Revolvers like no other

24

Welch's twelve shot revolver. Photo forgottenweapons.com

“I would advise you, monsieur, to take this beautiful revolver.
Smith & Wesson system. The last word in gunshot science.
Triple action, with extractor, beats at six hundred paces,
central fight. I draw your attention, monsieur
for the cleanliness of the finish. The most fashionable system, monsieur...
Every day we sell ten for robbers, wolves
and lovers. Very true and strong fight, beats
at a great distance and kills his wife and lover right through.
As for suicides, Monsieur, I don't know of a better system...
The clerk raised and lowered the triggers, breathed on the trunks,
took aim and pretended to suffocate with delight.
Looking at his delighted face, one might think,
that he himself would gladly put a bullet in his forehead,
if only he had a revolver
such a beautiful system as Smith and Wesson. <…>
The other day - you probably already read - one officer
Purchased a Smith & Wesson revolver from us.
He shot his lover and - what do you think? -
the bullet passed right through, then pierced the bronze lamp,
then the piano, and from the piano ricochet killed a lapdog
and concussed his wife. The effect is brilliant
and does credit to our firm.

Anton Chekhov "The Avenger" 1887

stories about weapons. Among the great variety of revolvers of known systems today, the original designs of that particular time are somehow lost. And it is not surprising, already in the same XNUMXth century they were a curiosity or known only to a narrow circle of people, but what can we say about them today? But nevertheless, they are original, interesting, clearly show how bizarre and tortuous human thought is, and if so, then why not tell us about them today.


Two hammers of a Welch Navy revolver. Photo forgottenweapons.com

Well, you should start, perhaps, with a 12-shot Welch Navy revolver, developed in the USA by a certain John Walch. It was patented back in 1859, and if we look at it not too carefully, it may turn out that it is nothing special from the revolvers of that time and does not differ. It seems to be a traditional capsule revolver with an open frame, under the barrel a lever for tight driving of bullets, in a word, everything is in the best traditions of Colt or Remington revolvers.




Scheme of the patent 1859.

What is so remarkable about this revolver that a patent was issued for it? Caliber .36, barrel 6-inch ... But the point is that it is a 12-shot. That is, the capacity of its drum is very significant! However, in terms of its dimensions, the Welch Navy looks like an ordinary six-shot revolver, except that the drum itself is a little longer.

The clue is hidden in his device. It’s just that in each of the chambers of the drum there was not one charge, but two - one after the other, that is, two shots could be sequentially fired from one chamber. Each charge had a separate brand pipe. And most importantly, for each such brand tube, this revolver had its own separate trigger, which was actuated by a separate trigger!

Revolvers like no other

The Welch revolver model with a five-chamber drum and a nipple release was released in an amount of about 1 copies. Photo forgottenweapons.com

The hammers could be cocked both individually and simultaneously, which allowed their close location. In this case, the right trigger protruded forward in relation to the left. Accordingly, when pressed, the right hook fired first, which released the right trigger, which hit the primer in the brand tube of the first charge in the drum. Then, if the finger continued to move and reached the left-rear hook, it released the left trigger, and now the charge of the second chamber was ignited.

Thanks to such a device, with the simultaneous movement of the shooter, he could cock both triggers at once, and make two shots one after the other with almost a doublet.

The advantages of the revolver seem to be obvious, but its disadvantages were also serious.

Firstly, the charge of gunpowder in it was less than in a conventional revolver, which means that it was not as powerful as everyone else.


Allen revolver with a horizontal drum. Photo littlegun.be

And secondly, such a revolver had to be loaded very carefully, and it is clear why: the slightest gas breakthrough was fraught with a double shot and a drum rupture with the most sad consequences. The second model with a drum for five chambers and ten charges was produced in the amount of about 1 copies, and no more such weapons were produced.


The trigger and barrel tubes on an Allen revolver. Photo littlegun.be

I must say that the problem of ignition of charges in the chambers of capsule revolvers was very acute. The bullet had to be driven tightly to prevent gas breakthrough, but the slightest cavern formed during casting and unnoticed by the shooter created a threat of bursting the drum. Therefore, the bullet had to be covered with "cannon fat" as well. Lubrication also eliminated powder deposits, but loading itself turned into a long and tedious procedure.

And then there was an American CB Allen, who designed a seven-shot .36 caliber percussion revolver, in which the drum was disc-shaped, and the trigger hit the primers from below. Of course, in such a revolver, the probability of replenishing the chambers adjacent to the firing one was reduced to zero. But here are the dimensions ... It is because of them that these revolvers (and guns) "did not go."


Revolver Jesse Butterfield from Philadelphia. The photo clearly shows the brass knob of the magazine device for capsules. Photo littlegun.be

In 1855, Jesse Butterfield of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, patented his revolver, which then produced only 640 copies, although in 1861-1662. the government ordered him 2 of these revolvers.

Caliber .41, 5 shots, octagonal barrel with solid brass bezel. Drum, barrel and trigger blued. The design for those years is already somewhat old-fashioned, but the revolver was made very high quality. And the most original in it was a charger for ... capsules!


Since the capsules were fed into this revolver from above, the trigger was shifted from the barrel axis to the right. Photo littlegun.be

Inside a small container under the drum was a cardboard tube containing a stack of small paper discs. In the center of each disk was explosive mercury. On the removable lid of this container there was a small spring that pushed the discs up.

When the hammer was cocked, a small rod pushed the disc forward under the head of the hammer and over the chamber nipple, which was in line with the barrel. The system allowed to make about 30 shots without reloading. In the absence of primer discs, the revolver could also be loaded with classic primers. The Butterfield primer system was also used on several models of Sharps carbines, but nevertheless was not widely used.


Revolver "Wesson-Levitt". Photo littlegun.be

And it also happened that a person wanted to get a patent at any cost. "I want a revolver! I want a patent for a revolver! And so, as a result, sometimes very funny designs appeared. For example, such as this Wesson-Levitt revolver, for which a patent was received in 1849. Again, look at him - everything is normal. A typical primer revolver.


Scheme of the Wesson-Levitt revolver device from the 1849 patent

The drum drive itself is unusual. In conventional revolvers, this is a toothed gear on its axis, which is acted upon by a pusher tooth associated with the trigger. Two helical gears are also used here: one is on the axis of the drum, the other is on the axis of the trigger. When the latter was cocked, its gear turned the gear of the drum and the drum itself.


Both of these gears are clearly visible in this photo ... Photo by littlegun.be

But perhaps the most original revolver is this one - Whitney and Beals, the design of which was patented in 1854 by Fordyce Beals (a brilliant gunsmith who in 3 years will become the creator of excellent Remington military shock revolvers). And it was produced, and in three versions, by Eli Whitney from 1854 until the end of the 1860s. The first model (about 50 made) has a brass frame and is chambered in .31. The second model is identical to the previous one, but has an iron frame (about 2 pieces were produced).


Revolver "Whitney and Beals". On the right, the drum was covered with an unusual casing. Photo littlegun.be

The third model (here it is presented) also has an iron frame. They were made about 850 copies, and some had a 7-shot drum, and the rest had a 6-shot .28 caliber. Again, at first glance, there is nothing special about it. However, he received his nickname "Balance move" not in vain, because he really had in his design a very unusual mechanism for revolvers.


A revolver with a drum removed from it. Inside the frame, the “balancing” mechanism is clearly visible. Photo littlegun.be

As it happened, in the early 1850s, Colt won a lawsuit against the Massachusetts Arms Company for infringement of his master patent, and all the gunsmiths involved in the manufacture of revolvers became very careful to avoid any infringement of the patents of the little colonel, whose enterprise in that time reached the highest level of its commercial power.


However, removing the drum was not difficult. It was enough to press the latch on the frame to first remove its axis, and then the drum itself. Photo littlegun.be

So Fordyce Beals did everything to bypass Colt's patents, and ... bypassed. Let's start with the fact that the trigger must be cocked with the thumb, that is, this is a single action revolver. There is also a half-cock for safe transportation.


Drum with notches for its rotation. Photo littlegun.be

But the most unusual thing is that there is no return spring on the ring trigger. It simply wobbles back and forth on an axle. Its upper part on the left side of the cylinder has two side levers, the bent upper ends of which enter the recesses of the drum, at the muzzle and at the rear end.


Revolver disassembled. A small protrusion of the trigger release is clearly visible. Photo littlegun.be

By pulling forward, the trigger causes the cylinder to rotate 1/12 of a turn; after which, moving backward, combines the chamber with the barrel. In this position, the trigger acts in the same way as the cylinder lock cam.


In this position of the trigger ring, a shot was fired. Photo littlegun.be

The pressure of the annular part of the hook on the protrusion of the trigger at the bottom of the frame releases the latter, and it strikes the primer. To load the drum has to be removed. The handle is too small for a good grip, and the size of the ring for thick fingers is too small, besides, all the mechanics work slowly. Well, then the .28 caliber itself had a very weak stopping effect. But ... this inventor still bypassed Colt!
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24 comments
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  1. +7
    3 July 2022 07: 05
    Vyacheslav hi after serving 4 months in a bath without the right to correspond, now finally I can PERSONALLY testify to you my respect and gratitude for your articles about weapons, which I have been reading all this time, like today, with pleasure !!! hi hi
    1. +4
      3 July 2022 10: 58
      Quote: Thrifty
      with pleasure!!!

      Thanks for the feedback. Very nice!
      1. +7
        3 July 2022 13: 10
        Yes, Vyacheslav Olegovich, your articles allow you to escape from the news hi thanks for this!
        Almost all of the presented samples are now produced in the form of replicas. Originals can also be purchased in accordance with our legislation, one problem is their cost. crying
    2. +1
      3 July 2022 16: 32
      Welcome back! Himself in a past life, in the "steam room" was sitting. Pleasant little
  2. +3
    3 July 2022 09: 19
    Thank you, Vyacheslav! good
    The article is really very interesting and full of new, at least for me, information, of all the systems listed, only Allen's revolver was previously known.
    The phrase about "little Colonel Colt" also amused me. smile
  3. +6
    3 July 2022 09: 35
    I don't know if this is Allen or not, but in collaboration with Thomas Willock, he released several models of "normal" revolvers, and on each one there is a noticeable attempt to circumvent Colt's patents.
    Allen & Wheelock Double Action .34

    Allen & Wheelock .32 waist model

    Allen & Wheelock Navy .36

    Allen & Wheelock 22 RF in standard design
    1. +3
      3 July 2022 10: 59
      The one! And the revolvers are the same ...
  4. +5
    3 July 2022 10: 05
    To be honest, I am somewhat shocked by the title of the article! The fact is that there was a time when I tried to write an article for VO with the same name! According to the "law of meanness", a life situation "revealed" at the wrong time, requiring all my attention and time, and work on the article had to be postponed indefinitely ... Now I'll try to put on VO a "small" fragment from my draft article about revolvers, which comes to one paragraph in the article by V. Shpakovsky ...
    The author in the article mentions Welch's revolver, in which the gunsmith managed to place up to 6 charges in the "standard" 12-round drum! But this "example" is not unique! Of course, at that time they tried to solve the problem of multiply charged revolvers in different ways; incl. and an increase in the diameter of the turret to "agram" sizes and the placement of chambers in 2-3 concentric circles, even with the addition of trunks! I want to mention a way to increase the multi-shot revolver: 1. by increasing the number of "standard" drums in the weapon and 2. by adding cartridge "cartridges" to the revolver drums, with the "self-loading" function!
    1.1: "Multi-drum" guns include "crafts" Enouy! Known 8-drum for 48 charges "revolver" ...


    They say that Enui, realizing some inconvenience of the 48-round gun, gave the people a revolver and a revolver rifle already with 2 drums ...


    But comrades W. Philip and C. Sneijder went a little different way, making 3-drum and 2-drum revolvers, respectively!


    (To be continued...)
    1. +5
      3 July 2022 10: 42
      CONTINUED: 2.1: The second direction of increasing the multi-shot revolvers with a "standard" cylinder is reflected in revolvers with an "additional cartridge"! These include the Garcia Reynosa revolver

      The shooter, having loaded five cartridges into the receiver through the window from above, pressed the trigger five times, and a special feeder placed them in the drum chambers. Then he loaded five more rounds and prepared to fire, with a preliminary cocking or self-cocking.
      Starting from the second shot, the revolver mechanism independently ejected the shells and reloaded the drum from the receiver. Thus, by adding cartridges to the receiver in time, it was possible to quickly continue firing.
      Well, you can probably mention Landstad's revolver ... Although this is not quite a revolver, and its "drum" is flat, but where would it be without it? He is known to many!

      The main element of the Landstad 1900 revolver was a metal frame with a 7,5 mm barrel pressed into it. . In front of the frame, the barrel and the support cylinder of the drum axis (under the barrel) were fixed. Behind the barrel there was a large window for the drum, under which the trigger guard was located. On the back of the frame, behind the window, mounts were provided for parts of the firing mechanism and ammunition supply systems. Under them, in turn, there was a handle in the form of a hollow structure with a place to install a magazine. A drum of a special flat shape was installed in the front window of the frame, in which only two chambers for cartridges were provided. The use of a full-fledged magazine made it possible to reduce the drum within reasonable limits, while retaining its basic functions. It was proposed to place a single-row store of a special curved shape in the handle. For some reason, it was proposed to place the store not through the lower receiving window in the handle, but to insert it into it on the left side, into the corresponding large window. At the same time, the left wall of the store was made in the form of a full-fledged side part of the pistol and was even equipped with a wooden lining. The magazine capacity was 6 rounds of 7,5 mm Nagant system (7,5x23 mm R). At that time, this ammunition was the main cartridge of its class in the Norwegian army.
      2.2 I can't resist telling you a little about the McCarthy revolver! The annular (?) disk (?) McCarthy revolver was loaded with as many as 18 rounds! Despite the fact that it was pocket! By the way, the similar revolver "Protector" is better known to the "broad masses", but feel the difference!

      PS Of course, this is not all the information about revolvers "not like others" ... but I promised a "small" fragment! wink
      1. +1
        25 September 2022 15: 49
        The 8-drum revolver is, of course, initially a dead end scheme. But the 2-drum "shifter" is quite to itself, the size is the same as a normal one in width, but a little more in height. In principle, quite a working model.
    2. +3
      3 July 2022 11: 00
      Write! I will not touch this topic! I wrote about Garcia and Landstad ...
      1. +5
        3 July 2022 11: 23
        Well, what are you! I myself don’t know if I’ll write such an article! Previously, some problems arose in life, taking up time and attention ... but now he created a problem for himself by buying a dacha! The dacha went to the order of "killed" and therefore you have to "plow" to restore order and create comfort ... and there is still no Internet there! So... "write what you want!" wink
        1. +4
          3 July 2022 11: 53
          Quote: Nikolaevich I
          The dacha went to the order of "killed" and therefore you have to "plow" to restore order and create comfort ... and there is still no Internet there!

          It took me 5 years to put it in order from the previous owner, what would he ...
        2. +2
          3 July 2022 16: 44
          Nikolayevich, do you want to get yourself a fast Internet connection? I myself have "ripened": I've been thinking about it for two years, and now I'm "ripe"
          1. 0
            3 July 2022 18: 42
            Hello Slava hi and how to do it?
          2. 0
            3 July 2022 21: 34
            Thanks for the offer! Actually, the Internet is available in the "settlement" where my dacha is ... I know in what place and at what distance from my "hut" there is a pole where the "optical fiber" is connected! But so far he has not contacted the "office"; because , firstly, they won’t do it quickly anyway ... (I already found out from "fellow villagers" ...), secondly, there are many other more urgent matters that also require decent investments (it is necessary to make a significant repair of the "hacienda" with the construction of an attic and an attic terraces... that's why I'm going to carry out an electrician, the Internet in the second half of the repair ...) But, nevertheless, I wanted to clarify what you mean when talking about fast Internet? what
        3. 0
          3 July 2022 18: 41
          Volodya, hello! smile
          Thanks for the second article in "one bottle". good
          Vyacheslav is absolutely right - you need to write, you have a lot of material, but you know how to write. Drive her, mother laziness, drive and please us with something new and interesting!
          Write, otherwise Vyacheslav is on the weapon here alone. wink
          "Barankin, be a man!" (c)
          "DARDICK" and "Mateba" are waiting for your pen. drinks
          1. 0
            3 July 2022 21: 56
            Quote: Sea Cat
            "Barankin, be a man!" (c)

            Hi Kostya! fellow There is ... there is also a "materialchik" about Dardik and Mateb! But writing articles, as I understand it, is not easy! Here it is necessary to resolve issues related to the nuances of copyright for texts and illustrations; and I'm not "Copenhagen" in this matter! Regarding laziness, I confess: there is such a quality! But it is also true about the occurrence of "unplanned" situations that require a lot of attention and time! Here's how to get out!? request Yes, and a lot of material remained in the "historical homeland" ... now I live on the Black Sea coast of southern Russia ... the airport has been closed since the beginning of the Special Operation, which is why I could not return to my hometown at the previously scheduled time ... recourse
            1. +1
              3 July 2022 22: 03
              unable to return to hometown at the previously scheduled time... recourse

              Well, if the sea is close at hand, then all this can be experienced, especially ... wink

              And about the article, consult with Vyacheslav, he will tell you how to. drinks
              1. +1
                4 July 2022 08: 31

                It's nice to meet such beauties on the beaches! But when "naked wild monkeys" of both sexes and often of middle age roam the city streets ... they flash in shops, cafes, a bus, then it becomes unpleasant to see this!
                1. +1
                  4 July 2022 14: 33
                  Yes, you are right with monkeys, used and flabby individuals of both sexes in the nude do not delight. Involuntarily, you remember Ilf with Petrov: "The sight of a naked, hairy body on the beach is disgusting." (c) smile
    3. +1
      3 July 2022 16: 55
      "for 48 charges" is some kind of monster. You can’t put it in your pocket, but as a scarecrow
  5. +1
    3 July 2022 16: 39
    Q. Oh, thanks for the revolvers. "This inventor nevertheless got around Colt" and what did it give besides moral satisfaction? Now, if it brought him a certain number of green Turks
  6. +1
    3 July 2022 21: 45
    Welch's revolver is mentioned several times in Louis Lamour's Western stories. There it was usually used as a spare weapon, and, because. smaller than a Colt or Wesson, worn discreetly under a frock coat. The footnotes say that the revolver is 12-shot, but I saw it with my own eyes only in the photo in the article. Thank you very much, Vyacheslav Olegovich!

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