IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING PISTOLS AND OTHER FIRE- ARMS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Spratt, of the Royal Marine Barracks,
Plymouth, in the County of Devon, Captain, Royal Marines, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING PISTOLS AND OTHER FIRE-
ARMS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Spratt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd August 1859.
HENRY SPRATT, of the Royal Marine Barracks, Plymouth, in the County
of Devon, Captain, Royal Marines, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING PISTOLS AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in revolving pistols and other revolving
fire-arms, the object of which is to increase the rapidity of firing with those
arms, by substituting loaded breech,peices for the discharged breech-piece,
instead of reloading the same after firing all its charges. For this
For this purpose I
form a small projecting collar or trunion on the back end of the breech, such
as is usually made on the fore part to sustain the breech in position for the
entry of the pin or bolt on which it rotates. This projection fits into a recess
made in the framework of the pistol behind the breach, so that it is sustained
in the same manner behind as in front, and by which the entrance and adop-

page_text: tation of the breech piece is much facilitated. When so furnished, the breech
piece will be in its position, and rotate even without the insertion of the central
pin. On the central pin or bolt I form an extension or lug to form a thumb-
piece, by which it is more readily withdrawn. I also apply a spring which
presses against it when withdrawn, to hold it in that position. In order to still
further facilitate the entrance, I round off at the side the piece that acts on
the ratchet of the breech piece to turn it round by the pull of the trigger or
the raising of the hammer, so that inserting the breech piece forces it back,
and therefore without the necessity of withdrawing it from position by other
means during the operation. By these means revolving fire-arms may have
two, three, or more breech pieces, all ready loaded to replace one after the
other, and thereby expedite the fireing.
As a further improvement, I apply metal caps or covers on the extra breech
pieces to enclose the nipples when loaded and capped, to prevent their going
off, even when allowed to fall, or from other concussion.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by Jane Spratt, of Teignmouth,
in the County of Devon, Administratrix of the said Henry Spratt,
deceased, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JANE
SPRATT, of Teignmouth, in the County of Devon, Administratrix of Henry
Spratt, of the Royal Marine Barracks, Plymouth, in the County of Devon,
Captain, Royal Marines, who departed this life on the 31st day of December,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto him, the said Henry Spratt, Her special licence that he, the said Henry
Spratt, his executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as he,
the said Henry Spratt, his 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 REVOLVING PISTOLS AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS," upon the

page_text: condition (amongst others) that he, the said Henry Spratt, his executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under his, 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 Jane Spratt, as such administratrix, as
aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention relates to improvements in revolving pistols and other
revolving fire-arms, the object of which is to increase the rapidity of firing
with those arms, by increasing the facilities for substituting loaded breech
pieces for the discharged breech piece, instead of reloading the same after
firing all its charges. For this purpose I form a small projecting collar or
trunnion on the back end of the breech, such as is usually made on the fore
part to sustain the breech in position for the entry of the pin or bolt on which
it rotates. This projection fits into a recess made in the framework of the
pistol behind the breech, so that it is sustained in the same mauner behind as
in front, by which the entrance and adaptation of the breech piece is much
facilitated. When so furnished the breech piece will be in its position, and
rotate even without the insertion of the central pin or bolt. This central pin
or bolt I form with an extension or lug, so as to present a thumb-piece, by
which it is more readily withdrawn. I also apply a spring which presses
against it when withdrawn to bold it in that position. In order to still
further facilitate the entrance of the breech piece, I round off at the side the
pall that acts on the ratchet of the breech piece to turn it round by the pull of
the trigger, so that the insertion of the breech piece forces it back, and there-
fore obviates the necessity of withdrawing it from position by other means
during the operation. Two, three, or more breech pieces may be kept loaded
and ready to be substituted for the discharged breech piece; the facilities for
such change secured by these improvements rendering the firing expeditious
in the extreme.
As a further improvement I apply metal caps or covers on the extra breech
pieces to enclose the nipples when loaded and capped to prevent their going
off even if allowed to fall, or receive other violent concussion.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS..
Fig. 1 represents a side view of a pistol (revolver) furnished with the
improvements according to this Invention; Fig. 2, a section through the line
a, b, looking towards the butt end; Fig. 3, a partial horizontal section on the
line c, d; and Fig. 4, a separate view of the breech piece. e is the additional
centre piece or trunnion which I apply to revolving breeches; it is received in
the recess, seen in the side view, Fig. 1, and in the cross section, Fig. 2.
This, with the ordinary projecting centre g at the opposite end, guides the
breech into and sustains it in the pistol in position to receive the bolt m. To
facilitate the withdrawal of the bolt m, I form on it a projecting thumb-
piece i at the fore end, seen best dotted in Fig. 2, showing in black dotted
lines the ordinary thumb-piece, while the extension, according to my Inven-
tion, is represented at k in red dotted lines. I further apply a spring / fixed
to the pistol barrel, on which the head of the bolt in presses, and prevents it
dropping back into its socket when the breech is removed. Slight pressure
on the thumb-piece k releases the bolt m from this spring 1, in order to replace
it in position through the centre of the revolving breech. The pall that acts
on the ratchet to rotate the breech offers objection to changing the breech
pieces by obstructing their entrance into position; to obviate this the nose of
the pall p is rounded of on one side, as seen in the plan Fig. 3. By thus
rounding the nose of p, the contact of the breech piece with the rounded side
on entering, throws back the pall, and removes the obstruction that it would
otherwise offer.
The detached view, Fig. 4, represents the application of the enclosing cap
or cover fitted to the breech piece, to prevent the accidental discharge of any
of the charges when the nipples are capped. This cover fits tightly on to
the cylindrical form of the breech piece, & comes against the back centre
piece e, this effectually prevents contact of cap r with the percussion caps,
even on receiving any concussion to which it may be liable, thus preventing
the possibility of any of the percussion caps exploding and discharging a
barrel.
Although I have only represented my improvements applied to pistols, it
will be readily understood that the same are also applicable to guns and like
small arms.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, forming revolving guns and pistols with the projecting centre e on the

page_text: breech and recess f in the pistol frame for its reception, or their equivalents,
as and for the purposes herein-before described.
Secondly, I claim the extension of the thumb-piece k of bolt m, as described.
I also claim the application of the spring 7 for the purpose described.
Thirdly, I claim rounding the side of the pall p, as described and shown in
Fig. 8, as and for the purposes herein-before described.
And, lastly, I claim the application of a metal or other cap r to spare
breeches, as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jane Spratt, as such administratrix as
aforesaid, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of
March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
TANG
TAN
NE SPR
SPRATT
:TATTAT
TT. (L.S.)