CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS, IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Pryse, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, and Paul Cashmore, of West Bromwich,
in the County of Stafford, Pistol Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Pryse and Paul
Cashmore at the Office of the Commissioners, of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 6th September 1855.
We, CHARLES PRYSE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Guu
Manufacturer, and PAUL 'CASHMORE, of West Bromwich, in the County of
Stafford, Pistol Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS, IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS
follows:-
Our improvements consist, firstly, in constructing repeating fire-arms that
shall have a double action, by which the hammer may be put on either half
cock or full cock, and which is accomplished in the following manner, that is
to say, by employing a cock, as shewn at (E, Figure 1), or by attaching a
lifting piece to the back of the hammer. The hammer is formed on a tumbler
(T), on the under side of which there are two notches, into which a small tooth
on the sear (S) clicks or catches in cocking, the one being for half and the

page_text: other for full cock. The trigger (G) is formed in two parts, one working
within the other, as shewn by the dotted lines, and by this arrangement it
works both the lever (L) and the sear (S). (B, Figure 1,) is a bolt, securing
the cock and revolving chambers at one and the same time.
Secondly, our improvements relate to the ramrods used for these arms, and
in the mode of holding them to the barrel when not in use; this will be
readily understood on reference to the Drawings, in which two forms of spring
fastenings are shewn at (Z).
Thirdly, our improvements relate to single-action repeating fire-arms, sim-
plifying their construction, and increasing their durability by using a trigger of
the form shewn at (T), (Figure 3). On cocking the pistol, the stop (S) acts
upon the revolving chambers, securing them until after the pistol has been
fired, when on releasing the trigger the stop also releases the chambers. The
bolt, which is not seen in the Drawing, but is on the outside of the body, locks
both cock and chambers for safety, one arm of it catching into a bolt plate (P)
secured to the tumbler, and the other arm into a notch on the revolving
chambers. We also make the body of the arm (X) out of a solid piece of
metal, if found preferable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Pryse and Paul Cashmore in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
PRYSE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Manufacturer, and
PAUL CASHMORE, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Pistol
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Charles Pryse and Paul Cashmore, Her special licence that we, the said
Charles Pryse and Paul Cashmore, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Charles Pryse and Paul Cashmore, our execu-
tors, 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,

page_text: Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN REPEATING FIRE-
ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said. Charles Pryse
and Paul Cashmore, an instrument in writing under our 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 we, the said Charles Pryse and Paul Cashmore,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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) :-
Our Invention consists, firstly, of an improved construction of repeating fire-
arm, having a double action, and self-acting or non-self-acting, that is to say,
that may be cocked either by means of the trigger or by the use of a thumb
piece on the hammer, neither of these actions interfering with the utility of the
weapon or its rapidity of fire as a repeating arm, and in making the body or
frame of this arm in one piece of metal.
Secondly, our improvements consist in certain modifications of the above,
which we term single-action repeating arms, as they must be cocked by means
of the thumb piece, consequently are not self-acting; the body of these arms
we also make of one piece, if preferred.
Thirdly, our Invention consists in improved means of applying lever ram-
rods, for the purpose of ramming the charge in those repeating arms which
consist of a cylinder or series of chambers revolving in a line parallel to the
line of a stationary barrel, through which barrel all the chambers of the breech
cylinder are discharged.
Fourthly, our Invention consists of improvements in the spring catches,
employed for the purpose of securing the ramrod close to the barrel when
not in use.
And, lastly, in improved forms of double-acting bolt, which will prevent the
chambers from revolving, and secure the hammer or striker at half cock at
the same time.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Sheet A Figure 1 is an elevation of one of the double-action pistols, before
named, with the stock removed. Sheet A: Figure 2 is an elevation of the
opposite side of the same pistol, with the body removed, and shewing the
details of the lock; Figure 3 shews one of the single-action pistols; Figure 4,

page_text: one of the forms of double-acting bolt, above alluded to; Figure 5, one of our
improved ramrod clicks or fastenings.
Sheet B: Figures 12 and 13 represent other arrangements of the lock and
stop of single-action pistols.
Sheet C shews various views of our improvements in applying lever ramrods,
some of which, with their' improved catches; are also shewn in the Drawings
before enumerated.
.
a
We now proceed to describe the action of the lock, shewn in (Figure 2),
which is that of the self-acting double-action pistol. (G) is the trigger, formed
in two parts; a plate secured to the finger bow is held in a jaw (G') that
'forms the body of the trigger, and has a slight play in its bearings, 'as indicated
by the dotted lines. (S) is a sear, having a second sear (S) on the under
side, seen also in dotted lines, which takes into bents on notches on 'the
under side of the tuinbler (T); this double sear may be formed in one piecc, if
preferred. (L) is an arm or lever, pinned loosely to the body of the trigger,
and furnished at its upper end with a small stud, catching in a bent on the
front of the tumbler. By the action of this lever, on drawing back the trigger
the hammer is raised, the sear (S') clicks into the upper notch or bent on the
under side of the tumbler when the hammer is put on half cock, and into the
lower notch when it is put on full cock, which must be done by drawing back
the thumb piece on the hammer; a very slight pull on the bow of the trigger
will be sufficient to cause the striker to fall and fire the pistol. By employing
the trigger only without touching the thumb piece, the pistol becomes self-
acting, and may be used as an ordinary repeater: (Figure 3) shews one of our
improved single-action repeating pistols, that is to say, it can only be cocked
by the use of the thumb piece on the hammer, and cannot, as in that shewn in
(Figure 2,) be half cocked by drawing the trigger. The sear (S) is in this case
'placed behind the trigger (T), and clicks into bents or notches' on the under
side of the tumbler, in the same manner as that shewn in Figure 2; the action
of drawing back the trigger releases the sear, and allows the striker to fall: On
cocking the pistol, the stop (S¹) is brought up against a flange on the chambers
to hold the chambers in a fixed position 'until the arm has been discharged;
this is effected by the tumbler raising the lever (F) on which the stop is fixed,
by means of the jaw (D), hanging upon a projecting stud (E) in front of the
tumbler. We desire to maintain this stop in position and to keep the cham-
bers fast until the trigger has been released from the pressure of the finger, for
which purpose the upper part of the trigger is formed into a long arm (A),
which arm, on the striker falling, drops under the jaw (D), and suspends it
until the trigger is released, when the stop (S) drops, and the chambers are

page_text: again free to revolve. (X, X,) Figure (3,)' shews that part of the pistol which
we term the body, and which we make entirè from one solid piece of metal.
The details of the lock shewn in Sheet B, (Figure 12,) the action of whose parts
is indicated by the red lines! also belong to the class of repeating arm which
we have designated single-acting. (A) is the tumbler; (B), the driver; (C),
the driver spring; (D); the main spring, kept in its place by a moveable dog
or catch (E), instead of being fixed by a pin or rivet; (F) is the sear; and
(G), the trigger. This lock can easily be taken to pieces and refitted by the
inost unskilled operator. The stop for fixing the rotation of the breech
cylinder is in this case formed by the-combined action of the trigger and, the
sear, on cach of which is a short arın (a; a',) passing through a slot in the
frame under the chamber, and between these two armis on the trigger and sear
one of the flanges of the cylinder is held,.except when the arm. is at half cock,
at which point the cylinder will revolve freely. (Figure 13) shews another
form of stop for securing the chambers, and which consists of small studs (b)
forged on to the cylinder, and a butt or slotted stud (C) on the end of an arm
(D), which projects from the sear'; the action' of. lialf cocking depresses this
butt (C), and allows of the revolution of the chambers; but at full cock,
and also when the hammer is down, one of the studs (6) is held between the
teeth of the butt (C); and the revolution of the cylinder is thereby prevented.
A reverse action, or a stud upon the sear taking into a-slot upon the cylinder,
would also answer the purpose as well, but need not be further.described...
The next part of our Invention relates to improvements in applying lever
ramrods for ramming the charges in the breech cylinders or chambers,' various
forms of which are shewn in the Drawings; that shewn in (Figures 1 and 2) is
simply a plunger (P), pinned to the fulcrum of the lever by a link (L), through
which is a slot (S), working on a pin on the head of the plunger.. The part
(O) of the lever which comes into contact with the plunger is shaped to a form
the better to suit the head of the plunger and to give greater purchase. In
(Figure 3) the lever is pinned to the plunger by a chain link placed at some
distance from the fulcrum. (Figure 6) shews one on the same principle as that.
seen in Figures 1, and 2, but somewhat extended; and (Figure 7).represents
a simpler form, in which the head of the plunger is flattened, and furnished
with a small-butt, under which the lever embraces the top of the plunger,
the object of this arrangement being, that should the plunger after ramming
adhere to the ball, as is frequently the case, the return of the lever to its
position of rest releases the plunger. (Figure 8) shews a form of rammer
adapted for loading the chambers more at the side than immediately under the
barrel;, and consists of a .block. (B), secured to the side of the lever at the

page_text: fulcrum, between the jaws of which block the head (H) of the plunger is held,
the shape of this block piece being such as to maintain the motion of the
plunger in a line parallel with the barrel. (Figure 9) shews a form of rammer
that may be made either with or without a fixed fulcrum, being kept in its
proper direction by a quadrant-shaped guide piece, formed on the head of the
plunger, and passing through a slot in the lever. On the descent of the lever
the quadrant guide works freely down the under side of the barrel, a fulcrum
being obtained by forming the lower end of the lever so as to hook or catch
under any suitable projection on the bracket piece, as at (B), or, if preferred, it
may be pinned at that point. Figure 10 gives another form of lever rammer,
working without being fixed to the fulcrum by the butt (a) on the heel of the
lever, catching under the projecting stud (B) on the barrel, as seen in the
dotted lines; and (Figure 11) shews a rammer adapted to work at the side of
the barrel instead of underneath, and in a plane at right angles to those
already described, the lever being connected to the plunger by a single link,
and the fulcrum formed by shaping the end of the lever into a ring, which works
round a stud on the barrel, and is prevented from slipping by a large headed
screw passing through the end of the lever, as at (a), and taking into the before-
named stud upon the barrel.
In reference to our improvements in the clicks or spring catches for
holding the lever of the rammer up to the under side of the barrel when
not in use, one form is seen at (Figure 5, Sheet A), consisting of a
plug (a), passed through a collar (6), and furnished with a thumb piece at
the end. A spiral spring round, or a flat one under, the plug keeps it in
position, so that when the lever is brought up to the barrel the end clicks
into a notch in the plug. It is released by drawing back the plug by means
of the thumb piece at the end, a flat spring on the barrel throwing out the
lever when the plug is pulled out. In the form of catch seen in the rest of
the Drawings (with the exception of that seen at Figure 7, which is not new,)
and Figure 9, a flat thumb piece works on a pin passing through a stud on the
barrel; a flat spring is fixed under the, thumb piece, which spring may be
made either in one piece with the catch, or in a separate piece pinned to the
barrel or the catch, and on pressing the thumb piece down at the end nearest
the muzzle of the barrel, a spring on the barrel under the end of the lever
throws the lever out; on returning the lever it is retained by the beak of the s
catch engaging in a notch on the end of the lever. The catch shewn in
(Figure 9.) consists of a spring let into the side of the lever, and connected to a
small thin strip of metal, secured by a pin passed through the centre of its
.length, on which it works. One end is provided with a thumb piece (a),. and

page_text: the opposite end with a small stud, that passes into a slot in the centre of the
lever, and into which a notched catch (b) on the barrel engages when the lever
is brought up to the barrel, the stud of the spring taking into the notch in the
catch (6) until it is required for use, when a slight pressure on the thumb
piece (a) releases it. The catch seen in (Figure 11) is the same as one already
described, but varied in the form of the beak to suit the lever, which, as before
stated, works in a plane at right angles to that of all the others.
The last part of our Invention, namely, the bolt for securing the chambers
and the hammer at half cock at one and the same time, is shewn in
(Figures 1 and 3), a portion of its action being seen in each Figure, and
in a modified form at (Figure 4). B, B', (Figure 1,) is a thin piece of
metal, passing under the cocking piece (E), (which in the Drawing is a
separate piece at the side, but a thumb-piece on the hammer will answer
equally, as in Figure 4,) behind which one arm of the bolt passes through a
slot in the body of the pistol, and is provided with a small stud formed to
engage in the notch (P') of the bolt plate (P), Figure 3, which bolt plate is
fixed on the tumbler. The bolt has a thumb catch at the end (B¹), for the
purpose of sliding it forward and backward, and the extended arm (B) has
on its extreme end a stud that catches in notches on the chambers; thus,
by sliding forwards the bolt (B, B', Figure 1), both the chambers and the
hammer will be locked at the same time. (Figure 4) shews a modification of
this bolt, the upper arm (a) of which secures the chambers, and the lower
one (6) the hammer. This form of bolt is applicable to either description
of pistol.
We would explain, that although we have mentioned pistols throughout in
this our Specification, we have done so only for the sake of brevity, as these
our improvements are intended to be applied to repeating arms of any
other description than pistols; but as the details of all the important parts
would be the same, further description is unnecessary.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we wish it to be clearly understood that
that which we claim is,-
Firstly, the mode of obtaining a double action in repeating fire-arms, by the
employment of the trigger and sear, described and shewn in Drawings, by which
we can put the arm at half cock by using either of the two movements, namely,
by the thumb piece or by the trigger, whilst it is also a self-acting repeating
arm, if desired; and also making the body of the arm, whether single or double-
acting, from a solid piece of metal.
Secondly, the mode of constructing single-action repeating arms, by the

page_text: employment of a trigger and sear; as shewn in the Drawings, and
which also,
in conjunction with the stop described, we can prevent the revolution of the
chambers until the trigger is relieved from the pressure of the finger; and we
also claim the general arrangement and combination of the parts of the lock
seen in Figures (12 and 13), with the modes of stopping the rotation of the
chambers therein shewn, and described in this our Specification.
Thirdly, we claim the various modes we have shewn and described of apply-
ing lever rammers.
Fourthly, the forms of click or spring catch seen in the Drawings (with the
exception of that in Figure 7.), for the purpose of retaining the lever in its due
position under the barrel when not in use. (
Fifthly, the forms of double-acting bolt, for securing the chambers and fixing
the hammer at half cock simultaneously.".
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Pryse and Paul Cashmore,
.5
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of March, in the
year' of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
EDWARD JOHN PAYNE.
CHARLES (L.8.) PRYSE.
PAUL (L.B.) CASHMORE.