Ammunition-jacket.

Application filed July 25,1904,

Serial No. 218,165. (No model.''

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Joseph W. Righton, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lenoxdale, in the county of Berkshire, State of 5 Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ammunition-Jackets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in io the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to ammunition-jackets; and it has for its object to provide a jacket which may be easily and quickly applied and 15 removed and in which the carrying portion or skirt of the coat or jacket may be readily shifted, so as to bring to the front the filled portions of the belts.

A further object of the invention is to pro20 vide a jacket which will hold a maximum quantity of ammunition with convenience, other objects and advantages of the invention being understood from the following description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is an elevation showing the jacket in use. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation show30 ing the ends of the track and of the hangerstrap disconnected. Fig. 3 is an end view of the track and the hanger-strap with the adjacent portions of the body and skirt of the jacket, the flap being raised and the securing35 buckles being shown. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the opposite ends of the track and strap with the adjacent parts. Fig. δ is a perspective view of the end portion of the track at the leftside of the jacket.

4° Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the wheeled hangers and a portion of the strap attached thereto. Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken through a portion of the front of the jacket and including the track, a hanger, the 45 hanger-strap, and portions of the body and skirt of the jacket, together with the looped belts carried by the skirt.. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section through a portion of the skirt and one of the belts.

Referring now to the drawings, the present 50 jacket comprises an upper or body portion 10, having the usual sleeves 11, and which body portion is of a length to reach only slightly below the arms of the wearer. In connection : with the body 10 of the jacket there is em- 55 ployed a skirt 11', which is hung from the body in the manner hereinafter described and which forms, in connection with the body, a complete coat or jacket of the usual length. Both the body and skirt of the jacket are pro- 60 vided with buttons 13 for fastening them in closed position.

The skirt 11' of the jacket is provided with a vertical series of belts, which in the present instance are three in number and are illus- 65 trated at 13, 14, and 15, these belts being looped or folded each upon itself to form major loops, each of which is divided by a vertical line of stitching 17 to form separate loops 18 and 19, so that each belt holds a double 7° line of ammunition when all of the loops are filled.

In the use of a jacket of this kind it is essential that some provision be made to permit of shifting the skirt around the body of 75 the wearer, so that the emptied loops may be passed to the rear and new loops containing ammunition be brought up in place for use. For this purpose a track is secured at the lower edge of the body portion, and wheeled 80 hangers are secured at the upper edge of the skirt and engage the track. The track consists of a strap 20, which is secured against the outer face of the body portion of the jacket, adjacent to the lower edge thereof, and 85 extends entirely around the jacket. Against the outer face of the strap are riveted short plates 21, which are arranged sufficiently far apart to permit of bending the strap 20. The upper and lower edge portions of each of the 90 plates are bent over and into spaced relation to the middle or body portion of the plate, so that the several plates form upper and lower guides for wheeled hangers hereinafter described. Secured to one end of the strap 20 95 is a plate 25, which is bent upon itself at its upper and lower edges and which receives also the opposite end of the strap 20, the riv775,149 ets with which the enclmost plates of said opposite end portion of the strap are secured to the strap being received between the edges of the turned-over portions of the plate 25, 5 said rivets between said opposite end portion of the strap and the body portion of the jacket being received in the longitudinal slot 26 of the plate 25 when the ends of the strap are brought together to touch. By this means ¹ o the ends of the strap are held against lateral and vertical displacement and with the endmost plates 21 in contact. To hold the plates and the ends of the strap 20 from pulling apart, tab-straps 27 are secured to the front 15 of the body portion 10 of the jacket at one side and buckles 28 are secured to the jacket at the opposite side for engagement with the tab-straps.

At the upper edge of the skirt 11' of the 20 jacket is secured a strap 30, which may be called the “hanger-strap,” for the reason that to it are connected the stems 31 of a series of . hangers, each of these hangers comprising a metal plate, the lower or stem portion 31 of 25 which is secured by rivets against the front face of the strap 30, while the upper portions of said plates are bent inwardly over the upper edge of the strap 30, as shown at 32, and then upwardly, as shown at 33, the portions 33 30 having engaged therewith the shafts or pivots. 34 of wheels 35, the upper and lower portions of which engage in the turned-over portions or guide-grooves of the plates 21. At one end of the strap 30 is a plate 36, which 35 extends over the rear face of the strap and the upper and lower edges thereof part way over the front face to form a boxing which projects from the end of the strap and in which is removably received the opposite end 4° of the strap to hold said end portion in alinement. Attached to the skirt of the jacket is a tab-strap 38, which engages a buckle 39 to hold the skirt with the ends of the strap 30 together. The skirt is also provided with 45 buttons 40 to hold the front of it closed.

A waist-belt 41 is connected with the body of the jacket by means of straps 42 and serve to hold the body of the jacket against dis•lodgment when the skirt is shifted rotatably, 50 so that the wheeled hangers are caused to traverse the track or supporting-plates. A flap 44 is secured against the outer face of the body of the jacket above the strap 20 and hangs down over the strap 30 to protect it.

With the present construction it will be seen that when the jacket is in place the skirt or carrying portion thereof may be shifted readily to bring the filled ammunition-carrying loops to the front, notwithstanding the 60 weight of the ammunition, and that, furthermore, the entire garment has such flexibility as not to materially interfere with the movements of the person wearing it.