US228777A - Self and the peatt - Google Patents

Description

PARKHURST.

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1 IME N.PETF.RS. PHOTO-UTMOGHAPMER, WASHINGTON, D Cy UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD G. PARKHURST, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HIM- SELF AND THE PRATT & WHITNEY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.`

MACHINE-GUN'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,777, dated June 15, 1880.

' Application filed January 22, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWARD G. PARKHURsT, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State f Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machine-Guns; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, whereby a person skilled in the art can make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. V

Like letters in the gures indicate the same parts.

My improvements relate to machine-guns such as are usually furnished with one or more barrels and are automatically loaded and fired by amechanism at the breech, which is operated by turning a crank so as to discharge the gun with great rapidity.

The object of my present invention is to render the gun more efficient and serviceable by providing a better and more positively-acting feeding and ejecting mechanism than has heretofore been used, and by also providing z 5 an improved lock mechanism, the firing devices of which can be thrown in or out of action, as desired.

My invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, as will 3o be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, on three sheets, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the breech mechanism and part of one of the barrels of a gun embodying my 3 5 improvements and showing the working parts of the breech mechanism. Fig.2 is ahorizontal section through the breech and part of the barrels, showing a full top view of the breech mechanism. Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of 4o one of the locks detached, also showing one of the circular cams which operate the locks.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the same. Fig. 5 is a front View of the lock, as shown in Fig. 3,

without the cam. Fig. 6 is atop view, upona larger scale, of the sliding feed-plate which regulates the feeding of the cartridges into the barrels. Fig. 7 is a side v iew of the same.

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-section upon a larger Patented in England May 30, 1879.

Fig. 9 is a bottom view of the case or box' which contains the cartridges to be fed to the gun. Figs. 10, l1, and 12 are details, which will be hereinafter described. Fig. 15 shows atop and edge View of the retractor B2 detached.

A is the outside case of the breech of the gun, forming a box, Within which the mechanism for loading and firing operates.

B and B' are the barrels, of which only a part is shown in the drawings. They may be of any ordinary length or construction, and are screwed into or otherwise attached to the front end 0f the case A.

C is the cascabel, which is constructed so as to unscrew and release the top of the case A, so that it`can be raised to get at the interior containing the working parts.

The case A is hinged to the carriage at A', to serve as trunnions for the gun. The carriage is constructed in the usual manner.

D is a crank, the turning of which operates the mechanism 0f the gun.

E and E are the lock-bars, whichare alternately driven forward and back by the cams G and G. These lock-bars push the cartridges into the barrels to be fired and withdraw the empty shells, so that they drop down through the opening H in the case A. The forward ends of these lock-bars are furnished with tiring-pins and mechanism for withdrawing the expended shells.

J is the bolt of the lock, the part for firing which will be hereinafter described.

K is a removable feed-box, which is placed in a socket in the case A, filled with cartridges, in the position shown in Fig. 1,and is replaced when exhausted. A section of it is shown in Fig. S and a bottom view in Fig. 9. Directly under this feed-box are openings in the case A, of sufficient size to admit a cartridge.

'L is a reciprocating sliding feed-plate, more particularly shown in Figs. 6, 7, and S, which moves from side to side in suitable guides in the fixed case A, and serves to force the succesjust sufficient size to pass the cartridge.

sive cartridges down into the proper position to be pushed into the barrel by the lock-bar E. This sliding feed-plate is furnished with two inclined longitudinal slots, M and M, of The middle part of the plate is cut away so as to rest upon the abutment N, and the sides are cut away so as to slide in contact with the projections O and O. These projections extend nearly the whole length of the cartridge.

The operation of a cartridge passingthrough this feed-plate is as follows In Fig. 8 of the drawings thefeedplate has passed to the left, and the row of cartridges in the right side has passed down so that the bottom one rests between the projection L2 and the abutment N. Now, as the feed-plate passes to the right the part L enters between the two lower cartridges and forces the lower one down into the receptacle below, from whence it is pushed into the barrel. This lowest cartridge cannot be pushed out of position on account of the projection O, and must move downward under the iniiuence of the incline upon L. The second cartridge is caught and held upon the top of L, as shown in the left side of the figure. As the part L arrives at the opposite end of its throw, or to the right, the bottom cartridge on the left falls down and is held between L3 and N, ready to be forced down by the feed-plate atits next movement.

The feed-plate is furnished. with suitable guides Pin the fixed case or frame, upon which it slides. It receives its motion by means of a lever, R, which is shown in the drawings as forked at its rear end, and it is thrown alter'- nately to one side and the other by the camprojections S and S on the lock-bars.

Vhen the loaded cartridge falls into the re-y ceptacle below the feed -plate ready to be pushed into the barrel, it is held there by its forward end resting upon a shelf and its rear end being supported by the enlarged rim, the openingl in the bottom of the receptacle not being large enough to let the rim pass through until the shell is drawn farther back than this position.

T and T are the ejecting-levers, which serve a double purpose of holding` the shell in the receptacle by means of their enlarged ends 12 until it is retracted sufficiently to pass through the bottom, when they strike it upon the side and expel it. This is'eifected by making the lower corner of the front end of the ejector at T2 strike the'shell a little above the middle. This forces it out of the gun with great certainty. These ejecting-levers are pivoted to the sides of the case, as shown in the drawings, Fig. 2, and are operated by the dogs E2 E3 upon the lock-bars E and E. When the lock arrives at its most rearward position the dog engages the cam or projection upon the rear or shorter end of the lever and throws the front end forcibly inward to eject the shell. This position is shown upon the upper side of Fig. 2. When the lock-bar moves to its most forward position the dog strikes the forward or longer arm of the lever and throws it back to allow the lock to pass and push the shell home into the barrel.

The cartridge is deposited in its receptacle back of the barrel, while the forward end of the lever is inward, so that the cartridge cannot move to the rear. When the spent shell is drawn back by the extractor upon the lockbar the ejector strikes it after it has passed farther to the rear than the position in which it entered, so that the enlarged rim upon the shell comes over anenlarged portion of the slot through the bottom of the case and al lows the shell to fall freely out.

U is a plate, whichis screwed upon the abutment N when the gun is to be used with cartridges having a reduced end smaller than the chamber of the shell, so that the ball can be of smaller diameter. This plate serves to support and direct the front end of the cartridge, so that it will bein the exact position required to support the cartridge above it in a horizontal position and allow the portion L of the slide L to enter smoothly between the lower cartridge and the one next above it.

In the middle of the case K, between the two channels which contain the cartridges, are two small arms, V and V, (see Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11,) which spring out and retain the cartridges as soon as the case K is lifted. These arms are hinged to a plunger, W, moving in a cylindrical hole in K, which is pressed downward by a spring, X. The arms V and V are provided with inclinedgslots Y and Y', through which passes the pin Z, the ends of which are set in the case or feed-box K.

When the case K is lifted up out of its socket the springXpresses down the plunger W, and the arms V and V, guided by the slots, are forced outward and hold the remaining` cartridges in the case. When the case is replaced the arms V V come in contact with the bottom of its socket and shut the arms into the position shown in Fig.. S. These arms thus act automatically whenever the case K is removed to he lled or for any other purpose.

The thumb-latch A2 (shown in Figs. l, 9 and l2) is for the purpose of holding the case K in its place when in use attached to the gun. The case is removed by pressing down the latch, which releases the hook.

The lock mechanism, the details of which are more particularly shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, will now be described.

The tiring-bolt J has upon its rear end the head J2, and near its forward end itis provided with a xed collar, J 3. J 4 is a sleeve sliding freely upon the bolt J. J5 is a spiral spring acting between the sleeve J4 and the xed collar J2. J6 is a rocking lever pivoted to the lock-bar E, the upper end of which is provided with a segmental gear working in a rack on the under side of the sleeveJt. J is a hooked lever which catches upon the head J2 when the latter is drawn tothe rear by the IOO IOS

lever J6. This hook is released by the cam G acting upon the upper end of the lever.

A3 is a fixed block, and A4 is a sliding block for operating the lower arm of the lever J 3.

The operation of these parts is as follows In Fig. l the position of the lock shown in full lines is that of havingjust been fired. When the cam G draws back the lock-bar E the lower end of J3 mounts upon the block A3, releases the pressure upon the spring, and throws the bolt back, so that its head engages with the hook on the lever J3. The spring remains relaxed until the lock-bar has again passed forward until the end of the lever J3 passes off from the block A3 and engages with the block A4. The sleeve is then thrown forward and the spring compressed. This is just before the lock-bar arrives at its extreme forward position. When the cartridge is pressed entirely home the cam G releases the lever J 7 and the firing-bolt is driven forward by the spring'. It will thus be seen that the cooking of the lock is done by the sliding block A4 just before the firing.

A5 is an exterior handle crank, connecting by means of a shaft with the interior crank, A3, which is attached to the sliding block A4 by the connecting-link `A. By means of the handle A5 the block A4 can be readily drawn back out of reach of the lever J 3, so that it will not operate it and cock the gun. The Yspring then remains relaxed, as shown in the position of the parts in Fig. 3, so that live cartridges can be run through the gun without firing, if desired.

The discharging of the gun can be at any time instantly stopped by means of the handle A5, even while the locks are in operation and cartridges in the gun. The extracting mechanism is operated by the movement of the B2 is the retractor. It consists of a bent lever having a fixed pivot in the case A at the 'rear end of the barrel. lts forward end forms a hook, which rests directly under the enlarged rim of the cartridge-shell, and its rear end forms an arm, which enters into a recess in the forward end of the lock-bar (shown at B3 in Figs. 1 and 2) when the shell is pushed home in the barrel. When the lock-bar is drawn to the rear the arm of the retractor lifts out of this recess and passes over the end of the lockbar, thereby drawing the shell back a short distance andloosening it from the chamber in the barrel.

C2 is a spring-extractor, attached at its rear end to the lock-bar, and provided with a hook at its forward end, which hooks over the rim ofthe cartridge when it is pushed home in the barrel. This extractor draws back the expended shell until it is out of the barrel and is discharged by the ejector T, as has been before described. In connection with this extractor the retractor B2 serves another purpose than that before described of withdrawing the shell from the barrel. It holds the drawings.

head ofthe cartridge out of the barrel until the hook on the extractor G2 passes over the rim, so that this operation is always outside of the chamber and does not require a larger recess for the hook end of the extractor than will just permit it to enter. If the cartridge is pushed home by the blow of the lock-bar striking it, it will be withdrawn again when the end ofthe bar reaches the arm of B2. The end of the lock-bar will push in the arm of B2 and allow the cartridge to hook under the extractor G2 before the lock-bar pushes home the cartridge and the arm of B2 enters the recess B3.

E5 and E3 are rollers under the rear ends of the lockbars, to diminish the friction of their movement forward and back. The axes of these rollers project and run under guides E", so that the lock-bars are held down and cannot be jarred out of their proper line of motion by the ring of the gun or from any other cause.

Figs. 13 and 1,4 show more particularly the construction of the cams which operate the lock-bars to drive the cartridges into the barrels. It has been foundthat the cams as ordinarily constructed soon wear out, owing to lthe difficulty of hardening them or the lockbars on account of their peculiar form. 1 therefore attach a separate plate, G2, to the faces of the cams, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, which obviates the difficulty. These tempered plates are attached by screws, as shown in the They extend across the face of the cam and operate against the forward vertical part of the lock-bar to drive home the cartridge.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination of the reciprocating feed-plate L, having inclined parts L' L2 L3, with the fixed parts or guides 0 Ol ofthe feeding mechanism, whereby the cartridges in IOO the columns above are held and successively forced downward into the receptacle beneath, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The ejecting -lever T, operated, as described, by a dog on the lock-bar, and arranged as described with reference to the deliveryopening, to serve asa rear stop for the cartridge, substantially as herein set forth.

3. The feeding-case having projecting arms V V hinged to the plungerW and presseddown by a spring, so that the pin Z acts upon the slots Y Y to force out the arms and stop the descent of the cartridges when the case is removed from its socket, substantially as described.

4. The plate U, secured to and projecting beyond the abutment N, which forms one wall 'of the channel through which the cartridge IIO J7, the sleeve J4, and its rack, the spring J5, rel, With a movable lock-bar, E, provided with and the lever J6, with its segmental gear opa notch or recess, B3, by Which said retractor erating to give tension to the spring after the is operated, substantially as described. bolt is hooked, substantially as described. 8. The combination of the retraetor B2, the r 5 6. The combination of the fixed block A3 and extractor G2, and the loclcbar E, provided with the movable block A4 with the lever JG and i the recess B3, substantially as and for the purthe lock mechanism, whereby the parts of the pose herein described. lock are operated, substantiallyin the manner i EDWARD G. PARKHURST. herein described. r I Witnesses:

7. The combination of the retractor B2, lturn- THEO. G. ELLIS, Ying on axed pivot at the rear end of the barl WENDELL R. CURTIS.

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