US36836A - Improvement in revolving battery-guns - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD- J. GATLING, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING BATTERY-GUNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,836, dated November 4, 1862.

To all whom it may concern Be it knownthat I, RICHARD J. GATLING, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements 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, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gun with the upper portion ofthe wheels cut away. Fig. 2 is a 4vertical longitudinal section through the center ofthe gun. Fig. 3 is a top view of the gun with the top half of the external casin g, A, left otf and the middle portion of the barrels cut away to shorten the drawing. Fig. 4 is a transverse section through lock-cylinder on line a: y in Figs.1 and 2. Fig.5is an end view of the groovcd carrier G which receives the cartridges or cartridge-chambers. Fig. 6 is a side view of one of the tubes containing the mainspring and hammer of one of the locks.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the ring P which surrounds the forward end of the lockcylinder D, having inclined planes on its rear edge for cooking and. drawing back the ham- .mers to their proper position.

The object of this invention is to obtain a simple, compact, durable, and edicient tirearm for war purposes, to be used either in attack or defence, one that is light when compared with ordinary field-artillery, thatis easily transported, that may be rapidly fired, and that can be operated by few men.

The invention consists in a singularly-cou structed revolving lock cylinder or breech, in combinationV with a grooved carrier and bar rels all rigidly fixed upon the same shaft, and all of which revolve together when the gun is in operation, the locks and grooves in the carrier and the barrels all being parallel with the axis of revolution.

The Ainvention also consists in the novel means employed in cocking and tiring the gun without the use of a trigger by means of the inclined plane on the rear edge of the ring P, which surrounds the forward end of the lockcylinder, and also in the novel use of the inner tubes (which contain the locks) to pressthe cartridge-chambers firmly against the rear ends of thebarrels while being discharged, and

in the outer casing and disk, which protects the locks from injury. l

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my gun usually with six ordinary riiie-barrels, E, fixed at their rear and forward ends into circular plates F and G, which are rigidly secured to a shaft, N, upon which is also rigidly fixed the grooved carrier C and lock-cylinder D and cog-wheel K. A case or shield, A, covers and protects the lockcylinder and cog-wheel. parts are mounted on a frame, B, and are supported by an ordinary gun-carriage. Thelockcylinder D is perforated longitudinally with six holes, (corresponding to the number of barrels,) as shown in Fig. 4, and has slots cut through from the surface of the cylinder to the holes to admit the projecting portion of the hammers b. In the perforations or holes in the lock-cylinder the locks (one of which is shown inlelevation in Fig. 6) are placed.

The locks are constructed of the tubes a a, &c., having a hanged breech-pin, c, secured in their rear ends and provided with hammers b and mainsprings d, all formed and arranged as clearly shown in section in Fig. 2;

C is a grooved carrier for conveying the cartridge-chambers from the reservoir or hopper H up to the position in which they are tired, and thence on around until they fall out by their own Weight; but that the cartridgechambers may be removed with certainty from the grooved carrier C a comb or rake is provided and attached to the frame, as shown by the red lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

P, Figs. 2, 8, and 7, is a ring encircling the forward end of the lock-cylinder D, and is rigidly secured by lugs to the frame B. The rear edge of this ring is formed into two inclined planes, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, the greater inclined plane serving to push back or cock the hammers b as they are successively revolved, while the lesser inclined plane serves to push the hammers back into their proper places within the tubesaafter they have struck the percussion-cap, so as to allow the cartridgechambers to drop from the carrier.

All of these several The disk 1 forms a division in the case A, the forward portion of the case forminga 'shield or covering for the locks, while the rear tion ofthe tubes a, caused by the swell O on disk I, also assists in compressing the mainsprings d, thereby increasing the force of the blow from the lock-hammers b upon the percussion-caps on the nipples of the cartridgechambers.

The rounded heads of the breech-pin c bear against the forward face of the disk I, being kept in their position by the coiled springs ee, Src., which surround the rear ends of the tubes a a, &c., the springs @bearing againstthe rear end of the lock-cylinder and against the flange of the breech-pin c. By this arrangement the forward ends of the locks are kept ush with the forward face of the lock-cylinder untilthey are revolvedopposite the swell o, when they are pressed forward, as before described.

'lhe shaft N, upon which the lock-cylinder D, carrier C, barrels E, and cog-wheel K are rigidly secured, has a bearing near its rear end in disk I and a bearing at its forward end in a box on the frame B. A crank-shaft, M, runs through the rear part of ease A and has vfixed upon it the small cog-wheel or pinion L and crank S.

An adjusting-screw, T, is placed in the box' opposite the forward end of shaft N, for regulating the pressure upon the cartridge-chambers R. The cartridge-chambers R, (any de sired number of which may 'be used,) being loaded, are placed in the hopper or reservoir, with their nipple or cap ends toward the hammers, over the grooved carriers O, when, by rotating the crank S, which carries with itthe shaft M, and pinion L, which meshes into the Vlarge cog-wheel K, thereby revolving the-shaft N, lock-cylinder D, carrier C, and barrels E, the cartridges drop or rather roll into the grooves of carrier C and are carried by it up to the position iu which they are discharged.

large inclined plane on the rear edge of the ring I, and when they have passed the highest point of the inclined plane they are driven forward against the percussion-cap on the nipple of the cartridgechamber by the coiled mainspring c with sulliciont force to explode the cap and discharge the cartridge, after which the cartridge-holder is carried on around until it ,drops out ot' the carrier by its own weight, when it is ready to be taken up and reloaded.

I do not claim the use of the grooved or tinted revolving carrier C, separately considered, and when the same is made to revolve separately and ilulcpcndently of the barrels and breech, the same heilig an old device; neither do I claim the direct combination thereof with an automatic revolving gear or with a device for pressing the cartridge-chamber against the barrel when used alone for that purpose; but

What I do claim as new and as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination of the lock-cylinder or breech D with the grooved carrier C, circular plate F, and barrels E E, &c., the lock-cylinder or breech, carrier, and circular plate being firmly fastened upon the main shaft N, and the locks, grooves in the carrier, and barrels being arranged on a line parallel with the axis of revolution, the whole revolving together when the gun is in operation, substantially as described.

2. In theconstruction of revolvingre-arms, the use of as many locks as there are barrels, said locks revolving simultaneously with the breech and barrels, and being arranged and operated substantially as set forth.

3. The stationary ring P, provided with inclined planes on its rear edge, in combination with lock-cylinder I) and locks, when coustructed and operated for the purposes substantially as set forth.

' 4. The tubes a a, &c., furnished with the flanged breech-pins c c, &c., and springs e e, &c., and which contain the lock-hammers b b, &c., and mainsprings d d, 81o., in combination with the revolving breech D, disk I, and swell o, when constructed, arranged, and operated for the purposes substantially as set forth.

5. The disk I, in combination with the ex-

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