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