Travel Guide For Bolt Action Rifles

Abstract

In a bolt action rifle. a guide for reciprocating travel of the bolt having lock lugs fixed to and extending radially from the forward end thereof, and a gas shield or baffle in the form of radially extending lugs pivotally carried by the bolt adjacent the lock lugs. The pivotable gas shield includes a projection which extends outwardly of the shield into slidable engagement in a guideway or recess extending longitudinally in the receiver a distance at least equal to the length of travel of the bolt. Interengaging means between the lock lugs and gas shield limits rotation of the gas shield to a predetermined angle which enables locking and unlocking rotation of the bolt while serving to restrain the bolt against excessive rotation and/or tilting as it is being operated by the bolt handle.

Description

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to bolt action firearms of the type in which the bolt is reciprocably carried in the receiver of the gun, and includes an outwardly extending operating handle or lever. In guns made for right hand shooters, the bolt lever is rotated counterclockwise to unlock the bolt. In the unlocked position one locking lug of the bolt is aligned with a guide channel formed in one side of the receiver and extending over the length of travel of the bolt.

In many types of bolt action guns, the other side of the receiver opposite the guide channel is relieved or reduced in height in order to provide a loading and cartridge ejection port, and consequently along this portion of the receiver there is no guide channel for the bolt lug disposed on this side of the receiver. As a result, only one of the bolt lugs is retained in a guide channel and when loading or unloading rapidly and forcefully, as in an emergency situation, the single guided bolt lug has occasionally been known to bind or jam in the guide channel formed in the side of the receiver opposite the ejection port. It has been found that during rapid and forceful operation of a bolt, its forward end tends to bind because of excessive rotation and/or tilting of its forward end out of alignment with its axis of reciprocable travel.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a simple, effective and economical means for overcoming the tendency for the bolt to bind or jam during rapid and forceful bolt operation and with minimum modification of the bolt and the receiver in current model guns.

The above and other objects of this invention will be more readily apparent from the accompanying description and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of a bolt action rifle of the type embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bolt embodying this invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing the front end portion of a bolt in locked position;

FIG. 4 is an end view showing different operative positions of the gas shield and lock lugs of a bolt embodying this invention; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the gas shield separated from the bolt .

As shown in the drawings, bolt 8 is slidably and rotatably mounted in the receiver 10 of the gun by a bolt lever or handle 12 which is used to lock, unlock, retract and advance the bolt when firing the gun.

For right-handed shooters, to unlock the bolt, the handle 12 is rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 1. It is then retracted to withdraw an expended cartridge from the firing chamber to automatically eject the shell through the ejection port 14 provided in the receiver. Thereafter, the bolt is moved forwardly to feed a fresh cartridge into the firing chamber of the rifle, and the handle rotated clockwise to the FIG. 1 position to lock the bolt in the breech end of the rifle.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the bolt 8 comprises an elongated tubular body with oppositely extending lock lugs 16 projecting from the bolt adjacent its inner or forward end. A gas baffle or shield 18 in the form of a pair of radially extending lugs 20 and 22 is rotatably mounted on the bolt adjacent and rearwardly of the lock lugs. The baffle lugs 20 and 22 are generally of the same cross sectional size as the lock lugs 16. A spring friction washer 24 is disposed between the gas baffle and a shoulder 26 of the bolt head to urge the gas baffle forwardly and thereby frictionally retain the rotatable baffle lugs in any fixed angular position on the bolt.

The bolt 8 is slidingly disposed within a bore 28 (FIG. 3) extending lengthwise of the receiver 10, and a horizontally disposed guide channel 30 opens outwardly of the bore to slidingly receive baffle lug 20 and the adjacent lock lug 16. The channel 30 terminates at the forwardmost position of the lock lugs and the front end of the receiver is counterbored to form locking shoulder 32. With this arrangement, in the embodiment shown, the bolt is locked in the breech by moving the bolt to its forwardmost position and rotating the handle 12 clockwise from its upper position to its lower position. This brings the lock lugs into engagement with the shoulder 32, thereby locking the bolt. It will be noted that when the bolt is so rotated the baffle lugs are held horizontal by guide channel 30 and the bolt 8 rotates within the hub of baffle lugs 20 and 22 against the slight frictional drag exerted by washer 24. In this position, the lock lugs and baffle lugs are angularly offset by approximately 90.degree., thereby providing for the baffling of rearwardly escaping gas in the event of a ruptured cartridge case, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,888.

After firing, the bolt, for the embodiment shown, is raised counterclockwise to return the lock lugs into alignment with the guide channel 30 preparatory to retracting the bolt and extracting the expended cartridge casing from the firing chamber area 40. On completion of such unlocking rotation, the bolt is immediately retracted to eject the expended cartridge through the ejection port or cut-away 14 in the receiver. Due to the reduced wall height of the ejection port, no guide channel is provided along this portion of the receiver, while guide channel 30 continues along the opposite side of the receiver to retain and guide baffle lug 20 and one lock lug 16. On the loading port side of the receiver the lugs 16 and 22 are not restrained against upward rotation or tilting during longitudinal reciprocable movement of the bolt. As has been previously mentioned, during emergency situations where a rapid and forceful action of the bolt is called for, it has been found that a guide channel along only one side of the receiver is inadequate to insure against binding or jamming of the bolt when from its locked position it is rotated and almost simultaneously retracted. In accordance with this invention, means is provided for restraining excessive rotation of the bolt and guiding its longitudinal travel on both sides of the receiver throughout the length of its stroke.

In the embodiment shown, a guide lug or projection 42 extends radially from the lower end portion of the right hand lug of the gas baffle lug 22. The guide lug 42 is of a height which is a fractional portion of the height of the baffle and lock lugs and, as shown, may be the same length as the baffle lug from which it extends. For right hand shooters the lug 42 extends toward the right side of the receiver, and for left hand shooters the guide lug would be disposed toward the left hand side of the receiver. The guide lug 42 extends radially into sliding engagement with a longitudinal guideway or slot 44 (FIG. 3) formed in the receiver, the slot 44 being of a length corresponding to the length of travel of the bolt. The bolt is held and guided on one side by the lugs traveling in slot 30 and on the right side by guide projection 42 traveling in slot 44. Since the guide lug 42 extends from the gas baffle which is rotatably carried by the bolt, the angle of rotation of the baffle must be limited so the guide lug will be effective to prevent binding of the bolt while still permitting the required relative rotation between the bolt and gas baffle.

Means is provided which limits rotation of the gas shield during locking and unlocking rotation of the bolt, while at the same time serving to restrain the front end of the bolt against any tilting of the receiver. The interengaging means shown comprises a pin 46 which projects rearwardly from the rear surface of the lock lug into a recess or slot 48 formed in the forward face of the gas shield. The recess which accommodates pin 46 extends circumferentially of the bolt over an arc of approximately 90.degree. thus permitting the bolt to be rotated approximately 90.degree. within the gas baffle.

From its locked position, FIGS. 3 and 4, the bolt may be rotated approximately 90.degree. to bring the lock lugs and baffle lugs into angular alignment as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. In this position the bolt is unlocked from the chamber of the rifle. When in the unlocked position, with the lock lugs and baffle lugs aligned, the pin 46 carried by lock lugs 16 abuts the lower end of recess 48 (FIG. 5) so that any further relative angular rotation of the bolt and gas baffle in the unlocking direction is stopped. In effect, the lock lugs and gas baffle are thus angularly linked together for reciprocating movement of the bolt with the one side held and guided by channel 30, and the other held, and guided by the guide lug 42 being disposed in the guide channel 44. Since the pin 46 is engaged with the lower end of recess 48 clockwise rotation of the bolt 8 relative to baffle lug 18 is prevented. Thus guide 42 in channel 44 and lugs 16 and 20 in channel 30 prevent clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the bolt 8 and the lock lugs carried thereby, since the bolt lugs are restrained against angular or tilting movement on opposite sides of the bolt. When the bolt is again moved forwardly and rotated to its locked position, the recess 48 provides for such rotation until pin 46 abuts the upper end of the recess 48.

It has been found that with the arrangement herein shown and described, the tendency of such bolt action rifles to jam or bind when operating the bolt rapidly and forcefully has been overcome.

Claims

Having thus disclosed my invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a gun having a bolt and a receiver in which the bolt is longitudinally slidable and rotatable, a guide comprising radially extending lock lugs disposed at the forward end of said bolt and a gas baffle carried by said bolt adjacent said lock lugs and being in the form of a pair of lugs of generally the same cross-sectional configuration and size as the lock lugs, a guide projection extending radially outward from the outer end portion of at least one of the baffle lugs, a longitudinally extending guideway formed in the receiver slidingly receiving said guide projection over the length of travel of said bolt, and means for limiting the relative angular rotation between the gas baffle and bolt whereby the guide projection retains and guides the movement of the forward end of said bolt.

2. In a gun having a bolt and a receiver in which the bolt is longitudinally slidable and rotatable, a guide as set forth in claim 1 in which said gas baffle and lock lugs are separate members and in which said means for limiting the relative rotation of the gas baffle and said bolt comprises an arcuate recess formed in one of the opposing faces of the lock and baffle lug members and a pin projecting from the other of the lug members into said recess, said recess extending over a predetermined arc to permit locking and unlocking rotation of said bolt while serving as a bolt travel guide when the bolt is in its unlocked position.

3. In a gun having a bolt and a receiver in which the bolt is longitudinally slidable and rotatable, a guide as set forth in claim 1 in which a longitudinal channel is formed along the length of said receiver and slidingly receives one of said lock lugs and baffle lugs, the side of said receiver opposite said channel including a cartridge ejection port with said longitudinal guideway being disposed along the same side of said receiver as said ejection port.

4. In a gun having a bolt and a receiver in which the bolt is longitudinally slidable and rotatable, a guide as set forth in claim 2 in which said recess extends over an arc of approximately 90.degree..

5. In a gun having a bolt and a receiver in which the bolt is longitudinally slidable and rotatable, a guide as set forth in claim 3 in which said guide projection extends from the baffle lug disposed opposite the lug guided by said channel.