Europaisches Patentamt à ® European Patent Office © Publication number: O 024 144 Office européen des brevets Bl EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION @ Date of publication of patent spécification: 06.06.84 © Int. Cl.3: F 42 B 11/02, F 42 C 19/08, F 41 C 13/00, @ Application number: 80302604.6 F 41 D 1 1/16 @ Date offiling: 30.07.80 @ Caseless ammunition projectile having separate propeilant charge and hand firearm for firing same. (§) Priority:01.08.79US 62794 @ Proprietor: Junker Systems, Inc. 115 Depot Street Tryon North Carolina 28782 (US) @ Date of publication of application: 25.02.81 Bulletin 81/8 (72) Inventor: Junker, Ralph Daniel Rt.1,Box8EE, @ Publication of the grant of the patent: Columbus North Carolina 28722 (US) 06.06.84 Bulletin 84/23 @ Représentative: Needle, Jacqueline et al, (84) Designated Contracting States: PAGE, WHITE & FARRER 5 Plough Place New AT BE CH DE FR GB IT Ll LU NL SE Fetter La ne London EC4A1HY (GB) Références cited: DE - A - 2 820 405 FR-A-1 376 138 US - A - 2 394 249 US -A -2 632 391 US - A - 2 841 906 US - A - 3 680 242 US-A-3712 172 US-A-3916792 US - A - 4 020 741 Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1 ) European patent convention). Courier Press, Leamington Spa, England. position, said pocket means comprising a first pocket for receiving said projectile and a second The present invention relates to firearms pocket disposed therebehind for receiving said employing consumable, caseless ammunition. propellant cartridge said first and second Firearms utilizing caseless ammunition have pockets being in communication with one been previously proposed as evidenced, for another, and in that said means for igniting said example, by U.S. Patent No. 2,632,391 issued primer charge comprises a surface which slides to Kintzinger on March 24, 1953, and Patent with said bolt. Nos. 4,020,741 and 4,123,963 issued to the According to a further aspect of the present present inventor on May 3, 1977 and November invention there is provided a projectile for use in 7, 1978, respectively. The disclosures of the a firearm in which a separate solid propellant latter two patents are incorporated herein by charge is ignited behind the projectile to propel reference as if set forth at length. In Patent No. the latter through a barrel said projectile com- 4,123,963 there is disclosed a firearm which prising a body said body containing a recess at employs a consumable, caseless propellant a rearward end thereof; and primer means charge for propelling a projectile. The firearm mounted in said recess substantially coaxially includes a magazine for storing projectiles and relative to the axis of said projectile character- propellant cartridges. A reciprocating bolt ized in that said primer means includes a includes two laterally open pockets, a front one housing and a primer charge container therein, of which receives a projectile and a rear one of and in that said housing has an annular rim which receives a propellant cartridge during a projecting laterally beyond said projectile forward stroke of the bolt. At the end of the body. forward stroke, a firing pin is pushed through Preferably, a sleeve formed of anti-friction the bolt to ignite a primer disposed within the material is interposed between a primer casing propellant charge. The propellant charge deflag- for the primer charge and a wall of the recess rates and ignition gas pressure is com- to minimize friction during insertion of the municated to the rear of the projectile to propel primer casing into the recess. the latter from the firearm. The primer casing may contain an ignitable Despite the advancement in the art repre- tracer material located forwardly of the primer sented by U.S. Patent Nos. 4,020,741 and charge to be ignited by the ignited primer 4,123,963, room for improvement remains. For charge. example, from a safety standpoint the presence The present invention also extends to a of a primer within the propellant cartridge projectile for use in a firearm in which a renders the cartridge more sensitive to ignition separate solid propellant charge is ignited be- and thus difficult to manufacture and store. hind the projectile to propel the latter through Moreover, a direct hit on the magazine of the a barrel said projectile comprising a body said firearm could produce primer actuated ignition body containing a recess at a rearward end of the cartridges. thereof; and primer means mounted in said US-A-3,680,242 discloses a firearm in recess characterized in that said primer means which the projectiles carry a primer. In addition includes a casing and a primer charge con- FR-A-1 376 138 shows a primer casing. tainer therein; and in that a sleeve formed of It is an object of the invention to increase the anti-friction material is disposed in said recess operational safety of a firearm employing case- between said primer casing and a wall of said less ammunition as well as to render the recess to facilitate insertion of said primer ammunition safer to manufacture, store and casing into said recess. mechanically handle. Embodiments of the present invention will According to a first aspect of the present hereinafter be described, by way of example, invention there is provided a firearm for firing with reference to the accompanying drawings in projectiles by the detonation therebehind of a which like numerals designate like elements, separate propellant cartridge the projectile and in which: carrying a primer charge for igniting the Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view propellant cartridge, said firearm comprising a through a portion of a firearm according to the body including a receiver, a barrel connected to present invention depicting the moving bolt of said receiver, and a firing chamber com- the firearm in the act of positioning a projectile municating with a bore of the barrel; means for and propellant cartridge in an armed position introducing a projectile and a propellant within a firing chamber; cartridge therebehind into said body; a bolt Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 depict- slidably mounted in said body, said bolt includ- ing extraction of an unfired projectile with bolt ing means for advancing the projectile to an withdrawal; armed position within said firing chamber and Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 de- means arranged to ignite said primer charge picting a condition of the projectile at ignition; when said projectile is in said armed position; Figure 4 depicts the projectile in transit in the characterized in that said bolt includes laterally bore; open pocket means for receiving the projectile Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view and cartridge and advancing them to the armed through an embodiment of a projectile accord- ing to the present invention, and the primer by the bolt 20. In this regard, a Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view primer charge is contained at the rear of each through another embodiment of the projectile projectile 22 and is ignited by compression according to the present invention. imposed by the front wall 32 of the divider lip, Depicted in Figure 1 is a longitudinal section such wall thus constituting a firing surface. through a portion of a body of a firearm 10. The One preferred projectile 22A according to the body includes a receiver 12 and a barrel 14, the present invention is depicted in Figure 5. The latter including a barrel extension 16. The barrel projectile 22A comprises a body 42 formed of extension, which forms a firing chamber 17, is conventional materials. An axial cylindrical secured to the receiver by conventional locking recess 44 extends from a rear end of the body. lugs 18. Mounted in the projectile recess is a liner A reciprocably mounted bolt 20 is adapted to sleeve 46 and a primer casing 48. The sleeve shift a projectile 22 and a propellant cartridge 46 is preferably formed of an anti-friction plastic 24 to an armed position within the firing material such as nylon. A cylindrical nose chamber 17. At its forward end, the bolt 20 portion 50 of the sleeve 46 projects into the includes a pair of longitudinally spaced, laterally recess 44 and a frusto-conical base portion 52 open front and rear pockets 26, 28 for the of the sleeve bears against a correspondingly reception of the projectile and propellant car- flared rear surface 54 of the bore 44. The nose tridge, respectively. The projectile and portion 50 includes a front wall 53 which ter- propellant cartridge are housed within a minates short of a front wall 55 of the projectile magazine (not shown) which is carried by the recess. receiver and which feeds laterally into the. Projecting radially outwardly from the base receiver bore. Any suitable mechanism can be portion 52 of the sleeve and beyond the provided for reciprocating the bolt and further periphery of the projectile body 42 is an annular details thereof are not needed herein. A suitable rim portion 56 of the sleeve which functions in a magazine is described in the fore-mentioned manner to be described. U.S. Patent No. 4,123,963 of the present in- The primer casing 48 is preferably formed of ventor.