Improvements in Small-arms.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 6th May, 1892-Accepted, 11th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by DIE ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT GRUSONWERK, of
Magdeburg-Buckau, in the Empire of Germany.].
•
Improvements in 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 per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in small-arms, its object being to provide
a small-arm which may be fired as rapidly as a revolver, but with much greater
accuracy of aim.
In the said improved small-arm, a series of parallel barrels is provided, the said
barrels being rigidly connected together and hinged to the breech shoe, in a similar
manner to the "drop-down" barrels of a sporting gun. The cartridges are inserted
into the rear end of the barrels, in the usual manner and the ignition thereof is
effected by a single firing-pin which is arranged so that it is automatically cocked
by operating the trigger or the hammer.
This firing pin, which constitutes an essential feature of the invention, is carried
in a drum adapted to rotate upon a bearing formed in the axial line of the group of
barrels, and is brought behind the ends of the barrels in succession by an ordinary
turning device which operates when the trigger is pulled or the hammer drawn back
so that the charges in the several barrels can be fired in rapid succession.
In order that this invention may be clearly understood I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of a four barrelled pistol constructed
according to this invention.
Figure II a portion of Figure I with the group of barrels "dropped" or turned
about the pin by which the group is hinged to the breech shoe.
Figure III is an end elevation of the barrels and ejector shown in Figure II.
Figure IV is a cross-section on the line a b of Figure II.
Figure V is a front view of the hammer shown in Figure I.
Figure VI is a view of the rear end of the rotatable drum hereinbefore referred
to and includes a detail of the mechanism hereinafter particularly described and
Figure VII is a section of Figure VI on the line y of the figure.
Like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
The four barrels 1, 2, 3 and 4 are as aforesaid rigidly connected with each other,
and grouped parallel with each other and at equal distances apart, round the longi-
tudinal axis of the group. For loading and unloading purposes the said grouped
barrels as represented in Figure Il are turned down upon a hinge bolt 5 secured in
the breech-frame 6. The cartridge extractor 7 has the form shown in the drawing,
which is customary with sporting guns having "drop-down" barrels. It is guided
by means of a pin 8 which is adapted to move in a hole bored in the axial line of
group of barrels, at the rear end of the said group, and is displaced to the rear
relatively to the barrels by the eccentric piece 9 of the frame during the operation
of turning down the said barrels. 7 is a bar secured to the extractor and adapted
to move in a suitable guide-opening formed in the extension 14 secured to the group
of barrels.
the
When the pistol is made ready for firing after the insertion of cartridges, by
turning the group of barrels from the position in which they are shown in Figure Il
into that which they occupy in Figure I the extractor and the cartridges are forced
into the barrels again by the front wall 10 of a casing 11 bored out cylindrically
and secured on the breech frame in the position shown in the drawings. The

page_text: locking of the group of barrels then takes place in the customary manner by the
operation of the bolt 13 which is under the pressure of a spring 12 and enters a
notch in the said extension 14 secured to the barrels.
In the casing 11 is placed a short central spindle 15 upon which the drum 16
rotates. The said drum contains in a suitable recess 19 the firing pin 17 as shown
in Figure VII. By turning the drum this pin 17 can be placed behind each barrel
in succession as the axis of the said pin is at the same distance from the axis of the
group of barrels as the bores of the several barrels. As shown in Figure 4 the
front wall 10 of the casing 11 is provided with four holes 10" for the passage of
the point of the firing pin. In order that the hammer 18 shall be able to strike the
firing pin 17 when the said pin is in line with any of the said holes its striking
surface has the nor horse shoe form illustrated in Figure 5. The said firing pin
normally is maintained by the spring 19 at the rearward extreme of its travel in the
recess of the drum 16. The turning of the drum 16 is effected after every discharge
in the manner usual in revolvers by the turning arm 21 which is pivoted to the
trigger 20, and which when the trigger is released after firing, slides over a tooth
of the ratchet 16* passing below the said tooth, and, when the trigger is pulled or
the hammer 18 cocked is raised to such an extent that the drum will make a quarter
of a turn and the firing pin 17 will come in line with the cartridge in the next
barrel. Each quarter of a turn of the drum is limited by the stop-pin 22 pushed
upwards by the trigger 20 to engage suitable teeth formed upon the circumference
of a portion of the drum 16. When pulling the trigger or cocking the hammer the
latter allows the firing pin to be moved rearwardly by the pressure of the spring 19,
so that its point releases the cartridge case, before the turning of the drum 16 takes
place.
As hereinbefore stated the essential feature of the invention is the arrangement of
the firing pin and rotary drum and I do not limit myself to the application of the
said invention in the particular manner herein before described by way of example.
For instance the said rotary drum carrying the firing pin might be advantageously
applied to a fire-arm with grouped barrels in which the barrels instead of being
turned down are moved longitudinally during the operation of loading, or the device
for turning the said drum might be arranged in any other suitable manner than that
hereinbefore set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is.
First. A small-arm having two or more barrels, in combination with a rotatable
drum carrying the firing pin, the said drum being so arranged that it can be turned
to bring the said firing pin successively into line with the several barrels, for the
purpose specified.
Second. A small-arm having two or more barrels, in combination with a rotatable
drum carrying the firing pin, and means for rotating the said drum when the
hammer or the trigger is operated, with or without the locking device, substantially
as described.
Third. A small-arm having two or more barrels, and a firing pin arranged to
come into line with each of the barrels in succession, in combination with a hammer
having a head or face shaped as in Fig. 5 so that it will be able to strike the firing-
pin when the said firing-pin is in line with any one of the barrels, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Fourth. A small-arm constructed and operated substantially as hereinbefore
described for the purposes specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.