Bolt Stop For Firearms

Abstract

A spring biased bolt stop is slidably retained in a passage disposed in a trigger housing. A slidable bolt, which includes a peripheral notch, is mounted in a receiver section adjacent the trigger housing. A projection on the upper surface of the bolt stop is adapted to be received in the notch to prevent axial movement of the bolt. A surface of the projection forms an acute angle with the upper surface of the bolt stop and is adapted to contact a parallel surface of the notch so as to check the spring urged movement of the bolt stop away from the notch. A serrated contour on the lower exterior portion of the bolt stop generally conforms to the adjacent exterior surface of the trigger housing when the bolt stop is spring urged to its lower limit of axial travel away from the notch. The bolt stop is manually pressed into the notch for retention of the bolt and released from the notch by displacing the bolt.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to autoloading bolt action-type firearms, and more particularly to autoloading bolt action-type firearms which include a means to lock the bolt thereof.

Previous bolt lock devices generally include locking arrangements which impair the exterior contour and beauty of the firearms with which they are associated. Two prior art combinations which exemplify such devices are a bolt attached cocking handle which is adapted to be inserted into a mating cut in the bolt receiver, and a button in the cocking handle which is adapted to be positioned into a mating aperture in the receiver. The cocking handle-type locking device is attended with disadvantage in that the cut thereof is susceptible to becoming entangled on a user's clothing and is liable to have its finish removed by repeated insertion of the handle therein. The button-type device not only has a tendency to snag on a user's clothing, but also is likely to be rendered inoperative should dirt become impacted in the aperture of the receiver and mar the finish of the receiver.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a novel means of locking a bolt in the receiver section of a firearm which does not include structure which protrudes from the exterior surface of the firearm and hence does not detract from the exterior beauty of the firearm, and is incapable of snaring in a user's clothing. Furthermore, a bolt-locking apparatus in accordance with invention is not prone to being rendered inoperative by dirt coming into contact with the firearm.

A firearm with a bolt receiver and bolt therein has a trigger housing with a passage therethrough slidingly receiving a spring biased bolt lock, which is adapted to coact with a notch in the bolt to restrain axial movement of the bolt in the receiver. The exterior portion of the bolt lock generally conforms to the contour of the firearm when the lock is in a position permitting free sliding movement of the bolt. The bolt lock will automatically return to this position from its locking position when the bolt is displaced from its locked position.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a bolt lock which is disposed substantially within the contour of its associated firearm.

It is another object to provide a bolt lock for a firearm which will not snag on a user's clothing or be liable to be rendered inoperative by dirt accumulation on the firearm.

It is a further object to provide a bolt lock for a firearm which directly engages the bolt thereof.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal view, partly in section, of a firearm incorporating a preferred form of bolt lock according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the slideable bolt lock per se.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows an autoloading lever action-type rifle incorporating the bolt lock of the invention, the lever mechanism not being shown as it forms no part of the invention. The rifle embodies a substantially hollow bolt receiver section 2 which contains a bolt 4 which is axially slideable between its solid line position and slightly to the right of the locked position shown in phantom. On the upper portion of bolt 4 is a T-shaped recess for the provision of a recoil spring assembly 6. A notch 8 is cut into the lower peripheral surface of bolt 4 to receive the bolt stop for preventing leftward movement of the bolt as will be more fully explained hereinafter. Notch 8 comprises a transverse surface 10 which forms an acute angle with the lower peripheral surface of bolt 4.

A trigger housing 12 serves to partially define the lower portion of the receiver section 2 and incorporates a passage 14 which passes through the trigger housing from an exterior portion of the housing to the receiver section and has the general shape of a truncated rectangular prism. Slideably contained for axial movement in the passage 14 is a bolt stop generally designated at 16, preferably made of a nylon composition sold under the trademark Zytel.

As FIG. 2 shows, the extreme upper portion of the bolt stop comprises an angular projection 18 which is defined by surface 20 and upper surfaces 22 and 24, surface 20 being parallel to surface 10.

Bolt stop 16 is generally L-shaped and comprises a void 26 in vertical leg 28 through which is inserted a pin 30, pin 30 being fixedly secured to and projecting from a wall of passage 14 in trigger housing 12. Spring 32 is vertically interposed between pin 30 and the horizontal leg 34 of bolt stop 16 to spring bias the bolt stop away from a first position in which the projection is inserted in the notch 8 in bolt 4. The bolt stop 16 has serrations 36 formed on the lower exterior surface thereof to enable a user of the rifle to sense the location of the bolt stop and to insure that firm contact will be established between the user's fingers and the stop when it is desired to upwardly displace the bolt stop into locking engagement with notch 8 in the aforementioned first stop position.

Referring again to FIG. 1, it is apparent that when the bolt stop 16 is pushed upwardly from its illustrated second position, and the surfaces 20 and 10 overlap one another in cooperating firm engagement, as is produced by the interaction of the bias of the bolt's recoil spring assembly 6 and the bias of spring 32, leftward axial movement of bolt 4 and downward sliding movement of bolt stop 16 are prevented.

The serrations 36 of bolt stop form an exterior surface which is substantially flush with the trigger housing so that the continuity of the contour thereof is generally unimpaired by the bolt stop when it is in the second position.

In operation, the bolt stop 16 is upwardly displaced from the second position, illustrated in FIG. 1, subsequent to the bolt 4 being positioned just slightly to the right of the phantom position of FIG. 1 so as to permit the extreme upper surface 22 of the bolt stop to freely pass into the notch 8. When surface 22 establishes contact with the interior portion of the notch, the bolt 4 is released to thereby cause the cooperating surfaces 10 and 20 to abut and overlie one another. Movement of either the bolt 4 or the bolt lock 16 is now checked. In order to release the bolt lock 16 from its engagement in notch 8, it is only necessary to move the bolt 4 to the rear so as to allow the projection 18 to clear the surface 10. The bolt lock 16 will then automatically snap back to the second position (i.e. the original position) under the bias of spring 32.

The term "notch," as used in the specification and claims, is intended to embrace other voids, such as apertures, bores, cavities, grooves, slits, slots, etc. The term "trigger housing" is intended to include the firearm structure lying below the receiver.

Obviously many variations and modifications of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. In a firearm, the combination comprising, a bolt having a notch and a bolt stop to engage said notch, a receiver section and a trigger housing, said trigger housing partially defining said receiver section, and said bolt being slideably mounted for axial movement within said receiver section, a passage extending through said trigger housing from an exterior portion thereof to said receiver section, said bolt stop being slideable disposed in said passage for movement therein between a first position and a second position in which an exterior surface of said bolt stop is substantially flush with said trigger housing, an angular projection on said bolt stop to be received in said notch when said bolt stop is in said first position, said notch and said projection including respective cooperating surface means to prevent axial movement of said bolt and sliding movement of said bolt stop when said bolt stop is in said first position in firm engagement with said bolt, and means to spring bias said bolt stop away from said notch toward said second position, whereby a sufficient displacement of said bolt will separate said surface means so as to permit said spring bias means to urge said bolt stop to said second position.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said bolt stop comprises a vertical leg having a void therein and a horizontal leg, and wherein said spring bias means comprises a pin projecting from a wall of said passage to a position in which it is at least partially contained within said void, and a spring interposed between said pin and said horizontal leg.

3. The combination of claim 2, in which said exterior surface comprises serrations.