US1823390A - Ammunition for signal pistols - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 15, 1931. L. 1.. DRIGGS, JR.. ET AL AMMUNITION FOR SIGNAL PISTOLS Filed Nov. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l gwuentod J:

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Sept. 15, 1931. DRIGGS. JR.. ET AL 1,823,390

AMMUNITION FOR SIGNAL PISTOLS Filed Nov. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IHIIWI gmmou L. L. Dr J J7. """E FM?? Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE tours L. muses, an, or NEW noenELLn'Ani) HENRY B. wanna, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

AMMUNITION FOB, SIGNAL PISTOLS Application filed November'25, 1930. Serial No. 498,148.

The present invention relates to improvements in ammunition for signal pistols and consists in certain improvements over our prior Patents Nos. 1,712,382 and 1,712,383 granted May 7th, 1929; as shown and de-- scribed in'the prior patents aforesaid, a pistol is provided for shooting'a'proj ectile, which projectile consists of a parachute and a flare candle. j

The present invention is concerned with the ammunition,'making it-of such construction that it is suitable to be fired from the pistol or to be used as a hand flare or signal:

At the present time standard life boat sig nals or lights consist of hand torches adapted to be held aloft by an occupant of the boat. .The range of visibility of such a signal is very limited owing to the curvature of-the earth and also due to the fact that the light is cut off when the boat is in the trough of a wave. Tests indicate that under the best of conditions these signals can be seen onlyabout six miles. Rockets are out of the ques tion for life boat use due to the difliculty of launching them from a small. boat. I

Tests have been conducted by the U. S. Coast Guard and. the.Steamboat Inspection Service of parachute signals constructed according to our prior patents aforesaid when firing from signal pistols. These tests have shown a range of visibility under good conditions in excess of twenty miles.

As a result, signals according to the-above mentioned patents have been approved by the Y Steamboat Inspection Service for use on vessels of 200 tons and over in place of rockets but the problem involved in life boat use is that the signal has not; been usable hereto-c fore without the pistol, and because the pistol may possibly become damaged or lost overboard,- the devices are not approved for life boat use.

It is therefore an object of th'e'invention to so construct the fixed ammunition that the signals will be usable even though the pistol is lost or damaged; and to this end we have provided a convertible piece of ammunition.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly. pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like 61' corresponding parts throughout the several views. 7

- Figure l is a side elevation of a pistol and ammunition constructed in accordance with the present inventlon.

. F igure-2 shows a longitudinal section taken through the improved ammunition.

Figure 3 is a side-elevation taken on a." smaller scale of the ammunition detached and apart from the pistol.

Figure 4 shows the projectile case containing the parachute and flare candle removed from the cartridge case and projectile base, as when used as a hand torch.

Figure 5 is a side-elevation of the hand torch mounted in a holder, and

- Figure 6 is a plan view of a striker stick.

Referring more'particularly to the drawings, 1O designates generally a pistol which may be of any suitable construction, for instance as shown in our prior patents above noted. The pistol is breech loading and is designed to use a signal in the form of fixedammunition. I

This ammunition is shown more particularly in Figure 2 and consists of a short cartridge case 11 and a flare projectile. The projectile is in two parts which are ready separable. One part involves a base cup 12 which contains a delay fuse 13 projecting into thecartridge case. In thecartridge case is the usual propelling charge 14. The proj ectile base also contains the bursting, or expelling charge 15 which contacts with oncommunicates' with the flare' candle.

The projectile base has a portion extending outwardly beyond the cartridge case, such screws into and out of the projectile base 12 100 portion being preferably screw threaded as much in the same manner as the parts of an electric hand flash light are screwed together.

The end of the candle 19 is primed with a self igniting priming composition 22, a portion of which projects through the perforated end cap 23 of the projectile case 18 and into contact with the expelling orbursting charge 15.

In the use of the device, as an aerial signal, the entire projectile is shot into the air from the pistol, the projectile leaving the gun with the delay fuse l3 ignited from the propelling charge 14 contained in the cartrldge case 11. At the peak of its flight, the delay fuse 13 burns through and ignites the expelling charge 15 and the burning candle and parachute are ejected from the projectile case 18, the ignited candle being suspended by the parachute as shown in Figure 9 of our prior Patent No. 1,712,383.

In the event of a failure of the pistol or if it should be lost overboard, means must be provided for using the candle as a hand torch. This is accomplished by unscrewing the portion of the projectile that contains the candle and parachute, and inserting same in a holder so that it can be held in the same manner as a hand torch.

By unscrewing the projectile case 18 from the screw threads '16 of the projectile base 12, the parachute and candle are removed from the base and cartridge case and appear as shown in Figure 4, with the priming compo 'sition 22 exposed through the perforated end of the projectile case 18.

The device so removed may be placed in a holder suchasshown in Figure 5, the holder being composed for example of the jaws 24 and 25 which are designed to grip the sides of the projectile case 18. One or more of the jaws, such as the jaw 25, may be pivoted as indicated at 26 and made adjustable by the adjusting screw 27 which engages through a tail piece 28 of the jaw 25 and against the side of the handle or shank 29.

In Figure 6 we have shown a striker stick :30, one being provided for each signal and being composed of suitable material with a roughened or kindling surface 31 thereon'. The priming material is ignited by striking it across this friction surface 31 and the torch is held aloft in the holder 29.

The portion of the ammunition consisting of the cartridge case 11 and projectile base 12 are discarded as .they have no purpose when the signal is 'used as a hand torch.

.It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in'the details .of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims:

What is claimed is closed projectile case,

projectile case, a pyrotechnic candle therein,

a parachute also in the case coupled to said candle, a manually ignitable composition atprimer and a propelling tached to saidcandle, and a member detachably connected with said case for containing a primer and a propelling charge, whereby said candle may be detached for use as a hand flare.

3. Apyrotechnic signal flare comprising a a pyrotechnic candle therein, a friction ignitable priming compo sition attached to said candle,.a member detachablysecured to said case for containing a primer and an expelling charge, and a delay element fired from the gun with said case and acting to ignite the candle and drive it from said closed case.

4. A pyrotechnic signal flare comprising a closed projectile case, a coupled pyrotechnic caudle and parachute therein, a friction ignitable priming composition attached to said candle and exposed through the case, a base cup detachably fitted to said case containin a bursting charge for driving the candle an parachute from the case, and a cartridge case detachably secured to said base cup for containing a primer and a propelling charge.

5. A pyrotechnic signal flare comprising a closed projectile case, a coupled pyrotechnic candle and para-chute therein, a friction ignitable priming composition attached to said candle and exposed through the case, a base cup detachably connected with the case at the end having the priming composition whereby the case may be removed from the base cup to expose the priming composition, a bursting charge carried within said base cup against the priming composition of the candle, a delay element also carried by said base cup, primer and a propelling charge, said cartridge case detachably secured to said base cup.

6. A pyrotechnic signal flare comprising a cartridge case containing a primer and an expelling charge adapted to remain in the gun, a base cup removably fitted in said car-v tridge case and adapted to be projected from the gun when fired and containing a delay fuse and a bursting charge, a pyrotechnic candle, an ignitor on said candle, a parachute connected to said candle, and a projectile case carrying said candle and parachute and removably connected with said base cup, whereby said candle may be detached for access to said ignitor.

7 Apyrotechnic'signal flare comprising a and a cartridge case containing a' cartridge case containing a rimer and a propellmg charge and adapte to remain in the gun, a base cu fitted 'removhbly to said cartridge case an containing a delay fuse and a bursting charge, a pyrotechnic candle, an ignitable portion thereon, a parachute connected to the candle, a projectile case for containing said candle and parachute having an'open end adjacent the'candle exposed to the bursting charge, said base cup and projectile case having means therebetween for permitting of the separation of the projectile case with the candle and parachute to expose the end of the candle for use as a hand torch.

8. A pyrotechnicsignal flare comprising a projectile case, a pyrotechnic candle therein, a friction ignitable priming composition attached to said candle, an expelling charge adjacent to said priming composition, a delay. fuse element inserted throu h the case and communicating with sai expelling charge, and means at the fused end of said case for detachably securing the member containing a'primer and propelling charge. LOUIS L. DRIGGS, JR. HENRY B. FABER.

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