IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Patent
Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS."
- A communication from abroad by Messrs. Smith and Wesson,
of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 20th July 1869, and dated the 17th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th May 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Patent Agents, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING
FIRE-ARMS," a communication, to be as follows:-
The said Invention relates to revolving fire-arms in which the act of
swinging the barrel forward away from the recoil block extracts all the

page_text: cartridge shells at once. The arm is furnished with an extractor having
a flat plate or lead which lies in a recess at the rear of the revolving
cylinder in such a position as to form a part of the surface against which
the rim of each cartridge shell lies when the same is inserted into its
chamber in the cylinder. The said extractor also has a shank, which
extends through the centre of the revolving cylinder and through a hollow
centre pin upon which the revolving cylinder turns. Where the shank
passes through the rear end of the revolving cylinder it is made square,
so that it has to turn with the cylinder when the latter is revolved.
To the forward end of this extractor a rack is attached by a coupling
joint, which allows the extractor to revolve without turning the said rack.
This rack may be made flat or may be circular with the teeth cut
entirely around it; and for many reasons the latter form is preferable.
A chamber is provided for the rack through the stock below the barrel
and in a line with the centre of the revolving cylinder. In order
to operate the extractor by means of this rack I place in the
joint whereon the barrel turns a toothed pinion which engages with
the rack. The peculiarity of this pinion is that when the barrel is
swung forward the pinion first revolves about one-eighth part of a turn,
giving the cartridge shells room to clear the breech block before they
are started from the chambers of the revolving cylinder; the pinion is
then caught and held by a pawl at its lower side, the rack being
consequently forced back or left behind and with it the extractor, which
as thic barrel is turned further forward on the hinge pushes out the shells,
the head of the extractor catching under their flanges. A projection is
formed on the stock in front of the pinion, and when the barrel is swung
far enough for this projection to strike against the head of the pawl and
push it back the pinion revolves freely, and the rack flics forward to its
former position, carrying with it the extractor and also turning the
pinion until it occupies its first place relative to the rack. In order to
thus impel the rack when the pinion is released any suitably arranged
spring may be used, for instance, on the forward end of the rack a rod
may be formed or secured, the said rod having on its outer or forward
end a head. The said rod passes through collar made stationary by
means of a set screw in the chamber wherein the rack is fitted, and a
spiral spring is coiled around the said rod between its head and the collar.
When the rack is forced back towards the revolving cylinder the spring
is compressed, its recoil restoring the rack when it is released. In this
manner by merely throwing forward the barrel as far as it will go the

page_text: shells are all extracted, and the extractor is restored to its proper position
for another operatien as soon as the barrel is returned to the breech.
In these fire-arms as heretofore constructed the pawl which holds the
cylinder projects beyond the face of the recoil block to engage with the
ratchet on the said cylinder, and is always liable to be broken off by
the projecting heads of shells or even by the ratchet itself when the
pistol barrel was forced suddenly back. In order to obviate this difficulty
I provide a half-cock notch in the tumbler, and arrange the said pawl
in such a manner in relation to the same that when the hammer is at
half-cock the trigger presses against a short arm at the lower end of the
pawl, and the long arm or point of the pawl which takes into the ratchet
teeth is consequently thrown back. The trigger must project slightly at
this side of the tumbler to enable it to catch against the pawl. This
throws the pawl out of lino with the breech block face and entirely out
of the way, so that the barrel may be forced back with perfect safety when
the piece is at half-cock.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., of No. 8,
Southampton Buildings, London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake,
Her special licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Robert Lake, 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

page_text: wheel G in the joint H in such a manner that it engages with the
rack D above. The peculiarity of this pinion is that when the barrel
is swung forward the pinion first revolves about one-eighth part of a
turn, giving the cartridge shells room to clear the breech block before
they are started from the chambers of the revolving cylinder; the
pinion is then caught and held by a pawl N at the lower side, the
rack being consequently forced back or left behind, as shown in Figure 2,
and with it the extractor, which as the barrel is turned further forward
on the hinge pushes out the shells, the head of the extractor catching
under their flanges, as shown at T. A projection is formed on the stock
in front of the pinion, and when the barrel is swung far enough for
this projection I to strike against the head J of the pawl N and push it
back, the pinion revolves freely and the rack flies forward to its former
position, carrying with it the extractor, and also turning the pinion
until it occupies its first place relative to the rack. In order to thus
impel the rack forward when the pinion is released any suitably arranged
spring may be used. In this instance I form on the forward end of the
rack a rod K, which has on its outer end a head and passes through a
collar L made stationary by means of a set screw M in the chamber F at
a point near the end of the rack when at rest. A spiral spring is coiled
around this rod between its head and the collar, and when the rack is
forced back towards the revolving cylinder the spring is compressed, its
recoil restoring the rack when it is released. In this manner by merely
throwing forward the barrel as far as it will go the shells are all extracted
and the extractor restored to its proper position for a new operation as
soon as the barrel is returned to the breech.
In these fire-arms as heretofore constructed there has been no
provision made for the pawl O, which in the ordinary construction
projects beyond the face of the recoil block in order to engage with
the ratchet on the said cylinder, and is therefore always liable to be
broken off by the projecting heads of shells or even by the ratchet
itself when the pistol barrel is forced suddenly back. In order to
obviate this difficulty I provide a half-cock notch on the tumbler, and
arrange the pawl O in such a manner in relation to the same that when
the hammer is at half-cock the trigger presses against the lower end of
the pawl at R, and the pivot pin $ being above this point the upper end
or point of the pawl is consequently thrown back. The trigger must
project slightly at this side of the tumbler to enable it to catch against

page_text: the pawl. The pawl is thereby thrown out of line with the breech
block face and entirely out of the way, so that the barrel may be forced
back with perfect safety when the piece is at half-cock.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, I claim,-
First. The arrangement of the movable gear or pinion G in the joint HI
and the rack D upon the front end of the extractor in such a manner
that they engage with each other and operate the extractor by the
throwing forward of the barrel, substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
Second. The attachment of the extractor to the rack in such a manner
that it is enabled to revolve independently of the rack, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
Third. The construction and arrangement of the pawl O in such a
manner that when the hammer is at half-cock the point of the pawl is
thrown back out of line with the face of the ratchet, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hero-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty- 2
nine.
Witness,
HARRY WRAIGHT.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)