July 12, 18966

R. L. HILLBERG

3,260,009

MULTI-BARREL FIREARM WITH ROTATABLE AND RECIPROCABLE HAMMER

5 Sheets-Sheet 1

Filed Dec. 23, 1964

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BY EOBERT L./'//LLBE

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ATTORNEY

July 12, 1966

R. 1.. HILLBERG

3,260,009

MUL'II-BARREL FIREARM WITH ROTATABLE AND RECIPROCABLE HAMMER

Filed Dec. 23,. 1964

s Sheets-Sheet z

INVENTOR.
ROBERT L. H/LLBERG

M?m
ATTORNEY

July 12, 1966

R. L. HILLBERG

3,260,009

MULTI-BARREL FIREARM WITH ROTATABLE AND RECIPROCABLE HAMMER

Filed Dec. 25, 1964

5 Sheets-Sheet 5

INVENTOR.
ROBERT L. H/LLBERG

BYM/FW
A TZ'ORNEV

United States Patent 0 IC

1

2
and 12 as seen in FIGURE 4. The barrels 9-12 may be

3,260,009

formed integral with the housing 1, or may comprise in

sel'ts ?tted into the housing. Alternatively, the front
housing may consist of four individual barrels fastened
together by suitable means.

MULTI-BARREL FIREARM WITH ROTATABLE

AND RECIPROCABLE HAMMER

Robert L. Hillberg, Cheshire, Conn., assignor to Olin

Mathieson Corporation, a corporation of Virginia
Filed Dec. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 420,562
3 Claims. (Cl. 42-69)
This invention relates to a multi-barrel close range

weapon with high killing potential.

More speci?cally, this invention relates to a four barrel
break-open ?rearm which has a minimum number of

3,260,009
Patented July 12, 1966

A chamber is formed at the breech end of each barrel

to accommodate a shotshell or the like.

A grip 13 may be provided on barrel housing 1 to fa

cilitate handling the ?rearm. The, grip 13 may be formed
10 integral with the barrel housing or attached thereto by
conventional means.

Trigger housing 2 includes a piston grip portion 14

working parts, is simple to operate even by inexperienced

which may be formed integral with the housing or at

personnel, and is economical to manufacture.
tached thereto by conventional means.
The ?rearm of this invention is a four barrel weapon 15
A breech plug 17 is mounted in rear housing 2. The
adapted for ?ring area type ammunition such as shot
breech plug has a hollow cylindrical rear portion 18
shells or the like. This type of ammunition compensates
which accommodates a cylindrical rotating hammer 19.
for the accuracy of inexperienced shooters, and the lack
Mounted in the breech plug are a plurality of ?ring pins
of time to take proper aim.
16. A ?ring pin 16 is provided which is aligned with
A ?xed chamber aligned with each barrel accommo 20 each of the chambers provided in front housing 1. Each
dates a round of ammunition. A squeeze type trigger
?ring pin is provided with a spring (not shown) urging

adapted to be pulled by four ?ngers is operative to cook

the ?ring pin rearwardly away from the chamber. A

and index a single rotating hammer housed in the rear

of the ?rearm. The hammer consecutively actuates a

of the ?ring pins 16 in the breech plug.

snap ring or equivalent means is utilized to hold each

?ring pin aligned with each chamber to ?re the chamber. 25

The ?ring mechanism is not dependent in any way on re
coil or other forces for its operation. A mis?re in any

given chamber will therefore not effect the ?ring of the

rest of the un?red rounds.
A cam on the hammer is operative to rotate the ham
mer and cause a different chamber to be ?red each time

the trigger is pulled.

Hammer 19 includes a cylindrical body portion 20

and an enlarged rear shoulder 21. The body portion 20
is concentrically housed in the hollow rear portion 18
of the breech plug 17. A spring 22 extends between the

inner end of the hammer 19 and a screw plug 23 which

30 closes and provides access to the interior of the rear hous

ing 2. The spring 22 is guided by guide rod 24 formed

integral with or attached to the breech plug 20 and ex

The ?rearm of this invention is compact, rugged, re

liable, simple to operate and delivers high ?re power at

tending rearwardly therefrom.

close ranges.

track 30 formed on the outer surface thereof as clearly

Because the ?ring mechanism is extremely simple and

The cylindrical hammer 19 is provided with a cam

seen in FIGURE 7. A pin 31 (see FIG. 2) mounted in

has very few moving parts, there is little chance for mal~

rear housing 2 engages the cam track and causes the

functions. The action cannot become jammed as in more

conventional ?rearms.
The design is rugged and simple so that the ?rearm can

by the trigger means described below. A plurality of

recesses 32, 33 and 34 (see FIG. 8-) are formed in the

be readily air dropped and used effectively by unskilled

hammer to rotate as it is moved rearwardly and released

forward end of hammer 19. These recesses are aligned

shooters with great effect.

with {?ring pins mounted in the breech plug so that \those

This invention will now be described in detail with

reference to a preferred embodiment illustrated in the ap

?ring pins aligned with a recess are not engaged and

pended drawings in which:

?red. Only the single ?ring pin aligned with and en

gaged by the portion of the hammer face which is not

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the ?rearm of this

invention.

recessed will be actuated.

A trigger 41 is pivotally mounted in grip portion 14

FIGURE 2 is a sectional side view of the ?rearm of this

by means of a pivot pin 42. Spring means 43 urges

invention taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 4.
the trigger in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot
FIGURE 3 is a side view partly sectioned showing the 50 pin. A pawl 45 is mounted in a recess 46 formed in the
?rearm of this invention broken open.
upper portion of the trigger. A spring 47 is mounted
FIGURE 4 is a front view of the ?rearm of this inven
in recess 48 in the trigger and has portions 49 and 50
tion.
engaging a recess 51 formed in the pawl.
FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5
In operation, the ?rearm is broken open as seen in
in FIGURE 1.
55 FIGURE 3 and shotshells are positioned in each of the
FIGURE 6 is an end view of the rotary hammer used
flour chambers. The gun is closed and is ready to be
in the ?rearm of this invention.
ed.
'
FIGURE 7 is a side view of the hammer.
The trigger 41 is then squeezed. The trigger swings in
FIGURE 8 is a view showing the other end of the ham
an arc about pivot pin 42 carrying spring loaded pawl 45
mer.
60 on its upper surface. The pawl 45 engages shoulder 21
Referring now to the drawings, the ?rearm comprises
on hammer 19 and moves the hammer rearwardly. As
a front barrel housing 1 and a rear trigger housing 2
the hammer moves rearwardly, it compresses hammer
joined together by pivot pin 3. The ?rearm is broken
spring 22. As the pawl moves rearwardly in an arc, it
open for loading and unloading shells by pivoting about
releases the hammer which moves forward under spring
pin 3, as shown in FIGURE 3.
65 force and strikes one of the ?ring pins 16. Since the
A latch 4 pivotally attached to barrel housing 1 inter
:hammer is relieved at three sections 32, 33 and 34 on its
locks with lugs 5 on rear housing 2 to lock the ?rearm in
face, only one ?ring pin is engaged by the hammer. Pin
the ?ring position shown in FIGURE 2. Latch 4 is pro
31 riding in cam track 30 on the hammer surface causes
vided with openings 6 which interlock with lugs 5. A
the hammer to rotate 90 during each fore and aft recipro
spring 7 and plunger 8 act on latch 4 to bias the latch 70 cation.
toward its locked position.
When the trigger 41 is released, it is returned to its nor

The barrel housing 1 is provided with barrels, 9, 10, 11

mal ?ring position by spring 43 and pawl 45 is snapped

3,260,009

back into place by pawl spring 47 which allows pawl 45

trigger pivotally mounted in said trigger housing engage

able with said hammer to move said hammer rearwardly

relative to said breech plug and release said hammer each
time said trigger is pulled, spring means biasing said ham
The ?rearm is ?red again by squeezing the trigger until
UK mer toward a forward position adjacent said breech plug,
all four rounds are exhausted.

to ride over and engage behind shoulder 21 on hammer

19.

The ?rearm is then broken open and an ejector 54 seen

tn FIGURE 5 aids in expelling the ?red shells.
The ?rearm is then reloaded and ready to ?re.
While this invention has been described in detail with
reference to a preferred embodiment illustrated in the 10

drawings, various design changes and modi?cations are

also contemplated which are within the spirit and scope
of the appended claims.

I claim:
1. A multi-barrel ?rearm including a barrel housing

a cam track formed in the outer surface of said rotary

hammer, and means mounted in said trigger housing en
gaging said cam track to rotate said hammer into engage

ment with another ?ring pin each time the hammer is

moved fore and aft.
2. The ?rearm of claim 1 further including a circum
\ferential shoulder provided on a rearward portion of said
hammer and a pawl movably mounted on an upper por

tion of said trigger operatively engageable behind said

shoulder to move said hammer rearwardly as the trigger

and trigger housing pivotally joined together, a plurality

is pulled.

of barrels each having a cartridge receiving chamber

mounted in said barrel housing, a breech plug mounted in

3. The ?rearm of claim 1 including spring means to

return said trigger to a forward position.

said trigger housing, a plurality of ?ring pins slidably

mounted in said breech plug, each of said ?ring pins being 20
aligned with a cartridge receiving chamber, a cylindrical
rotary hammer mounted rearwardly of said ?ring pins,
means mounting said rotary hammer in said trigger hous
ing for rotation and for reciprocation toward and away

from said ?ring pins along its longitudinal axis which is 25

parallel to the longitudinal axes of said barrels, said rotary
hammer including a forward face having recesses aligned
with all but one of said ?ring pins so that said rotary ham
mer is engageable with only one ?ring pin at a time, a

References Cited by the Examiner

UNITED STATES PATENTS
22,753

1/1859

Sharps _____________ __ 42-40

1,637,079

7/1927

Karner _____________ __ 4269

2,354,025

7/ 1944

Johnson _____________ __ 42-1

FOREIGN PATENTS

5,254

6/1892 Switzerland.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.