Dec. 16, 1947. C. R. OLSEN 2,432,539 GRENADE LAUNCHING TUBE AND AUXLARY CARTRIDGE THEREFOR Filed April 9, 1944 saworw Zmirror Career of firearm xasya...wawaxaawasakskyx awaw.wawyvaxxawwsAxxxx xxxx xxxxxxixty YSSYY 22222222222232392, YSeeEzializeadeS awaaSasawaasarayaaaaasayasasawaxaawasaraya Y. Clarles Rohert Olse Tl Patented Dec. 16, 1947 2,432,539 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRENA DE LAUNCH ING TUBE AND AUXL ARY CARTRIDGETHEREFOR Charles Robert Olsen, Philadelphia, Pa. Application April 19, 1944, Serial No. 531,840 2 Claims. (C. 42-1) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 1. 2 The invention described herein may be manu which may be used to fire any of the conventional factured and used by or for the Government for grenades, or ground signals, chemical containers, governmental purposes without the payment to or rocket-propelled devices meant to be fired from me of any royalty thereon. a projector, rifle, or carbine. The invention relates to means for launching Where a prior carbine, grenade-launching car grenades and other projectiles from rifles, car tridge, launcher, and grenade are employed, a bines, projectors, and the like, and has for an velocity of 145 feet per second just beyond the object to provide means for increasing the prac muzzle has been the Optimum, but my invention ticable range of these projectiles without risk of has produced velocities of 220 feet per second injury to the rifles or their mechanism, and with 10 without exceeding the safe pressure limits of the Out increased risk to personnel beyond that to arm. The range attained With the mentioned be expected in use of projecting devices generally prior matériel, approximates 202 yards, more or for Such purposes. less, when the carbine is given an elevation of It is a special purpose of the invention to pro 45 degrees; while with my invention a range of vide an auxiliary propellent charge which will 15 390 yards has been shown, using the same car become effective immediately succeeding and con bine, grenade launching cartridge, launcher, and tinuing the initial pressure peak in the barrel grenade, and at the same elevation but with my resulting from the firing of the conventional gre auxiliary cartridge device included, as will be nade launching ammunition round or the like. described. The invention is thus particularly im The latter has been designed to produce a peak 20 portant for use With the carbine, making this of pressure in the barrel of the rifle and the light weight weapon of service in a much wider launcher attached, well below the safety limit scope, and particularly in grenade launching, of the rifle and tail tube of the grenade, and as where it has heretofore been of restricted value. an excess of such pressure at any time involves Improvement in range with the rifles such as the risk of bursting or other injury to the weapon, Garand, Springfield and Enfield are also simi Or... tail tube and personnel, it has not been found 25 larly manifest, and in the launching of rockets practicable to merely increase the charge of pro Similar advantages are obtained. In the rifles, pellant in the gun so as to obtain greater range, While the standard grenade launching cartridges for the reason that the resultant effect would be for rifles produce higher velocities than the car -a pressure peak far beyond a safe limit for the 30 bine ammunition, I am still able to use my aux : proper use of the rifle. It has therefore been a iliary without change, using the same quantity guiding motive in the invention to preserve the of propellant component, with higher velocities benefit of the use of a reasonably fast burning and increased range, although not in the same powder in the grenade launcher cartridge, so relative proportion as With the carbine. The in that a peak pressure will be developed promptly 35 creased ranges With the rifle equal those With during the initial movement of the grenade and the carbines, however, and are all that are at to implement this by an immediately following present required for the improved utility of gre ignition of an explosive which will add to the nade firing. While a special rifle auxiliary car gases already acting against the grenade, in suf tridge with a larger charge similarly proportion ficient quantity to continue or produce a renewed 40 ate to the rifle grenade launching cartridge con and relatively flat pressure peak well before the tent may be made, it is not considered necessary grenade leaves the launcher. or desirable in view of the ranges actually ob . A further, aim is to present a novel means for tained with the single device, which simplifies obtaining the augmentation of propulsion in such manufacturing and supply procedure, and also 45 avoids possibilities of mistake or confusion, such devices. as might involve use of a heavy charge rifle aux An important desideratum in the invention is iliary cartridge in the carbine launcher. the formation of a novel auxiliary cartridge for It is a specific aim of the invention to evolve producing the effects and functions desired. a novel means for effecting ignition of an auxiliary A very important object in view is to enable the 50 propellant charge element, as Well as to enable use of standard matériel (including rifles and the ready incorporation thereof in a conventional Carbines, launchers, and grenades) already in grenade and grenade launcher in a simple Way. hand and use, for launching grenades, signals, Additional objects, advantages, and features of rockets and other projectiles, without change, ex invention reside in the construction, arrangement cept to the extent of the simple addition of an and combination of parts involved in the em auxiliary cartridge which may be a unitary ele bodiment of the invention, and in the method ment of the grenade, or may be manually placed of practice thereof, as will be more clearly ap in loading. parent from the following description and accom A further important object of the invention is panying drawings wherein: to provide an improvement as indicated above 60 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the muzzle of a 2,432,539 3 4. rifle on which a conventional grenade launcher of a tail piece tube 26, this tube being smoothly is shown, with my auxiliary cartridge and a gre slidable upon the body or piston if 5 of the nade tailpiece in position for loading. launcher, and extending hearly to the rearmost Fig. 2 is a full size longitudinal section of the wide land 20, the next forward wide land being launcher with my auxiliary cartridge and grenade 5 within the tube and supporting the same in con loaded. centric relation to the launcher body. The tube Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. has at its rear end the usual tail fins 27. Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the For use with the launcher and grenade with auxiliary cartridge. tail piece as above described, I have formed an Fig. 5 is a similar view showing a preferred 30 auxiliary cartridge 28, somewhat resembling an form of the auxiliary cartridge. ordinary shotgun shell, and loaded with an aux Fig. 6 is a representation of a fictitious set of iliary charge of explosive. This cartridge in the curves representing at A, maximum-strength of present instance comprises a case 29 of cylindrical barrel; B, Safety pressure allowance; C, conven form, adapted to fit slidingly in the forward end tional ball cartridge pressure curve; D, pressures 15 of the bore 2 of the launcher piston tube 5. produced by the Small charge carbine size regular It may fit loosely in the launcher so as to most grenade launcher cartridge M6, and G, pressure "certainly assure its free withdrawal with the gre increment of my auxiliary M7; as well as at H a made at the propertime. In the present instance general indication of the resultant of the two last the case 29 is formed with a head 30 having a named preSSures during launching of a grenade. peripheral flange 3 with a conical outer face Fig. 7 is a fictitious graph similar to Fig. 6 20 arranged to fit the bevelled Seat 22 or mouth of showing what is believed to be substantially the the tubular piston, and the head 25 is completely pressures in the grenade launcher tube during (received in the bevelled seat clear from the ex the firing operation. tremity of the body 25. This auxiliary cartridge Fig. 8 is a view of a primary propellant car Case may be formed 'of any low cost water proof tridge. 25 expendible material, including paper, plastics, Reference is also made to the patents to W. T. and metal; and in use, thus far, has been made Moore, No. 2,335,299, and J. C. Garand, No. of braSS to expedite production. The case may 1,892,141, for details of the arm, attachment, and be of such length as required to accommodate conventional practice with cartridges of pro 30 thereWithin the auxiliary charge of explosive de pellant for use in launching grenades. termined on. For rifles this may be varied in Referring nore particularly to the drawings, -quantity betWeen twenty to thirty grains or more there is illustrated one well known form of gre of a powder produced by the E. I. du Pont de nade launcher fi attachable to and detachable Nenours Company, of Wilmington, Delaware, and from a rifle f l or the like; the illustration show 35 known as EX4809-6, of Somewhat finer grain but ing only the muzzle end 2 of the rifle barrel, the of values, similar to those of the standard powder forward extremity 3 of the stock, and part of used in the grenade firing cartridge, now standard the gas cylinder f4 of a well known automatic for use in rifles.