IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Jordan Gatling, of Indianopolis, County
of Marion, and State of Indiana, United States of America, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 6th July 1865, and dated the 21st March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Jordan Gatling
.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st March 1865.
I, RICHARD JORDAN GATLING, of Indianopolis, County of Marion, and
State of Indiana, United States of America; do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
The main characteristic of my Invention is a gun having a series of barrels
with a carrier and lock cylinder rigidly fastened to a main shaft, and rotating
simultaneously and continuously under the rotation of suitable gearing, the
cartridges being fed into the cavities of the carriers driven endwise into the
barrels, there exploded, and the empty cartridge cases withdrawn without
any pause in the operation.
I will now proceed to describe in detail the peculiarities, the construction,.
and the operation of my Invention.
The nature of my Invention consists, 1st; in attaching the lock cylinder in
which the locks reciprocate longitudinally; the carrier, on whose cavities the
cartridges are deposited consecutively, and the barrels rigidly to a revolving.
shaft, so that each lock shall at all times be in line with the cartridge cavity
in the carrier, and with the barrel to which it appertains, and so that the.

page_text: operations of loading, firing, and extracting the spent cartridge cases may
proceed under the impulse of the driving mechanism continuously, each barrel,
cartridge, cavity, and lock forming a gun in itself, which in the course of its
rotation is brought into contact with the requisite relational devices. for
manipulation and operating it, and causing the various parts to perform their
appropriate functions of receiving the cartridge from the feeder, thrusting it
into the bore of the gun, cocking the hammer, exploding the cartridge, and,
finally, extracting the spent cartridge case, all of which being obtained by
the impingement of points on the revolving mechanism upon fixed spirals,
cams, or inclined planes, these several operations being performed conse-
cutively without stopping the rotatory motion of the barrels when the is
gun
in operation.
Secondly, in the construction of the locks, each of which consists of a
breech pin united to a butt piece, and having a sleeve and lug moving upon
it, which under the impulse of a spring acts as a hammer to drive the
igniting punch against the flange of the cartridge, the lock also affording
attachment for the hook which slips over the flange of the cartridge, and on
the rearward motion of the lock withdraws the spent cartridge case.
Thirdly, in the cam ring, which occupies a position on the rear of the lock
cylinder, and has within it two spiral or cam-shaped faces, one of them
operating upon the butt end of the lock mechanism in each case to drive the
cartridge from the cavity in the carrier into the bore of the gun, and the
other cam face to act upon a lug on the said lock mechanism to with-
draw the breech pin, bringing with it the spent shell or case, and retreating
so far as to open the cavity in the carrier for the deposition of another
cartridge.
Fourthly, in the cocking ring, which occupies a position around the forward
part of the lock cylinder, and has a cam face on its rear edge which actuates
the hammer of the locks, gradually withdrawing them as the breech pin forces
the cartridges into the bore, and as the locks arrive opposite the point at
which it is desired to explode the cartridge, allowing the hammers to fall from
the end of the cam or its point of greatest rear extension so as to come in
contact with the disc to which is attached the exploding punch whose sudden
impingement ignites the charge.
Fifthly, in the construction and arrangement of the stationary cylindrical
casing fastened to the gun frame and surrounding the lock cylinder, and whose
diaphragm supports the rear end of the main shaft or axis of the gun, the
said cylinder likewise enclosing the ring which operates the locks and the
cocking ring which actuates the hammer being closed at. the rear, by the cap

page_text: of which the cascabel forms a part; the said casing has flanges, and is secured
to the frame by bolts.
Sixthly, in the cartridge boxes in which the cartridges are symetrically
arranged and transported, and which are placed with their lower open ends
5 inside of the throat of the hopper or rest, so that as the cartridge carrier
revolves beneath the end of the said box each cavity is supplied with a cartridge,
and carried round in it until the breech pin pushes it forward into the barrel.
Seventhly, in the casing or cylinder surrounding the series of barrels and
secured to the heads or discs, through which the rear and forward ends
respectively of the barrels protrude, and which said casing is designed to
contain water, or plaster of Paris, or other fluids or solids adapted to prevent
excessive heating or injurious expansion of the barrels when the gun is being
repeatedly and rapidly discharged.
Eighthly, in the cap or plug which is adapted to be laid over any such one
of the cavities in the carrier, as it may be desired, shall not receive the car-
tridge owing to any disarrangement of the parts, or the bursting of the barrel,
which may render that section of the gun temporarily inoperative.
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section of the compound gun or com-
bination of barrels before mentioned, which is mounted by its trunnions on a
suitable carriage, if desired, like an ordinary field piece, and is, as regards its
position, manoeuvred somewhat in the usual manner; Fig. 2 is a cross section
on the cartridge carrier Q (at 1, 2), Fig. 1; F, trunnions fixed on frame H,
in which shaft N is supported; L, hand winch shaft with pinion M gearing
into bevil wheels on shaft N, by which motion is given to rotate the guns;
J, chamber, enclosing the gearing mechanism, closed by screw cap O with an
attached cascabel; P, cylinder which carries the loading and firing mechanism;
Q, cartridge carrier; R, R, barrels (four in this illustration) mounted in
discs S, S', on the shaft N; T, sleeve or collar clamping disc S¹ between it
and Q; U, casing, which surrounds the barrels to hold water, plaster of Paris,
or other material to keep the barrels cool; V, nut screw on shaft N; W, cam
ring, with two cam surfaces W¹, W2; X, cocking cam ring; Z, cartridges;
Y, case shown separately in plan and section at Fig. 3; Y', cap of Y; B', back
sight; B, fore sight.
The loading, firing, and cartridge case extracting device is shown in its
place in Fig. 1, and is more particularly exhibited on a larger scale in
Fig. 4. It consists of a butt piece a, with lugs a', a', and united to the breech
pin 6 by the rounded shank 6¹ of the latter, which forms a mandril for the
traversing of the sleeve c of the hammer, which has a longitudinal recipro-
cating motion upon it, and has a lug c¹ acting on ring X, the latter serving to

page_text: cock the hammer; d is a collar and punch, the former of which slides upon
the mandril c, and the latter, viz., the punch, slides in a slot in the breech
pin 6; e is the retractor with a hook e¹ at its end, which slips over the flange
of the cartridge as the breech pin 6 drives the cartridge into the bore of the
gun. The shank of the retractor is pinned to the breech pin, and is also dove-
tailed into the collar f, which is a part of or fastened to breech pin b;d¹ is a
spiral screw which abuts against the forward end of the butt piece a, and
against the shoulder of the sleeve hammer c, so as to simultaneously act upon
each of these faces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Jordan Gatling in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
JORDAN GATLING, of Indianopolis, County of Marion, and State of Indiana,
United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS er most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Jordan Gatling, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Jordan Gatling, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Richard Jordan Gatling, my executors, administrators, and 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 FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Richard Jordan Gatling, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly 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 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 Richard Jordan Gatling, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the gun with its carriage and wheels; Fig. 2 is
a plan of the same, or the mounted gun as viewed from above; Fig. 3 is a
partial axial section in a horizontal plane, showing parts of the mechanism in
plan; it is taken in the line x, x, Fig. 14; Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal
axial section, the locks and main shaft being shown in elevation; it is taken
in the line y, y, Fig. 14; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the ring, furnished
with inclined planes, set spirally in relation to the axis of the gun, and used
for giving the longitudinal motions to the lock and breech pin; Fig. 6 is a
perspective view of the cocking ring, which is used for drawing the lock
hammers back, and liberating them to explode the cartridges when the gun is
being operated; Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical section at right angles to the
axis of the gun on the line x, x, Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is an end view of the cylinder,
within which the locks are enclosed, and showing the perforations in the said
cylinder, which form guides for the locks; Fig. 9 is an elevation of said
cylinder; Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the cartridge
boxes, from which the cartridges are fed into the gun, and is a section on
line x, x, Fig. 11, and shows the cartridges in place; Fig. 11 is a top view of
the cartridge box; Fig. 12 is an elevation of one of the locks; Fig. 13 is a
longitudinal central section of one of the locks on the line z, z, Fig. 12;
Fig. 14 is a rear view of the gun, with the cascabel and screw cap which
closes the end of the chamber occupied by the rotating gears removed;
Figs. 15 and 16 are views of the cap which is used to close the cavity in the
cartridge carrier when temporarily disused. Similar letters in each Figure
indicate like parts.
The main characteristic of my Invention is a gun having a series of barrels
with a carrier and lock cylinder rigidly fastened to the main shaft, and rotating.
simultaneously and continuously under the rotation of suitable gearing, the
cartridges being fed into the cavities of the carrier, driven endwise into the,
barrels, there exploded, and the empty cartridge cases withdrawn without any
pause in the operation.
I will now proceed to describe in detail the peculiarities, the construction,
and the operation of my Invention.
The nature of my Invention consists, firstly, in attaching the lock cylinder in
which the locks reciprocate longitudinally; the carrier, in whose cavities the
cartridges are deposited consecutively; and the barrels rigidly to a revolving
shaft, so that each lock shall at all times be in line with the cartridge cavity
in the carrier, and with the barrel to which it appertains, and so that the

page_text: operations of loading, firing, and extracting the spent cartridge cases may
proceed under the impulse of the driving mechanism continuously, each barrel,
cartridge cavity, and lock forming a gun in itself, which in the course of its
rotation is brought into contact with the requisite relational devices for
manipulating and operating it, and causing the various parts to perform their
appropriate functions of receiving the cartridge from the feeder, thrusting it
into the bore of the gun, cocking the hammer, exploding the cartridge, and
finally extracting the spent cartridge case, all of which several operations are
effected without stopping the rotation of the barrels, lock, and other parts
when the gun is being operated.
Secondly, in the construction of the locks, each of which consists of a breech
pin united to a butt piece, and having a sleeve and lug moving upon it, which
under the impulse of the spring acts as a hammer to drive the igniting punch
against the flange of the cartridge, the lock also affording attachment for the
hook, which slips over the flange of the cartridge, and on the rearward motion
of the lock withdraws the spent cartridge case.
Thirdly, in the cam ring, which occupies a position in the rear of the lock
cylinder, and has within it two spiral or cam shaped faces, one of them
operating upon the butt end of the lock mechanism, in each. case to drive the
cartridge from the cavity in the carrier into the bore of the gun, and the other
cam face to act upon a lug on the said lock mechanism to withdraw the breech
pin, bringing with it the spent shell or case, and retreating so far as to open
the cavity in the carrier for the deposition of another cartridge.
Fourthly, in the cocking ring, which occupies a position around the forward
part of the lock cylinder, and has a cam face on its rear edge which actuates
the hammers of the locks, gradually withdrawing them as the breech pin forces
the cartridges into the bore, and as the locks arrive opposite the point at
which it is desired to explode the cartridge, allowing the hammers to fall from
the end of the cam, or its point of greatest rear extension, so as to come in
contact with the disc, to which is attached the exploding punch, whose sudden
impingement ignites the charge.
Fifthly, in the construction and arrangement of the stationary cylindrical
casing fastened to the gun frame and surrounding the lock cylinder, and whose
diaphragm supports the rear end of the main shaft or axis of the gun, the
said cylinder likewise enclosing the ring which operates the locks, and the
cocking ring which actuates the hammer being closed at the rear by a cap,
of which the cascabel forms a part. The said casing has flanges, and is secured
to the frame by bolts, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
Sixthly, in the cartridge boxes, in which the cartridges are symmetrically

page_text: arranged and transported, and which are placed with their lower open-ends
inside of the throat of the hopper or rest, so that as the cartridge carrier
revolves beneath the end of the said box each cavity is supplied with a cartridge
and carried round in it until the breech pin pushes it forward into the barrel.
Seventhly, in the casing or cylinder surrounding the series of barrels, and
secured to the heads or discs through which the rear and forward ends respec-
tively of the barrels protrude, and which said casing is designed to contain
water, or plaster of Paris, or other fluids or solids adapted to prevent excessive
heating or injurious expansion of the barrels when the gun is being repeatedly
and rapidly discharged.
Eighthly, in the cap or plug, which is adapted to be laid over any such one
of the cavities in the carrier as it may be desired shall not receive the cartridge.
owing to any disarrangement of the parts, or the bursting of the barrel, which
may render that section of the gun temporarily inoperative.
The gun, speaking of it in general terms, is mounted upon its carriage,
consisting of the wheels B, B, and the tail C, and is secured thereon by the
usual caps D over the trunnions F, which project laterally from the frame H,
by which the gun is supported, and within which it revolves. The breech is
raised and lowered by the elevating screw E. The revolving portion, con-
sisting of the lock cylinder carrying the loading and firing mechanism, the
cartridge carrier, and the barrels, is attached to and supported by an axial or
main shaft N, whose forward end is journalled in the end piece of the frame H,
and the rear end in a diaphragm or partition I within the casing J, which is:
supported by flanges on the frame H. The rotation of this shaft, and the
devices recited above, which are rigidly attached thereto, is accomplished by
means of a hand crank K, whose shaft L carries a bevil pinion M which gears.
with a bevil wheel on the shaft N, shown clearly in Fig. 14. The gearing is.
located in a chamber occupying the rear of the casing J, whose end is closed
by a screw cap O with an attached cascabel. It has been stated that the
cylinder P, which carries the loading and firing mechanism, the cartridge
carrier Q, and the barrels R, are attached to the axial shaft N by a feather
fitting into them and a groove in the shaft N, so as to revolve with it. The
barrels are secured thereon by means of two discs or heads S, S¹, which are-
fast on the shaft, and in which they are secured, the rear disc S' being
clamped between the sleeve T and the carrier Q, to be hereafter described.
The barrels R are secured in the said dises in any suitable way, and are shown
as screwed into the rear disc and passing through the forward disc, being
fitted thereon so as to be sufficiently tight to hold the contents of the casing U,
which surrounds the barrel and holds water, plaster of Paris, or other material,.

page_text: to preserve the barrels from injurious expansion by excessive heating. The
said fluid is inserted and withdrawn through the orifice U', other provision, not
necessary to describe, being made for more solid contents should it be required.
The cartridge carrier Q is fitted between the disc S¹ and the cylinder P, and
has a number of grooves in its periphery which are parallel with. the axis. of
revolution, and are in line with and agree in number with the barrels, which may
be of any desired number. I have shown in my Drawing but four, but the
Invention has no reference to specific numbers. These grooves are shown
very clearly in Fig. 7, and are adapted, as the carrier passes under the box
containing the cartridge, to receive each of them a cartridge to be thrust into.
the bore of the gun by the suitable mechanism which will be described in
detail presently, where the action will be more properly treated of under
that general head of this Specification which is devoted to describing
the operation. Immediately in the rear of the cartridge carrier Q is a.
- cylindrical chamber P, likewise attached by feather or other suitable device
to the axial shaft N, and supported at the rear by the nut V, which screws.
upon the threaded portion of the shaft N. This cylinder is shown by the rear
end elevation in Fig. 8, and side elevation in Fig. 9, as well as being shown
in its place by the two longitudinal general sections, Figs. 3 and 4, but as it is-
a mere shell with longitudinal slots in its periphery, and orifices in each end,
the purpose of which slots and orifices will be presently explained; the sec-
tions, Figs. 3 and 4, only show the detached parts which are cut by the.
section, and do not give so correct an impression of its form and character as:
the Figures 8 and 9. In the rear immediate neighborhood of the cylinder P,
but not in connection therewith, is a cam ring W, shown in perspective in
Fig. 5, and also in its place in the sections, Figs. 3 and 4.
abuts at its rear upon and is bolted to the diaphragm I,
This cam ring W
which is a part of
and a partition in the stationary casing J. The exterior cylindrical portion of
this stationary ring is embraced by the casing J, and the inside is provided
with two cam surfaces W', W³, which alternately advance and retract the
loading mechanism, which will be presently described, and in connection.
therewith I shall take occasion to describe more explicitly the action of these
cams to which I now merely refer. Around the anterior portion of the
cylinder P is another stationary ring X, which I call the cocking ring (Fig. 6),
whose forward edge is in the plane of revolution of the barrels, but its rear
edge forms a spiral or cam surface, which impinges upon a lug on the lock
hammer, and withdraws it towards the rear until it reaches the end of the
incline plane or cam surface X', when it drops off, and is thereby suddenly
released to the influence of the spring, and caused to strike the collar attached

page_text: to the igniting punch, as will be more fully explained in the next paragraph,.
which will explain in detail the construction of the moving parts which load.
and explode the cartridge, and withdraw the spent capsule or case.
The loading, firing, and cartridge case extracting device is shown in its'
place in Figs. 3 and 4, and is more particularly exhibited on a larger scale in
Figs. 12 and 13, in the former of which it is shown in elevation, and in the
latter in section. It consists of a butt piece a with lugs a', a", and united
to the breech pin 6 by the rounded shank 6' of the latter, which forms a
mandril for the traversing of the sleeve c of the hammer, which has a longi- .
tudinal reciprocating motion upon it, and has a lug c upon it for a purpose.
to be explained. d is a collar and punch, the former of which slides upon the
mandril c, and the latter, the punch, slides in a slot in the breech pin b; e is
the retractor with a hook e at its end, which slips over the flange of the.
cartridge as the breech pin h drives the cartridge into the bore of the gun.:
The shank of the retractor is pinned to the breech pin, and is also dovetailed
into the collar f, which is a part of or fastened to the breech pin h; d¹ is a
spiral screw, which abuts against the forward end of the butt piece a, and
against the shoulder of the sleeve hammer c, so as to simultaneously act upon.
each of these faces. To avoid prolixity I shall defer an explanation of the
various offices performed by the devices recited in this paragraph to that
section of this Specification which treats of the operation of the gun, as it
naturally calls for lucid and consecutive statement in that place, and I desire..
to avoid needless repetition.
Figs. 10 and 11 show the cartridge box, into which the cartridges are.
packed for transportation, and out of which they are fed by their own gravi-
tation, one by one, into the cavities of the carrier Q as it revolves beneath
them. These boxes are rectangular sheet metal cases adapted to the size of
the cartridge, which it is hardly necessary to say are adapted to the bore of..
the gun. The sectional view, Fig. 10, shows the appearance of the cart-
ridges Z in the case Y; and Y' shows the cap by which they are retained in
the case during transportation. These views, Figs. 10 and 11, are on a
larger scale than the view Fig. 7, but the latter gives the best view of
the position of the cartridge box Y, as it is in place viewed from tho rear,
showing a section on the line x, x, Fig. 3, except that the flanged ends of the
cartridges are shown. The rest or holder A, which forms a cap over the
cartridge carrier Q retains, the cartridges in their cavities until they are
projected into the bore of the gun, and is hinged to an elbow piece A', which
is suitably fastened by bolts to the frame H of the gun. This holder, which is
shown most effectively in Fig. 2, has an inclined ledge, in which the box of

page_text: use.
cartridges fits, so as to allow them to pass out consecutively into the cavities
of the carrier. The slot in the cap of the rest allows them to be seen as
they pass, while the curved under side of the cap retains them in their places.
The usual sights B¹, B", are placed over the breech and muzzle of the gun,
and need no particular description, as they do not differ from those in ordinary
Fixed metallic cartridges are used in this gun, and are contained in
cases, of which a number are kept on hand, and re-filled as occasion may
require. Metallic caps or covers, Figs. 15 and 16, may be placed over such
one or more of the cavities in the carrier as may be rendered necessary by
the temporary disablement of the barrel or lock mechanism appertaining to
the said cavity. This has the effect of shutting off the feed of the cartridges
into that one or more of the barrels which are incapacitated for service,
and admits of the use of the remaining barrels without cessation, other than
to fit the cap over that cartridge cavity withdrawn from service.
The operation of the gun is as follows:-The gun being mounted on the
carriage or on a rotating platform or turntable in such a manner as may best
suit the purpose of defence or offence for which it is designed, is trained and
sighted, and an attendant deposits a box of cartridges with the uncovered end
downward upon the inclined ledge of the holder A, the gunner then seizes the
handle of the crank K, and revolves the pinion M, which rotates with it the
axial or main shaft N; while desiring to avoid repetition I must here repeat
that the cylinder which contains the loading, cocking, and firing mechanism is
fast to the shaft, as are also the cartridge carrier Q and the barrels R, the latter
through the intervention of the discs S, S¹, into which the rear and forward
'ends respectively of the barrels are secured. I will now trace the consecutive
notions, and show the action of the various parts by which one cartridge is
rammed to its place, exploded, and the empty shell retracted, and this will serve
as a full description when it stated that eachbarrel and its attendant devices is a
complete gun in itself, and the series is but a repetition in duplicate, triplicate,
or quadruplicate, as the case may be, of the operation of a single gun, this multi-
plication of parts constituting a compound gun. with a number only limited by
the question of convenience and utility, the specific number being indeterminate
and not included within the scope of my claim. To resume, the shaft and
attendant machinery being revolved by the gearing, one of the hollows in the
cartridge carrier Q, passing under the open end of the cartridge box, receives a
cartridge, and carries it over the loading and firing plunger (Fig. 12) revolving
with it until the rear end of the butt piece a comes in contact with and
commences to ascend the inclined plane or cam face W₁ of the stationary ring
W; as it ascends this inclined plane the breech pin 6 is moved forward, thrusting

page_text: the cartridge into the gun, while the direct longitudinal motion of the loader
is secured by the traversing of the lug a in the longitudinal slot of the
cylinder P (Fig. 9); as the plunger moves forward it carries the sleeve
hammer c with it, until the lug c on the hammer comes in contact with the
rear or cam face of the stationary cocking ring (Fig. 6). By means of this
ring the hammer is drawn towards the rear, compressing the spring d', which
in nowise interferes with the action of the plunger, which continues its motion
until the rear of the butt piece a arrives on the flat portion of the cam face W¹
to a point marked with a red star in Fig. 5, which indicates the firing point,
and is at or near the lowest point reached by the barrel in its rotation on the
central axis.. This endwise motion of the plunger has brought the forward
end of the breech pin close against the flange of the cartridge, which is
firmly held in the chambered recess at the rear of the barrel, the exploding
punch whose point protrudes a little beyond the end of the breech pin being
forced back even with the same by the pressure upon the flange of the
cartridge. This leaves a small space between the collar d of the punch, and
the flange f of the breech pin, as may be seen in the lower one of the two
plungers as represented in Fig. 4. It is proper to mention at this point that
at some period of the contact of the breech pin b, with the rear end of the
cartridge, the hook e¹ is slipped over the flange, and when the cartridge is
rammed home occupies a recess in the edge of the bore. To proceed with the
description of the motion, after this apparent digression, in which the status of
the different parts at the points of firing has been considered, we shall find
that the lug c of the hammer has been withdrawn rearwardly to the end of
the cam on the cocking ring X (X', Fig. 6) when by the continued revolution
it is freed to the action of the spring d', and the hammer c forcibly driven
against the collar d of the exploding punch, closing the space between d
and f, and causing the point of the punch to indent the flange of the cartridge
which contains the fulminate, and explode the charge. The two surfaces which
come together with force in this percussive action consist of the annular collar,
and the annular flange of the breech pin, and their extended surfaces, receiving
the blow, are a safeguard against injury by battering or upsetting. The flat
portion which terminates the cam face W' is intended to hold the breech piece
firmly against the rear of the cartridge for a short space of time as a precaution
in case of a cartridge "hanging fire," and it will be observed that the rearward.
force of the discharge is received upon the end of the breech pin and
butt piece, which I have called occasionally a "plunger" for convenience, and
this is supported in the rear by the cam surface of the ring W, which is firmly
secured in the casing J. The plunger is of a determinate, adjusted length,

page_text: and occupies the whole space when fired between the flat position of the cam
surface W and the rear of the barrel. The load having been discharged,
the rear of the butt piece under the continued rotation passes beyond the
surface W, and the lug a' is engaged by the pointed end of the cam surface
W, which is also inside of the ring W; this incline has the effect of with-
drawing the plunger, which in turn by the engagement of the hook e¹ with the
flange of the cartridge case or spent capsule, retracts the latter from the bore,
and allows it to drop out of the cavity of the carrier Q towards the ground.
At the risk of tedious repetition I would here repeat that while the recipro-
cating motions of the parts are of course intermittent, as these are periods
during which they pause for a fraction of a second, and cannot be strictly
considered as incessant, yet the revolving motion of the barrels and attendant
mechanism is absolutely continuous while the guns pass through the various
stages of loading, firing, or retracting cartridge cases and withdrawing the
plunger to make room for another cartridge to occupy the groove in the carrier,
thus bringing the succession of guns to the loading and firing points, and
causing them to follow each other in a constantly recurring cycle of operations,
all the balls being discharged at one point and following in the wake
of each other with precision unless by the traversing of the
gun in a
horizontal or other plane the sheet of balls is made to sweep a section of the
circle within its range. The gun described, which has four barrels, can be
discharged at the rate of one hundred and fifty shots per minute, and guns on
the same principle with a larger number of barrels can be made to discharge
three hundred shots per minute.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, I claim attaching the lock cylinder, the carrier, and the series of barrels
rigidly to a revolving axis, so that each lock shall be in line with its respective
carrier cavity, and the bore of its appropriate barrel and these parts, that is to
say, the lock, the carrier cavity, and the bore shall be parallel with the axis of
the gun.
Secondly, I claim making the locks to revolve with the barrels, each barrel
being furnished with its appropriate lock, irrespective of the peculiar con-
struction of the latter.
Thirdly, I claim making the series of barrels, with their appropriate locks and
cartridge cavities, to revolve on an axis, while the requisite motions to perform
the loading into the rear end of the barrel, and the exploding and cartridge
case retracting operations are obtained by the impingement of points on the

page_text: revolving mechanism upon fixed spirals, cams, or inclined planes, these several
operations being performed consecutively without stopping the motion of the
barrels when the gun is in operation.
Fourthly, I claim the locks, Figs. 12 and 13, mado, constructed, and
operated substantially as described.
Fifthly, I claim the cam ring, Fig. 5, which is rigidly attached to the
diaphragm of the stationary casing, and which by means of its cam faces
controls the longitudinal reciprocating motions of the locks by means of the
lugs and the impingement of the butt ends of the lock, substantially as
described.
Sixthly, I claim the cocking ring rigidly attached to the casing of the gun,
and operating by means of its spiral or inclined face to withdraw the hammers
of the locks at suitable times, and to abandon them to the action of the springs
as they arrive at the exploding point, substantially as described.
Seventbly, I claim the construction of the cylindrical casing which surrounds
the lock cylinder as closed at the rear by the cap, and having a diaphragm
which supports the rear end of the main shaft, and against which abuts the
cam ring (Fig. 5), which gives the longitudinal reciprocating motion to the
locks.
Eighthly, I claim the cartridge boxes in combination with the hopper
or rest which sustains them while the cartridges are being fed to the gun.
Ninthly, I claim surrounding the series of revolving barrels with a casing
calculated to contain water, plaster of Paris, or other material for the
described.
purpose
Tenthly, I claim the cap to be placed over the cavity in the carrier to shut
off the feed substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Jordan Gatling, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
RICHARD JORDAN GATLING. (L.S.)