IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING PISTOLS AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip Webley, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN REPEATING PISTOLS AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 11th March 1854, and dated the 14th September 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Webley at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th September 1853.
I, PHILIP WEBLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING PISTOLS AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS" to be as
follows:-
The improvements consist, first, in forming the driver by which
the rotation of the barrel is effected (in rotating chamber fire-arms) in
one piece with the stop, which prevents the rotating chamber barrel
moving too far when bringing a fresh charge chamber into position, by
which simplicity of parts is effected; and, secondly, to means for
insuring close contact between the inner end of the stationary barrel
each charge chamber at firing, or when the hammer is against the
nipple, whilst, when the hammer is withdrawn, the rotating barrel

page_text: containing the charges is free of that end of the fixed barrel in
rotating chamber fire-arms arranged for central fire, and this part of
the Invention only applies to such arrangement of rotating chamber
fire-arms.
The outer end of each charge chamber next the fixed barrel is opened
or dished to receive the conical end of the. fixed barrel; a sliding piece
capable of acting against the rotating barrel, and placed below its axis,
is acted upon by the breast of the hammer when the hammer is against
the nipple to press the rotating barrel, and insure close contact between
a charge chamber and the fixed barrel. When the hammer is
withdrawn a spring removes the chamber from the end of the fixed
barrel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Philip Webley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th March 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
PHILIP WEBLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Philip Webley, Her special licence
that I, the said Philip Webley, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Philip Webley, my executors, ad-
ministrators, 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
PISTOLS AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Philip Webley, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature

page_text: of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Philip Webley, do hereby
declare 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):
The improvements consist, first, in forming the driver by which the
rotation of the barrel is effected (in rotating chamber fire-arms) in one
piece with the stop, which prevents the rotating chamber barrel moving
too far when bringing a fresh charge chamber into position, by which
simplicity of parts is effected; and, secondly, to means for insuring
close contact between the inner end of the stationary barrel and each
charge chamber at firing, or when the hammer is against the nipple,
whilst, when the hammer is withdrawn, the rotating barrel containing
the charges is free of that end of the fixed barrel in rotating chamber
fire-arms arranged for central fire, and this part of the Invention only
applies to such arrangement of rotating chamber fire-arms. But that
the Invention may be fully understood I will proceed to explain the
Drawings annexed, in each of the Figures of which the same letters
indicate like parts wherever they occur.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, shows a side view of a pistol with the parts arranged
according to my present improvements; Figure 2, shows a similar
view, but partly in section; Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, show some of the
parts separately; and I would here state that I have thought it sufficient
to show my improvements applied to a pistol only, as a workman.
accustomed to the manufacture of this description of fire-arms will
readily make those variations in form consequent upon their adaptation
to other form of rotating chamber fire-arms. a, is the rotating cylinder
containing the separate charge chambers; b, is the fixed metal part of
the framing, which at its outer end 63, supports the barrel c, by means
of the projecting arm c', with a capability for the barrel c, turning

page_text: upon the end 6, of the frame b, when it is required to remove or
replace a cylinder a, according to improvements for which I obtained
Her Majesty's Letters Patent, bearing date on or about the Fourth
day of February, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three; but the
pin b', upon which the parts turn, in place of being affixed to the part b,
and turning in a hole provided for the purpose in the stem c', as was
described in the Specification of the Patent before referred to, is in the
present case affixed to the stem c', and passes into a socket formed in
the framing b, as shown, but it is governed in its movement by a pin c
in like manner to what was there described. The pin d, for holding
the barrel c, up to the cylinder a, passes into the end of the axis a', of
the cylinder a, and it is formed at its lower part with a male screw d',
by turning which into a corresponding female screw formed in the
lower part of the stem c', the bolt d, is prevented getting loose from
the pin a'. All which, however, being only a modification of that
shown and described in my said former Specification, forms no part of
the present improvements, and are only referred to in order to explain
the variation in the arrangement of the parts as shewn by the present
Drawing. e, is the trigger; f, is the hammer; and g, the driver for
causing the partial or step by step rotation of the cylinder a, in order
to bring fresh charge chambers successively in a line with the barrel c.
This driver g, turns by a pin joint g', at its lower end upon the hammer
f, and it is formed with a projection g², which, when the driver is acting]
to turn the cylinder for the bringing up of a fresh charge chamber,
comes into position to act against one of the side pieces a², of the
cylinder a, to prevent the cylinder turning too far, and it is the forming
such driver and stop (of fire-arms of the kind described) in one piece
which constitutes the first part of my Invention. In order to insure
close contact between the end of the barrel c, and each charge chamber
in the cylinder a, when firing, or when the hammer is against the
nipple, the breast f¹, of the hammer f, acts by the sliding stump h, to
force the cylinder a, into close contact with the inner end of the barrel c,
to effect such contact. But when in "cocking" the hammer head is
withdrawn from the nipple, the breast f¹, is also withdrawn from
pressing the stump h, upon the cylinder; a coiled spring i, then frees

page_text: the cylinder a, from the inner end of the barrel c, in order that the
next partial rotation may be readily effected. The outer end of each
of the chambers in the cylinder a, is opened or dished to receive the
conical end of the fixed barrel c. The stump h, is formed with a
straight surface h', to h', capable of fitting against each of the corre-
sponding surfaces a', of the cylinder a, to assist in holding the cylinder
u, steadily when firing.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I would have
it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein
shown and described, so long as the peculiar character of either part of
my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,
First, the forming the driver used to cause the rotatory movement of
the charge chamber or cylinder of repeating pistols and other fire-arms
having a fixed barrel in one piece with the stop, by which the chamber
at each movement is prevented moving too far; and,
Secondly, I claim the so arranging parts of repeating pistols and
other fire-arms arranged for central fire that the rotating charge
cylinder may at firing, or when the hammer is against the nipple, be
forced into close contact with the inner end of the stationary barrel by
the action of the hammer, and when the hammer is withdrawn from
the nipple the cylinder may be relieved by spring pressure from contact
with the stationary barrel, so as to be free to revolve.
In witness whereof, I, the said Philip Webley, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
my
PHILIP WEBLEY. (L.S.)
Witness,
WILLIAM BROOKES,
Patent Agent,
73, Chancery Lane.