IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ARMS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Emile Nagant, of 41, Quay de l'Ourthe, in the City of
Liège, in the Kingdom of Belgium, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE ARMS."
Sealed the 16th April 1880, and dated the 22nd October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Emile Nagant at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd October 1879.
EMILE NAGANT, of 41, Quay de l'Ourthe, in the City of Liège, in the Kingdom
of Belgium. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS."
The Invention relates more especially to revolving pistols, but is partly applicable
to other fire-arms, and consists,―
Firstly. In so arranging and adapting the bow of the trigger guard that it acts
as a spring-vice or powerful lever for cocking or placing in tension or relaxing
instantaneously the principal springs of the lock mechanism, whereby the said
mechanism may be taken to pieces or put together with great facility. For this
purpose the bow of the trigger guard is hinged at one extremity to the body of the
arm, and attached at its other end to the said body by a screw or pin. When the
bow of the trigger guard is opened the springs are unlocked or relaxed, which
allows of the removal by the fingers of all the small pieces of mechanism which
carry their own axis. When the said pieces of mechanism are replaced, and the
trigger guard is closed, it acts as a powerful lever to cock or place in tension the
said lock springs.
Secondly. In so constructing the body and side plate that the empty space
between those two parts of the arm instead of being closed by a flange may be
filled up by a separate piece of wood, metal, or other material fixed to the body or
to the side plate. This arrangement simplifies very much the manufacture of the
arm, and facilitates the cleaning of it.
Thirdly. In an arrangement for keeping in their places the axial stem of the
cartridge chamber and the extracting rod enclosed therein, such arrangement con-
sisting of a locking piece pivoted in the head of the axial stem provided with two
projections, one of which by the pressure of a spring is forced to enter a notch
made in the body of the revolver, and the other by the pressure of the same spring
enters a notch in the extracting rod.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Emile Nagant in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st April
1880.
.
EMILE NAGANT, of 41, Quay de l'Ourthe, in the City of Liège, in the Kingdom
of Belgium.
IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS."
"
The Invention relates more especially to revolving pistols, but is partly applicable
to other firearms, and consists,―
Firstly. In so arranging and adapting the bow of the trigger guard that it acts
as a spring vice or powerful lever for cocking or placing in tension or relaxing
instantaneously the principal springs of the lock mechanism, whereby the said
mechanism may be taken to pieces or put together with great facility. For this
purpose the bow of the trigger guard is hinged at one extremity to the body of the
arm, and attached at its other end to the said body by a screw or pin. When the
bow of the trigger guard is opened the springs are uncocked or relaxed, which
allows of the removal by the fingers of all the small pieces of mechanism. When the
said pieces of mechanism are replaced and the trigger guard is closed, it acts as a
powerful lever to cock or place in tension the said lock springs.
Secondly. In so constructing the body and side plate that the empty space between
those two parts of the arm instead of being closed by a flange may be filled up by
a separate piece of wood, metal, or other material fixed to the body or to the side
plate. This arrangement simplifies very much the manufacture of the arın, and
facilitates the cleaning of it.
Thirdly. In an arrangement for keeping in their places the axial stem of the
cartridge chamber and the extracting rod enclosed therein, such arrangement con-
sisting of a locking piece pivoted in the head of the axial stem provided with two
projections, one of which by the pressure of a spring is forced to enter a notch made
in the body of the revolver, and the other by the pressure of the same spring enters
a notch in the extracting rod.
In the Drawings similar letters relate to like parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 shews a revolver from which the side plate is removed, shewing the
internal mechanism.
The bow of the trigger guard L is open, leaving free the main striking spring a¹,
the seer spring b¹, and the trigger spring c¹.
Figure 3 shews a revolver, also without the side plate, part of the arm being seen
in section. The bow of the trigger guard is closed; it cocks or places in tension
the three springs above-mentioned.
As shewn in Figures 1 and 2 the bow of the trigger guard is fixed to the body
by its two extremities, that is to say, at A upon a pivot P, and at B by a
screw V.
When the bow of the trigger guard is open, as in Figure 1, the springs are
uncocked or relaxed, which allows of the removal by the fingers of all the small
pieces of mechanism The bow of the trigger guard itself is easily taken out, as on
removing the screw V it is left free and may be withdrawn from the pivot P. The
two points of attachment of the bow of the trigger guard being at a great distance
from one another, the latter forms a powerful lever which serves to cock or place
in tension the springs for the putting together of the mechanism.
In my revolver the inner faces of the handle of the body and of the side plate
are both without flanges, and are flat, which simplifies the manufacture of the arm
and facilitates cleaning the same. From this mode of construction there results an
empty space in the handle of the arm between the body and the side plate. This
space is filled with a separate piece of wood, metal, or any other material fixed to
one of the plates by a screw or other means. Figure 4 shews at C this piece fixed
to the inner face of the side plate.

page_text: Figure 5 shews at C this same piece as seen from behind the handle of the
revolver when the side plate is fixed to the body.
In my revolver the axial stem of the cylinder or cartridge chamber, Figure 6, has
a hole T bored in it lengthwise to receive the extracting rod. The head of this
stem is slotted in its thickness, see F, Figure 6. In this slot is placed the locking
piece S, Figure 7, secured to the head of the stem by a screw pivot U, Figure 8,
and pressed by a spring R, Figure 9, see also Figures 1 and 3.
Figure 10 shews the locking piece S pivoting upon its axis; the part D of the
said locking piece projects outside the head of the stem by reason of the pressure
of the spring R. The part E of the locking piece approaches the body of the stem.
The projection G of the locking piece enters a notch formed in the body of the
revolver, and thus prevents the axial stem of the cartridge chamber from coming
out of its place, at the same time the projection H of the locking piece passes into
the hole T of the axial stem through a lateral opening, and enters the notch I of
the extracting rod M, Figure 12; the extracting rod is thus held firmly in the axial
stem.
In Figure 1 the extracting rod M is seen in place under the barrel of the revolver,
and 'enclosed in the axial stem of the cylinder or cartridge chamber; Figure 3 shews
the extracting rod M withdrawn out of the stem, and turned to the side of the
barrel for the extraction of the cartridge cases.
When it is required to draw out the extracting rod and the axial stem of the
cylinder or cartridge chamber the finger is placed on the part D of the locking piece
(see Figure 11). This part D enters the head of the stem; the part E, on the
contrary, moves away; the projections G and H respectively leave the notch in
the body and the notch I in the extracting rod (Figure 11), which allows the
extracting rod to be drawn out of the stem, and the stem out of the cylinder or
cartridge chamber and body.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to or may be carried into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim as my Invention is,―
First. The arrangement and adaptation of the bow of the trigger guard so as to
act as a spring vice, and forming a powerful lever for "cocking" or placing in
tension instantaneously the principal springs of the mechanism.
Second. The construction of the body and side plate in such manner that the
empty space between those two parts of the arm may be filled by a separate piece
of wood or other material.
Third. The arrangement of the axial stem of the cylinder or cartridge chamber
and of the extracting rod composed as follows-A piece secured in the head of the
axial stem of the cylinder or cartridge chamber, such piece being pressed by a
spring which forces a projection of the said piece to enter a notch in the body of
the revolver, and another projection to enter a notch in the extracting rod.
In witness whereof, I, the said Emile Nagant, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
EMILE NAGANT. (L.S.)