British 1159
Revolver Fire-arms.
LETTERS PATENT to William Harding, of Forest Hill, in the County of Kent,’ for the Invention of “ Improvements in Revolver Fire-arms.”
Sealed the 19th October 1858, and dated the 24th May 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Harding at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th May 1858.
I, William Harding, of Forest Hill, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for “ Improvements in Revolver Firearms,” to be as follows:—
This Invention has for its object improvements in revolver fire-arms. The cylinder is arranged to turn on two centres or points, which are either fixed to the cylinder and turn in recesses formed in the frame or body, or else they are fixed in the frame or body, in which case the cylinder is formed with two recesses to receive them. The frame or body of the fire-arm in which the cylinder revolves is made in two pieces, one piece is fixed to the stock, and the other piece is made or forms part with the barrel. For these purposes, the hinder and the under parts of the frame or body are made in one piece, and fixed to the stock, and such piece is so formed as to receive the lock. The top and fore parts of the frame or body are made in one piece with the barrel. The two pieces of which the frame or body is composed are fixed securely together, and are yet readily separated in order to take out the cylinder, in the following manner:—The fore part of the frame or body is made with a curved or hooked formed projection at its lower end, and such projection enters into a corresponding recess formed in the under part of the frame or body, which is fixed to the stock. The upper bar or part of the frame or body, which is attached to the barrel and forms part with it, is notched out on either side at its back end, and enters between projections formed to receive it at the upper end of the hinder part of the frame or body; and these two parts are retained securely together by a pin, or it may be by a screw. In connection with a frame made in two halves or parts, as above described, a pin or axis may be employed for carrying the revolving chambers, •such pin or axis being fixed in one of the halves or parts of the frame.
The Invention also consists in constructing the lock or action of revolving fire-arms in the following manner:—On the trigger there is formed a projection, which when the trigger is drawn back, acts on an incline on a piece carried by the hammer, and thus raises the hammer, for the piece having the incline on it during this action acts exactly as if it were fixed to the hammer, when by the motion of the parts the projection on the trigger comes to the end of the incline on the piece connected with the hammer, the hammer escapes, and by falling explodes the cap on the nipple opposite to it; the trigger then returns by the action of its spring; and in order to allow it to return, the piece on which the incline is formed recedes by the yielding of a spring which acts on it. This is the only motion which this piece has, in other respects it acts as if it were fixed to the hammer. When the hammer is drawn up by hand, a projection on it comes in contact with another projection on the trigger, and the two projections, as the hammer is raised, rub one on the other. On the projection from the hammer a notch is formed, and another notch is formed on the under side of the projection from the trigger. When the hammer has been raised a short distance by hand, these notches lock together, and the hammer is then held at half-cock; if the hammer is raised a little higher than it can be raised by pulling the trigger, then the end of the projection on the trigger drops into the notch on the projection from the hammer, and holds it at full-cock; by pulling the trigger the projection from it is lifted, and the hammer falls and explodes the cap.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by the said William Harding in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, William
Harding, of Forest Hill, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent, bearing date tbe Twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and. grant unto me, the said William Harding, Her special licence, that I, the said William Harding, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Harding, 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 a Improvements in Revolver Fire-arms,” upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Harding, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 ENOW YE, that I, the said William Harding, 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 has for its object improvements in revolver fire-arms. Tho cylinder is arranged to turn on two centres or points, which are either fixed to the cylinder and turn in recesses formed in the frame or body, or else they are fixed in the frame or body, in which case the cylinder is formed with two recesses to receive them. The frame or body of the fire-arm in which the cylinder revolves is made in two pieces, one piece is fixed to the stock, and the other piece is made or forms part with the barrel. For these purposes, the hinder and the under parts of the frame or body are made in one piece and fixed to the stock, and such piece is so formed as to receive the lock. The top and fore parts of the frame or body are made in one piece with the barrel. The two pieces of which the frame or body is composed are fixed securely together, and are yet readily separated in order to take out the cylinder, in the following manner:—-The fore part of the frame or body is made with a curved or hooked formed projection at its lower end, and such projection enters into a corresponding recess formed in the under part of the frame or body, which is fixed to the stock. The upper bar or part of the frame or body, which is attached to the barrel and forms part with it, is notched out on either side at fixed to the trigger spring, as heretofore, formed part of the trigger. I is the driver, it is pin-jointed to the piece Jc, and works to rotate the revolving chambers e through the slot Z1 in the frame. This slot at its lower end enters the hole Id, as is shewn at Figures 3. When the hammer is drawn up by hand, a projection h? on it comes in contact with the under surface of the projection g2 on the trigger, which is thus brought back as the hammer rises. On the end of the projection A8 is a notoh, as is shown, and on the under side of the projection g2 are two other notches. When the hammer has been raised a short distance, the notch on the hammer falls into the first notch on the trigger, and the hammer is then held at half-cock; this position of the parts is shewn at Figure 11. If when the lock is in this position the trigger be drawn back, the projection g2 comes in contact with the piece hl before the half-cock notch of the trigger becomes clear of the hammer, and, consequently, the piece can only be discharged by drawing the trigger sufficiently far back to allow the end of the projection g2 to clear the end of the piece h\ as before described. If the hammer be drawn back by hand beyond the half-cock notch of the trigger, the notch on the projection h? falls into the second or full-cock notch of the trigger; this position of the parts is shewn at Figure 12. When the piece is at full-cock, the notches are at once cleared on pulling the trigger, and the hammer descends. The fire-arm shewn in the Drawing is furnished with a lever rammer, such as is described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Harding, have hereuuto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the year,of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
WILLIAM HARDING. (l.s.)
Witness,
Geo. Pitt.