Improvements in Revolver Small-arms.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 11th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by DIE ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT GRUSONWERK, of
Magdeberg-Buckau, in the Empire of Germany.]
Improvements in Revolver Small-arms.
I, HENRY HARris Lake, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
In revolver small-arms as heretofore constructed the accuracy of the firing is
very much impaired by reason of the brief space which exists between the inner
end of the barrel and the front face of the revolving cylinder, which space is
necessary in order that the said cylinder may be able to turn without jamming.
Through this intermediate space the powder gases escape more or less and produce
a deleterious action upon the barrel and further the proper introduction of the
cartridge into the barrel is interfered with by reason of the absence of a guide at
the aforementioned point of interruption and a good discharge is thereby rendered
very difficult of attainment.
The object of the present invention is to obviate these defects, and the important
feature of the said invention consists in the provision of a barrel which can slide
longitudinally for a short distance with respect to the cylinder, and which is auto-
matically drawn back by the cocking of the hammer so as to close the afore-
mentioned space and cause the forward end of the cartridge to enter the barrel
before firing takes place. The barrel is liberated and moved forward again
immediately after the trigger is pulled thereby clearing the cylinder again and
allowing the latter to be revolved. The said invention comprises the improve-
ments and arrangements hereinafter described whereby the aforesaid objects are
effected.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a revolver provided with the said
improvements,
Figure 1 is longitudinal central section of the revolver with the parts in the
position they occupy before the hammer is cocked.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing the hammer half cocked.
Figure 3 shows the hammer nearly at full cock.
Figure 4 is a section on the line a, a Figure 2 the trigger being removed.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 are sections on the line y, y Figure 4 the parts being in the
position corresponding respectively with Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
1 is the pivot pin of the hammer, 2 is the main spring, 3 the hammer, 4 the
barrel, and 5 the cylinder. In Figure 1 the barrel 4 occupies its extreme forward
position, leaving between its inner end and the front face of the cylinder 5 a brief
space, so that it is possible to turn the cylinder upon its axis 6 for the purposes of
loading and unloading and for bringing up a fresh cartridge opposite the barrel.
This axis can be displaced in the longitudinal direction in the frame 7. It is
rigidly connected at its forward end by means of the nut 8 with the barrel. At its
rear end it is provided with a hook-shaped part 9. Between the barrel and the
frame 7 is inserted a spring 10 which is enclosed in a case 11 fixed to the barrel;
this spring is put under compression by the drawing back of the barrel and sub-
sequently effects the forward movement of the latter.
The. barrel is coned at its inner end as shown at 4*, and when the barrel is drawn
back as hereinafter described the said coned part passes over the forward end of

page_text: the cartridge and enters a conical recess 21 formed in the cylinder. In this position
of the barrel, the cylinder 5 is locked and cannot be turned.
13 is a pin fixed in the hammer in a suitable position for engaging with the
hook 9 of the axis 6 so that when the hammer is cocked the said pin 13 operates to
draw back the axis 6 and with it the barrel 4.
To the aforementioned case 11 of the barrel is fixed a lug 14 which as the barrel
is drawn back by the cocking of the hammer engages with a bell-crank lever 15
which is pivoted at 15* to the frame 7 and turns the said lever about its pivot.
17 is a pawl pivoted on the bell-crank lever 15 and engaging with a ratchet toothed
disc 18 on the face of the cylinder 5. 16 is a spring secured to the frame 7 and
arranged to act on the pawl 17 to turn the cylinder 5 when the said cylinder is
released by the forward movement of the barrel.
The spring 16 carries a catch 19 which at each position of rest of cylinder
engages in a notch 20 formed therein and thereby locks the said cylinder. In the
position shown in Figure 2 the said catch 19 has been withdrawn from the notch 20
by the depression of the spring 16 thus unlocking the cylinder and allowing the
said cylinder to be turned to its next position of rest immediately the coned end of
the barrel has been withdrawn from the recess 21. The cartridge 22 projects into
the recess 21 as clearly shown in Figure 1, and when therefore the barrel is drawn
back the cartridge enters the barrel.
The barrel 4 is provided with a guide bar 23 which slides in a groove 23* formed
in the frame 7. For locking the barrel in its rearmost position until the revolver
has been fired and the trigger released two locking bars 24, 24 are provided. These
bars slide in vertical passages formed in the frame 7 and are connected at their
lower ends by a toe piece 25 which bears upon the trigger 12. 26, 26 are springs
surrounding the rods 24 24 and which are compressed between shoulders formed in
the frame 7 and the toe piece 25 and operate to force downwards the bars 24. The
ends 27 of the bars 24 are made wedge shaped and are adapted to enter similarly
shaped holes 23** formed in the guide bar 23. The trigger is connected by a
spring catch or hook 28 with a projection 3* on the hammer so that when the said
hammer is cocked the trigger is raised by the hook 28 and carries with it the
bars 24. The cocking of the hammer thus not only draws back the bar 23 but
raises the rods 24 and the arrangement of these parts is such that the wedges 27
are forced into the holes 23** and the barrel is thus locked in its rearmost
position.
Figure 6 shows the wedge 27 just ready to enter the hole 23**, and Figure 7
shows the said wedge fully pressed home and the barrel locked. During the final
part of the locking operation, the barrel makes a small backward movement corre
sponding to the pull of the wedge 27. In this small movement the axis 6 of course
participates and the hook 9 as shown in Figure 3 is thus caused to clear the pin 13.
The upper side of the pin 13 and the lower face of the hook 9 are curved to a
radius the centre of which coincides with the pin 1.
Upon pulling the trigger, after the hammer is fully cocked, the hook 28 is raised
and disengaged from the projection 3*, and the hammer 3 is free to strike the
firing pin 29. A spring 30) is provided to force back the firing pin after each
discharge so that the end of the pin shall be free from the cartridge case. In
order that the pin shall be able to move outwardly the required distance, the front
face of the hammer is provided with a small notch into which the rear end of the
firing pin can be retracted as shown in Figure 1. On releasing the trigger after
the firing, it is forced downward by the springs 26 to its lowest position and the
locking rods 24 are withdrawn from the holes 23** thus liberating the guide bar 23,
so that the barrel is able to be moved forward by the spring 10 thus releasing
the cylinder. The spring 16 then operates to turn back the bell-crank lever 15
and presses the pawl 17 upwards, so that the latter turns the cylinder and brings a
fresh cartridge opposite the barrel. After the turning has been effected, the
catch 19 passes into the next notch 20 on the circumference of the cylinder and so
relocks the cylinder until the hammer is re-cocked.

page_text: By the described arrangements is obtained in the first place the advantage that
at the moment of the firing the cartridge is already in the barrel without the
guiding of the same being interrupted even for an instant, and in the second place
that the powder gases press the periphery of the cartridge casing against the
periphery of the bore of the barrel and tightly close the powder chamber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :—
First. A revolver small-arm having a spring controlled longitudinally movable
barrel which is connected with the hammer in such a manner as to be drawn back
when the hammer is cocked thereby closing the space between the inner end of the
barrel and the cylinder, and causing the cartridge to enter the barrel before firing
takes place, for the purpose specified.
Second. In a revolver small-arm a longitudinally movable barrel having a coned
inner end which when the barrel is drawn back enters a recess in the cartridge
chamber and locks the cylinder, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Third. The devices connecting the barrel and the hammer for drawing back the
barrel when the hammer is cocked, substantially as described.
Fourth. The means for locking the barrel in its rearmost position and
unlocking the said barrel again when the trigger is released, substantially as
described.
Fifth. A revolver small-arm constructed substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings, and operating as, and for the purposes,
specified.
Dated thin orth of A 1900
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.