US282549A - Axd myrox coloxey - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. H; MoLEAN & M. COLONEY.

MACHINE GUN.

No. 282,549. Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. MGLEAN & M. COLONEY.

MACHINE GUN. No. 282,549.

Patented Aug. '7, 1883.

(No'ModeL) 5 SheetsSheet 3.

J MoLEAN & M. OOLONEY.

MACHINE GUN.

No. 282,549. Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

, flaw/21W):

(No Model.) I 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. H. MOLEAN & M. COLONEY.

MACHINE GUN. No. 282,549. Pa nted Aug. 7 1883.

(No Model.) I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 J. H. MOLEAN & M. OOLONEY.

MACHINE GUN.

Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

W V 3 v em tinirsn 'rArns .l A MES i1 McLEAK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND MY OX COLON lCY, ()l NFAV HAVEN. tOXNEUlKUI; SAID (OLONEY ASHIGXOR 'lO SA'H) Mclil'lANv MACHINE-GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 282,549, dated August '7, 1883.

(No model To all whom it may concern.

fic it known t hat we, Julitsil'i-LNRYKNLEAN and Mvnox torox'iav, both citizens of the t'nited States. residing, respectively, at St. Louis, Missouri, and New Haven. New Haven county, ttmnccticut. have iir'ented Improvements in Machine-(inns, of which the following is a specification.

The subject of this invention is a machinegun constructed with a horizontal range of any dcsirahle number ofbarrels. and a ln'cech-slide in the rear thereof, having a vertical reciprocating movement, and provided with one or, preterably, two sets ot'loadehambcrs. each correspond ing in number with the barrels, so that when theslide is elevated one set of chambers will be in tiring position and when the slide is depressed the other set. A corresponding range of magazines is placed above or below the barrels, or, preferably, similar ranges of magazines both above and below the barrels, so that when the slide is raised, bringing its lower range of chambers in position t'oriiring, the upper range of chambers will be in position for loading, and vice versa. This part of the invention may be carried out by the use 01' ordinary spring-followers in the magazine for the automatic, charging of the slide-chambers; but another part of the invention coin sists in the provision of a positive feed movement for loading the ei'iarge-chambcrs by followers sliding in the magazines and connected together by a bar, so as to be moved simultaneously, as hereinafter described.

The, invention fart-her relates to a tiring mechanism consisting ofa rock-shaft operating on a slide or lever, and a system or series of lovers or triggms communicating from one to another of a series of spring pins or hammers by which the charges in the range of barrels are tired, so that the firing movement of one pin or hammer may release the next, and so on. and the barrels may thus be discharged in rapid succession from one end to the other ot" the series or from the center to each end, the latter arrangement. having the advantage of avoiding any deflecting action which is liable to occur when the force of the discharge and consequent recoil are heavier on one side ot the longitudinal center of the gun than on the other, and also doubling the rapidity of discharge,because it requires only halt as long to tire the barrels from the center to each end as from one end to the other.

The invention further relates to a combination of rock -shat'ts, connecting-rods, and cams, or their equivalents, for imparting and communicating the required relative motion to the loat'ling-slide and tiringmechanism; also, to a device for throwing the trigger mech-- anism in and out, so that the discharge of the barrels or a part ot'thcm may be prevented at will.

in order that the invention and the mode of carrying it into effect: may be fully understood, it will now be described with reference to the accom mnyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machinegun illustrat ing the invention. Fig. 2 is aside elevationot'thc same. Fig. 2is a view, partly in section but mostly in elevation, of a moditied form of training mechanism for our inr proved gun. Fig. It is a rear view thereof without the carriage Fig. lis a vertical longitudinal section ot'tiueloadingandtiringnicchanism. Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section on the line 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. ti is an elevation of a portion ot'thetiring mechanism on a larger scale. Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line 7 7, Fig; ti. Fig. 8 is a face view ot'a ratchet;- whccl keyed on a rocleshaft and employed to impart intermittent motion alternately in tip posite directions to winding-pulleys connected with the magazinetollowers, as hercinatlcr dcscribcd. Figs. SI and it) are views ot' the toothed l'accs ot' the said windingpulleys.

The bed or t'rame l is snivcled. upon a car riage, J, and is rotated by gcaringii, tort raining the gun. The said swivelcd bed is con .st ructed with rigid chcek-platt -s orstandanlsl,

t'ormii'ig bearings tort'runnions 3 3, projecting from the extremities of a plate, ti, in the front of whichthe barrclsiare secured in a llUl'iZ()|l tal rangein any usual orsnitablc manner. in the rear of the barrels 7 is a slide, S, guided within a chamber formed to receive it, and haw ing a vertical reciprocating movement. The said slide is shown inclevation inl ig. :i. It has two horizontal ranges of charge-cliambers, t) 9, the chambers in each range corresponding in hammers 19, for the number and distance asunder with thebarrels 7, and serving at each movement to take a set of cartridges rronr the magazines 39 39", as hereinafter described, to firing position in rear of the bsrrels,

The ezvartical reciprocating movement of the slide lrtlhlparted by. a rock-sh aft, 10, operated by hand-lever 11, and carrying upon its ends eccen rics 12 12, connected by bands and rods 13 with the slide 8, so as to impart alternate upward and downward movement to the slide by the backward and forward motion of the hand-lever 11. On the outer faces of the eccentrics 12 are wrists 14, connected by rods 15 with arms 16 of asecond rock-shaft, 17, which carries a series of upwardly-projecting forked arms, 18, embracing the firing-pins or sliding purpose of engaging the collars on said hammers and drawing them backward into cocked position, in fwhichpo-- sition they are caught by triggers 20, engaging in notches2l in the underside of the firingpins. The triggers 20 form levers of the first order, being fulcrum'ed at the center and pressed upward to-hold-theip'iiis by means 'ofsprings 22. The heels of the trigger-levers 20 rest in grooves 23 on the upper surface of the firinggaging withan arm pins, .the said grooves decreasing in depth backward, so that the forward movement of the firing-pin will elevate the tail'of the triggerlever 20, which rests in the groove 23 of said firing-pin, and withdraw the nose of the said triggerfrom the notch 21 in the next firing: pin of the series. The central pair of triggerlevers, 20, are operated by a vertical slide, 24, in which their heels are held, said slide beingpressed downward by a spring, 25, to hold the noses of the said central pair of trigger-levers, 20", in the notches 21 of the central pair of firing-pins, 19%

It will thus. appear that the throwing up of the slide 24 will release the central pair'of firing-pins, 19",- so that they are thrown forward bytheirfiring-springs 26, thus dischargingthe two central barrels.

The slide 24'is moved upward by an adjustable tappet-plate, 27 on the rock-shaft 17 enorlug, 24, forming part ofthe vertical slide 24, or rigidly connected therewith. The tappet-plate 27 is formed with a notch, 28, and is adjusted horizontally by a lever, 29, for the purpose of placing the firing I will not take place.

mechanism in or out of gear when required. When the said slide is thrown to the right, as

illustrated inFigs. 3 and 6, the tappet-plate .27, coming in contact with the lug 24 of slide 24 at the termination of the forward movement of the rock-shaft 17 will move the-slide 24 upward, drawing the central pair of trig gers 20, as alreadydescribed; but if the tappet-plate 27 be moved to the left,the firing By thismeans the gun can be loaded without firing, and afterward discharged at any required moment; or it can be discharged automatically directly after the loading movement. 7 A

as before, so as to cock and fire semicircular dotted line 30 in Fig. 2 indicates the path of the wrist 14, by which this,double may be described as follows! pulleys 33 33, running the respective faces of By the above description it will appear that every backward movement of the hand-lever 11 by elevating the slide 8, bringsa set of cartridges from the lower range of magazines, 39, into firing position inrear of the barrels, and the same movement, acting through the medium of the wrists 14 on the arms 16 and rockshafl: 17, cocks all the sliding hammers by the elevation of said arms 16, and again, bythe depression of said arms, restores the forked arms 18 to their forward position, and at the termination of the same movement of the slide acts on the trigger-slide 24, so as to discharge all the barrels in rapid succession from, the

center to each end, if the tappet-plate 27 beset for this purpose. In like manner the backward movement of the hand-lever 11 moves the slide down, taking a fresh set of cartridges from the upper range of magazines, 39?, to firing' position, and imparting at the same time a double movement to the rock shaft the gun. The

movementof the rock-shaft arms 17 is produced, said wrist 14, being moved from 30" to 30 on the upward movement of the slide 8, and back again from 30" to 30" on the downward movement of the slide, a double movement of the rock-shaft 17' being thus produced by each backward or forward movement of the hand-lever 11.

' The magazine-followers 38 may be actuated by springs in customary manner when shouldered cartridges areused, so. as to carry one such cartridge into each load-chamber in the slide as the latter is moved into position to receive them; but another part of this invention consists in a positive feeding mechanism in which the follower-springs are dispensed with, said followers being moved at each stroke the length of one cartridge, so as to force a set of cartridges into the slide-chambers, the entrance of which cartridges ejects the empty shells or any unexploded cartridges at the rear of the slide. This positive feeding mechanism v31 represents a lever operating a rock-shaft, '32, near the extremities of which are paired loosely on the shaft and actuated alternately by the engagement with their toothedinner faces of pawls 34 on v disks 35, which are keyed to the rock-shafl; 32 between the respective pairs of pulleys 33 33, so that when the rock-shaft is moved in one direction the pulleys 33 will be turned, and when the rockshaft is moved in the other direction the pulleys 33, suitable detaining-pawls serving to hold the pulleys in each case against reverse movement. On the peripheries of the respective pulleys are coiled bands 36 36", each connected to one of the transverse bars 37, to which the followers 38, within the magazines 39 39*, are attached.

The ratchet-pulleys 33 33 may, if preferred,

arms 16,

be mounted 011 the same rock-shaft, 10, which operates the slide and firing mechanism. The load-chambers of the slide extend completely through from front to back. The cartridges 40 are introduced into the slide-chambers 9 from the front, and when fed by the positive movement described may be made without shoulders, as shown in Fig. 4. If shouldered cartridges be used, as illustrated in Fig. 2, they rest by their shoulders against corresponding shoulders within the "chambers 9. \Vhen moved into firing position by the vertical movement of the slide 8, the cartridges are held between the jaws of a recoil-block, 41. This block is furnished with a recoil-pin, 42, and follower 43, acting upon a recoil-spring, 44, and may be made to carry back the firingpins 19 to cocked position. The said firingpins are made in two pa'rtsthat is to say, with separate nose-pieces 19, which, on the retirement of the firing-pins proper or sliding hammers 19, are moved back within the breech plate of the gun, and when the said sliding hannners 19 are released receive the impact thereof and deliver the firing-stroke to the cartridges.

The angular elevation for range is controlled by worm-gearing 15, acting on the elevating screw 46, as in Fig. 2, or by the screw and cogged segment shown in Fig. 2.

The following is what is claimed the above-described invention:

1. In a machine-gun, the combination, with a horizontal range of barrels and one or more horizontal range or ranges of magazines, of a breech-slide, a horizontal rock-shaft, and connections between said slide and rock-shaft, the said parts being so arranged that the rotation or partial rotation of the rock-shaft shall produce a vertical reciprocatory movement of the breech-slide.

as new in 2. A positive feeding mechanism consisting of a range of magazines, followers sliding therein, a bar connecting said followers, and suitable connections for inovingthe connecti ngbar and followers, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the levers 31, ratchetpulleys 33 33, connections 36 36, bar 37, and followers 38, for loading the cartridges by a positive movement, substantially in the manner described.

4. The combination, with a vertically-moving breech-slide, a series of trigger-levers, and a series of sliding hammers with which the said trigger-levers engage, substantially as de scribed, of a rock-shaft and connections withv said slide, and a second rocleshaft and connections between said shaft and the first rockshaft, for producing a double movement of the second rock -shaft for each movement of the first rock-shaft, and attachments to the second rock-shaft for producing a disengagement of the trigger-levers from the sliding hammers, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination of the roeleshaft 10, wrists 14, rods 15, crank-arms 16, second rockshaft, 17, forked arms 18, and firing pins or hammers 19, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination of rock-shaft 17, ad justable tappet-plate 27, slide 24, triggers 20 20, and hammers 19" 19, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JAMES HENRY MCLEAN. MYRON COLONEY.

\Vitnesses as to McLean:

.Tlis. MILLAN, J AS. CLARK. Vitnesscs as to Coloney:

\VILBUR C. LAMBERT, SAML. G. GooDsELt.

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