US3226871A

US3226871A - Shotgun muzzle construction

Info

Publication number: US3226871A
Application number: US402546A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph G Sargeant; Roy F Albritton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-10-08
Filing date: 1964-10-08
Publication date: 1966-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 1983-01-04

Description

1966 R. G. SARGEANT ETAL 3,

SHOTGUN MUZZLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 8, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Ralph G.Sorgeont& Roy F. Albriflon BY -M M 36-7 /M/f ATTORNEY Jan. 4, 1966 G. SARGEANT ETAL 3,

SHOTGUN MUZZLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 8, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Ralph G. Sorgecmtfl Roy E Albriflon FIG-'5. BY

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,226,871 SHOTGUN- MUZZLE CONSTRUCTION Ralph G. Sargeant, 408 W. Windsor St., Lakeland, Fla., and Roy F. Albritton, 1130 Garden St., Bar-tow, Fla. Filed Oct. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 402,546 4 Claims. (Cl. 42-79) This invention relates to firearms and more particularly to shotguns.

Whether choke bore or of other types, conventional shotguns give a shot pattern which is substantially circular.

It is desirable in many kinds of game hunting to provide a shotgun that will produce a shot pattern of oval or elliptical form, with its major axis horizontal, or in other words, a pattern in which the shot spread more widely in a horizontal direction than in a vertical direction.

Attachments to be applied to the muzzle of a gun to produce this result have heretofore been proposed, but these attachments have been bulky and difficult to handle, and hence unsatisfactory inuse.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and effective means for producing the desired horizontal spreading of the shot pattern, which means can either be embodied in a special construction of the muzzle of the gun barrel itself or in an attachment readily applied to the muzzle.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification and illustrating various forms of the invention, in which drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a conventional shotgun to which our invention may be applied;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the muzzle of such a gun, and showing one form of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the gun muzzle illustrated in FIG. 2; 1

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the shot pattern produced by a gun having a muzzle constructed as shown in FIGS. 2 and '3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the muzzle of a single barrel gun having a somewhat modified construction;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the shot pattern produced by a gun having a muzzle constructed as shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the muzzle of a double barrel gun embodying a construction similar to that shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing how a muzzle construction similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2 may be embodied in an attachment applied to the end of the barrel;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the attachment illustrated in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a transverse section on the line 1t)10 of FIG. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 11 is a view partially in plan and partially in longitudinal, horizontal section on the line 1111 of FIG. 12, showing an attachment embodying a different form of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a front end view of this attachment;

FIG. 13 is a vertical, longitudinal section substantially on the line 1313 of FIG. 12; and

FIGS. 14 and 15 are respectively a plan view and side elevation of a gun muzzle, similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, but showing a modified construction.

Referring to the drawings in detail, we produce the horizontal spreading of the shot, as above mentioned, by forming a longitudinal passageway in the muzzle portion'of the gun on at least one side.

In FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 14 and 15, this passageway 3,226,871 Patented Jarn, 1966 is in the form of an open slot, while in FIGS. ll, 12 and 13, the passageway takes the form of a groove.

Also, in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 7, 14 and 15, the passageway is formed in the gun barrel itself, while in FIGS. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, the passageway is formed in an attachmentwhich is fitted on to the end of the barrel.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional shotgun having a barrel 1, muzzle 2 and sight 3.

One form of our improved construction of muzzle for a single barrel gun is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In these figures, the sides of the muzzle are beveled oif or machined at an acute angle as indicated at 4 to provide longitudinally extending laterally open slots 5, the muzzle having upper and lower tapering

portions

6 and 7 above and below such slots. It will be noted that the slots 5 increase in Width progressively from the rear end, where the width is a minimum, to the forward end, where the width is a maximum, such forward end opening out through the end of the muzzle.

As a result of such a construction, the shot pattern will be elliptical or oval, as shown in FIG. 4, the major axis being horizontal, as indicated at a, while the minor axis is vertical, as indicated at b. The slots 5 permit the shot to scatter laterally or horizontally, while the shot are more or less confined vertically by the

horizontal portions

6 and 7. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the relative width of the shot pattern horizontally and vertically is illustrated at a and b, respectively.

In some cases, it may be desirable to form a slot such as 5 in one side only of the barrel. This will yield some such pattern as shown in FIG. 6.

While in FIGS. 1 to 5 we have illustrated a single barrel gun, it will be understood that we also contemplate forming a slot 5 in each side of the muzzle of a double barrel gun 1', as shown in FIG. 7. In this case, each barrel will produce a shot pattern of the type shown in FIG. 6, but with the pattern reversed as between the rightand left-hand barrels.

In FIGS. 14 and 1-5, we have illustrated the muzzle of a single barrel gun in which a somewhat different shape of slots has been formed. Instead of increasing in width progressively from rear to front as in FIGS. 2 and 3, the slots 14 in FIGS. 14 and 15 are shown as of substantially the same width throughout their length, and with parallel edges. The upper and lower portions 16 and 17, instead of being tapering as in FIGS. 2 and 3, are also of substantially the same width throughout. These slots 14 will permit the shot to escape laterally and form a pattern having a greater width horizontally than vertically, the same as described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3, only the pattern may have a slightly different shape. While the rear end of the slots is shown at 15 as being arcuate, it may obviously be straight, if preferred.

As above mentioned, the passageways or slots, instead of being formed in the gun barrel itself, may be formed in an attachment adapted to be fitted over the muzzle. This isshown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10.

In these figures, an attachment 8, which may be made by casting, is formed at its rear end with a socket having an internal diameter of such size as to slip over and snugly fit the end of the barrel. It is provided with a slot 9 to accommodate the sight 3, and may be clamped to the barrel by means of three or more set screws 10. It also preferably carries its own sight 3'. The forward end is shaped as in FIGS. 2 and 3, namely, it is made with beveled sides 4', forming slots 5, between upper and lower tapering portions 6' and 7. The interior of the forward portion is provided with an annular shoulder 8' of a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the end of the gun barrel, so that when assembled, with this shoul-der abutting the end of the barrel, the inside diameter of this portion is the same as the bore of the gun, so that there is provided a passage of uniform size through which the shot can travel. Therefore, the effect on the shot pattern is substantially the same as in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, we have shown a modified construction of attachment in which the passageway takes the form of a groove instead of a slot. This attachment, designated 11, has a slot to accommodate the sight 3, and is preferably provided with a sight 3 of its own. As in FIGS. 8 and 9, the attachment may be secured to the gun barrel by means of set screws 12, and is provided with an internal annular shoulder 11 to abut the end of the gun barrel, and of a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the end of the barrel, as described in connection with FIGS. 8 and 9. However, in place of the slots 5, the attachment 11 is formed with an internal, longitudinally extending flaring groove 13. This groove is of progressively increasing depth and width, from its rear to its forward end, and constitutes a passageway which will permit the shot to scatter more widely horizontally, in much the same manner as the slots of FIGS. 8 and 9. By reference to FIG. 12, it will be seen that the open forward end of the groove is approximately of elliptical shape, with its major axis horizontal.

It will be noted that the attachments of both FIGS. 8 and 9, and FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, have an outer surface of circular outline in cross section, and that the above described passageways lie wholly within the confines of this circular outline.

It will be seen that the open forward end of the groove 13, and the open forward ends of the slots 5 in FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9 lie in a plane at right angles to the barrel.

Where, in the claims, we describe the passageways (that is, the slots and grooves) as positioned symmetrically with respect to a horizontal plane passing through the center of the muzzle, We mean that the shape of the passageway is the same, and extends longitudinally in the same direction, both above and below such plane.

Where, in the appended claims, we use the expression muzzle portion, or barrel we mean it to include either the barrel itself or the attachment.

What we claim is:

1-. A shotgun barrel having a muzzle portion of the conventional circular cross section, said portion being formed within the confines of such circular cross section, on at least one side with a longitudinally extending passageway, the forward end of said passageway terminating at the end of the muzzle, and lying in a plane at right angles to said barrel said passageway having the same shape and the walls thereof extending longitudinally in the same direction both above and below a horizontal plane passing through the center of the muzzle, the interior of said muzzle portion being completely clear and unobstructed, and said muzzle portion thus formed, permitting the shot to scatter over a wider area laterally than vetrically.

2. A shotgun barrel having a muzzle portion of the conventional circular cross section, said portion being formed within the confines of such circular cross section on at least one side with a longitudinally extending passageway increasing progressively in width from the rear end, where it is of minimum width, to the forward end where it is of maximum width, said forward end terminating at the end of the muzzle, said passageway being positioned symmetrically with respect to a horizontal plane passing through the center of the muzzle, said muzzle portion thus formed permitting the shot to scatter over a wide area laterally than vertically, and the interior of said muzzle portion being completely clear and unobstructed.

3. A single barrel shotgun barrel beveled off on each side on vertical planes at an angle to each other to produce tapering top and bottom portions with longitudinally extending laterally open slots between them, said slots increasing progressively in width from the rear end forward.

4. A single barrel shot gun having a muzzle cut away at each side on vertical planes to produce spaced top and bottom portions with longitudinally extending, laterally open slots between them.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATLS PATENTS 1,227,987 5/1917 Wright 42-79 1,352,938 9/1920 Blair 4279 X 1,369,085 2/1921 Craig 8914 1,415,919 5/1922 Butler et a1 8914 2,167,173 7/1939 Fleming 4279 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

Claims

4. A SINGLE BARREL SLOT GUN HAVING A MUZZLE CUT AWAY AT EACH SIDE ON VERTICAL PLANES TO PRODUCE SPACED TOP AND BOTTOM PORTIONS WITH LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING, LATERALLY OPEN SLOTS BETWEEN THEM.