Firearms – Implements – Sight devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-10
2001-11-20
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3641)
Firearms
Implements
Sight devices
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318015
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the priority of German Application No. 198 41 585.0 filed Sep. 11, 1998 , which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a collimator holding device mounted on a weapon barrel, close to the muzzle. The collimator holding device serves for temporarily securing a collimator of a field-adjusting apparatus to the weapon barrel.
During the course of the firing operation weapon barrels are significantly heated by virtue of the heat transfer from the hot gases and burning powder to the barrel wall. Such a phenomenon takes place particularly during serial firing. With an increasing heat-up of the weapon barrel the barrel muzzle frequently sags and thus a deterioration of the accuracy of the weapon results.
For this reason, during firing operation, as a rule a follow-up adjustment of the weapon has to be effected by means of “field-adjusting” devices. A field adjusting device verifies the position of the muzzle with the aid of an optical assembly (collimator) situated at the barrel muzzle and, if necessary, corrective steps may be taken. For such a procedure, the collimator is secured to the barrel muzzle by means of a special collimator holding device.
It is known to connect the collimator holder with the weapon barrel by means of screws. Such a solution, however, is disadvantageous in that relatively wide securing surfaces need to be made available on the weapon barrel. Further, a sufficient screw depth in the weapon barrel has to be ensured for the securing screws. Because of these requirements, at the barrel muzzle a significant amount of barrel material has to be present which disadvantageously affects the oscillating behavior of the weapon barrel and also aids the above-described muzzle sagging. It has further been found that problems are encountered with the securing screws which often become loose.
When tubular collimator holders are used, it has been proposed to secure such tubes to the weapon barrel by means of shrunk-on rings. It is, among others, a disadvantage of such a solution that it involves a substantial technological outlay and, in addition, as in the earlier discussed solution, such a solution requires a significant mass of material in the muzzle region of the weapon barrel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved collimator holding device of the above-outlined type which may be mounted easily and in a user friendly manner on the weapon barrel and which requires only an insignificant increase of the material mass in the region of the barrel muzzle. It is a further object to provide a collimator holder that can be affixed without any play to the region of the barrel muzzle.
These objects and others to become apparent as the specification progresses, are accomplished by the invention, according to which, briefly stated, the holder assembly for supporting a collimator of a field adjusting device on the weapon barrel includes a holder sled having a dovetail guide provided in the underface of the sled. The dovetail guide has lateral guide faces converging toward one another. A first groove which is provided in the underface of the sled extends transversely to the length of the dovetail guide. A dovetail receiver block is affixed to the weapon barrel in the muzzle region. The dovetail receiver block has lateral guide faces converging toward one another. A second groove, located on the weapon barrel, extends transversely to the barrel axis. The holder sled is removably mountable on the weapon barrel by sliding the dovetail guide onto the dovetail receiver block in a direction parallel to the barrel axis until an installed state of the holder sled is reached. In the installed state the lateral guide faces of the dovetail guide and the lateral guide faces of the dovetail receiver block are in a wedging relationship and the first and second grooves are in alignment with one another to form a passage. Further, a wedge block is provided which is insertable into the passage in the installed state for axially immobilizing the holder sled on the weapon barrel.
It is the basic principle of the invention to provide, as a collimator holder, a sled with a dovetail guide in which the two lateral guiding faces of the dovetail guide converge. The sled is inserted into the dovetail receiver block which is situated at the barrel muzzle and which too, has converging lateral guide faces. By virtue of the lateral guide faces of the dovetail guide and the dovetail receiver block, in conjunction with the inclination of such guide faces as viewed cross-sectionally, the sled is clamped (wedged) within the dovetail receiver block as the dovetail guide is slid onto the dovetail receiver block.
A positive axial immobilization of the sled is effected by a wedge block which has converging sides cooperating with converging sides of a groove situated on the weapon barrel and extending transversely to the barrel axis. The wedge block presses the sled into its wedged end position and axially immobilizes the sled which, upon firing, seeks to creep into the firing direction by virtue of inertia.
It has been found advantageous to provide that the wedge angle formed between the lateral guide faces of the dovetail guide and between the lateral guide faces of the dovetail receiver block is between 2° and 5°.
It also has been found advantageous to provide that the lateral faces of the transverse wedge and the corresponding engagement faces of the groove on the weapon barrel have a wedge angle which is between 3° and 8°.
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Baumann Berthold
Wagner Hartmut
Buckley Denise J
Jordan Charles T.
Kelemen Gabor J.
Rheinmetall W & M. GmbH
Venable
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