Combination Action Spring Guide And Buffer For Automatic Pistol

Abstract

A gas recoil operated automatic pistol having a slide reciprocably mounted on a frame and a single resilient element of tough, form sustaining plastic serving both as a guide for a slide action spring and as a recoil buffer for absorbing slide impact energy which is normally imparted directly onto the frame.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to pistols and particularly concerns a buffer for automatic pistols.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the design of automatic pistols, critical space limitations normally eliminate any possibility whatsoever of a designer incorporating a buffer. Conventional designs normally result in an operating slide of the pistol pounding metal abutments out of shape and possibly breaking or otherwise rendering such parts inoperative over extended period of service. This longstanding problem has resulted in numerous attempts by designers to provide recoil buffers for pistols but such efforts frequently have resulted in added manufacturing and assembly costs and in undue bulky size of the resulting weapon package.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a significantly compact buffer for use with an automatic pistol to absorb slide recoil impact energy.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a buffer which is not only compact but economical to manufacture and which is particularly suited to facilitate assembly and disassembly of operating components of the pistol.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in more detail hereinafter.

A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relationships of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth certain illustrative embodiments and is indicative of the way in which the principle of the invention is employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view, partly broken away and partly in section, of a pistol incorporating this invention and showing a slide assembly of the pistol in a forward operative limit position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 wherein the slide assembly is in a rear operative limit position;

FIG. 3 is a reduced side view of the slide assembly; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of a rear end portion of another embodiment of a combination spring guide and buffer incorporated in this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated, an automatic pistol 10 incorporating this invention is shown generally comprising a frame or receiver 12, barrel 14 and operating slide 16 suitably supported for reciprocable sliding movement on the receiver 12. During manual cocking and also during automatic recoil upon firing, the slide 16 moves rearwardly to an extent limited by a slide stop surface or abutment wall 18 on the receiver 12. Shoulders 20 inside slide 16 engage abutments 22 on an enlarged rear barrel portion 24 to drive barrel 14 rearwardly with the slide 16 from its forward position shown in FIG. 1. Barrel 14 disengages from slide 16 during its rearward movement and is arrested at an intermediate point in the travel of the slide 16 to provide for cartridge extraction and ejection, and then to strip a live round from a magazine (not shown) to be chambered, such as the round 26 shown in FIG. 1, upon return forward movement of the slide 16 under the force of its main spring or action spring 28.

Pistol 10 utilizes a well known firing operation wherein pivoting its trigger 30 rearwardly about its pivot pin 32 actuates a hammer, not shown, causing the chambered round 26 to be fired in a conventional manner whereupon automatic operation of the slide assembly 16 is effected.

As fully described in applicant's United States patent application Ser. No. 864,609, filed Oct. 8, 1969, entitled "Pistol" granted Aug. 8, 1972 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,040 and assigned to the assignee of this invention, barrel 14 is precisely located during reciprocation of the slide 16 by a positive barrel guide and stop mechanism 34. Mechanism 34 includes a barrel lug 36 projecting downwardly from the rear barrel portion 24 in a vertical plane extending through a longitudinal center line of the barrel 14 for limited captured movement between a pair of camming pins 38, 40 extending in longitudinally spaced relation across receiver 12. Barrel lug 36 has front and rear abutments 42 and 44 of arcuate shape conforming to confronting peripheral surfaces of the front and rear camming pins 38 and 40 which are of circular cross section. As the slide 16 is thrust rearwardly under the reaction force of the gases formed upon explosion of a chambered round, rear abutment 44 engages a lower portion of rear camming pin 40 which cams barrel 14 downwardly to an extent limited by full contact engagement between the confronting surfaces of the rear lug abutment 44 and rear camming pin 40, thereby establishing a lowered rear limit position (FIG. 2) for the barrel 14 in disengaged relation to slide 16 to permit it to continue to move rearwardly uninterruptedly to a rear operative limit position (FIG. 2). Camming pin 38 is fixed forwardly of and below rear camming pin 40 and provides a relatively large area of intersurface contact with the barrel lug 36 to positively guide and stop barrel 14 in a raised forward position in locked engagement with the slide 16 in its forward operative limit position (FIG. 1) upon return forward movement of the slide 16 under the biasing force of its spring 28 which was previously compressed during slide recoil.

To absorb recoil impact energy of the slide 16 and at the same time to provide guidance and support for the action spring 28 while also facilitating assembly and disassembly of the components and additionally permitting sleeve 54 to be formed with an increased cross sectional thickness in accordance with this invention, a combination guide rod and buffer 50 is provided having a one-piece form sustaining body of a suitable tough resilient plastic with a radially enlarged head 52 serving both as a spring seat and as an abutment surface for spring guide sleeve 54. Sleeve 54 is formed as an integral part of slide 16 on a forward lower end of the slide 16, and barrel bushing 55 is carried by slide 16 in overlying parallel relation to sleeve 54. Upon engagement of sleeve 54 with the head 52 of guide rod 50 (FIG. 2), rearward slide movement is terminated and the recoil energy impact, which is normally directly transferred to the frame in conventional pistols, is absorbed by buffer 50 upon compressive engagement of its head portion 52 between abutment wall 18 of the receiver 12 and sleeve 54.

In the specific illustrated embodiment, the combination guide rod and buffer 50 is preferably formed of a suitable high impact resin which, for example, may be selected from a family of nylon resins such as that sold under the trademark "Zytel" manufactured by E. I. dupont de Nemours & Co. Such nylon resins have been found to work satisfactorily to resist abrasion and repeated impact loads over a wide range of temperatures while additionally resisting the action of salts and salt solutions and being unaffected by electrolytic corrosion. "Zytel" nylon resins have provided desirable characteristics for the combination guide rod and buffer 50 in that its mechanical toughness increases with age, and both moisture and heat desirably increase the flexibility of the nylon component, conditioning it to absorb more energy before any potential rupture as well as its impact resistance which is of crucial importance in an application such as the disclosed use in repeatedly absorbing impact energy of the slide 16 over an extended period of time. The resiliency of the nylon part ensures deformation under load and return to its original dimensions without noticeable wear. The nylon combination guide rod and buffer 50 moreover is neither affected by lubricating oils and greases nor by most chemicals and is particularly adapted to be quickly and easily molded with little or no finishing required.

A particular advantage in utilizing the combination guide rod and recoil buffer 50 for continued use under rugged conditions is the high degree of elongation before rupture of the nylon resins. In this respect certain nylon resins, e.g., "Zytel 101," has approximately 25 percent elongation at a tensile stress yield point of about 8500 psi under conditions of 73.degree. F temperature and 2.5 per cent moisture content while having an ultimate strength of about 11,000 psi and approximately 300 percent elongation under the same conditions. Moreover, this same nylon resin under average air exposure conditions of 73.degree. F and 2.5 per cent moisture content conditions has been found to have a modulus of elasticity of about 200,000 psi, the modulus of elasticity under such conditions ranging from about 500,000 psi at -35.degree. F to 70,000 psi at 220.degree. F.

By virtue of the above disclosed construction, the combination guide rod and buffer 50 has the additional desirable advantage of being relatively flexible to permit not only facile assembly and disassembly relative to the sleeve 54 but also permits its cross sectional thickness to be built up for added strength and durability while yet permitting quick and easy disassembly and reassembly of the buffer 50 relative to its slide assembly 16. This advantage is due to the resiliency of the combination guide rod and buffer body which upon being assembled or disassembled relative to the slide bushing 54 may be flexed as best seen in FIG. 3 to more readily position the buffer 50 in operative relation relative to the slide assembly 16. The rear portion of sleeve 54 surrounding its opening accordingly may be of greater thickness to accommodate the removal and insertion of the buffer 50 than if it were otherwise made of a rigid non-resilient material such as a conventional metal.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of an enlarged radial head portion 52A of a buffer body having a rearwardly extending projection or stud 56 which may be useful as a locating device for receipt within a complementary opening, such as shown in broken lines at 58 in FIG. 2, in the receiver 12 for quickly and easily positioning the buffer 50 in operative relation to the slide 16. If desired, the rear face of the head 52, 52A may be formed with an indentation such as at 60 to maintain the buffer 50 and action spring 28 in assembly with the barrel lug 36 upon removal of the slide 16 from the receiver 12.

A combination guide rod and buffer 50 of a type disclosed in this invention will not only provide guidance for the slide action spring 28 but will additionally and repeatedly absorb high impact loads for providing a continuous buffering action responsive to automatic operation of the pistol 10 under extended service requirements. The maintenance requirements of this buffer are minimal and the overall weapon package is easily maintained within desirable design limits due to the compact and composite construction of the combination guide rod and buffer 50. The flexibility of the buffer 50 additionally adds to the ease of field stripping and subsequent reassembly while also permitting those portions of the sleeve 54 which receive the spring 28 and buffer 50 to be built up for increased strength and durability.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications, adaptations and variations of the foregoing specific disclosure can be made without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A gas recoil operated automatic pistol comprising an elongated frame, a main coil compression spring extending longitudinally of the frame, a slide removably mounted on the frame for reciprocating longitudinal movement between forward and rear positions, the slide having a forward portion with a sleeve integrally formed thereon, the spring having a forward end engaging the slide within its sleeve and urging the slide toward its forward position, a barrel mounted in assembled relation to the slide for assembly and disassembly therewith relative to the frame, the barrel having a depending barrel camming lug disposed in rearwardly spaced alignment with the slide sleeve, the frame having a slide stop surface disposed in alignment with the path of movement of the slide, and a combination spring guide and buffer having a one-piece elongated body formed in its entirety of a tough form sustaining resilient nonmetallic material, the body having a rod portion received at least in part within the spring and the slide sleeve to guide and support the spring, the body having an integral end portion formed as a radially enlarged flange on a rear end of the rod portion, its end portion being disposed in alignment with and between the barrel lug and the slide sleeve and biased by the spring into seating engagement with the slide stop surface for impact buffering of the slide in its rear position while additionally providing a seat for the rear end of the spring, the rod portion of the combination spring guide and buffer being sufficiently resilient to permit limited bending of the rod portion without permanent deformation, upon removal of the assembled barrel and slide from the frame, to flex the rod portion while being retained in part within the slide sleeve and to move the end portion out of alignment with the barrel lug for facile assembly and disassembly of the combination spring guide and buffer in relation to the assembled barrel and slide.

2. The pistol of claim 1 wherein the combination spring guide and buffer is formed of nylon resin.

3. The piston of claim 1 wherein the frame includes a recess centrally disposed to extend rearwardly of its slide stop surface, and wherein the radially enlarged flange includes a self-locating rearwardly extending projection received in said recess.