Britain 1844
A.D. 1863, 23rd July. № 1844
Revolving Fire-arms.
LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln’s Inn, in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of “An Improvement in Revolving Fire-arms.”— A communication from abroad by Christian Sharps, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Sealed the 18th September 1863, and dated the 23rd July 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd July 1863. I, GEORGE Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln’s Inn, in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “An Improvement in Revolving Fire-arms,” (a communication to me from abroad by Christian Sharps, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America), to be as follows:—
This Invention relates to an improvement in the breech blocks or cylinders of revolving fire-arms, and consists in a breech block with a detachable cap, the latter being so adapted to the former that when the two are fitted together they shall become temporarily a permanent portion of each other, the cap being incapable of yielding to the reaction caused by the explosion of the cartridge, as in other breech blocks made of detachable pieces, which separate when the discharge takes place, and thereby interfere with the ready revolving of the block.
In applying this Invention to that class of revolvers (for example) in which the breech blocks or cylinders are detached from the frame of the fire-arm prior to the insertion of the cartridges into the chambers, a screw thread is cut on the rear end of the breech block, adapted to a similar thread cut in the inside of the flange of the cap, which latter has a central opening for the reception of the breech pin. The cap has also a series of openings corresponding in number to that of the chambers in the block. When the cap is screwed to its proper place on the block the enlarged ends of the cartridges are entirely enclosed with the exception of such portion of each cartridge as is of necessity exposed at each opening through which the hammer strikes for exploding the detonating material in the end of the cap.
The breech block or cylinder of a revolver has been heretofore made in detachable pieces so as*to enclose the enlarged ends of metallic cartridges and at the same time to allow for their withdrawal; the pieces composing the block however have.been hitherto held together by the frame of the fire-arm only, so that the explosion of the cartridge caused a separation of the pieces, which is objectionable, as one portion of the lock on the discharge of the cartridge is driven hard against one side, and the other portion against the opposite side of the frame, within which the block has to revolve, at the same time the expansion of the metal case of the discharged cartridge prevents the pieces composing the block from recovering their proper relative position, in other words the block becomes so jammed as to render it 2 matter of great difficulty to turn it by the cocking of the hammer.
In this improvement the cap when adjusted to its place becomes a permanent part of the block, and effectually resists the recoil of the cartridge when the discharge takes place, the cap at the same time affording every facility for the withdrawal of the spent cartridges. It will be evident that in place of the screw thread other well known mechanical appliances may be used for attaching the cap to the block for the purpose of arriving at the result desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, tiled by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd January 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln’s Inn, in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the 27th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and 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 Improvement in Revolving Fire-arms,” being a communication to me from abroad by Christian Sharps, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Davies, 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 be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the sail Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Davies, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say:—
This Invention relates to improvements in the breech blocks or cylinders of revolving fire-arms, and the improvement consists in breech block in combination with a detachable cap, the latter being so adapted to. the former that when the two are fitted together they shall become temporarily a portion of each other, the cap being incapable of yielding to the reaction caused by the explosion of the cartridge, as in other breech blocks make of detachable pieces, which separate when the discharge takes place, and thereby interfere with the ready revolving of the block.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for “An Improvement in Revolving Fire-arms,” I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order that the same may be distinctly understood, I have annexed hereto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with these in the following explanation thereof, that is to say:—
On reference to the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is an exterior view of the breech block or cylinder of a revolver with the improvement applied thereto; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of Figure 1; Figure 3, a rear view of the detachable breech piece; Figure 4, a longitudinal section of a modified form of the improved breech block or cylinder; Figure 5 a rear view of Figure 1; Figure 6, a sectional plan, and Figure 7 is an exterior view of the breech block. Figures 1, 2, and 8, illustrate the Invention as applied to that class of revolvers in which the breech blocks or cylinders are detached from the frame of the fire-arm prior to the insertion of the cartridges into the chambers.
As this Invention relates to the peculiar construction of breech blocks or cylinders of revolvers it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate or describe the framework, barrel, lock, and such like parts of the fire-arm, as these may be of any known construction, and may be varied without affecting this Invention, and arc too well known to those familiar with this class of fire-arms to need elaborate explanations.
On reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3, A represents the breech block of a revolving fire-arm, the said block having the usual central opening a for the reception of the breech pin, and having in the present instance five bores which are adapted to receive the ordinary metallic cartridges b, circular recesses being formed in the ends of the block for the reception of the flanges or enlargements at the rear end of cartridges of this class. On the edge of the block at the rear end of the same is cut a screw thread adapted to a similar thread cut in the inside of the flange d of the cap B, which has a central opening c, forming a continuation of the opening a of the block for the reception of the breech pin. The cap B bas also a scries of openings e, e, corresponding in number to that of the chambers in the block. When the cap is screwed to its proper place on the block the enlarged ends of the cartridges are entirely enclosed with the exception of such portion of each cartridge as is of necessity exposed at each opening e, through which the end of the hammer must pass for the purpose of striking the end of the cartridge, and exploding the detonating material contained within the same. In order that the cap on being replaced after withdrawal may always assume its proper position on the block, a collar or catch x, Figure 1, is formed on the flange d of the cap, and this catch bears against a stop y attached to or otherwise formed on the block, when the cap has been turned to its proper position, so that each hole e may expose a suitable portion of the surface of the enlarged end of one of the cartridges. The back of the cap is furnished with proper notches i for receiving the end of the dog, by which the block is revolved during the cocking of the hammer, The breech block or cylinder of a revolver has been heretofore made in detachable pieces so as to enclose the enlarged ends of metallic cartridges, and at the same time to allow for their withdrawal, the pieces composing the block however have been hitherto held together by the frame of the fire-arm only, so that the explosion of the cartridge caused a separation of the pieces, which is objectionable, as one portion of the block on the discharge of the cartridge is driven hard against one side, and the other portion against the opposite side of the frame, within which the block has to revolve, at the same time the expansion of the metal case of the discharged cartridge prevents the pieces composing the block from recovering their proper relative position, in other words the block becomes so jammed as to render it a matter of great difficulty to turn it by the cocking of the hammer.
In this improvement the cap when adjusted to its place becomes a permanent part of the block, and effectually resists the recoil of the cartridge when the discharge takes place, the cap at the same time affording every facility for the withdrawal of the spent cartridges. It will be evident that in place of the screw thread other well known mechanical appliances may be used for attaching the cap to the block for the purpose of arriving at the result desired.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 illustrate the Invention as applied to revolvers in. which the chambers of the breech blocks or cylinders can receive the loads without detaching the said cylinders from the frame of the fire-arm.
A is the breech block or cylinder, having a central opening a for the reception of the breech pin; B is the detachable cap having a tubular projection m, on which is cut a screw thread adapted to an internal thread cut in the central portion of the breech block. A tube n.fits snugly in the cap B and its tubular projection m, the interior c of this tube forming a continuation of the central opening a, so that the breech pin on which the breech block or cylinder revolves can pass through the said opening a and tube n, At one point the edge of the cap B is cut away, as seen in Figure 4, to a sufficient extent to expose one of the chambers of the breech block or cylinder, as best observed on reference to Figure 5, and to a pin p passing through the cap is hinged a door D, which when depressed fits snugly into that portion of the cap which is cut away, the door having a rib q adapted to a recess in the cap, which has on the edge as many notches t as there are chambers in the breech block, each notch exposing as much of the flange of the metallic cartridge as is necessary to receive the blow of the hammer. In Figure 4 the line v represents the front of the opening in the frame of the fire-arm for the reception of the breech block, the line w representing the rear end of the opening, a projection u on the front end of the breech block bearing against the end v of tho said opening, and the rear end of the tube n bearing against the rear end w of the opening. Suitable projections and recesses are formed at the rear of the cap for the reception of the end of the dog, through the medium of which the cylinder is revolved on cocking the hammer. A bar E (Figures 6 and 7) is arranged to slide in a dovetailed groove in the cylinder, one end of this bar being formed into a spring g, & projection on which bears on the bottom of the said groove, the other end of the bar being arranged to project beyond the rear of the breech piece and over a recess j of the door D when the latter is depressed and when the chambers of the breech piece are loaded When the cartridges have been discharged and it is necessary to withdraw the empty metallic cases the spring bar or bolt E is moved away from the door D, and the latter boing thus unlocked is thrown back to the position shown in Figure 5, thus exposing one of the chambers from which the cartridge case is extracted. After this the cap is turned and so far unscrewed from the breech block that another chamber of the latter is exposed, and from this chamber likewise the cartridge case is withdrawn, and this unscrewing of the cap is continued, so that one chamber after another is exposed, and the whole of the cartridges are withdrawn. In like manner new cartridges are inserted first into one chamber and then into the other, the cap being turned back until the whole of the new cartridges are inserted, when the door D is depressed, the spring bolt E moved so as to take its place in the notch j of the door when the breech block or cylinder is in a condition to have its loads discharged.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for “An Improvement in Revolving Fire-arms,” together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that I claim as the Invention communicated to me by the before mentioned Christian Sharps the breech block or cylinder A in combination with the detachable cap B, when the latter is so adapted to the former that when the two are fitted together they shall become temporarily a portion of each other, as described, for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
GEORGE DAVIES. (L.S.)