A Bullet-deflecting Shield Attachment for Rifles, applicable also to Field and Machine Guns and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Bullet-deflecting Shield Attachment for Rifles, applicable also to
Field and Machine Guns and the like.
I, WILLIAM STEPHENS MUNTZ, of 13 Polstead Road, Oxford, LL.D., do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of the present invention is to provide a light and portable shield
adapted to be carried on the person and readily attached to the gun barrel, the
said shield being so constructed and so arranged on the gun, as hereinafter
described, as to deflect from its course any bullet impinging thereon.
Steel plates have often been suggested as a means of defence but owing to
their necessarily great thickness it would be almost impossible for the individual
soldier to march whilst encumbered with them; since however my invention does
not require the shield to be bullet-proof in the ordinary sense of the terin, being
intended not to stop or break up the bullets but merely to deflect them out of
harm's way, I am enabled to employ a shield sufficiently light to be carried on
the person and used in the manner indicated without inconvenience.
According to my invention, the shield attachment I employ consists of a steel
plate, fluted or corrugated as hereinafter described, and preferably about 18" wide
by 13" high, though I do not limit myself to these dimensions. In this plate
there is formed an aperture of sufficient size to admit the barrel of the rifle,
to which the shield is detachably secured, at or near the end thereof, by suitable
means as by a clamp. The said aperture in the shield must leave sufficient
clearance above the barrel to permit of an uninterrupted aim being taken, and
the shield is so connected with the said barrel as to incline about 40 degrees
from the vertical when the rifle is in a horizontal position, consequently any
bullet striking against it will be deflected harmlessly to the ground in front of
the marksman at an angle of about 45 degrees. The shield can be attached to
and removed from the rifle in a few seconds. In order to prevent the bullets
from glancing off laterally from the shield, I so flute, corrugate or bend the latter
in the process of manufacture as to cause it to present a number of sharp edged
vertical grooves or channels to the impinging bullets which enter these grooves
and are caused thereby to leave the shield at the bottom. The bottom of the
angles of the fluted or corrugated shield, to which the impinging bullets are
directed and where the force of their momentum is received, should be of thicker
stcel.
In practice I prefer for the sake of compactness and portability to divide the
shield vertically into three portions, viz., a central portion through which the gun
barrel passes, and two wings, the said wings being folded over upon the central
portion, to which they are suitably hinged, when the shield is not required for use.
The shield will then occupy but little space and may be attached to and carried on
the person by convenient loops or slings. In this arrangement the central portion
of the shield may if desired consist of a flat plate of thicker steel than the wings,
which latter would be fluted or corrugated as before mentioned.
The aperture through which the rifle barrel passes would probably not be made
in the centre of the shield, but would be disposed to one side thereof and nearer to
the bottom than to the top, so as to cause the centre of the body of the marksman
to be in median line of shield.

page_text: My invention will be found especially useful in the case of troops lying down or
firing from behind cover, when they will be entirely protected thereby, and in the
event of an attack from the rear, by reversing the position of the shield the bullets
may be deflected upwards and backwards over the heads of the repelling force
against the enemy advancing from behind.
The invention may obviously also be applied with advantage to field guns,
machine guns and the like, the shield being of course proportionately enlarged and
increased in thickness.
Dated this 15th day of January 1895
A Bullet-deflecting Shield Attachment for Rifles, applicable also to
Field and Machine Guns and the like.
I, WILLIAM STEPHENS MUNTZ, of 13 Polstead Road, Oxford, LL.D., 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:—
The object of the present invention is to protect soldiers from musketry fire, and
for this purpose I provide a light and portable shield adapted to be carried without
inconvenience by a soldier as a part of his equipment, and provided with suitable
means whereby it may be readily attached to and removed from the rifle barrel,
the said shield being so constructed and so arranged on the rifle, as hereinafter
described, as to deflect an impinging bullet from its course, and to cause its
momentum to be expended over a considerable portion of the surface of the
shield.
A steel plate or shield connected with a rifle barrel by a free joint has before
been suggested as a means of defence, but the shield being intended to hang
vertically, and to stop, not to deflect, the bullets, had necessarily to be made of
considerable thickness to avoid penetration, consequently it would be impossible
for the individual soldier to march comfortably whilst encumbered with its weight.
By my invention, however, I am enabled to employ without risk of penetration a
shield sufficiently light to be carried on the person and used in the manner
hereinafter indicated, without inconvenience.
According to my invention, the shield attachment I employ, and which I call a
deflecting shield, consists of a thin plate of tough steel, fluted or corrugated
vertically in the manner and for the purpose hereinafter set forth, and of such
shape and dimensions as to cover the head and chest of the soldier when erect, and
his entire person when lying down, preferably about 16" wide by 13" high, and
about 1 to 2 mm. in thickness. In this deflecting shield there is formed an
aperture or slot of sufficient size to admit the barrel of the rifle, with which the
deflecting shield is detachably and adjustably connected, near the end thereof, by
suitable means. A convenient coupling or joint will be hereinafter described.
The said aperture in the deflecting shield must leave sufficient clearance above the
barrel to permit of an uninterrupted aim being taken, and the deflecting shield is
connected with the rifle barrel and fixed in position thereon so as to incline about
40 degrees from the vertical when the rifle is in firing position, consequently any
bullet impinging upon it will be deflected harmlessly to the ground in front of the
soldier at an angle of about 45 degrees. In order to minimise risk of penetration
I so flute, corrugate or bend the shield during the process of manufacture as to

page_text: cause it to present a number of vertical angular channels to the impinging bullets,
the angles between the sides of the said channels being preferably about 50 degrees.
A double angle is thus presented to an impinging bullet, viz. the vertical angle of
the inclined shield, and the lateral angle of the channels thereof, and the momentum
of the bullet is consequently expended over a considerable portion of the surface
of the shield in lieu of being concentrated and expended at the point of impact as
would be the case with a vertical shield of plain surface. This enables me to
employ without fear of penetration a considerably, thinner and lighter shield than
has been possible hitherto. The said vertical channels or flutes further serve to
prevent the bullets from glancing off laterally from the shield. The steel at and
near the rear angles of the said channels, to which the impinging bullets are
directed and where the force of their momentum is first received, should be slightly
increased in thickness.
If preferred I may for the sake of compactness and portability divide the
deflecting shield vertically into three portions, viz., a central portion through which
the rifle barrel passes, and two wings, the latter being folded over upon the central
portion, to which they are suitably hinged, when the deflecting shield is not
required for use. The deflecting shield will then occupy but little space when
folded, and may be attached to and carried on the person by convenient loops or
slings. In this arrangement the entire shield may be fluted or corrugated, or the
central portion thereof may consist of a flat plain surfaced plate of somewhat
thicker steel than the fluted wings.
My invention is more especially intended for use in the case of troops lying
down or firing from behind cover, when they will be entirely protected thereby the
shield resting on the ground, and in the event of an attack from the rear, by
reversing the position of the deflecting shield as hereinafter explained, the bullets
may be deflected upwards over the heads of the repelling force against any portion
of the enemy which may be advancing from behind.
My invention may obviously be applied to field and machine guns and the like,
the shield being of course proportionately enlarged and increased in thickness.
I will now proceed to describe the annexed drawings in order that my invention
and the manner of performing the same may be fully understood.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a deflecting shield constructed in accordance with
my invention, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof on the line 1-2 Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation, Fig. 4 is a plan, and Fig. 5 is a front view, on a larger
scale, shewing a deflecting shield in position on a rifle barrel.
Fig. 6 is a section on line 3-4 Fig. 5.
A is the deflecting shield, which may either be fluted or corrugated throughout
as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 so as to present a number of vertical angular channels a 2
to the impinging bullets, or may be made with a plain central portion a of thicker
steel, and fluted or corrugated wings a 1, as represented in Figs. 5 and 6, said wings
being either hinged to the plain central portion as hereinafter described, or made
integral therewith. In order to reduce weight as much as possible, I prefer that
the shield, whether made in one piece or divided and hinged so as to fold up,
should be of the shape illustrated in Fig. 1, wherein all the portions not absolutely
essential for covering the person when in a prone position are removed, the legs a 3
being intended to steady the shield when the same is rested upon the ground. b is
a slot in the shield A through which the rifle barrel c passes. Any convenient
form of joint or coupling may be employed for connecting the deflecting shield
and the rifle barrel provided it permits the former to be readily and instantly
attached, allows of the angular adjustment thereof, and does not obstruct the aim."
In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shewn by way of example a joint or coupling consisting
of two arms d extending from the deflecting shield the extremities of which arms
fit into sockets e formed in the clamps f secured around the rifle barrel by the
The said arms d are jointed at d 1 to permit of the angular adjustment
of the deflecting shield which may be set at the proper angle by the thumb
screw h. Suitable means such as a spring catch in the sockets e engaging with
screws g.

page_text: notches cut in the ends of the arms d may if found necessary be provided for
preventing any risk of the said arms slipping out of these sockets accidentally.
The above described coupling permits the shield to be attached to and removed
from the rifle in a few seconds.
1
In order to facilitate the carriage of the deflecting shield as a part of the
soldier's equipment, I may divide the same vertically into three portions (as shewn
in Figs. 5 and 6) and may hinge these portions together so that the wings
may be folded over upon the central portion a, which latter may be either plain
surfaced and of thicker steel as represented, or fluted or corrugated like the
wings a 1. In this arrangement it would be necessary to employ some well-known
form of spring hinge in order to prevent the wings al when opened out from
falling forwards owing to the inclination of the deflecting shield.
All bullets impinging upon the shield will be deflected thereby, either to the
ground, when the shield is in the position indicated by the full lines in Fig. 3,
or into the air when the position of the shield is reversed in the event of an
attack from the rear, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. Furthermore
the angular flutes or corrugations of the deflecting shield, will, as before explained,
minimise risk of penetration and prevent the bullets from glancing off laterally.
I prefer that the steel at and near the rear angles of the flutes or corrugations a 2
should be slightly increased in thickness, as shewn in Fig. 6, for the reasons before
given.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :
1. A deflecting shield connected with a military rifle by a readily attachable
and adjustable joint or coupling, said deflecting shield being formed with vertical
angular flutes, corrugations or channels, and being fixed upon the rifle by means
of the said joint or coupling at an angle of 40 degrees or thereabouts from the
vertical, whereby a double angle is presented to an impinging bullet and the
same is deflected from its course and caused to expend its momentum over a
considerable portion of the surface of the shield, substantially as described.
2. A deflecting shield connected with and fixed upon a military rifle as set forth
in the preceding claiming clause and having vertically fluted or corrugated wings
and a plain or vertically fluted or corrugated central portion, said wings and
central portion being hinged together so as to fold over upon one another,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. A military rifle and deflecting shield connected by a readily attachable and
adjustable joint and arranged substantially as illustrated in the annexed drawings.
Dated this 14th day of October 1895.
E. P. ALEXANDER & SON,
Chartered Patent Agents,
19 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.