IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION In REVOLVING FIAL-ARMO.
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Poultney, of Baltimore, in the State of
Maryland, one of the United States of America, but now residing at the
Langham Hotel, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
In
REVOLVING FIAL-ARMO.
Sealed the 29th October 1867, and dated the 1st June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Poultney at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st June 1867.
THOMAS POULTNEY, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, one of the
United States of America, but now residing at the Langham Hotel, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to that description of revolving fire-arms in which
metallic cartridges which carry their own fulminate are employed, and more
particularly to that construction in which central-fire cartridges are used.
The Invention consists in adapting to the rotating breech a discharging pin
at the rear of each chamber, so that as the breech is rotated the several pins
may in succession be brought in front of the hammer or striker; these pins
are provided at each end with heads which will prevent them from being
displaced accidentally. In order to remove the empty cartridge shells these

page_text: pins are made capable of an additional endway motion when the charge
chamber is open, so that by letting down the hammer on the pins in suc-
cession the latter will be driven forward to their full extent and will thus push
out the empty cartridge shells. Instead of letting down the hammer to drive
forward the firing pins the empty shells may be pushed out by forcing forward
the pins by the finger.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Poultney in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
POULTNEY, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, one of the United States
of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Poultney, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Poultney,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Poultney, my executors, administrators, 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 THE CON-
STRUCTION OF REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Poultney, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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 Thomas Poultney, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being bad to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to that description of revolving fire-arms in which

page_text: metallic cartridges which carry their own fulminate are employed, and more
particularly to that construction in which central-fire cartridges are used.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical
section taken through a revolving pistol constructed according to my improve-
ments; in this Figure the several parts are shown in the position they would
assume when, the hammer has descended on the firing pin in order to explode
the cartridge.
Fig. 2 is another sectional view illustrating the mode of pushing out the
empty cartridge cases preparatory to reloading the arm.
b
The Invention consists in adapting to the rotating breech a discharging
pins b, b, at the rear of each chamber c, so that as the breech a is rotated the
several pins 6 may in succession be brought in front of the hammer or striker d;
these pins b, one of which is shewn detached at Fig. 3, are provided at each
end with heads, which will prevent them from being displaced accidentally.
The rotating breech a is divided into two parts a and a¹, which are mounted
on separate pins e and e¹, as shewn in the Drawings, and the cartridges when
in place lie partly in a and partly in a². The part a of the breech turns on a
pin e in the fixed part f of the body of the pistol, and the part a¹ turns on the
pin e fixed in the barrel part 1 of the body, the two parts f and f¹ being
hinged together at g, as shewn. Fig. 4 is a front view of the rear half of the
revolving breech. In order to facilitate the removal of the empty cartridge
shells when all the cartridges have been discharged the firing pins b are made
capable of an additional endway motion when the charge chamber is open, as
shewn at Fig. 2, so that by letting down the hammer d on the pins b in
succession the latter will be driven forward to their full extent, and will thus
push out the empty cartridge shells as shewn in the Drawing. Instead of
letting down the hammer d to drive forward the firing pins the empty shells
may be pushed out by forcing forward the pins by the finger. When all the
empty shells have been pushed out full ones may be inserted in their place,
and the barrel part f¹ of the arm brought up into the position shewn at
Fig. 1, and secured in its place by means of a spring h which catches into a
notch made in the fixed part f of the body. It will be seen that the
cartridges i, i, are provided with flanges 2, which rest in countersunk recesses
cut in the faces of the two parts of the rotating breech; by this means the
cartridges will be prevented from being driven back against the firing
pins and prematurely exploded when the two parts a and a¹ are brought
together.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Construction
of Revolving Fire-arms," and having explained the manner of carrying the

page_text: same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, the employment of the divided breech chamber a, a', each compart-
ment of which is provided with a separate exploding or firing pin, which also
acts as a cartridge extractor, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Poultney, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
THOMAS POULTNEY. (L.S.)