US2114821A - Gun - Google Patents

Description

J. THOMAS April 19, 1938.

GUN

Filed Oct. 29, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR James Thomas ATTORNEY J. THOMAS April 19, 1938.

GUN

Filed Oct. 29, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVEN James Thomas 3 ATTORNEY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 19, 1938. .1. THOMAS GUN Filed Oct. 29, 1936 INVENTOR James Tizomas ATTQRN EY "UNITED s'rr s Patented Apr. 19, 1938 GUN James Thomas, New York, N. Y., assignor of onefifth to Louis Anastasi, Newburgh, N. Y.

Application October 29, 1936, Serial No. 108,141

5 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements'in a gun.

The invention has for 'a'n object the construction of a gun, or rifle which is provided with a magazine in its butt for holding bullets, and which is provided with a novel arrangement for feeding the bullets one'at a time to the barrel of the gun.

The purpose of the invention is to modify the present automatics or small machine guns, designed and constructed to be carried by infantry troops and fired without the aid of separate sup- 7 port; also to eliminate certain unnecessary parts, such as drummagazines, belts, breech loaders, etc; which are cumbersome to carry with the gun and difficult to apply, during the action of 6 bular member and carrying pawls for moving bulletsalong said flanged support.

' The invention furthermore makes use of a repercussion shuttle and bullet grip slidably mounted upon the inner end of the barrel of the gun and arranged for drawing rearwards a fired shell.

The invention also proposes the provision of means for advancing said carrier when the shuttle moves rearwards and retreating said carrier when the shuttle moves forwards.

Furthermore the invention contemplates the provision of a conveying means at the front end of said tubular member for receiving a bullet from said flanged support and lifting it up to said barrel.

The invention also proposes the provision of means for moving said lifted bullet into said barrel.

. It is another object of this invention to provide cooperating elements on said shuttle and conveying. means for lowering the conveying means when the shuttle moves forwards to a normal position.

.Afurther object of this invention resides in the details of construction of the bullet magazine as will hereinafter be fully pointed out.

Still further the invention proposes the construction of a gun embodying the features mentioned which may be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:-

Fig. 1, is a fragmentary el'evational view of a gun, constructed according to this invention, with certain portions thereof broken away to show the interior construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the gun shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3of Fig. -1.

Fig.4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a, perspective view of the bullet magazine per se, illustrated with one bullet discharging therefrom.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the butt end'of the gun showing the bullet magazine partly in section.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view of that portion of the gun in the vicinity of the inner end of the gun barrel.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the tubular member and carrier for the bullets.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary elevational view of the butt end of the gun with the bullet magazine partially removed.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the repercussion shuttle and bullet grip looking in the direction of the line 12-42 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but illustrating the parts in a position in which the repercussion shuttle is in its rearward position.

The gun according to this invention includes a hollow butt l0 and a barrel ll connected therewith. A tubular member I 2 extends along the bottom of the hollow butt, so as not to effect the design of the gun as shown in Figs. '7. 10, and 13, and has an open top slot with a flange portion t2 for supporting bullets, as clearly shown for example in Fig. 10. One of the flanges I2= has flexible lugs I2 stamped therefrom and serving as stops to prevent the bullets from moving rearwards. These stop elements I2 are sufficiently resilient to allow bullets to move forwards past them.

A carrier element I3 is slidably mounted within the tubular member I2 and carries a plurality of pawls I4. Each of these pawls is mounted on a support pin I5, and extends forwards, and is held, resiliently, in a raised position by a spring I6, (see Figs. 1 and '7). These pawls are adapted to engage against the back ends of the bullets upon the flanges I2 to move the bullets forwards as hereinafter further explained.

A repercussion shuttle and bullet grip I I is slidably mounted upon the inner end of the barrel of the gun, and is adapted to draw rearwards, fired shells. More specifically, the shuttle I! is provided with front lugs I8 to which rods I9 are connected. Each rod I9 extends forwards through a housing element 20 attached upon the bottom side of the gun barrel II. A spring 2| is arranged coaxially upon each rod I9 and acts to normally maintain the shuttle I! in its forward position. These springs are sufficiently weak to permit the shuttle I! to move rearwards a predetermined amount due to the repercussion when the gun is fired. Then the springs 2| are capable of moving the shuttle I! back to its front position.

A means is provided for advancing the carrier element I3 when the shuttle moves rearwards and returning said carrier element when the shuttle moves forwards. This means is controlled and operated by a rack finger 22 pivotally mounted by a pintle pin 23, and extended into the path of motion of the shuttle. There is also a conveying means at the front end of the tubular member I2 for receiving a bullet from said flanges I2 and lifting it up to the barrel II. This conveying means includes a conveying element 24 urged upwards by a spring 25 and controlled by a cam element 26.

There is also a means for moving the lifted bullet into the gun barrel and includes a pin 21 mounted upon the shuttle I1 and urged into an extended position by a spring 28. The cam element 26 is adapted to engage against a portion of the shuttle I1 when the shuttle moves forwards from its rear position for lowering the conveying element 24 to its normal position in which it is ready to receive a new bullet.

The butt ID has an interior hollow communicating with its rear end. A bullet supply magazine 29 engages into the hollow butt and may be removed from this rear end. This bullet magazine comprises substantially an inverted U- shaped member consisting of face portions 2!! and a top connecting bent portion 29 The face portions 253 are provided with ribs 30 engaging grooves 3| formed in the inner faces of the side walls of the hollow butt. These ribs and grooves serve to guide the magazine to assume a proper position when it is placed Within the butt.

There is a spring 32 within a recess in the butt and which acts against the inner end of the magazine 29 for normally urging it outwards. There is a latch element 33 to maintain the magazine in its inner position. This latch comprises an element pivotally supported intermediate of its ends by a pintle pin 34, and adapted to have its inner end engage in an opening 35 in the side of the magazine 29. The outer end of the latch 33 may be pushed inwards as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 to release the magazine. When the magazine is released it will be forced rearwards by the spring 32.

The magazine 29 is divided by several transverse partitions 36 into several distinct compartments, each adapted to receive a group of bullets 31. There is a spring 38 in each of the compartments, at the top, urging the bullets downwards. The bullets may come out from the bottom of the magazine and discharge upon the flanges I2 of the tubular member I2. The tubular member I2 extends from a rear position beneath the magazine 29 to a front position adjacent the conveying element 24. mounted within the butt ID. The carrier element I3 is also of tubular formation and is arranged within the tubular member I2 so as to be slidably supported. The pawls I4 have blunt forward ends so that they may engage against the rear ends of the bullets to move them forwards.

The repercussion shuttle I1 is provided with a grip finger 39 secured'upon one side thereofand having a portion 39 extending across a portion of the front of the shuttle and adapted to engage the rear head 3I formed upon the rear end of the shuttles. It is this flexible finger 39 which draws a fired shell out from the gun barrel when the shuttle moves rearwards. A pin 40 is arranged upon the face of one of the inner walls of the gun case and when the shuttle I1 travels rearwards thispin 40 passes through a groove 4| in the side of the shuttle I I and strikes against one side of the rear end of the fired shell, pivoting the shell laterally as indicated by thedot and dash lines 37 in Fig. 2, free from the shuttle. The side wall of the gun butt I0 is formed with an opening 43 through the pivoted shell discharges and falls to the ground.

The means for advancing the carrier element I 3 includes the said rack finger 22 and a pinion 44 rotatively supported within the gun butt and meshing with the teeth of the rack finger. This rack finger has an arm portion 22 which is disposed in the path of motion of the shuttle. From the arm 22 there projects an arcuate portion 22 It is this rack portion 22 which meshes with the pinion 44. The pinion'44 is fixedly connected coaxially with a gear 45. This gear meshes with a carrier rack 46 supported by several pins 4'! which extend through a slot 48 in the side of the tubular member I2. These pins 41 are fixedly connected with the carrier element I3, consequently the carrier will be moved, indirectly, when the rack finger 22 is moved by the shuttle I1.

The conveying element 24 is adapted to normally maintain a position in line with the tubular member I2. This position is maintained because the cam element 26 which is mounted upon the side of the conveying element 24, engages the bottomof the shuttle I1. When the shuttle II moves to its rearward position indicated by the dot and dash lines IT in Fig. 7, and the full lines in Fig. 13, the conveying element 24 will move to a raised position shown in Fig. 13. The shuttle element I1 is formed with a cam surface I'I (see Fig. 13) which is adapted to engage againstthe cam element 26 when the shuttle moves forwards, to move the conveying element 24 down to its original normal position. A spring 49 is arranged coaxially upon the pintle 23 and has one of its ends engaging the arm 22 of the rack finger 22 for urging the rack finger upwards to its original normal position when the shuttle I1 moves for- Wards.

The firing mechanism for the gun, controlled 75' The tubular member is fixedly I by the trigger 50, is not shown ohthedraWings since it forms no part of the invention, and-is old in the art. Heretofore many guns have been made which haverepercussion shuttles to pull the bullets out from the gun barrel, and with which trigger operated firing mechanism has been included.

The operation of the device as follows:-'

Assuming the gun is in the position shown in Fig. 1 and a loaded magazine is inserted into I the open end of the butt. This done by engaging the ribs 38 into the grooves 3! and manually slid ing it inward until it contracts the spring 32 and will force it into theend of the barrel to load the gun for firing. When the rack finger 22 returns to its normal position the carrier element moves back to its normal posit on to receive another bullet from the magazine which has already fallen upon the flanges i2 The chief advantage of this construction is that no bullet is on the con- "being fired thus avoiding the danger of bullet veyin'g element while the bullet inthe'barrel is exploding within the gun butt while one shell is moved upwards to its raised position.

being fired. It is believed that the elapsing time while magazines are being changed is sufficient to permit the chamber in the gun butt to cool off to prevent the accidental discharging of bullets.

Assume the gun in the condition shown in Figs. 1 and 7. When the trigger Ell is pulled the firing pin (not shown) will strike the rear of the bullet and cause it to discharge. The repercussion of the explosion will send the shuttle rearwards. The shuttle will move the rack finger 22 downwards. This motion will be transmitted by the pinion 44, the gear 45, the rack and the pins 41, to move the carrier element It forwards. The bullet 31 at the forward end of the flanges 52* will be forced upon the conveying element 24,

and all other bullets upon the flanges Ill will be forced one position forward. They will maintain these positions because of the stop elements IB A bullet from the magazine 2? will fall downwards upon the tubular member ii, at the rear end thereof, to take the place of the bullet which has been forced upon the conveying element 24.

When the shuttle i1 reaches it rearwards position, the cam element 25 will have been fully released and the conveying element 24 will have At this moment the fired shell will be knocked free from the shuttle i! by the pin Q 3, and will fall out through the opening 43. This immediately releases the pin 4! which will be forced forwards j by the spring 28 and which will start the new bullet into the barrel.

7 next bullet. The forward motion of the shuttle I! also released the rack finger 22 which is then moved upward by the spring 49. This causes the gear Mto rotate in the reverse and to indirectly move the carrier element I3 rearwards back to its original position. The bullets upon the flanges lz 'will remain stationary, while the pawls I l duck beneath them during the rearward motion of the carrier element l3. Then in the completed rearward position, the pawls it will move upwards behind the bullets. The device is now ready torepeat its operation.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the pre cise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all'chang es and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim 'as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:--

31. In a gun, a hollow butt and barrel connected therewith, a carrier element within said within said butt adapted to be acted upon by said shuttle, to periodically advance said carrier element'to move said bullets toward said barrel, comprising a rack attached to said carrier element a pinion rotatively mounted in said gun butt, a gearifixedly connected coaxial with said pinion and meshing with the teeth on said rack, and'a'rackfinger pivotally mounted in said butt and extending in the path traversed by said shuttle when it moves rear-wards and having teeth meshing with said pinion, whereby said shuttle is forced rearwards by a fired shell to depress said rack finger to rotate said pinion and gear to move said rack which in turn advances the bullets on said carrier element.

2. In a gun, a hollow butt and barrel connected therewith, a' carrier element within said hollow butt for advancing bullets toward said barrel, a repercussion shuttle connected with said barrel for firing said bullets, and means within said butt adapted to be acted upon by said shuttle to periodically advance said carrier element to move said bullets toward said barrel, comprising a rack attached to said carrier element, a pinion rotatively mounted in said gun butt, a gear fixedly connected coaxial with said pinion and meshing with the teeth on said rack, and a rack finger pivotally mounted in said butt and extending in the path traversed by said shuttle when it moves rearwards and having teeth meshing with said pinion, whereby said shuttle is forced rearwards by a fired shell to depress said rack finger to rotate said pinion and gear to move said rack which in turn advances the bullets on said carrier element, said rack finger comprising an arm portion having one of its ends pivotally mounted in said hollow butt, and an arcuate portion extending at right angles from the other end of said arm, portion, and teeth formed on the inner edge of said arcuate portion and meshing with the teeth on said pinion.

3. In a device of the class described, a carrier system, comprising a tubular member for extending along the bottom side of a hollow gun butt and having an open top slot and an elongated side slot, flange portions extending upward from said tubular member on either side of said top slot for supporting bullets, a carrier element slidably mounted within said tubular member, pins extending from the side of said carrier element and through said elongated side slot, a carrier 1 rack mounted on said pins, means engaging said carrier rack to move said rack which in turn moves said carrier element, and means on said carrier element for urging said bullets along said tubular member when said carrier element is moved by said first-mentioned means.

4. In a device of the class described, a carrier system, comprising a tubular member for extending along the bottom side of a hollow gun butt and having an open top slot and an elongated side slot, flange portions extending inward from said tubular member on either side of said top slot for supporting bullets, a carrier element slidably mounted within said tubular member, pins extending from the side of said carrier element and through said elongated side slot, a carrier rack mounted on said pins, means engaging said carrier rack to move said rack which in turn moves said carrier element, and means on said carrier element for urging said bullets along said tubular member when said carrier element is carrier element moves back to its normal posi tion.

5. In a device of the class described, a carrier 1 system, comprising a tubular member for extending along the bottom side of a hollow gun butt and having an open top slot and an elongated side slot, flange portions extending upward from said tubular member on either side of said top slot for supporting bullets, a carrier element slidably mounted within said tubular member, pins extending from the side of said carrier element and through said elongated side slot, a carrier rack mounted on said pins, means engaging said carrier rack to move said rack which in turn moves said carrier element, and means on said carrier element for urging said bullets along said tubular member when said carrier element is moved by said first-mentionedrmeans, said lattermentioned means comprising, a plurality of spaced pawls pivotally mounted within said carrier'element and engaging one end of said bullets to ad-- vance said bullets along said tubular member when said carrier element is moved, and flexible lugs stamped from one of said flanges and being of a suflicient resiliency to permit said bullets to advance and to act as stops to prevent said pawls from retracting said bullets when said carrier element moves back to its normal position, springs acting between said pawls and the bottom Wall of said carrier element to urge said pawls to their raised positions.

JAMES THOMAS.

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