Patent GB-1165921-A (GB)
Title: Projectile Launching Devices
IPC: F41F7/00
Filed: 1966-10-17
Abstract: 1,165,921. Projectile launching device; projectiles. TRANSURVEY HOLDING CO. Inc. 17 Oct., 1966 [22 Oct., 1965], No. 46241/66. Headings F3A and F3C. A projectile launching device comprises a percussion and detent device B which is connected to a base or gun-carrier 4 and a launcher C having a chamber for receiving an explosive charge, the percussion and detent device B having means for exploding the explosive charge and a cylindrical recess 25 in its forward end to receive freely the rearward portion of the launcher C. A piston 47 is slidable forwardly in the chamber to apply the force of the explosion to a projectile D. The percussion and detent device B includes a support 13 having the lower part 16 of a member 17 slidably housed therein. A sleeve 30 guided by a rod 14 and spring loaded towards the outer upper end of the member 17 is housed within the member 17, an abutment 29 provided on the rod 14 acting as a stop for an annular stop 31 formed on the sleeve 30. The member 17 has an apertured wall 24 at the base of the recess 25, a percussion pusher 26 passing through the aperture and being held therein by a head 27 and a piston 28. A spring loaded detent is pivotally mounted in a slot in the wall of the member 17, a finger 33 of the detent projecting inwardly of the slot. The launcher C has the shape of a cylinder which sits at its forward portion in a housing 40 provided in the tail 38 of the projectile D. The launcher C comprises a percussion mass 44 and the piston 47 and interposed therebetween a cartridge. The piston 47 engages a push rod 54 which in turn engages a projectile abutting pushing member (55, Fig. 1, not shown). The mass 44 and piston 47 are each provided with percussion projections 45, 51 respectively so that the cartridge may be housed in the launcher with the cartridge facing axially in either direction (Figs. 1, 5, 12, not shown). The piston 47 may be omitted in which case the base of the cartridge co-operates with the push rod (Fig. 2, not shown). The head 27 of the percussion pusher 26 rests against the percussion mass 44. The launching device is cocked by extending the parts 13 and 17 until the finger 33 of the detent passes over the top of the sleeve 30 and then telescoping the parts 13 and 17 to their initial positions. On releasing the finger 33, the sleeve 30 is urged upwardly by the spring 32 into contact with the piston 28 to detonate the cartridge and urge the projectile away from the launching device. The blow-back of the firing cartridge may be sufficient to cause re-cocking of the detent device B. The launcher C is pulled out of the recess 25 by the departure of the projectile but is not carried any substantial distance thereby or is ejected by the inertia effect of the piston 47. The push rod 54 may be projected away from the launcher C (Fig. 7, not shown). The percussion and detent device B is disclosed as being mounted on a plate 4 having a ground entering point 5, Fig. 3 (Fig. 10, not shown), on a plate having ground engaging, contoured sides (Figs. 6, 8, not shown), on the muzzle of a gun barrel (Fig. 9, not shown) and on a firearm butt (Fig. 11, not shown), the plates and butt being each provided with a sighting device.