Carrier For Ammunition And Accessories For Small Bore Rifles

Abstract

A carrier for ammunition and accessories for small-bore rifles including a full-length pouch partitioned into a plurality of longitudinal, full-length compartments for the storage of tubular cartridge dispensers and a jointed cleaning rod, and a plurality of storage pockets attached to the outside of one wall of the full-length pouch for storage of conventional cartridge boxes and gun-cleaning accessories. The carrier may be adapted for carrying from the waist on a belt.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to small-bore rifles and provides a carrier specifically adapted for the transport and storage of ammunition and cleaning accessories therefor.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Many types of cartridge belts or carriers are available. These carriers are generally intended as means for conveniently transporting ammunition in the field and are designed to carry cartridges in a readily accessible fashion to permit rapid reloading of a firearm. Representative of the cartridge belts or carriers of the prior art are those disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 45,469, 900,094, 139,846, 1,176,266, and 2,397,200.

Although the cartridge carriers of the prior art transport an adequate supply of cartridges readily available in condition for reloading a rifle, most are unsuitable for storing sufficient ammunition for an extended outing involving intermittent use of the rifle. Intermittent use of the rifle necessitates corresponding intermittent cleaning. Presently available cartridge belts are not suitable for storing the cleaning rods and accessories required for such cleaning. Thus, when a small-bore rifle is intermittently used and stored, separate provision must be made for storage of ammunition and cleaning equipment. As a result, there is a tendency to neglect proper cleaning of the rifle and a likelihood of traveling from home or camp for an extended period without an adequate supply of ammunition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a carrier of simple sewn construction which comprises a plurality of compartments specially adapted to store sufficient cartridges and adequate cleaning accessories for the intermittent use and cleaning of a small-bore rifle over a prolonged period. Thus, sufficient ammunition and appropriate cleaning accessories may be kept conveniently at hand in one location to avoid the necessity for separate storage or transport of these items. The carrier is adapted to store cartridges in their conventional retail packages for long term supply purposes and in tubular cartridge dispensers for immediate use. Although the carrier of this invention may be used to store cartridges and accessories for rifles and handguns of various calibers, it is primarily intended for use in conjunction with .22 caliber and other small-bore rifles fitted with tubular magazines. Such a magazine may be quickly loaded by simply removing one of the precharged tubular cartridge dispensers from the carrier and dumping its contents into the magazine.

The carrier of this invention includes a full length, cartridge dispenser pouch partitioned into a plurality of full-length longitudinal compartments, each of which is adapted to receive and hold a tubular cartridge dispenser. Preferably, a jointed cleaning rod is stored in one such longitudinal compartment, which may be specially adapted therefor but which is usually identical to the longitudinal compartments in which the tubular cartridge dispensers are stored. A plurality of storage pockets, are attached to the outside of one wall of the pouch. This wall may be considered the front of the pouch. The opposite; i.e., the back, wall of the pouch is adapted for attachment to a belt by any suitable means, such as a loop or clip.

The storage pockets may include both "cartridge pockets," which are intended for the storage of an integral number of standard size, retail, cartridge boxes, and "accessory pockets." The accessory pockets may be adapted for the storage of various small tools or cleaning accessories, but more often, all of the storage pockets are identical and may be used interchangeably as either cartridge pockets or accessory pockets.

In the preferred form of the carrier of this invention, the storage pockets are approximately as wide as the dispenser pouch and are fastened to the pouch wall in stacked parallel arrangement with one such pocket located near the bottom edge of the pouch. The remaining pockets are fastened to the pouch wall above the bottom pocket with just sufficient space between them to permit access to each pocket.

The dispenser pouch is preferably less deep than the length of the cartridge dispenser but sufficiently deep to securely hold the cartridge dispensers in place. Thus, a portion of each dispenser protrudes from the top of the pouch so that it may be easily grasped by the fingers. Similarly, the cartridge pockets are of appropriate depth to hold the cartridge boxes therein with a portion of each box protruding up beyond the top edge of the pocket in which it is contained. Each cartridge pocket has a cover flap adapted to fasten across the top of the pocket to prevent spillage of the contents therefrom. The dispenser pouch desirably also has a cover flap.

The carrier of this invention may be made from any convenient material, such as canvas or other fabric, leather, or plastic material. In its preferred form, it includes the aforedescribed dispenser pouch and storage pockets in combination with a plurality of tubular cartridge dispensers. A jointed cleaning rod of conventional type, but having individual segments no longer than the tubular cartridge dispensers may also be included as a part of the combination. The dispenser pouch, cartridge pockets, cartridge dispensers, and cleansing rod will be dimensioned in accordance with the caliber of rifle with which the carrier of this invention is intended for use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the drawing, which illustrates what is presently regarded as the best mode of carrying out the invention.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a carrier of this invention filled with ammunition and accessories ready for use in the field, but with the dispenser pouch and one pocket open.

FIG. 2, is a front view in elevation, drawn to a reduced scale, with the dispenser pouch and all pockets closed; and

FIG. 3, a view in cross section taken from the standpoint of line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated, the carrier of this invention comprises an elongated dispenser pouch 11 having much greater depth and width than thickness and a plurality of shallower storage pockets 12, 13, and 14 attached to the outside of one wall 11a, of the dispenser pouch. A carrying loop 15 (FIG. 3) is attached to the outside of the pouch wall 11b opposite the wall 11a which carries the storage pockets. In use, the carrier is normally carried from the waist by a belt passed through the loop 15. Thus, the pouch is considered to be at the back of the carrier and the pouch wall 11b is referred to as the back of the pouch while wall 11a is referred to as the front of the pouch.

Dispenser pouch 11 is provided with a cover flap 16 as illustrated and each of the storage pockets 12, 13, and 14 are provided with similar cover flaps 17, 18, and 19, respectively. Each of the flaps carries the female member 20a of a snap fastener, the corresponding male members 20b, being mounted near the top on the front wall of the respective pockets.

In the illustrated instance, the cover flap for each storage pocket is stitched to the front wall 11a of the elongate dispenser pouch at a location spaced above the top of the pocket so that a standard-size cartridge box may be placed in the pocket beneath the flap. Thus, even though the contents of the pocket extend up beyond the top of the pocket, when the flap is fastened in place the contents are effectively held from above to prevent tipping. The storage pockets are approximately rectangular and are dimensioned such that a number of cartridge boxes 21 fit snugly within the confines of the pocket, as illustrated for pockets 13 and 14. Desirably, the pockets intended for storage of packaged cartridges are shaped and dimensioned such that when the full number of cartridge boxes which can be accommodated by such a pocket is properly placed therein, the inside bottom 13a, 14a of the pocket is substantially completely covered by the boxes. As cartridges are used, the empty boxes may be returned to the storage pocket to maintain a tightly-packed arrangement for the stored boxes. The flap 16 for the dispenser pouch extends from attachment to the backwall 11b of the pouch and fastens over the top of the pouch as illustrated by FIG. 3.

In the illustrated instance, the front wall 11a backwall 11b and flap 16 of the pouch comprise a single piece of fabric folded over on itself. An innerliner 22 is inserted between the pouch walls 11a and 11b (FIG. 1) and, is stitched thereto as shown to partition the pockets into a plurality of longitudinal compartments 23, each of which is adapted to hold a tubular cartridge dispenser 24. One of the longitudinal compartments may hold a jointed cleaning rod 25 as illustrated. The inner liner 22, and pouch walls 11a and 11b are stitched together along their corresponding edges margins by stitching through seam binding 26.

Each of the tubular cartridge dispensers has an inside diameter slightly larger than the cartridges it is desired to store therein. Preferably, each dispenser holds the total or half the total cartridge capacity of the tubular rifle magazine to be loaded.

The uppermost pocket 12 attached to the front wall 11a of the dispenser pouch may be specially adapted to hold cleaning aids, although as illustrated, this pouch is identical to the other storage pockets and may be used to store either additional cartridges or accessories for cleaning or repairing a rifle. In some embodiments, the cover flap 17 for this pocket is adapted to seal the pocket interior when it is closed so that small items may be stored therein without the danger of their spilling therefrom.

Although the present invention has been described with particular reference to details of certain illustrated embodiments, it is not intended to thereby limit the scope of the appended claims which themselves recite those features regarded as being essential to the invention.

Claims

We claim:

1. A carrier for ammunition and accessories for small-bore rifles, comprising:

a dispenser pouch partitioned transversely and longitudinally across its width into a plurality of full-length longitudinal compartments adapted to receive tubular cartridge dispensers such that one end of each said dispenser extends up beyond the top edge of said pocket;

a plurality of smaller storage pockets mounted on the outer face of one wall of said dispenser pouch, said pockets being adapted to receive conventional boxes of small-caliber rifle cartridges such that a portion of each said box extends up beyond the top of the pocket in which it is placed;

cover flaps for each storage pocket positioned in upwardly spaced relationship with the respective pockets and adapted to fasten across the tops of said pockets to prevent spillage of the contents of said pockets; and

means on the outside of the wall of the dispenser pouch opposite the storage pockets for attaching the carrier to a belt.

2. The carrier of claim 1, including a full-length compartment in the dispenser pouch adapted to receive a jointed cleaning rod.

3. The carrier of claim 1, including a storage pocket adapted to receive accessories for cleaning a small-bore rifle.

4. The carrier of claim 1 in combination with a plurality of tubular cartridge dispensers stored in the said longitudinal compartments of the dispenser pouch.

5. The combination of claim 4 in combination with a jointed cleaning rod having individual segments no longer than the said tubular cartridge dispensers.

6. A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the said storage pockets include a plurality of approximately rectangular cartridge pockets dimensioned to snugly accommodate a number of standard-size cartridge boxes such that the combined surface of the boxes adjacent the bottom inside surface of the pocket covers approximately all of said bottom inside surface.

7. A carrier according to claim 6, wherein the cartridge pockets are approximately as wide as the dispenser pouch and are fastened thereto in parallel, stacked relationship, and are spaced sufficiently far apart to permit access to each said pocket when all of the pockets are filled.

8. A carrier according to claim 7, including an accessory pocket approximately as wide as the dispenser pocket and mounted in parallel, stacked arrangement with the cartridge pockets.