USRE10280E - hotohkiss - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets s 1.

HOTGI-IKISS,

MACHINE GUN.

, 4 I 36 B. ai 1 m l ff s.

2 Shank-Sheet 2.

\ B. B. HOTGHKISS;

\ MACHINE GUN.

Reissiled Feb. 6,1883.

llllllll I v Irwa-nior,

fla ya".

UNITEl) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN B. HOTCHKISS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE-GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Reissued Letters Patent No. 10,280, dated February 6, 1883.

Original No. 2i.'i,ill4, dated February 21, 1882. Application for reissue filed January 2, 1883. I Patented in France July 9, 187B,

' in Germany October 28, 1879, and in England November 15, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN B. Horne- KISS, of New York, N. Y., acitizen of the United States, temporarily residing in the city of Paris, Department of the Seine, and Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machine-Guns,

fully described and represented in thefollow ing specification and the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates more particularly to that class of arms known as machine-guns or revolving cannon, but the said invention is in part applicable to allvarieties of cannon,

and even to fire-arms in general.

The improvements consist asfollows: in a peculiar structure of shoulder-pieces for cannon and similar-guns trained from the shoulder; in an improved training mechanism for mechanically elevating and depressing a cannon or similargun; in an improvedmeansfor controlling the firing-pin of machine-guns; and in details of constructions and combinations of parts, too fully hereinafter set forth to need further preliminary mention.

Practical embodiments of the present im provements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which show in Figure 1 a longitudinal elevation of'a revolving cannon or machine-gun; in Figs. 2 and 3, a sectional plan and side elevation of some of the details.

These figures show more particularly the mechanism for elevating the gun, the form of segment illustrated by Fig. 3 being a modified construction. Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal sectional elevation ot' a revolving cannon or machinegnn, Fig; 5 being a cross-sectional elevation thereof, taken through the chamber of the opcratingmechanism; and Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, of a modified construction of some of the parts. These figures (4, 5, and 6) illustrate more particularly the mechanism for discharging the arm. Fig. 7 illustrates an improvement in gun-sights. Fig.8 represents a rear elevation of the gun.

The shoulder-piece 58 is here shown as iriodified in structure, in that its lower end is .provided with handles 12 13, by which the hand of thearm depending from the shoulderof the gunnerthatpresses against the shoulder-piece 58 may grasp one of thehandles, and thus aidin the elevating, depressing, pointing, and aiming of the gun and prevent the shoulder and breast bearing 14 of the piece 58 from slipping over the body of the gunner. This structure may be used wherever a gun is supplied with ashoulder-piece to aid in training it. This shoulderpicce may be combined with a handle, 59, as

in said patent, or with the mechanical training mechanism shown herein, which latter is provided as an aid to the shoulder-piece especially when the cannon is very heavy, as in the case of large calibe rs. The manipulation of such cannon, both as regards its elevation and lateral training, is attended with great fatigue-where the direct power of the gunner is employed, with the aid of the shoulder-piece, with or without the use of a handle attached beneath the rear'end of the gun. To obviate this d'ifiiculty and to moderatecurate pointing and aiming attainable with great facility in heavy cannon, a training mechanism is provided under the piece, by which the necessary movements of the gun for that purpose can be made and regulated with extreme facility without tiring the gunner, and whereby the gun is invariably sustained in its adjusted position. This training mechanism is composed of a segment-rack,20, having inside teeth, which is attached to the .under side of the breech of the gun and arranged to be engaged by a worm, 21, carried by 'a shaft, 5, that isjournaled in an arm, 23, that projects rearward from the yoke 44, in which ward the side of the gun, to which the shoulder-i the trunnions of the gun are journalcd, and which supports the gun so that it may swivel in a socket, 46. The shaft5 has a worm-wheel, 6, fast upon it, with which engagesa worm, 18, that is carried by a shaft, 19, that is journaled in an extension of the arm 23 and .arrangedto extend rearward, downward, and laterally topiece 58 is secured. This shaft; 19 is provided with a hand-wheel, 24, which is thus broughtinto a position convenient to be grasped by the hand of the gunner manipulating the gun. When thetshaft 19 is rotated it turns the wormwheel 18 and causes the worm 21 to revolve, and as the worm 21 and the worm-wheel 18 v cannot be displaced vertically in the .lineof mcnt .only is required. Thishandle 59 is be disengaged from the worm 21.

omitted in Fig. 1*to avoid confusion inv the drawings, and in aid of the presentpart of the description is to be considered merely as a handle depending from the rear of the gun at the side opposite that to which the shoulderpiece is attached. differing elevations have to be aimed at in rapid succession this mechanical mode of elevating and depressing the gun would prove too slow, and in such cases, in order to obtain the best results, the ability of the gunner may be relied upon to efiect the aimingby training the gun with the aid of the shoulder-piece 58 and the handle 59, or any other portion of the gun which the hand of his free arm may conveniently seize or bear upon for the purpose. To permit such manipulation, it is necessary that the segment-rack 20 shall be arranged to To efiect this, instead of fixing the segment-rack 20 rigidly-on the body of the breech piece B, it is attached thereto by means of a knuckle-joint, 26, so that under certain conditions it can swing backward away from and out of contact with the worm 21; and on the arm 23 a projection, 27,, is provided with a slot, through which the segment-rack 20 passes downward,

and which is also of sufficient length to pen. mit a certain amount of swinging or back-andforth motion of the segment-rack.

The projection 27 supports a shaft, 28, which carries acanr, 29, of the form represented, that is arranged at the rear edge of the segmentrack 20, as in Fig. 1, said shaft 28 being extended laterally outward and provided on its extremity with a small hand-crank, 37. When this crank is in the position represented in full lines, Fig. 1, the cam 29 represents its highest part toward the rear edge ot'the rack 20, and holds the'samepressed inward in gear When points of widely-- rack to recede or move backward in obedience to gravity or. the pressure of a spring, 42, that is fixed to the breech B, and bears on the upper end of the segment-rack,as shown. When the rack is broughtout of gear with the worm 21 the gun will be free to 't'ol'lowany; impulse given to it by the hand'or shoulder of the gunner. Toagain engagethe parts and make the gun relatively fixed in any position reached, it is only, necessary to turn the crank 37 back again into its original position, whereby the cam 29 will again press the rack into gear 'withthe worm in opposition to the force of the spring 42 and hold it firmly engaged as long as desired. In Fig. 3 a-modified construction of these parts is shown. The rack 20 is formed with aslot concentric to the pitch-line of its teeth, the cam 29 being given the form of an eccentric or crank pin extending from the end of the shaft carrying the hand-crank 37 and playingin the said slot, the rack being hinged to the rear end of the breech piece in the same manner as in Fig. ,1, but" without the spring 42, which is omitted, as it is rendered superfluous by the action of the pin, which presses against one side or the other of the slot in the rack, according to the direction in which the crank 37 .isturned, thus acting to positively move the'rack into or out of gear with the worm 21, and to hold it firmly in the required position. This training mechanism may of course be attached and used with common-formsof guns, but provided with the shoulder-piece, and the worm 21 might have substituted for it adirect-acting pinion.

As ordinarily constructed, the discharge of the cannon is efi'ected by the continued turning of the crank 73, that is fixed on the outer extremity of the shaft 33, whereby also all the also working the loading and firing mechanism, cannot well be performed by one and the same operator, though if these improvements are applied to a gun of small caliber designed ,ol" .crank shown in said patent will be adopted. This or any other machine-gun requiring more than one person to manipulate it is provided with a peculiar discharging device now to be described, whereby the pointer of the gun may avail himself of the help of other men in eleother parts of the mechanism of the piece are "to be operated by one person the arrangement IUO vating, depressing, or working the gun, and

at the same time control their movements and determine the discharge of the gun. This is effected by the aid of a trigger so connected with and rel ated to the mechanisms that it will operate to arrest the movements accomplished by the supern merary aid, and also determine the discharge of thegun. T

Machine-guns as heretofore constructed to be operated by two men, one of which effects the pointing while the other turns the crank which operates the loading and firing mechanism, have operated defcctively, because from this combined operation it resulted that the firing of the piece did not always take place at exactly the moment desired, or when the gun was properly trained, for the reason that the discharge could not be snfliciently controlled by the pointer. This ditficulty is obviated in these improvements by an arrangement whereby the pointing or training and the tiring of the gun are accomplished by one man, while the second man imparts only the motive power to work the internal mechanisms of the gun. In accomplishing this the parts are so arranged that the rotation of the crank 73 simply operates the loading of the barrels, rotates the same, extracts the exploded shells, and elfects the backward movement of the tiring-pin to what may be termed its cocked position.- \Vhen dnrin g each revolution of the shaft 33 the mechanisms arrive in such position that the further turning of the crank 65 would allow the arm 90f the triggerto escape from the high part of the cam 41, and thus dischargethe gun, such movement is rendered impossible until the gun is properly trained and pointed-that is to say, the release of the tiring-pin is brought within the control ofthe pointer by the provision of atrigger and sear,

' 7, corresponding in action to the trigger and sear ofa rifle, that may be tripped by a slight movement ofthe finger of the pointer. To obtain this result there is arranged under the rear of the breech-piece a handle, 59, which may be tormed more or less in shape of a a pistol-grip, and which carries, in a manner somewhat corresponding to the arrangement of a pistol or rifle, a trigger, 8, preferably protected by a trigger-guard, as shown, and to the front end of which the trigger 8 is pivoted.

The sear 7 of this trigger extends upward through arhole formed in the body of the breech-piece of the cannon, and said trigger is-provided with a spring, 3, pressing against a tail-piece formed on the trigger, whereby theextremity of the trigger or its scan 7 is constantly projected upward. This pistol grip ofhandle 59 may be arranged so that the t igger may controlthe forward movement of t'he flring pin in either of the following ways: The trigger may project into the canal which acts asv aguide for the firing-pin, and there rise in front of the lower face of the arm 9 of the firing pin or enter a recess formed in the body of said pin, the spring3 and the beveled upper end of the trigger admitting of this being accomplished as the firingpin moves rearward, and in order that no further rotation of the crank can take place when the firing-pin is cooked until after it is tripped.

The arm 9 of the firing-pin, which is acted upon by the cam 41, is provided with a small projection, 1, extending laterally toward the surface of the worm 32, and on the side of the stock carryingthe worm-32 a SBOOIldFlllflll projection or stop, 11, is provided in such a position that when the firing-pin ismoved backward to its full extent by the cam 41 the projectionl on the finger-pin and the projection 11 on the worm-stock will so be related that anyattempt to turn the shaft 33, and consequently the cams 41 and worm 32, still further will cause the stop 11 to strike against the projection 1 on the arm 9 of the firing-pin 22, and thus arrest the further rota tion of the shaft 33 and leave the firing-pin cocked. I

The operation of this mechanism is as follows: Supposingthe tiring-pin to be in the forward position, having struck and ignited a cartridge in the barrel presented in position, the shaft 33 being now turned by the gunner or by an assistant by means of the crank 73,

the revolution of this shaft will cause the firing pin 22 to be forced backward by the cam 41 actin g on its arm 9, and at the same time the worm 32 will cause the barrels to revolve, so as to present a charged barrel to the action of the firing pin, all in the ordinary manner, as is set forth in said patent; but during the backward movement of the firing-pin the lower part of its arm 9, near the rear end, which serves as a guide, also acts on the inclined face of the sear 7 of the trigger, and thus pushes the same downward in opposition to the force of the spring 3, At the end of the backward stroke of the firing-pin, or when one revolution of the shaft 33 is nearly completed, the head of the trigger, being liberated by the arm 9 passing beyond it, rises in front of said arm of the tiring-pin, and thus acts to retain the latter in itsrearward position, even when on further turning the shaft 33 the high part of the cam 41 leaves the end of the arm 9 of the firing-pin. At this moment, when the cam 41 ceases to bear upon the arm 9, the lateral projection 11, formed on the worm-stock, strikes against the correspondingprojection, 1 on the arm 9 of the tiring-pin, and thus prevents the further rotation of the shaft 33. Under these conditions the firing-pin is what may be termed cocked, and the gunner, ifhe has not previously done so, has now full time to point his piece, and can thereupon, without causing the slightest disturbance by bringing any heavy parts of the mechanism into motion, discharge the charged barrel at any desired moment by a slight pressure with his finger exerted 'on the trigger 8, whereby the sear is pulled downward, thus liberating the firing-pin, which flies forward with the force imparted to it by its spring 25 in the usual manner to effect the discharge of the cartridge or shell. At this forward motion of the firing-pin the projection l on its arm 9 slides from over the stop 11, formed on the side face of the worm-stock, thus liberating the arm 9 and leaving the parts free to be operated again in the manner described by a new revolution of the shaft 33.

In order to facilitate the release of the firingpin 22, the upper surface of the stop 11 and the under surface of the projection 1 on the arm 9 are slightly beveled. a

The pistol-grip, its trigger, and sear may be arranged as is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5. In this arrangement the sear 7 projects through the under side of one bearing of the shaft 33, and coacts with a cam-shaped surface of the same, as is shown. This will of course slispend the rotation of theishaft 33 at a proper point to cause the cam 41 to hold the arm 9 of the firing-pin suspended,:on the verge of being tripped,from oif'the high part of said oem, as in Fig. 4. Upon tripping the trigger 8 its sear 7 will be withdrawn from the shaft 33, and aslight rotative movementof the crank 73 will cause the discharge ofthe gun in the usual manner, as explained in said patent. If

. arranged to produce exa'ctly lie.same resultviz., making the striking motion of the firingpin independent from the general mechanism .and placing it entirely under the direct control of-the gunner by meansofa trigger or its equivalent-it is to be understood that this part of the invention is not limited to 'the'exact means shown and described. 7

' Hcretofore the numbers on the sights of all kinds of fire-arms have been produced thereon by means of engraving the same in or through the metal. This method must be considered as very defective, insomnch that such engraved numbers are' under some circumstances, especially at night, diificult to read, and often become by some accident or atmosphericinfluences absolutely illegible. These engraved sigh ts are,therefore replaced by novel ones which arc formed of a thin plate of metal, 52, enameled .in a bright color, preferably .white,and on which the letters orother marks are written, also in enamel, but of a color havinga strong contrast with the ground color. When the ground is, for instance, white, the marks will by preference be black; but it is evident that any other colors may be used with nearly equally good results. These sights arenot only much more plainly visible when new, but they are also very durable, and can under no ordinary conditions lose their superior qualities. ,VVhat I claim is,

1. A shoulder-piece for attachmentdo guns to aid in training the same, consisting of an 1 upper arm having a shoulder and breast hearing, and a lower arm provided with one or more handles, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a cannon or similar gun provided with a shoulder-piece for training it, of a segment-rack attached to the rear part of the gun, and a worm, and means 'for rotating it, the latter being carried by an arm fixed on a support which participates in the horizontal movement of the gun, but is not aifected by its vertical movement, all snbstantially as described.

' 3. The combination, with a cannonorsimilar gnn,its carriage, and shoulder-piece, of a segment-rack, as 20, a worm-wheel, as 21, worm-' wheel 6, and a worm, 18, carried by an operating-shaft, 19, extending rearward under the breech, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination, with a cannon or similar gun and its carriage, of an elevating and depressing mechanism consisting of a segmentrack depending from the breech, a-worm or similar driving-wheel co-operating'with said rack, and means, substantially as described, for engaging 'and disengaging said rack and driving-wheel.

, 5. The combination, with acaunon or similar the same;.and a cam, as 29, operating to hold said rack and wheel engaged, or to admit of their disengagement, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the operating mechanism-in a machiuefgun, of an independent trigger, arranged, substantially as, de-

scribed, to arrest the movement of the operating mechanism and control the firing action. 7. The combination, with a cannon mounted Ioo upon trunnions, of a shoulder-piece and a. me-

chanical elevating mechanism constructed to 8. Thecombination, with a revolving cannon or other systemi of machine-gun, of a trigger arranged and operatingsubstantiallyas shown and described, whereby the discharging movement of the firing-pin is controlled, independ ently ol' the cooking action thereof, through be thrown into and out of operation, all substantially as described.

IIO

the ordinary movements of the gun mechanism.

9. The trigger operating to arrest and liberate the firing-pin, in' combination with-the projection Lon the firing-pin, arm '9, and the:

stop '11 on thelface'of the worm-stock, whereby the continuance of the revolution (of the shaft 33 is prevented Whenthe gun is cooked,

substantiallyas described-.. I,

10. The combination, with a pivoted cannon, or similar gun having a shoulder-piece at one side of the breech thereof, of a handle or hand grip or grasp at the other side of the breech, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. a 7. B. B. HOTCHKISS, In presence ofg Ron'r. M. Hoornn, EDWIN Acosrmv.

Images