US2958422A

US2958422A - Vertical gun rack

Info

Publication number: US2958422A
Application number: US731819A
Authority: US
Inventors: Caloiero John; Raymond P Rocchi
Original assignee: ARTISTIC WOOD SPECIALTIES Inc
Current assignee: ARTISTIC WOOD SPECIALTIES Inc
Priority date: 1958-04-29
Filing date: 1958-04-29
Publication date: 1960-11-01
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-01

Description

Nov. 1, 1960 J. CALOIERO ETAL 2,958,422

VERTICAL GUN RACK Filed April 29, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS: JOHN CALOIERO ALDO MICHELINI RAYMOND P. ROCCHI I naw/foul: ATT YS Nov. 1, 1960 J. CALOIERO ETAL VERTICAL GUN RACK Filed April 29, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,l2 l2 3 .4 Q52 FIG.5

INVENTORSI CALOIERO ALDO MICHELINI RAYMOND F! ROCCHI BYMJM M06415.

ATT'YS Unite Sttes VERTICAL GUN RACK Filed Apr. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 731,819

Claims. (Cl. 211-4) This invention relates to a gun rack of the type to support guns in vertical position, the rack being capable for use in some instances for insertion in a cabinet which has doors with locks. In other instances, the rack is to be used outside of a cabinet.

The gun rack of the invention for supporting guns in vertical position comprises a bottom or horizontal flat rail having oval sockets formed in its upper surface, the sockets being arranged at an angle to receive the butts of gun stocks.

A top fiat horizontal cross rail is spaced a predetermined distance from the bottom rail or base, these two rails being secured at opposite ends to spaced vertical stiles. The upper fiat rail is provided with openings to receive the barrels of various types of guns, such as single barrel guns, side-by-side double barrel guns, over-and-under double barrel guns, and automatic or pump shotguns, as well as rifles. The top rail, containing the barrel receiving openings, is horizontal and is secured to a vertical top cross member which is mortised into the stiles at opposite ends. The top rail also has its rear edge mortised in the fiat horizontal member. Also, a tie rod is connected to the stiles intermediate their upper and lower ends thereof, and at the back of the rack for securing the stiles in rigid position. The openings in the upper fiat horizontal rail are relatively in the shape of four leaf clovers, so that the barrels of the various guns will readily fit in place and in proper alinement with the diagonally positioned butt sockets in the bottom rail or base.

In instances where the gun rack is to be arranged inside of a cabinet, front slots are cut through the front of the horizontal rail and merge or communicate with the clover-shaped openings, thus permitting ease in applying and removing the gun from the top rail.

In cases where the rack is to be used as an outside fixture or element without any cooperation with a cabinet, the front ends of the clover-leaf are closed, and a horizontal locking rod is arranged in front of the guns, Whereupon the guns may be locked in position and cannot be removed except by operating the locking rod which is normally locked in closed position by a padlock. The closed clover-leaf in the top horizontal rail is so positioned with respect to the base of the rack that a gun may not be removed by pulling the gun upwardly, as the guns will have their forearms engaged with the bottom of the horizontal rail, and even though a gun is turned, it may not be pulled out of position because the forearm of the gun will not only contact the bottom of the horizontal rail, but the locking rod will become engaged with the gun trigger guard or a part of the gun stock below the trigger guard.

Provision is also made for an angularly arranged rack so that the rack may fit easily and snugly in the corner of the room. Particular locking means of a secret nature, more or less, and manually manipulated, is provided for locking the guns in the corner gun rack.

A primary object of the present invention is the proatent O i 2,958,422 Patented Nov. 1, 1960 vision of a new and improved gun rack for arranging guns in vertical position, and to permit easy and quick removal thereof from the rack when the rack is to be inserted in a cabinet, whereby the guns may be moved outwardly forwardly and not engage the back of the cabinet so as to stratch or otherwise mar the inside of the cabinet.

Another object consists in the provision of a gun rack having a horizontal top rail provided with four cloverleaf cut outs which merge with front slots or openings through the front of the top rail so as to permit a gun to be easily and quickly removed from the rack without damaging the inside of the cabinet in such cases where the gun rack is to be inserted inside of a cabinet.

Another object consists in the provision of a gun rack for mounting guns in vertical or upright position, there being a fiat base or bottom rail having elongated sockets to fit the butts of gun stocks, the outer side of an outer socket being spaced further from a side stile than the outer side of a gun butt socket at the opposite end of the base, whereby the guns may be arranged. at an angle to disclose the beautiful wood grain of the stocks, the sockets for the butts in the base being in proper alinement with respect to the gun barrels so that when the guns are arranged in position in the clover-leaves of the horizontal top rail, the guns will remain in vertical upright non-tilted position.

A further object consists in the provision of a horizontal top rail having openings therein in the shape of a four leaf clover, a pair of the openings of each clover-leaf being closed and being straight with the front edge of the top horizontal cross rail so as to accommodate guns of difierent kinds.

A still further object consists in a new and improved gun rack which is provided with new and improved means for preventing guns from being removed from the rack when a locking rod is arranged in locked position.

Still another object consists in the provision of a horizontal top rail which has the straight four-leaf-clover formation merging with a front to rear eleongated slot extending through the front of the top rail and merging with the clover-leaves, the top rail being positioned at a predetermined height so that the guns may not be removed from the four leaf clover because of engagement with the shotgun forearms, when the cut outs or front merging slots are omitted.

Still another object consists in the provision of a corner gun rack having gun supporting means and a manually manipulated secret means for locking the guns in position in the corner rack.

Numerous other objects and advantages will be apparent throughout the progress of the specification which follows.

The accompanying drawings illustrate certain selected embodiments of the invention, and the views therein are as follows:

Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of a gun rack for normal use outside of a cabinet, and embodying the invention, the view showing a plurality of guns arranged in vertical position;

Fig. 2 is a detail top plan view of the horizontal top rail, looking in the direction of the numerals 2-2 of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is a detail vertical elevational view of the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the corner gun rack embodying the invention;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 2, but showing the fourleaf-clover openings merging with front slots in cases Fig. 6 is a detail transverse sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1, and showing the improved locking bar means of the invention and locking means therefor;

Fig. 7 is a detailed elevational view of the locking bar and. means shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a detail front elevational view showing the gun supporting means and the gun locking means of the corner gun rack of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 9 is. a detail plan sectional view on the line 99' of Fig. 4".

The particular construction herein shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention comprises a vertical gun rack 1, Fig. 1, having a bottom rail or base 2. A top, or upper, horizontal rail 3 is arranged a predetermined defi nite distance above the top of the bottom rail or base member 2. The

rails

2 and 3 are mortised in the side stiles 4 and 5. Instead of a mortise and tenon connection, as herein shown and described, the upper and

lower rails

2 and 3 may be secured to the stiles 4 and 5 in any desirable manner, such as by gluing and screwing the rails to the stiles. The lower rail 2 is spaced a certain predetermined distance beneath the bottom of the top rail 3. The upper and lower ends of the stiles 4 and 5 project a predetermined distance above and below the upper and lower rails respectively.

The base or bottom rail 2 is provided with a plurality of parallel oblique sockets 6 which receive the butts 7 of the stocks 8 of guns 9, Fig. 1. The sockets 6 are shaped to conform with the butt ends of the stocks, the outer rear ends of the sockets being wider, as indicated at 10, and the front ends of the sockets being narrower, as indicated at 11,. to accommodate the shape of the butt ends. The sockets 6 are arranged obliquely at substantially a forty-five degree angle to the front and back sides of the bottom rail 2 so that the ornamental wood grain of each stock may be easily seen. The front end 11 of a socket 6, at the left of Fig. 1, is spaced a distance farther away from the stile 4 than is the right-hand side of the righthand gun with respect to the stile 5, Fig. 1. Reversely, the thickened end of the left-hand stock is spaced closer to the stile 4 than is the rearward end of the stock socket with respect to its opposite stile 5. The guns may be inserted angularly in position with the right-hand gun stock, Fig. 1, being somewhat closer to the stile 5 than the stock of the left-hand gun, Fig. 1, is spaced from the stile 4.

The upper horizontal rail 3 is provided with a plurality of spaced openings 12 in the form of four leaf clovers to receive the barrels 13 of the guns such that the butts of the guns will lie flat on the bottom of their sockets 6. These four-leaf-clover openings 12 comprise four substantially identically shaped, relatively rounded parts or lobes 14, Fig. 2, to receive the gun barrels 13, and ordinarily prevent the barrels from shifting in their openings 12. The lobes 14 of each opening 12 are spaced substantially ninety degrees apart, and thereby define two pair of diagonally arranged lobes and a line passing through the centers of one pair of diagonally arranged lobes is substantially coincident to the longitudinal axis of the gun butt socket 6 aligned therewith while a line passing through the centers of the other pair of diagonally arranged lobes is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aligned gun butt socket, as can be seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. The clover-leaf openings are thereby capable of receiving a single barrel gun, as indicated as in the first left-hand opening, or a side-by-side double barrel gun as shown in the second opening from the left, or an over-and-under double barrel gun as shown in the third opening from the left, Fig. 2. The guns shown in Fig. 1 and the barrels indicated in Fig. 2 are representative only of various types of guns, and, of course, the guns may be shifted from one position to another. For instance, in Fig. 2 the second opening contains a conventional side-by-side double barrel gun, but a double barrel gun is shown fourth from the left in Fig. 1. The positioning of the guns is immaterial, just so the proper butt lies in a socket 6, and the gun barrel 13 is arranged in its proper four-leaf-clover opening.

The front and

rear edges

15 and 16 of the four leaf clover openings 12 are oriented relative to the front and rear edges 17 and 18 of the horizontal top rail 3 so that common lines tangential to the rounded parts 14 at the front and rear edges of each opening parallel the front and rear edges of the horizontal top rail. These common lines are at substantially forty-five degree angles to the longitudinal axes of the gun butt sockets.

An ornamental cross bar 19 is arranged at the upper end of the rack, and is mortised out at the front side thereof to receive the rear end of the horizontal top rail 3. This cross bar is connected to the side stiles, preferably by mortising the member 19 in the side rails, and is arranged so that the rear side of the member 19 is flush with the rear edges of the stiles 4 and 5, Figs. 2 and 5.

The distance between the under side of the top horizontal rail 3 and the top of the bottom rail 2 is such that when the guns are to be removed, they must be raised a predetermined amount to clear the butt end of the stock from the base member or rail 2, whereupon the gun may be moved at an angle to remove it from a four-leaf-clover slot 12. However, it is desirable that some means be provided to prevent unauthorized removal of the guns from the rack 1. Therefore, a horizontal locking bar 211 is arranged on the forward side of the rack, as shown in Fig. 1. This locking bar 201s positioned at a point slightly above the gun trigger guards 21; and inasmuch as there is a rear tie rod 22 positioned behind and below the locking bar 20, the guns may not be removed from the gun rack because upward lifting of the guns is limited because of the gun forearms 23, the locking bar 20, and the cross bar or tie rod 22. Therefore, when a gun 9 is raised a predetermined distance, the upper end of a gun forearm will engage the under side of the rail 3, and even though the gun is turned, it cannot be slid out of the gun rack because of the position of the locking bar 20 and the rear tie rod 22, there being insufiicient space between the bar 20 and the rod 22.

Guns may not be removed from the rack 1 when the locking bar 20 is arranged in position because the fore-' arm will strike the bottom of the upper rail 3. Should the guns be raised, even though the guns were turned at a position so as to have their stocks flat or normally parallel with the locking bar 20 and the tie rod 22, they still could not be removed, as the thickened part of the stock would prevent angular displacement of the guns by reason of the

members

20 and 22. The guns are prevented from being turned and removed from the gun rack because of the barrel in the four-leaf-clover opening, and the stocks coming in engagement with the front locking rod 20 and the rear tie rod 22 prevent the guns from being moved out of either front or back of the rack. The guns, therefore, are prevented from having their lower ends moved either forwardly or rearwardly because of the position of the

members

20 and 22, and cannot be raised a distance sufficient to clear the

rods

20 and 22 as the forearms 23 limit the upward movement of the guns.

The locking bar 20 is adapted to be slid longitudinally horizontally out of an elongated opening 24 in the stile 4, the opposite end of the locking bar 20 being prevented from being slid to the right, Figs. 1, 6 and 7, because an opening 25, which extends through the stile 5, is

a padlock, Figs. 1 and 6, whereupon the locking bar is prevented from being slid too far to the right, Figs. 1,.

6 and 7, because of the projection 28 at the right-hand end of the bar 20 where the wider part of the bar joins the narrower part 26. A hasp of a padlock may be inserted in the opening 27, whereupon the locking bar 20 is prevented from being slid to the left because the padlock or other locking means will abut against the outside of the right-hand stile 5.

It is often desirable that the guns be mounted in a cabinet, and if such is the case, the locking bar 20 may be dispensed with, as the doors of the cabinet may be locked, the entire gun rack and its guns fitting within the cabinet. However, if the upper end of the cabinet were relatively close to the muzzle of the guns, it would be nearly impossible to remove the guns from the rack. Also, when the closed four-leaf-clover opening design 12 is employed, the guns would have to be tilted at an angle to get them in and out of their respective openings 12, and such angular displacement, or movement, of the guns would tend to scar or mar the inside of the cabinet, as well as probably damaging the gunsight on the gun. Therefore, the clover-leaf openings 12 may be provided with a slot 29, Fig. 5, which merges or communicates with the four-leaf-clover opening 12. The guns, therefore, may be slightly raised to remove the gun butt from the socket, whereupon the gun may be pulled straight outwardly. The advantage of the clover-leaf design, merging with the slots 29, Fig. 5, for use inside of a cabinet is that the cabinet will not be scarred or marred, as the guns may be removed easily and quickly, but each gun barrel will lie in the rounded corner edges of the four cloverleaf openings 12, Fig. 5.

The gun rack, which is to be inserted in a cabinet, is identical in all respects with the structure disclosed in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7, except the locking rod 20, Figs. 1, 6 and 7, is omitted, and the four-leaf-clover cut outs or openings 12 merge with the slots or cut outs 29, Fig. 5.

A gun rack embodying the four-leaf-clover openings in the top rail is shown in connection with a corner gun rack 30, Figs. 4, 8 and 9, wherein there are a pair of spaced

vertical stiles

31 and 32 which are disposed at an angle of ninety degrees. The gun rack 30 includes an arcuate shaped lower rail or base member 33 and an upper rail 34, the

rails

33 and 34 having their opposite ends mortised in the

stiles

31 and 32. The forward ends of the

rails

33 and 34 are curved, as shown in Fig. 4, and their

rear ends

35 and 36, respectively, may be relatively straight. A straight tie rod 37, which is disposed in a horizontal plane, is secured to the

stiles

31 and 32 at the rear thereof, being nailed and glued, or otherwise secured, to the respective side rails 31 and 32, as more clearly shown in Fig. 9. The bottom of the

stiles

31 and 32 extend a predetermined distance below the bottom of the bottom rail or base 33, there being a supporting foot 38 positioned substantially at the forward end of the lower horizontal rail 33. The upper end of the lower rail 33 is provided with spaced angularly arranged sockets 39, Fig. 4, to receive the butt ends of the gun stocks, while the upper rail 34 is provided with openings 40 which are of the closed four-leaf-clover design, like the openings 12 shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The corner rack 30 may be provided with a curved locking bar 41, Figs. 8 and 9, which is arranged a slight distance above the corner tie rod 37. The curved locking bar 41 is provided with an extension or tenon 42 which fits into a mortise 43 provided in the side rail 31, the curved locking rod 41 being arranged above the tie rod 37. A locking device 44, Figs. 8 and 9, comprises an elongated bolt 45 fitting into a socket 46 formed in the right side rail 32. A spring 47 is disposed behind the bolt 45 so as to urge the locking bolt 45 inwardly into engagement with its socket or keeper 46 in the stile 32. The locking bar 41, therefore, is positioned in place by inserting the tenon 42 on the left-hand side, Fig. 9, into its cooperating socket or cut out 43, whereupon the right-hand end of the locking bar 41 may be just pressed inwardly, causing the bolt 45 to snap in place in its open- 6 ing: or keeper 46, whereupon the bolt 45 is locked in position.

A transverse hole 48 is provided in the locking bar 41 at the rear of the locking bar 41, Fig, 9, and is adapted to engage a pin 49 behind the inner end of the locking bolt 45, Fig. 9. Inasmuch as the pin 49 is relatively small and protrudes only a short distance rearwardly from the rear end of the locking bar 41, it is unnoticed and unobserved, and, therefore, in effect, comprises a secret locking member, whereupon the guns are prevented from being removed from the rack 30 unless the pin 49 is manually pulled outwardly a distance sufficient to permit the bolt 45 to be moved outwardly of its keeper 46. A slide member 50, Fig. 8, is arranged at the bottom of the locking bar 41 and is attached to the locking bolt 45 so that when the member 50 is slid to the left, Fig. 8, with the pin 49 first removed from its opening 48, the locking bolt 45 may be removed from its socket or keeper 46.

Normally, the slide member 50 is practically unnoticed because it is arranged at the bottom of the curved locking bar 41 and arranged in a plane below the normal horizontal sight of a person. Even though someone should see the slide member 50, which is secured to the bolt 45, movement of the locking bolt 45 is still prevented because of the existence of the pin 49 in its hole 48 which is at the rear side of the locking bar 41, and definitely out of sight. Therefore, the operation of the bolt 45 by removal from its keeper normally is prevented unless someone definitely knows of the existence of the pin 49, or unless the pin 49 has previously been removed from its opening 48.

Guns may not be removed from the rack 30 when the curved locking bar 41 is arranged in position because the forearm will strike the bottom of the rail 34 should the guns be raised. Even though the guns were turned to a position so as to have their stocks normally fiat or parallel with the locking bar 41 and the tie rod 37, they still could not be removed as the locking bar 41 and the rear stretcher or tie rod 37 would prevent either forward or rearward movement, as previously explained with respect to the guns mounted in the rack 1 wherein there is employed a locking bar 20 and a rear stretcher or tie rod 22.

The sockets 39 in the bottom rail 33 are radially disposed, four such sockets being shown in Fig. 4. These sockets 39 receive the butts of gun stocks, the sockets being in alinement with the cooperating four clover-leaf shaped openings 40 in the top rail 34 and angularly arranged relative thereto as heretofore described in connection with the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2. The locking bar 41 is arranged so as to engage the gun barrel forwardly of the gun trigger guards; and the space between the

rails

33 and 34 is such that while the guns should be raised a certain distance, the forearms of the guns will engage the bottom of the top rail 34, and the curved locking bar 41 will prevent the guns from being pulled out. However, should the corner gun rack 30 be arranged in a triangul'arly-shaped corner cabinet, the forward ends of the top rail 40 may be cut out, as indicated at 29, Fig. 5, so as to permit the guns to be removed from the front. However, under such circumstances, the curved locking bar 41 may be omitted, as the gun will be in a cabinet which has doors which may be locked by a key.

The invention comprises a gun rack which includes a bottom rail having sockets formed therein to receive butts of gun stocks cooperating with four-leaf-clover openings provided in the top rails of each rack. Locking means may be provided for locking the guns in place and preventing their removal in all cases except where the racks may be inserted in door-locked cabinets. In this latter arrangement, it is desirable to dispense with the locking rod 20 or locking bar 41, and to provide cut outs 29 in the forward edges of the rails so as to permit the guns to be inserted easily in the cabinet without any danger of marring, scratching, or otherwise damaging the inside of the cabinet.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts Without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fall fairly Within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1'. A gun rack comprising a pair of spaced vertical stiles, a lower horizontal rail secured at opposite ends to said stiles, a plurality of spaced substantially oval sockets in the upper face of said lower rail for receiving butts of gun stocks, and an upper horizontal rail secured at opposite ends to said stiles and having a, plurality of spaced openings of the same number as said sockets wherein each opening aligns vertically with a socket, each opening having lobes of identical size arranged in the shape of a four leaf clover and being positioned so that a line passing through the centers of one set of diagonally arranged lobes and the longitudinal axis of an aligned socket is substantially in a common vertical plane.

2. A gun rack as defined in claim 1, wherein slots are provided in the top rail to open the openings to the front of the rail and permit gun barrels to pass therethrough.

3. A gun rack as defined in claim 1, including a locking bar across the front of. the rack, and a tie rod across the back of the rack, the space between the locking bar and the tie rod being such as to prevent removal of a gun from the rack when the gun barrel is in a four-leaf-clover opening and the locking bar is in locked position.

4. A gun rack as defined in claim 1, and a locking bar across the front of the rack having a stationary projection on one end engageable in a recess in one of said stiles and a movable projection on the other end engageable in a recess in the other of said stiles.

5. A gun rack as defined in claim 1, and a locking bar slidable through one of said stiles in either direction and slidable through the other of said stiles in one direction, and means lockable on said bar to prevent movement thereof through said other stile in the other direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS