IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REPEATING FIRE- ARMS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
G6, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REPEATING FIRE-
ARMS "A communication.
Sealed the 20th October 1854, and dated the 1st August 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st August 1854.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REPEATING
FIRE-ARMS" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, first, in providing a reservoir of power capable of
discharging two or more chambers or barrels in succession.
Second, in effecting the explosion of the cap or other percussion priming by
the motion of the chamber in revolving, & thus causing the said revolving
chambers to perform the function of the ordinary hammer or cock.
Third, in the application to repeating fire-arms of an escapement or escape-
ments, similar to those used in time-pieces, for the purpose of exhausting at
intervals a reservoir of power obtained by the compression of a spring or

page_text: springs, or their equivalents, and which will discharge two or more chambers
or barrels successively.
Fourth, in so hinging the barrel or frame which supports it to the stock,
that when the said barrel is swung back or forward, either for charging the
fire-arm or otherwise, it will contract or compress a spring, or supply a reservoir
of power capable of discharging two or more barrels or chambers successively,
without re-cocking or re-charging the reservoir.
Instead of effecting the compression of the spring by the movement of the
barrel or frame upon its hinge, as described, this operation may be effected by
turning a hand piece or the stock of the fire-arm.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administra-
tors, 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF REPEATING FIRE-ARMS,"
being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention consists, first, in providing repeating fire-arms with a reserve
of motive power which shall be capable of effecting the discharge of two or
more charges of powder in succession without the said power being required
to be renewed.
Second, in causing the explosion of the caps or other percussion priming by
the rotary motion of the breech cylinder, in which case the breech cylinder
performs the function of the ordinary hammer or cock.
Third, in the application to repeating fire-arms of an escapement or escape-
ments, for the purpose of exhausting the store of power obtained for the
purpose of discharging the fire-arm.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents in perspective view a
pistol constructed according to this Invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the
pistol upon an enlarged scale, with the checks of the stock removed, to shew
the internal construction; and Figures 3 and 4 represent views of detached
portions thereof. Similar letters in the several Figures denote like parts.
In Fig. 1, A represents the stock of the pistol; B is the revolving breech
cylinder, containing the chambers for receiving the charges; C is the barrel;
D is the trigger; and E is the latch or catch which holds the barrel and breech
cylinder securely in their places when the pistol is ready for discharging. The
unhooking of this catch permits of the swinging or raising up of the barrel, to
remove the revolving cylinder, or the charging of it after the chambers have
been discharged. It will be perceived by this Figure that there is no projection
on the upper part of the pistol in the least to obstruct the aim, that the caps
are exploded under such protection as to prevent any danger of their fragments
flying into the face of the user, and that the compact form of the pistol admits
of its being conveniently carried.
In Fig. 2, F represents the skeleton of the stock. The barrel C is firmly
connected to the frame G, which extends rearwards, and is hinged or pivoted to
the stock at a. The extreme rear portion of the frame G behind the pivot is
provided with a cam projection b, which, as the barrel and frame is swung
back, comes in contact with a threaded nut H, which is supported by and runs
upon a screw shaft I. The threads of these screws should be cut "long," as
it is mechanically termed, that is, at an angle of about forty-five degrees (more
or less), so that by pressing against either the nut or screw shaft in a direct

page_text: line, one will turn the other without the operator actually turning (as in an
ordinary screw) the first moving piece. When the cam projection b strikes
the nut H, by still further swinging back the barrel and frame, the nut H.
(which is prevented from turning round, by moving between guides or guide
pins in it, projecting into suitable grooves or slots,) is driven along on the
screw shaft or rod I (the screw shaft turning to permit of this movement),
and at the same time a main spring J, suitably arranged and attached to the
stock, is compressed by the traverse of the nut; the object of the spring J
being merely to form a reservoir of power, which will, by successive or periodical
releasement, discharge a series of chambers as they are in succession brought
round opposite the barrel; it will be readily understood that many equivalents
might be substituted therefor, without departing from the nature of the
present Invention. The shaft I turns on a journal on its rear end, which is
suitably supported in the frame G, and on this shaft is firmly attached a wheel,
the teeth of which are seen at c, in Fig. 5, there being a tooth for each
chamber in the revolving breech. The shaft I forms the arbor for the
revolving cylinder B, and it projects far enough beyond the front of the
revolving chambers to allow the catch or latch E (as shewn in Fig. 1) to
embrace it, and thereby hold the cylinder and frame firmly together. A
pin e, shewn by dotted lines in Figures 2 and 4, is placed in the toothed
wheel projecting forwards, and this pin enters a corresponding hole in the rear
of the revolving chambers or breech piece when it is slipped on to the spindle,
which causes said chambers or breech to revolve with the toothed wheel and
shaft I, and is a permanent guide for the slipping on of the revolving breech,
so as to bring the nipples 1, 2, 3, &c. in a proper position to conform to the
other moving parts of the pistol.
An anchor escapeinent, or three-armed lever L, is so arranged as gradually
or at stated periods to exhaust the spring J, causing it to rotate the cylinder B,
explode the cap or priming as the chambers come successively round opposite
the barrel, and restrain the spring when not required to discharge the piece.
One of the arms f of the escapement projects through a slot in the division
plate N, and comes in the line of rotation of the nipples, and each cap as it
comes round with its nipple is exploded against the said arm, the force of the
blow against the arm being taken off by the arm resting against the division
plate through which it projects, whilst it affords a firm rigid bed for the cap
strike against. The nipples should with their caps revolve just near enough
to a guard plate to turn freely, and yet prevent the caps from being thrown off*
from their nipples by their motion in revolving, or the jar in exploding; and
in advance of where they are exploded may be provided an opening in the
to

page_text: guard plate, through which a cap may be replaced should one fail to explode.
Another arm of the escapement lever projects through the division plate N
at the lower side of the pistol, which arm i, as it is alternately thrown up and
down by the action of the trigger, (and a spring, to be hereafter described,)
catches, and anchors or releases the toothed wheel, and with it the cylinder,
which is attached to it by the pin e. It will be perceived that when the arm i
releases the toothed wheel, the arm f is by the same movement thrown into
position for arresting the first cap which comes round, and thereby causing
its explosion. The third arm of the escapement is seen at n. This arm
projects rearward (the other two projecting forward), and is operated upon by
a spring O, which should have sufficient power after the trigger D is released
to pull back the arm f, and by the same motion throw up the arm i, to prevent
the further rotation of the breech cylinder until the trigger is again pulled.
The movement of the trigger raises up the arm n, throws forward the arm f,
releases the arm i from the toothed wheel, and another discharge is caused,
and so on, until the spring J is exhausted, or all the barrels are discharged.
When this is the case the fire-arm must be re-loaded and re-cocked for the
next round of discharges.
It might possibly appear that a very powerful spring would be required,
which by one contraction should be capable of effecting six discharges (tho
capacity of the pistol just described being equal to receive six charges); but such
is not the case, for the spring is only required to cause one entire revolution of
the breech chambers to discharge them all. It is true that the momentum
is lost at every discharge, and that the spring becomes weaker at each dis-
charge, but in practice no difficulty has been found in making six discharges
with one setting of the spring or springs, which may compose the reservoir
of power. In order to maintain as nearly as possible an equable pressure of
the spring, so as to perform the last portion of the rotation with about the same
force as the first, the speed of the thread of the shaft I may be graduated, as
shewn at Fig. 3, the inclination being greater as the spring exhausts, so as to
present less resistance to it. If this plan is adopted, then, instead of an entire
thread in the nut, which of course would not run on a variable screw, the nut
should be provided with a few small steel points, just sufficient to rotate the
shaft and the breech cylinder which it carries. As another method of accom-
plishing the above-named object, an auxiliary spring, which can be set by the
same action or at the same time with the main spring, may be used and brought
into action as the main spring begins to exhaust.
Fig. 5 shews a modification of the Invention. In this case the barrel and
frame to which it is attached is the same as in Figures 1 and 2; but the cam

page_text: projection 6 of the frame G, instead of running a nut forward on a. screw shaft,
and contracting a spring for furnishing a store of power for repeated discharges,
comes in contact with the cam r, on a square shaft s, which shaft also carries
another cam t, to which the main spring J is connected by a link u; on this
shaft's is also arranged a segmental rack:o, which works into a bevil wheel. P, on
the arbor of the breech cylinder. The escapement L exhausts the spring J; in
the manner described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, but the.axial motion of
the rotating breech cylinder is transmitted through the segment rack and pinion
O, P, instead of through the nut and rod. The cap is exploded in the same
manner against the arm f, and the arm i may either operate, as in the before-
described plan, or without the toothed wheel, as shown in the Figure. In this
case the arm extends forward to the breech cylinder, and therend, being
turned up, catches into a ring of wedge-shaped or inclined depressions,
formed in the periphery of the cylinder, and thus locks the cylinder; as in
the former arrangement. The escapement in both examples is pivoted at.v,
and instead of a trigger separate from the escapement, a prolongation of the
escapement may be made, which will serve the purpose of a trigger, and
still further simplify the fire-arm. A stop or bolt w, consisting of: a pin in
the frame or stock, may be moved into a slot in the top. of the escapement,
for securing the fire-arm against accidental discharge: The latch or catch. E
for holding the barrel and breech cylinder firmly together. depends from a
collar Q, which surrounds the barrel, and it is provided within suitable slot for
holding fast to the breech arbor, and also with a slot for catching over the
piece R, which forms the lower part of the frame of the fire-arm to which the
guards is attached:
i
The small holes in the sectional part, Fig: 4;. represent the communicating
passages between the nipples, and the chambers. The nipples themselves are
set tangentially upon the revolving, cylinder, or so inclined.or: curved as to
bring their respective, caps square up against the arm f, to ensure their
explosion.
The operation of this fire-arm will be clearly understood from the Drawing
and description, and its peculiar advantage over others. may be clearly seen.
To charge and cock it for six discharges requires no more time or trouble than
any other repeating fire-arm. To dischargo it requires but a slight touch of
the trigger, for it may be a hair trigger, if desired, whilst a steady sight may be
kept on,
the object fired at all the time. The arm need not. be. lowered, and
no excrtion of the muscles of the arm exercised in cocking or revolving the
chambers; a slight touch of the trigger lets off each successive: charge. On
the first discharge, this fire-arm would display no peculiar advantage over other

page_text: repeating fire-arms on the discharge of their first barrel, but after that period
the remaining five charges (if the Invention be applied to a six-chambered
pistol) could be fired before the second chamber of an ordinary repeating fire-
arm could be discharged, holding in view the fact that proper aim or sight is to
be taken, and with a precision due only to this construction, as it does not
require the arm of the user to be lowered or contracted or any effort of the
muscles to cock or rotate the breech cylinder, which effort more or less destroys
a perfect aim by causing the arm to becomes nervous, and by the difficulty in
cocking and rotating at each discharge.
A further modification of this Invention is shewn, as applied to a pistol, at
Figures 6 and 7, the former of which is a side view of the pistol, and the
latter a partial longitudinal section of the same. Detached views of this
arrangement are also shewn; Fig. 8 being a cross section through the line 2, 2,
of Fig. 6; Fig. 9, an end view at the line 3, 3, of Fig. 6, looking to the
right; Fig. 10, an end view at the line 4, 4, of Fig. 6, looking to the left;
Fig. 11, a rear view of the stock and spring box; and Fig. 12, a rear view of
the cock or hammer.
Similar letters, where they occur in the several Figures, denote like parts.
A represents a spring box for containing a coiled spring (shown in section
at Fig. 7); B, the barrel; C, the rotating chambered breech; D, the hammer;
E, the rotating toothed scape wheel; F, the trigger; G, the latch or catch
which holds the breech and barrel securely to the frame, and in their places
when the pistol is ready for being discharged; S, in dotted lines, is the
spring for operating or throwing forward the hammer after it has been set
or cocked.
The barrel B is securely fastened to the swinging frame H, which extends
rearwards and is hinged to the rear division plate O at a, and when in its
proper position it is secured therein by a catch G, as in the former examples;
M is a guard (to be hereafter described) connected to the catch G, so that when
the fire-arm is to be recharged it can be swung with the latch entirely out of
the way of the ramrod. The guard may be detachable, as it is only important
when one hand and arm is advanced to support the front of the fire-arm, as in
rifles or shot guns, or when taking deliberate aim with a pistol.
J is the ramrod, slotted and connected to a hinged arm b, by a pin b¹ passing
through it. This arrangement will admit of the ramrod being drawn out,
reversed, and used for ramming home the charges, and then returned to its
place without being at any time detached from the fire-arm.
The breech cylinder arbor I extends rearwards into and through the spring
box A, and has upon that portion of it within the spring box a hook or catch,

page_text: for holding one end of the coiled spring contained therein, or for the more
readily facilitating of the taking apart of the arm. The end of the shaft or
arbor I is passed through a sleeve c¹, Fig. 7, and connected thereto by a pin
c", Fig. 6, so that they will turn together. This sleeve c¹ serves as an arbor,
around which the spring is wound or compressed by the operation of turning
the stock, and upon this sleeve the hook or catch for holding one end of the
spring may be placed. The shaft I projects through the rear division plate O
and through the hammer D (Fig. 12), and serves as a guide for the movement
of the hammer. It passes also through the front division plate P and the
toothed "scape wheel" E, which latter is connected to and moves with the
shaft. This connection may be made by a slot in the "scape wheel" and a
feather on the shaft I, in a manner well known to mechanicians. The slot and
feather may also serve as a guide for putting together the parts, always relatively,
in the same position. The nipples which are on the rear of the cylinder C
extend through the "scape wheel" E, as shewn in the detached view, Fig. 14,
and the said "scape wheel" protects them from injury of any kind. At cach
periodical releasement of the wheel E and coiled spring in the box A, by the
operation of the trigger F and the anchor K, the wheel and breech cylinder C
are caused to rotate, and to present the nipples severally and in succession oppo-
site the hammer D, which hammer is by the periodical release of the coiled
spring turning the shaft I simultaneously tripped by the action of the trigger
on the anchor K.
The trigger F is pivoted at f, and acts against a bolt f¹, which passes into the
anchor K, so that by the drawing of the trigger backward it will raise up one
end of the anchor K (see Fig. 10), causing that end to catch into or against
one of the teeth or projections of the toothed wheel E, and throw out the
other end of the anchor, which previously held the wheel, thus allowing the
wheel and breech cylinder connected to make a portion of a revolution, and be
again caught when the trigger releases the bolt f¹; the spring i under the
anchor will then again throw up the other end thereof and again catch the
heel, and so on, until all the chambers are discharged, or the spring or reserve
of power exhausted.
Many modifications for letting out the spring might be adopted, if thought
desirable; for example, the one represented in Fig. 13 avoids the necessity of
a spring to throw up the anchor, and removes all or any objection that might
arise as to the uncertainty of the before-described plan, for as the spring
becomes weakened, or if it should break, the chambers might revolve more
than their allotted distance. The contrivance, represented at Fig. 13, may be
called "a dead beat escapement," or one working with a positive effect, making

page_text: it impossible for the cylinder to turn any farther than the desired and given
distance. In this Figure, E may represent the "scape wheel;" I, the breech
cylinder shaft or arbor; and F, the trigger, which may be a permanent part of
a sliding piece K, having two teeth, ", so arranged, that as one is slidden
into the circuit of the "scape wheel," the other " will be out of that circuit,
and vice versa. It will be thus seen that it is impossible for the wheel to turn
farther than its given distance, as the act of drawing out of the way one of the
teeth, to allow it to move at all, draws the other one in the precise spot for
catching the first tooth that comes round on the "scape wheel." Instead of
the bolt (as represented in Fig. 6) being a separate piece from the trigger,
it may be a part of the trigger itself, and release and catch the "scape wheel,"
as it (the "scape wheel") turns by the uncoiling of the spring. If considered
essential to guard against the breaking of the spring which works the anchor, a
ring trigger may be used, and the anchor worked from the trigger, regardless of
the spring, as the moving of the trigger forward and back by the forefinger in
the ring will operate the anchor.
In Fig. 6, L represents a brace, which is a part of or connected to the latch
G, and bears against the face of the rotating breech cylinder, for the purpose
of preventing friction between it and the end of the barrel at h, and to cause
it to turn true on the arbor I.
To secure the handle or stock of the fire-arm in such a manner that it may
be easily turned to admit of winding-up or compressing the spring, and yet not
shake or work loosely, the bearings or connections are constructed in such a
manner as to allow of the handle turning freely, and yet of the whole fire-arm
remaining firm in the hand of the user. i, i, (Fig. 7) represents in section a
conical ring, which is fastened firmly to the box A, by screws or otherwise; and
j,j, represents a circular conical plate, fitting exactly into the ring i, i, and
fastened to the rear division plate O by screws, which pass through the closed
end of the spring box; a bearing is thus made, at once both simple in construc-
tion and strong, and allowing the handle and spring box to be turned upon the
frame with great readiness.
The click, by which the spring in its box is held compressed, after having been
wound up, as before described, by turning the handle, may be arranged, as seen
in Fig. 9, with a corresponding bolt or catch, which takes into the several teeth
of the ratchet wheel, and thus holds the spring.
A bolt, such as is used on many other repeating fire-arms, may be used on
this one, so that the action of the fire-arm may be withheld; or to prevent any
accidental discharge, by jarring, falling, or other similar mishap, which is

page_text: incidental to the use of all fire-arms, it may be so arranged as to pass
between the "scape wheel" and anchor, so as to prevent any forward motion
of the anchor; this would be as simple and effective an application of the bolt
as any other, as to check or fasten the anchor locks all the working parts of
the fire-arm.
6
In loading this arm, after the catch G is raised up, the cylinder C and "scape
wheel E are slipped forward on the spindle just far enough to release the
scape wheel" from the anchor, and then tho cylinder is free to be turned to
meet the rainrod J and be charged. Whilst the cylinder with its "scape
wheel" is thus run forward the nipples can be capped, and when returned the
latch or catch put down, and the handle turned to coil the spring, the fire-arm
is ready for firing a series of charges.
On the rear of the "scape wheel " E, as seen in Fig. 14, (which is a section
taken at the line 9, 9,) is a series of cam planes m, corresponding to the number
of chambers in the revolving breech. Against these planes the end of a bolt
n (Fig. 6) works, as follows:-When the breech cylinder is released, by means
of the anchor and trigger, the cylinder in turning brings one of the planes m
against the bolt n, and drives a shoulder o on the said bolt against the hammer
D, and thereby pushes back or cocks the hammer. In the act of cocking, the
hammer compresses a spring q, the extremity of which presses against the
arm of the hammer, and in this position the arm stands after each discharge,
it being caught by the anchor and escapement. Now, by pressing upon the
trigger the anchor is released, the escape wheel" makes another partial
rotation, bringing the nipple to the exact spot for receiving the blow of the
hammer, and simultaneously letting off the hammer, which carries forward
with it the bolt n, for the repeating the discharge. It is, therefore, (when the
arm is once loaded and the reserve of power obtained) but the simple act of
pressing the trigger, (which may be a hair trigger, if desired,) that cocks, rotates,
and discharges the fire-arm, so that the aim may be preserved, and the whole
series of discharges let off, without taking down the arm, and that with but a
slight touch of the finger.
"
It may be found in winding up the spring within the box A, or when, for
instance, it is only partially wound up, that the stock is not in exact line with
the barrel. To avoid this, a ratchet and pawle may be used, which, when the
handle or stock is turned in the direction for winding up the spring, will act
together and hold, but which, should the handle not be in exact line after the
spring is wound up as far as it will go or be required, may be turned back far
enough to bring it in line without letting out any part of the spring, as that is

page_text: caught and held by another click, as described, with reference to Fig. 5. The
guard M is so constructed as to allow an accidental discharge of any of the
chambers to escape without striking against any part of the weapon or
endangering the hand of the user.
It will be understood that the main features of this Invention are equally
applicable to fire-arms constructed with rotating barrels as with a rotating
breech cylinder.
Having thus set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements
in the Construction of Repeating Fire-arms," as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim,-
First, the application to repeating fire-arms of suitable mechanism, as above
explained, for obtaining a reserve or stored-up power, for the purpose of rotating
the breech cylinder and cocking or releasing the hammer, or its equivalent, in
concert, so as to produce two or more discharges in succession without a
renewal of the motive power being required.
Secondly, the mode of giving out the stored power by intermittent impulses,
as herein-before described.
Thirdly, so combining the stock with the frame, that by rocking the frame
on its hinge, by turning the stock, a spring or springs shall be compressed or
wound up which shall be capable of actuating the fire-arm for a series of
discharges, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the First day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)