IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Hermann Hillebrandt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th December 1868.-A communication from abroad by Joseph
Hillebrandt, of Liège, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Gun Manu-
facturer.
I, HERMANN HILLEBRANDT, of the Firm of Hillebrandt and Altendorf"
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchants, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING
FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
The said Invention has reference to those kinds of repeating fire-arms
in which the revolving barrel and fixed barrel of the fire-arm are made
capable of sliding to and from the break-off for the purpose of extracting
the cases of the exploded cartridges from the chambers of the said
revolving barrel, and for closing the said chambers for discharge.
The said Invention consists principally of the combination
arrangement of parts herein-after described for extracting the cases.
of the exploded cartridges from the chambers of the said. revolving.

page_text: barrel on the sliding of the said revolving barrel and fixed barrel from
the break-off. To the front of the break-off a rod is fixed, on which
the revolving and fixed barrels are capable of sliding. On the said rod
and near the break-off the extractor constituting the principal part of
this Invention is situated. The said extractor is capable of rotating on
the said rod, but is prevented from sliding thereon by a stop. The said
extractor consists of a star-shaped plate, or a plate the periphery of
which has a series of circular notches or depressions in it equal in
number to the chambers of the revolving barrel. The said depressions
of the extractor plate are fitted to receive portions of the rims of the
cartridges used. In the back or rear end of the revolving barrel is a
recess of a size and figure proper to receive the star-shaped extractor
plate described. When the revolving barrel is fixed against the break-
off the said extractor plate enters the said recess, and lies flush with the
rear of the revolving barrel. The said extractor plate is provided with
a ratchet, to which rotation is given by the lock mechanism in the
ordinary way. This rotation of the extractor plate is transmitted to
the revolving barrel by a pin or wire on the said plate entering a hole
in the said revolving barrel. The revolving and fixed barrels are moved
along the rod upon which they slide so as to open or close the chambers
of the revolving barrel by means of a lever jointed at its upper end to
the rear end of the fixed barrel, and also jointed by a link near its
jointed end to the frame of the pistol or fire-arm. When the lever
described is raised the fixed and revolving barrels are moved towards
and held against the break-off, the said lever being secured under the
fixed barrel by a spring catch fastening, the free end of the lever being
situated near the front end of the fixed barrel. When the parts are in
the positions last described the pistol or fire-arm may be loaded. To
effect this a part of the break-off is detached from the remaining part
and connected thereto by a joint. By turning aside the said detached
part access is gained to the rear ends of the chambers of the revolving
barrel, and the said chambers are in this way charged with cartridges,
portions of the rims of the cartridges engaging in the before-described
star-shaped extractor plate. All the chambers having been charged the
jointed part of the break-off is shut down and the pistol or fire-arm is
ready for discharge; after discharge the lever is depressed and the fixed
and revolving barrels moved from the break-off, leaving the whole of
the cases of the exploded cartridges engaged by their rims in the

page_text: extractor plate. As soon as the said barrels have been moved the
required distance the said cases are entirely extracted from the chambers
of the revolving barrel and fall from the pistol or fire-arm. By means
of the detached jointed portion of the break-off described the pistol or
fire-arm may be unloaded, if required.