US3611869A

US3611869A - Automatic firearm with a changeover cartridge feed device

Info

Publication number: US3611869A
Application number: US822513A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gerhard Hupp
Original assignee: Mauser Werke AG
Current assignee: Mauser Werke AG
Priority date: 1968-05-10
Filing date: 1969-05-07
Publication date: 1971-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1988-10-12
Also published as: JPS4826639B1; SE357432B

Abstract

An automatic firearm, such as a rifle, is provided with a changeover cartridge feed device for firing selectively different types of cartridges, such as blasting cartridges and armorpiercing cartridges. The breech block is provided with cartridge feed channels, one for each type of cartridge used, and with respective cartridge strippers. The strippers are controlled by a control device the operating member of which consists of a longitudinally reciprocable slidable munition selector slide which when in a forwardly adjusted end position renders the feed device for one type of cartridge operative, while when the munition selector slide has been adjusted to a rear end position it renders the feed device for another type of cartridge operative.

Description

United States Patent AUTOMATIC FIREARM WITH A CI'IANGEOVER CARTRIDGE FEED DEVICE 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[1.8. CI 89/33SF, 89/33 CA Int. Cl F41d 9/02 Field of Search... 89/33, 33 SF, 33.14, 33.2

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,452,640 7/1969 Maillard 89/33 SF FOREIGN PATENTS 954,476 6/1949 France 89/33 SF 6.617,800 6/1967 Netherlands 89/332 Primary Examiner-Benjamin A. Borchelt Assistant ExaminerStephen C. Bentley AttarneySinger, Stern & Carlberg ABSTRACT: An automatic firearm, such as a rifle, is provided with a changeover cartridge feed device for firing selectively different types of cartridges, such as blasting cartridges and armor-piercing cartridges. The breech block is provided with cartridge feed channels, one for each type of cartridge used, and with respective cartridge strippers. The strippers are controlled by a control device the operating member of which consists of a longitudinally reciprocable slidable munition selector slide which when in a forwardly adjusted end position renders the feed device for one type of cartridge operative, while when the munition selector slide has been adjusted to a rear end position it renders the feed device for another type of cartridge operative.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM WITH A CHANGEOVER CARTRIDGE FEED DEVICE The invention relates to an automatic firearm with a changeover cartridge-feed device for accommodating different types of projectiles.

In particular, the invention relates to an automatic firearm with a forward and rearward moving breech block and a changeover cartridge-feeding device which accommodates at least two different types of cartridges, for instance, blasting cartridges and armor-piercing cartridges.

It is an object of the invention to provide the head of the breech block with insertable and with drawable cartridge strippers which enter the cartridge-feed channels from the exterior and are brought into operation by transversely arranged control means arranged along the path of movement of the breech block said control means for the cartridge strippers comprising a control slide, the operating member of which consists of a longitudinally slidable munition selector slide.

A particular object of the invention is to provide the munition selector slide with a guide slot arranged inclined to the longitudinal path of movement of the slide, whereby a shift bolt of a control slide projects into this guide slot.

It is also an object of the invention to provide the weapon with two cartridge-feed belts arranged in different planes and in such manner that in both feed belts, the cartridges are fed in the same sense of movement.

In accordance with another object of the invention, the cartridge feed belts are arranged one above the other.

When the firearm is equipped with a cartridge-feed device which operates independently of the gas which is taken from the barrel of the firearm, the present invention has as a still further object to provide control valves or control cocks for the gas delivered to the cartridge feed, whereby these control valves or cocks are adjusted or operated by the manually operated munition selector slide. For this purpose, the respective control valves or clocks may be provided with gear segments which are operated by suitable toothed racks provided on the munition selector slide.

Still another object of the invention is to provide the drive pistons of the drive device for the munition feed and which are subject to the action of a return spring with a shift bolt arranged in the housing of the feed device and movably guided therein in the longitudinal direction of the weapon. This shift bolt extends through a shift slot of a rotatably mounted changeover sleeve which by means of gear teeth advances the pawl slide of the feed device.

With these and other objects appearing hereinafter in view, the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one particular embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of the firearm of the invention, v

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view along the line 11-" of FIG. I and FIG. 3 is a view of the weapon looking in the direction of the munition feed (in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 2) so that the munition selector slide is visible.

Referring to the drawings, the housing of the weapon has inserted therein the barrel 11 and has arranged therein movable to and fro a breech block 12 which is acted upon by a closure spring 13. The breech block 12 is provided with two pivotally mounted cartridge strippers l4, 15 disposed one above the other and which are subjected to the action of springs 16 which engage the strippers so as to move the same into their stripping position.

Below and above the path of movement of the breech block, the housing 10 of the weapon is provided each with a cartridge feeding device 17 and 18 which in the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a belt-feeding device in which the cartridge belts are fed from the left and in which the empty belts leave toward the right. The empty shells will be ejected toward the right between the cartridge belts l7 and 18. The

feed housings

17a and 18a are provided with feed slides 17c and carrying

feed pawls

17b and 18b and also belt-holding latches 17d and 1811. In the lower cartridge feed device 17 are introduced, for instance, the blasting cartridges, while the upper cartridge feed device is used for feeding armor-piercing cartridges.

In rear of the cartridge feed devices, the housing of the weapon is provided with recesses which are used for transversely slidably guiding a control slide 19 which has thereon two control jaws 19a and 1911 which are connected with each other by a transverse web 19c upon whichis seated a shift bolt 19d.

At the cartridge insertion side of the housing 10 of the weapon is arranged longitudinally slidable along the axis of the weapon a munition selector slide 20, for instance, by means of guide bolts 10a which are arranged on the housing and engage a guide slot 20a on the munition selector slide 20 (FIG. 3). The munition selector slide 20 has adjacent its rear end a shift slot 20b which extends inclined to the longitudinal axis of the slide 20 and into which extends the shift bolt 19d of the control slide 19. The rear end of the munition selector slide 20 has attached thereto an operating member, such as a spherical knob 200. At the forward end, the munition selector slide 20 is provided with two transversely spaced oppositely and parallel disposed toothed racks 20d and 20e.

The

feed slides

17c and 18c are actuated by gas-operated

pistons

21, 22 which by means of gas passages 23 are supplied with gas taken from the barrel 11. These

pistons

21, 22 are subjected to the action of return springs 24 and at their rear ends are provided with

buffers

21a and 22a. The gas-operated

pistons

21 and 22 are provided with shift bolts 21b and 22b which are arranged in the

housings

17a and 18a of the cartridge feed devices 17 and 18 in the longitudinal direction of the weapon and prevent a rotative movement of the pistons. The shift bolts 21b and 22b project through

shift slots

25a and 26a arranged in

shift sleeves

25 and 26 which are rotatably journaled in the

feed housings

17a and 18a. The

shift sleeves

25 and 26 are provided with gear teeth 25b and 26b which mesh with the respective gear teeth on the

feed slides

17c and 18c.

The gas passages 23 have arranged in the same control valves or

control cocks

27 and 28 which are controlled in such a manner that in each instance the

valve

27 or 28 associated with its respective piston is in open position which shifts the feed slide 17c or 180 of the desired cartridge type selected by the munition selector slide 20. The adjustment of the

valves

27, 28 is effected by the munition selector slide 20, whose rack teeth 20d and 20c mesh with the

gear segments

27a and 28a.

The operation of the munition selector and feed device is as follows:

In FIG. 3 the munition selector slide 20 is in its rear position in which it is held by a locking device against unintentional slidable movement. The shift bolt 19d of the control slide 19 is disposed at the lower end of the shift slot 20b. The control jaw 19a is in its outer position in which the stripper 14 for the cartridges of the feed device 17 is not influenced, so that during the advancing movement of the breech block 12, one eartridge from the feed device 17 is slidably moved into the barrel. In this condition, the control jaw 19b is in its inner position in which the stripper 15 is held in its inserted inactive position. The valve 27 for the gas supply to the piston 21 is open; the valve 28 for the gas supply to the piston 22 is closed, therefore only the cartridge feed device 17 is operative.

lf cartridges of the upper feed device 18 are to be fired, the munition selector slide 20 is slidably moved into its forward end position in which it is also secured by a locking device against unintentional movement.

This has the effect that the shift bolt 19d moves into the upper end of the slot 20b of the control slide 19. In this position, the control jaw 19 moves the stripper 14 from its active position, so that the control jaw 19b permits the stripper 15 to enter into its stripping position. At the same time, the

gear drive

20d and 27a closes the valve 27 for the gas supply to the piston 21, while the

gear drive

20c, 28a opens the valve 28 for the gas supply to the piston 22. Therefore, it is obvious that in the forward position of the munition selector slide 20, only cartridges supplied by the upper feed device 18 are fired.

What I claim is:

1. in an automatic firearm, a housing having a front end and a rear end, a breech block in said housing movable forwardly and rearwardly therein, two cartridge feed belts movable transversely of said breech block at opposite sides of the path of movement of said breech block, cartridge strippers mounted in said breech block adjacent the front end thereof for movement between a transversely projected operative position and a transversely retracted inoperative position, a stripper control slide mounted in said housing rearwardly of said feed belts and movable transversely of said breech block between two end positions in each of which it actuates one of said strippers to its retracted inoperative position while permitting the other stripper to occupy its projected operative position thereby causing said other stripper to engage and force a cartridge forwardly from a selected one of said feed belts at the forwardly movement of said breech block, a munition selector slide mounted in said housing for movement longitudinally thereof in operative engagement with said stripper control slide to selectively move said stripper control slide to one of its said end positions, separate means for advancing each of said feed belts step by step, conduit means in said housing connecting the interior of the firearm barrel with each of said feed belt advancing means, a control valve in each of said conduit means for opening and closing the same, means operatively connecting each of said control valves with said munition selector slide to open one of said control valves at a time in dependence upon the position of said munition selector slide, each of said feed belt advancing means including a shift sleeve mounted in said housing for rotation on an axis extending longitudinally of said housing and having an inclined slot in the wall thereof, gear means on said shift sleeve extending at least partially along the circumference thereof, a gear rack on the corresponding feed belt in engagement with said gear means, a piston slidably mounted in said shift sleeve and having one end in communication with one of said gas conduit means, a compression spring in said housing having one end in engagement with said piston and biasing the same toward said gas conduit means, and a shift bolt secured to said piston transversely thereof and extending through said inclined slot in said shift sleeve and into a longitudinal slot in the wall of said housing, whereby reciprocation of said piston causes rotation of said shift sleeve and thereby advancement of the feed belt.

2. In an automatic firearm, a housing having a front end and a rear end, a breech block in said housing movable forwardly and rearwardly therein, two cartridge feed belts movable transversely of said breech block at opposite sides of the path of movement of said breech block, cartridge strippers mounted in said breech block adjacent the front end thereof for movement between a transversely projected operative position and a transversely retracted inoperative position, stripper control means mounted in said housing rearwardly of said feed belts, munition selector means mounted in said housing for movement in engagement with said stripper control means to selectively move said stripper control means between two positions in each of which it actuates one of said strippers to said inoperative position and the other stripper to said operative position in which it engages a cartridge and moves it forwardly from a selected one of said feed belts at the forwardly movement of said breech block, separate means for advancing each of said feed belts step by step, conduit means in said housing connecting the interior of the firearm barrel with each of said feed belt advancing means, a control valve in each of said conduit means for opening and closing the same, means operatively connecting each of said control valves with said munition selector means to open one of said control valves at a time in dependence upon the position of said munition selector means, each of said feed belt advancing means including a shift sleeve mounted in said housing for rotation on an axis extending longitudinally of said housing and having an inclined slot in the wall thereof, a gear means on said shift sleeve extending at least partially along the circumference thereof, a gear rack on the corresponding feed belt in engagement with said gear means, a piston slidably mounted in said shift sleeve and having one end in communication with one of said gas conduit means, a compression spring in said housing having one end in engagement with said piston and biasing the same toward said gas conduit means, and a shift bolt secured to said piston transversely thereof and extending through said inclined slot in said shift sleeve and into a longitudinal slot in the wall of said housing, whereby reciprocation of said piston causes rotation of said shift sleeve and thereby advancement of the feed belt.

5136 f lOlOOS 0097 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3611869 Dated October 12; 1971 Invento Gerhard Huon It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The name of the assignee appearing in the heading of the front page of the printed specification should be corrected to Mauser-Werke A.G.

Signed and sealed this 14th day of July 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARQMJLEICHER, JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attestlng Officer Commissioner of Patents ORM PO-1U5 10-69 0i USCOMM-DC 6037 5-P69 U S GOVERNMENY PRINTING OFIICE I968 0-356-33