Muzzle Loading Firearm

Abstract

A muzzle loading firearm having a frame upon which is mounted a centrally bored barrel with a centrally bored plug threadedly fitted into and plugging the breech or rear end of the barrel, with the plug having a rearwardly extending nipple portion over which a cup-shaped percussion cap is placed. An axially movable spring loaded bolt, aligned with the axes of the barrel and plug bores and nipple, has an anvil end arranged to impact against the cap upon actuation of a trigger mechanism, for firing the charge loaded within the barrel through its muzzle. The bolt is locked against axial movement by a safety mechanism, including a rotatable knob, mounted upon the rear end of the bolt, with the knob having a forwardly extending spacer pin arranged to selectively abut a portion on the frame to prevent forward movement of the bolt or to align with and fit into a frame recess of sufficient depth to receive the pin when the bolt moves forwardly against the cap. An openable flash shield normally covers the plug nipple and bolt anvil portions.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Muzzle loaded pistols, rifles, and shotguns have become popular for target and sport shooting. As in the case of the firearms of antiquity, they are loaded by pouring a powder charge, wadding and ball or pellets into the barrel through the nozzle. Suitable precussion caps are used to ignite the powder charge upon trigger actuation of the firearm.

Such type firearms have a tendency to misfire, meaning their charge fails to ignite. In the case of such misfires, it is frequently necessary to remove the unfired charge and reload the firearm. This is a difficult, time consuming and relatively dangerous task. Thus, the invention herein is primarily concerned with a construction wherein an unfired charge may be easily, rapidly and safely removed from the barrel of the firearm.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention herein contemplates a muzzle loading firearm barrel with an easily removable breech plug having a rearward extension or nipple upon which a cup-shaped percussion cap may be positioned for ignition, upon impact, by an anvil forming end of a spring loaded bolt, actuated by a suitable trigger mechanism. The bolt is provided with a safety mechanism to prevent premature firing, which mechanism includes a rotatable knob mounted on the end of the bolt and serving both as a means for retracting the bolt for cocking the firearm, as well as a selective safety means. A forwardly extending pin formed on the knob is arranged to selectively abut the rear of the adjacent firearm frame portion to prevent actuation of the bolt, or alternatively, to align with a recess formed in the frame whereupon the bolt may be slid forwardly, upon trigger actuation, to impact against the percussion cap and fire the firearm.

Thus, the firearm herein is fired by means of a spring-loaded bolt having a safety means to avoid premature firing, with the bolt axially aligned with the breech plug, which removably closes the breech end of the barrel and also carries the percussion cap. Hence, in the case of a misfire, the barrel may be quickly and easily dismounted from the supporting firearm frame, the breech plug may be easily removed, and the charge then quickly and safely removed from the barrel.

In addition, to protect the user of the firearm during firing, a suitable flash shield or cover is arranged over the percussion cap area of the firearm with the cover having an access door for loading percussion caps and for preventing the escape of flash due to firing of the cap.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, of which the attached drawings form a part.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS of

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partially in cross-section, of a pistol embodying the invention herein.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pistol, particularly showing the rear end thereof and the flash cover access door opened.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the piston frame portion taken in the direction of arrows 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the firing mechanism of the firearm, with the firearm cocked and a percussion cap mounted upon the breech plug nipple.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the mechanism in the fired position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a muzzle loading firearm 10 in the form of a pistol, which includes a frame 11 having a hand grip portion 12, a trigger guard 13 and a forward extension portion 14. A centrally bored barrel 15 is mounted upon the frame and secured thereto by means of screws 16 extending through openings 17 in the forward extension 14 of the frame (see FIG. 1).

The barrel bore 18 is provided with a threaded breech or rear end 19 which is removably closed by means of a breech plug 20. The plug has a threaded portion 21 for engaging the threads of the barrel breech and is provided with suitable wrench flats 22 for threaded engagement and disengagement. The rear end of the plug is extended to form a narrow nipple 23 and a bore 24 extends through the length of the plug, including through the nipple. The nipple is shaped to support a conventional cup-shaped percussion or firing cap 25 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

The percussion cap is ignited by the impact of the forward end of a cup-shaped anvil 28, having an integral annular anvil flange 29 and mounted upon the reduced end 30 of a slide bolt 31, by means of a removable anvil pin 32 (see FIG. 4). The bolt 31 is journalled through a sleeve 33 having a flange 34 formed on its rear end and abutting against the adjacent frame portion. The sleeve acts as an anvil stop. The bolt continues through an opening 35 formed in the frame and extends out the rear end of the frame.

A coil spring 36, surrounding the sleeve and bolt, has its forward end abutted against the anvil flange 29 and its rear end either abutted against the sleeve flange 34 or against one or more spacer washers 37 which are provided to adjust the tension of the coil spring.

A safety mechanism is provided to prevent premature firing. This mechanism comprises a knob 39 rotatably mounted upon the reduced rear end 40 of the bolt 31 and frictionally held against the shoulder, formed at the reduced bolt end 40 and the bolt body, by means of a suitable leaf spring 41 and a cotter type pin 42 extending through the bolt end.

The knob is provided with a forwardly extending safety pin 43 which, for firing, is aligned, by rotating the knob, with a recess or pocket 44 formed in the rear end of the frame 11. To prevent firing, for safety purposes, the knob is rotated about 45.degree. in either direction so that the pin 43 engages into one of a pair of angularly arranged safety grooves 45 formed on the rear end of the frame (see FIG. 3).

To assist the user in lining up the knob carried pin 43 with the frame recess 44, line up grooves 46 and 47 are formed on the knob and frame respectively.

A trigger operated mechanism is provided for firing the firearm. This includes a sear lever 48 centrally pivoted upon a pivot pin 49 secured to the frame, and having a rear end forming a sear portion 50 which engages the anvil flange 29, as shown in FIG. 4. The opposite end of the sear lever is provided with a small coil spring 51 which abuts the bottom surface of the barrel. Also, an adjustable set screw 52 extends through the lever and is engaged by a sear operating point 53 formed on a trigger 54 which is secured by a pivot pin 55 to the frame. Adjusting the set screw up or down, changes the amount of trigger pressure required.

To protect the user of the firearm against flash and debris from the percussion cap, a U-shaped flash shield or cover 57 is arranged to cover the firing mechanism and may be suitably fastened to the frame, as by screws or the like (not shown). For access to the nipple for replacing percussion caps, a flash cover door 58 is secured to the cover by means of a pivot 59 (see FIG. 2), so that the door 58 may be swung upwardly for access to the nipple and downwardly to close off the firing mechanism area.

OPERATION

In operation, the firearm is loaded in the conventional manner, through the muzzle, using a suitable ramrod for positioning the powder, wadding and ball or pellets, in the case of a shotgun. Thereafter, the access door 58 is opened, and the knob 39 is grasped and the bolt is pulled backwardly, into cocked position, so that the anvil 28 is spaced from the breech plug nipple 23. Then, a percussion cap is placed upon the nipple. To prevent accidental discharge while placing cap 25 on nipple 23, the knob 39 is rotated either clockwise or counter-clockwise to turn the safety pin 43 out of alignment with recess 44. Thus, if the bolt slides forwardly accidentally, while loading, the safety pin will strike the frame 11 and prevent further forward movement of the bolt before the anvil strikes the cap. After loading the flash shield door is closed and the knob is rotated to realign the safety pin with the recess so that the firearm is ready to be fired.

Alternatively, the safety mechanism may be applied, by rotating the knob so that its safety pin 43 is aligned with one of the safety grooves 45 at the rear end of the frame and the trigger may be pulled while holding the knob, so that the sear is released from the anvil flange 29 and the bolt may move forwardly, engaging the safety pin 43 with one of the grooves 45. In this position, the firearm cannot fire.

When it is desired to fire the firearm again, the knob is grasped, the bolt pulled backwards again until the sear engages the anvil flange, and the knob rotated, using the line up grooves on the knob and frame as a guide, until the pin 43 is aligned with the recess 44 and the firearm is ready for firing.

In the case of a misfire, the user removes the barrel by removing the barrel screws 16, and then the breech plug is removed from the barrel, using a small wrench, and thereafter, the charge may be easily taken out of the barrel.

As can be seen the above described mechanism may be embodied in a pistol construction or in a rifle or musket or shotgun construction, using appropriate barrels and stocks in place of the pistol grip. Also, a suitable rifle stock may be fastened directly to the pistol frame to thus convert the pistol to a rifle type firearm.

Claims

Having fully described an operative embodiment of this invention, I now claim:

1. A muzzle firearm comprising a frame and a centrally bored barrel, having a forward end and a rear breech end, removably secured to the frame;

a centrally bored breech plug removably fastened within the rear end of the barrel bore and having a narrowed nipple portion extending axially rearwardly therefrom, whereby a cup-shaped percussion cap may be positioned over the end of the nipple portion;

an anvil means arranged for impacting against the cap positioned upon the nipple portion, and a trigger means for actuating said anvil means for firing the firearm;

said anvil means including a spring-loaded bolt axially slidably mounted within the frame and axially aligned with the barrel and plug bores and the bore nipple portion, and having a forward anvil end for impacting, under spring force, against said cap position over said nipple portion;

and said trigger means including means for holding the bolt axially rearwardly against the spring force for releasing the bolt for forward sliding movement for impacting against the cap upon manual actuation of said trigger means;

said frame being open in the area of the plug nipple portion and bolt anvil end for manual positioning of percussion caps upon the nipple portion, and a cover secured to the frame and enclosing said area with at least a portion of said cover being manually openable and closeable for access to said area and for enclosing flashes within said area.

2. A muzzle loading firearm comprising a frame and a centrally bored barrel, having a forward end and a rear end, removably secured to the frame;

a centrally bored breech plug removably fastened within and plugging the rear end of the barrel bore;

said plug being formed in three integral portions, namely, an externally threaded, forward body portion fitted within and threadedly engaged with corresponding threads formed upon the wall defining the barrel bore at the rear end of the barrel, and an intermediate portion located outside of, but adjacent to the rear end of the barrel, and formed with external wrench flats for engagement with a separate wrench for disengaging the plug from the barrel bore, and a rearwardly extending narrowed nipple portion terminating in a free end of a size to receive a cup-shaped percussion cap positioned over said free end;

and the central bore of said plug being axially aligned with the barrel bore, and extending the full length of the plug, and being of a diameter which is considerably smaller than the barrel bore diameter, so that the plug normally closes off the rear end of the barrel bore for retaining a charge of powder and ball within the barrel bore, adjacent the plug, while permitting ignition of the powder upon firing of the percussion cap, wherein the plug normally forms a closed breech for the barrel, but may be removed for access to and removal of undischarged charges remaining within the rear breech end of the barrel;

an anvil means arranged for impacting against the cap positioned upon the nipple portion, and a trigger means for actuating said anvil means for firing the firearm.