New or Improved Apparatus for the Automatic Ejection of Cartridge Cases from Revolvers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Apparatus for the Automatic Ejection of
Cartridge Cases from Revolvers.
We, FERDINAND PRAUNEGGER, Retired Imperial and Royal Local Com-
mandant, and LUDWIG PHILIPP SCHMIDT, Engineer, both of Graz, in the
Empire of Austria, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to an automatic cartridge case ejector for revolvers, which
is operated when the revolver is discharged by the hammer striking against the
breech plate and thereby ejecting the case of the cartridge just previously fired
which is brought within the range or sphere of the ejector by the rotation of the
chamber cylinder.
This ejector is provided with means for putting it in the inoperative position by
hand, so that, when the first shot is being discharged from a fully loaded revolver,
the ejection of a loaded cartridge is prevented, whilst the return of the ejector to
its operative position is effected by the action of the descending hammer.
The body or casing of the revolver is so arranged that the ejecting and shooting
mechanism are easily got at and the former is capable of being placed in the right
position on the breech plate without diminishing the firmness or strength of the
recoil support.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings are respectively side and rear end
views of a revolver provided with ejector mechanism constructed in accordance
with this present invention.
Figs. 3 and 4 show the ejector mechanism in the operative and inoperative
positions respectively.
Figs. 5 and 6 are back views of the chamber cylinder and of the ejector in two
different positions of the said cylinder.
Fig. 7 is a plan of the chamber cylinder with the ejector.
Fig. 8 shows a perspective internal view of the removable right hand side plate
of the body or casing.
Fig. 9 represents a modified construction of the ejector with a stop lever.
In order to effect the automatic ejection of the cartridge cases a lever mechanism
is provided which is pivotted partly in the casing A and partly in the breech
plate B at the right hand side of the hammer C. This mechanism is brought into
operation by the forward motion of the hammer when the revolver is being
discharged, and in the event of its being out of gear at the time of firing it is
automatically put into the operative position for ejecting the cartridge case the
next time the revolver is fired.
This lever mechanism consists of a striking pin a, which is moveable in a hole in
the breech plate B, and is pressed inwards by the hammer head (Fig. 3) and
outwards by the action of a spring e when the hammer is moved back to its position
of rest (as shown in Fig. 1) after discharge of the revolver.
The pin a operates on a two-armed lever b which is pivotted at b¹ in the breech-
plate and engages at its lower end in the fork of a two-armed lever.c pivotted at c
in the breech-plate.
This lever c acts as an ejector in the arrangement illustrated Figs. 1, 3 and 4
and for this purpose is provided with a laterally projecting cartridge draw-hook f.

page_text: The spring e, which lies in a groove made in the inner face of the breech
plate B, presses against the upper arm of the lever b, and causes the latter to press
the pin a outwards so that its end projects beyond the back of the breech-plate as
shown in Fig. 1.
The cartridge draw-hook fextends through a slot in the breech plate B into a
groove in the rear end of the chamber cylinder D, to the axis of which the said
groove is concentric. This groove extends to the cartridge magazine so that the
part of the flange of each cartridge projecting into the groove can be grasped by
the hook of the ejector lever. The hook is constantly pressed into this groove
by the action of the spring e and of the lever b acted on thereby.
The position of the hook fis so determined, that, whenever a cartridge is brought
in line with the barrel of the revolver by the rotation of the chamber cylinder, the
hook comes behind the flange of that cartridge which is nearest to the bore on the
right hand side thereof, see Fig. 5.
In this position of the hook, when the hammer moves forward for the purpose of
discharging the revolver the cartridge case is ejected from its chamber by the
action of the pin a, on the levers b and c the latter of which carries the hook f;
for which purpose a suitable recess is made in the breech plate, whilst the hammer
is provided on the right side of the cock with an obliquely inclined shoulder or
projection a² which deflects the ejected cartridge-case to the right.
In order to prevent the loaded cartridge to the right of the ejector being thrown
out when the first shot is fired, from a fully loaded revolver, a stop lever d is
pivotted at d¹ in the casing A by means of which the ejector mechanism is put out
of action until after the first discharge, that is to say out of engagement with the
cartridge to the right hand of the one first discharged.
For this purpose the bent arm of the stop lever d projects through a slot in the
trigger guard plate, so that, it can be pressed inwards by the finger and be thereby
so rotated that one arm comes against the pin g on the lower part of the hammer
whilst the other arm moves the ejector lever c, until the said arm takes into the
notch in the said lever c whereby the hook f is retained in the drawn back
position as shown in Fig. 4, the chamber cylinder Ď having been previously rotated
out of the position shown in Fig. 5 into that shown in Fig. 6 so that the hook f can
pass out between the cartridges.
If now, the ejector lever being released, the hammer is cocked, the chamber
cylinder is rotated from the position shown in Fig. 6 into that shown in Fig. 5 in
which alone the revolver can be discharged, and in this position the hook f of the
ejector lever lies outside the flange of the cartridge case.
At the first discharge, the pin g of the hammer strikes the bent arm of the
lever d and releases the same from the lever c; the spring e, which then comes into
operation, causes the hook f of the released ejector lever c to bear against the
flange of the cartridge case.
As soon as the chamber cylinder D is rotated a step by the next operation
of cocking the hammer, the hook takes into the space between the two
cartridge flanges in the groove h and takes automatically that position in
which the automatic ejection of the subsequently fired cartridge cases can be
effected.
The cartridges are prevented from coming out of the chamber and ejector
opening in the breech-plate B by means of oscillating catches i (Figs 2 and 7)
held in their normal position by springs. The catch has on its side a lug
for the purpose of enabling it to be pressed sideways by the thumb of the left
hand when it is desired to remove the loaded cartridges from the chamber
cylinder.
The opening of the catch, for the automatic ejection of the cartridge-cases, is
effected by the trigger j, which presses on the end of the catch, as soon as the
hammer is cocked.
From inspection of Fig. 9 it will be seen that the cartridge-case draw-hook car
be applied to the lever b instead of to the lever c whereby the ejector bas a longer

page_text: leverage as compared with that illustrated in Fig. 1 and the ejection is corre-
spondingly accelerated. For the purpose of putting the stop lever d out of gear, it
is coupled with the lever c which serves as a connecting piece for the transmission
of the motion of the lever d to the ejector.
The spring e of the lever b (Fig. 1) may also be so applied as to act on the
ejector lever c instead of on the lever b.
In order that the revolver may be more easily taken to pieces, and the ejector
mechanism be more accessible, the casing A is provided with a removable side
platek which takes at its rear end k' behind a lug 7 of the handle, and is provided
with an inwardly-turned perforated piece k, which is secured by a pin m of the
removable trigger guard so as to secure the side plate k to the casing.
A special feature of this invention and a fundamental condition in the practical
construction of the ejector mechanism is the arrangement of this removable side
plate on the right hand side of the casing, whilst the solid side plate which
connects the breech plate with the casing lies to the left of the hammer. The
ejector apparatus can thus be arranged to the right of the hammer, without
weakening the recoil support.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. In revolvers, an apparatus for automatically ejecting the cartridge cases,
which consists of a pin a sliding in the breech-plate B, and two levers b and c
pivotted in the breech-plate and coupled together, one of which levers is provided
with a cartridge-case draw-hook fand is held normally by a spring e in such a
position that the said hook takes into a groove h in the chamber cylinder and
behind the flange of the cartridge-case which stands next to the hammer and
to the right hand thereof, constructing and operating substantially as described.
Second. In cartridge case ejecting apparatus of the kind forming the subject of
the first claiming clause hereof, the devices consisting of a stop lever d pivotted in
the casing, and having one arm which is adapted to engage with the notch of the
lever c when the ejector hook is carried by the said lever c, or which is coupled
with the said lever c when the ejector hook is carried by the lever b and the other
arm projecting through the trigger guard plate, but adapted to bear against a
pin 9 in the tail part of the hammer, arranged and operating substantially
as described, and for the purpose of preventing the ejection of a loaded cartridge
when the same is brought into the position immediately to the right of the
hammer.
Third. In cartridge-case ejecting apparatus of the kind forming the subject of
the first and second claiming clauses hereof the employment of a moveable side
plate k on the right hand side of the casing A, which plate is firmly held at
one end by the part taking behind the bandle and at the other side by
means of a pin m on the trigger guard plate passing through the projection ³
on the said side plate, substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.
F. PRAUNEGGER,
L. P. SCHMIDT,
Per W. H. Beck,
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.