US2504525A

US2504525A - Harpoon gun

Info

Publication number: US2504525A
Application number: US713275A
Authority: US
Inventors: Benjamin S Holderness
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-11-30
Filing date: 1946-11-30
Publication date: 1950-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 1967-04-18

Description

April 18, 1950 B. S. HOLDERNESS HARPOON GUN 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Nov. 30, 1946 April 18, 1950 B. s. HOLDERNESS HARPOON GUN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 30, 1946 Q R WVENTOR fienjam/h J. /10/d?/'/75S -BY ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARPOON GUN Benjamin S. Holderness, Yonkers, N. Y.

Application November 30, 1946, Serial No. 713,275

Claims.

This invention relates to a harpoon gun intended primarily for shooting fish, and has for its object to provide a gun which will be practical and efiicient for such purpose.

It is not possible to aim accurately from the air at a target under water, except in a vertical direction, because of therefraction of light which occurs at the surface of the water. If, however, the gun is submerged, "it is possible to aim accurately b y sighting along it at a. fish. The word fish as here used is meant to include every possible underwater target.

In a gun to be used under water it is not feasible to use powder as the propellant for the projectile. Oneimportant feature of the pres-' ent invention has to do with the employment of a cartridge charged with gas, such as carbon dioxide, under high pressure for driving the proiiectile out-of the gun and toward the target.

It is not broadly new to utilize a compressed gas cartridge as the propelling means for a projectile. In accordance with the present invention, however, the cartridge is lodged in an open breech behind the barrel in a position to have its forward end punctured when the cartridge ls thrust forward. A plunger engaged with the rear end of the cartridge is adapted to be thrust forward by a trigger actuated toggle. The trigger when operated toward the rear carries the toggle through the dead center or straight line condition so that it forces the plunger to a forward limit of movement for puncturing the cartridge and then permits the plunger partially to retreat. A hand grip located directly behind the trigger positively arrests rearward movement of the trigger and thereby limits the distance that the plunger can be forced rearward by the recoil of the cartridge when firing. The forward end of the cartridge is by this means trapped in a puncturing chamber from which the gas can escape only into the barrel. When the cartridg'e has been fully discharged the trigger may be operated in the reverse direction so as to bring about further retraction of the plunger and thereby permit the cartridge to be removed from the gun and the to be reloaded.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 is aview-inslde elevation of a harpoon gun which is illustrative of the present invention, the gun being shown broken away intermediate its ends :for compactness of illustration;

Fig. '2 is-n fragmentary view showing the harpoon just as it is passing clear of the gun barrel, the barb being illustrated in full lines upon the harpoon shaft and in dotted lines removed from the harpoon shaft;

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the barb;'

Fig. 4 is a view in rear elevation of the barb;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the barb taken upon the line '5--5 of 'Fig. 3 looking in'the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a'fragmentarysectional view showing the loaded gun and particularly the firing mechanism thereof;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan'viw, partly in section, of the structure illustrated in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary'plan view showing particularly the end of the gun barrel and the line holder mounted thereon; and

Fig. '9'is a sectional "view taken upon the line 9-9 of Fig. 8 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The gun I comprises a stock portion 2 which includes a curved shoulder abutment 3, and a bentrod 4 which is rigid with 't-hesh'oulde'r abutment. Uponthe forward end of the'rod 4 there is rigidly secured a sleeve or tube "5 which will be described in considerable detail presently. Within the forward end of the sleeve 5 there is affixed a barrel adapter block 6.

The block '6 includes a forwardly opening threaded bore 1. The forward borel' connects through .a passage 8 with a rear bore 9 of the block. Within the forward bore '1 there is pro vided a ring .or agasket III having a bore l'l formed through it. A gun barrel I2 is threaded into the bore 1 to bear firmly against the ring 10. The bore H of the ring 10 is of considerably less diameter than the bore of the gun barrel, so that the ring Ill constitutes an abutment for limiting penetration of the shaft l3 of a harpoon M. The primary function of the ring In, how ever, is to seal the joint between the barrel l2 and the adapter 6.

As has already been mentioned, the harpoon is fired by the puncturing of :a cartridge l5. The cartridge desirably contains carbon dioxide under anressure of theorder of 900 lbs. per square inch. The .cartridge 5 is formed with a reduced neck portion :at its forward .end which is received within a block it, theibloek 16 being threaded into the rear bore :5 of the adapter 6.

The block .IB is shouldered at its forward end to provide a rabbet l1 and a compressible gasket I8 is lodged in'the .rabbet and clamped 'firmly :in place :by the threading of .the block [6 into the rear bore oftheadapter-G. The block it "is formed with a plurality of passages l9 through which the gas released from the cartridge may pass. A cartridge puncturing pin is set in the center of the block 16 and faces rearward toward the cartridge IS. A gasket 2| is lodged in a groove 22 of the block [6, the gasket being adapted to hug the neck of the cartridge l5 and oppose leakage of gas from within the block 16 around the neck of the cartridge.

The sleeve 5 is formed with a breech opening 23 which is constantly open and through which the cartridge [5 can be inserted. The internal diameter of the sleeve 5 is slightly larger than the external diameter of the cartridge. 7

A plunger 24 is provided having a rounded recess 25 formed in its forward face which engages the rounded rear end of the cartridge l5 for holding the cartridge in place and for forcing the cartridge forward to fire it in a manner which will be described at a subsequent point.

Just in front of the forward end of the rod 4 there is provided within the sleeve 5 a cylindrical block 26 having a slot 21 formed in it. A metallic plate 28 having a rearwardly offset ear 28X is inserted through a slot. 29 formed in the lower side of the sleeve 5. The ear 28X is inserted in the slot 21 and is held in place by a shoulder screw 30 which is passed in through a wall of the sleeve 5. The cylindrical block 26 includes a small threaded bore 3| for receiving the reduced threaded end of the screw 30 and a comparatively large unthreaded bore 32 for receiving the body or head of the screw. The ear 28X has a height equal to the diameter of the sleeve 5, so that the plate 28 is held against turning about the axis of the screw 30. Side plates 33 are secured upon opposite sides of the metallic plate 28 by means of suitable fastenings such as rivets 34. The plate 28 in combination with the two side plates 33 constitutes a hand grip to be grasped in the trigger hand of the user.

, The rear end of the plunger 24 is formed with a slot 35 in which the forward arm of a T-shaped trigger 36 is located. The trigger 36 is mounted upon a pivot screw 31. The screw is inserted through an opening formed in the sleeve 5. The screw 31 comprises a head or body 39 and a reduced threaded end portion 40. The head 39 extends across the slot 35 and constitutes a bearing for the trigger 36. The rear arm of the trigger 36 is connected through a pivot pin 42 with a pair of links 43. The links 43 are in turn connected through a pivot pin 44 with the stationary plate 28.

It is evident, of course, from the description which has been given that the cross arm of the T-shaped trigger cooperates with the links 43 to form a toggle.

When a cartridge is to be put in place or removed, the trigger 36 is moved to the dot-an dash line position indicated by 36a in Fig. 6, the pivot pin 42 of the toggle being thereby moved to the position indicated at 42a. This pulls the plunger 24 back from the position illustrated in Fig. 6 so that its forward'face substantially clears the breech opening 23. with this extra clearance provided, the spent cartridge can be conveniently extracted and a fresh cartridge can be conveniently slipped into place.

The normal position of the trigger 36 is the full line position illustrated in Fig. 6. In this position the pivot pin 42 is still below the line of centers of the toggle. The forward end of the cartridge just touches the point of the puncturing pin 20, and the concave face of the plunger 24 4 bears against the rounded rear end of the cartridge l5 to hold it in place.

When it is desired to fire the gun, the user holds the handle grip 28, 33 against the palm of his hand, curls one or more fingers around the trigger 36 and pulls the trigger sharply to the rear until it is arrested in the position marked 36b in Fig. 6 by engagement with the handle grip 28, 33. In executing this movement the pivot 42 of the toggle crosses the line of centers. When the pivot reaches the line of centers the plunger 24 is thrust to its forward limit. This thrusts the cartridge l5 forward onto pin 25, causing the cartridge to be punctured. The trigger by its continued rearward movement, however, carries the pin 42 upward to the position. indicated at 4227. This causes the plunger 24 to be drawn rearward 'a short distance from its forward limiting position, and since the gas is now free to escape into the block I6, it forces the cartridge to follow the plunger 24 in the rearward movement of the latter. When the trigger reaches the position 36b, however, it is positively arrested by the hand grip and, through the plunger 24, positively arrests rearward movement of the cartridge [5. The trigger now remains in the position 36b until the contents of the cartridge have been fully discharged. The partial retreat of the plunger and cartridge p rmits the gas to escape rapidly into the puncturing chamber, but the limiting of such retreat keeps the mouth of the chamber sealed and prevents loss of the gas.

The purpose of firing the gun is, of course, to discharge the harpoon l4 from the barrel l2 toward the target at high velocity. It is not suificient, however, that the harpoon merely hit I the target, because the object is to recover the fish, not merely to injure or kill it.

A metallic band 45 embraces the forward end of the barrel and provides juxtaposed webs 46 and 41 beneath the barrel which are drawn together by a screw 48 and a nut 49 to cause the band to grip the barrel firmly. Beyond the webs 46 and 41 the band 45 is continued as aligned outwardly reaching arms 50 and 5! whose ends are turned to form

eyes

52 and 53. Forwardly projecting pins 54 and 55 are made fast in the

eyes

52 and 53.

The inner end of a line 56 is clamped between the webs 46 and 41 so as to secure the line inseparably to the gun. The line is then wound in figure eight convolutions about the pins 54 and 55. After the last turn has been wrapped around the pin 54, it is crossed over and is passed down and caught between the arm 50 and a spring clip '51 attached to'the arm 50. The spring clip keeps the line wound up on the pins 54 and 55 and in good order. Beyond the clip the line is tied to a ring 58 which is mounted for free sliding movement upon the harpoon shaft l3. Beyond the ring the line is passed through a hole 58X formed in the shaft 13 near the forward end thereof, and a knot is tied. The length of line between the ring 58 and the hole 58X is so chosen that the ring may slide to the rear end of the shaft l3 as illustrated in Fig. 2 but may not slide ofi the shaft.

By means of the ring, the pull of the line upon the shaft is applied, in effect, far to the rear of the center of gravity of the shaft so that there is little or no tendency for the line to deflect the harpoon from its true course.

The harpoon shaft i3 is equipped with a re-' movable barb 59. The barb 591 is formed at its forward end with a sharp point 60.and has a cy nd ical bo e it formed. inits rear. end. The her 6 of uch diameter that the barb is or? mally he d vlur fric i p uporrthc forward end of the shaft [3. The rearepd of the barb is cut n a b v l. as illustra ed ent-.62. and aslot 63 is provided inthc rear tip p rtion to divide the rear. ie o prongs fiiandfii. Theprones Sta d 65 are b nt outward so that tbeb rb may notv be ead ly a eas wi h rawn ircmthe fishs body along the paththrcueh which it. entered. The b b up n. n er g .tbe-fis s bcdvwillbeome ve y rea y d tached from, h aft 3 f t fish p s up any ki d of migh Either he line B. or a senaratecord may be xt d d rom the hol 582;. oi. the shaft passed through a hole 660i the barb and. tied. The length of line or c rd extond between he holes 58X and 66, is made great enough to permit. the barb to be readilydetached from the shaft but no to permit the fish to swimaway to any substantial distance from the shaft.

When the fish with the barb lodged in its body tries to pull away, the pull ofthe line56 is applied to the barb considerably in front of the prongs 64 and 65 and of the beveled face 62. The pull tends, therefore,.to turn the barb and to drive the prongs B4 and 65.1aterally of the opening by which it. has entered the. fishs body, causing the barb to be firmly anchored so that thereis no likelihood whateve'nof thefishbeing able to get away.

Since the gunis. designed .to be used under water, it will-desirably be made of. materials which do not rust or.,corrode. The shoulder bar 3 and rod 4' of the illustrative. gunv are made of black- Lucite. The hand gripparts 33 are of rubber or some formof synthetic rubber. The gaskets and the ring. In are of. neoprene. The sleeve 5 and the barrel. ii. are of stainless. steel, while the other metallic parts with the exception of. the barb can advantageously be of brass. The barb is of case hardened steel;

From the foregoing description it is thought that the use of the'gun will have been made entirely clear. When the gun has been fired the harpoon and line, together with the fish, if any, are first recovered, the line being rewound around the pins 54 and 55' as the hunter follows the line or draws it in. When the harpoon shaft and barb have been located, the barb is extricated from the fish and replaced upon the forward end of the shaft. The shaft is then inserted into the gun barrel as far as possible an'dis-retained there by frictional force.

The trigger is next moved to the position 36a of Fig, 6 to carry the pivot pin 42 down to position 42a and thereby retract the plunger 24 to a position in which it will not obstruct the withdrawal of the old cartridge and the insertion of a fresh one. The cartridge having been replaced, the trigger is permitted to resume the full line position of Fig. 6, and this completes the preparation for reuse of the gun.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An underwater gun, comprising in combination, a. barrel, a cartridge holder, a. block providing a cartridge puncturing chamber having an open rear end, said chamber communicating with the barrel through the rear end of the barrel, a puncturing pin in said chamber, the cartride ho der e tendin towardsa d pin and chamber, a p uneeniuirearward al nment wi h said barrel and cartridge holder f rdrivin t e. nose of the cartridge forward through the open rear end of said hamber. which its the nose f e cartridge, and-o to. he Dunctur n r n. a

' dead center by rearward movement of the trigger arm, and cause the plunger to mantain the cartridge positively i n, position to seal theopening inthe end of the cartridge puncturing chamher, and a. sealing gasket or deformable material lodged said opening of the puncturin charm bet for engaging the periphery ofthe cartridge nose.

2. An underwater gun, comprising in combination, a barrel, a oartridge hclder, a block providing a cartridge puncturing chamber having an open rear end, said-chamber communicating with the barrel through-the rear endof the barre a ct r ng pin-in sa s chamber ec idee holder extending. toward sa d 'pin and a ber a plungcr.,at..thc roan nd f the cartridge puncturing. .,ehamber ,for driving the n se f the artrideedonward.throu h' hc p rear end of saidchamber-whichvfits ,the, nose,

of the cartridge, andontqthe puncturing p toggle for operating thenluneer toward and from a predetermined cartridgepuncturing forward limit, ne arm. ofthe to gle having a trigger arm movable in either direction, from the dead center condition toretracttlie plun er, and a sta ary s p m mberdismsedin position to intercept. and positively arrest said-trig er arm as it travels rearwardly, thereby tolimit retraction of the plungen.whentheto gleismoved across dead center byrearward movement of the trigger arm, and cause the plunger to maintain the cartridge positivelyinpqsitionto seal the opening in the rear end at the cartridge puncturing chamber, the trigger arm-ppath, however, being unobstructed for a greater, distance in a forward direction sufficient tovpermit a greaterretraction of the plunger and withdrawal of the cartridge from the cartridge holder.

3. An underwater gun comprising, in combination, .a barrel, a; cartridge holder, a block providing a cartridge puncturing chamber having an open rear end, said chamber communicating with the barrel through the rear end of the barrel, a puncturing pin in said chamber, the cartridge holder extending toward said pin and chamber, a plunger rearwardly of said cartridge puncturing chamber for driving the nose of the cartridge forward through the open rear end of said chamber, which fits the nose of the cartridge, and onto the puncturing pin, a toggle for operating the plunger toward and from a predetermined cartridge puncturing forward limit, one arm of the toggle having a trigger arm movable in either direction from the dead center condition to retract the plunger, and a stationary hand grip in back of the trig er toward which the trigger arm may be forced by the grip of the operator, said hand grip being disposed in position to intercept and positively arrest said trigger arm as it travels rearward to limit retrac- '7 tion of the plunger and cause the plunger to maintain the cartridge positively in position to seal the opening in the rear end of the cartridge puncturing chamber.

4. A gun comprising, in combination, a barrel, a cartridge puncturing chamber in communication with the rear end of the barrel, a puncturing pin in the chamber, a trigger, and knee lever mechanism operable by said trigger through an extended position to effect relative approach of the cartridge and the puncturing pin as said knee lever mechanism moves toward its extended position and to permit separation of the cartridge and the puncturing pin as said mechanism moves through and away from its extended position.

5. A gun comprising, in combination, a barrel, a cartridge puncturing chamber in communication with the rear end of the barrel, a puncturing pin in the chamber, a toggle mechanism one arm of which forms a trigger operable by the trigger through an extended position to effect relative approach of the cartridge and the puncturing pin as said toggle mechanism moves toward its extended position, and to permit separation of the cartridge and the puncturing pin as said toggle mechanism moves through and away from its extended position.

6. An underwater gun comprising, in combination, a barrel, a cartridge holder, a block providing a cartridge puncturing chamber having an open rear end surrounded by a gasket, said chamber communicating with the barrel through the rear end of the barrel, a puncturing pin in said chamber, a cartridge holder extending toward said pin and chamber, a, plunger at the rear end of the cartridge holder for driving the nose of the cartridge forward through the opening in the rear end of said chamber, which fits the nose of the cartridge, and onto the puncturing pin, a toggle for operating the plunger toward and from a predetermined cartridge puncturing forward limit, one arm of the toggle having a trigger movable in either direction from the dead center condition to retract the plunger, and a stationary stop disposed in position to intercept and positively arrest said trigger arm as it travels through, thereby to limit retraction of the plunger when the toggle is moved across dead center by rearward movement of the trigger arm, and to cause the plunger to maintain the cartridge positively in position and in coopera tion with said gasket surrounding the cartridge puncturing chamber to seal the opening at the rear end of the cartridge puncturing chamber upon puncturing oi the cartridge.

7. A device as set forth in claim 6, said plunger having a concave seat for engaging the cartridge and maintaining alignment of the cartridge with the puncturing chamber.

8. A gun comprising-in combination, a barrel, a stock, a hand grip, a cartridge puncturing chamber in communication with the rear end of said barrel, a puncturing pin'in said chamber, a toggle mechanism one arm of which includes a trigger, said mechanism being adapted to cause puncturing of a cartridge in said chamber by forcing the cartridge against said pin while said mechanism passes from one contracted position through its extended position to a second contracted position, said second contracted position determined by said trigger engaging said handle.

9. A gun comprising in combination, a stock, a hand grip. a barrel, a cartridge puncturing means, said means including a cartridge puncturing chamber in communication with the rear end of said barrel, a puncturing pin in said chamber, a trigger, a toggle mechanism connected to said trigger and adapted to be operated through an extended position to effect the puncture of a cartridge in said chamber and allow retraction of the cartridge from the puncturing position, said toggle being arrested in its rearward movement by engagement of said trigger with said hand grip.

10. A gun comprising in combination, a barrel, a, cartridge puncturing chamber in communication with the rear end of said barrel, a cartridge puncturing pin in the chamber, a trigger, a toggle mechanism connected to said trigger so as to be operated through an extended position to eifect relative approach of a cartridge and the puncturing pin as said toggle mechanism moves toward its extended position, and to permit separation of the cartridge and the puncturing pin as said mechanism moves through and away from its extended position.

BENJAMIN S. HOLDERNESS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 923,573 Perry June 1, 1909 1,272,421 Glissenti July 16, 1918 2,083,689 Clifford June 15, 1937 2,194,618 Scramlin Mar. 26, 1940 2,375,314 Mills May 8, 1945 2,404,249 Potter July 16. 1946