US 65742
United States Patent Office
EDWARD J. FROST, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.
Letters Patent No. 65,742, dated June 11, 1867.
IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.
The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.
TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
Be it known that I, EDWARD J. FROST, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Magazine Revolving Pistols; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which–
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention, showing magazine attachment and cartridge-shell discharger.
Figure 2, a top view.
Figure 3, a vertical section of same.
Figure 4, a horizontal section online x x, showing the discharger in the act of discharging a shell from the revolving breech or cylinder.
Figure 5 is a sectional view, showing the pawl attached to and operated by the hammer for the purpose of forcing the cartridge into the revolving breech from the magazine, should the spring not perform its office; and
Figure 6 is a view of the sliding-tube as removed from the magazine.
This invention relates to an improvement in revolving pistols, and consists in placing below the barrel of the revolver, and in a line with it, a magazine which communicates alternately with the chambers of the cylinder or revolving breech, so that, as the cylinder is revolved by the motion: of the hammer the metallic cartridge, which carries its own ignition, is forced into the corresponding chamber in the cylinder by means of a spiral spring in the sliding-tube in the magazine, aided by a pawl, which is operated by the hammer or tumbler, and at each discharge of the pistol, or as the hammer strikes the cartridge, the cartridge-shell of the previous shot is discharged from the cylinder by a sliding piston or plunger, which is also operated by the tumbler, thereby enabling the revolving cylinder to present a vacant chamber to the magazine for reception of a new cartridge at each discharge of the pistol, thus enabling me to fire twice the number of shots from my pistol that can be fired from the ordinary revolver in the same time.
In the drawings, A represents a magazine revolving pistol, of which B is the stock, C the lock, D the revolving cylinder or breech, E the barrel, and F the magazine, as shown in fig. 1: The hammer G of the lock actuates the cylinder D in the usual manner, and it also operates the cartridge-shell discharger H, as shown in fig. 4. This cartridge-shell discharger consists of a plunger, h, a spiral spring h1, and a thumb-catch, h2. It is carried forward, thereby discharging the cartridge-shell as the hammer approaches the cartridge, and as the cartridge is struck by the hammer the shell-discharger H is disengaged from the hammer G, when it will, by means of its spring, h1, be carried back to its former position, allowing the cylinder a chance to revolve, and present a vacant chamber for reception of the next charge, and by means of the thumb-catch the discharger will be made inoperative when desired. The magazine F is placed below the barrel E, in line with it, and, in relation to the cylinder D, diametrically opposite the barrel, leaving two chambers on either side. It may be attached to the barrel E by a thin web, or as represented in the drawings, and it contains an inner or sliding tube, e, which encompasses a spiral spring e’, attached to the head, e2, of the sliding-tube. This spring e1 has a plug, e3, which enters the head e2, and holds the spring in a contracted state while loading the tube e, as shown in figs. 5 and 6, the object of the sliding-tube being to encompass and hold the cartridges When dropped into the magazine steadily in position, while its spring forces them alternately into the vacant chambers of the cylinder; but should the spring not be sufficient to force the cartridges into the chambers of the cylinder, the pawl K, which is connected by a hinge-joint with the tumbler g, will, at the fall of the hammer G, force the cartridge into the chamber of the cylinder, as shown in fig. 5.
The operation of my pistol is as follows: The cartridges being placed in tin tubes carried in the cartridge box in the ordinary manner, and when it is desired to load the pistol, the cartridges are dropped from the tin tube into the magazine. Now, by revolving the cylinder once round, (by means of the hammer,) all the chambers (six in number) of the cylinder will be loaded, while the magazine contains a reserve of six charges more, thus enabling my revolver to play the part of two ordinary revolvers, by discharging twelve shots in succession in the same time that the ordinary revolver fires six, and by lengthening the magazine a greater number of shots may be fired. Furthermore, my pistol can be loaded in the ordinary way by hand, using the metallic shell-discharger, and by turning the thumb-catch h2 in the contrary direction, the use of the shell-discharger may also be temporarily dispensed with at the pleasure of the operator: This improvement l intend to apply to carbines, from which twenty shots can be fired in succession, rendering them very convenient and effective weapons. I would here remark that, as compared with Colt’s revolver, my pistol, from its construction, is as durable, the cost of manufacture about the same, its weight four ounces less for the same size, has a barrel three-fourths of an inch longer, and carries a ball four-hundredths larger, thereby increasing its range and penetration; besides, the cartridge is water-proof, and carries its own fulminate or ignition.
Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is–
1. The paw K, in combination with the magazine-spring e, as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The plunger h, spiral spring h1, and thumb-catch h2, arranged for engaging with the hammer, substantially as explained.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature.
EDWARD J. FROST.
Witnesses:
A. NEILL,
E. PLANTEL.