Improvements in Pneumatic Guns.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1899-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pneumatic Guns.
I, WALTER ROGERS BENJAMIN, of Grand Tower, in the County of Jackson and
State of Illinois, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement: -
My invention relates to pneumatic guns, and has for its object to provide a
compressed air rifle having improved means for charging the air-reservoir, having
its air-reservoir located in and forming part of the stock, and also having improved
means for holding the compressed air in check, and releasing the same to discharge
a projectile.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following
description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the
appended claims.
In the drawing-
Figure 1 is a view of a gun constructed in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion thereof.
I
Figures 3 and 4 are detail perspective views, respectively, of the tube-seat and
bearing-seat.
Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of
the drawing,
The barrel 1 may, as illustrated in the drawing, be provided with a bore-wall
or lining 2, and detachably secured to the barrel, as by a slip-joint, is a stock 3,
of which the body portion 4 (constructed preferably of wood) is secured to a
tubular grip portion 5 forming the reservoir for the compressed air, and is
extended forwardly to form a tubular seat 6 in which the rear end of the barrel
is fitted. The lower side of the barrel within the tubular seat 6 is cut away
or slotted, as shown at 7, and the front end of the reservoior 5 is separated from
this slotted portion of the barrel by means of a head or partition S, the rear end
of said reservoir also being closed by a head 9, and either or both of these heads
being constructed of hard rubber, or the equivalent thereof. The bore-lining. 2
is extended rearwardly into the cavity 7 of the barrel to form a nipple 10 upon
which is fitted the front end of the transversely compressible conveyor 11, con-
sisting of rubber tubing, or the equivalent thereof, and the rear end of this con-
veyor is secured in the front head or partition 8, in communication with the air
reservoir 5. Also, the bore of the barrel, or the interior diameter of the bore-
lining 2, is reduced at its rear end, as in said nipple 10, to form a projectile-seat,
whereby when the ball or shot 12 is dropped into the muzzle of the gun, it passes
rearwardly to said contracted or scat-portion, and is there caught and frictionally
held to prevent subsequent displacement prior to the proper discharge thereof by
the liberation of the compressed contents of the reservoir. Also arranged within
the cavity 7, and secured to the nipple 10 by means of a front depending car 13,
is a seat-plate 14 which extends rearwardly above the compressible conveyor 11,
to form a seat for the latter when compressed, and in operative relation with the

page_text: 1
conveyor, and below the same, is mounted a vertically-swinging bearing-plate 15,
preferably fulcrumed at its front end upon the depending ear 13 of the seat-plate 14
by means of a tongue 16 engaged with a perforation 17 in said ear. The rear free
end of this seat-plate is downwardly bent or deflected to form a trigger-seat in
which is fitted the upper extremity of the trigger 18 fulcrumed, as at 19, between
depending intermediate cars 20 of the seat plate 14. The depending extremity 21
of said bearing-plate forms a stop to limit the rearward swinging movement of
the upper arm of the trigger, and the convexed upper side of the bearing plate is
designated for contact with the compressible conveyor 11 to force the latter toward
the seat-plate, and thus close the bore of the conveyor to prevent the escape of
compressed air from the reservoir 5 preparatory to the operation of the trigger.
Also, the trigger extends downwardly through the slot 22 in the tubular exten-
sion 6 of the grip.
Parallel with the barrel is arranged a guide-rod 23, fitted at its front end in a
socket 24 carried by the bracket 25 secured to the barrel, said guide-rod being
secured at its rear end to the tubular extension 6, and thence being extended
downwardly to form a hanger 20 which is attached to the tubular piston-rod 27 of
the pump or air-compressing mechanism, said piston-rod extending longitudinally
of the barrel beneath the free end of the trigger 18, and forming a trigger guard,
with its rear end extending through a suitable opening in the wall of the air-
reservoir 5 and terminally fitted with the check-valve 28 to allow air to be forced
into the reservoir and prevent the escape thereof through the same channel. In
co-operative relation with the piston, which is attached to the front end of the
rod 27, is an axially movable cylinder 29, forming the movable member of the
pump mechanism, and also constituting a fore-grip, said cylinder being provided
with slides 31 arranged upon the guide-rod 23.
To charge the reservoir it is necessary, simply, to reciprocate the cylinder 29,
or movable member of the pump mechanism, the desired number of times to
suit the compression which is desired in the reservoir, the trigger having pre-
viously been deposed, as indicated in Figure 2, with its upper extremity in the
scat of the bearing-plate 15 to hold the free end of said bearing-
plate elevated and the conveyor 11 compressed, and when the projectile
which has been introduced through the muzzle of the barrel, is to be discharged,
Eaid cylinder forms a suitable and convenient grip for the forehand of the operator,
the same being adjustable longitudinally of the barrel, or being adapted to be
positioned as desired with relation thereto to suit the length of arm and pre-
ference of the operator.
Furthermore, it will be seen that the depending ears 20 of the seat-plate are
arranged at opposite sides of the free end of the bearing-plate 15, and thus hold
the latter against lateral vibration and guide it in its movement toward and
from the compressible conveyor, whereby the application of pressure of the trigger
to the bearing-plate is direct and efficient in causing the compression of the
conveyor.
Various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may
be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages
of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a pneumatic gun having an air-reservoir, and means, including a trigger,
for releasing the charge in the air-reservoir a pump mechanism having a movable
member mounted for reciprocatory movement in advance of said trigger, and a
stationary air-conveyor extending rearwardly from said movable member be-
neath the trigger to form a trigger-guard, substantially as specified.
2. In a pneumatic gun having an air-reservoir, and means, including a trigger,
for releasing the charge in the air-reservoir, a pump mechanism having a

page_text: reciprocatory cylinder mounted for movement parallel with the barrel in advance
of the trigger, and a tubular piston-rod extending rearwardly from said movable
part and communicating with the air-reservoir, said piston-rod extending longi-
tudinally beneath the trigger to form a trigger-guard, substantially as specified.
3. In a pneumatic gun having an air-reservoir, and means, including a trigger,
for releasing the charge in the air reservoir, a pump mechanism having a guide
disposed longitudinally of the barrel, a cylinder mounted for reciprocation upon
said guide, and a tubular piston-rod extending rearwardly from said cylinder and
communicating with the air-reservoir substantially as specified.
4. In a pneumatic gun having an air-reservoir, and means, including a trigger,
for releasing the charge in the reservoir, a pump mechanismi consisting of a
reciprocatory cylinder, a piston, and a tubular piston-rod communicating with
the air-reservoir, substantially as specified.
5. In a pneumatic gun having an air-reservoir, and means, including a trigger,
for releasing the charge in the air-reservoir, a pump mechanism located beneath
the barrel and including a guide-rod disposed longitudinally of the barrel in
advance of said trigger, a reciprocatory cylinder mounted upon said guide-rod,
a stationary hanger depending from the barrel in front of the trigger, a piston,
and a tubular piston-rod, communicating at its rear end with the air-reservoir,
supported at an intermediate point by said hanger, and extending longitudinally
under the trigger to form a trigger-guard, substantially as specified.
6. A pneumatic gun having its stock provided with a hollow rear grip forming
an air-reservoir, means, including a trigger, for releasing the contents of the air-
reservoir into the barrel to discharge a projectile, a pump mechanism having a
stationary member arranged beneath the barrel, in relation with said trigger to
form a trigger-guard, and a movable member for co-operation with said stationary
member, substantially as specified.
7. A pneumatic gun having a barrel and an air-reservoir, a transversely com-
pressible conveyor connecting the air-reservoir with the barrel, a pivotal trigger
for compressing said conveyor, and a bearing-plate interposed between the trigger
and said conveyor and movable transversely toward and from the latter, for com-
municating the pressure of the trigger thereto, substantially as specified.
8. A pneumatic gun having a barrel and an air-reservoir, a transversely com-
pressible conveyor connecting the air-reservoir with the barrel, a pivotal bearing-
plate for contact at its free end with the conveyor and provided adjacent to its free
end with a trigger-seat, and a trigger for actuating said bearing-plate, and
adapted to be terminally fitted in said seat to compress the conveyor, substantially
as specified..
9. A pneumatic gun having a barrel and an air-reservoir, a transversely com-
pressible conveyor connecting the air-reservoir with the barrel, a bearing-plate
fulcrumed at one end and provided at its free end with a convex bearing surface
for contact with said conveyor, and opposite to said convex bearing surface with a
concave seat, and a pivotal trigger having an arm arranged in operative relation
with the bearing-plate, to force the same toward the conveyor and adapted to
be terminally fitted in said seat of the bearing-plate, substantially as specified
10. A pneumatic gun having a barrel and an air-reservoir, a transversely com-
pressible conveyor connecting the air-reservoir with the barrel, a scat-plate
arranged at one side of the conveyor, a bearing-plate mounted at the opposite
side of said conveyor for movement toward and from the seat-plate, and a trigger
arranged in operative relation with said bearing-plate for forcing the same toward
the seat-plate to compress the conveyor, substantially as specified.
11. A pneumatic gun having a barrel and an air-reservoir, a transversely com-
pressible conveyor connecting the air-reservoir with the barrel, a seat-plate
arranged at one side of the conveyor and having a depending ear, a bearing plate
fulcrumed at one end upon said ear of the seat-plate and adapted at the other end
for contact with the conveyor, and a trigger for actuating the bearing-plate, sub-
stantially as specified.
:

page_text: 12. A pneumatic gun having a barrel and an air-reservoir, a transversely com-
pressible conveyor connecting the air reservoir with the barrel, a seat-plate
arranged at one side of said conveyor and provided with a terminal depending
ear, a bearing-plate pivotally mounted at one end upon said ear of the seat-plate,
and adapted at the outer end for movement toward and from the seat-plate to
compress the conveyor, guide-ears depending from the seat-plate at opposite sides
of the free end of the bearing-plate, and a trigger mounted between said guide-
ears for actuating the bearing-plate, substantially as specified.
13. A pneumatic gun having a stock provided with a hollow rear grip forming
an air-reservoir, and also provided with a forward tubular extension, a barrel
removably fitted in said tubular extension, and cut away at its lower side
in communication with its bore, front and rear heads fitted in said grip, a pump
mechanism in communication with the air-reservoir, and means, located in said
cut away portion of the barrel, for liberating the contents of the air-reservoir into
the bore of the barrel, substantially as specified.
Dated th 20th ave of Tune 1800
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.