AN IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the
City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS."-A communication from
abroad by Christian Sharps, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
of America
Sealed the 18th September 1863, and dated the 23rd July 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd July 1863.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil:
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS," (a communication to me from
abroad by Christian Sharps, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of
America,) to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improvement in the breech blocks or cylinders
of revolving fire-arms, and consists in a breech block with a detachable cap,
the latter being so adapted to the former that when the two are fitted together

page_text: they shall become temporarily a permanent portion of each other, the cap
being incapable of yielding to the reaction caused by the explosion of the
cartridge, as in other breech blocks made of detachable pieces, which separate
when the discharge takes place, and thereby interfere with the ready revolving
of the block.
In applying this Invention to that class of revolvers (for example) in which
the breech blocks or cylinders are detached from the frame of the fire-arm
prior to the insertion of the cartridges into the chambers, a screw thread is cut
on the rear end of the breech block, adapted to a similar thread cut in the
inside of the flange of the cap, which latter has a central opening for the
reception of the breech pin. The cap has also a series of openings corres-
ponding in number to that of the chambers in the block. When the cap is
screwed to its proper place on the block the enlarged ends of the cartridges
are entirely enclosed with the exception of such portion of each cartridge as is
of necessity exposed at each opening through which the hammer strikes for
exploding the detonating material in the end of the
сар.
The breech block or cylinder of a revolver has been heretofore made in
detachable pieces so as to enclose the enlarged ends of metallic cartridges and
at the same time to allow for their withdrawal; the pieces composing the
block however have been hitherto held together by the frame of the fire-arm
only, so that the explosion of the cartridge caused a separation of the pieces,
which is objectionable, as one portion of the block on the discharge of the
cartridge is driven hard against one side, and the other portion against the
opposite side of the frame, within which the block has to revolve, at the same
time the expansion of the metal case of the discharged cartridge prevents the
pieces composing the block from recovering their proper relative position, in
other words the block becomes so jammed as to render it a matter of great
difficulty to turn it by the cocking of the hammer.
In this improvement the cap when adjusted to its place becomes a permanent
part of the block, and effectually resists the recoil of the cartridge when the
discharge takes place, the cap at the same time affording every facility for
the withdrawal of the spent cartridges. It will be evident that in place of
the screw thread other well known mechanical appliances may be used for
attaching the cap to the block for the purpose of arriving at the result
desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd January 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the 27th year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and 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 "Ax IMPROVEMENT IN
REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS," being a communication to me from abroad by
Christian Sharps, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Davies, 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 George Davies, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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 in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:
This Invention relates to improvements in the breech blocks or eylinders of
revolving fire-arms, and the improvement consists in a breech. block in com-
bination with a detachable cap, the latter being so adapted to the former that
when the two are fitted together they shall become temporarily a portion of
each other, the cap being incapable of yielding to the reaction caused by the
explosion of the cartridge, as in other breech blocks make of detachable pieces,

page_text: which separate when the discharge takes place, and thereby interfere with the
ready revolving of the block.
Such being the nature and object of the said Invention for "An Improve-
ment in Revolving Fire-arms," I will now proceed to describe more in detail
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect; and in order that the same may be distinctly understood, I
have annexed hereto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked
the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation thereof, that is to say :-
. On reference to the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is an exterior view
of the breech block or cylinder of a revolver with the improvement applied
thereto; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of Figure 1; Figure 3, a rear
view of the detachable breech picco; Figure 4, a longitudinal section of a
modified form of the improved breech block or cylinder; Figure 5 a rear view
of Figure 1; Figure 6, a sectional plan, and Figure 7 is an exterior view of
the breech block. Figures 1, 2, and 3, illustrate the Invention as applied
to that class of revolvers in which the breech blocks or cylinders are detached
from the frame of the fire-arm prior to the insertion of the cartridges into the
chambers.
As this Invention relates to the peculiar construction of breech blocks or
cylinders of revolvers it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate or describe
the framework, barrel, lock, and such like parts of the fire-arm, as these may
be of any known construction, and may be varied without affecting this
Invention, and are too well known to those familiar with this class of fire-arms
to need elaborate explanations.
On reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3, A represents the breech block of a
revolving fire-arm, the said block having the usual central opening a for the
reception of the breech pin, and having in the present instance fivo bores
which are adapted to receive the ordinary metallic cartridges b, circular
recesses being formed in the ends of the block for the reception of the flanges
or enlargements at the rear end of cartridges of this class. On the edge of the
block at the rear end of the same is cut a screw thread adapted to a similar
thread cut in the inside of the flange d of the cap B, which has a central
opening c, forming a continuation of the opening a of the block for the
reception of the breech pin. The cap B has also a series of openings e, e,
corresponding in number to that of the chambers in the block. When the
cap is screwed to its proper place on the block the enlarged ends of the
cartridges are entirely enclosed with the exception of such portion of each
cartridge as is of necessity exposed at each opening e, through which the end

page_text: of the hammer must pass for the purpose of striking the end of the cartridge,
and exploding the detonating material contained within the same. In order
that the cap on being replaced after withdrawal may always assume its
proper position on the block, a collar or catch a, Figure 1, is formed on the
flange d of the cap, and this catch bears against a stop y attached to or
otherwise formed on the block, when the cap has been turned to its proper
position, so that each hole e may expose a suitable portion of the surface of
the enlarged end of one of the cartridges. The back of the cap is furnished
with proper notches i for receiving the end of the dog, by which the block is
revolved during the cocking of the hammer. The breech block or cylinder of
a revolver has been heretofore made in detachable pieces so as to enclose the
enlarged ends of metallic cartridges, and at the same time to allow for their
withdrawal, the pieces composing the block however have been hitherto held
together by the frame of the fire-arm only, so that the explosion of the cartridge
caused a separation of the pieces, which is objectionable, as one portion of the
block on the discharge of the cartridge is driven hard against one side, and
the other portion against the opposite side of the frame, within which the
block has to revolve, at the same time the expansion of the metal case of.
the discharged cartridgo prevents the pieces composing the block from
recovering their proper relative position, in other words the block becomes
so jammed as to render it a matter of great difficulty to turn it by the cocking
of the hammer.
In this improvement the cap when adjusted to its place becomes a permanent
part of the block, and effectually resists the recoil of the cartridge when the
discharge takes place, the cap at the same time affording every facility for
the withdrawal of the spent cartridges. It will be evident that in place of
the screw thread other well known mechanical appliances may be used for
attaching the cap to the block for the purpose of arriving at the result.
desired.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 illustrate the Invention as applied to revolvers in
which the chambers of the breech blocks or cylinders can receive the loads
without detaching the said cylinders from the frame of the fire-arm.
A is the breech block or cylinder, having a central opening a for the reception
of the breech pin; B is the detachable cap having a tubular projection m, on
which is cut a screw thread adapted to an internal thread cut in the central
portion of the breech block. A tube n. fits snugly in the cap B and its tubular
projection m, the interior c of this tube forming a continuation of the central
opening a, so that the breech pin on which the breech block or cylinder revolves
can pass through the said opening c and tube n. At one point the edge of the

page_text: cap B is cut away, as seen in Figure 4, to a sufficient extent to expose one of
the chambers of the breech block or cylinder, as best observed on reference to
Figure 5, and to a pin p passing through the cap is hinged a door D, which
when depressed fits snugly into that portion of the cap which is cut away, the
door having a rib q adapted to a recess in the cap, which has on the edge as
many notches as there are chambers in the breech block, each notch
exposing as much of the flange of the metallic cartridge as is necessary to
receive the blow of the hammer. In Figure 4 the line represents the
front of the opening in the frame of the fire-arm for the reception of
the breech block, the line w representing the rear end of the opening, a
projection u on the front end of the breech block bearing against the end v
of the said opening, and the rear end of the tube n bearing against the rear
end w of the opening. Suitable projections and recesses are formed at the
rear of the cap for the reception of the end of the dog, through the medium
of which the cylinder is revolved on cocking the hammer. A bar E (Figures
6 and 7) is arranged to slide in a dovetailed groove in the cylinder, one end
of this bar being formed into a spring 9, a projection on which bears on the
bottom of the said groove, the other end of the bar being arranged to project
beyond the rear of the breech piece and over a recess; of the door D when
the latter is depressed and when the chambers of the breech piece are loaded.
When the cartridges have been discharged and it is necessary to withdraw
the empty metallic cases the spring bar or bolt E is moved away from the
door D, and the latter being thus unlocked is thrown back to the position
shown in Figure 5, thus exposing one of the chambers from which the
cartridge case is extracted. After this the cap is turned and so far unscrewed
from the breech block that another chamber of the latter is exposed, and
from this chamber likewise the cartridge case is withdrawn, and this unscrewing
of the cap is continued, so that one chamber after another is exposed, and the
whole of the cartridges are withdrawn. In like manner new cartridges are
inserted first into one chamber and then into the other, the cap being turned
back until the whole of the new cartridges are inserted, when the door D is
depressed, the spring bolt E moved so as to take its place in the notch j of
the door when the breech block or cylinder is in a condition to have its loads
discharged.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for "An
Improvement in Revolving Fire-arms," together with the manner in which
the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would
remark in conclusion that I claim as the Invention communicated to me by the
before mentioned Christian Sharps the breech block or cylinder A in combination

page_text: with the detachable cap B, when the latter is so adapted to the former that
when the two are fitted together they shall become temporarily a portion of
each other, as described, for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, havo hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
GEORGE DAVIES. (L.s.)