IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to Charles Hanson; of Pimlico, in the County of Middle-
sex. Gunsmith, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ARMS."
Sealed the 1st April 1856, and dated the 7th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Hanson at the,
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
November 1855.
I, CHARLES HANSON, of Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, Gunsmith, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-
ARMS "to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to revolving pistols and other small arms, parts of
which can be applied to arms in which the breech is stationary, and consist in
simplifying the parts known as the "action" of the fire-arm.
For revolving arms I compose my action of six parts; trigger, hammer, rotator,
mainspring, spring lever for holding the hammer at half or full cock prior to
the arm being discharged by pulling the trigger, and detent for the purpose of
locking all the parts of the "action" when required, as, for instance, in loading,
or for insuring safety in carrying the arm. The trigger is composed of a bolt,
which slides in a slot in the under part of the lock plate, and from about the centre
depends the bow, by which the trigger is set in motion; the back end of the'
bolt terminates in a swan neck, which is notched to receive the end of an arm

page_text: projecting from the front and bottom part of the hammer; the rotator or lever,
whereby the breech is caused to rotate, is pinned on to the side of the swan
neck end of the bolt. The hammer consists of an upright shaft, terminating
at top in a thumb piece of the usual shape, and cap discharger, and at bottom
in a circular piece, which rides upon the inside of the bottom of the lock plate;
near the bottom it is centered upon a pin, and is perforated to allow of the
insertion of this pin. The fore part of the shaft near the bottom is formed into
a circular-shaped projecting arm, terminating at bottom in an edge, which
takes into the V notch in the end of the trigger bolt; at front this arm is
notched to receive the edge of the cocking spring lever, and between this pro-
jecting arm and the aperture made for the centering pin, the hammer is
hollowed out, to allow of the swan neck falling therein to set free the hammer
and discharge the piece. Another arm projects forward from the bottom of
the hammer, and receives thereon-a-projection--from the inside of the swan
neck, which enables the lock to be "cocked" either by the hammer or the
trigger. The back of the hammer is formed at its lower part with a,cam-
shaped piece, between the bottom of which and: the lower part of the lock
plate the ends of the mainspring are inserted. The spring, lever for holding the
hammer rests upon the outside of the further side of the lock plate; this
spring lever terminates in an-arm-which projects-inwards, and which is pressed
against and into the notches on the fore part of the projecting notched arm of
the hammer, before described. After, the lock has been placed at full cock, the
arm on the spring lever, is liberated from the notch on the projecting arm of
the hammer by a projection on the inner side of the swan-neck, in which the
trigger bolt terminates, and allows. the hammer to be pressed. forward by the
mainspring, and the fire-arm to be thereby discharged. The locking detent is
fixed on the outside of the lock plate, and on the side opposite to that on which
the cocking spring lever is placed. This detent can be moved by the hand into
a notch in the fore part of the rotator, whereby the whole action will be
effectually locked.
T
to
i
19
For carbines, fowling pieces, and other small arms of similar description, and
whether with stationary, or revolving, breech, I prolong the back end of the
trigger bolt, and make it to terminate in a projecting plate behind the ordinary
trigger guard, which allows of the lock being cocked, by grasping the arm and
projecting plate while raising it to the shoulder, whereby the plate and trigger
bolt will be pulled up and the hammer placed at full cock. With stationary
breech arms I dispense with the rotator..
412
1.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Hanson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th May 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HANSON, of Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, Gunsmith, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of.. November; 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 me,
the said Charles Hanson,: Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Hanson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Charles: Hanson, my 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIRE-ARMS," upon. the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles Hanson, my executors or adininistrators; 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: 1
NOW KNOW YE, that .I; the said Charles, Hanson, do hereby declare, the
nature of my 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 thereof; reference. being had to the, Drawings, hereunto; annexed,
that is to say.
事
My improvements relate to revolving pistols and other small, arms, parts.
of them being applicable to arms in which the breech is stationary, and consist
in simplifying the part known as the "action". of the fire-arm
For revolving arms I compose my "action" of six parts; trigger, hammer,
rotator, mainspring, spring lever for holding the hammer at half or full cock
prior to the arm being discharged by pulling the trigger, and a detent for the
purpose of locking all the parts of the "action" when required, as, for instance,,
in loading, or for insuring safety, in carrying the arm. The trigger is .com-.
posed of a bolt, which moves in a slot in the under part of the lock plate, and

page_text: from about the centre depends the bow, by which the trigger is set in motion.
The back end of the bolt terminates in a swan neck, which is notched to
receive the end of an arm projecting from the front and bottom part of the
hammer. The rotator or lever by which the breech is caused to rotate is
pinned on to the side of the swan-neck end of the bolt. The hammer consists
of an upright shaft, terminating at top in a thumb piéce of the usual shape,
and a cap discharger, and at bottom in a circular piece, which rides upon the
inside of the bottom of the lock plate; bear the bottom it is centred. upon a
pin, and is perforated to allow of the insertion of this pin. The fore part of
the shaft near the bottom is formed into a circular-shaped projecting. arm, tér-
minating at bottom in an edge, which takes into the V notch in the end of the
trigger bolt; at front this arm, is notched to receive the edge of the cocking
spring lever, and between this projecting arm and the aperture made for the
centering pin the hammer is hollowed out, to allow of the swan neck falling
therein to set free the hammer and discharge the piece. Another arm projects
forward from the bottom of the haminer, and receives thereon a projection
from the inside of the swan neck, which enables the lock to be cocked either
by the hammer or the trigger. The back of the hammer is formed at its lower
part with a cam-shaped piece, between the bottom of which and the lower part
of the lock plate the ends of the mainspring are inserted. The spring lever
for holding the hammer rests upon the outside of the further side of the lock
plate. This spring lever terminates in an arm which projects inwards, and
which is pressed against and into the notches on the fore part of the project-
ing notched arm of the hammer, before described. After the lock has been
placed at full cock, the arm on the spring lever is liberated from the notch on
the projecting arm of the hammer by a projection on the inner side of the
swan neck, in which the trigger bolt terminates, and allows the hammer to be
pressed forward by the mainspring, and the fire-arm to be thereby discharged.
The locking detent is fixed on the outside of the lock plate, and on the side
opposite to that on which the cocking spring lever is placed: This detent' can
be moved by the hand into a notch in the fore part of the rotator, whereby the
whole action will be, effectually locked.
.
For carbines, fowling pieces, and other small arms of similar description,
and whether with stationary or revolving breeches, I prolong the back end of
the trigger bolt, and make it to terminate in a projecting plate behind the
ordinary trigger guard. The locking detent before mentioned is in this
case dispensed with. In stationary breech. arms I also dispense with the
rotator.

page_text: In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have represented a gun to which the
principle of my improved action is applied, and in which the parts are
substantially the same as those before described.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gun. A is the stock; B, the barrel; C,
the revolving cylinder, containing the charge chambers; D, the lock casing;
E, the cock; F, the trigger; G, the trigger guard; H, the ramrod; I, the
ramrod lever; J,, a projecting portion of the lever on which the trigger is
carried; and K, the head of a bolt on which the cylinder C.revolves, and the
end of which screws into the hinder portion of the lock case, and imparts
strength to the combination of parts.
.
Figure 2 is a detached view of the lock, shewn on cock, to the parts of
which the same letters are applied as in Figure 1. The trigger F is passed
through a slot 6 in the lever c, and is held there by a pin d, which is formed on
one side of the rotator e, and passes through the trigger; and the trigger-lever
f is a small lever, one end of which bears against the trigger F when at full-
cock, while the other is formed with a hooked end, which takes into a notch on
the lower part of the cock, as shewn. The second notch, shewn on that. part
of the cock, is for the hooked end of the small lever-f to take into when the
gun is half cocked. The lever c, which has the projecting portion J, before
mentioned, formed upon it, is centered at its full extremity on a pin, which
passes through it at g. The upper extremity of the trigger F catches in a
notch in the cock. i, j, k, l, are springs, which act upon the cock E, the
lever f, the rotator e, and the trigger F respectively..
The principal object of the foregoing arrangement is to prevent the gun from
being discharged when the trigger alone is pulled (as it often is by accident),
and to render it necessary to both move the trigger and raise the lever c by
prèssing the projection J upwards, in order to discharge it. The parts are
therefore so formed and arranged, that when the trigger only is pulled the
lever drops, and the cock is retained in its position by the hooked end of the
lever f; but when the lever c is raised, the lever f is thereby forced upwards,
and the cock thus released. m is a projection on the lever c, which projection
takes into the back end of the revolving cylinder to lock the latter while the
gun is discharged. The rotation of the barrel is effected by the rotator e,
which acts against ratchet teeth in the end of the revolving cylinder, when the
lever c is raised as heretofore in ordinary revolvers.
Figure 3 is a detached view of the ramrod and its lever. The lever I is
centered on a pin at o, and the end of its short arm takes into a slot in the
ramrod EI, which latter slides into and out of the charge chambers as the lever

page_text: is moved away from and back towards the stock of the musket. The lines
-which the ends of the lever I and the end of the ramrod. tracé in their motion
are indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3. The lever I is secured when not
in use in the position shewn in Figure 1, by means of a pin n, which takes
into a hole-in-the-trigger guard G. This pin n slides in a hole bored length-
ways in the end of the lever I, being pressed out by a spring-p; shewn in the
sectional view, Figure 4. When the ramrod is to be used, the pin 'n is with-.
drawn from the hole in, the trigger guard by means of a transverse-pin q,
formed upon the pin, this transverse pin projecting through a slot in the
side of the lever I.
..
And having now described the nature of my said Invention; 'and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,
First, the construction of an "action" for fire-arms as herein-before
described, and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Second, the method of connecting the trigger with a lever which has a
motion about a centre in such manner, that in order to discharge the
fire-arm the lever must be raised and the trigger pulled simultaneously, as
herein-before described, and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Third, the method of working the ramrod of revolving fire-arms by means.
of a bent lever centered on a piu; and with its end taking into a slot in the
ramrod, as herein-before described; and represented in the Drawings hereunto
annexed...
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Hanson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-six.