IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF REVOLVING AND REPEATING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François Alexandro Le Mat, of Boulevard Saint Denis,
No. 1, at Paris, Colonel, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF REVOLVING AND REPEATING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 27th July 1877, and dated the 12th February 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Alexandre Le Mat
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th February 1877.
FRANÇOIS ALEXANDRE LE MAT, of Boulevard Saint Denis, No. 1, at Paris,
Colonel. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REVOLVING AND REPEATING
FIRE-ARMS."
My Invention refers more particularly to those revolving fire-arms which have
two barrels and a mitrailleuse central fire. In these ȧrms the part which always
causes the greatest difficulty, on account of the special conditions which it has to
fulfil, is the cock. Indeed, in this description of arm, all the defensive power which is
its chief characteristic cannot be obtained unless the shooter can instantaneously and
with great facility fire at will either the barrel of the revolving portion or the fixed
mitrailleuse central fire portion, and this by operating the cock with only one
hand.
My improvements chiefly relate to a new arrangement or combination of the cock
with the object of making it fulfil the desirable conditions of facility, convenience,
and instantaneousness, without which this arm cannot attain the great development
which it ought to do. By the new arrangement the shooter can with the thumb
of the hand which holds the arm, and without the hand shifting from what
should be the grasping position, freely and with every facility operate the
auxiliary cock of the central fire in order to instantaneously effect the percussion,
as he desires, either on the barrel of the revolving portion by the main cock, or on
the central mitrailleuse portion by the small auxiliary cock. For this purpose I
make the small auxiliary cock of the central mitrailleuse portion in the form of a
wedge, which lodges in the body of the main cock on which it has a spring joint;
this small cock carries at one side a curved button on which the shooter simply acts
with his thumb to put it, as he desires, in either of its two positions. An additional
advantage of this wedge-formed auxiliary cock is that in its position for effecting
the percussion on the central fire mitrailleuse portion, one of the faces of the wedge
bears against the body of the main cock, while the other face serves to push

page_text: directly the cenral fire striker. It follows that the gun cannot miss fire; the
ignition of the central fire cartridge being assured, which is not the case with
existing forms of cock.
In order that the Invention may be fully understood, I will describe a gun con-
structed in accordance therewith.
The main cock is formed internally with a mortise, in which the small auxiliary
cock is lodged, this cock being centred at or near its rear end. A strong spring is
likewise lodged in the mortise, and keeps the auxiliary cock firmly in either the
one or the other of its positions. The auxiliary cock is, as before stated, of wedge
form, so that when it is lowered its rear face is firmly applied against the body of
the main cock, while its front face acts directly against the head of the striker of
the central mitrailleuse barrel. The auxiliary cock is thus not subject to any
slipping, and it will produce the required percussion with certainty. The small
auxiliary cock is operated by means of a side button of curved form, on which the
thumb of the hand which holds the arm acts, so as to lower it into position for the
central mitrailleuse fire, or to raise it into position to allow of the direct action of
the main cock upon the revolving portion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said François Alexandre Le Mat in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th August 1877.
FRANÇOIS ALEXANDRE LE MAT, of Boulevard Saint Denis, No. 1, at Paris,
Colonel. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REVOLVING AND REPEATING
FIRE-ARMS."
My Invention refers more particularly to those revolving fire-arms which have
two barrels and a mitrailleuse central fire. In these arms the part which always
causes the greatest difficulty, on account of the special conditions which it has to
fulfil, is the cock. Indeed, in this description of arm, all the defensive power, which
is its chief characteristic, cannot be obtained unless the shooter can instantaneously
and with great facility fire at will either the barrel of the revolving portion or the
fixed mitrailleuse central fire portion, and this by operating the cock with only one
hand.
My improvements chiefly relato to a new arrangement or combination of the cock
with the object of making it fulfil the desirable condition of facility, convenience,
and instantaneousness, without which this arm cannot attain the great development
which it ought to have. By the new arrangeinent the shooter can with the thumb
of the hand which holds the arm, and without the hand shifting from what should
be the grasping position, freely and with every facility operate the auxiliary cock
of the central fire in order to instantaneously effect the percussion, as ho desires,
either on the barrel of the revolving portion of the main cock, or on the central
mitrailleuse portion by the small auxiliary cock. For this purpose I make the
small auxiliary cock of the central mitrailleuse portion in the form of a wedge,
which lodges in the body of the main cock, on which it has a spring joint; this
small cock carries at one side a curved button, on which the shooter simply acts
with his thumb to put it, as he desires, in either of its two positions. An additional
advantage of this wedge-formed auxiliary cock is that in its position for effecting
the percussion on the central fire mitrailleuse portion, one of the faces of the wedge
bears against the body of the main cock, while the other face serves to push directly
the central fire striker. It follows that the gun cannot miss fire, the ignition of
the central fire cartridge being assured, which is not the case with existing forms of
cock.
In order that the Invention may be fully understood, I will describe, with
reference to the annexed Drawings, a gun constructed in accordance therewith.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the gun, and Figure 2 is a back view.

page_text: Figure 3 is a side view, on a larger scale, of the main cock provided with the
new arrangements for the auxiliary cock. In this Figure I have supposed that the
barrel of the revolving portion has just been fired, that is to say, that the auxiliary
cock is raised to its position of rest.
Figure 4 is a front view; Figure 5, a plan; Figuro 6 is a view the same as
Figure 3, but with the auxiliary cock lowered so as to effect the percussion of the
central mitrailleuse portion.
Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a side view and plan of the auxiliary cock
detached.
Figure 9 is a diagram herein-after referred to.
The main cock a is formed internally with a mortise, shown in Figures 3 and 6
by the dotted line x, x, x, in which mortise the small auxiliary cock b is lodged, this
cock boing centred at c. A strong spring d consisting of a steel plate secured by
a screw fis likewise lodged in the mortise, and keeps the auxiliary cock b firmly in
cither the one or the other of its positions. The auxiliary cock is, as before stated,
of wedge form, so that when it is lowered, as seen in Figure 6, its rear face is firmly
applied against the body of the main cock a, while its front face acts directly
against the head g of the striker of the central mitrailleuse barrel k, Figure 1.
The auxiliary cock b is thus not subject to any slipping, and it will produce the
required percussion with certainty. The auxiliary cock is operated by means of a
small side button h of curved form, on which the thumb of the hand which holds
the arm acts. In Figure 1 I have shown the thumb of the right hand pressing on
the button so as to lower the cock b into position for the central mitrailleuse fire in
the direction of the arrow j; in Figure 9, on the contrary, the thumb tends to raise
the cock b in the direction of the arrow j to its position of rest to allow of the
direct action of the main cock a upon the revolving portion m and barrel l,
Figure 1. This movement of the cock 6 in one direction or the other is very
simple, and is effected easily by the thumb of the hand which holds the gun.
The Invention can likewise be applied to carbines constructed on the same
general system.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First. The particular arrangement of the main cock a with a mortise in which the
auxiliary cock b and its spring d are lodged, substantially as herein-before described
and represented in the annexed Drawings..
Second. The arrangement of the auxiliary cock 6 jointed at c in the main cock a
lodged in the mortise of this cock, and firmly held by its spring d, substantially as
herein-before described and represented in the annexed Drawings.
Third. The mode or means of operating the auxiliary cock b by a side button h,
so that it can be moved into one or the other of its positions by the thumb of the
hand which holds the gun, substantially as herein-before described and represented
in the annexed Drawings.
Fourth. The general arrangement or combination of parts of fire-arms, as herein-
before described and represented in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said François Alexandre Le Mat, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
ALBERT CAHEN,
Civil Engineer
of Boulevard St. Denis, 1,
at Paris.
F. A. LE MAT. (LS.)