US2371282A - Front-band construction for - Google Patents

Description

iz'xamm March 13, 1945. R. E. CLARKSON BAND CONSTRUCTION FOR FIREARMS FRONT- Filed Da e. 9, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l M M Z aw W Examin March 13, 1945. R. E. CLARKSON F RONT-BAND CONSTRUCTION FOR FIREARMS Filed Dec. 9, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n 5 Wm M Patented Mar. 13, 1945 Examiner FRONT-BAN D CONSTRUCTION FOR FIREARMS Ralph E. Clarkson, Hamden, Comm, assignor to Western Cartridge Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application December 9, 1941, Serial No. 422,217

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to improvements in firearms and relates more particularly to improvements in the construction of the front-bands of firearms which serve to couple the stock to a barrel.

The present invention is primarily designed for use with self-loading repeating firearms of the military type, though not so limited, since such firearms are especially subjected to very rapid fire which causes excessive heating of the barrel.

It may here be noted that one of the deleterious effects of a very hot barrel is that of charring the stock of the firearm if the stock or its equivalent is closely fitted to the barrel in accordance with standard practice. Prior efforts to provide adequate clearance between a stock and its complemental barrel, in order to minimize or avoid charring, have been open to various serious objections, among which may be mentioned undue looseness of the parts and binding and deflecting action upon the barrel.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a superior front-band construction for firearms which will reliably and securely unite a stock to a barrel.

Another object of the present, invention is to provide a superior front-band construction for firearms by means of which a stock may be effectively held in spaced relationship with respect to a barrel, to minimize damage to such a stock as a result of excessive heating incident to the rapid and continued discharge of the firearm of which the said barrel and the said stock form a part.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a superior front-band construction which will effectively hold a stock or its equivalent in spaced relationship with respect to a barrel and which will, at the same time, avoid the distortion of the said barrel as an incident to the coupling of the stock thereto.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a broken view in side elevation of the forward portion of a' military firearm having a front-band construction embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof in vertical centrallongitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view of the front-band detached and viewing the same from the rear;

Fig. 6 is a view of the front-band detached viewing the same from the front thereof;

Fig, '7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the locating-band member, detached.

In the particular front-band and associated structure herein chosen for purposes of illustrating the present invention, a front-band I0 is employed which is of generally tubular form and which fits over a firearm-barrel ll adjacent the muzzle-end thereof and receives a portion of a stock l2 and barrel-cover or hand-guard 13. The front-band itself is preferably formed of highgrade forged steel, as is also the barrel ll, while the stock l2 and barrel-cover I3 are preferably formed of wood or other suitable heat-insulating material.

The front-band 10 comprises in the structure shown a tubular body-member l4 and a ring-like locating-band l5 which latter is sized to snugly fit over the adjacent portion of the barrel I I and having its under portion extending beneath the said barrel to provide what may be termed, for convenience of description, an upwardly-facing stop-abutment I6 for purposes as will hereinafter appear.

The body-member I 4 of the front-band unit In is formed with a transverse notch I! of a depth extending substantially to the axial center of the barrel H and resulting in the formation at the upper portion of the front end of the said bodymember of a front strap-portion 18 extending around substantially the upper half of the barrel I l. The notch I! just referred to also results in the formation at the rear upper portion of the body-member M of a rear strap-portion l9 also extending around substantially all of the upper half of the barrel H. Throughout the major portion of its width, the rear strap-portion l9 of the body-member l4 conforms to the contour of the upper portion of the barrel I l and is radially spaced therefrom, but at its rear end the said rear strap-portion I9 is enlarged to form a substantially-semicircular retaining-lip 20 within which fits a substantially-semicircular tenon 2! formed at the forward end of the barrel-cover l3. The rear edge of the retaining-lip 20 just referred to is normally seated against a forwardly-facing shoulder 22 formed on the barrel-cover I3 at the rear of the tenon 2| thereof.

The forward portion of the stock I2 is reduced in size to provide a forwardly-projecting tenon 23 extending through the lower portion of the bodymember I4 and beyond the front end thereof. At the rear of its said tenon 23, the stock I2 is formed with a forwardly-facing shoulder 24 normally aligned with the shoulder 22 of the barrelcover I3 and seated against the rear edge of the said body-member I4, as will be apparent by reference to Figs. 1 and 2 in particular.

The stock I2 is formed in its upper face with a longitudinally-extending groove 25 of substantially-semicircular form in cross section and having a transverse shape and dimension suflicient to amply clear the under portion of the barrel II, to provide a longitudinal ventilation-passage preferably opening through the extreme forward end of the said stock. The said stock I2 is preferably so dimensioned that its upper edges on each of the respective opposite sides of the barrel I I are located about midway of the vertical thickness of the said barrel. Similarly, the barrel-cover I3 is formed in its under face with a longitudinal groove 21 of substantially-semicircular form in cross section and having a transverse dimension sufiicient to provide a longitudinal ventilationpassage around the upper portion of the barrel II.

As will be seen by reference to Figs. 3 and 4 in particular, the respective lower edges of the barrel-cover I3 normally rest upon the respective upper edges of the stock I2 on each of the respective opposite sides of the barrel I I.

The front strap-portion I8 of the body-member I4 is of substantially-semicircular form in cross section and is proportioned to snugly receive in its interior substantially the entire upper half of the locating-ring I5 before referred to. In the instance shown, the locating-ring I 5 is rigidly attached to the body-member I4 by means of two (more or less) rivets 2929 extending respectively in diverging directions through the upper portion of the locating-ring I5 and through the adjacent portions of the front strap-portion I8 of the said body-member Ill, Preferably the 10- cating-ring I5 is formed in its periphery with an annular groove 30 in the upper portion of which may be positioned a length of copper wire or its equivalent. After the locating-ring I5 has been secured to the body-member I4 by the rivets 29-29 or other suitable means, the entire structure may be heated in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to melt such copper or other soldering or brazing material as may be located in the upper portion of the groove 30, with the effect of melting such copper and causing the same to spread by capillary action between the inner face of the front strap-portion I8 and the juxtaposed portion of the locating-ring I5. Upon being permitted to cool, the copper or its equivalent will solidify and will serve to rigidly unite the locating-ring I5 with the body-member I4, in a manner capable of withstanding the severest shocks without rupture.

The forward portion of the body-member I4 on its underside may be provided, as shown, with a bayonet-lug 3| adapted to be engaged by and to support the handle end of a bayonet (not shown) in a manner well known in the art of military firearms.

Adjacent its rear edge, the body-member I4 is formed on its underside with two laterallyspaced-apart and depending-ears 3232 receiving between them the upwardly-projecting tang 33 of a strap-swivel 34. The said strap-swivel 34 is secured to the body-member I4 with capacity for pivotal movement in a direction longitudinally of the firearm, by a screw or stud 35 extending through the ears 32-32 and through the tang 33, referred to.

Adjacent its rear edge, the body-member I4 of the front band-unit I0 i formed in its opposite sides respectively with coaxial passages 36 and 3'! located in a horizontal plane slightly beneath the under face of the barrel I I.

Extending transversely through the tenon 23 of the stock I2 and seated at its respective opposite ends in the passages 36 and 3! of the bodymember I4, is a retaining-pin 38 which serves to couple the entire front-band unit ID to the stock I2 against forward displacement with respect thereto. As is shown particularly well in Fig, 3, the body-member I4 is formed in its left side wall with a vertical pocket 39 having its lower end intersecting the top of the passage 36 and accommodating a helical compression-spring 40 and a locking-plunger 4|. The spring 40 just referred to serves to normally hold the lower end of the locking-plunger 4I seated in the adjacent one of tw locking-recesses 4242, one of which is formed adjacent each of the respective opposite ends of the retaining-pin 38 before referred to.

Preferably and as shown, the locating-ring I5 is formed separately and then rigidly united with the body-member I4 for purposes of economy of manufacture. Preferably also, the said locatingring completely encircles the adjacent portion of the barrel II though this is not essential So long as a stop-abutment such as I6 is provided which will prevent the front-band unit from moving upwardly with reference to the barrel I I.

By reference to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, it will be apparent that the forward portion of the stock I 2 is prevented from moving upwardly toward the barrel II by the retaining-pin 38 and by the engagement of the respective upper side edges of the said stock with the complemental under edges of the barrel-cover I 3. Even in the absence of the retaining-pin 38 or its equivalent, the stock I2. would be prevented from moving upwardly by the barrel-cover I3, since the said barrel-cover, in turn, is prevented from being displaced upwardly by the retaining-lip 20 and the tenon 2|.

Since the stock I2 is stabilized against upward displacement with respect to the front-band unit I0, and since the said front-band unit is prevented from upward displacement with respect to the barrel II by the stop-abutment I6 or its equivalent formed by the under portion of the locating-ring I5, the said stock I2 may be held in spaced relationship with respect to the underside of the barrel II in such manner as to provide adequate ventilation and a heat-insulating space. In this manner, the stock I2, as Well as the barrel-cover I3, is prevented from being materially damaged by heat emanating from the barrel II despite the fact that the said barrel, on occasion, will approach almost a red heat when the firearm is rapidly discharged over considerable periods of time.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

A firearm-structure including in combination: a barrel; a stock located adjacent the underside of the said barrel and covering substantially the rel-cover having the under faces of its respective opposite sides engaged with the upper faces of the respective opposite sides of the said stock;

Examiner a tubular front-band unit fitting over the said barrel and also over portions of the said stock and the said barrel-cover; and a locating-ring encircling the said barrel and rigidly attached to the said front-band unit within the upper portion thereof and extending into engagement with the under portion of the said barrel at a point between the latter and the said stock, the said locating-ring being out of contact with the said stock and holding the said front-band unit and hence the said stock against displacement transversely relative to the said barrel.

RALPH E. CLARKSON.

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