IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING OR REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Reeves, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REPEATING OR REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 13th April 1858, and dated the 24th December 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Reeves at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
December 1857.
I, CHARLES REEVES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REPEATING OR REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
In carrying this part of my Inven-
on the side of the lower part of
My Invention consists, firstly, in a method of constructing the locks of
repeating or revolving fire-arms so as to enable the hammer or cock to be
cocked either by the hand or the trigger.
tion into effect, I place a pin or stud
the hammer, which pin or stud engages under a lever jointed to the
head of the trigger. The other end of the said lever has a slot, through
which a pin on the side of the lock passes, and allows the said end only to
move longitudinally. When the hammer is raised, the pin thereon raises that
end of the lever which is jointed to the head of the trigger, and raises the
said trigger.
My Invention consists further of the following method of liberating the
cocked hammer on discharging the fire-arm:-The hammer is held in cock by

page_text: one end of a bell-crank lever engaging in a bent on the under side of the
cock; the other end of the bell-crank lever projects through the case of the
lock, and when the finger is pressed upon the trigger, it comes into contact
with the said bell-crank lover, and liberates it from the bent. The cock falls
by the action of its spring, and discharges the fire-arm.
My Invention consists further in a loading rod for repeating or revolving
fire-arms, constructed and worked as follows:-A lever is connected by a joint
to the frame of the fire-arm; the said lever is connected by means of a link
to the loading rod, which slides in a groove on the frame of the fire-arm. The
said link connects the short arm of the lever with the loading rod, and by
moving the long arm of the lever to and fro, the loading rod may be forced
into and raised out of the barrels of the revolving chamber.
My Invention consists, lastly, in fixing the axis of the revolving chamber
by means of a spring catch fastening placed underneath the fore part of the
body.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Reeves in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd June 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
REEVES, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Reeves, Her special licence that 1, the said Charles Reeves,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Reeves, 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 REPEATING OR
REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles Reeves, 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

page_text: 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 Charles Reeves, do hereby declaro
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists, firstly, of the method herein-after explained and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing of constructing the locks of repeating
or revolving fire-arms, the hammers of the said locks being capable of being
cocked either the band or by the trigger, and when the cocking is effected
by the hand, the trigger is depressed to nearly the full extent of its range of
motion.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing illustrates this part of my Inven-
tion in elevation. In the said Figure 1, I have omitted several parts of the
fire-arm which are not essentially connected with the mechanism which cou-
stitutes this part of my Invention, which said mechanism has for its object
the depression of the trigger by the cocking of the hammer. a is a lever
jointed to the trigger at b. The forked end of the lever a engages with
the pin c, upon which it is capable of a sliding motion. A pin d screwed
in the cock in the position represented, engages under the lever a. When
the cock is raised by the thumb the pin d lifts the lever a, the said lever
drawing back the trigger e, which assumes the position represented when the
cock or hammer is at full cock.
My Invention consists, secondly, in the following method of holding the
hammers or cocks of repeating or revolving fire-arms, and liberating the
cocked hammers on discharging the fire-arms:-This part of my Invention is
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings, the parts being
represented in Figure 1 in the positions which they occupy when the bammer
is in full cock, and in Figure 2 in the positions which they occupy after the
discharge of the fire-arm. The hammer or cock f may be raised either by the
action of the thumb upon the comb f' of the cock, or by the action of the
finger upon the trigger e, as herein-after explained. A bent lever h somewhat
resembling a bell-crank lover is pressed by a spring i so as to make its long
arm h' bear against the tumbler k of the cock, and as the cock is raised the
said arm h¹ engages in one or other of the two bents l, m, in the tumbler of
the cock f. When the arm h' of the lever h is engaged in either of the bents
1, m, the cock is held at half-cock and full-cock respectively. The lever h is
disengaged from the bents l, m, on the tumbler k, and the fire-arm discharged

page_text: in the following manner :-A nearly straight lever n bears at its short end
upon the short end of the cranked lover h. The long arm of the lever n
projects to a short distance through a hole in the under side of the lock case o.
When the trigger e is pressed by the finger, the part p of the trigger comes in
contact with the projecting arm n' of the lever n, and raising the said arm
depresses the arm h' of the cranked lever h, and disengages it from the bent
in the tumbler in which it had been engaged. The cock f falls by the action
of its spring, and the fire-arm is discharged. The cock may be raised by the
action of the finger upon the trigger e instead of by pressing back the comb f
of the cock. The trigger effects the raising of the cock in the following
manner: An arm or lever q is jointed to the cock as represented, and pressed
upon by the spring r. The lower end of the lever 7 engages in the notch a in
the trigger e when the trigger is not pressed upon, and the hammer is not
cocked. On pressing upon the trigger e the pressure is transmitted through
the lover to the cock f, and the cock is raised. When, however, the trigger
Դ
e has been pressed nearly to the full extent of its range of motion, the lever q
escapes from the notch s, the said lever falling into the space t of the trigger e,
and the hammer falls. The revolving chamber is operated upon by a driver of
the ordinary construction. Many of the other parts of the fire-arm represented
in the Drawing are also of the ordinary construction, and I therefore do not
think it necessary to describe the said parts.
My Invention consists, thirdly, in a loading rod for repeating or revolving
fire-arms constructed in the manner represented in Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 of
the accompanying Drawings; Figure 3 representing a side elevation of a re-
peating or revolving fire-arm having a loading rod constructed according to
my Invention; Figure 4 a transverse vertical section of the same; Figure 5
a plan of the same; and Figure 6, separate parts of the londing rod and
mechanism connected therewith.
A lever wis connected by a joint to the frame of the fire-arm. The said
lever w is also connected by a link to the loading rod y, which said loading
rod slides in a nearly semicylindrical channel in the frame of the fire-arm.
By moving the lever from the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3 to
the position w, Figure 3, the loading rod y may be forced into the barrels of
the revolving chamber.
The lever w engages with a catch on the barrel of the fire-arm when it is
not in use and is held in its place by the said catch.
My Invention consists, lastly, in fixing the axis of the revolving chamber
of repeating or revolving fire-arms by means of a spring catch fastening
placed underneath the fore part of the body of the fire-arm. This part of my

page_text: Invention is illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawings; 1 is the
axis of the revolving chamber; 2 is a bolt pressed upwards by the spring 3.
The upper end of the bolt 2 engages in a depression in the axis 1 and prevents
the said axis from being withdrawn.
By pulling down the bolt 2 the said bolt is disengaged from the axis 1, and
the said axis may be withdrawn.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood, that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described, and illustrated in the ac-
companying Drawings, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of my said Invention; but I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, the arrangement of parts herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings, whereby, when the hammer is cocked by pressure
upon the comb of the cock, the trigger is drawn back nearly to the point to
which it requires to be brought to discharge the fire-arm.
Secondly, the arrangement of parts herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings, whereby the hammer is held in cock and the
trigger is made to disengage the cocked hammer, and discharge the fire-arm.
Thirdly, the arrangement of parts herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings, for actuating the loading rods of repeating
or revolving fire-arms.
Lastly, fixing the axis of the revolving chamber of repeating or revolving
fire-arms by a spring catch fastening as herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Reeves, have hereunto set
iny hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw.
CHARLES REEVES. (L.s.)