GB1256062A - Improvements in or relating to loading mechanisms for guns - Google Patents

Abstract

1,256,062. Automatic guns. DEFENCE, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR. 20 Aug., 1968 [25 Aug., 1967], No. 39312/67. Heading F3C. An automatic gun having a barrel 1 and breech ring 2 on a mounting 5 comprises a feed tray 16 movable transversely of the gun axis above the path of movement of the breech ring to transport rounds of ammunition 19 to a loading position, these rounds being engaged by spring fingers 20 on the tray. The tray 16 is moved by a pinion 28 mounted for rotation about an axis fixed to the mounting 5, a roller 30 eccentrically secured to the pinion engaging a slot in the tray, this slot having a straight portion 22 parallel to the gun axis and a semicircular portion 24. The pinion 28 is engaged by a toothed rack 31 slidable in the mounting 5 and biased to the rearward position by a spring 33. During run-out of the gun the rack 31 is engaged by a spring-biased catch 34 movable with the breech ring 2 (described further with reference to Fig. 7, not shown) whereby the rack is moved to the forward position and the tray 16 is moved inwardly from the firing position shown in Figs. 2, 8(a) to the position shown in Fig. 5 in which a new round 19 is presented at the loading position. Owing to the semicircular slot portion 24 the tray 16 is not moved during the first 180 degrees of clockwise motion of the pinion 28, this pause being utilized for the operation of a synchronized extractor/rammer. At the completion of run-out the catch 34 releases the rack 31 which is retracted by the spring 33 and the tray is returned to the Fig. 2 position. The extractor/rammer is as disclosed in Specification 1,255,923 and comprises a claw 7 carried by an arm 8 radially extending from a sleeve 9 keyed to, and slidable on a guide tube 6 rotatably supported in the mounting 5, the sleeve also being secured to an inner tube 10 slidable within the tube 6, the inner tube being biased forwardly by a compression spring 11. The extractor/rammer engages the spent cartridge case 13 as the breech opens and the gun recoils after firing, whereafter the rammer is carried rearward by the recoiling breech ring 2, compressing the rammer spring 11. At the end of recoil the rammer is engaged by a spring catch (Figs. 3, 6, not shown) and retained, as the gun runs-out, to extract the cartridge case 13 from the breech. The arm 8 is rotated by a slide 15 having rack teeth 17 engaging a toothed segment 18 fixed to the tube 6, the slide 15 having a slot 21, 23 similar to that in the tray 16 and similarly operated by a roller 29 eccentrically secured to a pinion 27 engaging the rack 31.