British 374
US 15032
LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont, of Upper Woodball, Barnsley, in the County of York, Lieutenant, Royal Engineers, for the Invention of “ Improvements in Fire-arms called Revolvers/’ Sealed the 11th May 1855, and dated the 20th February 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th February 1855.
I, Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont, of Upper Woodball, Barnsley, in the County of York, Lieut4, Royal Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for “ Improvements in Fire-arms called Revolvers ” to be as follows:—
This Invention consists of a peculiar combination of the parts of a lock of a fire-arm, by which the hammer may be cocked by hand or by pulling the trigger. For this purpose, the hammer, in place of being separate from, is connected to the trigger; hence, when the trigger is moved back, the hammer is raised. The trigger has also combined with it similar apparatus to what has heretofore been used in locks of fire-arms for acting on the hammer to put it back (when not cocked) by pulling a trigger; hence, a fire-arm will at all times be in a condition (supposing a cap to be on the nipple) to be discharged by the trigger, either after first cocking the hammer by hand, or by simply pulling the trigger to raise the hammer and to discharge it. At the same time, whether the hammer is raised by the trigger or otherwise, the barrels will be caused to revolve, as heretofore.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by the said Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th July 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont, of Upper Woodball, Barnsley, in the County of York, Lieutenant, Royal Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont, 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 “Improvements nr Fire-arms called Eevolvers,” upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Blacket Edward .Beaumont, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont, 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 thereof (that is to say):—
This Invention consists of a peculiar combination of the parts of a lock of a fire-arm, by which the hammer may be cocked by hand or by pulling the trigger. For this purpose, the hammer, in place of being separate from, is connected to the trigger; hence, when the trigger is moved back, the hammer is raised. The trigger has also combined with it similar apparatus to what has heretofore been used in locks of fire-arms for acting on the hammer to put it back (when not cocked) by pulling the trigger; hence, a fire-arm will at all times be in a condition (supposing a cap be on the nipple) to be discharged by the trigger, cithej .after first cocking the hammer by hand, or by simply pullitog the trigger to raise the hammer and to discharge it. At the same time, whether the hammer is raised by the trigger or otherwise, the barrels will be caused to revolve, as heretofore.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to describe the manner of performing the same.
< . ... • * Description of the Drawing. Figure 1 shdws a section of a revolving pistol having the lock constructed and arranged according to my Invention, the mechanical parts being shewn in the position they assume immediately after the foil of the hammer* Figure 2 shows another section of the same parts, wherein the mechanical instruments are shown in the positions they assume when the click / has just left the notch g, that is, immediately after commencing to pull the trigger, if the hammer has been cocked by hand, and the parts are likewise nearly in the positions they assume immediately the trigger has put back the hammer, if the hammer has not been cocked by hand, the main spring being in the act of forcing down the hammer. The other Figures shewn in the Drawings are of some of the different mechanical instruments or pails separately. The revolving barrels are not shewn in either of the Figures, in order that the other parts may be more cleaHy shown, a is the trigger, which moves on its axis b, and it is constantly pressed on by its spring c. The trigger, by means of the click or driver d, when pulled acts on the notch e> and raises or cocks the hammer from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position Figure 2, where the click or driver is shown as having forced back the hammer, and as having passed the notch e, so that the hammer is free to descend on the nipple, and in these respects the arrangement of parts is substantially the same as revolver locks now manufactured by Messrs. Deane, Adams, & Co.; and it is to be understood that the peculiarity of the present Invention is, that in addition to the power of discharging the contents of the barrels of a revolver in succession by the simple act of pulling the trigger, this fire-arm has also the power of admitting the hammer to be cocked by pulling back the hammer by the thumb, in a similar manner to other fire-arms. For these purposes it is necessary to employ an instrument or apparatus, which (when the hammer is pulled back or cocked, independently of the trigger,) shall connect the hammer with the trigger, and cause it to act on the trigger and move it into position to enable it when pulled to discharge the click or stop which retains the hammer at cock. This connection between the hammer and the trigger may be varied in form or detail, but I employ the parts shown. / is a lever click or catch, pressed on by a spring, as is shewn. This lever dick, when the hammer is moved back by the thumb, enters the notch g, and retains the hammer at cock, h is the driver, which causes the barrels to be revolved on their axis j, in the manner heretofore practised by Messrs. Deane, Adams, & Co. i is a spring, which is fixed to the driver h, and passes down below the pin joints k (by which the driver h is connected to the trigger); the spring t is then bent, or it has a projection at right angles to it, which presses on the tail of the driver d; hence, the driver d (which is pin-jointed to the trigger) is constantly pressed towards the hammer. I is a hook or projection, fixed to the lower part of the hammer, which enters a slot formed in the driver d; hence, the hammer and the trigger are constantly connected together by means of the parts 2, d, and in such manner, that when acting through the trigger on the hammer, the part d simply acts as a driver to put back the hammer, as was formerly the case; but by reason of connecting the part d by the part l with the hammer, the part d is made to act also as a drag link between the trigger and the hammer when the hammer is cocked by the thumb. The upper part of the driver d releases the lever click s from the notch g in the hammer when the hammer is discharged after cocking it by the thumb. The click f does not act on the hammer when the hammer is put back by the trigger. It may be observed, that when the hammer is cocked by hand, it goes somewhat further back than when put back by the trigger; hence, when putting the hammer back by the trigger, the click/does not fall into g. I would remark, that I do not claim to raise and discharge the hammer of a “ revolver ” by the action of the trigger and apparatus connected therewith when separately considered, neither do I claim to arrange the lock of a “revolver” in such manner that the hammer may be cocked by the thumb and also by the trigger; but what I claim is, the combining the hammer and the trigger by means of parts d, Z, / acting as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Blacket Edward Beaumont, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
FREDERICK BLACKET EDWARD BEAUMONT. (l.s.)
Witness,
S. Carpmael.