USRE2650E - Improvement in revolving fire-arms - Google Patents

Description

W. H. ELLIOT.

Revolver.

No. 2,650. v Reissued June 18, 1867.

N. PETERS, FHDTO-UTHOGRAPMER, wAsmNGTON, D. C.

' frame.

. "UNITEDV STATI-:s

'PATENTS Ormel-3.

VILLIAM H. ELLIOT, 0F PLAT'ISBURG, N'ENV YORK.

I MPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 28,461, dated May 29, 1860; Reissue No. 2,650, dated June 18, 1567. v v

. To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. ELLro'r, of Plattsbnrg, in the county of Clinton and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Pistol; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accoman in drawings makinfra'iartofthissiccication, in which- Figure l is a side view of the improved pistol. Fig, 2 is a longitudinal section taken vertically through the center of the pistol, with the trigger drawn fully back. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same parts, with the trigger moved forward to its fullest exten t. Fig. 4 .is a cross-section taken through the barrels and Fig. 5 is a view of the front end of the chambered cylinder and forward support. Fig. 6 is an elevationA of the barrelsvand the spring which revolves the same. Fig. 7 is a side view of the lock and revolving spring. Figs. 8,19, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are views of the several parts forming the lock in detail.

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

The object of this invention is to produce a powerful, though very compact, pocket-pistol, which shall possess great strength and durability.

It consists, in part, in the employment, in

' conjunction with chambers which are bored through at their rear ends, and a breech-plate which admits ofthe introduction of the carstrikes up in rear of said chambers7 and its axis of motion is forward of the rear ends thereof, as will be hereinafter described.

It further consists in an auxiliary support for the barrels, which is located forward of the rear end of the same, and which is employed in conjunction with a rear central support for the barrels, the latter being bored through, so

as to receive the cartridges at. their rear ends, 'I as will be hereinafter described.

It also consists in so combining a hammer 1 and a breech-plate with barrels which are bored entirely through that the breech-plate will be partially or wholly relieved from the pressure of the cartridge shell or shells after explosion, as will be hereinafter explained.

It also consists in a novel and efficient mode of operatingthe hammer for exploding the pistolg also, in a mode of replacing the trigger without tiring at'ter it has been moved forward, as will be hereinafter set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my ingention, I will now describe one practical mode of carrying it into effect.

In the accompanying drawings, a represents the frame of the pistol b, barrels, which are bored through and left open at their rear ends for the purpose of being charged at the breech.

c is the'breech-plate, which, when employed with cartridges such as are shown in the drawings, servesthe purpose of a breech-pin or check. 1

d is the hammer, which is pivoted underneath and forward ofthe rear ends ofthe chambers or barrels, while its exploding point or nose' strikes np in the rear ot said chambers or barrels.

fis the fly upon. which the trigger acts to raise the hammer.

gis the stirrup between the'hammer and mainspring.

his the mainspring; t', the fly-spring; j, a. cam or wedge upon the trigger for raising the hammer; and cis the fly-lever for depressing the dy, so that the trigger may be moved back without raising the hammer.

O are the cartridges, (shown within the chambersmV om) 'and a is the rear support for the barrels. a is the front support for the barrels, extending up from the horizontal portion of the frame; o, the revolving spring, which is fastened tol and moves with the sliding `trigger.

o is a stud or projection upon the rear end of the spring o, which works in the revolving grooves S upon the barrels. r are the grooves in the frame, in which the trigger slides.

S are the revolving grooves in the outer surface of the barrels.

The operation ofmy pistol is as follows: It is intended, when the pistol is carried in the pocket, that thetrigger should occupy the position in which itis represented in Fig.I 2; but when it becomes necessary to lire it the finger is placed in the kring and the trigger pushed forward to the position represented in Fig. 3. As it moves forward the heel of the wedge strikes the back of the iiy,depressing it toward the front, and passing completely under it. When the fly, by the power of the spring t', assumes its original position in drawing the triggerl back to fire the pistol, the toe of the wedge strikes the liy, carrying it back, and as the trigger continues its motion backward the end of the iy passes up the inclined plane of the wedge, and when the y arrives at 'the heel of the wedge the hammer stands at fullcock, when it may be fired by continuing the motion of the trigger backward; or it may be let down without firing by allowing the trigger to pass forward, which it will do by the power of theh mainspring. As the revolving spring o is carried back and forth by the trigger the projection o passes in one direction in the parallel grooves and in'the other direction in the diagonal grooves S, causing the barrels to revolve, so as `to bring another cartridge under the hammer with each backward and forward movement ofthe trigger.

To replace the trigger without iring, after it has been pushed out, the ily must be depressed, so as to allow the trigger to pass backward without raising the hammer. To do this the lowerside of the liy-lever k must be pushed forward by the finger, when the fly will be depressed sufficiently to effect the object.

A hammer arranged as before stated-viz., with its pivoted end attached to the pistol at some point forward of the rear end of the chambers or barrels, while its point or nose strikes upward in rear of said chambersoperates in a peculiar manner, as by this arrangement of these devices the nore ofthe hammer penetrates alittle into the cartridge and' at the moment of the discharge holds onto it like a hook, and this prevents it from being thrown back against the ybreech-plate with so much force as to interfere with the revolution of the barrels; and this arrangement is essential, not only to revolving pistols, but to any pistol in which the cartridge and the breechplate change-their posit-ion in relation to each vother between the discharges, as in any case the full recoil and consequent strain of several cartridges against a breech-plate would' interfere with their motions.

When a hammer is thus employed and arranged in combination with a breech-plate its operation is as follows, viz: At the moment the discharge takes place the exploding point or nose of the hammer resting upon the rim of the cartridge resists so much of the recoil that the center of thehead of thccartridgeis swelled out till it touches the breech-plate. When the strain upon it is passed the slight elasticity there is in the shell of the cartridge causes it, to a certain extent, to assume its original form, drawing away from the breech-plate that porl tion of the head'of the cartridge which at the moment of discharge rested against it.

l/By employing this means of preventing the cartridge` from pressing against the breechplate the chambers may be made small enough to fit snugly around the shell, and thus prevent a discharge of gas in the rear. When no such means of :preventing t-he shell from resting against the breech is employed it is necessary that the chambers be made large enough, so :that the shell will move forward loosely away from the breech-plate. Such chambers allow a large escape ot' gas in the rear.

The employment of a hammer arranged as shown in the drawings, and as hereinbefore specilied,in relation to the barrels, with chambers bored through the rear end and with a breech-plate, is an important improvement, as adegree of compactness is obtained by this combination that could not possibly be had without it.

A hammer arranged with its 'joint or pivot forward and its-exploding point or nose swinging down into the frame of the pistol, as shown in the drawings, when employed with chambers having breech-pins andv nipples, makes a very compact pistol; but when a hammer so arranged is employed, as specified, and the breech-pin and nipples dispensed with, all the room they occupied is added to the length of the barrel without increasing the length of the pistol. Either this arrangement of the hammer or the employment of chambers bored through with a breech-plate, when used separately, tends greatly to compact a pistol; but when these two conditions are employed together a still greater degree of compactness is effected than would result from the use of either one of them alone. When a series of barrels are bored through at their rear ends for the purpose of being loaded at the breech they are very much weaker in every respect than those which are not bored through, or than those which are tilled with a breech-pin, particularly if, in addition to being bored through, they are chambered out for the reception of a cartridge.- When a base-pin is employed'for such barrels to revolve upon it is important that the center hole should be much larger in the rear than in the front end, so that the base-pin may be largest at its point of support; and to give suicient strength to the chambers it is necessary to put a greater weight of metal in the barrels than would otherwise be required; but

thus making a powerful and closely-compact arrangement of devices for raising the ham` mer. Where a cylinder of revolving barrels is bored entirely through, so as to be charged in the rear,- so much ofthe rear end of the cylinder of barrels is cut away in' making the chambers that there is not room within the circle of chambers on the end of the cylinder for a base-pin of the ordinary size and strength and a ratchet also; but a very small base-pin, bearing, orl support may be employed, when there is also employed an auxiliary support forward of the rear ends ofthe chambers, and make a practical arm.

I have represented inthe drawings one form of auxiliary support arranged at the front end ot' the cylinder of barrels; but it is obvious that this form and location ot' auxiliary support may be changed and modified without changing the principle of my invention.

I make no broad claim to the arrangement of a hammer which is pivoted below and forward of the rear end ofthe chamber,while its A exploding point or nose strikes up in the rear of said chamber, as this was patented by V. M. fallace/August 17, 1835; lnor do I in this application make the broad claim of' resisting the recoilof a cartridge by a hammer so arranged.

Having described myinventiomwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A tire-arm with revolving barrels which are bored through and chambered so as to be charged at the breech, and sustained by two supports, to wit: one point of support being at the center of the breechplate,or at the rear of the breech-loading chambers, and the other forward of said chambers, such construction of barrels and supports obviating the use of a. pin passing through the cluster of barrels, of sufficient strength alone to support the same, substantially as set forth. y

2. The arrangement of support u in the rear of all the barrels and support n in front of all the barrels, in combination with a series of revolving'barrels which are bored through at their rear-ends for the purpose of being charged their rear ends, and with. a breech-platc, substanti-ally as specified.

4. The combination ot a wedge or calm,j, with a y,f, for raising thehammer, substantially as specified.

W. H. ELLIOT.

Witnesses:

S. L. ELLIOT, THEoDoRE M. TUTHILL.

Images