US1295688A - Biped rest for firearms. - Google Patents

Description

J. S. BUTLER. 'BIPED REST FOR FIHEARMS.v APPLICATION FILED '1 /m16. i919 11,295,688; .Patented Feb.25,1919.

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i J BUTLER, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

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,'ispecication of Letters Patent. Fb, 25, 1919,

.application inea January 1s, 1919. serial Nofanssi.

(FILED UNDER THE ACT 0F MARGH 3, 1883, 22 STAT. L., 625.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. BUTLER, a citizen of the United States, captain in the Ordnance Department, stationed at Washington, D. C., have invented an Improvement in Biped Rests for Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any of its oficers or' employees in prosecution of w'ork for the Government, or by any other pern son in the United States, without payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in supports for iire arms and refers more particularly to biped rests for machine rifles.

It will be understood that supporting rests for the forward end of machine riies are desirable for use when the operator of the gun is firing from a prone position, the 'rear of the gun being supported on the shoulder of the gunner in the usual manner.

The principal lobject of the invention is tov provide a simple and inexpensive device of the foregoing character, which may be detachably fixed to the barrel of a machine rie, or similar fire arm, and which may be readily and compactly folded against the gun when not in use or speedily unfolded for use when desired, the device being constructed so that the additional weight thereof will not add materially to the weight of the n.

Wgitlh the foregoing and other important objects in View, my invention comprises the new and useful details of construction and arrangement which will be fully described herein, illustrated in the annexed drawings, and pointed out more specifically in the appended claims.

In 4the --accompanying drawings, wherein the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, like reference characters refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a machine rifle with my biped rest ath tached thereto in its folded position.

' Fig. 2 is a front elevation of my biped in its unfolded or operating position.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my invention, also shown in the 'unfolded position.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the folded device detached from the gun barrel.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that I have provided my device with a clamping head 5 adapted to rece-ive the barrel of the machine rifle A, a co-acting clamp plate 6 being hinged to the head at 7 to secure the barrel in place. Plate 6 is provided with a pivoted bolt 8 adapted to enter between bifurcations 9 carried on lip 10 of the head and a wing nut l1 is provided on bolt 8 to ldraw the plate 6 firmly against the gun barrel in an obvious manner.

Clamping head 5 is centrally and vertically pivoted by means of a pin 12 to an inverted U-shaped traverse bracket 18, which in turn is transversely pivoted by pin 14 between a pair of 11p-standing ears l5 provided on central bracket 16. A coil spring 17 is mounted about pin 14, one end thereof seating against the rear edge of the bracket 16 and the other end seating against the rear edge of the traverse bracket 13 in position to normally force the central bracket into the unfolded position shown in The ears of the traverse bracket are provided with stops 18 formed integral therewith in position to engage the upper face of the central bracket when the central bracket has Vbeen swung by spring 17 to the vertical or unfolded position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and in full lines in Fig. 8.

Central bracket 16 is provided with spaced apart transverse iianges 20 between which are pivoted at 22 a pair of normally diverging supporting legs 21. Legs 2l. are preferably formed of channel material with the anges directed inwardly, and are adapted in their open position to be swung out ward at the bottom to support the gun laterally. Stop bridges 23 are formed on the.

flanges 20 to engage the legs to limit the spread thereof. A longitudinally extending pin 24 is provided between flanges 20 about which a coil spring 25 is carried, the ends thereof being positioned to normally actuate the legs to the spread position.

Feet are provided on legs 21 by turning outwardly the elements of the channel to form substanially T-shaped rests 26 in posi tion to prevent the device from settling into soft ground and a pointed metal center 27 is riveted in each of the channels to prevent slipping.

In order to bring my device into the folded position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the legs 21 and central bracket 16 are folded rearwardly about hinge pin 14 against the actuation of spring 17. The legs are likewise drawn together about pivoting pins 22, against the normal spreading action of spring 25. As a means for engaging the legs in the compressed position and at the same time to hold the folded legs and central bracket in the desired position adjacent to,

and parallel with, the gun barrel, I provide a rearward extension 29 on the base of head 5 having a pair of spaced-apart downwardly extending keepers thereon in position to receive the folded and compressed legs when inserted therebetween by the operator. Inturned flanges 3.1 on the keepers prevent the legs from swinging downward therefrom, thev s ring 25 between the legs normally sprea ing the legs to the .locked position against the keepers.

In actual operation, it has been foimd desirable to limit the amount of traverse movement attainable by the rotation of clamp head 5 on pivotingI pin l2. To this end, a downturned flange 28 is provided on the forward edge of the base of the clamp head in position to' engage the corners of the traverse bracket 13 as the clamp head and gun are rotated laterally, thus to limit the i traverse movement of the gun.

From this description, it willbe readily 4seen that I have provided a simple'and inexpensive biped for machine rifles, which may be detachably fixed to the lbarrel of a fire arm, and which may be lcompactly folded against the gun or rapidly unfolded for speedy use when desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1.` In a rest for fire arms, a clamp engageable with a gun barrel, a transversely hinged bracket carried by the clamp, a pair of normally diverging legs pivoted to said bracket, and a locking device carried by the clamp in position to engage the legs when compressed and folded.

2. In a rest fon fire arms, a clamp engageable with a gun barrel, a transversely inged bracket carried by the clamp, a pair of legs pivoted te said bracket, spring means carried by the legs and bracket to normally spread the legs laterally, and a locking device carried by the clamp in position to engage the legs when compressed and folded.

3. In a restl for fire arms, a clamp engageable with a gun barrel, an inverted U- shaped traverse bracket vertically pivoted to said clamp, a transversely hinged bracket carried by the traverse bracket, a pair of normally diverging legs longitudinally pivoted to the hinged bracket, and a locking device carried by the clamp in position to engage the legs when compressed and folded.

4. In a rest for re arms, a clamp engageable with a gun barrel, an inverted U- shaped traverse bracket vertically pivoted to said clamp, a stop on said clamp positioned to limit the rotation of the traverse bracket, a transversely hinged bracket carried by the traverse bracket, a pair of normally diverging legs pivoted to the hinged bracket, and a locking device carried by the clamp in position to engage the legs when compressed and folded.

5. In a rest for tire arms, a clamp engageable with the gun barrel, a transversely hinged bracket carried by the clamp, spring means between the clamp and bracket normally actuating the bracket to the unfolded position, a pair of normally diverging legs pivoted to said bracket, and alocking olevice carried by the clamp in position to engage the .legs when compressed and folded.

6. In a rest for lire arms, a clamp engageable with the gun barrel, an inverted U- shaped traverse bracket vertically pivoted to said clamp, a transversely hinged bracket carried by the traverse bracket, spring means between the traverse bracket and the hinged bracket normally actuating 'the bracket to the unfolded position, a pair of normally diverging legs pivoted to said hinged bracket and a locking device carried by the clamp for engaging the legs when compressed and folded.

7. In a rest for lire arms a clamp engageable With the gun barrel, an inverted U- shaped traverse bracket vertically pivoted to said clamp, a transversely hinged bracket carried by the traverse bracket, spring means between the traverse bracket and the hinged bracket normally actuating the hinged` bracket to the unfolded position, stops on said traverse bracket in position to limit the travel of the hinged bracket about its hinge pin, a pair of normally diverging legs pivoted to said hinged bracket, and a locking device carried by the clamp in position to engage the legs when compressed and folded.

8. In a rest for fire arms, a clamp engageable with the' gun barrel, a transversely hinged bracket carried by the clamp, a pair of legs pivoted to said bracket, spring means carried by the legs and bracket in position to normally spread the legs laterally, stops on said bracket limiting the divergence of said legs, and a locking device carried by the clamp for engaging the legs when compressed and folded.

JOI-IN BUTLER.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of lPatents,

` Washington, D. C.

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