US3035495A

US3035495A - Cartridge feeding mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3035495A
Application number: US746412A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eugene M Stoner
Original assignee: Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corp
Current assignee: Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corp
Priority date: 1958-07-03
Filing date: 1958-07-03
Publication date: 1962-05-22
Anticipated expiration: 1979-05-22
Also published as: CH377231A

Description

y 2, 1962 E. M. STONER 3,035,495

CARTRIDGE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 5, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 EUGENE M. STONE/Q 1 N H INVENTOR.

54 36 E 3 WW May 22, 1962 E. M. STONER CARTRIDGE FEEDING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1958 EUGENE M. STo/vER INVENTOR.

Arron :7

May 22, 1962 E. M. STONER CARTRIDGE FEEDING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 3. 1958 EUGENE M. STo/vER IN V EN TOR.

BY 1 M /4 Troy/v9 3,035,495 Patented May 22, 1962 3,035,495 CARTRIDGE FEEDING MECHANISM Eugene M. Stoner, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Maryland Filed July 3, 1958, Ser. No. 746,412 13 Claims. (Cl. 89-33) This invention relates to an automatic rifle and, more particularly to an automatic rifle which is adapted to be utilized with a clip of cartridges or to be utilized in conjunction with a belt of cartridges to permit a machine gun-like action to be attained by the utilization of the rifle.

Conventional guns, of course, do not incorporate means for adapting them for use alternatively as a semi-automatic or automatic rifle or as a machine gun. However, a great need has recently arisen for a mobile rifle which can be quickly adapted for use as a belt-fed machine gun when the need for such equipment should arise.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a rifle having a receiver which is adapted to be utilized in conjunction with either a clip of cartridges or with a demountable cartridge feeding mechanism, said cartridge feeding mechanism being insertible in the same portion of the receiver as the cartridge clip, and being adapted to receive a belt of cartridges to permit the rifle to operate as a machine gun-type weapon.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a cartridge feeding mechanism which can be incorporated in a demountable structure of the character described immediately hereinabove, or whose principles can be applied with equal cogency to various types of belt-fed weapons. In other Words, it is not intended that the construction and the principles of operation of the cartridge feeding mechanism disclosed herein as incorporated in the demountable cartridge feeding mechanism be limited to such particular use since, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the principles of the invention may be applied to permanent built-in mechanisms of various types of belt-fed guns.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a convertible gun of the aforementioned character wherein the demountable cartridge feeding mechanism can be easily installed in the receiver portion of the weapon and as readily removed from operative relationshiptherewith and wherein the demountable cartridge feeding mechanism includes a housing having an integral portion adapted to engage the receiver of the gun in order that the cartridge feeding mechanism may be securely installed in the receiver of the gun.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a demountable cartridge feeding mechanism of the aforementioned character whose housing includes a cartridge passage, the walls of which extend beyond the sides of the receiver when the housing is installed in said receiver, said passage having upper and lower sets of cartridge propelling fingers or dogs associated therewith reciprocatable in said passage to propel cartridges into the receiver of the gun into a position in which they Will be extracted from the belt or the clips constituting the same by the action of the bolt in said receiver,

One of the major problems encountered in belt-feeding mechanisms of the conventional type is the fact that jamming of the cartridge in the receiver or breech of the gun with which the cartridge feeding mechanism is associated frequently occurs due to misalignment of the cartridge as it is propelled by the mechanism into the receiver portion of the gun with which it is associated.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a cartridge feeding mechanism of the aforementioned character wherein the mechanism incorporates upper and lower sets of fingers adapted to propel the cartridges through the passage into the receiver of the gun with which the mechanism is associated and wherein the lower set of fingers, in addition to propelling the cartridges into the cartridge releasing zone of the gun where the cartridge is extracted by the bolt of the gun, also serves to partly support the cartridge in a predetermined position so that the cartridge may be readily released from the associated belt without the possibility of jamming in the receiver portion of the gun.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings which are for the purpose of illustration only and in which: 9

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a convertible type gun constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention and adapted for use as a machine gun-type gun;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the receiver of the gun may be opened to permit the installation of a demountable cartridge feeding mechanism constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention in said receiver or to permit said demountable cartridge feeding mechanism to be removed from opera- '=tive association with said receiver;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the utilization of the gun in conjunction with a cartridge clip mounted in the receiver of the gun;

FIG. 4 is a vertical, sectional view of the receiver portion of the gun of my invention;

FIG. 5 is a vertical, partly sectional view taken from the broken line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the broken line 66 of FIG. 5

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the bolt incorporated in the gun of my invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken from the broken line 88 of FIG. 6 and showing the cartridge clip stripping portion of the demountable cartridge feeding mechanism;

FIG. 9 is a vertical, sectional view of the receiver portion of the gun of my invention;

FIG. 10 is a vertical, sectional view taken from the broken line 1010 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the broken line 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal, sectional view taken on the broken line 12-12 of FIG. l'0g'and FIG. 13 is a longitudinal, sectional view taken on the broken line 1313 of FIG. 10.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, I show a convertible rifle 10 constructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention and including a barrel 12, a receiver 14, and a butt 16. The rifle 10 is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings as adapted for use in conjunction with a belt 18 of cartridges 20, said belt being constituted, as best shown in FIGS. 6, 8 and 11 of the drawings, by a plurality of cartridge clips 22 constituted by semi-circular legs 24 having slots 26 in the upper extremities thereof.

In utilizing the rifle 10 as a machine gun-type weapon, a heavier barrel 12 is mounted upon the receiver 14 than is customarily utilized when the rifle 10 is used as an automatic or semi-automatic gun and, if desired, a bipod 28 can be mounted upon the forward extremity of the rifle 10. The rifle 10 incorporates a bolt 30, best shown in FIGS. 4-7 and 9-11 of the drawings, said bolt being gas-energized and adapted to be reciprocated within the receiver 14 in a manner described in my copending application for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 603,913, filed August 14, 1956, entitled: Gas Operated Bolt and Carrier System, now US. Patent No. 2,951,424.

Since the present invention is not concerned with the mechanism for energizing the bolt 30, no disclosure thereof is to be found herein.

The receiver 14 is fabricated by means of conventional forging processes from aluminum or other metal and includes an upper portion 32 which is pivotally mounted at 34, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, for relative movement upon the lower portion 36 thereof. The upper and lower portions 32 and 36 of the receiver together define openings 38 and 44) in the opposite sides of the receiver for the reception of a demountable cartridge feeding mechanism 50, in a manner to be described in greater detail below.

The lower portion 36 of the receiver 14 incorporates a downwardly opening receptacle 52 which is adapted, as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, to receive a clip 54 of cartridges when the rifle 10 is in use as an automatic or semi-automatic weapon. While the cartridge feeding mechanism is described as incorporated in a demountable cartridge feeding mechanism 5i) adapted particularly for use in conjunction with a convertible rifle 10, it is, of course, to be understood that th principles of the cartridge feeding mechanism can be applied with equal cogency to other types of belt fed guns and it is not intended that the invention be limited to the incorporation of the princples thereof in a demountable type cartridge feeding mechanism.

The demountable cartridge feeding mechanism 50 is incorporated in a housing 56, said housing having a depending rectangular portion 58 which is received, as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 11 of the drawings, within the depending rectangular receptacle 52 of the lower portion 36 of the receiver 14 and which serves to mount and retain the cartridge feeding mechanism 50 and the housing 56 in operative relationship with said receiver. The housing 56 may be formed by die-casting from aluminum or other light-weight metal and includes laterally extending top and

bottom walls

60 and 62, respectively, which together With the side walls 64 define a cartridge receiving passage 70 for the reception of the belt 18 of cartridges 20, as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 11 of the drawings.

The opposite extremities of the cartridge receiving passage walls project through the

openings

38 and 40 in the receiver 14, as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 11 of the drawings, and the belt 18 of cartridges is received in the lefthand extremity of the passage 70 whereby said left-hand extremity is designated as the cartridge receiving portion or zone 72 of the passage 70, the intermediate portion of the passage 70 located in the receiver 14 being designated as the cartridge releasing zone 74 and the right-hand extremity of the passage 70 being designated as the link ejecting zone 76.

The bolt 30, as best shown in FIGS. 4, S, 7, 9 and 11 of the drawings, incorporates an elongated cam groove 78, said cam groove, as best shown in PEG. 7 of the drawings, including an upper portion 80, an intermediate descending portion 82, and a lower dwell portion 84. Operatively engaged in the cam groove 78 is a cam follower 86 which is formed integrally with, or fastened to, an actuator slide 88, said slide, as best shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings, being mounted for vertical reciprocation in guides 90 provided on the exterior of the receiver 14.

Formed integrally with the lower extremity of the slide 88 is a bifurcated connector 92 having a cam surface 94 on its lower extremity, as best shown in FIGS. 5 and of the drawings, for a purpose which will be described in greater detail below.

Therefore, after the bolt 30 is reciprocated in the receiver 14 with reference to the breech of the barrel 12, the cam follower 86 moves vertically as it traverses the cam groove 73 in the side of the bolt 30 to cause vertical reciprocation of the actuator slide 88. Therefore, since the upper portion of the elongated cam groove 73 is at the forward extremity of the bolt 30, once the bolt 30 is in the retracted position, the cam fOllOWG 86 is located in the upper portion of the cam groove 78, as best illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings, while, when the bolt 30 is in the extended position, the cam follower 86 is located in the lower portion 84 of the cam groove 78, as best shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings, to correspondingly locate the actuator slide 88 in its uppermost and lowermost positions, respectively.

Mounted upon the side walls 64 of the passage 71 is a carriage which, as best shown in FIGS. 46 of the drawings, includes top and

bottom walls

102 and 104, respectively, and side walls 106 and 103. The carriage 100 is pivotally mounted for rockable or pivotal movement with respect to the housing 56 of the cartridge feeding mechanism 50 on pivot pins 110 which, as best shown in FiGS. 5 and 10 of the drawings, are secured in bosses 112 in the

side walls

106 and 108 of the carriage 190 and which have their inner extremities located in recesses 114 and 116 in the side walls 64 of the passage 71 It should be noted at this juncture that the top Wall 60 of the passage 76 is provided with elongated slots 118 and that elongated slots 12% are also provided in the bottom wall 62 of said passage, as best shown in FIGS. 5, 6, l0 and 12 of the drawings.

Formed integrally with the interior surface of the top wall 102 of the carriage 101) are spaced pairs of bosses 124, said bosses 124, as best shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings, serving to mount an elongated shaft 126 to which is fastened an upper set 130 of cartridge propelling fingers or dogs 132. Each of the cartridge propelling fingers or dogs 132 is fixedly attached to the shaft 126 by means of a pin 134, as best shown in FIG. 13 of the drawings.

Mounted in encompassing relationship with the shaft 126 is a torsion spring 136 which, as best shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 of the drawings, has its inner extremity 138 engaged in an opening 140 in the right-hand dog 132. Therefore, the torsion spring serves to urge the upper set of dogs 132 downwardly through the associated slots 118 in the top wall 60 of the passage 70 to bring the arcuate inner extremities of the dogs 132 into engagement with the periphery of a cartridge 20, as best shown in FIG. 11 of the drawings.

It should be noted at this juncture that, as best shown in FIG. 12 of the drawings, the projecting extremity of the torsion spring 136 overlies and extends beyond the slot 118 in the associated top wall 66 of the passage 70 and thus serves as a stop to prevent the downward movement of the dogs 132 constituting the upper set 130 of dogs beyond a predetermined lower limit.

It will also be noted that the bosses 124 on the upper wall 162 of the carriage 100 have their lower extremities located in the slots 118, thus serving to locate the carriage 1th with respect to the top wall 60 of the passage 79. The bottom wall 164 of the carriage 100 is provided with a plurality of bosses 144 which mount an elongated shaft 146 upon which is secured a lower set 156 of elongated fingers or dogs 152. The dogs 152 are provided with arcuate outer extremities and also with arcuate

intermediate portions

154 and 156, respectively, which conform to the configuration of the cartridges 2% A torsion spring encompasses the shaft 146 and serves to urge the fingers or dogs 152 upwardly into engagement with the appropriate cartridge 20, as best shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings. Mounted on the outer extremities of the

shafts

126 and 146, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 of the drawings, are

release members

162 and 164, respectively, which serve, when grasped between the fingers, to urge the

dogs

132 and 152 out of the passage 7% to permit the belt 18 to be withdrawn from operative relationship with the passage.

Mounted in the boss 112 eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of the carriage 101i is a pin 168, said pin having a roller secured to its outer extremity which is engaged, as best shown in FIGS. 5-10 of the drawings, in the bifurcated connector 92. A spring 172 is located in a slot 174 in the pin 168 and serves to bias the pin 168 to the right, viewed in FIGS. 5 and of the drawings. Therefore, the roller 170 and pin 168 serve as the operative connection between the carriage 100 and the vertically reciprocatable slide 88.

Mounted in the right-hand extremity of the passage 70 is a link ejector 176, said ejector being constituted by a depending flange adapted to engage in the slot 26 in a link 24 as it moves therepast and to retain the links 24 against forward movement when the bolt 30 extracts a cartridge 20 from the belt 18, as best shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings.

When installing the cartridge feeding mechanism 50 in the rifle 10, it is merely necessary to remove the cartridge clip 54 from the receptacle 52 and to break open the receiver 14 to permit the housing 56 of the demountable cartridge feeding mechanism 50 to be inserted in the receiver 14 by locating the depending mounting portion 58 of the housing 56 in the receptacle 52. After the housing 56 has been so located, the upper portion 32 of the receiver 14 can be closed upon the lower portion 36 thereof.

Of course, to properly engage the cam follower 86 in the cam groove 78, it is necessary to retract the bolt 31? by means of the lever 180 shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, whereby the outer extremity 80 of the cam groove 78 can receive the cam follower 86. As the upper portion 32 of the receiver 14 is closed, the slide 88 and, more particularly, the bifurcated connector 92, has its cam portion 94 engage the roller 170 which is deflected to the left against the bias of the spring 172 and which, after deflection to permit the passage of the bifurcated connector 92, moves to the right again and is engaged between the bifurcations of said connector.

When the upper portion 32 is closed upon the lower portion 36, the opposite extremities of the walls, defining the cartridge receiving passage 70, extend beyond the confines of the receiver 14 through the

openings

38 and 40 in said receiver and a belt 18 of cartridges 20 may be inserted through the left-hand extremity of the passage 70, as viewed in FIG. 6 of the drawings, to permit a cartridge 20 to be located in the receiver 14 where the bolt 30 can engage said cartridge. During such insertion of the belt 18, the

dogs

132 and 152 are urged upwardly and downwardly, respectively, against the bias of the associated

springs

136 and 160.

Once the belt 18 has been properly inserted, the feeding mechanism 50 is ready for use and, as the bolt 30 is reciprocated in the receiver 14, the actuator slide 88 will reciprocate vertically to cause corresponding rotation of the carriage 10d.

For instance, as best shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 of the drawings, the bolt 3% has been retracted into the receiver 14 raising the cam follower 86 into the forward, upper portion of the cam groove 78 and correspondingly raising the actuator slide 38 to its uppermost, vertical position. However, as the bolt 30 is extended into the breech of the barrel 12, it picks off one of the cartridges 20, as best shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, and causes corresponding downward movement of the cam follower 86 and the associated actuator slide 88 which causes the carriage 100 to be rotated or rocked into the position shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 of the drawings wherein the lower set of dogs 152 has been retracted and the upper set of dogs 132 has been engaged upon a cartridge 20 to partially carry it into the receiver 14 and into the cartridge releasing zone of the passage 70.

As the bolt 30' moves into its retracted position after the firing of the cartridge 20 which was previously released, as best shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the slide 88 moves upwardly to pivot or rotate the carriage 108 into the position shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, wherein the upper fingers or dogs 132 have been retracted and the lower set 150 of dogs 152 extended into the receiver 14 to place the cartridge in position for extraction by the bolt 39.

It will be noted that when the dogs 152 are located in the innermost position shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, they serve to support the cartridge 20 within the receiver 14 of the rifle 10, thus augmenting the supporting effect of the spring supports 18!) shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings. The arcuate extremities 154 are thus closely engaged with the perimeter of the cartridge in the receiver and prevent dislocation thereof which might cause jamming of the bolt and the cartridge 21 within the receiver of the rifle 10. It should also be noted that, as best shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the upper dogs 132 are already engaged behind the succeeding cartridge 20 and are ready, when the upper wall 102 of the carriage 1% is rocked inwardly toward the receiver 14, to urge any cartridge 20 into the receiver 14.

I thus provide by my invention a convertible gun which is characterized by the ease with which it may be utilized as an automatic or semi-automatic rifle, or machine guntype weapon.

Among the features of the convertible gun of my invention is the provision of a demount able feeding mechanism which can be readily and easily inserted in or removed from the receiver of the rifle and which is adapted both -to feed the cartridges into the receiver of the rifle and to properly support the cartridges for extraction from the cartridge belt by the bolt.

I claim:

1. In a cartridge feeding mechanism, the combination of: a housing defining a cartridge receiving passage and having a depending mounting portion thereupon below said passage; a carriage mounted for pivotal movement with respect to said housing and located in proximity to said passage; a first set of cartridge feeding dogs mounted on said carriage above said passage for engagement with a cartridge; and a second set of cartridge feeding dogs mounted on said carriage below said passage for engagement with said cartridge.

2. In a cartridge feeding mechanism, the combination of: a housing defining a cartridge receiving passage and having a depending mounting portion thereupon below said passage; a carriage mounted adjacent said passage for movement relative thereto; a first cartridge feeding element disposed above said passage and mounted on said carriage for reciprocation in said passage; and a second cartridge feeding element mounted on said carriage below said passage for reciprocation therein.

3. In a cartridge feeding mechanism, the combination of: a housing defining a cartridge receiving passage and said passage having openings in its upper and lower walls, said housing having a depending mounting portion thereupon below said passage; a first set of dogs mounted above and extending into said passage for reciprocation through said upper wall opening; a second set of dogs mounted below and extending into said passage for reciprocation through said lower wall opening; and a carriage pivotally mounted adjacent said passage and having said dogs secured thereto for reciprocation thereby.

4. In a cartridge feeding mechanism, the combination of: a housing having top and bottom walls and side walls defining a cartridge receiving passage, said housing having a depending mounting portion thereupon below said passage; a pivotal carriage encompassing said walls and mounted on said side walls; a first pair of cartridge feeding dogs mounted on said carriage for reciprocation in said passage; and a second pair of cartridge feeding dogs mounted on said carriage for reciprocation in said passage.

5. In a cartridge feeding mechanism, the combination of: a housing having top and bottom walls and side walls defining a cartridge receiving passage, said top and bottom walls having elongated slots therein and said passage having a transverse opening therein to permit cartridges to be fed therethrough; a pivotal carriage encom- 7 passing said walls and mounted on said side walls; a first pair of cartridge feeding dogs mounted on said carriage for reciprocation in said top wall slots and in said passage; and a second pair of cartridge feeding dogs mounted on said carriage for reciprocation in said bottom wall slots and in said passage.

6. In a cartridge feeding mechanism, the combination of: a housing having walls defining a cartridge passage, the top and bottom walls of said passage having elongated slots therein and said passage including a cartridge receiving zone, a cartridge releasing zone and a link ejecting zone and said passage having a transverse opening therein to permit cartridges to be fed therethrough; a carriage mounted adjacent said passage; a pair of cartridge propelling dogs mounted on said carriage for movement thereby through said top wall slots into said passage in said cartridge receiving zone; and a pair of cartridge propelling dogs mounted on said carriage for movement thereby through said bottom wall slots and into said cartridge releasing zone.

7. In a demountable feeding mechanism adapted to be mounted in the receiver of a rifle to convert it to machine gun operation, the combination of: a housing having a receiver engaging portion and a transversely oriented cartridge passage defined by walls projecting beyond said receiver engaging portion, the top and bottom walls of said passage incorporating elongated slots therein; a carriage mounted on said housing adjacent said passage and incorporating actuating means; an upper set of cartridge propelling dogs mounted on said carriage and extending downwardly into said passage through said top wall slots; and a lower set of cartridge propelling dogs mounted on said carriage and extending upwardly into said passage through said bottom Wall slots.

8. In a demountable feeding mechanism adapted to be mounted in the receiver of a rifle to convert it to machine gun operation, the combination of: a housing having a receiver engaging portion and a transversely oriented cartridge passage defined by walls projecting beyond said receiver engaging portion, the top and bottom walls of said passage incorporating elongated slots therein; a carriage mounted on said housing adjacent said passage and incorporating actuating means; an upper set of cartridge propelling dogs mounted on said carriage and extending downwardly into said passage through said top wall slots; a lower set of cartridge propelling dogs mounted on said carriage and extending upwardly into said passage through said bottom wall slots; and spring means connected to said upper and lower sets of dogs for respectively urging them downwardly and upwardly.

9. In a gun adapted for use as a machine gun or a rifle, said gun including a receiver, a bolt reciprocable in said receiver and a slide connected to said bolt and mounted on said receiver, the combination of: a demountable housing for an automatic cartridge feeding mechanism mounted in said receiver, said housing having a depending mounting portion interfi-tting with said receiver and a passage portion defined by walls extending beyond said receiver, the top and bottom walls of said passage having slots therein; a carriage pivotally mounted on the side walls of said passage; a carriage actuator mounted thereupon and engageable with said slide; an upper set of cartridge propelling fingers depending into said passage through said slots in said top wall; and a lower set of cartridge propelling fingers extending upwardly into said passage through said slots in said bottom wall, said sets of fingers being pivotally mounted for movement on said carriage.

10. In a gun adapted for use as a machine gun or a rifle, said gun including a receiver, a bolt reciprocable in said receiver, and a slide connected to said bolt and mounted on said receiver; the combination of: a demountable housing for an automatic cartridge feeding mechanism mounted in said receiver, said housing having a depending mounting portion inter-fitting with said receiver and a passage portion defined by walls extending beyond said receiver, the top and bottom walls of said passage having slots therein; a carriage pivotally mounted on the side walls of said passage; a carriage actuator mounted thereupon and engageable with said slide; an upper set of cartridge propelling fingers depending into said passage through said slots in said top wall; a lower set of cartridge propelling fingers extending upwardly into said passage through said slots in said bottom wall, said sets of fingers being pivotally mounted for movement on said carriage; and spring means interposed between said carriage and said actuator for causing movement of said upper and lower sets of fingers with respect to said carriage.

11. In a gun, the combination of: a receiver; a bolt movable in said receiver; an actuator mounted externally of said receiver and operatively connected to said bolt; a housing demountably inserted in said receiver and having a cartridge passage and a receiver engaging portion; a carriage mounted on said housing for movement relative thereto and connected to said actuator; an upper set of cartridges propelling fingers on said carriage projecting into said passage; and a lower set of cartridge propelling fingers on said carriage projecting into said passage.

12. In a gun, the combination of: a receiver; a bolt movable in said receiver; an actuator mounted externally of said receiver and operatively connected to said bolt; a housing demountably inserted in said receiver and having a cartridge passage and a receiver engaging portion; a carriage mounted on said housing for movement relative thereto and connected to said actuator; an upper set of cartridge propelling fingers on said carriage projecting into said passage; a lower set of cartridge propelling fingers on said carriage projecting into said passage; and spring means interposed between said carriage and said fingers to urge said fingers into said passage.

13. In a gun, the combination of: -a receiver, a bolt movable in said receiver; an actuator mounted externally of said receiver and operatively connected to said belt; a housing demountably inserted in said receiver and having a cartridge passage and a receiver engaging portion; a carriage mounted on said housing for movement relative thereto and connected to said actuator; an upper set of cartridge propelling fingers on said carriage projecting into said passage; a lower set of cartridge propelling fingers on said carirage projecting into said passage; and release means connected to said fingers for releasing the same from a belt of cartridges engaged thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 430,210 June 17, 1890 698,107 Knight Apr. 2, 1902 755,920 01in Mar. 29, 1904 2,032,376 Moore Mar. 3, 1936 2,227,893 Benjamin Jan. 7, 1941 2,390,477 Trotter Dec. 4, 1945 2,401,909 Carlzen June 11, 1946 2,644,365 Maillard July 7, 1953 2,875,671 Robinson Mar. 3, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 572,535 Great Britain Oct. 12, 1945 1,015,103 France July 2, 1952