Year: 1889

page_text: I, ALFRED CHRISTOPHER KOERNER, engineer of 21 rue royale, Paris, France, 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 improved apparatus is designed to increase the rapidity and facility of training
guns.
Generally speaking, it is so arranged that any large horizontal movement or rough
pointing in direction can be done directly by means of the stock or lever, without the
intervention of other mechanical devices, whilst the fine pointing alone is done by
handwheels connected to screws, etc.
For this purpose, the gearing which serves to move the gun in direction has to be
instantly connected or disconnected, as the case requires, when the gun is to be
moved by the lever or by the hand wheel.
Fig. 1, sheet 1, is a perspective view of a Hotchkiss rapid-firing gun fitted on a
gun-carriage according to my invention.
Fig. 2, sheet 2 is a side elevation, partly in section.
Fig. 3, sheet 2 is a plan of fig. 2, and,
Fig. 4 sheet 2 is a side view of the frame f shown in fig. 2, carrying the worm by
which rotary motion is imparted to the upper part of the gun carriage.
The carriage consists of three principal parts, viz.: 1st the lower or base part a
which is fixed; 2d the upper part 6 which carries the gun and which turns on the
lower fixed part; 3d the training gear.
These improvements relate in particular to the training gear and can be applied to
any gun carriage which is designed on the general idea of the one shown in the
drawings.
The lower part a of the carriage has a worm-wheel c; the upper movable part b
carries a worm d. The worm d is secured on an axis e fitted in a frame-piece f,
fig. 2 and 4, which forins one with the stock or directing lever g. The entire
directing lever or stock g is hinged to the upper movable part b of the carriage, by
means of pivots h, h fitted in bearings i, i, so that if the stock g be lifted up into the

page_text: position shown in dotted lines in fig. 2, the worm d is withdrawn out of connection
with the teeth of the worm-wheel c and then the upper part of the carriage, and
with it the gun, can be swung around by means of the directing lever g.
When the rough-pointing is completed, the directing lever g is dropped again;
the worm d is carried back into gear with the worm-wheel e and the sighting in
direction can then be rectified by turning the handwheel j, the rotary movement of
which is carried by the worm d by means of a shaft and bevil gears 1, which are
carried by and move with the directing lever.
Elevation is given to the gun by means of the elevating screw m which is hinged
to the gun by an axis n and which works in a nut o. The nut o is fitted on a frame
or arm p projecting rearwards from the upper part of the carriage; it is rotated,
and consequently the elevating screw i run up and down, by means of a handwheel g,
shaft shaft
3, worm not shown and worm-wheel secured upon the said nut o.
u, u are universal joints for permitting angular motion due to the rising and lowering
of the gun and of the stock
g.
At the extremity of the stock g, there is a rest or shoulder-piece v against which
the gunner lays his right shoulder, when rough pointing by moving the gun by means
of the stock g or when fine pointing, by means of the hand-wheels j and
The laniard to for firing the gun is carried through a handle e which forms part
with the shoulder-piece v or stock g, by means of an arm y; in this manner; all the
movements, viz.: rough pointing in direction, fine pointing by means of the hand-
wheels j and q and firing the gun are brought within easy reach of the gunner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a rapid firing or other gun, the combination, with a carriage, a directing
lever g and hand wheel with its connected parts k, l, of a disconnectable worm d
gearing into a-worn wheel c, for the purpose set forth.
2. The described arrangement of disconnectable worm d secured on a shaft e,
which shaft is fixed in a frame piece f hinged by axis h h and bearings i-i, to the
upper part of the carriage, for the purpose set forth.
3.-The described arrangement of mechanism for the rapid training of rapid
firing and other guns, comprising any suitable elevating gear, any suitable fine
pointing gear for direction, in combination with a rough pointing gear consisting of
a disconnectable worm d, shaft frame piece and pivots h h, all arranged and
operating substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
e,
Dated this 21st day of January 1889.