Air Gun Shot Arresting Assemblage

This invention relates in general to bullet trapping assemblages, and more specifically to such assemblages that may be used with an air gun firing steel BB ammunition within the limited confines of the average home.

For the average gun enthusiast, it is increasingly difficult to find an appropriate location or suitable conditions to use conventional firearms without traveling lengthy distances away from home. Consequently, with each passing year there is more interest shown in air guns. This is especially true of the higher velocity, more accurate, air guns. Modern technology has given us vastly improved air guns in recent years, but the necessary improvements in their projectile control have not, unfortunately, kept pace with that development. Before the present invention, it was virtually impossible to use a powerful air gun and BB ammunition in the limited confines of an average house because of the problem of projectile ricochette. Since the steel BB does not flatten or distort upon impact with a hard object such as a conventional metal bullet trap, very little of the BB's kinetic energy is absorbed by its impact with such a trap. Consequently, a dangerous bounce or ricochette becomes a likely possibility, with the consequent danger to both personal and property damage. Consequently, all too soon after the purchase of a modern air gun, the initial enthusiasm of the average shooter ebbs, and an enjoyable hobby soon suffers neglect. There is a definite need for an inexpensive yet safe projectile trap for inside use of both BBs and pellets.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide a shot arresting assemblage that makes indoor air gun shooting in the home both pleasurable and practical.

Another important object is to provide a shot arresting assemblage that assures complete safety from ricochetting air gun projectiles by safely capturing and retaining the projectiles.

Still another object is to provide an assemblage whose energy absorbing and rebound control expendable components are not only inexpensively, conveniently, and easily obtained, but also long lasting.

Still another objective is to provide a non-metallic assemblage that assures a low noise level in the target area.

A further object is to provide a lightweight and compact assemblage for ease in portability and storage.

A major feature of the herein described bullet trap or projectile arresting assemblage is the novel combination of articles that comprise its projectile energy absorbing and rebound control components. The energy absorbing component consists of a quantity of easily penetrated, but supple and resilient roll of projectile energy absorbing material such as a roll of toilet tissue or, preferably, a roll of paper towels. The paper product is enclosed in a projectile penetrable bag, such as a plastic bag used for food storage or waste disposal. These articles may be inexpensively purchased and conviently obtained.

A projectile, after being shot from an airgun, first passes through a penetrable target which is suspended near the front or mouth of the assemblage. As it continues its flight, the projectile penetrates the frontal surface of the plastic bag, transits an open space between the front surfaces of the bag and towels, and strikes the roll of paper towels which is inside the bag. The supple opposition offered by the easily penetrated roll of paper towels effectively absorbs the energy of the projectile, and impedes its further flight. The projectile will usually imbed itself in the tightly packed and relatively soft paper towels, but any occasional one that mildly bounces away will be apprehended by the inner surface of the plastic bag, and will fall through a vertical passageway, or open space, between the frontal surfaces of the towels and bag. This passageway, is provided by a spacer, which is detachably fastened to the roll of towels before the towels and the spacer are inserted into the bag. This attachment may be accomplished by utilizing a resilient retaining connection such as rubber bands, springs, or other suitable means. The open framework of the spacer allows the unobstructed passage of the projectile before the projectile strikes the roll of paper towels. The rear of the spacer is held against the roll of towels, and the front of the spacer projects forwardly away from the roll, or towards the marksman, so that it holds the front surfaces of the bag and towels in a spaced apart relationship to each other. This open space is the vertical passageway which allows the spent projectile to fall to the bottom of the bag.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the casing of the projectile trap in opened position and before the insertion of the projectile control components.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the projectile control components, consisting of a plastic bag, roll of paper towels, and a spacer, before their insertion into the cylindrical chamber of the casing.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the opened casing, its enclosed projectile control components, and a penetrable target.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional view of FIG. 3, along lines 4--4.

FIG. 5 shows the casing when closed and secured for storage or transporting.

The casing in the preferred embodiment of the present invention is in the form of a two-sided case, and is constructed from a high impact plastic as defined by the Plastics Standards Falling Dart Impact Tests. In use, the casing is carried by the handles 8 to a safe shooting location and placed on an appropriate surface. The securing latch 9 is unfastened, and the handles 8 are spread apart opening the sides 5 and 5a of the case in a book-like fashion, best seen in FIG. 1, with the open end facing towards the marksman. Each side of the case is basically a "mirror image" of the other side, with the exceptions of a shoulder 10 being formed in the side 5, and the fact that side 5a is designed to slide inside of side 5, and being pivotly mounted therein by rivets 7 or other suitable means. While opening, the sides 5 and 5a swing apart until the shoulder 10 of side 5 stops the travel of point 11 of side 5a. The sides 5 and 5a of the case, when opened for use, act as projectile deflecting structural members which channel a "wide shot" into the longitudinal central area of the assemblages' projectile trapping components. This area of the roll is the thickest part of the roll, and consequently offers the most resistance to the passage of a projectile. The sides 5 and 5a are also fabricated from a high impact plastic. The rearward extremity of each side of the case terminates in forming a semi-circular curve 6 which, when mounted to its' counterpart by rivets 7, forms a cylindrical chamber into which the projectile control components will be retained.

The projectile energy absorbing and rebound control components, before their insertion into the opened case, are best shown in FIG. 2. The original paper wrapper should be left on the roll of paper towels. This prevents the roll from unwinding after it has been placed inside the plastic bag. However, a string or tape around the outside of the roll will accomplish the same purpose.

The preferred embodiment of the spacer 1 is formed from a spring wire. Its' coiled ends secure the spacer to the roll of paper towels 3. The upper, middle, and lower vertical sections of the spacer 1 are held against the roll of towels 3. The intermediate vertical sections are held away from the roll of towels, thereby being able to hold the frontal surface of the bag 2 and the frontal surface of the enclosed roll of paper towels 3 in a spaced apart relationship. This open space provides a vertical passageway for the spent projectile as it falls to the bottom of the bag. The open framework of the spacer 1 allows the unobstructed passage of a projectile therethrough. The roll of paper towels 3 and the attached spacer 1 are inserted through the open end 12 of the bag 2, and the closure of the bag is accomplished with a rubber band 13 or other suitable means. These components are then inserted into the cylindrical chamber formed by the curved ends 6 of the sides 5 and 5a. The vertical forward portions of the spacer 1 rest against the shoulder 14 formed in the sides 5 and 5a of the case. The outward spring tension of the spacer 1 holds the sides 5 and 5a in their spread apart relationship to each other.

A penetrable target 18 is inserted in a target clamp 15 which hangs from a support rod 16. The target 18 is centered and suspended along the line of intended projectile trajectory, which is along the longitudinal front center line of the roll of paper towels 3. The preferred embodiment of the present invention also has a means of varying the heighth of the penetrable target 18. Holding elements for the target support rod 16 may consist of slots or, preferably, projections 17. These elements are arranged in matching vertical rows and are oriented in a slanting downward and rearward direction in the upper half of the sides 5 and 5a of the casing. The forward edges of the projections 17 are higher than the rearward edges. The ends of the target support rod 16 are placed in the slots, not shown, or on top of the projections 17. The target support rod 16 is moved rearward and downward until the ends of the rod 16 are halted by the converging sides 5 and 5a of the casing. The rod 16, clamp 15, and target 18 are then retained in place there by gravity. Since the matched pairs of projections 17 are located at various vertical heights, the heighth of the target 18 may be altered--governed by which set of projections 17 the rod 16 is placed on. After numerous projectiles have penetrated the target 18 and have been ingested by the surface of the roll of paper towels behind the target, the vertical position of the target 18 is changed by raising or lowering the support rod 16 to a different set of projections 17. Consequently, the upper, middle, and lower frontal surfaces of both the bag 2 and the roll of paper towels 3 can be utilized for projectile arresting. After the total front surface of the roll of paper towels 3 has been mutilated by the projectiles, the roll 3 and bag 2 are turned so that their unused surface is presented to the line of fire behind the target 18. This roll and bag turning procedure in conjunction with the vertical target adjustment can be repeated until the total outside surfaces of both the roll and bag have been mutilated by the impinging projectiles. Consequently, many hundreds of projectiles can be safely arrested by a single set of easily, conveniently, and inexpensively obtained roll of paper towels and plastic bag. The projections 17a on the lower half of the sides 5 and 5a of the case are oriented in the opposite direction of the projections 17 in the upper half of the sides. Consequently, no matter which end of the cylindrical chamber the projectile trap is standing on, the top half of the sides 5 and 5a contain target support rod holding elements that are oriented in a downward and rearward direction.

The present invention was basically designed to be used with richochette-prone steel BB projectiles. However, the assemblage may also be used with lead pellet type ammunition. The lead pellets' characteristic of expanding and distorting upon contact with any solid object, thereby creating larger individual entry holes, will naturally destruct the roll of paper towels faster.

After the shooting session, the bag 2, roll 3, and spacer 1 are left in position in the circular chamber of the case, the sides 5 and 5a of the case are closed together, and the latch 9 is secured. The assemblage then defines a very compact case that is both easily carried and stored.

Since modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact configurations and operations herein shown and described. Other suitable modifications or embodiments may be achieved, falling within the scope of the invention as stated in the appended claims.