US 134442
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
OTTO SCHNEELOCH, OF BROOKLYN, E. D., NEW YORK.
IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 134,442, dated December 31, 1872.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, OTTO SCHNEELOCH, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Constructing the Revolving Cartridge – Chambers of Fire-Arms, of which the following is a specification:
The object of the invention is to throw as many balls of a given size as possible from a barrel of minimum weight; and I accomplish this by constructing the several bores of a triangular shape, one angle of the triangle having its vertex near the center, while the other two have their vertices near the circumference of the cylinder. These triangles may be plane or spherical, and isosceles, or otherwise, since the principle involved consists in causing the balls to approximate as nearly as possible to the center of cylinder, and in the closest juxtaposition to one another. This utilizes the greatest portion of volume of the cylinder without impairing the necessary strength of the metal.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, showing a fire-arm with barrel and revolving cartridge chamber, having triangular bores. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of rotary cartridge-chamber. Fig. 3 is a side elevation and enlarged view of the ball employed by me. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the same on an enlarged scale.
A represents the revolving cartridge-chamber of a breech-loader, in which the fixed ammunition is applied, and to which my improvement more particularly relates, while G is the barrel, which is correspondingly constructed in respect to the bore. The bore besides being triangular is also represented as twisted or spiral. I much prefer this, although my invention is equally applicable to a straight bore. a represents the triangular bore, and is distinctly shown in Fig. 2. This is obtained by first boring out a circle which could be inscribed within the intended triangle and then cutting out the angles, as is done in making grooves in round-bore rifles. By this construction a chamber will throw twenty-five per cent more balls of a given weight than one of the same size in which any other cross-sectional form is employed, and will also be considerably lighter. It has long been a desideratum with manufacturers to construct revolving fire-arms with the smallest volume in proportion to the weight and number of balls carried, and these are always preferred by policemen and those who depend on the efficiency of their weapon for self-protection. This want is supplied by my invention, which lightens the arm while it increases its efficiency.
Having thus described all that is necessary to a full understanding of my invention, what I esteem as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is–
The cylinder A of revolving fire-arms, having the triangular bores arranged as and for the purpose described.
OTTO SCENEELOCH.
Witnesses:
A. P. TELAYER,
T. B. MOSHER.