US846674A - Gun-rack. - Google Patents

Description

No. 846,674. PATENTED-MARKIZ, 1907;

' B. E. LAMB.

GUN RAGK.

APPLICATION FILED 00111, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

EDWIN E. LAMB, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK CLAFFEY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

GUN-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 12, 1907.

Application filed October 11,1905. Serial No. 282,359;

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. LAMB, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of.

lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to'the class of devices used for supporting firearms; and the object of my invention is to provide a rack in which firearms may be located in an accessible position within a tent and at the same time not obstruct the full usage of the tent by reduc ing the floor-space; and a further object of the invention is to provide a rack in which the firearms may besuspended in a manner to avoid injury thereto. One form of device in the use of which these objects may be attained is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of the ridge-pole of a tent with my improved rack in place thereon supporting a number of rifles. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rack for supporting the muzzle end of the rifle. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of that portion of the rack designed for supporting the butt of the rifle. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a modified form of rack.

Prior to my invention it has been customary to provide a tent used for military purposes with a gun-rack located, preferably, at the rear of'the tent, so that the rifles or firearms are supported in an upright position with the butts resting on the floor or on a piece secured to the floor. An objection has been found to this method of temporarily storing firearms, for the reason that the floorspace of such tents is necessarily limited, and for a further reason that the guns are so placed that the locks are liable to injury in the ordinary uses of the tent. By my improved device I have provided means whereby the rifles or firearms may be suspended from the ridge-pole of the tent, so that the entire floor-space is accessible for ordinary use and the rifles are located in a position to avoid injury.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 denotes the ridge-pole of a tent over which the canvas (not shown) is placed in a common and well-known manner and from which it slopes downward on opposite sides in the form of an inverted V.

In carrying out my invention I provide what may be termed a muzzle-support or rack? and a butt-support or rack. Each of these supports or racks includes a base-piece 2, each preferably formed of sheet metal bent at op osite ends to form knuckles 3, in which the slde bars of the racks are supported. The space between these knuckles is preferably of a width to receive the lower edge of the ridge-pole, that closelyfits within the space, the knuckles being located on opposite sides of the ridge-pole, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. These base-pieces may be secured to the ridgeole in any convenient manner. In the pre erred form bolts 4 project through the ridge-pole and through the base-piece, the latter being secured, as by nuts 5.

The muzzle-support or rack consists of a frame constructed of wire of suitable form, the opposite ends of which are passed through the knuckles 3 and secured in any desired manner, in the form shown these ends being bent over, as shown at 6. The side parts of the frame extend downward, gradually separating toward the lower part, the slope of the side parts of the frame preferably conforming to the slope of the canvas composing the roof of the tent. These side bars 7 of the frame are joined at the bottom by a crossbar 8, the whole structure composing the frame being preferably formed of a single piece of wire. Hooks 9 are pivoted on the cross-bar, these hooks being provided in any desired number, four being shown herein. These hooks are preferably formed of sheet metal, one end being formed into an eye to receive the cross-bar and the other end be ing bent to form a hook to receive the stacking-swivel 10 of the rifle. Spacers 11 are located on the cross-bar between the hooks, these spacers consisting of sleeves encircling the bar to hold the hooks at proper distances apart. The frame of the rack for supporting the butt-end of the rifle is similarly formed as to its construction and has means of attachment to the base-piece, as above described with respect to the muzzle-support. The side parts slope downward, separating toward the bottom, as above described; but the frame as a whole is preferably made longer than that for supporting the muzzle. The lower part of the butt-support may be formed of parallel side parts 12, and the ICC cross-bar is formed with depressions 13, the rod forming the frame being bent, as shown, to form these depressions, within which the butt of the rifle is laid. In Fig. 1 of the drawings the rifles are shown as properly supported by my improved rack, and it will readily be seen that there is no danger of injury to the mechanism of the piece.

In some forms of rifle used by troops there is no stacking-swivel and therefore no means for utilizing a hook, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. In order to properly support a rifle without such stacking-swivel, I provide a muzzle-support, as shown in Fig. 4, in which the base 2 is constructed as hereinbefore described, the frame sloping downward, as at 15, similar to that hereinbefore described with reference to the buttsupport, and the lower end being provided with depressions 14 similar to those of the butt support hereinbefore described. It will be obvious that this frame may be of any desired length with respect to the buttsupport to sustain the rifles in any desired position.

It is obvious that the details of construction may be changed to a greater or less extent without departing from the invention, which includes the attachment to the ridgepole of a tent of frames for supporting the muzzle and butt of a rifle, said frames conforming to the shape of the side walls of the tent.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including a muzzle and a butt support secured to the ridge-pole and each including a frame having side parts shaped to conform to the sloping walls of the tent and a transversely-arranged piece rigidly secured to a side part and forming means for support of the muzzle and butt of a rifle.

2. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack removably secured thereto and including a muzzle and a butt support each including a frame having side parts shaped to conform to the sloping walls of the tent and a transversely-arranged piece rigidly'connected to a side part and forming means; of attachment for the muzzle and butt of a rifle.

' 3. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including a base secured to the under side of the ridge-pole with side parts embracing the sides of the pole, and a frame secured to said base and depending thprefrom and having means for holding a rire.

4. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including a butt-support depending from the ridge-pole and having recesses for the reception of the butts of the rifles and a muzzle-support depending from said ridge-pole and having hooks for the reception of the swivels of the rifles.

5. An improved gunrack including a base having knuckles formed thereon to embrace the sides of a ridge-pole, a frame with its ends projecting through said knuckles and secured therein and bent at an angle thereto, and having means for holding a rifle therein.

6. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including a butt-support having a base with knuckles to embrace the sides of the ridge-pole with a frame having its ends extending through the knuckles and bent to embrace the same, said frame being bent at an angle to the base and having means for supporting the butts of rifles, and a muzzlesupport including a similarly-formed base with hooks secured to a lower cross-bar.

7. In combination with the ridge-pole of a tent, a gunrack including a muzzle and a butt support secured to the ridgerpole and each including a frame having side parts depending from the ridge-pole and a transversely-arranged piece rigidly connected to the side parts and forming means for the support of the muzzle and butt of a rifle.

EDI/VIN E. LAMB.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR B. JENKINS, LENA E. Bnmcovlron.

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