Machine gun with raisable cartridge feeder cover

Feb. 4, 1969

H. MENNEKING

3,425,317

MACHINE GUN WITH RAISABLE CARTRIDGE FEEDER COVER

Filed Sept. 25, 1967

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Feb. 4, 1969 h. menneking 3,425,317

MACHINE GUN WITH RAISABLE CARTRIDGE FEEDER COVER Filed Sept. 25, 1967 Sheet 2 _Of 5 fy'g.2

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Feb. 4, 1969 h. menneking 3,425,317

MACHINE GUN WITH RAISABLE CARTRIDGE FEEDER COVER Filed Sept. 25, 1967 Sheet 3 _{of 5}

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Inventor:

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Feb. 4, 1969

H. MENNEKING

3,425,317

MACHINE GUN WITH RAISABLE CARTRIDGE FEEDER COVER

Filed Sept. 25, 1967

Sheet 4 of 5

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Inventor:

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Feb. 4, 1969 h. menneking 3,425,317

MACHINE GUN WITH RAISABLE CARTRIDGE FEEDER COVER

Filed Sept. 25, 1967 Sheet of &amp;

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United States Patent Office

3,425,317

Patented Feb. 4, 1969

425 317 MACHINE GUN WITH RAISABLE CARTRIDGE FEEDER COVER

Hartmut Menneking, Dusseldorf, Germany, assignor to Firma Rheinmetall G.m.b.H., Dusseldorf, Germany 5 Filed Sept. 25,1967, Ser. No. 670,266

Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 27,1966,

R 44,209

U.S. Cl. 89—33 8 Claims

Int. a. F41d 9/00; F41c 25/00 ..

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A machine gun, which comprises a cartridge feed and a feeder cover masking the cartridge feed. Pivot means 15 are provided for hingedly securing the feeder cover to the machine gun, which pivot means includes a locking device for securing the feeder cover in any one of a plurality of positions.

The present invention relates to machine guns with raisable cartridge feeder covers masking the cartridge feed and which are pivoted at one end to the weapon in hinge fashion. 25

In machine guns, the feeder cover is generally so pivoted in hinge fashion to the top of the weapon in front of the cartridge feed, that in order to remain in the open position, for example, when a fresh ammunition belt is inserted in the weapon, it must be swung forwardly 30 through an angle of more than 90° with respect to the weapon. For the cover to remain in this open position, however, it is necessary to bring the weapon into an almost horizontal position beforehand, otherwise there is a danger that the cover will swing to unintentionally and 35 close.

It is apparent that this is often found to be a hindrance, in particular, when it is of essence to effect a change of ammunition in the shortest possible time, whereby the bolt present in the weapon is to be removed and replaced ⁴⁰by another belt with the required type of ammunition.

It is one object of the present invention to provide machine guns with raisable cartridge feeder covers, which simplifies the manipulation of the weapon, removal and/ or insertion of an ammunition belt. ^4S

It is another object of the present invention to provide machine guns with raisable cartridge feeder covers, wherein a locking or braking device is arranged on the pivot of the feeder cover which device secures the cover in any one of a plurality of predetermined positions or in any desired position within its range of movement.

It is already known, in the case of an automatic cannon likewise equipped with a raisable feeder cover, to hold the cover in an open position by means of a jointed .. support disposed within the range of opening of the cover between the latter and the weapon casing. This support allows only a small angle of opening for the cover, this angle being sufficient, however, for a belt to be inserted. In this case, however, the belt must be passed through „ between the jointed support and the cover pivot and this is again a great hindrance when a rapid belt change is to be made.

In a machine gun embodying the present invention of the feeder cover, it is possible to bring the cover into a desired open position and to retain the cover in this open ⁸⁸position, in any position of the weapon, without requiring any supporting devices between the rear end of the cover and the weapon.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide machine guns with raisable cartridge feeder covers, ⁷⁰wherein in a preferred embodiment of the present inven2 tion, the locking or braking device is designed as a multiple-disc brake having a plurality of brake discs or laminations arranged coaxially side-by-side and subjected to resilient pressure means, preferably the pressure of a cupspring arrangement.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide machine guns with raisable cartridge feeder covers, wherein in another embodiment of the present invention the locking device may comprise at least two gear pitches meshing with one another, one of which is formed on or mounted on the cover eye, while the other is disposed on a lever member or the like of the weapon itself, whereby the two gear pitches are urged against each other by a resilient pressure means, preferably also a cup spring arrangement.

The structure embodying the present invention has the advantage, that the cover can now be opened in any desired position of the weapon and also remains safely in that open position, for example at an acute angle of about 60° with respect to the weapon, so that an ammunition belt can be removed or inserted without any hindrance. Apart from the locking or braking device on the cover hinge, no other parts are required. This arrangement has the further advantage, that the weapon can remain as substantially completely unchanged structure, i.e., except for the cover eye. This has the additional advantage that the feeder cover of machine guns which are already in use can be provided with the cover mounting embodying the present invention in simple and economic manner, without other modifications in the weapon itself being necessary. Instead of the cover eye heretofore employed, simply a new cover eye with the locking device provided thereon is provided.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a part of a machine gun with the feeder cover in open position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation, on a larger scale, and partly in section, of a feeder cover with a disctype locking or braking device on the cover eye and hinge;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation, partly in section, in the direction of the arrow A of FIG. 2, again on a larger scale;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of another embodiment of a feeder cover comprising two mutually engaging gear pitches on the cover eye and hinge;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation, partly in section, in the direction of the arrow B of FIG. 4, on the same scale as shown in FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are detail views of parts of the embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 4 and 5, which comprise the meshing gear pitches, likewise partly in section and on a larger scale.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, the machine gun 1 comprises a cartridge feed 2, consisting of a lower feed member 3 and a feeder mechanism 4 with a plurality of reciprocating claws, is masked by a cover 5. The latter is pivoted in hinge fashion at its front end 6 to the machine gun or weapon 1. A so-called cover pin 8 is passed through a cover eye 7 (FIGS. 2 to 5) and forms the pivot of the cover 5.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 to 5 of the drawings, the cover eye 7 is generally forked and has two arms or sides 7α and lb which, in the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 2 and 3, are interconnected by an integral crossmember 7c.

In the embodiment of the present invention disclosed in FIGS. 2 and 3, a set or bundle of brake discs 10 com3.425.317 prising a plurality of brake discs 11 and 12, a lever member 13 having an angularly bent arm 13α and, for example, two sets of cup springs 14 mounted on opposite sides of the set of discs 10 and of the lever member 13 are disposed between the two arms 7α and 7 b of the cover eye 7 on a cylindrical bushing 9. The individual brake discs 11 and 12 are alternately secured against rotation by means of radial projections 11α and 12α (FIG. 2) received in a recess 15 of the cross-member 7c of the cover eye 7 and in a recess or slot 16 of the angularly bent arm 13α of the lever member 13. The cylindrical bushing 9 is flanged at its two ends 9α and 9b, so that the entire brake disc arrangement is connected in a non-detachable manner to the cover eye 7. The inner diameter of the cylindrical bushing 9 complements the outer diameter of the cover pin 8. In the assembled state, the cover eye 7 is retained by the cover pin 8, which is passed through hinge parts 17 of the weapon and through the cylindical bushing 9 of the cover eye 7. The lever member 13 interengages, by means of its angularly bent arm 13α, thereby a groove 18, provided in the weapon casing 1', so that the lever member 13 and, thereby, the brake discs 12 are secured against rotation.

Referring now again to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS 4 to 8, a locking device, comprising two mutually engaging gear pitches 20 and 21, is provided instead of the brake discs. The gear pitches 20 and 21 are located in the first case on one inner face 22 of the forked cover eye 7 and in the second case on a lever member 23 which is arranged, together with a cup spring arrangement 24, on a cylindrical bushing 9 passed transversely through the cover eye 7. The gear pitches 20 and 21 are designed such, for example, that on the cover eye cover 7 there are disposed star-like cavities 20α, into which the lever member 23 projects with complementary projections 21α. The gear pitch can be arranged such that, for example, three, four or five different cover positions, including the closed position of the cover, are possible. The cup spring arrangement 24 is dimensioned such, that it secures the cover 5 in each of the positions determined by the gear pitches 20 and 21, but, on the other hand, also readily permits a passing-by of the gear pitches, upon adjusting the cover 5. The cylindrical bushing 9 is likewise flanged at its two ends 9α and 9b in this construction and the lever member 23 penetrates with its lower shoe-like widened end 23α into the groove 18 provided in the weapon.