GB2282960A - Gun and Support - Google Patents

Abstract

A shot gun in a broken condition is supported by a tubular support 12 which is open at its upper end. A barrel 11 of the gun lies inside the support and a stock 10 protrudes from the support where it can conveniently be grasped. The support has a leg 19 so that it can stand on the ground. The inside of the tubular member may also be partitioned as indicated at 15. <IMAGE>

Description

PATENTS ACT 1977 Title: Gun and Support Description of Invention The present invention relates to a gun in combination with a support for the gun, the gun being of the kind comprising at least one barrel and a stock which can pivot relative to the barrel from a first position in which a breach of the gun is closed to a second position in which the breach is open. When the stock is in the second position relative to the barrel, the gun is described as being broken.

According to the invention, there is provided a combination comprising a gun of the kind described and a support for the gun, wherein the support stands on the ground, the support defines an opening which faces generally upwards and is spaced above the ground by a substantial distance, the gun bears on the support at a position adjacent to the opening, the stock is in the second position relative to the barrel and protrudes from the support and wherein the barrel extends downwards from the stock. By the reference to the opening being a substantial distance above the ground, we mean that the opening is spaced from the ground by a distance similar to or exceeding the length of the barrel.

The gun of the combination is in a safe condition, even if the breach contains a cartridge. The gun is conveniently positioned for use. In order to use the gun, provided that a cartridge is present in the breach, it is necessary merely to grasp the stock, withdraw the gun from the support through the opening and swing the barrel relative to the stock until the stock is in the first position relative to the barrel. This is more convenient, for example, than unslinging the gun from the shoulder of the gunman or picking up the gun from the ground.

The support may be of substantially tubular form and may have an internal partition which divides internal compartments of the support from each other. If the gun is used during rain, the compartment which receives the barrel will become damp. The other compartment may be maintained in a dry condition, so that when use of the gun is ended, the gun can be dried and placed in the dry compartment.

The tubular support may be internally configured to receive a gun bag therein within which the gun may be located. The gun bag may conveniently be of the zip closure type whereby when an upper end of the bag is open, the gun in its broken condition may be supported within the bag and relative to the support with the stock of the gun protruding from the open upper end of the bag and from the support and the barrel extending downwardly within the bag and within the support.

In the unbroken condition of the gun, the bag may be closed to enclose the gun whilst remaining in the support if desired.

Conveniently releasable fastener means may be provided to releasably connect the bag to the support and such means may comprise a hook and loop or pile type of fastener, one element of which is mounted on the exterior surface of the bag and the other element of which is mounted on the interior surface of the tubular support.

It will be appreciated that the gun bag may be moved at any time from within the support and utilised to transport a gun therein in the usual manner.

Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description given herein solely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a gun and support therefor in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a similar diagrammatic side elevation of a gun and alternative form of support therefor including a gun bag located within the support, the support including an automatic leg assembly; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic rear view of the gun, the gun bag and support shown in Figure 2 with the automatic leg mechanism in a park position.

The gun represented in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings comprises a stock 10 and a barrel 11 which are connected together for relative pivoting about a pivot disposed near to one end of the barrel. The gun is in a broken condition. The stock is disposed with a longitudinal centreline of the stock inclined to a longitudinal centreline of the barrel at an angle in the region of 60".

The gun may comprise a pair of barrels and may be a shotgun.

The support 12 is of generally tubular form, having a side wall 13 and a lower end wall 14 which closes the interior of the support at its lower end. The side wall 13 may be substantially cylindrical or may be polygonal, as viewed in transverse cross section. The side wall defines an elongated chamber which is substantially rectilinear.

The chamber defined by the side wall 13 is divided into two or more compartments by a partition 15 or by a number of partitions.

An upper end portion of the side wall 13 is substantially rigid. Some other parts of the side wall may be formed of flexible material. At least an upper end portion of the partition 15 and preferably the entire partition is rigid. The upper end portion of the partition and the upper end portion of the side wall 13 collectively form a frame defining an opening at the upper end of the support.

The gun extends through this opening, the stock 10 protruding from the opening and the barrel 11 extending downwards inside one of the compartments of the support. The stock bears on an upper edge portion of the side wall 13 adjacent to the opening. The barrel 11 may bear on the partition 15 at a position spaced a little downwards from the opening and may also bear on a bearing surface 16 at the inside of the side wall 13 and spaced downwards from the opening by a distance corresponding approximately to the length of the barrel 11.

The compartment 17 in which the barrel 11 lies has transverse dimensions, at least near to the upper end portion of the side wall 13, such that the compartment can accommodate a larger proportion of the stock 10 or the entire stock, when the stock is in a first position relative to the barrel 11 and the breach of the gun is closed. When the gun is in the position represented in the drawing, the barrel 11 is spaced a substantial distance above the lower end wall 14 so that there is below the barrel a space which can accommodate a lower end portion of the barrel when the stock is in the first position relative to the barrel and is moved further into the compartment 17. The support may include a hood which can be used to cover the stock when the gun has been moved sufficiently far into the compartment 17 for the barrel to rest on the lower end wall 14.With the gun in this position relative to the support, the support and gun can conveniently be carried by means of a sling 18 attached to the side wall 13.

There is also attached to the side wall 13, at the outside thereof, a leg 19 or a plurality of legs which can be moved between the extended position shown in the drawing and a retracted position, in which the or each leg lies along the side wall 13. In the extended position, the leg supports the side wall 13 in an attitude in which the side wall is inclined to the horizontal, with the lower end wall 14 resting on the ground.

The leg 19 may be incorporated in à known device which extends automatically when the support is placed on the ground and which retracts automatically when the support is lifted from the ground, such a device being described herein in more detail with reference to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.

There may also be mounted on the side wall 13 adjacent to the upper end thereof a carrier 20 for a number of cartridges. The carrier may have a number of holes, each suitable for receiving a single cartridge, and may be foldable so that it can be folded against the side wall 13 when the support is to be carried by means of the sling 18.

It will be seen that, when the gun is in the position shown in the drawing relative to the support, the stock 10 of the gun lies substantially outside the support and is in a convenient position to be grasped by the gunman to facilitate withdrawal of the gun from the support. If the barrel is then swung upwards relative to the stock until the breach is closed, the gun is ready for use and is in a suitable attitude for use.

The support may additionally incorporate compartments for cartridges and other accessories. The support may incorporate a dispenser for automatically presenting cartridges in succession to the gunman. Such a dispenser may conveniently comprise an elongate container adapted to support therein a stack of cartridges in end-to-end relationship with one another, means for resiliently biasing a said stack of cartridges supported within the container towards a dispensing end thereof, abutment means at said dispensing end of the container against which an end cartridge of a said stack may be urged by said resilient biasing means, and an aperture at said dispensing end of the container whereby a said end cartridge may be removed laterally from a said stack thereof and through which a cartridge may be inserted laterally into the container.Such a cartridge container is conveniently of elongate tubular form having a closed lower end and an upper said dispensing end, the dispenser tube being locatable within the support. The said resilient means conveniently comprises a spring adapted to act between the closed end of the dispenser and an adjacent cartridge therein.

Said abutment means is conveniently adapted to support an end of a said end cartridge urged against said abutment means by the spring or to support a side wall of a said end cartridge when a said end cartridge is urged against said abutment means by the spring and is aligned normal to a said stack thereof to extend laterally of said container through said aperture. With this arrangement the uppermost cartridge of a stack thereof in the dispenser may be readily removed by the user.

A seat may be carried on or in the support.

The side wall 13 is preferably formed, at least partly, of substantially water-proof sheet material. This material may be support on a relatively rigid frame which incorporates the partition 15.

The support may further comprise wheels to facilitate wheeling of the support and gun along the ground. The wheels may be demountable and may be incorporated in a trolley which can be separated from other parts of the support.

In a case where the support incorporates wheels, the support may rest by its wheels on the ground, when in use.

An alternative construction of support in accordance with the invention is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts already described with reference to Figure 1.

In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 the support 12 is again of generally tubular form but is shaped more to conform specifically to the external configuration of a conventional gun bag whereby such a bag with a gun therein may be retained within the tubular support. A gun bag 21 of conventional form may be of the zip closure type and may be retainable within the tubular support 12 as illustrated with the upper end 22 of the bag open as shown in Figure 2 whereby the gun in its broken condition may still be supported relative to the support 12 but within the bag 21. In this position the stock 10 of the gun protrudes from the open upper end 22 of the bag 21 and from the support 12 and the barrel 11 extends downwardly within the bag 21 and within the support 12 as shown in dotted line in Figure 2.

If desired, in the unbroken condition of the gun, the bag 21 may be closed to enclose the gun whilst remaining in the support although usually the closed bag with the gun in its unbroken condition will be removed from the support and transported by the user in the usual manner.

As is particularly visible from Figure 2 of the drawings, the support 12 may be provided with a pivotally mounted dish-like container 23 for receiving cartridges therein whereby the cartridges may be readily accessible by the gunman when the support 12 is supported relative to the ground as illustrated in Figure 2.

The support 12 is conveniently provided with support means in the form of an automatic leg assembly of a type generally known per se. The assembly comprises a pair of pivotally mounted upper arms 24 spaced apart transversely with each arm being freely pivotable at a cranked inner end thereof on a mounting plate 25 secured such as for example by riveting to the rear face of the tubular support approximately mid-way between its upper and lower ends.

At the outer free end of each arm there is provided a support leg 26 in a fixed orientation relative to its respective arm 24. At the lower end of the tubular support 12 at the rear face thereof there is provided a guide bracket 27 extending transversely of the support. Within this bracket 27 there is provided spring actuating means in the form of a generally U-shaped yoke having a relatively short generally linear lower end 28 for engagement with the ground and relatively long linear side limbs 29 each of which terminates at its upper end in a transversely extending stub shaft 30 engaged within a respective elongate slot 31 in a respective said arm 24.The spring yoke part of the support means is retained under tension by said arms 24 and said guide bracket 27 and the upper opposed stub shafts 30 are retained within their respective said slots for pivotal movement relative to the arms. The support legs 26 are movable from an extended operative position as shown in Figure 2 to a retracted inoperative position (not illustrated) and in known manner the support legs are automatically extendable or retractable dependant upon the contact with the ground of the lower linear portion 28 of the spring yoke.

The support legs 26 are movable from their retracted inoperative position to a "park" position as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. In this position the support legs are still retracted in an inoperative position but are withdrawn upwardly relative to the tubular support 12 so as to project only in a minimal manner, or not at all, below the lower surface thereof. From the normal retracted inoperative position of the actuating yoke (not illustrated) the said stub shafts 30 at the upper ends of the limbs 29 may be displaced outwardly away from one another in such manner that they are slidable along the slots 31 to an inner end thereof at which time the shafts 30 may be released to spring back towards one another under the spring influence of the yoke limbs. Normally the shafts 30 are prevented from sliding along the slots 31 by virtue of the slots having a lateral dimension which is less than the external diameter of each respective shaft. The aforesaid relative outward movement of the shafts relative to one another permits a reduced diameter portion of each shaft to enter each respective slot to enable sliding movement of the shaft relative to the slot to take place.

The "park" position of the actuating yoke as shown in Figure 3 is of particular use when the tubular support is to be stored in a vertical position or if the support has to be stored in a confined horizontal position such as in the trunk of a car.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims (12)

1. In combination, a gun and a support for the gun, wherein the gun is of the kind comprising at least one barrel and a stock which can pivot relative to the barrel between a first position in which a breach of the gun is closed and a second position in which the breach is open, the support stands on the ground, the support defines an opening which faces generally upwards and is spaced above the ground by a substantial difference, the gun bears on the support at a position adjacent to the opening, the stock is in the second position relative to the barrel and protrudes from the opening of the support and the barrel extends downwards from the stock.

2. A combination according to Claim 1 wherein the support includes a bearing surface at a level below that of the opening and the barrel bears on the bearing surface.

3. A combination according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the support is substantially tubular, has a closed lower end and an open upper end.

4. A combination according to Claim 3 wherein the support has internal partitions.

5. A combination according to Claim 3 further including a gun bag releasably located within the support, said bag having an openable upper end whereby the gun in its said second position is supported within the bag and relative to the support with the stock of the gun protruding from the open upper end of the bag and from the support and the barrel extending downwardly within the bag and within the support.

6. A combination as claimed in claim 5 wherein releasable fastener means are provided to releasably connect said bag to said support.

7. A combination as claimed in claim 7 wherein said releasable fastener means comprises a hook and loop or pile type of fastener, one element of which is mounted on the exterior surface of the bag and the other element of which is mounted on the interior surface of the tubular support.

8. A combination according to any preceding claim wherein there is in the support, at a level below the opening, space to accommodate at least a substantial part of the stock when the stock is in the first position relative to the barrel and wherein there is in the support at a level below that of a lower end of a barrel space to accommodate a lower end portion of the barrel when the stock occupies said space below the opening.

9. A combination according to any preceding claim wherein the support comprises a substantially rigid frame which defines the opening.

10. A combination according to Claim 9 wherein the gun also bears on the support inside the support at a position which is substantially opposite to said position adjacent to the opening.

11. A combination substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

12. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein or in the accompanying drawing.