IMPROVEMENTS IN RIFLES AND OTHER FIRE- ARMS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
ROBERT ADAMS, of King William Street, in the City of London,
Gun Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-fourth day of February, (One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-one,) in the fourteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert
Adams, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Robert Adams,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Adams, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick
upon Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RIFLES AND OTHER FIRE-
ARMS," partly invented by me and partly communicated; in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Robert
Adams, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said

page_text: 6
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in
Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
my
said
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso I, the
said Robert Adams, do hereby declare that the nature of
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are fully described and ascertained in and by the following tate-
ment thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
The Invention consists, - First, of improvements in the con-
struction of rifle barrels of fire-arms.
Secondly, the Invention consists of improvements in the con-
struction of gun and pistol locks.
Thirdly, the Invention consists of improvements in the construc-
tion and arrangement of safety bolts or catches applied to fire-arms.
Fourthly, the Invention consists of improvements in the con-
struction of guns or other fire-arms arranged to load at the breech.
Fifthly, the Invention consists of improvements in the con-
struction of fire-arms having only one fixed barrel, with a series of
loading chambers which revolve upon a centre, so as to bring each
chamber alternately in a correct line with the barrel.
And in order that the Invention may be most fully understood,
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means
pursued by me.
The improvements in the construction of rifle barrels of fire-arms
consist in forming raised ridges on the inner surface of such
barrels in place of grooves or the ploughed hollows commonly called
rifling;" and I prefer to form such ridges angular, as shewn by
the section of a barrel at Figure 1, but the shape and number of
such ridges may be varied, my Invention consisting in forming
raised or projecting spiral ridges on the interior surface of the
barrels of fire-arms. a, a, are the projecting ridges which are to

page_text: be made in a spiral direction similar to that heretofore resorted to
for the grooves. b, b, are the grooves, which have a considerable
extent of width as compared with the more narrow ridges. Here-
tofore the hollows or grooves were narrow as compared with the
projecting parts, and in fact as heretofore constructed the diameter
of the bore of the barrel was taken across from the raised or in-
ternal projecting parts, the grooves being external of the measured
diameter. According to my mode of construction the measured
diameter of the bore of the barrel is from b, to b, the ridges being
projecting interiorly. I prefer to employ three such ridges at
equal distances apart, but this, as before stated, may be varied, and
the balls used with such barrels should be cast with notches or
grooves to fit the barrels, and I have found that by such means no
patches are required to be used with the balls.
Another improvement in the construction of the barrels of fire-
arms consists in forming them near the breech with an internal
hollow projection, which I prefer to be coned on the outside as
shewn at a, Figure 2, upon which the ball having a recess at one
end corresponding in shape of the projection is placed. The
passage or chamber from the end of the projection a, to the priming
being of the proper dimension to receive the charge of powder
suitable for such fire-arm, and the charge may be placed therein
by inverting the barrel over the end of a tubular ramrod, into
which the proper charge of powder has been first put, and then
turning the barrel on end so as to discharge the contents of the ram-
rod into the breech; or the ramrod may be tubular, so as to allow
the powder to be poured through it. The ball is next rammed
down on to the projection a, thus effectually retaining the powder.
I will now describe the second part of the Invention. Figure 3,
shows front and back views of a bar or front action lock constructed
according to this part of the Invention; and Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7,
show several views of the parts of the lock separately. This lock is
composed of four separate parts only, and consists of a hammer or
cock a, a plate b, a spring c, and a screw d. The cock a, works on
a pivot or axle 63, attached to and forming part of the plate b; and
through the pivot the screw passes, which holds the cock firm in its

page_text: place, and also attaches the lock to the stock of the gun in the
back action lock, but in the bar lock by the usual tumbler pin or
nut. The action of the lock is produced by the union of the main
and sear springs in one piece which spring at the end c¹ is pro-
vided with a semi-circular piece, in place of a tumbler, and the
concave side of the part c' is notched or cut into notches to catch
the tooth of a projecting sear a¹ fixed on to the inner side of the
cock a, the sear a¹ passing through the curved slotted opening b¹
in the plate b, to take into the notched parts c¹ of the spring, when
the hammer is placed at half or whole cock; and the part c¹ has a
stud c², which projects at right angles from it into the stock to be
struck or pressed by the action of the trigger to set the cock at
liberty. The sear piece a¹ is rounded at its lower end, and traverses
in the curved opening b¹ in the plate b, when placing the hammer
on half or whole cock, and the curved ends of the opening b¹
limits the action of the cock in either direction. The stud c³,
fixed to and forming part of the spring c, passes through the slotted
opening 62 in the plate b, and takes into a recess a² on the inner
surface of the cock, and when the cock is pulled back the recess a²
acting on the stud a³ compresses the spring. When the sear a¹ is
released by the trigger depressing the stud c² a rapid motion will
be given to the cock or hammer by the stud c³.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention. Figure 8,
shows a side view of apparatus commonly called a safety bolt or
catch for bolting the cock or hammer, and preventing guns being
discharged by accident; Figure 9, is a plan of the same parts; and
Figures 10, and 11, show a side view and plan of the hammer and
cock plate with the safety catch applied thereto. On the circular
part a of the cock or hammer are formed notches or ratchet teeth
d, into which the bent end of the lever or pall bit e takes and
retains the hammer at half or whole cock until released in the fol-
lowing manner: -The lever e is attached to and carried by a pin
or axis f, which passes through the lock plate into the bridle leg; on
the axis f, is fixed a second or inner sear g, the bent arm g of
which is lifted or depressed by the lever h, carried by a projection
; on the inner surface of the trigger plate j is the grip lever, one

page_text: end being attached by a pin joint to the projection ¹, the other
resting on the end of the slot in the trigger plate. i, is a spring
which is screwed to the inner surface of the trigger plate, one end of
the spring always pressing the arm of the lever h in contact with the
lever g' upwards, so as to keep the lever arm e in connection with
the ratchet teeth on the hammer; the other end of the lever h, resting
upon the grip lever j, which is constantly pressed outwards by the
spring, the other end of the spring i, acting on the trigger to keep
it in position; the lever h has a spring 2, affixed to it as shown, and
when the grip lever is pressed upwards the end of the spring 1²
depresses the arm g¹, and removes the lever e from the notches on
the hammer when at half or full cock; but when the cock is resting
or depending on the safety catch any accidental blow or pressure
on the grip lever is received on the spring h², thereby preventing
any injury or derangement of the safety apparatus, and prevents the
lock being disengaged until placed at half or whole cock.
I will now describe the fourth part of the Invention. Figure
12, shews part of a side view, and Figure 13, a plan of a gun
arranged according to this part of the Invention. Near the breech
end of the barrel a mortice or opening is formed, through which the
chamber or moveable breech turns horizontally upon a vertical
axis. By this arrangement or construction the upper part of the
barrel is continued along the upper part of the stock, and forms a
plate to which it is affixed, and the metal at the breech is cut away,
as shewn, to receive the moveable breech, the barrel being enlarged
for that purpose.
a, is the fixed part of the barrel of the gun;
and b, the moveable breech turning with the pin e, to which the
trigger plate is attached, and is capable of turning at right angles
with the gun, as shewn by red lines, so as to place the end of the
moveable breech in a position to be loaded; d, is a bolt to retain the
breech in a right line with the barrel when loaded.
I will now describe the fifth part of the Invention. Figure 14,
shews a side view; Figure 15, a longitudinal section; Figure 16,
a cross section; Figure 17, separate views of the revolving chambers;
and Figures 18, 19, 20, and 21, shew some of the parts separately
of a gun or pistol having the improvements applied thereto. a, is

page_text: the tube or barrel of any suitable length, and open at each end;
the upper part being continued at a¹ descends at right angles,
returns, rises again, and joins the under side of the barrel, forming a
rectangular opening, in which the series of chambers containing the
several charges revolve to be successively brought opposite to the
barrel a, and discharged as herein-after explained. The revolving
chambers bare supported by and revolve on the axis b¹, which
slides in a groove on the under side of the barrel through the
rectangular frame a, the end being supported in the back part of the
frame, which is solid, with the barrel as shewn, and the series of
revolving chambers may be readily detached from the opening
through the frame by drawing the axis b out towards the mouth of
the barrel, or the series of revolving chambers may be supported on
two conical centres, one or both of which may be capable of sliding out,
so as to detach the series of chambers as shewn in section at Figure 22.
The back of each chamber is recessed, as shewn, to receive the nipple
62; at the end are formed ratchet teeth 63, into which the perpendicular
ratchet lever c² (shewn in red lines) works; the other end being con-
nected to the trigger c by the pin c³, which forms an axis for the sear
c¹, which takes into a bent or recess e¹ formed in the front part of the
cock or hammer e, and when the trigger is pulled back the sear c
lifts the hammer to a sufficient height for the action of the main
spring to give it sufficient force to explode the cap, and the sear c
is thrown out of the recess e¹ by the projecting neb or tooth on the
cock as shewn, when the cock is forced back to the fullest extent.
The hammer strikes the cap in an horizontal direction, the striking
part passing through a hole formed in the hinder part of the frame
a; a spring bolt d, when pressed inwards, comes against a shoulder
on the hammer head, and retains it back to prevent the hammer
discharging the cap by an accidental blow, or for safety in carrying
or when disengaging the part b; f¹ is a spring to return the trigge
and parts attached to their original position; c is a stud on the trigge
which enters recesses on the outer circumference of the revolving
chamber at the time each chamber is brought opposite to the barre
a, and retains it there whilst the discharge takes place.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no
claim to the several mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine
myself to the several details, so long as the peculiar character of any
part of the Invention be retained. But what I claim is,.
-
First, the constructing the interior of rifle barrels with ridges. I
also claim the manufacture of barrels with internal projections for
the powder to pass into, and for the ball to fit on.
Secondly, I claim the improvements herein described of gun and
pistol locks.
Thirdly, I claim the improvements herein described in safety bolts
or catches of fire-arms.
Fourthly, I claim the improvements herein described in guns and
other fire-arms arranged to load at the breeck.
And fifthly, I claim the mode of constructing the breech end of
a barrel to receive a revolving series of chambers, and also the
arrangement or combination of locks for such description of fire-
arms.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Adams, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in
the von of
ALLR
Land One thousand night hundrad
1