US1327087A

US1327087A - Breech-loading ordnance

Info

Publication number: US1327087A
Application number: US241899A
Authority: US
Inventors: Dawson Arthur Trevor; Buckham George Thomas
Original assignee: Vickers Ltd
Current assignee: Vickers Ltd
Priority date: 1918-06-25
Filing date: 1918-06-25
Publication date: 1920-01-06
Anticipated expiration: 1937-01-06

Description

A. T. DAWSON AND G. T. BUCKHAM.

BREECH LOADING DRDNANCE. A'Pmcmou mu) JUNE 25. me.

Patented Jan. 6,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

o mgnw, 711W x W, M

A. T- DAWSON AND, G. T. BUCKHAM.

BREECH LOADING ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. 1918.

Patented Jan. 6,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, AS-SIGNORS T0 VICKERS LIMITED, 015 \VESTMIN-STER,

'EN GLAND.

BREECI-i-LOADING ORDN AN CE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Sir ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, knight, and Sir GEORGE THOMAS BUOKHAM, knight, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Breech-Loading Ordnance, of which the-following is a specification. I

p This invention relates to semi-automatic guns of the kind in which the breech closing spring and the means for actuating the breech mechanism automatically are rendered inoperative by suitable controlling devices when the gun is converted from the to render the automatic actuating means operatlve.

According to the present invention the .device for controlling the breech closing spring and the device for controlling the automatic actuating means are connected .together in such manner that a single operation serves to render the breech closing spring inactive and theautomatic actuating means inoperative for the quick. firing condition and a single operation also. serves to render the said spring active and the said means operative for the semi-automatic condition. In thismanner wenot onlysave time .in'the conversion from one condition to the other, but we also avoid the liability .of

the gunner omittingto perform the aforesaid separate operation for'rendering the automatic actuating .meansoperative or inoperative asthe case maybe. 1

In. order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carriedinto effect we will rdescrihetthe :same,..more,u1 1y Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 25, 1918. Serial no. 241,899. I v

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

1 Figures 1; 2 and 3 are respectively a left hand side elevation, a rear elevation and a plan of the breech end of a gun provided with our improvements.

Figs. 4 and 5 are right hand side elevations showing the parts set respectively for the semi-automatic condition and for the quick firing condition.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing a cylinder which carries the aforesaid breech cl0sing spring, displaced into a position forv dismantling. v I a Fig. 6'is a section taken approximately on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a local section taken approximately on the'line 7- of Fig. 4 and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 8 is .a local section taken approximately on the line 88 of Fig. 4 and drawn to anenlarged scale.

Fig. 9 is a section taken approximately drawn to an cam as is well understood. C is the breech closing spring. "D is the aforesaid device for controlling this snring and E the aforesaid device connected to the device Dand adapted .to render the pawl B inoperative or allowit to become operative as required.

I In the exampleshown the aforesaid cam B is fixed to or made integral with the breech actuating handlever A and the shaft A and the aforesaid breech c'losingspring C is disposed Vina cylinder-C and bears against a plunger .0 the lower end, of which engages with a pin ,0 detachably carried by the cam B so as to form a crank pin. The cylinder has .a lateral projection .0 near its and 11eee e t m t e-Pha P Q -QfiQ- works in a recess a in the breech end of the gun. The said projection is constituted by a T-shaped head having curved surfaces and the recess is undercut to provide grooves in which this head works. I i

In this manner the cylinder G can be readily detached (after the pin 0 has been removed) by displacing it through an angle of 90 degrees to bring the flat sides of the said T-shaped head into coincidence with the narrow portion or neck of the recess a, as shown in Fig. 5 thereby enabling the said head to pass through this narrow portion and the cylinder to be removed.

The aforesaid device D is in the form of a plate pivoted at (Z to the breech end of the gun above the cylinder and engraved with the two working positions QF and SA. The pivot pin (Z of the plate is integral therewith and is detachably connected to'the gun by a bayonet joint. This plate D carries a pin D connected preferably by a bayonet joint to one end of a link F, the said pin also forming a milled handle by which the plate can be moved about its pivot (Z. The other end of the link has alateral projection F providedwith a circular head working in an undercut recess a of key-hole formation in the breech end of the gun and hasa toepiece (constituting the aforesaid member by means of which the pawl B can be put out of action when the gun is to be used under quick firing conditions (see Fig. 5). The plate D is formed with a groove (5 concentric with the pivot cl of the plate in which groove works a spring controlled plunger D (see Fig. 8) carried by the gun. At each end of this groove a recess 0i (see particularly Figs. 8 and 10) is provided for the reception of the plunger which thus retains the plate in the desired position for the quick firing or the semi-automatic condition of the gun. The said plunger is disposed 1n a recess a (see Fig. 8) in the breech end of the gun and is actuated and retained in position by a milled pin D which is screwed into, and limits the movements of,-the plunger. A small hole d (Figs. 4, 5, 8 and 10) is drilled in the plate through which a tool can be inserted to displace the plunger for dismantling purposes. To dismantle, the pin D is removed, and the plate D is moved beyond the Q F position te release the bayonet joint of the pin d and permit of the plate D being removed.

When the breech isopened under quick firing conditionsthe cylinder C containing the breech closing spring C moves unobstructed in its path so that the spring is not energized during this operation (see Fig. 5) the aforesaid plate D being so shaped that when moved to the quick firing position shown by Fig. 5, it leaves the head ofthe cylinder Cf and at the same time raises the link Fg'the toe-piece E'onthe' lower end of the breech block (see the link by meeting the pawl B lifts the latter upward about its pivot 72 and thus puts it out of action; during the run-out movement of the gun the toe-piece E first meets the pawl and the latter is thus lifted clear of the cam B.

When converting to the semi-automatic condition after the gun has been loaded under quick firing conditions, the plate D comes into contact with the head of the cylinder C (see Fig. 4), lowers the link F and releases the'pawl B so that during the runout movement of the gun. the pawl, by engaging with the cam B', opensthe breech mechanism and compresses the breech closing spring C, the breech mechanism being held in its open position by claws g on the extractor G engaging with projections on Fig. 6) on again loading the gun, the extractor is carried forward by the cartridge case, thereby moving the claws 9 out of engagement with the said projections on the breech block, thus releasing the breech mechanism which is closed by the spring C.

It is to be observed that the assembling and dismantling of the various parts may be easily and speedily accomplished by displacing them beyond their working positions and then moving them out of the recesses in which they work. It is also to be observed that for the first round to be fired. under semi-automatic conditions the breech can be opened without this operation energizing the aforesaid breech closing spring.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. Inbreech loading ordnance of the semiautomatic type, the combination with the breech closing spring, a device for rendering said spring inactive for quick firing work ing of the gun, means for actuating the breech mechanism automatically during semi-automatic working of the gun and a device for rendering said means inoperative for the quick firing working, of means for connecting said devices together insuch manner that a single operation serves to renderthe spring inactive and the automatic actuating means inoperative for the quick firing working of the gun and a single operation also serves to render the said spring active and the said actuating means operative for the semi-automatic working of the gun. s

2. In breech loading ordnance of the semi-automatic type the combination with the breech closing spring, of a device which when set to a position for the semi-automatic working of the'gun, serves as an abutment for one end of said spring and when set to a position for the quick firing working of the gun no longer acts as such abutment, means for actuating the breech mechanism automatically during the semiautomatic working of the gun, a device for rendering said means inoperative for the quick firing Working of the gun and operative for the semi-automatic working of the gun and means for connecting said devices together in such manner that conversion from the semi-automatic to the quick firing working condition or vice versa can be performed by a single operation.

3. In breech loading ordnance of the semi-automatic type, the combination with the breech closing spring, of a device which, when set to a position for the semi-automatic working of the gun, serves as an abutment for one end of said spring and when set to a position for the quick firing working of the gun no longer acts as such abutment, a pawl and a cam for actuating the breech mechanism automatically during the semiautomatic working of the gun, a device for holding said pawl inoperative for the quick firing working of the gun and allowing it to become operative for the semi-automatic working of the gun and a rod connecting said devices together so that they can be moved simultaneously to the semi-automatic or to the quick firing position.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM.