U.S. patent number 3,735,517 [Application Number 05/152,535] was granted by the patent office on 1973-05-29 for falling breech block action for a single shot firearm.
Invention is credited to Frank De Haas, Dean E. Miller.
United States Patent |
3,735,517 |
De Haas , et al. |
May 29, 1973 |
FALLING BREECH BLOCK ACTION FOR A SINGLE SHOT FIREARM
Abstract
A hammerless falling breech block action for a breech loading
single shot firearm which has a breech block within a recess in the
receiver and which is raised and lowered by a finger lever pivoted
under the receiver.
Inventors: |
De Haas; Frank (Orange City,
IA), Miller; Dean E. (St. Onge, SD) |
Family
ID: |
22543337 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/152,535 |
Filed: |
June 14, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
42/23 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A
17/64 (20130101); F41C 7/06 (20130101); F41A
3/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F41A
17/00 (20060101); F41A 3/10 (20060101); F41A
17/64 (20060101); F41C 7/00 (20060101); F41A
3/00 (20060101); F41C 7/06 (20060101); F41c
011/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;42/23,24 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Borchelt; Benjamin A.
Assistant Examiner: Jordan; C. T.
Claims
We claim:
1. An improvement in a falling breech block single shot action for
a firearm which comprises a receiver, a breech block within a
recess in the receiver wherein it is raised and lowered, a finger
lever pivotally mounted on a pin through the receiver and which is
operatively connected to the breech block by a toggle link
pivotally mounted on two pins and a spring-tensioned bore-aligned
striker fitted in a recess in the breech block which moves
longitudinally with the axis of the bore; wherein the upper part of
the link has a radial upper surface and is so mounted on a pivot
pin under the striker that the striker, though slidable, is held in
place.
2. An improvement in a falling breech block single shot action for
a firearm as defined in claim 1 in which the link is formed with a
cam hump, a cocking lever pivotally mounted on a pin behind and in
slidable contact with the cam hump on the rear of the link and
below the striker, said cocking lever having an upper round-edged
end engaged in a notch in the bottom of the striker whereby when
the finger lever is swung down and the breech block lowered with
it, the link pushes the cocking lever back to cock the striker.
3. An improvement in a falling breach block single shot action for
a firearm as defined in claim 1 in which the breech block is so
structured that except for the firing pin tip hole and safety hole,
the walls surrounding and covering the recess for the striker are
solid.
4. An improvement in a falling breech block single shot action for
a firearm as defined in claim 1 in which the front and rear
surfaces of the recess in said breech block are parallel and at a 6
to 15 degree angle back and downward from the breech face of the
barrel, with the breech block having parallel front and rear
surfaces; wherein the face or center of the upper front portion of
the breech block is made parallel to the breech face of the barrel
leaving a ridge on each side of the face, which ridges leave the
front surface straight from top to bottom for maximum contact with
the front surface in the receiver recess.
5. An improvement in a falling breech block single shot action for
a firearm as defined in claim 2 in which the striker in the breech
block is cocked on opening the action by the pivotal camming motion
of the link against the cocking lever, and which has a trigger
mechanism in the breech block recess to hold the striker back on
closing the action and to release the striker to fire the rifle;
which trigger mechanism comprises a housing into which the trigger
parts are assembled, a spring tensioned hollow plunger in the
housing movable at an angle to the striker and having a flat
beveled surface on top for engagement with a round edged extension
on the bottom rear of the striker, a pivotally mounted gear lever
having a short arm in operative connection with the plunger and a
longer arm below said short arm having a sharp edge, a pivotal
spring-tensioned independent sear pivotally mounted on a pin in the
housing and having a sharp forward top edge to engage with the long
arm of the gear lever, and a pivotal spring-tensioned trigger
mounted in said housing and having a round-ended set screw threaded
into it and positioned so that when the action is cocked and the
trigger pulled, the set screw contacts the bottom rear of the sear
to trip it, which in turn releases the gear lever, plunger and
striker.
6. An improvement in a falling breech block single shot action for
a firearm as defined in claim 5 having a plunger in the trigger
mechanism which has a flat beveled surface on its upper end to
engage with and hold the striker back when the action is closed;
wherein the striker has a set screw just forward of the round-edged
extension which contacts the plunger when the striker is cocked so
that the cocked striker and the trigger mechanism can be
synchronized.
7. An improvement in a falling breech block single shot action for
a firearm as defined in claim 1 and which has an extractor system
comprising an L-shaped extractor pivotally and yieldably mounted on
a pin through the receiver, having a hook with a beveled front
surface to slide under and engage in the extractor groove in the
head of a cartridge in the chamber, said extractor including a
forward lower arm; wherein the extractor is provided tension by a
spring pressing the extractor upwards only when the action is
closed, an actuator plunger having a head with a raised cam surface
on one side, and a round ended set screw threaded into the finger
lever and so positioned and adjusted that on the near final swing
of the finger lever on opening the action the set screw pushes the
actuator plunger up thereby holding the extractor hook in
engagement with the cartridge and forcing the extractor to pivot
back to extract and eject the cartridge or cartridge case from the
chamber.
8. An improvement in a falling breech block single shot action for
a firearm as defined in claim 5 having a bore-aligned striker
within a recess in the breech block and which has a pivoting safety
fitted into a recess in the side of the breech block with the
safety having a stem with cam surface to engage a shoulder on the
side of the striker so that when the safety is tipped back the
striker is forced back out of engagement with the plunger in the
trigger mechanism and held back so the firearm can not be fired;
wherein said breech block includes a vertical groove in the side
thereof and forward of the safety pivot hole, a safety selector
boss having a long lip, said selector boss being fitted in a hole
inside the receiver wall and extending into said groove so that
with the long lip of the selector boss up, on opening the action
the lip will automatically tip the safety back to safe position and
with the lip down it will not contact the safety on opening the
action thus leaving the safety to be manually operated.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to firearms; particularly to a hammerless
falling breech block single shot action for a firearm, and more
particularly to the breeching, firing and extractor systems of such
an action.
The hammerless actions of falling breech block single shot firearms
now produced, whether of the internal swinging hammer or striker
type, wherein the firing pin or striker assembly fits in a hole or
recess in the breech block, the opening to this hole or recess
extends through the front or rear walls of the breech block, with
this opening closed with a cap, plug, bushing or some other
closure. The use of such a closure often weakens the wall of the
breech block wherein it is fitted, and often, if the rifle is
dry-fired or fired a lot, or if the closure is removed and replaced
often, it may become damaged or loose, in which case the loose or
damaged closure could adversely affect the safety and normal
operation of the rifle. Previously, falling breech block actions
made which had the breech block moving up and down in the receiver
at a slight angle to the axis of the bore, the breech blocks often
were of less depth than the receiver and/or had part of the front
or rear surface cut away so that the entire front or rear surface
of the breech blocks were not in full depth contact with the front
and rear walls in the breech block opening in the receiver when the
action was closed and in maximum contact when the action was open.
Actions in which the breech block is not in maximum contact front
and rear with the receiver often tend to bind as the action is
operated. In falling block single shot actions previously produced
no adequate provision was made in the rimless cartridge extractor
to supply as much force to keep the extractor hook engaged with the
cartridge head during extraction as was applied to actuate the
extractor itself, nor combined with any means to adjust and
synchronize the extractor movement with the opening of the action.
Similarly, these actions have not been provided with a means to
adjust and synchronize the striker with the trigger mechanism or
provided with means to adjust and synchronize the trigger mechanism
from the outside of the action. These and other faults and
deficiencies we intend to correct and/or eliminate in the invention
described.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides for a one-piece receiver into which the
barrel is threaded, an almost vertical rectangular recess through
the receiver at the rear of the barrel for the breech block, a
finger lever pivoting on a pin in the lower front portion of the
receiver and a link connecting the finger lever with the breech
block, so that on swinging the finger lever down the breech block
is pulled down to expose the cartridge chamber in the breech end of
the barrel, and on swinging the finger lever up the breech block is
raised to lock the cartridge in the chamber. A spring actuated
plunger is provided in the base of the finger lever to bear against
a hump on the bottom of the link connecting the finger lever with
the breech block to provide tension for holding the finger lever
against the receiver when the breech block is closed, and to hold
the breech block in position for loading when the finger lever is
swung down.
The firing mechanism comprises a rectangular bore-aligned striker
within a recess in the one-piece breech block, with the firing pin
attached to the striker with a cross pin, a coil main spring partly
inside the hollowed striker and compressed between the striker and
the solid rear wall of the breech block which provides the power to
actuate the striker to fire the rifle. Below the striker and
pivoted on a pin through the breech block is the cocking lever,
with its upper end engaging in a notch in the bottom of the
striker. The link, which connects the finger lever to the breech
block, and which is positioned just forward of the cocking lever
and just below the striker to hold the striker in place, has a hump
which pivots the cocking lever back as the link rotates when the
finger lever is swung down, causing the firing pin to be drawn into
the receiver before the breech block begins to move downward and
which further causes the striker to be cocked when the breech block
is closed after being opened. The link is also a safety means which
prevents the striker from going fully forward to firing position
unless the finger lever and breech block are fully raised.
The invention provides for a trigger mechanism fitted within the
recess in the breech block and is so constructed to hold the
striker and cocking lever back in cocked position as the breech
block is lowered and raised, and for the rifle to be fired by
pulling the trigger which releases a combination of levers and
plungers to allow the striker to move forward. Three exposed
adjustment screws are provided on the trigger mechanism for a full
range of trigger adjustments, and an adjustment screw fitted in the
striker to allow it to be synchronized with the trigger
mechanism.
The invention further provides a pivoting safety lever recessed in
the side of the breech block to engage in a notch in the striker
when the striker is in the cocked position and the safety is tipped
back, and disengaged from the striker when the safety is tipped
forward. The safety, when tipped back, forces the striker backward
enough to relieve the trigger mechanism of holding the striker
back. The breech block can be lowered and raised with the safety
either engaged or disengaged without danger of damaging any parts.
Means are provided to make the safety engage automatically when the
action is opened and closed, or to have the safety non-automatic in
operation.
The cartridge extractor is pivoted on a pin through the center
lower front portion of the receiver. The hole in the extractor on
which the extractor pivots is oblong and with a spring provided
under the extractor to make the extractor yieldable so that on
closing the action its upper hook, which has a sloping forward
surface, can move under and into the rim or extractor groove in the
cartridge. A plunger positioned directly under the front arm of the
extractor and through a hole in the lower receiver wall actuates
the extractor to extract and eject a cartridge or cartridge case
from the chamber on opening the action when the finger lever pushes
the extractor plunger upwards. A set screw threaded into the finger
lever at the point of contact with the extractor plunger provides
an adjustment for movement of contact with the plunger and total
movement of the plunger.
The invention provides a through stock bolt threaded into the rear
of the receiver to secure the butt stock to the action, with the
rear of the receiver grooved and the front of the stock mortised
into it,
The finger lever pin and extractor pivot pin are retained in place
by spring plungers so that both pins can be easily removed and
replaced without tools to allow quick and easy removal of the
breech block and extractor assemblies from the receiver.
From the foregoing brief description of the invention it is
apparent that the important object of this invention is to provide
an improved hammerless falling breech block single shot firearm
action that is compact, strong and simple. The main objectives of
this invention are, however: to provide a safer action with an
improved breech block having solid walls; in which the breech block
has front and rear surfaces which fully contact the front and rear
walls in the receiver opening; in which the breech block is angled
so that on closing the action the face of the breech block is
forced against the face of the barrel; in which the breech block is
raised and lowered by a finger lever operatively connected to the
breech block by a toggle linkage arrangement which imparts much
upward thrust to the breech block as the action is closed and in
which the link further serves to hold the striker in place, cocks
the striker via a cocking lever and acts as a safety to prevent the
striker from falling entirely forward unless the action is fully
closed; with a bore-aligned striker having a firing pin attached to
it with a cross pin and having a set screw to control the amount of
engagement with the trigger mechanism; which has an extractor that
will handle rimmed, rimless or belted-head cartridges and that is
actuated from below by the finger lever and screw adjustable
plunger in such a manner that the extractor hook is forced to
remain engaged with the cartridge rim during extraction; that has a
trigger mechanism that has an independent sear and a full range of
adjustments accessible from the outside; and that has a positive
safety which locks the striker and fitted with a safety selector
for choice of automatic or manual of the safety to the safe
position.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description of the invention
when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which
fully illustrate the invention.
FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a right side view of the single shot falling breech block
action of the invention showing its configuration and safety.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the action shown in FIG. 1, showing
configuration and but stock-to-receiver mortising.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken at line 3--3 of FIG. 2 showing all
the internal mechanism except the safety and showing the action
closed and the striker in the fired position.
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the action fully
opened, extractor tipped back and striker cocked.
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary portion of FIGS. 3 and 4 showing the action
of the invention in the "load" position with the extractor at rest
and the top of the breech block level with the bottom of the
chamber.
FIG. 6 is a right side view of the breech block showing the safety
and safety selector.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of line 7--7 of FIG. 6 showing breech
block, safety, striker in fired position and link assembly.
FIG. 8 shows the safety and striker in the safe position.
FIG. 9 is a fragmental sectional view of line 9--9 of FIG. 1
showing how the finger lever and extractor pins are retained in
place in the receiver.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE
INVENTION
The falling breech block single shot firearm action illustrated in
the drawings comprises a one-piece receiver 1 to which the barrel 2
and butt stock 4 are attached, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The
forearm 3 is attached to the barrel. The action further comprises a
one-piece breech block 5, which moves in a recess or opening 23
(FIGS. 4 and 5) in the receiver, a finger lever 20 pivotally
mounted on a pin 7 entirely through the receiver, and a pivotal
link 33 (FIGS. 3 and 4) fastened to the base 60 of the finger lever
and to the breech block 5 on the pins 32 and 34, so that on
swinging the finger lever down the breech block is lowered within
the receiver to expose the cartridge chamber 21 to allow a
cartridge to be placed into it (FIGS. 4 and 5), and when the finger
lever is swung upwards the breech block is raised (FIG. 3),
completely enclosing the cartridge chamber behind the cartridge. A
plunger 36, which is actuated by spring 37 (FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 7),
and which is positioned in a hole in the base 60 of the finger
lever 20, and which is in slidable contact with the bottom of the
link 33, provides tension to the finger lever. The bottom of the
link has a hump 35 which in affect leaves two flat surfaces on both
sides of it. As shown in FIG. 3, when the action is closed, the
finger lever plunger 36 is bearing against one side of the hump on
the link 33, holding the finger lever closed and against the bottom
of the receiver. In FIG. 4 which shows the finger lever 20 swung
completely down and the action open, the finger lever plunger 36 is
bearing against the opposite side of the hump 35, so that on
releasing pressure on the finger lever, it is automatically swung
back a short amount as shown in FIG. 5 so the plunger is flat
against the link 33, at which position the breech block 5 is raised
to bring the groove 17 on top of the breech block (FIG. 2) level
with the bottom of the cartridge chamber 21. A deep U groove 14
(FIG. 2) in the rear top of the receiver 1 provides access to
insert a cartridge in the chamber over the lowered breech block and
a passageway for the ejection of the fired cartridge case or
cartridge.
As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 the breech block 5 has parallel front
5" and rear 5' surfaces which fit closely in a recess or opening 23
through the receiver with matching parallel surfaces 23' at the
rear and 23" at the front. Surfaces 23' and 23" are angled
6.degree. to 15 degrees downward to the rear of the breech face of
the barrel 18 which is at 90.degree. with the axis of the bore. The
center portion of the upper front face 22 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 6) of the
breech block 5 is parallel to the breech face of the barrel 18 so
that this portion of the breech block which contacts the breech
face of the barrel when the action is closed (FIG. 3) is square
with the bore. As the breech block is lowered on opening the
action, the face 22 of the breech block moves down and rearwardly
from the breech face of the barrel serving to instantly free the
breech block contact with a fired cartridge on the first downward
motion, and when completely lowered puts the face of the breech
block back far enough to provide ample room for the extractor 38 to
tip back (FIGS. 4 and 5) as well as not requiring a cartridge to be
fully inserted into the chamber before the action can be closed
again. Conversely, on closing the action, the face 22 of the breech
block moves up and forward against the breech face of the barrel
18, forcing the cartridge into the chamber. Ridges 19 and 19'
(FIGS. 2 and 3) on each side of the breech block face 22 which are
a continuation of the front surface 5" of the breech block makes
possible full contact of the breech block 5 with the front surface
23" in the receiver at all times regardless of the position of the
breech block (FIGS. 3 and 4) making for smooth and bind-free
operation.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the extractor 38 is an L shaped member
centrally hung inside the receiver 1 and pivotally mounted on a pin
9 which extends entirely through the receiver. The upper arm on the
extractor is so made to form a hook 41 to engage the rim or
extractor groove in a cartridge case, with the hook recessed at the
rear to conform with the cartridge head or rim and with the front
of the hook beveled so that on closing the action the extractor
hook can slip under, and engage with, the cartridge head as the
hook slips into a matching recess 72 (FIGS. 4 and 5) cut into the
breech face of the barrel. The pivot hole 40 in the extractor is
oblong to allow a certain amount of up and down movement of the
extractor on its pin, as well as to allow the extractor to pivot on
it.
The extractor 38 as shown in FIG. 4 is actuated or tipped back to
extract and eject a cartridge case from the chamber on opening the
action when the finger lever 20 contacts a square headed plunger 10
located directly under the lower arm 42 of the extractor and which
extends through a hole in the bottom of the receiver 1. A set screw
11 in the finger lever 20 at the point where it contacts the
extractor plunger 10, provides an adjustment to control the moment
of contact with the extractor plunger and to control the amount of
movement of the plunger.
The top surface on the head of the extractor plunger 10 is so made
that one side 44 is slightly higher than the other 44' (FIGS. 3 and
4).
A spring loaded plunger assembly 43 threaded into the bottom of the
receiver contacts the bottom of the extractor 38 when the action is
closed (FIG. 3) provides upward tension to the extractor to keep
the extractor hook 41 engaged in the extractor groove in the
cartridge head and allows the extractor to move down and over a
cartridge rim on the final closing of the action. The upward
movement of the plunger 24 in the plunger assembly 43 is limited so
that on opening the action the plunger no longer contacts the
extractor after it is tipped back, as shown in FIG. 4, thus
allowing the extractor to drop down and putting the extractor hook
below the bottom of the cartridge chamber, in which position it
will not interfere with inserting a cartridge into the chamber, as
shown in FIG. 5. In the position as shown in FIG. 3, with the
higher surface 44 of the extractor plunger positioned to contact
the extractor arm 42 at its extreme end, on completely opening the
action at which time the screw 11 in the finger lever 20 contacts
the bottom of the plunger, initial camming power is exerted on the
extractor to start the extraction of a fired case from the chamber.
As the plunger 10 moves up and as the extractor arm 42 pivots up,
as shown in FIG. 4, the lower side 44' of the plunger then comes in
contact with the extractor arm, and being closer to the pivotal
axis of the extractor, the movement of the extractor plunger which
provides the camming power now imparts more speed and snap to the
extractor to fully extract and eject the fired cartridge case from
the chamber.
For less extraction camming power and more snap for ejection, the
extractor plunger 10 can be reversed to position its high surface
44 towards the rear or closer to the pivotal axis of the
extractor.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, power to activate the extractor comes
from below the extractor; via the upward movement of the extractor
plunger 10 against the bottom of the extractor 38. This upward
force not only causes the extractor to be activated to extract a
cartridge case from the chamber, it also forces and holds the
extractor hook 41 in the extractor groove so that it cannot slip
out or under away from it during the full time it is in contact
with the cartridge head as the extractor hook pivots back. The
upward force of the extractor plunger against the extractor so
applied takes over the function of the extractor spring plunger 24
the moment the extractor begins to tip back.
As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the firing mechanism comprises a
rectangular striker 25 (FIG. 7), firing pin tip 26 fitted to the
front of the striker in a hole and secured with a cross pin 27,
coil main spring 28 positioned partly in a hole in the rear of the
striker and compressed between the striker and the solid rear wall
62 of the breech block 5 and the cocking lever 71 which is
pivotally mounted on pin 31 through the breech block. The top of
the cocking lever engages in a notch 30 in the striker so that the
striker moves as the cocking lever pivots. The cocking lever 71 is
positioned directly in back of the link 33, and the link so made as
to have a rounded hump 51 where it contacts the cocking lever.
As the action is opened, the link 33 is pivoted in an arc by the
swinging finger lever 20 which causes the cocking lever 71 and
striker 25 to be forced rearwards. By positioning the holes for the
finger lever pin 7 and the two link pins 32 and 34 in a straight
line with each other when the action is closed (FIG. 3), and
positioning the link so it just contacts the cocking lever when the
striker is in the fired or full forward position, on swinging the
finger lever down to open the action the striker is pushed back
sufficiently before the start of any downward motion of the breech
block to draw the firing pin tip 26 entirely into the face 22 of
the breech block, and thus preventing the firing pin tip from
hanging up in a spent primer in a cartridge case. As shown in FIG.
7 the link is as wide as the striker and is so pivotally mounted
inside the breech block that its upper radial surface contacts the
lower surface of the striker, holding the striker in place and
guiding it so it can move only backward and forward. The link also
provides a safety means in that unless the action is completely
closed and the finger lever against the receiver, the link would
prevent the striker from falling entirely forward, halting it
before the firing pin could protrude from the breech face. The
toggle linkage between the finger lever and the breech block also
provides a power linkage set-up so that only a light pressure on
the finger lever on the initial opening motion and on the final
closing motion of the finger lever exerts much more force to start
the downward motion and final closing motion of the breech block.
The link is so structured that its combined function is to raise
the lower the breech block, hold the striker in place, cock the
action, act as a safety means to prevent the striker from falling
entirely forward unless the action is closed, and under tension
from the finger lever plunger and spring, holds the finger lever
closed and the action in the "load" position.
The trigger mechanism as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 comprises several
parts which are contained in a housing 63, which is in turn fitted
into and held in the recess in the breech block by two or more
pins. The trigger 8 is pivotally mounted in the bottom of the
trigger housing on a pin 55, with the pivot hole in the trigger
positioned approximately midway in the trigger mass. Two adjustment
screws accessible from the outside are provided in the front
portion of the trigger housing; the weight of pull adjustment screw
58 which compresses the trigger spring 57 between it and the front
part of the trigger, and the trigger stop or over-travel adjustment
screw 56 which halts the movement of the trigger the moment the
sear becomes disengaged. A third adjustment screw 53 through the
trigger, which is also accessible from the outside, contacts the
bottom of the sear 59 and is used to adjust the sear engagement
with the sear lever 49.
The sear 59, under light tension from a coil spring 54, is
pivotally mounted on a pin 52 through the trigger housing, and is
independent of the trigger. A set screw 53 through the trigger 8
contacts the underside of the sear 59 and pivots the sear when the
trigger is pulled. The sear engagement adjustment screw and the
sear are arranged in such a manner that a minimum amount of trigger
movement will trip the sear.
A round hollow plunger 47 at an inclined angle to the striker is
positioned in a hole in the upper part of the trigger housing 63
(FIGS. 3 and 4). Geared to this plunger is a sear lever 49
pivotally mounted on pin 48 in the trigger housing.
Inside the hollow plunger and positioned below the short arm of the
sear lever which is geared to the plunger is a coil spring 50 which
supplies upward tension equally to the sear lever and plunger. The
long arm of the sear lever extends down to engage with the sear 59
on operating the action, and to disengage from it when the trigger
8 is pulled. The top of the plunger 47 has a flat beveled surface
46 where it contacts the round edged shoulder 29 on the bottom rear
of the striker 25 when the action is operated, as shown in FIG. 4.
A set screw 45 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 7) in the striker 25 can be adjusted
to limit the amount of contact of the plunger 47 with the striker.
The angled slope on the surface 46 on the top of the plunger is
such that only a moderate upward force on the plunger will hold the
striker back under compressed power of the main spring, and when
this upward pressure is released, the striker pushes the plunger
down and is so released. The plunger is held up (FIG. 4) when the
action is closed by the lower arm of the sear lever 49 engaged over
the top forward edge of the sear 59, with the lever made to give an
additional leverage advantage, so that with the combination of the
beveled contact surfaces between the plunger and striker, and the
leverage advantage of the sear lever, the powerful force of the
main spring transmitted to the sear is reduced many times, allowing
the trigger to be adjusted to a very short travel and a very light
weight of pull.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show the location of the pivoting safety 6 positioned
in a recess 6' in the side of the breech block 5. Tipped or pivoted
back (FIGS. 1 and 8) the safety is in the safe position, holding
the striker back so that the firearm cannot be fired.
Tipped or pivoted forward (FIGS. 2, 6 and 7) the safety is in the
fire position, disengaged from the striker, and the firearm can be
fired. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of line 7--7 of FIG. 6 which
shows the details of the safety mechanism. The safety 6 pivots on a
round stem 64 positioned in a hole in the side of the breech block
5 to coincide with the side of the striker 25 and the cocking lever
notch 30 across the bottom of the striker. A half round projection
65 on the end of the safety stem 64 lies within a groove 69 in the
side of the striker (FIGS. 7 and 8) so that when the striker is
cocked the safety can be tipped back to force the projection on the
end of the safety stem behind the shoulder where the groove ends,
forcing the striker back and off the plunger 47 (FIG. 4) in the
trigger mechanism. On tipping the safety forward the projection 65
on the safety stem moves into the groove in the striker (FIG. 7)
freeing the striker and allowing it to move slightly forward to
rest on, and be held back by the plunger in the trigger mechanism.
The safety cannot be tipped back to engage the striker unless the
striker is cocked, thus enabling the shooter to use the safety as
an indicator to determine if the action is cocked or not. The
action can be opened and closed with the safety in either the safe
or fire position without harm to any parts of the action.
A spring actuated plunger 39 (FIG. 7) in the breech block wall
contacting flat surfaces on the safety stem provides tension to the
safety 6 to hold it in either the safe or fire position.
The plunger 39 also serves to hold the safety in the breech block
when the breech block assembly is removed from the receiver.
The safety selector device is shown in FIGS. 2 and 7. It is a
stationary lipped boss 67 which is mounted inside the receiver
through a hole in the receiver wall. A groove 66 located vertically
in the side of the breech block allows the breech block to pass
over the selector 67 without interference. The selector is so
positioned that with its long lip 68 up (FIG. 7), as the breech
block is lowered on opening the action, the lip contacts the safety
6 if it is tipped forward and causes it to be tipped back (FIGS. 1
and 8), thereby placing the safety in the safe position as
explained previously, so that when the action is closed the safety
is engaged with the striker and the firearm cannot be fired. If the
shooter prefers to have the safety non-automatic or manually
operated, then the selector 67 is repositioned so that its long lip
68 is pointed down, in which position the selector does not contact
the safety as the action is opened.
OPERATION
The falling breech block action of the invention is operated and
functions as follows: Beginning with the action closed and with the
striker down as in FIG. 3, to open the action the shooter places
his thumb or palm on the fingerpiece on the finger lever 20 and
swings it down and forward. On the initial swing of the finger
lever the spring loaded plunger 36 in the finger lever base 60 is
depressed by the pivotal motion of the link 33 as its hump 35 moves
over the plunger.
At the same time the hump 51 on the rear of the link contacts the
cocking lever 30 and begins to pivot it to the rear. This
immediately causes the striker 25 with its attached firing pin 26
to move back, pulling the firing pin tip inside the breech block 5.
Also at this point the finger lever has pivoted the link enough so
that further motion of the finger lever begins to pull the breech
block downwardly into the receiver. As the finger lever is swung
all the way down and forward, the link continues to push the
striker back via the cocking lever and pulls the breech block down
until the swing of the finger lever has been stopped when its base
contacts the bottom of the receiver. Just before the finger lever
is stopped in this manner, the extractor plunger screw 11 in the
finger lever has contacted the extractor plunger 10 and pushed it
up as far as it will go. At this point, if a cartridge or fired
case has been in the chamber, it would be extracted from the
chamber 21 by the extractor 38 and ejected depending on the
position of the extractor activator plunger 10 and on how smartly
the shooter opened the action. At this point the striker has been
pushed back to allow the plunger 47 in the trigger mechanism to
rise ahead of the shoulder 29 on the striker, which motion causes
the sear lever 49 to tilt and engage with the sear 59 as shown in
FIG. 4. This final motion of the finger lever has also pulled the
breech block all the way down to expose the chamber and caused the
extractor plunger to tip the extractor hook 41 back over the top
front edge of the breech block. At this point the top edge of the
extractor hook has pivoted below the bottom line of the chamber and
causes no interference with the ejection of the case from the
chamber.
On releasing the finger lever, after it has been fully swung down
and forward, the spring powered plunger 36 bearing against the
bottom of the link 33 causes the finger lever to swing back a
slight amount, which also causes the extractor to be relaxed and
drop down, and brings the groove 17 in the top of the breech block
nearly level with the deep groove 14 in the receiver 1 and with the
bottom of the chamber, or in the "load" position as shown in FIG.
5. At this point a cartridge can be dropped or inserted into the
chamber with no interference from the extractor hook. If the
cartridge does not fully enter the chamber for some reason, and
part of the cartridge head still projects out of the chamber, this
is of no consequence since due to the slight rearward angle of the
breech block in the receiver, the breech block face 22 has moved
back approximately 1/8 inch or so from the breech face of the
barrel 18 and the cartridge head can project this much or slightly
more without hindering the closing of the action.
To close the action the shooter swings the finger lever back and up
until it contacts the receiver. This pushes the breech block
upwards, pushing the cartridge into the chamber, sealing the
chamber and positions the firing pin hole in line with the
cartridge primer. As the breech block begins to move up the striker
is held back in cocked position by the plunger in the trigger
assembly. Also, as the breech block rises behind the cartridge, it
pushes the extractor hook forward, and if the cartridge head is
ahead of the extractor hook, the hook is pushed forward to move
down and over the cartridge rim and be pushed up again into the
extractor groove by the extractor plunger 24.
If the safety selector 67 was positioned with its long lip 68 up,
on opening the action as the breech block moves downwardly in the
receiver the lip on the selector would tip the safety back to the
safe position, in which position the striker will be locked after
the action is closed. With the selector set so its long lip is
down, the safety will not be disturbed, regardless of the position
of the safety before opening the action.
When the action is fully closed, and as best illustrated in FIG. 2,
the breech block 5 is fully supported and held against the breech
end of the barrel by being supported by the receiver side-walls 16
and 16' and by the rear wall 23' of the receiver and the two
shoulders 15 and 15' on each side of the U-shaped loading groove
14.
To fire the rifle, the shooter pushes or tips the safety forward to
disengage it from the striker, allowing the striker to move
slightly forward to rest against the trigger plunger. Then the
trigger 8 is pulled back, which causes the trigger to trip the sear
59 which in turn releases the sear lever 49 and the trigger plunger
47 to allow the striker 25 to snap forward to ignite the primer in
the cartridge, leaving the action as shown in FIG. 3. This ends the
cycle, and to recycle the action is opened and closed again. The
striker can be lowered without snapping the action by holding the
trigger back while closing the action, which allows the striker to
move slowly forward under restraint of the link.
Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been
herein illustrated and described in order to provide an example of
the manner in which the invention is to be practiced, it will be
understood that various modifications and structural changes can be
imparted to the described and depicted structures without departing
from the basic principles of the invention.
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