Utilizing a weapons port which uses a single penetration

A blast shield, comprising:

• a panel;
• and
• a weapons port coupled with the panel, the weapons port including:
• a door plate constructed and arranged to control access to a weapons port opening in a panel,
• a handle, and
• hardware constructed and arranged to couple the door plate with the handle and extend through a single penetration in the panel, the single penetration being adjacent to and separate from the weapons port opening in the panel;
• wherein the panel extends along a plane;
• wherein the hardware includes:
• a threaded member which is constructed and arranged to extend through the single penetration to reside in a perpendicular orientation relative to the plane while mechanically linking the door plate with the handle;
• and
• a series of washers and nuts which installs on the threaded member to maintain the threaded member in place relative to the panel while holding the door plate and the handle at a fixed angular displacement relative to each other;
• and
• wherein the series of washers and nuts includes:
• a set of springs constructed and arranged to impose axial force on the threaded member relative to the panel when the set of springs is installed on the threaded member.

Weapons port, comprising:

• a door plate constructed and arranged to control access to a weapons port opening in a panel;
• a handle;
• and
• hardware constructed and arranged to couple the door plate with the handle and extend through a single penetration in the panel, the single penetration being adjacent to and separate from the weapons port opening in the panel;
• wherein the panel extends along a plane;
• wherein the hardware includes:
• a threaded member which is constructed and arranged to extend through the single penetration to reside in a perpendicular orientation relative to the plane while mechanically linking the door plate with the handle;
• and
• a series of washers and nuts which installs on the threaded member to maintain the threaded member in place relative to the panel while holding the door plate and the handle at a fixed angular displacement relative to each other;
• and
• wherein the threaded member is a carriage bolt which defines a head, a threaded portion, and a square section disposed between the head and the threaded portion.