Charging Device For Automatic Firearms

Abstract

Automatic firearms embody a charging or cocking device having a casing part and a slider therein the rear part of which cooperates with the breech and the forward end of which incorporates a pivotally mounted charging or cocking lever which is adapted to lie in the inoperative position in front of and in alignment with the casing and is adapted to be swung out when required for use through 90.degree. where the lever engages a stop pin on the slider and projects through a lateral slot in the casing so that the slider can be moved to the rear and then when it moves forwardly again a spring acting on the lever swings it back to the original in-line position in line with the casing.

Description

The invention relates to a loading or cocking device for automatic hand firearms such as rifles, which embody a breech movable in the longitudinal direction thereof with a slider guided in a casing part of the weapon and movable in the longitudinal direction thereof, the rear end of which lies opposite a front end face of the breech and which embodies at its forward end a displaceable loading or cocking lever which traverses a slot in a side wall of the casing part and extends in the longitudinal direction of the weapon and is loaded by a spring which tends to rock it forwardly and to hold it in a position of rest.

Such loading or cocking device serves to move the breech from its forward position to a rearward position in order that either the breech is caught in the rearward position by the trigger mechanism ready for firing the weapon, or introduces a cartridge into the barrel during the forward travel when the weapon is to be made ready for firing. Furthermore, the pulling back of the breech may be necessary for eliminating blockages.

The rearward movement of the breech is effected in such manner that the slider is moved rearwardly in the corresponding part of the casing by means of the cocking lever so that this slider comes to rest at its rear end against a forward end face of the breech and carries the breech to its rearward position. During firing the slider must be held in a forward position in which the front end face of the breech still does not contact the slider when the breech adopts its foremost position in order that the slider does not hinder the breech movement and is not subjected to any impact which could lead to damage of the loading or cocking device. Moreover the user should not be liable to injury by the cocking lever moving with the slider. Therefore the known loading or cocking device provides the possibility of locking the slider in its forward position.

Furthermore for overcoming the closure spring or main spring during return movement of the breech with heavier hand firearms, a substantial force must often be applied which requires that the loading or cocking lever must be made sufficiently large in order that it offers a good hand hold. Such a hand lever projecting from the weapon is however very objectionable for which reason with known loading or cocking devices the loading or cocking lever is displaceable and movable forwardly against the side wall of the casing part in which the slider is guided. Thereby the locking of the slider in its forward position ensures that the loading or cocking lever is brought into engagement with a suitable catch member when folded down on to the casing part.

These known loading or cocking devices have the disadvantage that also the loading lever folded against the side wall of the casing part represents a constructional element of substantial size projecting beyond the contour of the weapon which can be obstructive during use of the weapon especially for use in difficult country with thick undergrowth. Furthermore the user must take particular care that the slider is brought to its forward position after cocking and the cocking lever has come actually to engagement with the catch members provided, in order that the slider is actually retained and no disturbance or source of danger can occur in subsequent use.

The invention is directed to the problem of avoiding these disadvantages of the known loading or cocking devices and to construct such a loading or cocking device that the loading or cocking lever forms no part projecting beyond the contour of the weapon and also permits a reliable locking of the slider in its position of rest.

This object is attained according to the invention by the fact that the slot arranged in one side wall of the casing part for guiding the slider extends up to a front terminal wall of this casing part, the slider in its position of rest adopts a position adjacent to the forward end of this casing part, and the charging or cocking lever is swung in its position of rest in front of the terminal wall of this casing part and fits over at least a portion of this terminal wall by a projection thereof.

With the loading or cocking device according to the invention the loading or cocking lever forms in its position of rest an extension of the casing part containing the slider, so that in its position of rest no part thereof extends laterally from the weapon casing but rather is embodied in the contour formed by the weapon casing. Further, provision is made that the slider is satisfactorily locked in its forward position when the loading or cocking lever is located in its position of rest.

Defective locking is immediately recognisable by the lateral projection of the loading or cocking lever. The user need therefore take no particular care that the charging or cocking lever comes correctly in engagement with the catch members provided for this purpose but he is always sure that the slider is satisfactorily locked when he has brought the loading or cocking lever into its position of rest disposed in line with the casing part. A further advantage of the cocking device according to the invention consists in the fact that it has moreover a simple construction since special locking elements for the cocking lever are not required.

The loading or cocking lever can be held in a simple way in its position of rest by the fact that one edge bears on the end of the slot located in the forward terminal wall of the casing part. The construction of the loading or cocking device according to the invention offers moreover the possibility of providing the loading or cocking lever at its end projecting from the casing part with an enlarged hand grip which permits a particularly good grip on the loading or cocking lever since sufficient space is available in the extension of the casing part for an enlarged hand grip without the cocking lever being affected in appearance. Likewise the projection on the cocking lever by which it fits over a portion of the terminal wall of the casing part can be formed by the end of the hand grip nearest the casing part. This hand grip can have in particular substantially the same cross-section as the casing part and moreover the forward end of the cocking lever can be cut off flush with the forward end of a hand guard for the weapon whereby a particularly satisfactory arrangement of the cocking lever within the contour of the weapon is obtained. A particularly desirable form for the hand grip and likewise a particularly compact construction is then obtained if the casing part in which the slider is guided has the shape of the flat rectangle as seen in cross-section.

In a further arrangement of the invention the cocking lever engages in a forwardly open slot provided at the forward end of the slider and is supported on a pin which is in the portion of the slider unit defining the slot. In this way a stop pin is provided at the forward end of the slot at the corner of the said portion remote from the slot in the casing part to which the cocking lever comes to bear in its position of use by means of a nose portion. In this way a simple supporting of the cocking lever is obtained in the slider and satisfactory restriction in the rocking movement of the cocking lever into the position of use which is able to absorb very substantial forces. With such a mounting of the cocking lever the spring loading the cocking lever can be formed in a particularly simple way by a spiral or torsion spring which is arranged concentrically to a sleeve receiving a bearing pin and is supported at one end on the stop pin and at the other end on the nose part of the cocking lever.

Further details and arrangements of the invention will be appreciated from the following description in which the invention is further described and explained with reference to the constructional example shown on the drawing. The features taken from the description on the drawing can be used individually in other embodiments of the invention or several of them may be utilised in various combinations.

As shown in the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a firearm with a loading or cocking device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows partially in plan and partially in section the loading or cocking device of the firearm according to FIG. 1 on a larger scale, and

FIG. 3 is a section on the line III--III through the loading or cocking device according to FIG. 2.

The weapon casing 1 of the automatic rifle shown in FIG. 1 embodies a casing portion 2 which extends above the barrel 3 and a hand guard 4 covering the barrel from beneath and laterally, which extends forwardly beyond the bolt of the rifle, not further shown in FIG. 1. In this casing part 2 there is located the loading or cocking device further shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, which consists of a slider 5 guided in the casing part 2 and a cocking lever 6 pivotally secured to the slider.

The slider 5 comprises two bars 7 and 8 which are slidably guided in the longitudinal direction of the casing part 2 which is in the form of a flat rectangle in cross-section, and are connected at their forward ends by a head member 9 and at their rear ends by a cross member, not further shown. The cross member has a small spacing from a corresponding end face of the breech located in its foremost position, in the position of rest of the slider 5, so that on a return movement of the slider 5 in the casing part 2 the rear end of the slider comes to bear by its cross member against the end face of the breech and thereby the breech can be moved to its rearward position, as is known with such automatic hand firearms.

The cocking lever 6 serves for operating the slider 5, and the casing part 2 serving for guiding the slider embodies a longitudinal slot 10 in the left-hand side wall in the position of use of the rifle by which the cocking lever 6 connected with the slider 5 projects from the casing part 2. The head member 9 of the slider 5 is forked as shown at 11 in the plane of the slot 10 in the casing part 2 and supports an arm 12 forming part of the cocking lever 6. This arm 12 is pivotally supported in the slot 11 on a pin 13 which is inserted in the walls 14 and 15 bounding the slot 11. The thickness of the arm 12 is less than the width of the slot 11 and, as will be seen from FIG. 3, the arm 12 is held in engagement on the lower wall 4 of the head member 9 by a sleeve 16 which is supported concentrically on the pin 13 and is surrounded by a coil spring 17 the ends of which are retained by a stop pin 18 which connects the forward corners of the walls 14 and 15 of the head member 9 and which are adjacent at the side wall of the casing 2 opposite to the slot 10. The other end of the coil spring 17 fits behind a nose part 19 which is formed by a portion of the loading lever 6 lying diametrically opposite to the arm 12. This nose part 19 is moreover so arranged that it comes into engagement with the stop pin 18 by its surface 20 remote from the slot 10 in the casing part 2 when the loading lever is swung laterally outwards from the position shown in full lines in FIG. 2.

The coil spring 16 tends to hold the charging lever 6 in the position of rest in which the charging lever, as shown, is extended in the longitudinal direction of the casing part 2. Thereby the arm 12 of the charging lever 6 traverses a portion of the slot 10 which extends up to the front terminal wall 21 of the casing part 2. In this position of rest the left-hand side of the arm 12, as seen in the firing direction, terminates approximately with the left-hand outer surface of the casing part 2 while the right-hand edge 22 of the arm 12 extends approxmately into the longitudinal center plane of the casing 2 and bears against the edge of the closure wall 21 which limits the portion of the slot in the casing extending up to the closure wall.

A hand grip 23 is fastened to the portion of the arm 12 projecting out of the casing part 2 and of the closure wall 21 which grip, apart from the lateral depressions which increase the grip factor, has substantially the same dimensions as the casing part 2. Moreover the length of the hand grip 23 is so proportioned that it terminates flush with the forward end face of the hand guard 4 and embodies the same inclination as this terminal face.

It will be seen that in the position of rest the hand grip 23 of the charging lever extends in line with the casing part 2 serving for guiding the slider 5 without projecting beyond the contours therof and moreover its length is so proportioned that the hand grip also does not stand beyond the hand guard 4. Consequently the charging lever so far as it appears from the outside in the form of a hand grip 23, lies completely within the contour of the weapon so that the handling of the weapon is in no way affected. There is also no danger that the user would be caught up in undergrowth by the loading lever of the weapon. Furthermore provision is made when the loading lever adopts the position of rest shown, that it holds the slider 5 reliably in its forward position of rest in which it bears by the forward end face of its head member 9 against a stop 25 fitted in the casing part 2. Also the stop, which is formed by an inserted block, embodies a suitable slot for receiving the arm 12 of the loading lever 6. This slot can also be so constructed that the arm 12 bears in the position of rest against the surface defining or terminating the slot.

Furthermore despite the incorporation of the charging lever within the contours of the weapon the charging lever can be easily engaged by its hand grip 23 and swung outwardly until it comes into engagement with the stop pin 18 by the striker face 20 on the nose part 19. The charging lever then projects laterally out of the slot 10 of the casing part 2 and forms a good hand hold for pulling back the slider and thus cocking the breech. When the slider is brought by hand, or after its release from the forwardly moving breech, again to the forward position, the charging lever 6 swings back to its position of rest again under the force of the torsion spring 17 and then holds the slider reliably in its forward position without the user having to exert particular care with the locking of the slider.

It will be seen that by the invention a particularly simple and also particularly reliable charging device is provided by which the use of automatic hand firearms is considerably facilitated.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. Charging device for automatic hand firearms, comprising a casing part mounted on the firearm and extending in the longitudinal direction thereof, the casing part having at least two spaced substantially parallel side walls and a front end wall, the casing part being provided with a continuous slot extending through a portion of the front end wall and a portion of one of the side walls, a slider disposed within the casing part and guided for longitudinal movement therein, a charging lever, pivot means pivotally connecting the charging lever to the slider, the pivot means having a pivot axis extending substantially parallel to the plane of the side walls, the charging lever having a portion thereof extending through the slot outside of the casing part, and a spring for biasing the lever into a rest position wherein the portion of the lever extends through the portion of the slot in the front end wall of the casing part such that the portion of the lever is positioned in front of the front end wall of the casing part and the slider is positioned adjacent the front end wall of the casing part.

2. Charging device according to claim 1, characterised in that the charging lever bears in its position of rest with an edge part thereof against the end of the slot located in the front end wall of the casing part.

3. Charging device according to claim 1, characterised in that the charging lever is provided with an enlarged hand grip at the portion therof projecting out of the casing part and the projection is formed by the end part of the hand grip nearest the casing part.

4. Charging device according to claim 3, characterised in that the hand grip has substantially the same cross-section as the casing part.

5. Charging device according to claim 3, characterised in that the forward end of the charging lever terminates flush with the forward end of a hand guard mounted on the firearm and extending in the longitudinal direction of the firearm.

6. Charging device according to claim 3, characterised in that the casing part has the shape of a flat rectangle as seen in cross-section transverse to the plane of the sidewalls.

7. Charging device according to claim 1, characterised in that the charging lever is fitted to a forked part provided at the front end of the slider and is supported on a pivot pin of the pivot means traversing the forked part and that a stop pin is provided at the corner of the said forked part remote from the slot in the casing part against which a nose part of the loading lever bears in its position of use.

8. Charging device according to claim 7, in which the spring for biasing the charging lever is formed by a torsion spring arranged concentrically to a sleeve receiving the pivot pin and which engages at one end the stop pin and bears at the other end against the nose part of the charging lever.