IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REVOLVERS
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Paul Jean Xavier Günther and
Jacques Antoine Creuzé de Latouche at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 16th April 1870.
We, PAUL JEAN XAVIER GÜNTHER and JACQUES ANTOINE CREUZÉ
DE LATOUCHE, of 2, Rue Sainte Appoline, Paris, Empire of France,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF REVOLVERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire-arms of the
revolver class, and consists in the following:-To allow of easy cleaning
and lubricating of the working parts of the mechanism we fix both ends
of the pins or screws forming the fulcrums of the various moveable
pieces in the two plates forming the sides of the case or body of the
pistol, gun, or rifle, and we form in one of these plates an opening or
openings so as to lay said mechanism, and especially its working parts,
open, and thus enabling us to inspect, get at, clean, and lubricate them.
An outer plate serves to cover the said openworked inner plate.
The object may be attained in various ways. The openworked plate
may for instance be in one piece with the rest of the frame, and the

page_text: covering plate attached to it by means of screws or catches; or it may
be in form of braces fixed or attached to the rest of the frame. The
screws for attaching the covering plate may be the fulcrum screws for
the moveable parts of the mechanism. The covering plate may be
hinged to the frame of the pistol and fixed by a bolt or catch, or fit in
grooves in the cheeks of the frame. For military arms we prefer how-
ever to make it in one piece with the trigger guard, which at one end is
hinged to the frame, fits into a groove on the under side of the same, and
is fixed in that position by a pin or catch.
Our second improvement refers to the lever which causes the cylinder
to revolve. This lever is generally difficult to put into its place, but by
forming the slot in which it moves in the openworked plate before
mentioned, it is easy by bringing the lever in position to insert it in the
slot, with the outside surface of which it is level or flush; it is held in
its place by the covering plate. The trigger guard may be used to
compress the trigger spring and rear spring, and a rear prolongation of
the trigger guard in that case, having its fulcrum at the rear, may be
used to compress the mainspring and bring it into action. The said
springs, the trigger, scar, and other parts of the mechanism may be
attached to the trigger guard, and hence be exposed to view when it is
turned down. In that case we prefer to make the moveable covering
plate independant of the trigger guard, so that the mechanism may be
visible whilst in working order. If a V spring be used we prefer the
following arrangement:-A cross bar is put between the top and bottom
member of the rear part of the frame; part of the upper member is
moveable on a hinge, and when open the spring is inserted and attached
to the tumbler; the bottom of spring rests on the lower member of the
frame. The hinged top compresses the spring in being closed, and is
fixed by a screw or catch. The insertion and removal of said spring is
hereby rendered easy, and does not interfere with the woodwork of the
arm. The cross bar also tends to stiffen the frame, and the wood checks
are attached to the frame by means of one or more screws passing
through the said cross bar.
The next part of our improvements refers to the cartridge extractor
rod and to the means for attaching it to the pistol, and keeping it in place
when not in use.
In the end of the extractor rod we insert a screw with
a head of a larger diameter than the rod. When at rest the rod is
pushed home into a semi-cylindrical cavity made to receive its end; the

page_text: head of the screw then fits in the cavity formed in the breach plate in
the recess in which the loading door enters when closed, the loading
door in this case opening laterally. A cavity in the loading door covers
the other half of the rod and screw head. When the door is closed the
head of the screw cannot pass through. The rod may be either in the
upper or lower part of the frame. If the loading door opens back-
wards a segment is cut off the head of the screw. When the door is
closed the rod is turned slightly round, whereby it keeps the door and
itself in a fixed position, preventing accidental opening of the door.
We
prefer to attach the rod to the pistol by a ring fitting on the barrel so
that the axis of the rod comes in a line with the opening of the door;
or we employ a flat riband spring of steel with eyes or lugs carrying
the rod; these eyes being crossed the rod keeps the spring bent round
the barrel, and a knob fixed on the barrel and working in a slot in the
spring limits its rotation. On removing the screw the rod may be with-
drawn. The rod when not required is brought against the upper part of
the frame and pressed against the breach plate. By inserting the rod in
one of the chambers the same may be locked.
Another improvement consists in fixing on the wood the eyes through
which the screws that serve for attaching the wood to the frame, thereby
preventing the loss of the eyes when the pistol is taken to pieces; the
screw may then be screwed outside in the eye and used as a handle to
detach the wood from the frame. We thereby prevent the wood from
being damaged, which is ordinarily the case, because of the necessity of
using a knife or blade for detaching the wood.