Fig. 2 shows a part of the arbor upon which the receiver turns. b is the portion thereof which is immediately below the chamber in contact with the barrel, and in this part a channel or groove is made descending from the point b in both directions, so as to form two inclined planes meeting at the point b. These planes or sections of the grooves may form an angle at forty-five degrees with each other. This groove or channel serves as a chimney to conduct off the smoke of the lateral discharge, so that it shall pass directly between the receiver and the barrel and prevent its spreading, so as to pass in between the receiver and the arbor and the barrel and the arbor, and consequently from condensing there and rendering them foul. The barrel is connected with the receiver and with the stock of the gun by the aid of the arbor which at the rear end, is a solid piece with the shield or solid piece of metal which receives the recoil and constitutes a component part of the metallic frame-work or foundation of the lock and its appendages. The part C of the arbor is that upon which the receiver revolves, and the part C′ enters a cylindrical cavity in a mass of iron, D D, to which the barrel is brazed or otherwise attached.
Fig. 3 shows the piece of iron D D and a part of the barrel B which is attached to it. The dotted lines in this represent the cylindrical cavity which receives the outer end of the arbor C′. The two are keyed together by the passing of a suitable key through a mortise in the piece D D and a corresponding one in the arbor.
c, Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5, represents the key. Fig. 4 shows its upper and Fig. 5 its under side, d d are two fluted channels along its upper side to receive the heads of two screws which are screwed into the piece D D close to the mortise and on the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 3. The heads of these screws lap a little over the mortise and are received into the fluted channels d d. These heads prevent the key from falling out and check it in either direction, and must be withdrawn in order to remove the key. As the key c is to act laterally as a wedge to draw the receiver and the barrel into proper contact, it is of importance that it should be checked when forced sufficiently far in, or the receiver might be wedged up and prevented from turning. For this purpose I insert a screw, e, Fig. 3, into the steel button f, which is attached to D D, to strengthen the end of the mortise and prevent the bruising of it by the recoil. The head of this screw, overlapping the end of the mortise, receives the wedge and checks it. By turning this screw the force of the wedge may be tempered. In Fig. 5, g is a spring-latch on the under side of the key, which catches upon D when the key is forced in and prevents its accidental removal.
Fig. 6 represents a percussion tube or nipple, through which the fire from the percussion-cap is to be conducted to the chamber. Fig. 7 represents the same in section. The outer end, h, of the tube has the opening made as large as convenience will allow, and it goes tapering or conical until at the inner end, i, it is as small as a proper entrance of the flame from the percussion-powder will warrant. By giving the conical or funnel-formed opening to the tube the effect of the percussion-powder is greatly increased.
E, Figs. 1 and 8, is a bolt for locking the receiver when a loaded chamber is brought to coincide with the barrel, the rounded end j being forced into a hole in the receiver by the action of a spring on its outer end k. This bolt is drawn back by the hammer F in the act of cocking.
l, Figs. 1 and 9, is a spring-cam, which is screwed to the hammer at m. It is made of spring-steel, so that its cam end n may recede from or approach the hammer F. The cam n bears against the projection o on the bolt E on the side which lies against the hammer, and as the hammer is drawn back causes the bolt to recede. The bolt is notched to enable it to be withdrawn without interfering with the joint-pin q of the hammer. The lateral springing of the cam-piece l is necessary to admit of its passing by the projection o of the bolt when the hammer is made to strike upon a percussion-cap. To enable the spring-cam to pass the bolt E, the lower end of it, n, is made wedge-shaped, diminishing to a point or edge at its extremity, and as it is made to spring laterally it is received into a recess in the hammer as the latter passes the bolt in making the discharge.
Fig. 10 shows the ratchet-wheel and hand or pawl by which the receiver is made to revolve to the distance from one chamber to another in the act of cocking. The cylindrical periphery q of the ratchet-wheel fits into a corresponding cavity on the back end of the receiver, as shown at q q, Fig. 1. r is a projection to prevent its turning round, this being adapted to a notch made to receive it. S is a hand or pawl, which falls into the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, said pawl being forced forward by the spring S′. The arbor t on which the hand turns is received into the opening t. In the hammer, Fig. 1, the hand itself being on the opposite side of said hammer from that shown, its position is shown by the dotted lines surrounding its arbor t. The cocking of the gun causes it to act upon the ratchet-wheel, and when turned to the proper distance the bolt E is forced by its spring into the proper opening in the receiver. The mainspring is connected to the lock-plate at u, and to the hammer by a stirrup at V. The trigger is shown at w. These parts, not differing in their construction and operation from analogous parts in other gun-locks, need no particular description, and from the description above given of the structure and operation of those parts of the rifle or gun which are new, the action of the whole will, it is believed, be clearly understood.
Fig. 11 is a sectional view of a pistol, the general construction of which is the same with that of the rifle or gun already described, such modifications only being made as are rendered necessary by its size and other considerations. F is the hammer carrying the hand or pawl S, which operates on the ratchet-wheel, which wheel and hand are arranged in the same way with the same parts in the rifle; but the hand is as here represented on the reverse side. The bolt which holds the receiver is, however, differently constructed to enable it to act in the space which it must occupy.
Fig. 12 is a view of the hammer on the side the reverse of that shown in Fig. 11; and E, Fig. 13, is the bolt adapted thereto. j is the pin on the bolt, which holds the receiver by falling into openings on its periphery instead of in its end. The pin j is shown in place in Fig. 11. The bolt E vibrates on a joint-pin at x, which is nearly in the same line with the joint-pin y on the trigger, Figs. 11 and 15, by which it is hidden in those figures. z is a cam formed in a recess in the hammer, Fig. 12, which cam is to act upon the bolt E and to disengage it from the receiver. The ends a′ a2 of this bolt are capable of receding from or approaching toward each other, as they constitute two spring-cheeks formed by splitting or forking the bolts, as shown in the drawings. The end a2 lies above the cam z on the hammer when the pistol is not cocked, and the lower end of a2, as well as the upper end of z, being flat, the bolt E is lifted in the act of cocking until the pin j is disengaged, and the ends of a2 and z then pass each other. The cam z is made wedge shape by sloping from its upper to its lower end, and the end a2 of the bolt is similarly formed, but in the reverse direction, so that when the piece is discharged the end a2 will be made to spring in, allowing the hammer to pass readily, when the end a2 again rests upon z as before.
Fig. 14 shows the hammer with the hand S and ratchet q, which need no further description.