US2420044A - Gun swab or cleaner - Google Patents

Description

y 1947. J. A. JOWETT GUN- SWAB OR CLEANER Filed April 28, 1944 INVENTOR.

n s W E Patented May 6, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to gun swabs or cleaners. An object of my invention is to provide an improved gun swab or cleaner which is economical to manufacture and effective in use.

Another object of my invention is to provide a gun swab which is of uniform diameter and wound helically around a supporting rod so that the swab, during cleaning of the gun, will more or less follow the riding of the gun barrel.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a gun swab or cleaner wherein a strip of textile material is intertwined with wire and cut so as to form a pile bristling radially with respect to the wire, the strip being wound around a supporting rod with the ends of the wire so arranged that they are covered in such manner as to protect the gun barrel against abrasion or scoring during cleaning.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be set forth in the claims and will be apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view showing the gun swab of my invention in unwound condition with the ends inserted in openings in the supporting rod;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the supporting rod partly wound with the cleaning material;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of Fig. 1 to better illustrate the manner in which the ends of the cleaning strip are covered;

Fig. 4 is a view showing the completed gun swab.

Heretofore most gun swabs merely have comprised a supporting rod with a slot extending therethrough through which a rag or other strip of textile material was threaded. In using such a swab the end thereof is entered into the barrel of the gun and twisted as it is inserted. This more or less winds the rag or cleaning element about the rod, but usually not in a uniform manner. The cleaning element or strip tends to bunch eccentric with respect to the supporting rod. Eflective cleaning of the gun is difiicult and the swab does not efiectively reach the crevices formed by the rifling. Many other types of gun swabs have appeared on the market, such as brushes made of brass wire or other stiff materials. For the most part these either have been expensive or have been little or no more effective than the conventional gun swab mentioned above.

The gun swab or cleaner of my invention comprises a rod or support ll of any suitable material. I have found a tube of plastic material to be extremely satisfactory as it is available in varying diameters and may be conveniently cut to the desired lengths. The diameter of the supporting tube will, of course, vary with the calibre of the gun to be cleaned.

At a point removed from the end of the rod or tube an opening or slot is out which preferably does not extend through both walls of the tube. The ends of the tube are left open as indicated at [3 and M. If desired a solid rod may be used instead of a tube. The slot l2 may then be cut in the rod and one or both ends of the rod bored to provide openings equivalent to the open ends of the tube.

While other suitable materials mightbe wound about the tube in the manner indicated in the drawings to provide the cleaning element, I have found a cleaning element made up in the manner described herein much more efiective for the purpose. The cleaning element of the swab is preferably made by twisting two wires l6 and I! in intertwining relationship with a strip, strand or length I8 of textile, cord or other suitable material. I have found a common light cord or string suitable for the purpose. After the cord and wires have been wound or twisted together the strip or length of material thus formed and suitable knives are rotated and fed with respect to each other so as to cut the textile material or cord and not damage or cut the wires. The out cord bristles radially with respect to the wires to form a pile held in position by the twisted wires. The method of manufacture need not be described in greater detail since it is similar to the methods conventionally em played in the manufacture of pipe cleaners and is well known.

This strip or length of pile thus formed, generally indicated by the numeral [8, after being cut to the length desired has one end thereof inserted in the slot l2 in the manner illustrated at 2| in Figs, 1 and 3. The end of the strip of pile material is held in position by applying adhesive to the end of the strip, as indicated at 22, in Fig. 3.

The opposite end of the strip is entered into the open end of the tube, as indicated in the drawings, and adhesively secured in the open end of the tube as shown at 23. The intermediate portions of the strip of pile material are wound upon the rod in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2 in the form of a helix, the turns of the helix being adhesively secured to the rod as the strip is wound. While I have shown the end of the strip in Fig. 2 inserted in the open. end of the tube prior to the completion Of winding, it is obvious that the winding on the tube may be completed and then the free end of the strip tucked in the open end of the tube.

When completed the swab or gun cleaner appears as shown in Fig. 4. It will be noted that the cleaning portion of the swab is of uniform diameter so that it may be made up to properly fit any calibre of gun or rifle desired. The overall diameter of the Cleaning element is made slightly larger than the diameter of the bore of the gun so that the pile material may be somewhat crushed as it enters the gun with the ends of the pile in intimate contact with the bore.

Due to the helical winding and the fact that the swab is of uniform diameter a slight twisting of the swab as it is entered is all that is necessaryto cause the swab to more or less follow the rifling of the gun bore to thereby enable the bristles or pile to enter the crevices formed by the rifiing to secure effective cleaning. Of major importance is the fact that the ends of the wire are covered or confined within the rodv so that the sharp ends can not score or abrade. the gun bore.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2. the opposite end of the tube is formedwith a slot 26 so that if desired a similar cleaning element may be secured in position on the other end of the tube. Thus one end of the swab may be used for cleaning the gun barrel while the other end may be used for applying: oil. The. swabsv are inexpensive to manufacture and after use. several times may be thrown away or cleaned. Ifdesired, cleaning elements more or less as appearing in Fig. 4 may be made up for attachment to a permanent gun swab rod. In such case all that is necessary is to renew the cleaning end or ends of the swab.

While Ihave shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it will be appreciated that, various changes and modifications may be. made therein, particularly in. the form and relation of parts, without departing from the spirit. of my invention asset forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A gun swab comprising a tubular rod having an open end and an opening between its ends, a strip of non-abrasive cleaning material having wire intertwined therewith, said strip having one of its ends inserted in said opening extended into said rod and enclosed by the walls thereof, its intermediate portions wound helically on said rod and its other end inserted in the open end of said rod and enclosed by the walls thereof.

2'. A gun swab comprising a tubular rod having an opening between its ends and an open end, a strip of cleaning material intertwined with a pair oi wires and cut so as to form a pile bristling radially of the wire, said strip having one of its ends inserted in said opening, its intermediate portions wound helically on said rod and its other end inserted in the open end of said rod.

3. A gun swab comprising a tubular rod having an opening between its. ends and an open end, a strip of, cleaning material intertwined with, a pair of wires and cut so as, to form a pile bristling radially of the, wire, said strip. having one of its ends inserted in said opening; and adhesively se,- cured to the internal sidewalls of the rod, its intermediate portions wound helically on said rod and adhesivelysecured to the external sidewalls thereof and its other end inserted in the. open end of said rod and adhesively secured to the internal sidewalls thereof.

JOHN A. JOWE'I'I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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