Patent ID: 7241972

Claim:
A welding gun comprising: a gas cap; a wire feed mechanism that defines at least a portion of a wire feed path; a contact tip that defines a bore that is configured to receive wire from the wire feed mechanism; a power block electrically coupled to the contact tip; a motor positioned below the at least a portion of the wire feed path; a substantially rigid shell surrounding the motor to form a handle, the shell also, at least partially, surrounding the wire feed mechanism and the power block; a spindle for supporting a wire spool, the spindle positioned behind the power block; and a gas passage configured for receiving inert gas from an inert gas source and delivering the inert gas to gas cap, the gas passage extending at least partially through the handle, wherein an axis of the spindle is positioned within about 0.5 to about 0.025 inches below the longitudinal axis of the torch barrel.