GB2037408A - A firearm - Google Patents

Abstract

A firearm, such as a revolver, comprises a rotatable drum (8) having a plurality of cartridge receiving chambers therein and being indexable so as to introduce cartridges in use loaded in said chambers one by one to a firing station. The firearm also has a hammer (6) and means, such as a piston and cylinder unit (3), and are provided for indexing the drum and cocking the hammer in response to the gas pressure in use subsisting in that chamber located at the firing station when the firearm is fired. A trigger (9) is also provided for releasing the hammer when in a cocked position. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A firearm The invention relates to a firearm having a rotatable magazine, such as a revolver.

Known revolvers have a rotatable magazine in the form of a drum rotatable about an axis parallel to the barrel of the revolver. Cartridges are loaded manually into the rotatable drum which has a plurality of equiangularly spaced cartridge receiving chambers alignable successively with the barrel of the revolver as the drum is indexed.

Application of pressure to the trigger of the revolver serves three purposes, namely, to index the drum, to cock the hammer and to release the hammer. These may be completed by a single application of pressure to the trigger or, alternatively, by applying pressure to the trigger twice. In any event, it is necessary to apply relatively high pressure to the trigger in order to re-cock the hammer and index the drum anvil this results in lack of precision and the relatively long time period between successive shots. Because of this, automatic firearms are often preferred, since they permit a number of shots to be fired in quick succession.Automatic firearms do, however, possess the disadvantage that they may become jammed with a defective cartridge, this simply being overcome in a revolver by once again actuating the trigger so as to index forward the drum and thereby introduce a fresh cartridge to the firing station.

The invention provides a firearm comprising a body, a rotatable drum, which is mounted on the body, having a plurality of cartridge receiving chambers therein and indexable so as to introduce cartridges in use loaded in said chambers one by one to a firing station, a hammer, means for indexing the drum and cocking the hammer in response to the gas pressure in use substituting in that chamber located at the firing station when the fire arm is fired and trigger means for releasing the hammer when in a cocked position.

Due to the relative low pressure needed on the trigger to fire a firearm according to the invention, it is possible to obtain higher precision and a greater rapidity of firing than with a conventional firearm having the rotatable magazine. Also the risk that the firearm will jam with defective cartridges is minimised.

Preferably, said means includes a piston and cylinder unit, the piston being exposed to the gas pressure subsisting in that chamber located at the firing station through duct means.

Conveniently, the piston and cylinder unit is located in the body of the drum.

Alternatively, the piston and cylinder. unit may be located in the shaft about which the drum is mounted for rotation.

Advantageously, the piston is connected to the hammer.

The invention will now be particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, schematic view of one embodiment of a firearm according to the invention, and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, schematic view of a further embodiment of a firearm according to the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 , there is shown therein a firearm in the form of a revolver having a body and a rotatable magazine. The magazine is in the form of a drum 8 which is mounted for rotation on the body and which has a plurality of cartridge receiving chambers (not shown) therein, the chambers being equiangularly spaced within the drum and the drum being indexable so as to introduce cartridges loaded in said chambers successively to a firing station which is aligned with the barrel of the revolver. The revolver also includes a hammer 6 which is pivoted about 7 and which is connected by a mechanism not shown to the drum 8 so that as the trigger 9 is cocked, the drum 8 is indexed so as to introduce a neighbouring cartridge chamber to the firing station. The revolver also has a trigger 9 for releasing the hammer when the latter is in a cocked position.The revolver also has a piston and cylinder unit 3 mounted in the body thereof. A piston rod 4 is connected between the piston of the piston and cylinder unit and a part of the hammer spaced from its pivot axis 7. The interior of the barrel of the revolver communicates through an opening 1 located therein at a position adjacent to the firing station with a duct 2 formed in the body of the revolver communicating with the free end of the piston and cylinder unit 3.

In operation and starting with the hammer 6 in a cocked position as shown, the trigger 9 is pulled and the cocked hammer is released resulting in the cartridge in the firing station being fired. The gases produced by the explosion propel the bullet out of the barrel and at the same time the gas pressure subsisting in the barrel is applied to the piston of the piston and cylinder unit 3 by way of opening 1 and duct 2. The piston is thereby caused to move under the influence of this pressure and in doing so re-cocks the hammer which pivots about the pivot axis 7. The mechanism which as aforesaid connects the trigger to the rotatable drum 8 causes the latter to index so as to introduce a neighbouring cartridge to the firing station.

Figure 2 shows a modification of the revolver shown in Fig. 1 , the piston and cylinder unit designated the reference numeral 3a being located in a shaft 10 about which the drum 8 is mounted for rotation. The piston rod 4a is connected between the piston of the piston and cylinder unit 3a and a point 5a on the hammer 6.

The opening 1 in the barrel of the revolver communicates with the free end of the piston by way of a duct 2a which is shorter than the duct 2.

It will be appreciated that since the hammer 6 is cocked and the drum is indexed in an automatic manner, the revolver described above should possess higher precision and the ability to fire more rapidly than a coventional revolver.

Moreover, if the drum is loaded with a defective cartridge which fails to fire, it will simply be necessary to re-cock the hammer manually, which in turn will index the drum to introduce a neighbouring cartridge to the firing station.

Claims (6)

1. A firearm comprising a body, a rotatable drum, which is mounted on the body, having a plurality of cartridge receiving chambers therein and indexable so as to introduce cartridges in use loaded in said chambers one by one to a firing station, a hammer, means for indexing the drum and cocking the hammer in response to the gas pressure in use subsisting in that chamber located at the firing station when the firearm is fired and trigger means for releasing the hammer when in a cocked position.

2. A firearm as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means includes a piston and cylinder unit, the piston being exposed to the gas pressure subsisting in that chamber located at the firing station through duct means.

3. A firearm as claimed in claim 2, wherein said piston and cylinder unit is located in the body of the drum.

4. A firearm as claimed in claim 2, wherein said piston and cylinder unit is located in a shaft about which the drum is mounted for rotation.

5. A firearm as claimed in any one of claims 2 - 4, wherein the piston is connected to the hammer.

6. A firearm substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.