Historical Document · 1856
US Patent 15,925 — LeMat, Revolver (1856)
LeMat's first US patent, 21 October 1856: the shot barrel serving as the cylinder arbor and a two-hammer cock. Witnessed by C. Girard, M.D.
- lemat
- revolver
- grapeshot
- patent
Historical Document · 1856
LeMat's first US patent, 21 October 1856: the shot barrel serving as the cylinder arbor and a two-hammer cock. Witnessed by C. Girard, M.D.
A. LeMAT, Revolver, No 15,925. Patented Oct. 21, 1856. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, DR. ALEXANDRE LE MAT, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA. MPROVED FIRE ARM. Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15,925, dated October 21, 1856. To all chon it may concern: strike with its inner hammer the said cap, and Be it known that I, Dr. ALEXANDRE LE thus explode the same, leaving the cap of the MAT, of the city of New Orleans, State of Lou cartridge cylinder untouched. To that plan, isiana, have invented a new and Improved however, I prefer the following arrangement: Center-Barreled Revolver; and I do hereby de 11 of the drawings shows a cock with clare that the following is a full and exact de twoNo.hammers, at and b, the hammer at of such scription thereof, reference being had to the a length as to strike of the revolving accompanying drawings, and to the letters of cartridge-cylinder andthethecaps hammer b to strike reference marked thereon. the cap of the central shot-barrel. The cock The nature of my invention consists in us is provided with a slit, extending from e d to ing a shot-barrel instead of the solid central ef, to admit the insertion of the hammer cylinder, upon which the cartridge-cylinder of and the latter, after being placed in said slit,b, revolvers, constructed upon Colt's and other is firmly pivoted to the cock on the nutg, which similar systems revolve, and in adapting to is permanently fastened to both side faces of such revolver a cock of such construction as the cock, but on which the hammer b is made to explode there with, at pleasure, either the to move thereon. The hammer bis dove caps of the cartridge-cylinder or of the central tailed atfreely its lower extremity, at the inner side shot-barrel. of which is a notch, h, while the outer side To enable others skilled in the art to make forms a somewhat elongated bar, i. and use my invention, I will proceed to describe At right angles with the above-mentioned its construction and operation. slit in the cock is a transverse I construct my center-barreled pistol or gun longitudinal slit, k, which corresponds exactly with the ap in any of the forms known of Colts and simi erturel of the above dovetail of the hammer b. ler revolvers, but instead of the usual central In this transverse slit plays a ring, In, mounted cylinder I employ a shot-barrel, S, which may upon a spring, 0, keeping it in the position either be screwed to the breech, as in Nos. 1 shown in 11, and which embraces the outer and 10 of the drawings, or wrought of one piece bar, i, of the dovetailed hammer b while in the with the same. shown in A, and the same hammer, be The chimney of the barrel is placed in a re position ing in the position exhibited in B, clasps the re cess practiced in the breech, as shown in 2 cess or notch h of the inner side of the dovetail. and 3, and at a slight distance back from the the cock, being set as in A, and which I revolver cartridge-cylinder. There may be sev Thus call its form,” will, upon pulling the eral methods to explode the respective caps of trigger,“regular strike with hammer a the caps of the therevolving cartridge-cylinder and of the cen revolving cartridge-box; but upon pushing tral barrel. For the sake of exemplification I the ring in down the transverse slit k the ham have represented in 4 a top and side views of merb will assume the position as in B, and a slide which plays exactly over the chimney the m, moved up again by the spring 0, of the central barrel, as represented in 2 and will ring embrace recess or notch h, and thus 3. This slide being by a spring kept in the hold it fast, sothe that on pulling the trigger the position as shown in Fig. 2, a cock constructed, with its hammer b, will strike the cap of as represented in 5, with two hammers would, cock, the central shot-barrel. upon the trigger being pulled, explode with its No. 9 represents a shot-cartridge, which may upper hammer the caps upon the revolving used for the central barrel in any of the cartridge-cylinder, the slide 4 being in such po be usual ways. Nos. 6 and 7 are views of the sition as to present no obstacle to its inner or usual revolving cartridge-cylinder. lower hammer, while the same slide, being The operation of my revolver speaks for it by a mere pressure upon its exterior button self, the cartridge-cylinder being charged in or knob pushed in the breech, as shown in 3, usual way with bullets and the central bar the cap set upon it would come to stand ex the rel with Now, in the firing of the bul. actly over the chimney of the central barrel, let-chargesshot. the cock remains undisturbed in and consequently the cock, on dropping, will its regular form, as shown in A, 11; but when 2 15,925 ever the central barrel is to be fired the ring What I claim as my invention, and desire by Letters Patent, is in of the cock 11 is pushed down with the in to 1.secure The substitution of a shot barrel to the dex finger of the hand holding the pistol, and solid cylinder or pin upon which the revolving and the hammer l) is set with the other hand in the position as shown in B, when the ring cartridge - cylinder of revolvers constructed Colt's or similar systems of revolver, in m, returns up again to embrace the notch h. upon of the dovetail of the hammer b by the elas the manner and for the purposes as described. ticity of the spring 0. The cock being thus 2. The gun-cock No. 11, with a double ham set for the discharge of the center barrel, the mer, at and b, constructed and operating sub as described, and for the purposes trigger may be pulled and said barrel dis stantially charged. If there be any bullet-charges still specified. left, the cock is again brought to its regular A. LE MAT, form, as indicated above, previous to pulling the trigger anew. A means of close defense and attack is thus given, heretofore not known or used, which in naval combats is especially invaluable. Attest: JOHN S. HOLLINGSEEAD, C. GIRARD, M. D.