Novel air gun

Abstract

An air gun utilizes high pressure air to rapidly move projectiles from a magazine to the breech of a barrel, and from there out of the barrel. Actuating a trigger opens a valve which directs high pressure air into a turbine/projectile feed disk assembly causing rotation of the assembly about an axle. The rotation rapidly moves projectiles from the magazine to a position at the barrel breech (one at a time) where the high pressure air launches the positioned projectile through the barrel and out the barrel muzzle. The weapon is innovative in the use of high pressure air in an efficient combination of linear and rotational movement to load and rapidly discharge projectiles through a single barrel.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air gun comprising:
 (a) a magazine configured to hold projectiles;   (b) a primary barrel having a breech end and a muzzle end;   (c) a trigger operable to selectively connect a source of pressurized gas to the breech end of the primary barrel; and   (d) a projectile-feeding means for providing projectiles from the magazine to the breech end of the primary barrel utilizing pressurized gas, wherein the projectile-feeding means includes a turbine positioned on an axle such that application of pressurized gas to the turbine causes the turbine to rotate about the axle.   
     
     
         2 . The air gun of  claim 1  further comprising a projectile-positioning means for positioning a projectile provided by the projectile-feeding means in position at the breech end of the primary barrel such that application of pressurized gas to the breech end of the primary barrel will propel the positioned projectile from the breech end of the primary barrel, through the primary barrel, and out the muzzle end of the primary barrel. 
     
     
         3 . The air gun of  claim 1  further comprising a magazine-force means for forcing projectiles disposed in the magazine toward the projectile-feed means. 
     
     
         4 . The air gun of  claim 1  further comprising a rotation-speed-limiting means to limit the speed of rotation of the turbine about the axle. 
     
     
         5 . The air gun of  claim 1  further comprising:
 (a) a secondary barrel having a breech end and a muzzle end, wherein the secondary barrel is disposed within the primary barrel and oriented such that the breech end of the secondary barrel is at the breech end of the primary barrel and the muzzle end of the secondary barrel is at the muzzle end of the primary barrel; and 
 (b) a projectile-positioning means for positioning a projectile provided by the projectile-feeding means in position at the breech end of the secondary barrel such that application of pressurized gas to the breech end of the secondary barrel will propel the positioned projectile from the breech end of the secondary barrel, through the secondary barrel, and out the muzzle end of the secondary barrel.