US3580130A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Bullet trap attachment for machine guns
Assignee: United States Department of the Army
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Filing: 1969-09-29
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Granted: 1971-05-25
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Expires: 1989-09-29
Abstract
Abstract The safe trapping of one or more bullets fired from a Gatlingtype machine gun is accomplished by an attachment releasably secured to the muzzle end of the barrel cluster and provided with an interior chamber containing an elastomeric material at the rear end thereof capable of being penetrated by those bullets existing from the barrels and immediately recovering thereafter to seal any discharge gases then in the chamber, the forward wall of the chamber forming an impact surface against which the forward velocity of each bullet is terminated by the shattering thereof into discrete particles.
Inventors
- 👤 Paul W Arvidson
- 👤 William G Park
- 👤 Keith S Williams
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 15:41
CPC Classifications
F; F41; F41J; F41J13/00; F41A; F41A17/00; F41A17/44; F41A21/00; F41A21/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
87 words
A gun barrel attachment for trapping a bullet upon emergence from the barrel, comprising: a housing; a ring of elastomeric material disposed in said housing in position to be traversed by the bullet, the elastomeric material having the characteristic of recovering rapidly from applied deformation to close the opening formed by the traverse of the bullet therethrough; an impact surface disposed within said housing forwardly of said elastomeric ring for shattering the bullet into discrete particles; and means adjacent said impact surface for trapping the bullet particles.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
87 words
A gun barrel attachment for trapping a bullet upon emergence from the barrel, comprising: a housing; a ring of elastomeric material disposed in said housing in position to be traversed by the bullet, the elastomeric material having the characteristic of recovering rapidly from applied deformation to close the opening formed by the traverse of the bullet therethrough; an impact surface disposed within said housing forwardly of said elastomeric ring for shattering the bullet into discrete particles; and means adjacent said impact surface for trapping the bullet particles.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said means for trapping the bullet particles comprises a forwardly extending conically shaped annular recess opening into a rearwardly disposed annular recess of larger volume.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
129 words
A bullet trapping attachment for a multibarrel gun comprising: a housing releasably mounted to the muzzle ends of the barrels; a ring of elastomeric material seated in said housing in position to be traversed by a bullet emerging from at least one of the barrels, the elastomeric material having the characteristic of recovering rapidly from applied deformation to close the opening formed by the traverse of the bullet therethrough against the reentry of the discharge gases which accompany the bullet; an angular surface annularly formed in said housing forwardly of said elastomeric ring and coextensive therewith for deflecting a bullet upon impact therewith; an arcuate surface adjacent said angular surface for shattering the deflected bullet into a plurality of discrete particles; and chamber means for trapping the discrete particles.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
129 words
A bullet trapping attachment for a multibarrel gun comprising: a housing releasably mounted to the muzzle ends of the barrels; a ring of elastomeric material seated in said housing in position to be traversed by a bullet emerging from at least one of the barrels, the elastomeric material having the characteristic of recovering rapidly from applied deformation to close the opening formed by the traverse of the bullet therethrough against the reentry of the discharge gases which accompany the bullet; an angular surface annularly formed in said housing forwardly of said elastomeric ring and coextensive therewith for deflecting a bullet upon impact therewith; an arcuate surface adjacent said angular surface for shattering the deflected bullet into a plurality of discrete particles; and chamber means for trapping the discrete particles.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said angular impact surface is separated from said elastomeric ring by an annular groove and said chamber means includes said annular groove.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
55 words
The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said angular impact surface is formed by the outer wall surface of a forwardly extending conically shaped annular recess and said chamber means for trapping the discrete particles includes said conical recess and an annular groove of cylindrical configuration disposed rearwardly of and adjacent to said conical recess.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
The combination defined in claim 5 including an annular rounded bulge disposed at the junction of said conical recess and said cylindrical annular groove for swirling the flow of the discharge gases during the entry thereof into said conical recess thereby to distribute the bullet particles throughout said conical recess and said cylindrical groove.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
116 words
The combination defined in claim 3 wherein the barrels are retained in a unitary cluster by a plurality of longitudinally spaced clamping plates and said housing is releasably secured to the barrels by means comprising; an insert fixed in the forward end of said housing in engagement with the muzzle ends of the barrels; a pair of oppositely disposed retaining pins extending into the interior of said housing at the rear end thereof to pass between adjacent barrels in contact with the rear face of one of said clamping plates; and resilient detent means on the ends of said retaining pins engageable with the interior surface of said housing to prevent premature withdrawal of said pins.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
86 words
The combination defined in claim 7 wherein said insert is counterbored in the area of engagement with the muzzle ends of the barrels to accept the larger diameter front ends of any flash suppressors which may be mounted thereto and wherein said housing includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced vents for exhausting the discharge gases exiting from the flash suppressors upon the firing of the gun and a cylindrical deflector surrounding said vents to reduce the blast effect of the passage of the discharge gases therethrough.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3440924A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-05-24 | 1974-11-23 | 1975-05-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-05-24 | 1978-11-23 | 1979-05-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-05-24 | 1982-11-23 | 1983-05-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |