Improvements in Revolver Firearms.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1897--Accepted, 17th July, 1897
Improvements in Revolver Firearms.
I, WILLIAM JOHN WHITING, of 153, Linwood Road, Handsworth, in the County of
Stafford, Foreman of Works, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for holding and releasing the
cylinders of revolving firearms of those types which open on a hinged joint for loading
and extracting; and my present invention is a further development of, and improve-
ment upon, my previous invention, for which Letters Patent 3427 A.D. 1891, were
granted to me.
The objects of my improvements are:-
(1) To securely hold the cylinder during the action of the extractor mechanism;
(2) To allow free rotation of the cylinder when shooting; and
(3) To enable the user to easily dismount the cylinder from the axis, and remount
it on the same when required.
These three objects were secured by my previous Letters Patent above quoted, but
my present improvements secure several advantages, the most important of which is
absolute safety against accidental loss of the revolver cylinder when opening the
revolver for the extraction of the empty cases and reloading.
By my present improvements the efficiency of the revolver is more independent of
wear and tear by use, that is to say, the revolver, as constructed on my latest
improvements cannot get out of order in any one of the three essential points above
named by any amount of wear and tear such as can occur during the life of the
revolver.
These requirements are fulfilled in the following manner;
i
The revolver cylinder is mounted on a plain axis which is firmly fixed into the lump
of the barrel.
The shoulder inside the cylinder abuts against the rear end of this axis to prevent
the undue forward movement of the cylinder; and its backward movement is prevented
by a teat which comes nearly into contact with the standing breech when the arm is
closed.
The cylinder is not otherwise fastened to the axis.
On the front end of the cylinder is a short, tubular projection or sleeve surrounding
the axis, which axis is fixed into the lump of the barrel: and in this sleeve a groove
is cut for the purpose hereinafter described, namely, the holding and releasing of the
eylinder as required.
So far, my present invention corresponds with the invention in my previous
specification; but my present invention aims at removing certain difficulties which
experience has pointed out in regard to my said previous invention.
In my present invention on the lump of the barrel I pivot a stirrup shaped lever
which embraces both sides of the lump and the cross bar of which stirrup passes across
the revolver between the front end of the cylinder and the rear end of the lump on
the barrel.
This cross bar is hollowed out to suit the curve of the groove in the before
mentioned sleeve for the purpose of locking the cylinder when required.

page_text: For convenience of description I shall speak of this stirrup shaped lever as the
" stirrup."
This stirrup is operated by the same mechanism as that shown in my above
mentioned previous specification, but its action is supplemented by the further
mechanism now about to be described, which further mechanism secures as before
stated a greater certainty of action to hold the cylinder, allow free rotation, and
release the cylinder when required, as stated in the third paragraph of this
specification.
This extra efficiency is obtained in the following manner:-
On the periphery of the knuckle joint of the body a rounded part of the cross bar
of the stirrup rides, and so long as this rides on the full circumference of the joint the
stirrup is in positive engagement with the groove in the sleeve before mentioned, and
the cylinder is absolutely locked in position, and cannot be lost.
At two positions of the knuckle joint grooves are cut across the knuckle joint to
allow of the unlocking of the cylinder; that is to say, that at those two positions the
rounded part of the cross bar of the stirrup can drop into the grooves provided, and
then the cylinder is free.
The relative positions of these two grooves to free the cross bare are:-
(1) When the revolver is fully closed.
(2) When the revolver is fully open:
but there is this difference; when the revolver is closed the stirrup is withdrawn from
engagement with the sleeve in order to give perfect freedom of rotation to the
cylinder in shooting, but when the revolver is fully open the stirrup locks the cylinder
unless the user desires to free the cylinder by moving the disengaging lever when the
stirrup is drawn out of gear and the rounded part of the cross bar of the stirrup drops
into the groove provided and the cylinder is free.
But in any case, on moving the revolver from the closed to the open position
or vice versa, the full circumference of the body joint absolutely ensures the safe
locking of the cylinder.
A serviceable modification of the stirrup fastening for the cylinder consists of the
following mode of construction :-
The stirrup is made wider between its arms than the lump on the barrel.
This gives it a freedom of transverse motion.
It is always pressed to one side of the revolver by a spring and then locks the
cylinder, but if pressed in the contrary direction, the cylinder is set free. A part of
the stirrup fastener and a part of the body of the revolver are each bevelled in order
that on closing the revolver the transverse sliding stirrup may automatically move
sideways so as to free the cylinder for shooting.
Also to facilitate the replacement of the cylinder after dismounting the front part
of the stirrup is chamfered.
Dated 21st day of Tul.. 1900
WILLIAM JOHN WHITING.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Revolver Firearms..
I, WILLIAM JOHN WHITING of 53 Douglas Road, Handsworth in the County of
Stafford, Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what 4
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in méchanism for holding and releasing the
cylinders of revolver firearms of those types which open on a hinged joint for loading
and extracting; and my present invention is a further development of, and
improvement upon my previous invention, for which Letters Patent No. 3427
A.D. 1891 were granted to me.

page_text: Djects
1. To securely hold or retain the cylinder upon its axis during the operation of the
extractor mechanism.
2. To allow free rotation of the retained cylinder when firing.
3. To enable the user to easily dismount the cylinder from the axis and remount it
on the same when required.
These three objects were secured by my previous Letters Patent above quoted;
but my present improvements secure several advantages, the inost important of which
is absolute safety against accidental loss of the revolver cylinder when opening the
revolver for the extraction of the empty cases and reloading.
By my present improvements the efficiency of the revolver is more independent of
wear and tear by use; that is to say, the revolver, as constructed on my latest
improvements cannot get out of order in any one of the three essential points above
named by any amount of wear and tear such as can occur during the life of the
revolver.
These requirements are fulfilled in the following manner:
The revolver cylinder is mounted on an axis which is firmly fixed into the lump of
the barrel.
The shoulder inside the cylinder abuts against the rear end of this axis to prevent
the undne forward movement of the cylinder; and its backward movement is prevented
by a teat which comes nearly into contact with the standing breech when the arm is
closed for firing.
The cylinder is not otherwise fastened to the axis.
On the front end of the cylinder is a short, tubular projection or sleeve surrounding
the axis, which axis is fixed into the lump of the barrel as before stated; and in this
sleeve a groove is cut for the purpose hereinafter described viz. -the holding and
releasing of the cylinder as required, by means of the special mechanism to be
described.
So far my present invention corresponds with the invention in my previous
specification; but my present invention aims at removing certain difficalties which
experience has pointed out in regard to my said previous invention.
In my present invention on the lump of the barrel I pivot a stirrup or flattened
U-shaped lever hereinafter called the stirrup which embraces and is jointed to hoth
sides of the lump, and the cross bar of which stirrup passes across the revolver between
the front end of the cylinder and the rear end of the lump on the barrel. This cross
bar is hollowed out to suit the curve of the groove in the before-mentioned sleeve on
the cylinder, with which it engages for the purpose of locking the said cylinder when
required.
This stirrup is operated in part by like mechanism to that described in my above
mentioned previous specification, but its action is supplemented by the further
mechanism now about to be described; which further mechanism secures as before
stated a greater certainty of action to hold or retain the cylinder on the axis, allow
free rotation thereof and release the said cylinder, when required as above
referred to.
This extra efficiency is obtained in the following manner :-
On the periphery of the knuckle joint of the body the underside of the cross har of
the stirrup rides, and so long as this bar wipes over the full circumference of the joint
the stirrup is retained in positive or full engagement with the groove in the sleeve
of the cylinder before mentioned, and the cylinder is absolutely locked in position and
cannot be lost during the opening and closing of the revolver.
At two positions of the knuckle joint, two sets of transverse grooves are cut across
the knuckle joint to respectively allow of the unlocking and parallel freeing of the
cylinder; that is to say, that at those two positions the underside of the cross bar of
the stirrup can drop into the grooves provided, and then the cylinder is either free by
the dropping of the cross bar into a deeper groove, or the stirrup is removed from
actual contact with the bottom of the annular groove in the sleeve to admit of the
cylinder freely revolving, by the dropping of the cross bar into the shallower groove.

page_text: The relative positions of these two grooves for admitting of the cross bar fully or
partially dropping are such that when the revolver is fully closed the deeper grooves
in the barrel knuckle cheeks come lignable with the shallow grooves in the body
knuckle cheeks, but when the revolver is fully opened the deeper grooves in the
cheeks of both knuckles come coincident and so that when the revolver is closed the
stirrup is withdrawn froin engagement or contact with the bottom of the groove in
the sleeve in order to admit of perfect freedom of rotation to the cylinder in shooting,
but when the revolver is fully open the said stirrup locks the cylinder unless the user
desires to free it by moving the disengaging-lever, when the stirrup is taken out of
gear and the underside of the cross bar of the same drops into the deeper sets of
grooves provided, becomes clear of the groove in the sleeve and the cylinder is free,
and can be removed from the axis. But in any case, on moving the revolver from
the closed to the open position or vice vera the wiping of the underside of the
stirrup cross bar over the full circumference of the body joint absolutely ensures the
safe locking of the cylinder, by pressing the stirrup into engagement with the sleeve
on the cylinder throughout the opening movement, which is owing to there always
being a fixed distance between the full circumference of the knuckle and the bottom
of the annular groove.
A modification of the stirrup fastening for the cylinder consists of the following
mode of construction:-The stirrup is made wider between its arms than the lump
on the barrel, so na to give it a freedom of transverse motion. It is always pressed to
one side of the revolver by a spring and then locks the cylinder, but if pressed in the
contrary direction the cylinder is set free. A part of the stirrup fastener and a part
of the body of the revolver are each bevelled in order that on closing the revolver the
transverse sliding stirrup may automatically move sideways so as to free the cylinder
for shooting.
Also to facilitate the replacement of the cylinder, after dismounting, the front part
of the stirrup is chamfered.
The accompanying drawings show my invention, in both forms, applied to revolvers,
and also parts of the mechanisin separately.
Figure 1 represents a complete side elevation of a revolver provided with the first
form of my improved mechanism for holding, releasing and freeing the cylinder. The
said revolver is shown closed and the cylinder locked through the medium of the bar
of the pivoted or swinging stirrup, but partially freed in order to admit of the free
rotation of the same around its axis.
Figure 2 represents the said revolver opened, as for extracting and ejecting the
fired cartridge cases and reloading and with the underside of the stirrup cross bar
shown fully engaged with the groove in cylinder sleeve, thus locking the said cylinder
to its axis.
Figure 3 represents a topside plan transverse section and back elevation of the
swinging stirrup separately.
Figure 4 is a side elevation and edge view of the double-arined disengaging lever,
the short arm of which constitutes a 'lug for both keeping the stirrup in engagement
with the annular groove in the sleeve at the front of the cylinder, and also for giving
a partial turning movement to the said stirrup for disengaging the stirrup cross
bar from the said groove.
Figure 5 represents an end view and plan of the pivot axis passing through the
knuckle joint, having a wiper or bossed end the edge of which carries or is formed into
a lug and a shoulder. The foriner is made to drop into a sinking on the outer face
of the joint, so as to make the pivot rigid with and move with the lug, whilst the
shoulder forms a stop for limiting the movement of the disengaging lever, which is
fitted on to the end thereof, as shown in edge view in Figure 6 and in front elevation
in Figure 7.
Figure 8 represents a like view of the revolver as Figure 1, but the front end of the
cylinder and sleeve, and also the stirrup and a part of the joint shown in section.
Figure 9 represents a like part sectional view as Figure 8, but with the revolver
opened as in Figure 2.

page_text: Figure 10 represents an end elevation of the cylinder, with the sleeve in section
and with the stirrup engaging with the groove in elevation.
Figure 11 is a plan of the joint showing the sets of transverse grooves.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 11 of the
drawings.
is the cylinder of the revolver, b the body, c the barrel, and d the lump on the
barrel, jointed to the knuckle b', of the said body. e is the stirrup for holding,
freeing and releasing the cylinder as and when required, comprising a cross bar e¹,
with the top edge e, formed to engage with the annular groove a, cut in the sleeve a',
on the front of the cylinder a, whilst the underside edge e, adapted to wipe over the
peripheries 62, d², of the cheeks b, d, of the knuckle joint 61, and to fall into the
sets of cross grooves or transverse sinkings d, d, b. The grooves d', which are cut
only in the outer cheeks, are simply for freeing the cross bar from frictional contact
with the bottom of the groove in the cylinder sleeve so as not to impair the free
rotation of the cylinder, whilst the other set of grooves b', d, when coincident as in
Figure 11, allow the stirrup to fully drop so that its bar may become fully clear of the
annular groove in the sleeve on the cylinder requiring to be removed from its axis.
The said cross bar e', is carried by opposite side arms et, ex, pivotedly hung at e', and
having their underside edges e, curved to a radius struck from the same centre as the
peripheries of the knuckles, so that on the wiping of the end 3, of the lug f, of the
disengaging arm f, under the cam formation e", the bar of the said stirrup is kept
constantly in engagement with the annular groove 2, of the sleeve a'. The front
end of one of the sides has a hook shaped shoulder or stop e, which, when the lug f
is brought inte direct contact with it, turns the said stirrup upon its joint centre e
and disengages the edge e, from the groove in the cylinder sleeve. The disengaging
lever has upon the back of it a shoulder f, for limiting its movement by coming in
contact with the shoulder g³, of the wiper or bossed end g, of the pivot axis g, the
inside face of whose lug g, partly lies within a like shaped sinking in the face of
the knuckle, so that the said wiper or bossed end and the pivot axis is made rigid to,
and compelled to turn with, the body of the arm. It is also understood that the
contact end g', of the lug g, also travels upon the underside e", of the arm e and
constitutes a supplementary safety means for keeping the cross bar home should the
disengaging lever become accidentally detached or fail, from any cause, to properly
carry out the duties assigned to it
On opening the revolver the following functions are performed by the various
parts.
As the opening action begins, the lug g', of the wiper or boss y, moves away from
the stop e of the stirrup e, leaving the same free. The cross bar e', then moves out
of the groove in the knuckle of, the body, and on to the circumference or
periphery b, d, of the body joint. Thus the part e of the stirrup e is put into gear
with the groove in the cylinder sleeve and held there during the whole of the opening
movement, thus securely holding the cylinder in position on its axis. But when the
grooves b, d', across the knuckle joint of the lump coincide, then the bottom edge es,
of the cross bar is in position for falling into them and which, when dropped, would
leave the cylinder free to slide off its axis and incur the risk of loss. Such a
contingency is guarded against by the action of the lever f, in following manner.
While the revolver is being opened, the tip end f, of the lug f of the lever f, and the
tip end g', of the lug g, of the wiper g' are made to travel along the cam curve e, of
the stirrup side, towards the cross bar end of the same, but with the traverse of the
lug g, exceeding that of the lug f. When in this position the said lúg f, acts as a
strut and securely holds the stirrup e, in such a position that the part e engages the
groove of the cylinder sleeve. The two lugs f, g are only employed in double order
as a precaution in case of the failure of either of them.

page_text: If the cylinder is to be freed for dismounting, the lever f, is moved by hand to the
position shown by the dotted outline in Figure 2 after being released from the body
by the withdrawal of the small screw f. It will be seen that the lug 2, then acts on
the stop end e, of the stirrup, and rocks the same, thereby freeing. the cylinder as
indicated by the dotted outline of the latter.
If the dismounted cylinder be replaced on the axis, the lever f, need not be set by
hand, as the mere closing of the revolver will bring all the parts to the position shown
in Figure 1. Equally, if the cylinder be not dismounted, and the revolver be closed
from the positions shown in full lines in Figure 2 the conditions of Figure 1 will be
restored by the said.act of closing.
The small supplementaly screw, is not absolutely necessary for securing the
disengaging lever to the lump in the barrel.
In Figures 12 and 13 is shewn a revolver with stirrup constructed according to the
modified form of my invention.
Figure 14 is an elevation of the stirrup separately but shown in conjunction with
the front end ofthe barrel, the sleeve of which is in section.
..
In this case the stirrup is wider between the arms e and ex than the knuckle joint.
A spring presses the stirrup towards the left side, and (when the revolver is
opened) brings the curved part or lip e2 into the groove a² of the cylinder sleeve a¹.
Pressing on the chequered button e releases the cylinder.
In order to free the cylinder for firing, a slight chamfer es, may be formed on the
right side of the body b, to push the stirrup e a little to the right when the revolver
is closed, and keep it so until the revolver is again opened. After the opening of the
revolver to a limited extent, then the stirrup e', is released and the engaging lip e
carried by it is made to enter the annular groove a², on the sleeve a¹ of the cylinder
which is thus locked when the revolver is fully opened.
Thus, on the first opening of the revolver, the teat i, at the back of the cylinder
describes a radius from the joint i, within the vertical recess 23, in the standing
breech, but just before the said teat leaves the said recess, the stirrup is released from
its held back position and is then impelled by the spring and its lip e, is instantly
taken into engagement with the groove a², of the sleeve a¹, of the cylinder, which is
thus locked to its axis during the whole of the further movement of opening.
As a further modification, the stirrup may have a part cross bar, lip or extension
and be pivoted to, or swing from a pin, or the holster guides of the barrel and have a
flange wherethrough a screw pin passes and taken into the lump when fixing the said
stirrup in its locked position. The operation is to first swing the stirrup into position
by hand and so make the lip or extension engage with the annular groove; then make
fast the stirrup by screwing home the small screw.
Instead of the cross piece of the stirrup engaging in an annular groove on the front
of the cylinder, it may take over an annular shoulder or collar thereon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First-In means for holding and releasing the cylinders of revolver small arms, a
stirrup or equivalent member, (mounted upon or carried by the lump or other suitable
part of the barrel) with a cross bar located between the opposed ends of barrel lump
and cylinder and adapted to engage with or be disengaged from an annular groove or
collar of the said cylinder.
Secondly-A stirrup or equivalent member having a cross bar coming between the
front end of a revolver cylinder and barrel lump and carried by opposite side branches
or arms pivotedly swinging from the said lump or breech end of the barrel, and which
cross bar is raised and lowered to engage with, and be disengaged from, an annular
groove or collar on the cylinder, by'mechanism actuated either by the opening or
closing of the revolver, or by hand, substantially for the purpose described and set
forth.

page_text: Thirdly-The combination of the stirrup e with the lever f and wiper g', and their
subordinate parts, for the purpose of holding, freeing and releasing the cylinder as
described.
Fourthly The combination of the cross bar el in a stirrup e with the freeing
grooves in the knuckles of the body and lump, as described.
Fifthly: The supplementary means for positively holding the stirrup in
engagement with the cylinder, in which the cross bar or equivalent part of the same
rides upon, or wipes over the full circunference of the knuckle joint during the
motion of opening and closing of the revolver.
Sixthly: The combination of the cylinder and its sleeve having an annular groove
sunken therein or a collar formed thereon, of the-knuckle joint formed by the body
and lump and sunken with the freeing grooves, the full circuinference between the
said grooves, the stirrup e, cross bar e, lever f and wiper g', acting for the holding,
freeing and releasing of the cylinder as described and set forth.
Seventhly-The modification of the stirrup pressed upon by a spring, and freed
by automatic action by hand pressure, for the purposes as described and set forth in
Figures 12, 13 and 14.
Dated this 3rd day of May 1897
WILLIAM JOHN WHITING,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.