Device for firearm

Abstract

There is disclosed a steadying device for steadying a shoulder-held gun such as a rifle, a shot gun or a carbine when and while being aimed and fired by a gunner. This gun-steadying device provides that an elongate pliable sling is attached to the gun by a stretchable elastic member secured at one end to the sling and at the other end to the gun with a pivotal fastener. The assembly formed by the sling, the stretchable member and the fastener is held in a vertical plane extending downwardly from the gun. The gunner when aiming and firing the gun extends his hand used for holding the gun while aiming the same through the sling. The length of the sling and the stretchable member is such that the gunner must extend the stretchable member to be able to place this hand into the usual position for holding and aiming the gun. Due to this extension of the stretchable member, a force in the direction toward the muzzle of the gun is applied to the gun holding and aiming hand, thereby assuring a tight and strong grip thus steadying the gun for aiming and firing.

Description

The present invention relates to a shoulder held firearm, particularly a rifle, where the gunner, such as a hunter, holds the stock of the rifle against his shoulder and uses one hand to grip the shank, while the other hand is used to pull the trigger.

When aiming and firing shoulder held firearms, particularly rifles, however, because of the way in which human muscles are built up, oscillations, vibrations or shaking will occur, particularly when the hunter is not experienced, which spoils the aim of the firing due to the transversal or up and down movements imparted to the barrel of the rifle due to the shaking. A known method of reducing such movements is the use of a sling, which in various ways is placed around different parts of the supporting arm, e.g. around the wrist and/or the upper arm.

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce or eliminate, in a very efficient way and particularly for hunters with less steady hands, such undesirable up and down and/or transverse movements of the barrel of the rifle, in that the hand which is used for gripping the shank or barrel, by means of a spring-action device, is subjected to a force directed forwards in the direction of the muzzle to a degree desired by the individual hunter, which force is counteracted by the friction force between the hand and the shank as well as by the muscles of the hand and/or the arm. The directions of the muscular force will thereby be concentrated in such a way that the total force resultant will be directed substantially along the barrel of the rifle, but in the opposite direction, i.e. rearwards. According to the invention, the force exerted on the hand is achieved in that, at the same time as the respective hand grips the shank, it is also placed in a loop or other appropriate member which via a stretched spring-action device is fastened to the rifle in a fastening means located in front of the place where the hand grips the weapon, e.g. in the front sling fastener, and which spring device has the capability that, from an unstressed rest position, it can be extended when stressed.

Other characteristics of the present invention will be noted from the following claims.

The device according to the invention will be described in more detail in the following, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows the spring-action device fastened to a front sling fastener on a rifle,

FIG. 2 shows how one hand grips the shank of the rifle and at the same time is subjected to a force directed forwards by a spring-loaded loop placed about the wrist, while the other hand holds the stock and at the same time is used for firing of the rifle, and

FIG. 3 to FIG. 7 show various embodiments of the spring-action device provided with a loop to be placed about the wrist.

In the figures a rifle is shown with the barrel 1, the shank 2 and the stock 3. The shank 2 is gripped with the hand 4, which hand 4 at the same time is placed in a sling or loop 5, which via a spring-action device 6 which can be stretched and is fastened to the rifle with a fastening member 7. This member is hooked to the sling fastener 8 secured to the barrel, at the same time as the other hand holds the stock 3 and is used to fire the rifle by pulling the trigger 10. By the hand 4 being moved rearwards, the spring-action device 6 is stressed to such a degree as is considered suitable by the individual gunner. The previously mentioned stress on the hand 4, directed forwards, is thereby obtained. A number of alternative embodiments of the spring-action device 6 are shown in FIGS. 3 to 7. In FIG. 3 the spring device 6 consists of two separate rubber bands, while in FIG. 4 the device consists of a helical spring. FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which one single rubber band comprises the spring-action device 6, while FIG. 6 shows how the device can consist of two elastic cords which are strung through holes in the folded ends of the loop 5. In FIG. 7 the device consists of two separate helical springs.

The present invention can be varied within wide limits, e.g. by the use of various materials and/or different geometrical embodiments of the spring-action device 6, the loop 5 or the fastening member 7, without deviating from the concept of the invention. Thus, the material in the spring-action device can consist of metal, rubber, plastic, leather etc.

Claims

I claim:

1. A gun steadying device in combination with a shoulder-held gun for steadying the same during aiming and firing, said device comprising in combination:

an elongate sling made of non-elastic pliable material, said sling being adapted to be slipped about the wrist for the hand on the arm of the gunner supporting the gun barrel when holding a gun in position for aiming and firing;

an elongate stretchable elastic member biased to contract to minimum length secured to one end of said sling;

a fastening means secured to the other end of said stretchable member; and

mounting means on the gun for releasably and pivotally attaching said fastening means to the gun, said mounting means being disposed for placing the assembly including said sling, said stretchable member and said fastening means in a position in a vertical plane including the gun barrel;

the location of said mounting means on the gun, said fastening means, the length of said sling and the length of said stretchable member in its relaxed state being such that placement of the respective hand of the gunner in the holding and aiming position requires stretching of said stretchable member, said stretching applying a force to said hand toward the muzzle of the gun thereby steadying the grip of said hand and thus the gun while being aimed and fired.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein said stretchable member comprises two separate elastic ribbons, each secured at one end to said sling and at the other end to said fastening means.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein said stretchable member comprises a helical spring.

4. The device according to claim 1 wherein said stretchable member comprises a strip of elastic material secured at each end to the sling and the fastening means respectively.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein said stretchable member comprises two elastic cords strung through lengthwise spaced holes in the sling material and secured at opposite ends to the sling material.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein said stretchable member comprises two helical springs, each secured at one end to said fastening means and at the other end to one of the ends of sling forming material.