IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVERS AND OTHER BREECH-LOADING PISTOLS
Year: 1884

page_text: "I, JOHN CARTER, of N° 33 Ford Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Action Filer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REVOLVERS AND OTHER BREECH-LOADING PISTOLS" to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to Revolvers and other Breech-loading Pistols which open
by a drop-down action or other motion for extracting the shells of fired cartridges;
and the object of the Invention is to prevent the discharge of the pistol when
closed unless securely bolted. The Invention consists in the application to such
pistols of mechanical contrivances to stop the motion of some limb or limbs, such
motion being necessary to the discharge of the pistol, until the breech is securely
bolted.
.
.
The contrivances used are spring or other catches, and they are directly or
indirectly moved by, or dependent for position on, the mechanism which bolts the
breech, and such catches may be applied to any limb of the pistol whose movement
is essential to the discharge of the said pistol, so as to prevent the movement of
such limb until the pistol is securely bolted.
For example, I may block the trigger catch by means of a safety catch operated
by the breech bolting mechanism and arresting the backward movement of the
trigger until the barrel tang is actually locked to the body; or I may block the
movement of the lifter, or, as aforesaid, of such other part of the firing mechanism
as I may find most desirable, always however operating by or from the breech
bolting mechanism.
.
The secure bolting of the pistol causes the release of the catch and the freeing
of the firing mechanism.

page_text: "
I, JOHN CARTER, of 33 Ford Street Birmingham in the County of Warwick,
Action Filer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
REVOLVERS AND OTHER BREECH-LOADING PISTOLS" and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
My Invention relates to Revolvers and other breech-loading Pistols which open
by a drop-down action or other motion, for extracting the shells of fired cartridges;
and the object of the Invention is to prevent the discharge of the pistol, when
closed, unless securely bolted.
The Invention consists in the application to such pistols of mechanical con-
trivances to stop the motion of some limb or limbs, such motion being necessary to
the discharge of the pistol, until the breech is securely bolted.
The contrivances used are spring or other catches, and they are directly or
indirectly moved by, or dependent for position on the mechanism which bolts.the
breech, and such catches may be applied to any limb of the pistol whose movement
is essential to the discharge of the said pistol, so as to prevent the movement of
such limb until the pistol is securely bolted."
"
For example, I may block the trigger-catch by means of a safety catch operated
by the breech bolting mechanism and arresting the backward movement of the
trigger until the barrel tang is actually locked to the body; or I may block the
movement of the lifter, or, as aforesaid of such other part of the firing mechanism
as I may find most desirable, always however operating by or from the breech
bolting mechanism.
In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the application of my Invention
to drop down action revolvers.
In Figure 1. is shewn the action of a revolver which is secured when closed by
the cross bolts a taking into the tang of the barrel b. These bolts a are operated
by the levers c, of which only the left hand one is shewn. At d is shewn a flat
spring let into the side of the body of the revolver. This spring d carries a small
bolt or catch e on its inner side. The end d¹ of the spring d is in contact with the
lower end of the lever c. When the lever c is pressed to withdraw the bolt a from
the tang b, the bolt or catch e is brought over the trigger f, and so blocks the
movement of the said trigger. When the tang b is fully removed from the standing
breech the bolts a and lever c can return to their normal positions, and of course
the trigger is set free from being blocked by the bolt or catch e. On closing the
tang b into the slot in the standing breech the bolts a and lever care necessarily
moved, and the trigger is blocked during the time that the tang b is coming home,
and until the bolts a have entered the hole in the said tang and fully secured the
pistol from the risk of being blown open.
'
"T
Hence it will be seen that, if the tank b be within the slot in the standing breech,
the firing mechanism of the pistol cannot be moved so as to discharge the said
pistol, unless and until the bolts a fully. enter and secure the tang b, and so allow
the withdrawal of the bolt or catch e from blocking the trigger.
In like manner the lifter g may be blocked by a bolt or catch h attached to, or
worked by the lever c. Or the hammer or any other limb of the firing mechanism
may be similarly blocked by a bolt or catch worked by the breech bolting
mechanism in such a way as to prevent the motions necessary to discharge the
pistol unless the same is securely bolted.

page_text: I desire it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
herein described and illustrated on the Drawing as the same may be greatly varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
In Revolvers and other Breech loading Pistols, the combination of the Breech
bolting mechanism with Safety Bolts or Catches acting upon the Trigger Lifter,
Hammer, or any convenient limb or part of the firing mechanism or lock, in such
a manner as to block the discharge of the weapon until the barrel is securely bolted
to the breech.