IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Kaufmann, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand,
London, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Kaufmann at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th September 1881.
MICHAEL KAUFMANN, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, London, in the
County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS."
My Invention relates specially to solid frame or rod-extracting revolving fire
arms, in which the lock is provided with a rebounding hammer, but is also
applicable to other revolving fire arms where the arm is loaded by means of a gate,
door, or moveable covering plate at the rear of the cylinder.
The object of my Invention is to provide the. lock of such fire arms with a stop
which locks the cylinder after each rotation and keeps it securely in place when
not in use, an essential feature of my Invention being the utilization of the door.
or moveable covering plate for the purpose of freeing the cylinder from said stop,
so that it may rotate freely when desired in order that the fire arm may be
loaded.
I propose to attain my object by so arranging the door or moveable covering
plate that when operated by being opened to give access to the rear of the cylinder
a prolongation or extension of the door will act on the hammer, and through its
medium on the trigger, or will act directly on the trigger in order to release the
cylinder from the said stop.

page_text: moveable shield; D, the gatespring; E, the main frame or body; H, the central
lever; M, the hammer; O, the pawl or lifter; P, the lockspring.
The mainframe E is provided with an opening a, shown in Figure 2, to receive
the prolongation or tailpiece b of the gate C. A hole is formed in the mainframe E
at d to receive a screw, shown in Figure 3, the said screw being made partly with
a smooth surface to serve as a pivot or axle for the gate C.
The gate C is perforated at e, shown in Figure 8, for its pivot or axle, shewn in
Figure 7. The said pivot or axle enters the mainframe E at d, passes through tho,
hole of the gate C, and into the mainframe E at the rear of the gate C, and is
then screwed firmly into the mainframe E at d.
0
The gate C is constructed with a prolongation or tailpiece b, and is provided
with a shoulder, upon the two sides fl and f³ of which the gatespring D acts.
The gatespring D is of the shape illustrated, and is fastened by means of a screw
to the exterior of the revolver, as shown in Figure 1, and the end h of the gate-
spring D, shown in Figure 9, acts on the side f2 of the shoulder of the gate C in
order to keep the gate C in its normal position, covering the rear of the cylinder,
and acts also on the side f¹ of the shoulder of the gate C when the gate C is
operated on in order to gain access to the rear of the cylinder.
The cylinder B is of the usual form, and is provided with two series of notches
or grooves, the one series indicated by S', and the other by S2, in Figures 1; 4,
and 5, adapted to engage respectively with the lugs or stops i¹ and 2 of the
trigger A.
The trigger A is of the shape shown in Fig. 6, perforated at g¹ for its pivot or
axle, and at g to receive the pivot of the lifter O. The projection x is formed
with a tooth to engage with the notch on the projection of the forward side of the
hammer.
The trigger A is provided on its upper surface with a lug or stop which
enters one of a series of notches S' on the cylinder when the weapon is full cocked,
and is likewise provided on its upper surface at its front head with a lug or stop i²,
which when the trigger returns to its normal position after the weapon has been
fired enters one of a series of notches S2 on the cylinder. The hammer M, the
lockspring P, the central lever H, and the pawl or lifter O do not differ from the
hammer, mainspring, central lever, and pawl described in my Letters Patent,
No. 4302, dated Twenty first October, 1880.
The operation is as follows:-
:-
'
On operating the hammer or trigger for the purpose of cocking the weapon, the
trigger turns on its pivot, and by this movement the lug or stop of the trigger A
is withdrawn from the notch S2 of the cylinder, permitting the lifter ☐ to rotate
the cylinder until a fresh cartridge is brought in a line with the barrel, when the
hammer being at full cock the lug or stop enters one of the series of notches S¹
on the cylinder. The trigger being pulled or retracted, the hammer falls. Upon
releasing the trigger the pressure of the lock spring P delivered through the
medium of the central lever H and the lifter O carries the projection x of the
trigger downward, causing the trigger to turn on its pivot until it resumes its
normal position, and by this movement the lug or stop of the trigger A is.
disengaged from the cylinder, and the lug or stop 12 of the trigger A enters one of
the series of notches S on the cylinder and securely locks the cylinder. To permit
the empty cartridges to be extracted or to load the cylinder, it is necessary to
liberate the cylinder, to effect which one has only to perform the usual act of
opening the gate or moveable shield at the rear of the cylinder; thus, on pushing
outwards the summit t of the gate C it turns on its pivot, and by this action the
prolongation or tail piece b of the gate C ascends, and the side f³ of the pro-
longation 6 of the gate coming under the projection W of the hammer M raises the
hammer, and through the medium of the hammer raises the projection x of the
trigger A, thereby turning the trigger A on its pivot until the lug or stop 2 of the.
trigger A is disengaged from the notch S2 on the cylinder, thus permitting the

page_text: cylinder to turn freely in order that the cartridges may be extracted or the
cylinder loaded. In this position the prolongation b of the gate C, being above and
near to the projection of the trigger A, impedes any movement of the trigger,
and consequently the hammer is unable to act, and there can be no danger of a
discharge of cartridge whilst the gate or moveable shield remains open.
On pushing outwards the summit t of the gate C the gate spring D engages
with the side f' of the shoulder of the prolongation b of the gate, and when the
gate is open to its full extent it is held by the gatespring D. securely. in this
position.. On pushing back the gate C to its normal position at the rear of the
cylinder the gatespring D engages with the side f2 of the shoulder of the pro-
longation of the gate C, and holds the gate in position. By the action of the
gate C in returning to its normal position, the side f³ of the prolongation 6 of the
gate disengages from the projection W of the hammer, and the prolongation b
resumes its place in the opening a of. the main frame E flush with the interior of
the main frame, the hammer M being disengaged from the prolongation b of the
gate. The lockspring P, acting on the central lever H, causes all the parts of the
lock to return to their normal position.
I may modify the arrangement I have immediately above described, as shewn in
Figures 10 and 11, in which it will be seen that the gate C with its axle or pivot
is of one piece; in this case the opening a in the main frame E is dispensed with,
the axle or pivot of the gate C entering in a hole in the main. frame E at the rear
of the cylinder, the axle being kept in its place by a spring in the interior of the
main frame E which engages with the sides of the shoulder formed at the extremity
of the axle of the gate. In this modification the tail piece of the gate C is
detached, and is screwed into the axle of the gate C after it has been fixed in the
main frame E. In applying my mode of freeing the cylinder by the action of the
gate to ordinary locks, such for example as shewn in Figures 12 to 15 inclusive,
in which the hammers have not the projecting piece w of the arrangement first
described; I modify the gate C by forming on the prolongation b thereof an inclined
plane tapering to the front, as shewn y, Figure 16, the object of this tapering
being that when the gate C is operated the prolongation may lift the hammer and
liberate the cylinder, as shown, Figures 13 and 15. The modified gate C is shewn
detached and drawn to an enlarged scale at Figure 16. The Figures 12 and 14
shew the locks when not operated by the gate.
I may also modify the arrangement of freeing the cylinder in other ways than
those above described, as for instance, the cylinder-may-be-locked-with-an-arm-
attached to the trigger, as shewn in Figure 14, and this arm may be projected also.
in an opposite direction, and the prolongation of the gate may be arranged to
operate direct on the rear end of the said locking arm. Or if an arm on the trigger
be made to operate a locking device on the rear part of the cylinder the gate or
movable shield may be so arranged as to act direct on the said locking device for
the purposes of liberating the cylinder.
I may also modify the gate so that it may operate direct on the trigger to free.
the cylinder.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is or may be performed, I would have it distinctly
understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details hereinbefore set forth
and shewn in the Drawings as such may be greatly modified while retaining the
essential feature of my Invention, namely, the utilization of the door for the
purposes specified; and what
I-claim as secured-to-me-by-the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent
is,-
First. In a revolving fire-arm; the employment of the door, gate, shield, or
covering-plate for effecting the freeing or liberating of the cylinder, for the-
purposes specified.
Second. In a revolving fire-arm, the use of a door, gate, shield, or covering-plate

page_text: having a prolongation, extension, or tail piece, arranged to operate substantially as
hereinbefore described and shewn on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Kaufmann, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
MICHAEL KAUFMANN. (L.S.)