IL51910A - Supply device for a portable firearm by means of cartridgebelts or by means of rifle magayines using the same ammunition - Google Patents

Description

nvi&nn ηηιιο rnvsnvsn nm ni'.onD »"y i« Supply device for a portable firearm by means of cartridge belts or by means of rifle magazines usin the^ same ammunition FABRIQUE NATIONALS HERSTAL S.A. , en abrege^ FN 0. 48960 The present invention pertains to the modern portable firearms which are normally conditioned to be supplied by cartridge belts. More particularly, the invention is concerned with such arms, such as machine guns, provided with a rotary locking mechanism for instance in a subsidiary part . of the barrel, whereby the unlocking is effected by a gas tapping. A piston which is integral with the slide is pushed towards the rear by the gas pressure, whilst a gradient on the slide which engages a tenon of the. bolt performs the unlocking and makes the extraction and the ejection of the shell possible.. After the rearward stroke, a recuperator spring, compressed by the piston, sends the parts' back towards the front. At this moment, the supply system which is \ contained in the cover has advanced the belt, so that there is now a cartridge on the track, ready to be fed. The bolt which slides in its rails, which are fixed in the casing, then pushes the cartridge by means of a tenon into the breach.

It shall be noted that modern machine guns, due to their light weight and handling facility, are liable to be used in military units in which the individual arms fire similar ammunition to that used in the supply by means of cartridge belts.

This ammunition being fed by magazines, it is of interest for a machine gun, after having exhausted its supply of belts, to be able to continue to operate whilst being supplied, for instance, by a rifle magazine.

Over and above the interest offered by the double supply device, it is also important that, despite the more elaborate equipment, the aiming system of the weapon need not be altered. machine gun, the weapon boats a side opening for the entering of a magazine, the opening being extended by a sleeve which can serve the purpose of a guide for aforesaid magazine, aforesaid sleeve being provided with a flap, hingedly attached, to aforesaid magazine guide, so as to be able to close said sleeve and serve as a guide for the cartridge belt.

Complementarily , the shaping of the bolt has been altered so as to present two pressure tenons, one for the loading by means of cartridge belts and the other for the loading by means of magazines.

These novel elements have the possibility of being built in various shapes and in variable relative locations.

Merely as a non-limiting example, a form of embodiment is described hereinafter in greater detail, with reference to the appended drawings in which : Figure 1 schematically, shows a photographic view of a weapon supplied by cartridge belts; Figure 2 is similar to Figure 1, the same weapon being however supplied by a magazine; Figure 3 is a side view, to a larger scale, of the weapon according to Figures 1 and 2, but without supply device; Figure 4 is an enlarged view of that part of Figure 3 indicated by F4; Figure 5 shows a section according to line V-V of Figure 4 ; Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5, the bolt being in the supply phase by means of cartridge belts; Figure 7 is similar to Figure 6, the weapon being shown as supplied by a magazine; Figure 8 is similar to Figure 7, illustrating the Figure 9 is a view in the direction of arrow F9 in Figure 4, more particularly showing the locking ring of the barel; and .

Figure 10 shows a section according to line X-X in Figure 9.

In this form of embodiment, we start off with a modern machine gun 1_ of the type which is conditioned to be fed by a cartridge belt. In the present case, the means which permit that sort of supply subsist and are consequently characteristic of the known machine guns. The cartridges 2 are forwarded in the usual manner towards the loading device and are pushed on, one at a time, by tenon 3 of bolt j4.

According to the invention, an opening _5 has in this case been provided in the left hand side of casing jS of the weapon. This opening 5 is extended by a sleeve 1_ which is intended to serve as magazine guide. At the entrance to sleeve 1_, an approximately L shaped flap 8 is hingedly attached. Branch 8__ of aforesaid flap boasts a tooth _9 and afore-said flap is stressed in closed position by an elastic element 10. In this case, bolt is provided with an extra tenon 11.

In the position illustrated in Figure 6, sleeve 1_ is closed by branch 8__ of flap 8, the second branch ^_ of the flap being directed towards the belt, so as to form a guide the successive, rounds In the magazine feed position,, it will be sufficient to enter a normal rifle magazine 12_ into sleeve 1_, whereby flap IB is automatically pushed back. The magazine will be held in place by aforementioned tooth j) which registers with guide rails 14-15 have been altered so as to assure the normal and successive action upon the cartridges.

It is quite obvious, that during the loading movements of the cartridges, the supply system contained in cover 16 continues to operate in idleness.

A main characteristic further consists in the fact that the magazine is placed laterally and not vertically on aforesaid cover 16_. This arrangement permits the sighting line to remain unaltered and considerably simplifies the fitting of aiming accessories such as telescopic sights, a reflex collimator, a light amplifier or others.

It must further be noted, that the closing flap _8 of the magazine guide has a double function.. It is first used to close opening 5 in casing 6_ so as to assure a better sealing of the weapon,, and it further serves as stop for the magazine when entered into aforesaid sleeve .

A further, remarkable fact is the possibility of passing instantaneously, either to belt feed or to magazine feed.

In order to limit the angular movement of said flap 8, branch £ of the latter is provided with a tenon ]7 which normally, and in the closed position of aforesaid flap 8, comes into contact with the corresponding part of sleeve 1_.

The invention is concerned with the device itself, as well as with all weapons equipped with such a device, such as machine guns, rifles and suchlike.

Claims (6)

i 51910/2 ί CLAIMS jr

1. Portable weapon able to; be supplied by cartridges either from a cartridge magazine or from a cartridge belt, said weapon being provided with a sleeve serving as a guide for said cartridge magazine, with a passage for said cartridge belt and with a bolt having tenons able to act on said cartridges, characterized in that said sleeve is fitted with a flap which in one position closes said sleeve and forms a guide leading towards said belt passage and which ,' in another position locks said magazine in said sleeve and obstructs said belt passage and that said. bolt has first and second tenons able to act on cartridges of said belt and of said magazine respectively.

2. A portable weapon according to claim 1 ,. characterized by the fact that aforesaid flap is of approximate L shape and is hingedly fitted on a pivot pin of the sleeve, aforesaid flap being permanently stressed towards its closed position by some elastic device. ;

3. A portable weapon according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that one branch of the L shaped flap is fitted with a tooth which is capable of cooperating with an appropriate opening in the magazine, so as to maintain the I latter . 51910/2

4. A portable weapon according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the second branch of the approximately L shaped flap boasts, on one of its surfaces, a protrusion which is capable of limiting the angular movement which brings the first branch of aforesaid flap to its closed position.

5. A portable weapon according to any one of the previous claims, characterized by the fact tha-fa* the angular spacing between the two branches of the approximately L shaped flap is such, that one of the branches of said flap functions as guide to the cartridge belt, when the other branch of aforesaid flap is in the correct closing position of the sleeve.

6. - A portable weapon including the supply of ammunition by means of cartridge belts and by means of rifle magazines using the same ammunition, substantially as hereinbefore described by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings. For the An tsants PF:cb