded chambers in a line with the bore of the barrel. To impart accuracy to this movement of the barrel I purpose, as one method of effecting the desired object, to lengthen the centre pin or axis on which the revolving cylinder containing the charge chambers moves sufficiently to allow it to pass through a slot formed in a guide which is attached to that end of the barrel in immediate proximity to the rotating cylinder. Thus the guide and the aforesaid bridge are moved simultaneously, and effect with steadiness and precision the desired change in the position of the barrel. I make use of a second hammer or striker for the purpose of discharging the external circularly placed series of loaded chambers. This second hammer will accompany the first and be but slightly separated from it.