Patent GB-1062468-A (GB)
Title: Device on an automatic firearm for the selective firing of two kinds of ammunition from two separate belts
IPC: G21C3/48
Filed: 1964-11-16
Abstract: 1,062,468. Machine guns. OERLIKON-BUHBLE HOLDING A.G. Nov. 16, 1964 [Nov. 26, 1963], No. 46602/64. Heading F3C. In a device on an automatic firearm for the selective firing of two kinds of ammunition from two separate belts a separate belt transport mechanism 4, 104 driven by a driving mechanism is provided for each belt, one on each side of the axis of the firearm, and a change-over mechanism couples at will one of the two transport mechanisms 4, 104 with the driving mechanism and simultaneously changes over delivery of cartridges from one belt to delivery from the other. A belt entrance opening 74, 75 leading to the respective transport mechanism is provided on each side of the axis of the firearm while the exit 13 of both belts is between the two entrance openings. In the embodiment described cartridges P, Q are fed by the star-wheels 4, 104 through the guides 72, 13 and are combed out of their respective belts by star-wheels 32, 132 intermittently driven (in the case when starwheel 4 is being driven, Fig. 9) by engagement of face 36a of the tooth Z 3  of the star-wheel 32 with the extension 37b of the comb of star-wheel 4. Tooth Z 2  of the star-wheel 32 moves the cartridge out of its belt clip and into a position from where the breech 101 moves it into the end of the barrel 73, Fig. 1. The star-wheels 4, 104 are driven by engagement of rollers 65 on the sliders 63, 64, 163, 164 with inclined ledges 59, 159 provided on sleeves 57 biased by breech closing springs 58 and moving with the breech. As the breech flies backwards ledge 59, Fig. 12, moves slider 63 upwardly which rotates the shaft 67 to move slider 64 upwardly. After half the return movement of the breech has been completed ledge 59 contacts the roller 65 of slider 64 to move it further upwardly. Sliders 163, 164 are correspondingly moved downwardly as their rollers 65 roll along ledge 159 by the pivoting movement of lever 54, the arms 54a, 54b of which engage rollers 66 at the top of sliders 64, 164. The pivoting movement of the lever 54 is transmitted to longitudinal movement of the slider 51 by engagement of the lever arm 54c in the slot 51d, the slider 51 in turn pivoting lever 50 to longitudinally move the push-rod 48 in the opposite direction to slider 51. The push-rod 48 and slider 51 are connected to driver members 5, 6, 105, 106 which are connected to the wheels 4, 104 in such a manner that the driver members rotate only one of the wheels 4, 104 at a time. The starwheels 4, 104 are rigid with hollow shafts 3, 103 having rotatably mounted thereon the bushings 5, 6, 105, 106 provided with serrations 12, Figs. 1, 2, which are engageable with similar serrations 12 on bushings 7, 8, 107, 108 keyed to the shafts 3, 103 and biased by springs 9 towards the bushings 5, 6, 105, 106. The springs 9 may be compressed by axial movement of rods 18 slidable in the shafts 3, 103 and having brackets 19 secured thereto which engage the spring housings 10 and axial movement of the bushings 7, 107. The rods 18 and bushings 7, 107 are moved to connect one or other of the star-wheels 4, 104 to the driving means by a solenoid 46 which on actuation pivots a lever 42, the arm 42b of which moves between the rollers 24 secured to pivoted levers 20, 22, Fig. 6, to cause one pair of adjacent ends to pivot towards or away from one another and so move the rods 18 and bushings 7, 107, axially.