Cycle firing rate reducing assembly for automatic weapons
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorGeorge L. Reynolds
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for reducing the cyclic firing rate of automatic wens by providing a rate reducing assembly which transmits a portion of the linear recoil and counterrecoil forces of the weapon bolt carrier through a cam follower to rotate a receiver carried inertia drum having a helically curved cam groove.
Claims6
In an automatic weapon system having a gun tube with recoil and counterrecoil cycles and a linearly movable bolt carrier, the improvement comprising:
- a rotatable drum having a curved cam surface,
- cam follower means carried by the bolt carrier for tracking in said cam surface of the drum to sequentially rotate the drum in opposite directions and dissipate thereby energy generated by the bolt carrier during recoil and counterrecoil movements of the bolt carrier, and,
- means for storing recoil energy of the bolt carrier to initiate counterrecoil movement of the bolt carriage,
- said cam surface including a straight portion adjacent the muzzle end of the weapon system gun tube and a helically curved portion adjacent to the breech end of the system.
In an automatic weapon system having a gun tube with recoil and counterrecoil cycles and a linearly reciprocal bolt carrier, the improvement comprising:
- a rate reducer housing mounted to said system coaxially with said gun tube and said bolt carrier,
- a bolt carrier extension carried in said housing for linear movement with said bolt carrier,
- an inertia drum coaxial with said bolt carrier and rotatably mounted in said housing and circumscribing said bolt carrier extension
- a peripheral cam groove in the drum having a straight portion communicating with a helically curved portion adjacent to the breech oriented end of the housing and circumscribing a portion of the circumference of the drum,
- a cam follower roller carried by the bolt carrier extension for riding in the cam groove to rotate the drum and dissipate energy generated by recoil of the bolt carrier,
- a recoil spring in said housing circumscribing said drum and bottomed at one end against an end shoulder of said bolt carrier extension,
- a spring guide extending through said spring and having an enlarged end adjacent to the breech end of the housing,
- an end cap closing the breech end of the housing, and
- buffer means in said housing in engagement with the enlarged head of said spring guide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.