GB119667A - Improvements in and relating to Machine Guns. - Google Patents

Abstract

119,667. Pierce, V. U. D. April 26, 1917. Machine guns.-Relates to multi-barrel machine guns fitted with mechanism for converging or diverging the barrels, and consists in providing flexible means connected with the triggers of all the barrels for operating them simultaneously in all positions. The invention also includes means for rotating the group of barrels round a central longitudinal axis, and for operating the converging and diverging mechanism whilst the barrels are rotating. Fig. 1 shows in plan four Lewis guns 25 mounted on trunnions 26 in a support 23 keyed to a shaft 22 which can be rotated in bearings on a frame 10 by spring motors 27 through chain-and-sprocket gearing 31. The frame 10 can be elevated by a shoulder piece 21, Fig. 9, on trunnions 14 in a pedestal 16 revoluble on ball bearings for training with respect to a fixed support 18. The spring motors are wound by handles 32, and the speed of each motor is controlled by a centrifugal governor 54 acting on a friction sleeve 55, the speed of rotation of the shaft 22 being controlled by a band brake 51 operated by a lever 53. The guns are arranged normally to diverge .so as to provide a zone of fire around the target, which zone may be contracted by moving the barrels until the projectiles are directed on to the target by moving the barrels into parallelism. A bell or other signal notifies the gunner when the barrels are parallel. By a further movement, the barrels may be made to converge so as to provide beyond their'point of intersection, a divergent zone. To effect these adjustments the barrels are, during rotation, rocked on the trunnions 26 by a forward movement of a handle 43 attached to a sleeve 33 sliding on the shaft 22 and connected to the stock of each gun by links 36. A short arm 45 forming an adjustable bell-crank lever with the link 36 is connected through a spring 46 to the trigger 47 of each gun so that, during forward movement of the sleeve 33, the gun triggers are held back to permit of continuous firing. In a modification, Fig. 9, the triggers are actuated independently of the sleeve 33 by a trigger 67 arranged on the handle block 65. This trigger, Fig. 11, operates to release a spring 68 which acts through links 73, 70 on a spring-controlled sleeve 60 which slides on the shaft 22 and actuates the gun triggers by cables 62 passing along each of the arms 36. The barrels may be supported, as shown in Fig. 19, in order to dispense with the front bar 12 of the frame 10 which obstructs the firing.