IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Moore, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings,
and State of New York, United States of America, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 21st January 1868, and dated the 22nd August 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Moore at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd August 1862.
I, DANIEL MOORE, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and State of New
York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
The revolving cylinder is formed with chambers to receive cartridges, said
cartridges are those in which a thin copper or similar case is employed. These
cartridges are entered at the open rear ends of the chambers, and the forward
ends of the chambers are rifled to correspond with the rifling of the one barrel
employed, so that each ball as fired is forced into the rifle grooves of its own
chamber, and then travels on through the barrel. The exterior surface of this
cylinder of chambers is formed with a band, having notches to take the stop
lever that holds said cylinder after being revolved as usual. The cylinder
revolves on a pin extending to the rear from a projection below the barrel,
and the end of this pin is formed as a head within a recess in a peculiarly
formed recoil plate, at the rear of the cylinder of chambers, against which
recoil plate the bases of the cartridge cases set. The recoil plate is at the
forward end of the stock or handle, and an arm therefrom projects below the

page_text: cylinders, and unites by a gudgeon with the projection below the barrel; a
latch in the recoil plate holds the centre pin in place, by moving which the
chambers and barrel can be turned sufficiently aside from the recoil plate to
allow cartridges to be entered in the chambers or the cases to be withdrawn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Daniel Moore in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th February 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
MOORE, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and State of New York,
United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Daniel Moore, Her special license, that I, the said Daniel Moore, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Daniel
Moore, 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 REVOLVING
FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Daniel
Moore, 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
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 Daniel Moore, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved arm.
*,, 2 is an end view with the barrel and cylinder removed, and the center
pin on which the chambers revolve in section.
3 is a partial elevation of the handle and chambers.
"

page_text: "
5 is an end view of the chambers. Similar letters refer to the
same parts.
My said Invention relates, first, to a meaus for attaching the stock, barrel,
and cylinder, so that said cylinder can be swung aside from the stock for the
purpose of loading or removing the charge from the piece, but when in position
for firing, said parts are held firmly together. In all the arms of this character
in which a rifled barrel is employed, the ball has been slugged or forced into
the rifle grooves in the barrel. The ball as it is discharged from the chamber
in line with the barrel meets with the obstruction and comparative detention
caused by the said rifling, and the recoil of the powder acts to produce an
opening between the front end of the chamber and the rear of the barrel,.
causing escape of gases or "windage."
My Invention obviates this difficulty, and relates, second, to forming the
forward end of each chamber with a rifled surface corresponding to the
grooves in the barrel, so that the ball entered with the cartridge is slugged.
previous to entering the barrel, and the explosion and the detention of the
balls in being forced into the rifling cause the chambers to press firmly against
the rear end of the barrel, thereby cutting off and preventing as much escape
of gas as possible. My revolving breech fire-arm is formed with chambers
open at the rear end to receive cartridges with a metallic capsule containing
the powder and receiving the ball, a hollow flanged ring being provided for.
the fulminating material around the base of the cartridge.
In the Drawing, a is the stock, of any usual size or shape;. 6 is the barrel ;.
c is the cylinder of chambers or revolving breeches; d is the metallic breech--
piece or recoil plate behind the chambers, and e is an arm therefrom beneath.
the chamber c to the bracket f on the lower side of the barrel b.. These parts.
e and fare attached to each other by a gudgeon 1 projecting from the former,
and passing through a hole in the bracket f, and 2 is a screw securing the
barrel and bracket to the arm e. The center pin 8 on which the chamber c
revolves is formed as shown in Fig. 1; the forward end of this pin enters the
part f below the barrel, where it is secured in place by any competent means,
and a shoulder on this pin serves to prevent the chambers disconnecting or
sliding off the pin when the barrel is disconnected from the stock. On the
rear end of the pin 3 is a collar, by which the stock and barrel are connected;
for this purpose I provide a recess in the recoil plate d, as seen at g, in Fig. 1.
This recess is formed large enough at one end to pass the said collar, and is
undercut or grooved, as seen in Fig. 1, so that when the barrel and stock are
in proper line the said recess contains the pin, and the collar on the end

page_text: thereof is in the space formed bebind for the same. It will now be evident
that when the barrel and chambers are turned aside on the gudgeon 1 to the
position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, that some of the chambers are clear
of the metallic recoil plate d, and are open from end to end, so that the said
chambers can be cleared of the metallic cartridge cases, and new cartridges
inserted, and the cylinder can be revolved while in this position, so as to give
access to the respective chambers. When turned back to its place the collar
on the end of the pin 3 makes a firm connection between said pin and the
recoil plate d. To prevent the cylinder and barrel swinging aside when in
use, I provide the latch i, which springing against the side of the said pin 3
retains the parts in position for firing. The end of this latch projecting from
the metallic breech-piece allows for its being moved by the thumb or finger
when the breeches are to be swung aside. k is the hammer for exploding the
cartridge, the same being actuated by a suitable mainspring; is the trigger;
m, the pawl for revolving the cylinder of breeches; and n the stop or bolt
for holding the respective chambers in line with the barrel. The various
parts k, l, m, and n do not form any part of my present Invention, they may
therefore be constructed and operate in any well known manner as is usual in
this character of fire-arm. The advantages of this means for connecting the
barrel and stock will be apparent, for the explosion is sustained by the center
pin 8 and gudgeon 1, at the same time free access to the chambers is easily
obtained. The forward part of each chamber is bored smaller than the rear,
in order that rifle grooves 4, 4, may be cut therein, and for this purpose the
rifling instrument may be passed through the barrel b, and applied to rifle
each chamber in succession, or otherwise, so that the grooves of the barrel and
chambers correspond when in line with each other. The cartridge I employ
is provided with a metal shell or case setting at the rear against the recoil
plate d, and carrying the ball h at the forward end. This character of
cartridge is well known, and it will be evident that either this cartridge or one
acting in a similar manner is the only one that can be employed with this
improvement, as the chambers have to be open at the rear, in order that the
ball may be entered behind the rifling at the forward end. When the piece is
discharged, the slugging of the ball is effected in the chamber, the act of doing
which tends to force the chamber against the rear end of the barrel, the ball
proceeds, and the force of the powder is not decreased by "windage," as
heretofore. The stop lever or bolt n that holds the cylinder in place, as here-
tofore, takes into the recesses 6 in the surface of the cylinder c, and to ensure
the correct action of said lever or bolt, it is important that the said surface be
cylindrical at this point, but the weight of the cylinder c is greatly increased

page_text: by making the entire exterior cylindrical; I therefore recess the metal between
the chambers, as seen in Figs. 4 & 5, so as to remove useless weight, and
leave a band or ring 5 to receive the said notches 6. The forward part of the
recoil plate d is formed with the part 7 and ring 8 as a level surface to take
the rear ends of the metallic cartridge cases, while the rest of the surface is
slightly sunk down, thereby the cartridge case is fully sustained at the time of
explosion by the part 7, and friction is avoided in rotating the chambers c,
because the ring 8 against which part of the base of the cartridges bear to keep
it in place is comparatively near the center pin 3, whereas if the friction were
near the outer edge of said recoil plate d, the power necessary to rotate the
chambers c would be increased.
Having thus described my said Invention, what I claim and desire to
secure by Letters Patent, is,―
First, the center pin 3, and its collar at the back end, retained within the
recess g, combined with the cylinder c and barrel 6 swinging on the gudgeon 1,
in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
Second, I claim the latch i in combination with said center pin 3, to retain
the parts in place while the arm is being discharged, as specified.
Third, I claim the employment in a cylinder with chambers open at the
rear of rifling at the forward end of the chambers corresponding with the
grooves in the barrel, for the purposes and as set forth.
Fourth, I claim the band or ring 5, having the recesses 6, 6, for the stop
lever or bolt, the said ring being formed as and for the purposes specified.
Fifth, I claim the recoil plate d, formed with the projecting parts 7 and 8,
as and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Moore, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of January in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
30 Witnesses,
A. J. BERGEN,
of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tuo. GEO. HAROLD,
Brooklyn, N.Y.
DAN MOORE. (L.S.)