CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Timothy Walker Carter, of the State of Massa-
chusetts, of the United States of America, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS."-A communi-
cation from Joshua Stevens, of the aforesaid State of Massachusetts.
Sealed the 24th April 1855, and dated the 3rd March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Timothy Walker Carter
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd March 1855.
I, TIMOTHY WALKER GARTER, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "NEW
AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
Of the said Drawings, Figure 1 denotes a side elevation of a "revolver"
pistol, constructed in accordance with my Invention, one of its lock plates
being removed in order to exhibit the internal construction of the lock, and the
hammer being shown as elevated. Figure 2 exhibits a view of the lock as it
appears when the hammer is removed from it; Figure 3 is an inner side view
of the hammer; Figure 4 is a front edge view of the same; Figure 5 is a
front end view of the rotary cylinder; Figure 6 is a rear end view of the
same Figure 7 is a front end view of the breech plate of the lock and the
journal on which the cylinder revolves.

page_text: In these Drawings, or in such of them as the same may be shown, A
represents the lock case or handle of the fire-arm or pistol; B, the percussion
hammer or cock; C, the trigger; D, the rotary cylinder or magazine; E, the
barrel; F, the journal, on which the rotary cylinder D is supported and
revolve; G is the percussion nipple; H, the trigger spring; I, the main
spring, connected to the hammer by means of a stirrup K; L, the lever, for
turning the magazine or cylinder D; M is the bolt of the said cylinder.
The hammer is provided with a small notch a, for the catch part 6 of the
trigger to take into, in order to set said hammer to a full cock. When the
hammer is made to actuate a "Maynard primer," (for which the fire-arm
delineated in the Drawings is prepared,) it may be provided with a small
impelling pawl c, arranged upon it as seen in the Drawings; this, however,
forms no part of my Invention. A stationary journal N for the hammer
to rotate upon is placed in the lock case, and by the side of this hammer is a
tumbler O, which rotates freely on the journal N, and is moved thereon by
means of an arm & projecting from the trigger, and made to work into a notch
e formed in the tumbler, as seen in the Drawings, and particularly in Figures
8 and 9, which are views of opposite sides of said tumbler. To this tumbler
the turning level L may be jointed, the ends of the lever being placed within
a recess formed in the tumbler, as seen in Figure 9; the said reccss being
provided with a bearer a, against which the lever L rests, when and so that.
it may be elevated by the tumbler.
In Figure 9 the lever L is represented by dotted lines. A spring pro-
jecting from the tumbler rests on the upper side of the lever L, and serves to
press down the front end of the lever at proper times. The upper part of the
tumbler is formed with a catch or notch hand a cam i, which operates on a tail
hook of the bolt M, for the purpose of withdrawing it and the bolt, the said
bolt being moved forwards by means of a spring p projecting upwards from
the lower part of the lock case, and made to enter a small recess or notch n
formed in the tail hook o, such tail hook being jointed to the bolt, so as to be
capable of moving freely in a vertical plane.
During the rotation of the tumbler by the trigger the catch h will be
carried into contact with the part r of the tail hook, and will draw back the.
tail hook and its bolt, until the cam i acting against the tail hook shall force
the part entirely above the catch h, which taking place the bolt will be set
free, so as to be moved forward by its spring, the action of which is such as
not only to move the bolt, but to press its tail hook downward towards the
tumbler. By arranging the notch n below the point p, as seen in the Drawings,
the spring is caused to operate upon the tail hook, so as to depress it in the

page_text: manner as specified. The cylinder D being provided with a series of charge
chambers s, s, s, is to have imparted to it such an intermittent rotary motion as
will bring the touch-holes of its several chambers (such touch-holes being
represented in Figure 6, at t, t, t, and their directions being represented
therein by dotted lines,) successively into line with the bore of the barrel.
The rear end of the cylinder is provided with locking recesses u, u, and a
ratchet or turning cams v, v, v, arranged as seen in Figure 6, they being
constructed and made to operate with respect to the bolt and turning lever,
essentially like those in common use in many pistols having revolving
magazines, cylinders, or a series of barrels. During the reciprocating
rotary movement of the tumbler, produced by the movement of the trigger
and spring H thereof, the turning lever or finger L will be moved forward
and upward against the bearing face of a tooth of the ratchet, and be
subsequently drawn backward away from the ratchet, while the spring g
will force it downward, so as to cause it to pass over the next succeeding
tooth of the ratchet. While being moved by the tumbler, the bearer x
comes in contact with the turning lever, and forces it upward.
I would further remark, that when the turning lever L is forced against
the tooth of a ratchet during the time the cylinder is being revolved,
there is to such lever no forward motion such as would tend to crowd the
cylinder in a longitudinal direction against the barrel or its front support. This
action of the lever is very important, and prevents any of that serious friction
of the cylinder against the barrel or front bearing which is often produced by
a spring or pawl, so acting as to press the cylinder forward while in the act of
turning it around. From the rear side of the hammer there projects a cam
pin w, which should be so made and applied, that while the hammer is in the
act of descending, it may so act against the tail hook o, as to elevate or keep
elevated the said tail hook so far above the catch h of the tumbler, that such
catch may pass by and not act on the part r, in case the movement of the
trigger is so rapid as to render the cylinder liable to be rotated before the
charge fired by the action of the hammer has left its chamber in the cylinder.
In this case, or when the trigger is moved back with too great rapidity, or
without effecting any rotation of the cylinder, it must be suffered again to move
forward before it can produce such a movement of the cylinder. This done
during the next backward pull of the trigger, the hammer being down upon
the nipple, the catch of the tumbler will so act against the tail hook of the bolt
as to draw the bolt backward, and enable the turning mechanism to revolve
the cylinder.
As the rapidity of the back movement of the trigger should be such as

page_text: to allow a charge to fully leave its chamber before the cylinder is again
rotated, if we allow the locking bolt to commence its backward movement at
the instant the hammer strikes on the nipple, the interval of time required to
draw the bolt out of its recess in the cylinder will be ample for the explosion
of the charge and its exit from the chamber; we should therefore be particular
that the locking bolt is not retracted before the hammer strikes down on the
nipple. The cam pin eases down the tail hook of the locking bolt, so that it
may be caught by the catch of the tumbler, after or about the time the
hammer has struck on the nipple, provided the movement of such catch has
not been so rapid as to pass by the part r. In case the back movement of the
catch has been too fast, the locking bolt will not have been withdrawn from
the cylinder; consequently no rotation of the cylinder can take place until such
bolt is so withdrawn, and it cannot be withdrawn without suffering the trigger
to move forward and again pulling it backward. Were it not for the cam pin
or some equivalent element, a too rapid rearward movement of the trigger
would be likely to cause the bolt to be drawn and the cylinder rotated, before
a charge after explosion could fairly leave its chamber. The herein described
and represented arrangement and combination of the trigger and its spring, a
rotary tumbler, separate from the trigger and moving on a separate pin or
journal, the turning mechanism, and the locking or unlocking mechanism,
afford important advantages in the within described repeating fire-arm provided
with revolving cylinders, or a series of barrels.
I am aware that by a single pull or back movement of a trigger the lock
hammer has been elevated, the cylinder unlocked and revolved, so as to bring
up to the hammer the percussion nipple of a chamber to be discharged, the
cylinder locked, and the hammer set free, so as to be thrown down by its
spring; these several operations having been effected in the order stated, while
the restoration of them to their proper positions for another pull of the
trigger has been produced during the return or forward movement of such
trigger. I am also aware that a rotating chambered cylinder has been
combined with a lock in such manner that by the operation of lifting the
hammer, the cylinder has been rotated to the extent required to bring a loaded
chamber in line of a barrel, preparatory to the discharge of the load thereof.
I am also aware that there has been combined with a rotary cylinder and
its hammer or cock mechanism by which the act of lifting the hammer would
cause the cylinder to be liberated or unlocked, (to admit of its being rotated,)
and subsequently relocked, so that said cylinder may be held in a proper
position during a discharge from it.
I would remark that my Invention operates very differently from such, as in

page_text: it the hammer is not elevated by force acting through the trigger, it being only
discharged by such force, and is elevated by a separate power, or that of the
hand of the person applied to it. This feature, however, is not new, and is
found in fire-arms whose cylinders are rotated by means of power acting
through their hammers.
In my Invention the fall of the hammer and the discharge of its chamber
take place before and not after the cylinder is rotated, so as to bring a loaded
chamber in line with the barrel, such rotation following a discharge and bring-
ing up to the priming element the next chamber to be fired. All this is accom-
plished by power applied to the trigger, and during one entire backward
movement of it.
In my Invention the unlocking of the cylinder immediately follows the
discharge of the hammer or cock, the turning of such cylinder next taking
place, and being succeeded by the locking of it preparatory to the next fall of
the hammer. With my Invention, while I retain all the advantage of the
hammer to be cocked by the hand or thumb of a person applied directly to
it, and to be maintained at cock by the trigger, so that a slight pull on
the trigger will suffice to set it off, I get rid of that strain of the main
spring on the trigger which results whenever the hammer is elevated by
force applied to the trigger, such strain being often productive of painful
and injurious consequences. The only strain on the finger is that of the
trigger spring and the power required to rotate the cylinder. In rapid
firing it becomes desirable to have as little power as possible exerted in
the elevation of the cock or hammer, when it is raised by the application
of the thumb directly to it. If to the power required to rotate it any
additional amount of force must be brought to bear upon it, in order to effect
the rotation of the cylinder; this additional power, especially when a lock
becomes foul, is an obsticle to rapid firing. But when such power, as in my
Invention, is applied through the trigger, and to immediately follow a discharge,
the hand and fore finger are in a very favorable position to effect the rotation
of the cylinder.
I claim so combining the trigger, the hammer, and the mechanism for
rotating the cylinder, that by a single pull on and during the back movement
of the trigger, the hammer shall be discharged or set free from the trigger, (so
as to fall on the nipple when the touch-hole of one charge chamber of the
cylinder is in connection with it,) and the cylinder subsequently rotated, so as
to bring up to the percussion nipple or its equivalent the touch-hole of the
next chamber of the series thereof.
And in combination with the mechanism for turning the cylinder, and that

page_text: for locking and unlocking it, I claim a cam pin (projecting from the hammer),
or its equivalent, for preventing the cylinder from being unlocked, or for lock-
ing it, in case the movement of the trigger is so rapid as to render the cylinder
liable to be rotated before the charge fired by the action of the hammer has
left its chamber.
I do not claim jointing an impelling pawl directly to the lower part of a per-
cussion hammer, so that by the reciprocating rotary movement of the hammer
the said pawl may be moved against and drawn away from the ratchet of the
revolving cylinder; nor do I claim jointing a lever directly to the trigger, so
that by the movement of the trigger such lever may be moved against one
tooth of the ratchet, or drawn back over the next succeeding tooth, and
against a spring acting upon the rear end of the lever; but what I do claim is,
the herein-before described and represented arrangement and combination of
the trigger and its spring, a rotary tumbler, separate from the trigger and
moving on a separate pin or fulcrum, a turning mechanism of the cylinder,
and the locking and unlocking mechanism thereof, by which arrangement and
combination, during and by a back and forward movement of the trigger, the
cylinder will be locked or unlocked, and have an intermittent rotary motion
imparted to it, and the cock or percussion hammer be actuated essentially as
specified. I also claim the bearer x, or its equivalent, in combination with the
turning lever L, and the part or tumbler to which it is connected or jointed,
and by which motion is imparted to the said turning lever, as specified; this
combination attaining an important advantage, as herein-before explained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Timothy Walker Carter in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th August 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, TIMOTHY
WALKER CARTER, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto mc, the said
Timothy Walker Carter, Her special license that I, the said Timothy Walker
Carter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the

page_text: said Timothy Walker Carter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 of "CERTAIN NEW AND
USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS," [the same being communi-
cated by Joshua Stevens, of the aforesaid State of Massachusetts,] upon the
condition [amongst others] that I, the said Timothy Walker Carter, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, 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 Timothy Walker Carter, 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 Specification and the accompanying Drawing, letters, figures, and
references thereof:-
Of the said Drawings Figure 1 denotes a side elevation of a revolver pistol,
constructed in accordance with the Invention, one of its lock plates being
removed in order to exhibit the internal construction of the lock, and the
hammer being shown as elevated. Figure 2 exhibits a view of the lock as it
appears when the hammer is removed from it; Figure 3 is an inner side view
of the hammer; Figure 4 is a front edge view of the same; Figure 5 is a
front end view of the rotary cylinder; Figure 6 is a rear end view of the
same; Figure 7 is a front end view of the breech plate of the lock and the
journal on which the cylinder revolves.
In these Drawings, or in such of them as the same may be shown, A repre-
sents the lock case or handle of the fire-arm or pistol; B, the percussion
hammer or cock; C, the trigger; D, the rotary cylinder or magazine; E, the
barrel; F, the journal on which the rotary cylinder D is supported and
revolved; G is the percussion nipple; H, the trigger spring; I, the main
spring connected to the hammer by means of a stirrup K; L, the lever
for turning the magazine or cylinder D; M is the bolt of the said cylinder.
The hammer is provided with a small notch a for the catch part 6 of the
trigger to take into, in order to set said hammer to a full cock. When the
hammer is made to actuate a "Maynard primer," (for which the fire-arm
delineated in the Drawing is prepared,) it may be provided with a small
impelling pawl c arranged upon it, as seen in the Drawings. This, however,

page_text: forms no part of the Invention. A stationary journal N for the hammer to
rotate upon is placed in the lock case, and by the side of this hammer there
is a tumbler O, which rotates freely on the journal N, and is moved thereon
by means of an arm & projecting from the trigger, and made to work in a
notch e formed in the tumbler, as seen in the Drawings, and particularly
in Figures 8 and 9, which are views of opposite sides of said tumbler. To
this tumbler the turning lever L may be jointed, the end of the lever being
placed within a recess f formed in the tumbler, as seen in Figure 9. A
spring 9 projecting from the tumbler rests upon the upper side of the lever
L, and serves to press down the front end of the lever at proper times. The
upper part of the tumbler is formed with a catch or notch h and a cam i,
which operates on the tail hook of the bolt M. for the purpose of withdrawing
it and the bolt, the said bolt being moved forwards by means of a
projecting upwards from the lower part of the lock case, and made to enter a
small recess or notch n formed in the tail hook o, such tail hook being jointed
to the bolt, so as to be capable of moving freely in a vertical plane.
spring P
During the rotation of the tumbler by the trigger, the catch h will be
carried into contact with the part r of the tail hook, and will draw back the
tail hook and its bolt until the cam i, acting against the tail hook, shall force
the part p entirely above the catch h, which taking place the bolt will be set
free so as to be moved forwards by its spring, the action of which is such as
not only to move the bolt, but to press its tail hook downward towards the
tumbler. By arranging the notch n below the joint p, as seen in the Drawings,
the spring is caused to operate upon the tail hook, so as to depress it in the
manner as specified. The cylinder D being provided with a series of charge
chambers s, s, s, is to have imparted to it such an intermittant rotary move-
ment as will bring the touch-holes of its several chambers (such touch-holes
being represented in Figure 6, at t, t, t, and their directions being represented
therein by dotted lines) successively into line with the bore of the barrel.
The rear end of the cylinder is provided with locking recesses u, u, and
a ratchet or turning cams v, v, v, arranged as seen in Figure 6, they being
constructed and made to operate with respect to the bolt and turning lever
essentially like those in common use in many pistols having revolving cylinders
or magazines or a series of barrels. From the rear side of the hammer there
projects a cam pin w, which should be so made and applied, that while the
hammer is in the act of descending, it may so act against the tail hook o, as
to elevate or keep elevated the said tail hook so far above the catch h of the
tumbler, that such catch may pass by and not act on the part r, in case the
movement of the trigger is so rapid as to render the cylinder liable to be

page_text: rotated before the charge fired by the action of the hammer has left its chamber
in the cylinder. In this case, or when the trigger is moved back with too
great rapidity without effecting any rotation of the cylinder, it must be suffered
to again move forwards before it can produce such a movement of the
cylinder. This done during the next backward pull of the trigger, the hammer
being down on the nipple, the catch of the tumbler will so act against the
tail hook of the bolt as to draw the bolt backward, and enable the turning
mechanism to revolve the cylinder.
As the rapidity of the back movement of the trigger should be such as to
allow a charge to fully leave its chamber before the cylinder is again rotated,
if we allow the locking bolt to commence its backward movement at the
instant the hammer strikes on the nipple, the interval of time required to
draw the bolt out of its recess in the cylinder will be ample for the explosion
of the charge and its exit from the chamber. I should therefore be particular
that the locking bolt is not retracted before the hammer strikes down on the
nipple. The cam pin cases down the tail hook of the locking bolt, so that it
may be caught by the catch of the tumbler after or about the time the hammer
has struck on the nipple, provided the movement of such catch has not been
so rapid as to pass by the part r. In case the back movement of the catch
has been too fast; the locking bolt will not have be withdrawn from the cylinder;
consequently no rotation of the cylinder can take place until such bolt is so
withdrawn, and it cannot be withdrawn without suffering the trigger to move
forward and again pulling it backward. Were it not for the cam pin, or some
equivalent element, a too rapid rearward movement of the trigger would be
likely to cause the bolt to be drawn; and the cylinder rotated before a charge
after explosion could fairly leave its chamber.
I am aware that by a single pull or back movement of a trigger the
lock hammer has been elevated, the cylinder unlocked and revolved, so as to
bring up to the hammer the percussion nipple of a chamber to be discharged,
the cylinder locked, and the hammer set free, so as to be thrown down by its
spring, these several operations having been effected in the order stated, while
the restoration of them to their proper positions for another pull of the trigger
has been produced during the return or forward movement of such trigger.
I am also aware that a rotating chambered cylinder has been combined with a
lock in such manner that, by the operation of lifting the hammer, the cylinder
has been rotated to the extent required to bring a loaded chamber in line of a
barrel preparatory to the discharge of the load-thereof... I am also aware that
there has been combined with a rotary cylinder and its hammer or cock

page_text: mechanism by which the act of lifting the hammer would cause the cylinder
to be liberated or unlocked, to admit of its being rotated, and subsequently
relocked, so that said cylinder may be held in a proper position during a
discharge from it.
I would remark that my Invention operates very differently from such, as
in it the hammer is not clevated by force acting through the trigger, it being only
discharged by such force, and is elevated by a separate power, or that of the
hand of a person applied to it. This feature, however, is not new, and is found
in fire-arms whose cylinders are rotated by means of power acting through their
hammers. In the Invention the fall of the hammer and discharge of its
chamber takes place before and not after the cylinder is rotated, so as to bring
a loaded chamber into line with the barrel, such rotation following a discharge
and bringing up to the priming element the next chamber to be fired. All this is
accomplished by power applied to the trigger, and during one entire back
-movement of it.
In the Invention the unlocking of the cylinder immediately follows the dis-
charge of the hammer or cock, the turning of such cylinder next taking place,
and being succeeded by the locking of it preparatory to the next fall of the
hammer. With the Invention, while I retain all the advantages of the hammer
to be cocked by the hand or thumb of a person applied directly to it, and to be
maintained at cock by the trigger, so that a slight pull on the trigger will
suffice to set it off, I get rid of that strain of the main spring on the trigger
which results whenever the hammer is elevated by force applied to the trigger,
such strain being often productive of painful and injurious consequences. The
only strain on the finger is that of the trigger spring, and the power required to
rotate the cylinder. In rapid firing it becomes desirable to have as little power
as possible exerted in the elevation of the cock or hammer when it is raised by
the application of the thumb directly to it. If to the power required to elevate
it any additional amount of force must be brought to bear upon it, in order to
effect the rotation of the cylinder, this additional power, especially when a lock
becomes foul, is an obstacle to rapid firing. But when such power, as in the
Invention, is applied through the trigger, and to immediately follow a discharge,
the hand and fore finger are in a very favorable position to effect the rotation
of the cylinder.
I claim so combining the trigger, the hammer, and the mechanism for
rotating the cylinder, that by a single pull on and during the back movement
of the trigger the hammer shall be discharged or set free from the trigger, (so
as to fall on the nipple when the touch-hole of one charge chamber of the

page_text: cylinder is in connection with it,) and the cylinder subsequently rotated, so as
to bring up to the percussion nipple or its equivalent the touch-hole of the next
chamber of the series thereof.
And in combination with the mechanism for turning the cylinder, and that
for locking and unlocking it, I claim a cam pin (projecting from the hammer),
or its equivalent, for preventing the cylinder from being unlocked, or for locking
it, in case the movement of the trigger is so rapid as to render the cylinder
liable to be rotated before the charge fired by the action of the hammer has
left its chamber.
I do not claim jointing an impelling pawl directly to the lower part of a
percussion hammer, so that by the reciprocating rotary movenient of the
hammer the said pawl may be moved against and drawn away from the ratchet
of the revolving cylinder; nor do I claim jointing a lever directly to the
trigger, so that by the movement of the trigger such lever may be moved
against one tooth of the ratchet, or drawn back over the next succeeding
tooth, and against a spring acting upon the rear end of the lever; but
what I do claim is, the herein-before described and represented arrange-
ment and combination of the trigger and its spring, a rotary tumbler, separate
from the trigger and moving on a separate pin or fulcrum, a turning mechanism
of the cylinder, and the locking and unlocking mechanism thereof, by which
arrangement and combination, during and by a back and forward movement of
the trigger, the cylinder will be locked or unlocked, and have an intermittent
rotary motion imparted to it, and the cock or percussion hammer be actuated,
essentially as specified. I also claim the bearer, or its equivalent, in com-
bination with the turning lever L, and the part or tumbler to which it is
connected or jointed, and by which motion is imparted to the said turning
lever, as specified; this combination attaining an important advantage, as
herein-before explained.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my signature and seal, this
Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
TIMOTHY WALKER CARTER. (L.S.)