IMPROVEMENTS IN A CERTAIN DESCRIPTION OF FIRE- ARMS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Pryse and Richard Redman, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Gun Makers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN A CERTAIN DESCRIPTION OF FIRE-
ARMS "A communication.
Sealed the 17th January 185%, and dated the 4th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. left by the said Charles Pryse and
Richard Redman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 4th November 1852.
We, CHARLES PRYSE and RICHARD REDMAN, of Birmingham, Gun
Makers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN A CERTAIN DESCRIPTION OF FIRE-ARMS" to be as follows, that is
to say:
Our improvements relate to that species of fire-arm known as "saloon
fire-arms." These weapons are loaded from the breech, the whole
charge being contained in the copper cap. It frequently happens that
the reaction of the charge shakes the hammer sufficiently to allow the
discharged cap to fly off. Our object is to prevent this, and the way in
which we effect it is as follows:-A slot is cut the whole length of the
upper side of the hammer, and a bolt terminating at the upper end in

page_text: a swan-neck form is fixed in this slot by and works upon a single rivet,
which passes through both the hammer and the bolt. The swan neck
formed part passes over the top of the plate at the upper end of the
hammer, and the other end of the bolt terminating in a small knob
meets below the lower end of the hammer a spring attached to the
under side of the same by which it is retained in position. The re-action
of the charge strikes the hammer-plate in a direct line with the barrel,
but is prevented from throwing up the hammer by the spring and bolt,
which will yield to no force exerted in a direct line, whilst the action of
the hand in "cocking" (the thumb describing an arc) admits of the
working of the parts with the greatest.freedom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Pryse and Richard Redman in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 4th May 1853.
we,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, W
CHARLES PRYSE and RICHARD REDMAN, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Gun Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for. Herself,. Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Charles Pryse and Richard Redman,
Her special license that we; the said Charles Pryse and Richard
Redman, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Charles Pryse and Richard. Redman, our executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 A CERTAIN
DESCRIPTION OF FIRE-ARMS," upon the condition, amongst others, that
we, the said Charles Pryse and Richard Redman, by an instrument in

page_text: ng under our hands and seals, should particularly describe and
rtain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
the date of the said Letters Patent.
OW KNOW YE, that we, the said Charles Pryse and Richard
man, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in
t manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
he Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
ked thereon, that is to say:
he improvements consist in the modes of applying a bolt to the
or hammer of that description of fire-arm known as the saloon
arms.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
igure 1, represents a pistol with one form of the bolt attached to
the hammer.
2, a section of the bolt and hammer detached.
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3, a side elevation of the bolt.
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4, a front elevation of the bolt and hammer.
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5, a plan of the top of the same.
6, a side elevation of another form of bolt, a modification of
the above.
7, a section of the same.
"
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8, a front elevation of the same.
"
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9, a top plan of the same.
10, a vertical section, shewing the first form of bolt with part
of the lock plate.
11, a horizontal section of the same.
12, the spring shewn separately.
Ve now proceed to the description of the first form of bolt shewn in
ares 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 10, and 11; and here we may remark, that in
ordinary fire-arms of this description (which are loaded from the
ch, the charge being contained in the cap,) the action of the charge

page_text: . in firing has a tendency to throw back the hammer sufficiently, to allow
thecdischarged.cap to fly out to the jinjury of the person using the
weapon. Our object has been to prevent this by providing a bolt
sufficiently strong to resist the shock of the discharge, and which shall,
nevertheless, be self-relieving without any extra motion.
It will be seen on reference to:(Figure 2) that the hammer, or cock (c).
hasia slot cut in its upper surface of the entire length of the hammer..
Atithe bottom of this slot a small notch (e) is turned up, against which
one end of the spring (e)(seen separately at Figure 12.) abuts. A
piece of metal ofȧ swan-neck form (A), which constitutes the bolt,. is 1
placed in the slot and bears on the spring. (e), being secured in..its
position by the più (6) passing through the hammer and the bolt. The
upper end of the bolt passes over the head of the hammer, plate, as seen
at (Fig. 2), and on the opposite extremity of the bolt. The butt or knob
(d, Figure 10), meets a steel stud (9), inserted into the under side of 1
the lock-plate. By the attachment of the bolt to the hammer this stud
resists the inclination of the hammer, to fly backzone the charge-being
fired, as it will yield to no force exerted inya-line with the barrel,
whilst by the mere action of the hand in cocking, the thumb describing
an arc, the bolt relieves itself, accompanying the hammer... A substitute 2
for the stud-(9) may be, niade; if desirable, by having the metal thicker
just at that part, when it can be nicked out and hardened to form a
shoulder for the knob (d)to-butt-against
diseb
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Figures 6, 7, (8, and 9,) shew a modification of the bolt already
described, and differing from it only in the way, in which the head of 2
the bolt clasps the hammer plate: The top of the hammer is in this f
instance slightly bent backwards, and has a slot cut, partly down the
face (see Figure 7), which slot -isichamfered upwards at the bottom to
fit into a nick formed in the front edge of the upper-part of the bolt.
The remaining details are the same as in that before described.
So far we have specified these-improvements as applicable to pistols ; .
it is evident that the same can be equally well applied to any form of
fire-arm coming under the class before stated.
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Having thus, described the nature of. the said improvements; and in
what manner the same are, to be performed, we wish it to be clearly 85

page_text: understood that what we claim are, the modes described. of applying
a bolt to the hammers of the description of fire-arms termed saloon
fire-arms, and any modification involving the arrangement and com-
bination of the various parts herein set forth and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Pryse and Richard
Redman, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirtieth
day of April, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
CHARLES (L.S.) PRYSE.
RICHARD (L.s.) REDMAN.