US 46225
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
WM. H. ELLIOT, OF PLATTSBURG, NEW YORK.
IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,225, dated February 7, 1865.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that I, WM. H. ELLIOT, of Plattsburg, in the county of Clinton, in the State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Cylinder for Revolving Pistols; 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.
Similar letters of reference indicate the same devices in all the figures.
To enable others skilled in the arts to comprehend, make, and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its nature, construction, and operation.
The nature of my invention consists in so constructing the cylinder of a revolving pistol that its central portion or core may be drawn out of it in a forward direction for the purpose of introducing cartridges that have a projecting rim at their rear end, and in charging said cylinder by first introducing the cartridges into the center of it and then moving them laterally to their proper places; and also in so dividing said cylinder that its outer portion or circumference and the rear end, against which the cartridge recoils, shall be in one piece, having no escape for gas at the rear end of the cylinder except the opening through which the hammer strikes the cartridge.
Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved cylinder. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the rear end of my improved cylinder. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the forward end of my cylinder. Fig. 5 is the same with the core removed. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the core. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the forward end of the same.
a is the cylinder, the central portion of which is occupied by the core b. The outer portion, a, and the core are so shaped that when they are put together a series of chambers are left between them for the reception of the cartridges; c, base-pin; d, chambers formed by grooves in the outer portion of the cylinder and in the core; e, cartridges; i, openings through which the nose of the hammer strikes the cartridge; m, notches for revolving the cylinder; o, circular cuts at the bottom of the cylinder to provide room for the rim of the cartridge; r, projection on the core, which raises it from the bottom of the cylinder for the same purpose.
My invention relates to that kind of pistol or arm which has a revolving cylinder with several chambers in it and a single barrel, and the following are some of its principal advantages: There is no possibility of the escape of gas at the rear end of the cylinder, as is the case with that class of arms known as “Smith & Wesson’s,” in which the same kind of cartridge is used. The cylinder, being whole at the rear end, is much stronger than those cylinders which are bored through at their rear end, and for these reasons the pistol may be used with a greater degree of safety. The rear end of the cylinder being whole or unbroken by boring the chambers through, the ratch or notches for revolving it may be made of any desired diameter, thereby securing a more perfect operation of the revolving devices.
The operation of my improved cylinder is as follows: To load it, remove it from the pistol frame and draw out the center portion or core and drop in the cartridge. Then push the cartridges into their places. Then return the core to its place in the cylinder and the cylinder to its place in the frame. The pistol is then fired in the ordinary Way. The openings for the nose of the hammer are completely closed by the recoil of the cartridge within the cylinder, so that no gas escapes to the rear, thus protecting the lock and revolving devices from smoke.
A frame made in two parts and hinged together over the cylinder at the rear end would be the most convenient one for my cylinder. In that case the core should be attached to the forward part of the frame. A frame made in two parts and locked together above and below the forward end of the cylinder, with the core attached to the forward portion and the cylinder to the rear part of the frame, would also be a convenient arrangement for my cylinder. The frame in that case should be so constructed that by turning it laterally the lock above and below the cylinder would be disengaged, and the two parts of the frame and of the cylinder would separate from each other with part of the frame having a portion of the cylinder attached to it.
The before-mentioned advantages which I claim for my improved cylinder are gained by so constructing it that its core may be drawn Out of it in a forward direction, leaving the outer portion and the rear end attached together in one solid piece.
I make no claim to a cylinder which has its rear end, against which the cartridges recoil and upon which the revolving notches are cut, attached to the core and separated from the outer portion of the cylinder; but
What I do claim, and desire to have secured by Letters Patent, is—
1. Dividing the cylinder a through its circle of chambers into two concentric parts, and having the recoil-plate or breech permanently attached to the outer section, so that the core or central portion may be drawn out in a forward direction for the purpose of introducing the cartridges, substantially as herein described.
2. Charging the cylinder of a revolving pistol by first introducing the cartridges into the center of it, and then by pushing them in a lateral direction to their places, as herein described.
W. H. ELLIOT.
Witnesses:
M. Lewis,
E. Ruche.