Muzzle cover for fire tube arms

Abstract

 A muzzle cover for fire arms of the type having a barrel (5) through which a shell or a similar projectile is intended to be launched. The muzzle cover is made of an elastic material and comprises a collar (12) which carries a flexible diaphragm (13) and which is adapted to be pushed over the muzzle of the barrel (5). The diaphragm (13) is bowed concavely inwards and is integral with the collar (12) over a recess (15) which is bowed convexly outwards and has a reduced thickness of material as compared with the diaphragm (13). The recess (15) provides a kerf for removing the diaphragm (13) when the pressure in the barrel (5) has increased to a predetermined level when the shell or similar projectile is launched. The collar (12) is slightly conical so that the muzzle cover can be forced onto the barrel, and the collar (12) has a successively reduced thickness in the direction rearwardly.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a muzzle cover for protecting weapons of the type comprising a barrel in which a shell or similar is pre-mounted and which has a fireing means providing a launching of the shell.

[0002] When handling such weapons, especially when the marksman moves there is a risk that gravel, sand and other particles enter the barrel thereby preventing the shell from leaving the barrel bore what may have disastrous consequences. Therefore the barrels generally are formed with some kind of muzzle cover to prevent particles from entering the barrel. The muzzle covers which previously used to be made of sheet metal or any other stiff material had to be removed before the weapon was fired since otherwise there is a risk that the fire tube explodes before the shell has left the barrel or that the shell is actuated when penetrating the muzzle cover so that the shell gets another shooting angle than the intended one.

[0003] In order to make sure that the muzzle cover is not damaged and that no particles have entered the barrel the marksman has to inspect the muzzle cover before shooting, the muzzle cover must be removed, and preferably also the inner of the barrel must be inspected. This is a time consuming operation which reduces the possibility for the marksman to quickly start the shooting.

[0004] Basis of the invention therefore is the problem to provide a muzzle cover which is formed so that the marksman by a quick and simple operation by the hand can control that the muzzle cover is undamaged and that consequently no particles have been able to enter the barrel, and to provide a muzzle cover which without disadvantages can be shot through by the shell. The muzzle cover according to the invention also has to be formed so that it can stand such stresses from outside which may occur when the fire tube muzzle is hit by tree knots etc. in the nature.

[0005] Now the invention shall be described more in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings Figure 1 is an example of a weapon system with a barrel having a muzzle cover according to the invention, and Figure 2 is an axial cross section through a separate muzzle cover.

[0006] The weapon illustrated in Figure 1 generally comprises a weapon part 1 having a fireing apparatus 2 and a sight 3, and an ammunition part 4 including a barrel 5, a combustion chamber 6 and a funnel formed end nozzle 7. At the rear end of the barrel 5 a non-illustrated shell is pre-mounted and the fireing of the shell is made by a non-electric fuse 8 extending from the fireing apparatus 2 into the shell. On the barrel a combined shoulder support-cheek support 9 and a support cushion 10 are mounted. The support cushion 10 is a support for the barrel while resting on the shoulder of the marksman when shooting from a standing or knee standing position.

[0007] At the muzzle the barrel has a muzzle cover 11 which like the shell is mounted in connection to the manufacture of the ammunition part 4. Therefore the barrel is never left without a muzzle cover, and the muzzle cover is allowed to remain on the barrel when the shell is launched.

[0008] The muzzle cover is made of an elastic material, preferably rubber or synthetic rubber, and as best evident from Figure 2 the muzzle cover comprises a collar 12 which is intended to be mounted outside the barrel 5 and which carries a diaphragm 13. Preferably the collar 12 is slightly conically widened from the diaphragm 13 and it has an average diameter which is slightly less than the outer diameter of the barrel 5 so that the muzzle cover has to be pressed on the barrel 5. At the connection portion between the collar 12 and the diaphragm 13 the muzzle cover is preferably formed with a shoulder 14 which provides a supporting edge to the front edge of the barrel. The shoulder 14 has a slightly less radial dimension than the thickness of the barrel so as not to provide an obstacle for the shell while being launched from the barrel. The transition portion between the collar 12 and the diaphragm 13 is formed as a recess 15'which provides a kerf for blowing the diaphragm 13 out when launching the shell. For this purpose the recess 15 has slightly less thickness than the remaining part of the diaphragm. The diaphragm 13 has to be completely free from stresses both in order to stand stresses from outside and to be able to provide a clamping of the collar 12 to stick to the barrel when launching the shell. Therefore the diaphragm 13 is concavely bent inwards whereas the recess 15 is bent outwards. In order to provide a good clamping of the collar to the outside of the barrel when launching the shell the collar 12 is made gradually thinner towards the rear free end thereof.

[0009] In a practical embodiment of the muzzle cover according to the invention for a fire tube having an inner diameter of 85 mm the collar 12 of the muzzle cover was made with a largest thickness round the barrel of 5 mm, whereas the diaphragm 13 was made having a thickness of 0,75 mm. The recess 15 was formed with a thickness of 0,4 mm. The diaphragm 13 was made concavely inwards with the largest concavity of 5 - 8 mm.

[0010] The muzzle cover can be glued or vulcanized or secured in any other way to the barrel 5, but depending on the conical and special form of the collar 12 it may be quite sufficient that the collar 12 is pressed onto the muzzle of the fire tube without any further securing means.

[0011] When making the weapon ready for shooting it is quite sufficient that the marksman slightly hits the diaphragm 13 whereby a specific resonance sound appears in the barrel if the muzzle cover is undamaged whereas another sound appears if the muzzle cover should happen to be punctured. Therefore the marksman can quickly and effectively judge whether or not the muzzle cover is undamaged or not. If the muzzle cover is undamaged the shell is launched, and depending on the pressure thereby appearing in the barrel the diaphragm 13 is blown out and is ruptured round the recess 15 thereby leaving a free race for the shell. Depending on the stress when the diaphragm is pressed out from its concave to a convex form there is some floating of material in the collar 12 at the same time as the collar 12 by the pressure is rotated outwards-rearwards round the shoulder 14, whereby the collar is pressed stronger to stick to the barrel. This prevents the collar from being released and thereby from inflicting the throw path of the shell.

[0012] It is to be understood that the muzzle cover described above and shown in the drawings is only an illuminating example and that all kinds of different modifications may be presented within the scope of the appended claims.

[0013] 

1 weapon part

2 firing apparatus

3 sight

4 ammunition part

5 barrel

6 combustion chamber

7 end nozzle

8 non-el, fuse

9 shoulder - cheek support

10 support cushion

11 muzzle cover

12 collar

13 diaphragm

14 shoulder (of 11)

15 recess

Claims

1. Muzzle cover for weapons having a barrel (5) through the muzzle of which a shell or a similar projectile is intended to be launched, characterized in that the muzzle cover (6) comprises a collar (12) which is pushed over the exterior muzzle end of the barrel and which carries a diaphragm (13) which can be broken through depending on the pressure appearing in the barrel when the shell or similar projectile is launched, whereby the diaphragm (13) is broken away from the collar (12) thereby leaving a free passageway for the shell.

2. Muzzle cover according to claim 1, characterized in that the diaphragm (13) is integral with the collar (12) over a recess (15) having a slightly less thickness than the diaphragm (13).

3. Muzzle cover according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the diaphragm (13) is formed concavely inwards whereas the diaphragm is formed convexly.outwards.

4. Muzzle cover according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the collar (12) is formed with a shoulder (14) providing a support edge to the muzzle of the barrel (5) and which is narrower than the thickness of the barrel.

5. Muzzle cover according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the collar (12) is slightly conically widened from the outer end thereof and rearwardly and in that the average diameter of the collar is less than the outer diameter of the barrel (5).

6. Muzzle cover according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the collar (12) has a successively reduced thickness of material in the direction rearwardly.

Drawing