US1133189A

US1133189A - Spring-gun.

Info

Publication number: US1133189A
Application number: US163815A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert M Shannon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1915-01-11
Filing date: 1915-01-11
Publication date: 1915-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 1932-03-23

Description

R. M. SHANNON.

SPRING GUN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11, 1915.

Patented. M51123, 19115.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q mm

Worsswr MfiHHNNoN.

R. M. SHANNGN.

SPRING GUN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

RQBERTTM SHHNNDM ROBERT M. SHANNON, 0F SALMON, EAHO.

ermine-eon.

digi -39119 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23, i915.

Application filed January 11, 1915. Serial No. 1,638.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that T, ROBERT M. SHANNON, of Salmon city, in the county of Lemhi and State of Idaho, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Spring-Guns;

. and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the'art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a spring gun of the cross-bow type, and particularly to that class of spring guns intended for projectinga projectile such as a captive spear, harpoon or arrow, that is to say, an arrow connected with a cord by which the length of the flight trajectory of the same may be controlled.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide suitable means for paying out the cord connected with the projectile, without resistance, during the flight thereof, and for conveniently re-winding the cord after the projectile has come to rest.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for suitably supporting, against entanglement, a loose unwound I length of cord which is released when the projectile is shot.

i A still further object of this invention is to provide. a gun of this type provided with a reel for holding the-cord, which is movable into a winding position and into a position to payoff the cord endwise, one convolution at a time, when'the arrow is shot,

thereby minimizing the resistance odered by the cord.

Still another novel feature of this invention consists in the arrangement of gun sights on a line with the axis of the projectile, and also in providing means for holding the projectile in position to be shot and against displacement, until the trigger mechanism of the gun is released for shoot ing the projectile".

This invention further consists in the features of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter set forth in the description and particularly pointed out in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this application.

Referring to the drawings annexed hereto and forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one preferred embodiment of my invention.

ig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, showing in detail the gun lock, trigger mechanism and means for holding the loose unwound length of cord. Fig. 3 is a front elevation View of the reel for holding a length of cord wound thereon and arranged for paying off the cord endwise one convolution at a time. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the forward portion of the arrow or spear type of projectile shown in position on the gun in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view of the spring cross-bow, which, as shown in Fig. 1, is mounted at the forward end of the gun. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the cross-bow shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of one end of the crossbow showing the shape thereof and the manner of attaching the bow string thereto. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section view through the forward end of the gun barrel which guides the arrow, and showing the manner of removably securing the cross-bow in place and also showing the forward gun sight in position. Fig. 9 illustrates a modified form of projectile of the multiple pronged harpoon type. Fig. 10 is a detailview of the shoulder portion of the arrow shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a side view of the arrow head shown in Figs. 4: and 9, and showing the beards in the extended position. Fig. 12 is a sectional view on the line l2-12 of Fig. 11

.and showing the beards also in the extended position.

Referring to the drawings in which llke characters of reference indicate like parts: The form of my invention shown n the drawing comprises a gun stock 1 and a gun barrel 2, the latter being grooved longitudlnally at 3 to support and guide a spear or arrow 4. The gun stock 1 is recessed at 5 and 6 to receive the gun lock and trig er mechanism, respectively. Mounted on he stock 1 and above the recess 5 is the support 7 having the apertured projection 8. :Secured to the support 7 by screws extending forwardly through the aperture 1n the projection 8 and guided therein is the spring fin er 10 the forward end of which is provid ed with the back gun sight 11. The forward end'of the spring 10 extends out over the barrel portion to a suitable point for enthe arrow always remaining in position to be shot when the trigger mechanism is operatedto shoot the gun.

The forward "end of the gun barrel 2 is recessed transversely at '12 and a U-shaped member 13 is mounted thereon and provided with aperture corresponding with the aperture in the gun barrel. The U-shaped membeer is threaded at 14-to receive a wing screw 15 the shank of which projects through the forward end of the gun barrel and into the recess 12. The recess 12 is formed to receive the spring cross-bow 16 composed of a plurality of superposed leaf springs of variable length. These springs are suitably fastened together and the whole spring cross-bow 16 is secured in place by screwing up the wing screw 15, the end of which abuts against the cross-bow and holds the same in position. The foremost of the leaves comprising the spring bow 16 is provided at each end with a knob 17 and immediately adjacent each of the knobs 17 is an aperture 18. In stringing the bow the bow string 19 is formed into loops 20 at each end, each of which is passed through one of the apertures I8 and looped over a knob 17. Mounted at one side of the barrel 2 adjacent the forward p'ortion thereof, is a finger 21 which, when the gun is shot, prevents the bow string 19 from passing beyond-the end of the barrel 2.

The gun lock "consists of a transversely extending pivot 22 in the recess 5 upon which is mounted a semi-circular detent 23. This detent is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by means of the trigger pin 24 which engages the lower edge of the semi-circular detent. The trigger pin 24 is carried by the trigger lever proper 25 pivoted in the recess 6 at 26. The trigger lever 25 is extended as shown at 27 to form afinger to support against entanglement, a loose unwound length of cord asshown at2 8. It will thus be seen that when the trigger lever 25 is pulled the extension 27 will move to the position shown in dotted lines and allow the unwound length of cord 28 to be freely paid out therefrom. In order to set the gun, the bow string,- 19 is pulled backward underneath the spring finger 10 and over the upper portion of the semi-circular detent 23; the arrow 4 is then placed in the guiding groove 3 of the gun barrel 2 and pushed backward until its rear end is engaged by the said spring finger 10 to hold the same in place. It will then be seen that when the trigger 25 is pulled the trigger pin 24' will become disengaged from the lower end of the semi-circular detent 23, whereupon the force of the bent bow 16 will act upon the bow string 19 pulling it forward with intense force against the rear end of the arrow 4, projecting the latter along the guiding groove 3 at a great velocity. In order to re- .turn the semi-circular detent 23 to its normal position, that being the position shown in Fig. 2, an expansion spring 29 is provided having one end abutting against the lower portion of the detent 23 and the other end fastened to a lug 30 carried by the member 27. A trigger guard 31 is mounted on the underneath portion of the gun stock 1.

On the side of the gun stock 1 adjacent the gun lock mechanism is mounted a hinge 32 which swings at right angles to the side of the gun stock. This hinge is provided with an arm 33 which carries a reel 34 mounted thereon, said reel being provided with only one flange 34 and a drum 35 so that cord wound thereon may be paid off endwise, one convolution at a time, when the reel 34 and hinge 32 are in the position shown in Fig. 1. The drum 35 is provided with a handle 36 for rewinding the cord thereupon. Upon the stock 1 is mounted a spring catch 37 which, when the reel is swung back against the stock to the winding position, serves to lock the reel in place.

A stop member 38 is provided to limit the swinging movement of the reel to the unwinding position shown in Fig. 1. Each arrow, spear or harpoon, or any other type of projectile that may be used, is provided with means such as 39 for tying one end of the cord 28 thereto. The rest of the cord 28 is normally wound upon the reel 34 but, when the gun is to be shot off, a portion thereof, equal to the distance to which it is desired to project the projectile, is unwound and looped loosely about the extension 27. Thus when the gun is shot the loose unwound length of cord supported upon the extension 27 will first be paid off without resistance and when this is exhausted the cord wound upon the reel 34 will be paid ofi endwise thereof, one convolution at a time, with a minimum of resistance." The forward gun sight 40 is preferably formed integral with the U-shaped member 13 and extends directly over the guiding groove 3 and in alinement with the notch in the back gun sight 11, both the apex of the notch in the gun sight 11 and the gun sight 40 being in direct alinement with the plane of the axial line of the groove 3 and the axis of the arrow which is guided therein. At the forward end of the gun barrel 2 and beneath the cross-bow 16 is mounted an eye 41 the bore of which is in alinement with the socket 42 in the gun stock. If it is desired to carry an extra arrow such as 4 the shank of the arrow is inserted through the eye 41 and into the socket 42. It will thus be seen that a support for the arrow is provided.

Now referring particularly to Figs. 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12 which illustrate two forms of projectiles which may be used in the spring gun of my invention, each of these is pro vided with the member 39 for tying the cord 28 thereto and with an enlarged butt-end 43 maaiee 4' tit Tor engagement of the finger 10 therewith to hold the same in place upon the barrel of the gun.

The form of arrow shown in Figs. 1 and 4 comprises the butt-end 43, shank 44 and spear-head 45. The shank 44 is provided adjacent the spead-head with oppositely extending lugs 46 which serve tolimit the length of penetration of the arrow. Also the spear-head of the arrow is recessed at 47 to receive the pivot 48 upon which is ance to the arrow in penetrating an'object' but have a tearing effect when the arrow is'withdrawn. However these beards 49may be held in the concealed position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 12 by the collar 50 mounted on the spear-head of the arrow and prevented from moving backward along the shank by the pin 51. This collar is rotatable and maybe slipped down over the beards 49, the latter projecting outward .just sufficiently when concealed to abut againstjthe sides of the collar 50 and prevent the same from slipping over the arrow head. N ow it it is desired to remove this arrow after it has penetrated an object such as a muskrat, otter or fish, it will only be.

a necessary to force the arrow inward a short distance and give it a twist. This movement will throw the beards 49 into the recess 47 and the collar 50 may he slipped thereover and the arrow withdrawn without resistance. This feature is particularly valuable 1n spearing' animals, fish, etc., since it provents the arrow from coming out of the game after it is once penetrated, until it is desired to remove it.

4 Tn the multiple prong type ofspear, ar-, row or harpoon shown in Fig. 9, the construction of the head of each prong is the same as that described in connection with thearrow shown in Fig. 4 and shown in enlarged detail in Figs. 11 and 12. These prongs however are connected by oppositely curved shoulder portions 52 which prevent the projectile from penetrating "beyond the i point at which the prongs are connected.

Tt is to be understood that other modifications than "the forms ot'my invention herein shown will, also suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and that all of these will come within the spirit of my invention in so tar as they fall within the scope of the claims annexed hereto.

T claim:

T. Tn a spring a captive projectile, v a i 1 a stock, a reel mounted on the stock, a

reel mounted on said stock and having a length of cord wound thereon, said reel being movable into a position to pay out the cord endwise one convolution at a time when the said loose intermedlate unwound length of cord is exhausted, substantially as described.

3. Tn a spring gun, .a gun stock, a captive projectile, a cord connected with the projectile, means for holding a loose unwound length of cord against entanglement, and trigger mechanism for actuating said means to free such unwound length of cord'when the projectile is shot, substantially as described.

4. Tn a spring gun, a gun stock, a captive projectile, and a reel mounted on the stock for holding the cord, said reel being movable into winding and endwise unwinding positions, substantially as described.

5. In a spring gun, a captive projectile, a cord connected with the projectile, a reel for holding the cord, said reel being movable into a winding position and into anendwise unwinding position to freely pay out the cord one convolution at a time when the projectile is shot, substantially as described.

6. Tn a spring gun, a gun stock, a captive projectile, a cord connected with the pro ectile, a reel mounted on the stock for holdlng the cord, said reel being movable into w1nding and unwinding positions, and meansfor locking said reel in the winding position, substantially as described.

7. Tn a'spring bow having an aperture at one end thereof, tips at each end of said how adjacent said apertures, and bow string extending through said aperturesv and looped over said tips to. retain sald string in place, substantially as. described.

Tn testimony whereof, T have signed th1s specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

lROlBT. M. SHANNON. .Wimesses:

. QT. Ti. Moons, BEN l3. NnwcoMB.