IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, E. C., Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS." -A communication from
LT Dovismo. rosiding at Paris
Sealed the 28th June 1859, and dated the 30th December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th December 1858.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, E.C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS," (communicated to me by L. F.
Devisme, residing at Paris,) to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in so forming and fitting the revolving breech piece
of revolving fire-arms, that when they have to be charged it may be turned
éither downward or to one side, or otherwise about a hinge or joint either in
conjunction with or separate from the barrel, and in fixing the said, breech
piece in place after the chambers have been charged by means of a rod
passing through the breech piece, and engaging at the rear end in a female
screw thread or other holding part by means of a male screw thread, or. a

page_text: gaining or other projection. When a male screw thread is used, it is formed
on a part of the circumference of the rod only, and makes only part of a
revolution, say one-fourth; the rod may be turned by a lever on the other
extremity. In order to withdraw the cartridges from the breech chambers,
the Inventor sometimes makes use of a rod which he carries in the butt of the
stock of the arm; or he employs a rod with a washer or ring at the extremity,
so arranged as to force all the cartridges out at once.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th June 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, E. C.,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS,"
(communicated to me by L. F. Devisme, residing at Paris,) upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 Richard Archibald Brooman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly, described and ascertained in

page_text: and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:
This Invention consists in so forming and fitting the revolving breech. piece
of revolving fire-arms that when they have to be charged it may be turned
either downward or to one side or otherwise about a hinge or joint, either in
conjunction with or separate from the barrel, and in fixing the said breech
piece in place after the chambers have been charged by means of a rod passing
through the breech piece, and engaging at the rear end in a female screw thread
or other holding part by means of a male screw thread or a gaining or other
projection. When a male screw thread is used, it is formed on a part of the
circumference of the rod only, and makes only part of a revolution, say one-
fourth; the rod may be turned by a lever on the other extremity. In order
to withdraw the cartridges from the breech chambers the Inventor sometimes
makes use of a rod which he carries in the butt of the stock of the arm,
or he employs a rod with a washer or ring at the extremity, so arranged
as to force all the cartridges out at once.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side view of a fire-arm con-
structed according to this Invention; Figure 2 is a section through the line 1, 2,
of the same; Figure 3 shews the arm open, and the positions the ramrod
and other parts then assume; and Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are views of the
details. The arm is composed of two parts; the first comprises the barrel a,
the ramrod e, the cartridge holders or revolving chamber u, the mechanism
which causes these parts to revolve, and the brace or holder b. The second
comprises the breech piece v, the stock a, and the interior mechanism which
works the trigger and hammer. The barrel a has a part thinned off near the
brace b, in which a ring c is fixed, to which a piece of metal d is cast or
In
attached, forming a socket for the reception of one end of the ramrod e.
the ring a series of notches is formed, in which the teeth of a toothed
sector h take to cause the ring c to revolve. This toothed sector h forms part
of a lever i, the centre of which is at k, so that when this lever is placed in a
perpendicular position the ramrod will be underneath the barrel, but when it
is in the position shewn at Figure 2, the ring being drawn by the toothed
sector h, say a quarter of a turn, causes the ramrod to occupy the position.
indicated at Figure 4. This lever i also produces the rotation of the cartridge
holders in the following manner: -The centre k of the lever i consists of a rod
which passes through the cartridge chamber, and terminates in a T-piece or
projection o; a groove is formed in the stock to receive this piece o, and
when the lever is taken from the position it is shewn in at Figure 4 to that in
Figure 2, the T-piece takes into notches formed in the interior of the groove !,

page_text: and holds the chamber firmly closed. A pin g limits the distance the ring c
travels. By the simple movement of the lever the opening of the
breech and the bringing of the ramrod into position for use are produced.
The T-piece o can be replaced by a screw taking into a corresponding thread
formed in the groove in the breech. The discharge of the cartridge holders
can also be produced by means of a rod terminating in a circular piece or
washer, having holes formed therein corresponding with those in the cartridge
holder; the cartridges rest against this washer, so that a simple push of the
rod will suffice to disengage the whole of the cartridges.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the improve-
ments in revolving fire-arms herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
.K. A. BROUMAN. (L.S.)