US 22905
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
JOHN WALCH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.
IMPROVEMENT IN REVOVING FIRE-ARMS.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,905, dated February 8, 1859.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, John Walch, of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.
Figure I is an outside view of the improvement applied to a revolving pistol. Fig. II is a section of the same. Fig. III is a top view of the same. Figs. IV and W are front and end views of the revolving breech-piece. Fig. VI is an outside view of a revolving pistol having the nipples and hammers differently arranged. Fig. VII is a section of the same. Fig. VIII is a top view of the same. Figs, IX and X are front and end views of the revolving breech-pieces. Fig. XI is a cross-section, and Fig. XII a longitudinal section, of the breech. Fig. XIII is an end view of part of the pistol.
Similar letters represent similar parts.
The nature of my said invention consists in constructing a revolving chamber with two ranges of nipples connecting to the middle and rear part of the breeches, in combination with double hammers so fitted and acting that upon pulling the trigger the hammers fall, the one before the other, and explode caps on the afore said nipples that fire in succession charges contained in the forward and rear parts of each breech, so that two charges are fired out of one breech and the breech revolved each time the two hammers are cocked.
a is the barrel of the pistol, secured to the stock m in the usual manner.
b is the revolving breech-piece, turning upon the bolt n, and made to revolve by the cocking of the pistol or by the backward motion of the hammers by means of the small lever e, attached to the lower end of said hammers. This breech-piece is held fast, while firing, either by a spring, Q, Fig. II, or by a projection, 3, on the trigger d, working in grooves 2,Figs. X and VII. This breech-piece is made sufficiently long to contain two charges in each chamber, and the number of chambers may be either 4, 5, or 6, or more according to circumstances.
c c’ are the hammers, acted upon by their respective springs f f’. These hammers may be either made as represented in Figs, I, II, and III, where the hammer for the after charge passes through an opening of the forward hammer c, or the same may be situated side by side, as represented in Figs. VI, VII, VIII, and XIII.
d d’ is the trigger by which the hammers are held fast when cocked and afterward set loose. The upper end of this trigger is made in two pieces, for the purpose hereinafter mentioned.
o’ 0 are the nipples, which in Figs. I, II, and III are placed in a line upon each chamber, and are put slanting to correspond with the respective hammers. In Figs. VI, VII, &c., they are put out of a line with each other, and are placed parallel with the line of the chamber. Fig. XII shows the manner in which the holes are bored and the position of the same, and is a section taken at the line o o, Figs. X and XI.
g is the ramrod to load the chambers, constructed in the usual manner.
h are the balls. The same are made either (as represented in Fig. II) by attaching a thin plate, 7, to a half ball, 8, by means of a very thin piece, 9, or by connecting two half-round balls, S, by means of a very small piece, 9, Fig. VII, in such a manner as to have a recess all round. This recess is filled with a composition consisting of three-fourths part of soap and one-quarter of oil.
By loading the chambers a sufficient charge of powder is put in, and then one of the balls, either with or without paper over the powder. By ramming the ball down the recess of the ball will become compressed, and thereby the above-mentioned grease or composition will be forced out of the same, filling in every part between the ball and the barrel. By this arrangement the chamber will be well greased and the barrel by each discharge will be there by well cleaned. By the forcible pressing out of the grease so as to fill every crevice between the ball and the chamber every danger is like wise prevented by which the after-charge might be ignited when the forward charge is fired off, and as this forms a perfect air-tight packing for the ball the powder will have more force and be able to send the ball a greater distance. When the hammers are pulled back ward or the gun cocked the breech-piece will revolve one section in the usual manner and the hammers will be held in their position by the trigger did coming against small projections or noses on the lower side of said hammers. This trigger, as before mentioned, is on its upper end made in two pieces. When the gun or pistol requires to be discharged, by pulling on the trigger that part which holds the for ward hammer will be moved away from the projection of said hammer, allowing the spring f to push the same upon the cap upon the forward nipple corresponding with the forward charge, and thereby discharge the same. By giving the trigger a second pull a little farther back an inclined surface or projection will act against the second part of the trigger, and which has held the hammer for the after-charge until now fast, and will thereby release the same to allow the hammer-spring to propel this hammer against the cap to discharge the after-charge. During the discharging of both the charges out of the same barrel the breech-piece has been held steady and in a line with the main barrel in the manner above described or in any usual manner. After both charges are fired off from the chamber the hammers are pulled back again and the same operation is repeated.
I do not claim firing two or more charges from one barrel or chamber, said charges being the one in front of the other; but I am not aware of any previous instance in which revolving chambers have been fitted with two ranges of nipples connecting to the forward and rear part of each breech, in combination with double hammers acted upon by one trigger, so that the charges in the breech that is line with the barrel are fired in succession by one pull of the trigger, thereby giving in a revolving fire-arm twice as many shots as there are chambers or breeches, and that without materially increasing the size of the parts or adding to the complexity of the same, and my fire-arm is perfectly secure, and the forward charge is in all instances first exploded.
What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is—
The revolving chambers or breeches fitted with two ranges of nipples, in combination with the double hammers acted on by one trigger and firing the respective charges in succession, substantially as specified.
JOHN WALCE.
Witnesses:
Henry E. Roeder,
F. Aokeneiauser.