Britain 2308
A.D. 1872, 2nd August. № 2808.
Revolving Pistol.
LETTERS, PATENT to Charles Francois Galand, of Rue d’Hauteville; No. 13, a Paris, Manufacturer, for the Invention of “An Improved Revolving Pistol which may be Dismounted without Tools.”
Scaled the 31st January 1873; and dated the 2nd August 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Francois Galand at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd August 1872.
I, Charles Francois Galand, of Rue d’Hauteville No. 12, a Paris, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “An Improved Revolving Pistol which may be Dismounted without Tools,” to be as follows:—
This Invention consists in improved arrangements and contrivances for disconnecting and connecting the several parts on the body or frame of the piece with the thumb and finger without tools or instruments of any kind. In the case of the pistol the wood of the stock is of a single piece protected or not by iron plates or braces, and at the front end of the stock there is a hook. When there is a brace and cap the hook is fixed to the brace,:and the cap fixed to the body or frame carrying the mechanism by a screw, a spring holder, a key, or by any other means. In the case of fastening by a screw I form it with a large milled head for enabling it to be tightened and loosened by the fingers, and the screw is maintained in its place by a spring catch which enters a space formed in the screw.
The main spring is connected with the body of the piece by a thumbscrew, and its buttress or support is a recess in the head of another screw which can be worked by the thumb and finger, and this latter screw holds to the body a strong spring for giving pressure to a lover in contact with a guide on the trigger, or the main lever may be branched to dispense with this second lever, and it is only the two thumbscrews which are required to be detached for enabling all the mechanism to be disconnected and connected, and they can be worked by the thumb and finger without pincers, hooks, spring lifter, or screwdriver.
The cock or hammer carries two pivots, one serving as an axis for the backward and forward movement of a recovery plate carrying four tenons fitted into four mortices in the body, and the plate is retained in position when the stock is adjusted by the pressure which it exerts on a projection on the stock, and thus it is hold in position without any screw. This arrangement can be modified by substituting for the mortices and tenons swallow-failed recesses in the body of the piece for receiving pegs or projections of a similar shape, and the several arrangements and contrivances can be applied to carbines, muskets, and small arms of all descriptions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; file by the said Charles Francois Galand in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Charles Francois Galand, of Rue d’Hauteville, No. 18, a Paris, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS He most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth year of Her reign’, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles Francois Galand, Her special licence, that I, the said. Charles Francois Galand, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Francois Galand, 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 for. “An Improved Revolving Pistol which may be Dismounted without Tools,” upon the condition (amongst others), that I, the said Charles Francois Galand, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature-of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to he died in. the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Francois Galand, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying Sheet of Drawings (that is to say):—
The original and particular character of my Invention consists in the possibility of disconnecting and connecting all mechanism on the frame or body of the piece without the help of tools or instruments of any kind.
The manner in which these conditions in my system are obtained will be clearly understood by the following, particular description, reference being had to the figures and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section representing the entire mechanism on the body or frame of a revolver; and Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, l0, and 11 are detached views of the several parts of the mechanism.
In this pistol the wood of the stock is of a single piece, protected or not by iron plates or braces. A hook A, Fig. 2, enters in an opening formed in a piece B, Fig. 1, fixed to the frame at the front of the stock, which frame, is afterwards held firmly to the stock at C by a screw, a spring holder, a key, or by any other means, such as a hinge. In the case of fastening by a screw I adopt the plan shown in Fig. 5, in which there is a screw D¹, provided with a large milled head for enabling it to be tightened or loosened by the fingers, for the purpose of connecting and disconnecting the head of the stock or handle with the frame carrying the mechanism. This screw is maintained in its place when screwed up by a lever or pedal catch P, acted upon by a spring, the catch entering a space formed in the screw, thereby preventing the screw from being unscrewed as long as the catch is not disengaged by pressure on the head of the lever or pedal.
The main spring R, Figs. 1 and 4, is connected with the frame by a thumbscrew P, and its buttress or support is formed in specially formed head F, Figs. 1, 5, 5ᵃ, and 5ᵇ, of another screw which holds the spring f, employed for giving impulsion to the lever G, Pigs. 1, 6, and 6ᵃ, which weighs on the guidon or propeller H, Figs. 1, 7, and, 7ᵃ; and consequently on the trigger I, Figs. 1 and 8, which carries it. The spring of the guidon and that of the trigger are therefore suppressed and replaced by the single strong spring f, Figs. 1, 5, 5ᵃ, and 5ᵇ, or a single spring having two branches may be used to replace the two springs R and f and the two screws W and F, which are the only ones to be detached for disconnecting the mechanism, can be turned by the fingers without pincers, a hook, spring lifter, or screwdriver.
The cock or hammer J, Figs. 1, 9, and 9ᵃ, has two pivots K, one serving for the movement of the cock or hammer, and the other as a centre of a backward taking-off movement and a forward putting-on movement of a covering plate L, Fig. 10, carrying four tenons l, which can enter four mortices M, Fig. 1, in the frame or body of the piece, and give the plate great stability. The plate is stopped when the tenons are at the bottoms of the mortices, and it is maintained in position so that it cannot return when the stock is connected to the frame in consequence of the pressure which the stock exerts on the part N, Figs. 1 and 10, and thus the plate is maintained in position without any screw. In connection with the cover which covers arid uncovers the opening for the charge I use the arrangement shown in Figs. 11 and 11ᵃ, in which the improvement consists in fixing a very strong spring S in the interior of the frame, where it can be held more firmly than at the exterior without presenting any unevenness and acting equally efficaciously on the cover V.
Fig. 12 represents the pistol constructed with the following modification:— The covering plate L remains connected to the frame during the disconnection and connection of some of the parts, and for this purpose, instead of the tenon of the back, it is formed with a hinge or socket, as at V 1, Figs. 13 and l4, there being a hole m fitting a pivot or gudgeon fixed to the frame; and, for the inspection or action on the parts of the piece, it is only necessary to turn back the plate L on the pivot, and it will be seen that in Fig. 12 the ring T, instead of being fixed to the wood of the stock as in some cases, is fixed directly to the iron case V, somewhat differently to that shown in Fig. 1.
In Figs. 15 and 16 the rod for discharging the used cartridge has a milled head D² for enabling it to be turned by hand a fraction of a turn in order to release the notch E² from the hook at the end of the piece F², and thereby leave the rod free to be pushed into the chamber in the ordinary manner.
After the foregoing description in connection with the several Figs. it will be easily explained how the disconnection of the mechanism from the frame or body is effected without employment of any tooL The stock is separated at its part C, whether by unloosening the key D, Fig. 1, or by unscrewing the screw D¹, Fig. 3, after having disengaged. it from the catch by acting on the lever or pedal P. The stock is now removed at the part A, and then the covering plate L being free can be taken off its pivot K after the tenons are disengaged from the mortises. This being done, the screw E is unscrewed by the fingers to allow the mainspring R to be taken off, and after the screw F, which maintains the spring f, is unscrewed also by the fingers, the spring and all the other pieces become detached from their fittings.
In the modified arrangement shown in Figs. 12, 13, and 14, the stock is separated from the frame in the same manner, but instead of completely removing the covering plate L, as in the first case, it is only necessary to turn it back on its hinge or pivot and thus allow it to be disengaged from the interior parts, which are disconnected without tools as before explained.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood that I claim as the peculiar character of my improvements,—
First. The stock formed of a single piece of wood held by the hook A to the frame or body of the piece, and maintaining the covering piece by its shoulder or projection M, which enters a corresponding recess.
Secondly. The mode of attaching the stock to the frame at the part C, whether by the key D or by a screw D¹, and a lever catch P, or by a hinge.
Thirdly. The covering plate L, which is adjusted to the frame or body whether by tenons fitting mortices or by a hinge or socket on a pivot or gudgeon, and the cover V, as before described and shown in Figs. 11 and 11ᵃ.
And fourthly. The general arrangement and combination of the several-parts of the pistol as before described, with pins or studs for enabling the mechanism to be disconnected and connected without tools.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Francois Galand, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
C. F GALAND. (L.S.)
Witness,
Albert Cahen,
Civil Engineer,
32, Boulevard Magenta,
at Paris.