IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVER FIRE- ARMS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Adams, of Queen's Road, Dalston, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVER FIRE-
ARMS."
Sealed the 30th April 1858, and dated the 7th November 1857!
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Adams at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th November
1857.
I, JOHN ADAMS, of Queen's Road, Dalston, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVER
FIRE-ARMS," to be as follows:-
In
This Invention has for its object improvements in revolver fire-arms.
For these purposes, in place of the hammer striking directly on the cap which
is placed on a nipple as heretofore, it moves a sliding bolt which strikes the
cap, and the end of this bolt is made larger than the hole through which it
passes, so as to deflect the products of the explosion of the cap, and prevent
them from passing back so as to annoy or injure the user of the weapon.
place of the combined apparatus heretofore used, when cocking and discharging
the hammer by the trigger, a link is attached to the upper end of the trigger
by a pin joint; the end of this link has a catch formed on it, which drops into
a notch formed at the lower end, and under the axis of motion of the hammer
the link is released from the catch by a projection when the hammer has t

page_text: been drawn up to the full height. By arranging the action in this way, I am
enabled to slot out the body almost entirely by the use of circular cutters. In
place of the pin or axis on which the cylinder revolves being retained in
position as heretofore, it is securely held by the ramrod lever, which moves on
an axis below the pin or axis of the cylinder. The outer end of the ramrod
lever is retained securely under the barrel, by being notched, in such manner
as to pass between two projections fixed to the under side of the barrel. The
elbow or bend of the ramrod lever comes against the outer end of the pin or
axis on which the barrels revolve, and retains it from moving outwards till the
outer end of the ramrod has been depressed. In constructing the body of a
revolving fire-arm, it is made in two parts in the following way:
One part consists of the fixed barrel, the piece which runs along the top of
the rotating barrels, and of a piece which passes down behind the revolving
barrels, and which may be formed into a shield. In order to attach these
parts to the remaining parts of the body (which are made in one piece), there
is a feather or projection formed longitudinally on the under side of the fixed
barrel at its end nearest the revolving barrel, and this feather or projection
enters a slit in the corresponding part of the second piece, and is fixed there
by pins. In a similar way the second junction is made; there is a vertical slit
formed in that part of the first piece which descends behind the revolving
barrels, and this receives a vertical feather or projection on the other piece.
The cylinder of barrels is prevented revolving by a safety bolt, which moves
out of the shield in a circular course, and locks the barrels so as to secure the
caps on the nipples from being acted on by the hammer.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed!
by the said John Adams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ADAMS, of Queen's Road, Dalston, in the County of Middlesex, 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-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Adams, Her special licence that I, the said John Adams, my.
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John 3
Adams, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: 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 REVOLVER
FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Adams,
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 John Adams, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in revolver fire-arms, and con-
sists, first, in interposing between the hammer and the cap on the nipple a bolt
sliding through a hole in the frame of the fire-arm, such bolt being enlarged at
its end which comes in contact with the cap, so as to deflect the products of the
explosion of the cap, and prevent them from passing back through the hole in
the frame to annoy or injure the user of the weapon. Figure 1 is a longi-
tudinal section of part of a revolver fire-arm, constructed according to my
Invention. a is a hollow steel plug screwed into a hole tapped through the
back of the frame of the fire-arm; b is a steel bolt, the enlarged head of which
strikes and explodes the cap on the nipple, when the hammer descends; the
stem of the bolt 6 slides through a hole of suitable size in the end of the
plug a, and it has. coiled round it a spiral spring c, which by acting against
the nut d, pushes back the bolt b, when the hammer is raised.
With respect to this part of my Invention, I would remark that I am
aware that a bolt has before sometimes been interposed between the hammer
and the cap on the nipple; I do not claim the use of such a bolt, but what I
do claim is the forming the end of the bolt larger than the whole through
which it passes, so as to deflect the products of the explosion of the cap, and
prevent them from passing back.
Another part of my Invention consists in substituting for the arrangements
heretofore employed in the locks of fire-arms, when the hammer has been
capable either of being raised and released by once pulling the trigger, or of
being raised or cocked by hand before discharging the piece, the following
combined apparatus:-To the upper end of the trigger a link is attached by a

page_text: pin joint, and the end of this link has a catch formed on it, which drops into
a notch formed at the lower end, and under the axis of motion of the hammer;
the link is released from the catch by a projection when the hammer has been
drawn up to the full height. By arranging the action in this way, I am
enabled to slot out the body almost entirely by the use of circular cutters.
Figure 2 shews a lock or action arranged according to this part of my Inven-
tion; and Figures 3 shew the parts separately. a is the trigger; and 6 is the
link attached to it by a pin joint; c is the hammer which has a notch c¹ formed
in it at its lower end and under its action of motion; into this notch the catch
at the end of the link falls when the hammer is down, and by drawing back
the trigger the hammer is raised. When the hammer has been drawn up to
a sufficient height, the projection at the end of the link b comes in contact
with the hammer, and throws the catch out of the notch c¹. When the
hammer is raised or cocked by hand, the sear d falls into the notch c² on the
hammer, and then when the trigger is pulled, the back of the trigger comes in
contact with the tail of the sear and throws it out of the notch.
e is a pro-
jection on the trigger which locks the revolving barrels as heretofore; and fis
the instrument by which the barrels are rotated in place of the ordinary
trigger spring; the spring 9 is employed, which is attached at one end to the
trigger, and at the other end is divided into two parts; one part acts on the
projection f of the instrument f, and the other part on the projection 6' of the
link b. The red lines in Figure 2 shew both the sizes of the circular cutters
employed to slot out the body, and also the parts of the body which these
cutters remove.
g
Another part of my Invention consists in retaining in position the pin or
axis on which the cylinder revolves by means of a ramrod lever, which moves
on an axis below the pin or axis of the cylinder. The elbow or bend of the
ramrod lever comes against the outer end of the pin or axis on which the
barrels revolve, and retains it from moving outwards till the outer end of the
ramrod lever has been depressed. Figure 4 is a side view of part of a
revolving fire-arm, arranged according to this part of my Invention; Figure 5
is an end view partly in section of the same. The other Figures on the same
Sheet shew some of the parts separately. a is the frame of the fire-arm which
has a hole drilled through it for the passage of the pin or axis b, as heretofore.
Under the hole for the pin or axis b, another hole is drilled to receive the
plunger or rammer c, and the space between the two holes is slotted out
sufficiently to allow of the action of the rod or lever d; this rod or lever is
centred to the frame at d³, and its curved end passes through the recess c¹ in
the plunger or rammer. The red lines in Figure 4 shew the position which

page_text: the rod or lever d assumes, when it is moved down so as to force the plunger
or. rammer c into one of the revolving chambers. When the ramrod is out
of use, the end of the rod or lever d.is retained under the barrel by the two
spring projections e, e, and then the elbow or bend of the rod or lever d comes
against the outer end of the pin or axis b, and retains it in its place.
Another part of my Invention consists in constructing the body of a
revolving fire-arm; it is made in two parts in the following way :-One part
consists of the fixed barrel, the piece which runs along the top of the rotating
barrels, and of a piece which passes down behind the revolving barrels, and
which may be formed into a shield in order to attach these parts to the
remaining parts of the body (which are made in one piece). There is a feather
or projection formed longitudinally on the under side of the fixed barrel at its
end nearest the revolving barrels, and this feather or projection enters a slit in
the corresponding part of the second piece, and is fixed there by pins. In a
similar way the second junction is made, there being a vertical slit formed in
that part of the first piece which descends behind the revolving barrels, and
this receives a vertical feather or projection on the other piece. Figure 6 is a
side view of the body of a revolving fire-arm, constructed according to this
part of my Invention; Figure 7 is a side view of the part which carries the
separated from the other part; Figure 8 is a plan, and Figure 9 an under side
view of the same part; Figure 10 is a side view; Figure 11, a plan; and
Figure 12, an under side view of the second or remaining part of the body
shewn separated from the first part. a is the fixed barrel; b, the part which
runs along the top of the rotating barrels or chambers; and c, the piece which
passes down behind the revolving barrels, and which is shewn formed into a
shield; d is a feather or projection formed longitudinally on the under side of
the barrel a, and which has a hole drilled through it for the passage of the
axis of revolving barrels ; it also has as small hole d' drilled in it to receive a
pin which serves to keep the two parts of the body together, and also as an
axis to the ramrod lever. The slot d shewn in the under side view is also for
the accommodation of the ramrod lever; e is a vertical slit formed in the
piece c to receive the vertical feather or projection f, on the second or remain-
ing part, and the two parts are fixed together by a screw at f¹. At the other
end of the second part a slit g is formed to receive the feather or projection d,
and the hole d in this part corresponds with the hole in the first part.
The slit or opening in the second part is for the accommodation of the ramrod
apparatus, and the slit or opening i for that of the parts of the lock or action.
The last part of my Invention relates to the arrangement of the safety bolt.
The cylinder of barrels is prevented revolving by a safety bolt, which moves

page_text: -out of the shield in a circular course, and locks the barrels so as to secure the
caps on the nipples from being acted on by the hammer. Figure 13 is a side
view of part of the body of a revolver fire-arm; it is made in two parts as
already described, and a groove is formed in the part which receives the lock,
and into this the bolt a drops;. it is kept in its place by the. shield in which a
recess is formed for the projection a¹ from the bolt.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Adams, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
:
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
:
JOHN ADAMS. (L.S.)