IMPRONEMENTS IN REVOLVING TIDE ADMS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
for the Invention of "IMPRONEMENTS IN REVOLVING TIDE ADMS " A com
Sealed the 27th June 1854, and dated the 27th April 1854."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners, of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th April 1854.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the.
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS " to
be as follows:
This Invention relates to that class of fire-arms known as "revolvers," and
consists principally of improvements in the construction of the revolving
charge chamber, and in the construction of the breech, whereby greater.
.facility of loading is effected. The revolving chamber is composed simply of.
a cylinder, with a number of holes or charge chambers bored through it, and
also a hole through the axial centre line of the cylinder, for the purpose of
attaching it to the body of the pistol. The charge chambers may be bored
slightly conical, if required; each chamber is notched at its hind part, to allow
of the entrance therein of the percussión cap of the cartridge. The breech of
the fire-arm is made in the form of a hemisphere, with a groove or channel in

page_text: the centre, to admit of the lowering of the hammer, and one side is fitted a
moveable door working on a fixed centre in the breech; this door is opened
or shut down by means of a small projection formed upon its surface, and
serves to allow of the introduction of the cartridges as fast as the several
chambers come round. The rubbing surfaces of the revolving cylinder and
the breech are rendered perfectly flat, as the breech serves as a bearing for
the back of the cylinder: On the side of the barrel is fitted in suitable slides a
flat bolt, which serves to force out. the cartridge when not wanted for imme-
diate use or for cleaning the chamber; this bolt may be actuated by hand,
each chamber being brought successively opposite to it. The movement of the
cylinder is effected as usual, by the cocking of the lock, a projecting catch
being made to act upon a ratchet. The cylinder is retained or held in its
place by a spring, which drops into a recess or notch on the side of each
chamber.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and
of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS," a communication from
abroad, upon the .condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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

page_text: Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:―
The said Invention relates to the class of fire-arms termed revolvers, and
consists chiefly of an improved construction of revolving chambered cylinder,
and of a new arrangement of breech, to facilitate of the loading of the
weapon. The revolving piece is a cylinder, with six or any other convenient
number of cylindrical or slightly conical holes bored through it, to form the
charge chambers; an additional hole is bored centrally through the cylinder
for the passage of the spindle, upon which it turns, and to which the barrel of
the weapon
is attached. The charge chambers are each notched through to
the outside of the cylinder at their back edges to suit the particular descrip-
tion of cartridge employed, this cartridge being made up with the percussion
appliance, attached in such a manner as to enter and project through the
notch of the charge chamber. The breech of the weapon is hemispherical in
shape, and is formed with a vertical groove, in which the hammer works, the
hammer rising up centrally from the stock. The face of the breech piece is
perfectly smooth and flat, as is also the end of the charge cylinder in contact
with it. A channel is formed in the breech on one side, through which the
cartridges are to be introduced into the charge chambers as these are brought
round in succesion, and a filling-up piece is hinged to the breech to close the
channel when the chambers are not being charged, a spring catch being pro-
vided to keep the filling-up piece closed when necessary. In a slide on one
side of the barrel, and in a line with the charging channel in the breech piece,
is a rod for forcing out the cartridges, if required, without exploding them, or
for removing any matters left in the charge chambers after a discharge; this
rod is prevented by a blade spring from falling out or moving unless the hand
is applied. The rotation of the charge cylinder is effected in the usual way by
the action of a catch in connection with the hammer upon a ratchet formed
upon the cylinder, and the cylinder is retained accurately in position during
each discharge by means of a catch also acted upon by the hammer, and made
to enter a notch in the cylinder face after each rotative movement. And in
order that the said Invention may be properly understand, I shall now
proceed to describe the several explanatory Figures on the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto attached.

page_text: Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is a side elevation of a 'revolver' pistol
constructed according to this Invention; Figure 2 is a horizontal section of
the pistol taken through the line 1, 2, in Figure 1', that is to say, through the
centre of the revolving cylinder; Figure 3 is a front elevation of the breech,
shewing the central spindle in section; Figure 4 is a back view of the
revolving cylinder, which is in this instance pierced for six charge chambers;
Figure 5 is a view of the detent for holding the revolving cylinder in position;
Figure 6-and-7-are-details-of-the-trigger; and Figure 8 is a transverse
section through the barrel, shewing the manner of securing it upon
the
spindle, which
passes through the revolving cylinder. The ordinary system is
adhered to in the construction and arrangement of the barrel A and stock or
handle B of the pistol, and the rotation of the charge cylinder C is effected by
raising the hammer and by means of a catch m, (Figure 3,) which acts on a
ratchet ring n, (Figure 4,) having six ratchets, so that on raising the hammer
the cylinder C is each time turned to the extent of a sixth of a revolution.
The cylinder is held in position after each shift by a peg R, fitted with a head r,
which is acted upon by the tail of the hammer as to force the peg R into a
notch in the revolving cylinder when the hammer is raised, being again
withdrawn on the descent of the hammer. An improved arrangement of
trigger is used, which will be comprehended on reference to Figures 3, 6,
and 7 of the Drawings. The revolving piece C is a cylinder, bored with (in
this instance) six charge chambers e, which may be either cylindrical or
slightly conical; the cylinder is also bored with a central hole for the passage
of the spindle k, upon which it turns. Each of the charge chambers e is
formed with a notch i, through which the percussion appliance projects,
this being affixed to the cartridge D. The breech piece E is hemispherical
in shape, and is formed with a vertical groove at the back, in which the
hammer works. A channel his formed on one side of the breech piece for
the introduction of the cartridges into the charge chambers e, as each is in
succession brought opposite the channel h; a filling-up piece (h, Figure 3,) is
hinged to the breech piece E, and serves to close the channel. This filling-up
piece is fitted with a spring catch h', which enters a notch h² in the side of the
channel, and keeps the filling-up piece closed, except when the spring is
pressed by means of its extremity t. On one side of the main barrel A, and
in a line with the channel h is a rod P, furnished with a small blade spring m,
(Figure 1,) which keeps it in place; this rod serves for clearing out the charge
chamberse when necessary. The spindle which connects the stock B to
the main barrel A, and also serves as an axis of revolution for the cylinder C,
is formed with two projections a, (Figure 8,) so arranged as to enter grooves

page_text: 6 in the socket A' of the main barrel. In fixing on the barrel, the socket A¹
is turned, so as to allow the projections a to enter the grooves b, and after
being passed on the spindle the barrel and socket are turned back, and the
projections a then prevent their being drawn off the spindle k; by means of
this double bayonnette joint, the barrel A can be fixed to or detached from the
stock with great facility and rapidity.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,―
First, the general arrangement and construction of fire-arms of the
revolver' class, in the manner herein-before described.
Second, the application and use in fire-arms with revolving charge chambers
of a breech piece, formed with a channel for the introduction of the charges
into the chambers, such breech piece being provided with a filling-up piece
to close the channel when necessary, as herein-before described.
Third, the application and use in fire-arms with revolving charge chambers
and with a loading channel in the breech piece of a sliding rod, held in place
by a spring, for clearing the charge chambers through the loading channel
when necessary, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the application and use in fire-arms with revolving charge chambers
of a pin, actuated by the hammer movement, for holding the revolving cylinder
accurately in position during the discharge, as herein-before described.
Fifth, the system or mode of connecting the main barrels of revolver fire-
arms to the spindle on which the charge chambers revolve by means of a
double bayonnette joint, as herein-before described more particularly in refe-
rence to Figure 8 on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto attached.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)