Improvements in Gun Mountings.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gun Mountings.
I FREDERICK HALL SNYDER, of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of.
America, Attorney at law, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to gun mountings.
The main object of my said- invention is to provide improved means for checking
the recoil of guns.
In applying my said invention to a field-gun I mount the gun upon an upper or
top carriage the front part or portion of which is provided with V-shaped sides
arranged to slide in corresponding grooves provided in the cheeks of the gun-carriage.
The said upper or top carriage is moreover provided at its other extremity with two
plungers or pistons adapted to fit into suitable cylinders firmly attached to the said
gun carriage. In these cylinders I place cylindrical pieces of India-rubber or other
suitable material having air spaces or holes provided in the same.
These air spaces or
holes are so arranged as not to pass quite through the said cylindrical pieces of
India-rubber, and the latter are so placed in the cylinders that the open ends are
situated at the bottom of the said cylinders. In order to provide more air space than
would otherwise be the case I prefer moreover to form the peripheries of the said
cylindrical pieces of India-rubber fluted. The hereinbefore mentioned plungers or
pistons fit air tight or approximately air tight in the cylinders and are normally in
slight contact with the said cylindrical pieces of India-rubber. An air hole or air
holes are moreover provided in each of the said cylinders, which admit air to the
spaces formed by the fluted edges of the cylindrical pieces of India-rubber in the said
cylinders when the plungers or pistons are in their normal positions, but which are
closed by the said plungers or pistons as soon as the latter are caused to enter the
said cylinders by reason of the action of the recoil of the gun when discharged.
When the gun is fired the action of the recoil causes the plungers or pistons to
enter the cylinders and compress the cylindrical pieces of India-rubber therein and
consequently the air contained in the hereinbefore mentioned air spaces or holes and
thus advantageously checking or cushioning the said recoil. When the action of the
recoil is over the gun is returned to its normal or firing position by means of the
reaction of the air compressed in the air spaces in the said cylindrical pieces of
India-rubber upon the plungers or pistons.
In order to cushion the upper or top carriage when returned to its normal or
firing position by the reaction of the air compressed in the cylinders as above
described I provide a piece or pieces of India-rubber or other suitable material for
the said top carriage to strike against upon its return to the said normal or firing
position, and thus form suitable buffers or stops to prevent any injurious jarring of
the said carriage.
I sometimes provide in the bottom of the cylinder suitable grooves or channels in
order to allow of the admission of air to the air spaces or holes in the hereinbefore
mentioned India-rubber cylindrical piece.
Although I have hereinbefore described my said invention more particularly as
applied to a field-gun it is obvious that it is also applicable to guns of any other
suitable description.
Moreover I can somewhat modify my apparatus without however in any way
departing from the nature of my said invention. For example I can employ four or
any other suitable number of cylinders instead of two as hereinbefore described.

page_text: Instead of the V slides I can arrange the upper or top carriage to slide upon the gun
And I can
carriage upon anti-friction rollers or in any other suitable manner.
dispense with the hereinbefore described air hole or air holes in the cylinders.
Dated this 21st day of November 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45. Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gun-mountings.
I, FREDERICK HALL SNYDER, of 12 Magnolia Avenue, Jersey City County of
Hudson, State of New Jersey, United States of America, Attorney at Law, 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 gun-mountings and is designed to provide improved means
for checking or cushioning the recoil of a gun.
For this purpose I employ a buffer or cushion of India-rubber or other suitable
elastic material formed with air holes or spaces and enclosed in a cylinder or casing.
In the accompanying drawing 1 have shown how my said invention may be con-
veniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, showing my improvements
applied to a transportable or field gun-carriage.
Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line a, x, Figure 1, drawn to an enlarged
scale.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts in these two Figures.
A is the gun B, B are the cheeks of the carriage, B¹ is the trail thereof, C, C are
the wheels.
The gun A is mounted in an upper or top-carriage or bearer a, the front part of
which is provided with V-shaped slides 6 arranged to move freely in corresponding
grooves c provided in the cheeks B. The said top-carriage or bearer a is provided
at its rear end with plungers or pistons d fitting into cylinders or casings e firmly
attached to the said cheeks B. In each of the said cylinders e, I provide a buffer or
cushion consisting of a cylindrical or other suitably shaped piece of India-rubber or
other suitable elastic material formed with air spaces or holes g. The said air spaces
or holes g are so arranged as not to pass quite through the said cylindrical piece f and
the latter is so placed in the cylinder e that the open or free ends of the holes
situated at the closed end of the cylinder. To provide for increasing the collective
capacity of the air spaces in the buffer, I sometimes form in the periphery of the
piece flutings or corrugations g¹.
g are
The plungers or pistons d are so fitted in the cylinders e that they can move
freely therein; when the gun is in the firing position, they are in contact with, or
bear with a slight pressure against the said cylindrical pieces f. One or more air-
holes e¹ are provided in each of the said cylinders e, for the admission of air to the
spaces formed by the flutings or corrugations g', to compensate for any escape or
leakage of air that may take place between the said plungers or pistons and the
cylinders in which they work. These holes are so situated, that, when the plungers
or pistons d are at the forward end of their stroke or movement, air can enter the
said holes, but the said plungers or pistons, when forced into the said cylinders
during the recoil movement of the gun, will, at the commencement of their movement,
close the said holes.
When the gun is discharged, the recoil causes the top-carriage or bearer a to move
backwards, and the plungers or pistons d are forced into the cylinders e and caused
to compress the cylindrical pieces of India-rubber or other elastic material, and also
✓ the air contained in the air-holes or spaces g, g².

page_text: The recoil movement of the said gun is thus very efficiently checked or cushioned.
Upon the termination of the said recoil movement, the top-carriage or bearer a and
the gun A are returned to the normal or firing position by the reaction of the buffer
or cushion.
In order to cushion the top-carriage or bearer a at the termination of its forward or
return movement, I provide in the grooves c stops or pieces h of India-rubber or
other suitable clastic material, against which the slides b will strike when the gun
returns to the firing position, thus preventing any injurious shock or concussion to
which the gun-mounting might otherwise be subjected.
I sometimes provide in the bottom of the cylinders e suitable grooves or channels
for the admission of air to the holes or air spaces g.
Although I have hereinbefore described my said improvements as applied more
particularly to a transportable or field-gun carriage or mounting, it is obvious that
they are also advantageously applicable to other gun carriages or mountings.
Moreover I can somewhat modify the construction of my improved gun carriage
or mounting without departing from the nature of my said invention. For instance
I can employ four or any other suitable number of cylinders and pistons or plungers
instead of two as hereinbefore described. Instead of V-shaped slides and grooves, I
can arrange the top-carriage or bearer to slide or move upon the main or under-
carriage through the medium of suitable anti-friction rollers or in any other convenient
manner. Moreover I sometimes dispense with the air-hole or air-holes in the aforesaid
cylinders.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it understood
that I claim
First. In a gun-mounting, the employment of a buffer or cushion comprising a
block or piece of india-rubber or other suitable elastic material provided with air holes
or spaces and enclosed in a cylinder or casing, for the purpose above specified.
Second. A gun-mounting wherein the top-carriage is arranged to recoil relatively
to the under-carriage and is provided with plungers or pistons working in cylinders
in which are enclosed buffers or cushions of india-rubber or other suitable elastic
material having air holes or spaces, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Third. The buffer-cylinder or casing provided with one or more holes so arranged
that they will be open for the admission of air while the gun is in the firing position,
but will be closed at the commencement of the recoil, for the purpose above
specified.
1
1000
F. H. SNYDER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.