U.S. patent number 3,901,125 [Application Number 05/343,560] was granted by the patent office on 1975-08-26 for handgun apparatus.
Invention is credited to Clarence A. Raville.
United States Patent |
3,901,125 |
Raville |
August 26, 1975 |
Handgun apparatus
Abstract
The apparatus of this invention relates to certain improvements
in a handgun which is generally known as "Colt Government Model
Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45." Basically the aforementioned
handgun has a handgrip housing to which a trigger is connected, a
barrel which is connected through a pivoting link to the trigger
housing, a slide movably mounted upon the barrel between a
cartridge firing position and a cartridge ejection position, the
barrel pivoting slightly during the movement of the slide, the link
which connects the barrel to the trigger housing including an
eccentric sleeve so as to permit adjustment of this pivoting
movement of the barrel, the barrel including a transverse opening
communicating with the firing chamber so as to permit observance of
a cartridge located in the chamber when the slide is in the
cartridge firing position, a bushing assembly supporting the outer
end of the barrel in a press fitting manner so as to tightly hold
the barrel in position during firing, a recoil absorber assembly
located between the trigger housing and the slide which employs
absorption of energy by an air chamber, by a spring and by a pillow
of a resilient material.
Inventors: |
Raville; Clarence A. (Thousand
Oaks, CA) |
Family
ID: |
23346615 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/343,560 |
Filed: |
March 21, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
89/163; 42/71.02;
89/198; 42/1.05; 89/196 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A
3/94 (20130101); F41A 3/86 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F41A
3/94 (20060101); F41A 3/00 (20060101); F41A
3/86 (20060101); F41d 003/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;89/43R,44R,44A,163,177,194,195,196,198 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Bentley; Stephen C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Geauque; Robert E.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A recoil energy absorption apparatus for use in a handgun
comprising:
a cylinder;
a first piston assembly, said first piston assembly mounted within
said cylinder forming a closed chamber, a gas located within said
cylinder, due to said closed chamber as said first piston assembly
moves into said cylinder the gas compresses increasing energy
absorption;
a recoil spring having a pair of ends;
a second piston assembly, said second piston assembly in direct
contact with one of said pair of ends of said recoil spring, the
other of said ends of said recoil spring being fixedly positioned
to move with said first piston assembly; and
said first piston assembly including a pair of spaced apart
members, a non-metallic resilient energy absorption material
located between said members, whereby said resilient material being
adapted to absorb a portion of the recoil energy.
2. In combination with a semi-automatic hand gun which has a barrel
mounted within a slide, said barrel terminating in a firing chamber
at its inner end, said slide mounted for longitudinal movement upon
a trigger housing between a cartridge firing position and a
cartridge ejecting position, said trigger housing including a
recoil absorbing chamber, said slide having attached thereto a plug
housing said plug housing being movable within said recoil
absorbing chamber the improvement comprising:
a recoil absorber assembly located within said recoil absorbing
chamber, said recoil absorber assembly located between said trigger
housing and said slide so as to absorb a recoil force, said recoil
absorber assembly including a first piston assembly, said first
piston assembly being mounted within a cylinder, a fluid to be
contained within said cylinder, during movement of said slide from
said cartridge firing position to said cartridge ejection position
said cylinder with said fluid to absorb a portion of the energy of
said recoil force; and
there being a link pivotally connecting said barrel to said trigger
housing, said recoil absorber assembly including a second piston, a
recoil spring located within said recoil absorbing chamber and
being in direct connection with said second piston, said second
piston being in contact with said link, whereby the recoil spring
force is transferred through said recoil absorber assembly directly
to said link.
3. The combination as defined in claim 2 wherein:
said barrel having a locking lug assembly, said slide having a
locking recess assembly, a protuberance formed upon said link, a
means under a constant biasing force being in continuous contact
with said protuberance, with said slide in said cartridge firing
position the biasing force of said means being transferred through
said protuberance so as to apply a torque in respect to said link
tending to maintain said locking lug assembly of said barrel into
full cooperation with said locking recess assembly formed within
said slide, with said slide in said cartridge ejecting position the
biasing force of said means being transferred through said
protuberance into said link so as to exert a torque about said link
tending to maintain said locking lug assembly disassociated from
said locking recess assembly;
with said slide in said cartridge firing position said barrel
having a locking lug assembly which cooperates within a locking
recess assembly formed within said slide.
4. The combination as defined in claim 3 wherein:
said link having a sleeve, said sleeve having an opening
therethrough, said second pivot pin to be conducted through said
opening, said opening being eccentrically located with respect to
said sleeve, said sleeve being adjustably movable within said link
to various positions and fixable in a particular said position by
fixing means located within said link.
5. The combination as defined in claim 2 wherein:
the free end of said recoil spring being directly connected with a
recoil spring plug, said recoil spring plug having a tapered body,
said recoil spring plug to connected with a barrel bushing, said
tapering of said plug to effect a tight interfit between said
barrel bushing and said plug, said barrel bushing to be located
about said barrel and capable of slidable movement in respect
thereto, said barrel bushing being fixedly positioned within said
slide.
6. The combination as defined in claim 5 wherein:
with said slide in said cartridge firing position said barrel
having a locking lug assembly which cooperates within a locking
recess assembly formed in said slide;
with said slide in said cartridge firing position there being a
connecting means connected between said bushing assembly and said
barrel to exert a longitudinal biasing force on said barrel tending
to hold the forward edge of said locking lug assembly against the
aft edge of said locking recess assembly.
7. The combination as defined in claim 6 wherein:
the periphery of the free end of said barrel being a circumference
slightly greater than the circumference of the remaining portion of
said barrel, said bushing assembly including a barrel bushing
directly connected to said slide and an inner bushing supported
within said barrel bushing, said inner bushing to be in direct
contact with said barrel, the size of the opening through said
inner bushing being slightly smaller than the size of said
periphery of said free end of said barrel, whereby as said slide is
moved from said cartridge ejection position to said cartridge
firing position a press fit occurs between said inner bushing and
said periphery of said free end of said barrel as said slide is
moved to said cartridge firing position.
8. The combination as defined in claim 7 wherein:
said inner bearing being constructed of a plastic material and
providing a low frictional interconnection between said inner
bearing and said barrel.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The field of this invention relates to firearms and specifically to
the handgun type of firearm. The subject matter of this invention
is related to the structure defined and claimed within U.S. Pat.
No. 3,656,249, entitled "Double Action Hand Gun Apparatus," issued
Apr. 18, 1972, by the present inventor.
The main advantage to a .45 caliber firearm is that due to the
large mass of a .45 caliber bullet and the relatively low
propelling velocity, if the bullet strikes a human being, even in a
limb, the person would more than likely be knocked off balance and
down. Clearly, the use of such a handgun is of particular advantage
in war and also law enforcement. The lower caliber firearms that
are presently being employed in the Armed Services and law
enforcement employ the use of a substantially lower mass bullet
(compared to the .45 caliber bullet) which is propelled at
substantially greater velocity (compared to the .45 caliber
bullet). Frequently, when a person is struck with such a lower
caliber bullet, the bullet passes quickly through the person with
the momentum of the bullet not being transmitted to the person. In
both the Armed Services and law enforcement, one of the major
complaints is that the person that has been struck continues to
navigate about, still representing the same danger as before being
struck. As a result, the military individual or the law enforcement
officer finds it necessary to shoot the individual a plurality of
times before the party becomes inoperative. Besides the danger to
the party of several wounds, it is also dangerous to the shooter in
that the struck party can continue to return the fire. It would be
in the best interest of both parties for the struck party to be
rendered inoperative with one shot.
Although the .45 caliber handgun, due to its "knocking down" power,
would be especially suited for law enforcement use, even the best
marksman of such a weapon is relatively inaccurate at greater than
fifty feet. This is due to the fact that the basic construction of
this type of handgun produces such inaccuracies. The barrel of such
a handgun is actually permitted to move a few thousandths of an
inch during firing and is not held rigid. A few thousandths of an
inch movement of the barrel easily results in a several inch
movement of the projectile at 50 feet. Additionally, the recoil of
a conventional .45 weapon is substantial and usually the handgun,
when fired, moves several inches in the upward direction. If a
second shot is needed, it is then required for the shooter to
completely re-aim the handgun which is undesirable through the loss
of time required to do such re-aiming.
In both law enforcement and the military, the use of a .45 caliber
weapon is highly desirable over a smaller caliber weapon such as a
.38 caliber. However, the inherent deficiencies of the
aforementioned "Colt .45 Semi-Automatic Pistol" have prevented its
widespread use because a .38 caliber is definitely more accurate
and does not have an undesirable amount of recoil. If the
aforementioned .45 caliber handgun could be modified so as to have
a recoil substantially equal to that of the .38 caliber weapon, and
the handgun be constructed so as to be substantially more accurate,
it would be definitely advantageous for law enforcement officers
and the military to choose the use of such a weapon over a .38
caliber handgun.
An additional disadvantage of the aforementioned "Colt" handgun is
that there is no way to tell if a cartridge is in the firing
chamber with the exception of moving the slide toward the cartridge
ejection position. At certain times it is desirable to know quickly
if a cartridge is in the chamber so the operator then knows not to
cock the weapon and at other times he may believe that there is no
cartridge in the chamber when in reality there is. In such
instances accidents frequently happen. It would be desirable to
employ some means that would make readily observable to the
operator whether or not a cartridge is located within the
chamber.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The apparatus of this invention is to be employed in combination
with a handgun which is classified as semi-automatic wherein, upon
the firing of the handgun, a slide is caused to be moved rearwardly
with respect to the barrel and eject the spent cartridge and then
place a new cartridge within the firing chamber of the barrel. The
barrel is to include a transverse opening in the area of the firing
chamber so a person can readily observe whether a cartridge is
positioned in the firing chamber without moving the slide toward
the cartridge ejection position. The barrel within this type of
handgun is permitted to move a few thousandths of an inch with the
remaining portion of the handgun, with the barrel including locking
lugs which are to be moved into locking recesses within the slide
when the handgun is in the cartridge firing position. As the slide
is moved to the cartridge ejection position, the barrel is moved
out of cooperation with the locking recesses so as to permit the
slide to be movable in respect to the barrel. In the conventional
handgun of this type, this barrel is still permitted to move
slightly even during firing and this few thousandths of an inch of
movement of the barrel makes the conventional handgun of this type
inherently inaccurate. In this invention a bushing assembly is
employed which rigidly holds the barrel in a fixed position when
the cartridge is fired. Also the bushing assembly holds the locking
lugs tightly into engagement with the locking recesses so as to
avoid any "hammering effect" during firing which can cause
premature wear within the handgun. The barrel is pivotally
connected to the trigger housing through a link. Within this
invention the link is made to be adjustable so that the pivoting
movement of the barrel with respect to the slide can be controlled
so that when the barrel is in the firing position, the locking lugs
of the barrel are in tight complete engagement within the locking
recesses of the slide. A recoil absorber assembly is located
between the slide and the trigger housing so that the recoil of the
gun is completely absorbed and is not transferred to the operator
of the weapon. The recoil absorber assembly damps the recoil energy
through the use of an air cushion, a spring cushion and a resilient
rubber cushion.
Some of the advantages of the apparatus of this invention which
have not been specifically enumerated previously are as follows:
Substantially decreases the amount of recoil, therefore permitting
rapid firing of successive rounds with greater accuracy. Also, by
significantly diminishing the recoil, the operator of the handgun
tends to not physically tire as easily and also the muscles of the
operator of the gun do not become sore from firing a substantial
number of rounds in a short period of time. Additionally, by
eliminating the "play" of the barrel within the handgun, the
accuracy of the handgun itself is substantially improved. Further,
the apparatus of this invention minimizes the wear of the parts of
the handgun which therefore significantly increases the life of the
handgun. A significant advantage of the structure of this invention
is that the average gun owner in a few minutes, without alterations
or special tools, can install the structure of this invention
within his own gun. Further, by incorporating the improvements of
this invention within what can be termed an old and worn handgun,
causes such a gun to be completely revitalized so as to be better
than a new gun which does not include improvements of this
invention and in fact brings the old gun up to the standard of a
new gun including the improvements of this invention. A still
further improvement of the structure of this invention is that the
bushing assembly included within this invention protects the end of
the barrel from dust, dirt, water and other foreign particles and
also if the handgun is accidentally dropped, the end of the barrel
is protected against damage. A further advantage of the structure
of this invention is that upon ejecting the cartridges, it is found
that each cartridge is ejected with substantially less force and as
a result, the spent cartridges are located in close proximity to
the shooter with the cartridges being located directly adjacent one
another. This is desirable when it is desired to reload these
cartridges. Another advantage of the structure of this invention is
that with the weapon in the battery position (ready for firing),
the recoil absorber apparatus within this invention doubles the
force of the ordinary recoil spring (12 pounds vs. 6 pounds) and
employs this force to retain the locking lugs of the barrel in
tight engagement with the locking recesses in the slide. This
allows the projectile to travel further down the barrel (twice as
far) before the slide begins to move to the unlocking position (out
of battery). As a result, a greater accuracy of the weapon is
achieved by permitting the projectile to move farther on its path
of flight before the barrel is pivoted with respect to the slide.
Also, this feature permits the use of a heavier projectile without
the danger of premature unlocking. It is to be noted that a further
feature of this invention is that this twelve pound force occurs
only at the beginning of recoil, and after recoil gets beyond the
initial stages, the conventional six pound force is employed to
absorb its portion of the energy of the recoil of the weapon.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a handgun within which the improvements
of this invention have been employed;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the handgun of this invention taken along
line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the handgun of this invention taken along
line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the handgun of this invention
taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 4 but
showing the slide in the aft position or the cartridge ejection
position;
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a friction grip which is to be
attached to the trigger housing of the handgun within this
invention which facilitates the operator of the handgun to grasp
the handgun tightly;
FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the novel barrel bushing assembly
which is employed within this invention;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view through the bushing assembly of
this invention taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an exploded isometric view of the barrel assembly
employed within this invention and its connecting link
assembly;
FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the recoil absorber assembly which
is employed within this invention;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the novel link which is employed to
connect the barrel to the trigger housing within this invention;
and
FIG. 12 is an exploded isometric view of the recoil absorber
assembly employed within this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SHOWN EMBODIMENTS
Referring particularly to the drawing, there is shown in FIG. 1 a
handgun 20 that is composed primarily of a trigger housing 22 to
which is connected a movable trigger 24 which is to be manually
activated to move hammer 26 to effect firing of the handgun. A
slide 28 is movably mounted upon the trigger housing by means not
shown. This type of handgun is basically similar to the "Colt
Government Model Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45" and reference is to
be had thereto for any details of construction or operation of the
particular type of handgun.
Connected by a pivot pin 30 to the trigger housing 22 is a link 32.
The link 32 includes a sleeve 34 located within an opening 36 in
the link 32. The sleeve 34 includes an opening 38 located
therethrough and it is noted that the location of the opening 38 is
eccentric to the peripheral edge of the sleeve 34. The pivot pin 30
is to be conducted through opening 38.
The outer periphery of the sleeve 34 includes a plurality of
notches 40. The notches 40 are spaced apart in a closely spaced
apart manner. Also included within the link 32 are a pair of spaced
apart pin apertures 42 and 44. A pin 46 is capable of being
inserted within one of the apertures 42 or 44 and is to cooperate
with one of the notches 40. Also located within the link 32 is an
opening 48. Opening 48 is to establish a loose fit with a pivot pin
50 which is located through an opening 52 in a portion of the
barrel 54. The barrel 54 includes a central elongated bore 56
through which the projectile 48 of the cartridge 60 is to be
fired.
Located upon the exterior surface of the barrel 54 is a plurality
of spaced apart locking lugs 62. Located within the interior of the
slide 28 is a plurality of spaced apart locking recesses 64. With
the handgun in the cartridge firing position shown in FIGS. 1, 2
and 4 of the drawings, the locking lugs 62 matingly cooperate
within the locking recesses 64. In this position the link 34 is in
a substantial upright position as shown in FIG. 4. It is desirable
to have the locking lugs 62 to fully cooperate within the locking
recesses 64 because the primary component of the recoil force is
being transmitted in the aft direction through the barrel 54
through the locking lugs 62 and into the slide 28 through the
recesses 64. By manually selecting the position of the sleeve 34
within link 32, the amount of movement of the locking lugs 62 to
within the recesses 64 can be controlled to some extent. Once the
full complete cooperation of the lugs 62 within the recesses 64 is
attained, the operator places a pin 46 within either aperture 42 or
44 and cooperates such with the particular notch 40 within the
sleeve 34. This position is then permanently established and should
not again need to be altered. Once the pin 46 is placed within its
particular aperture 42 or 44, such installation is accomplished in
a permanent manner and it is not envisioned that it will ever need
to be removed.
The link 32 also includes a protuberance 66 on its forward edge
thereof. The function of this protuberance 66 will become more
apparent further on in the description.
It has been found that by the employment of two separate apertures
42 and 44 and by employing a series of spaced apart notches 40, as
small as a 6.degree. variation can be obtained. Each six degrees of
variation results in an extremely small amount of movement (only a
few thousandths of an inch) of the locking lugs 62 to within the
locking recesses 64. However, this is all the amount of movement
that is necessary to eliminate the amount of "play" between the
barrel 54 and the slide 28. It has been found that such "play"
occurs not only in used or well worn handguns but also in new
handguns.
Fixedly positioned by means not shown within the slide 28 at its
forward end thereof is a bushing assembly which includes an outer
bushing 68 and an inner bushing 70. The inner bushing 70 is mounted
within the outer bushing 68 and has an opening size of slightly
less (few thousandths of an inch) than the opening 72 within the
outer bushing 68. The barrel 54 includes a necked down section 74
which extends a substantial portion of the length of the barrel
adjacent the locking lugs 62 to almost the forward edge of the
barrel. The forward edge of the barrel is slightly enlarged to form
an enlarged portion 76. For purposes of description in the drawing,
this enlarged portion 76 is accentuated.
The inner bushing 70 will be normally constructed of a rigid
plastic material having low friction or an oily characteristic. An
example of such a material is plastic which is commonly sold under
the trade name of "Teflon."
When the slide 28 is in the position shown in FIG. 5 of the
drawings, the inner bushing 70 is located within the necked down
section 74 and is free to slide thereupon. However, when the slide
28 is in the position shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, that is, in
the cartridge firing position, a press fit relationship is
established between the inner bearing 70 and the enlarged portion
76. Actually, the opening size within the inner bearing 70 is
slightly less than the circumference of the enlarged portion 76. As
the slide 28 is moved forward from the position of FIG. 5 to FIG.
4, and the inner bearing 70 comes into contact with the enlarged
portion 76, a certain pulling action occurs with the slide 28
tending to pull the barrel 54 forwardly. At the same time, because
of the pivoting of the link 32, the barrel 54 is caused to pivot
upwardly so that the locking lug 62 will cooperate within the
locking recesses 64. Because of this pulling action of the inner
bearing 70, complete cooperation of the locking lugs 62 within the
recesses 64 is assured and also that the forward edge surface of
each of the locking lugs 62 is pressed against the aft edge surface
of the locking recesses 64. When the handgun is fired, because a
solid physical contact occurs between the edges of the locking lugs
62 and their locking recesses 64, a direct transmission of forces
therebetween will occur and there will be no "hammering effect"
which would occur if there was a slight amount of play
therebetween. It has been found that if a slight amount of play is
permitted, this hammering effect will cause excessive wear within a
very short period of time and may require replacement or repair of
the barrel and/or slide.
It is further to be noted that each time the slide 28 is moved
forward into the cartridge firing position shown in FIG. 4, the
barrel 54 is held in this position by the bushing assembly in a
rigid manner so that when the cartridge 60 is fired, as the
projectile 58 moves through the bore 56, there will be no wobble of
the barrel 54. This barrel wobble, which is inherent in handguns of
this type prior to this invention, causes the projectile 58 to be
fired with a low degree of accuracy. Therefore, by the inclusion of
the bushing assembly of this invention, a higher degree of accuracy
is achieved and that actually a relatively inaccurate weapon has
been transformed into a relatively accurate weapon.
It has been found to be desirable to include a "non-slick" surface
on the forward edge of the trigger housing 22. For this purpose a
grip plate 78 is to be attached to the trigger housing as shown in
the drawings. This grip plate 78 is formed of an anodized metal
surface which is roughened to form somewhat of a serrated surface.
This grip plate may also be personalized such as putting the
owner's name or initials thereon to denote the owner of the
particular handgun.
With the normal type of barrel 54 which is employed in the
conventional handgun of this invention, when the slide 28 is in the
cartridge firing position shown in FIG. 4, there is no way to tell
if there is a cartridge within the firing chamber 80 without moving
back the slide 28. A window 82 which comprises a longitudinal slot
is formed within the barrel 54 and communicates with the firing
chamber 80. The location of the window 82 is such that it connects
with the cartridge ejection opening 84 formed within the slide 28.
A portion of the cartridge 60 will show through the window 82 so
that the one operating the handgun may quickly by observing through
the window 82 known whether a cartridge 60 is located within the
firing chamber 80 without having to move the slide 28 in a rearward
direction.
Located within the trigger housing 22 is a recoil chamber 86. A
hollow extension 88, which has an opening 90 formed therein, is
integrally secured thereto and forms a part of the slide 28. This
extension 88 is adapted for longitudinal movement within the recoil
chamber 86. A plug 92 is located within the opening 90 in a close
fitting manner with the forward end of the plug 92 to cooperate
within the recess 94 formed within the outer bushing 68. The outer
configuration of the plug 92 is tapered so that the smallest taper
dimension is at the front edge of the plug 92. This tapering is not
substantial, it only being envisioned about six degrees as
adequate. The purpose of the tapering 92 is that, as will become
apparent from the following, as the plug 92 is forced outwardly
into engagement with the outer bushing 68 within the recess 94, the
dimension of the recess 94 is closely configured to the outer
configuration of the plug 92 and this slightly tapering 92 forms an
extremely tight snug fit between the plug 92 and the bushing 68.
This further results in the bushing 68 being held in an extremely
rigid manner, not permitting the bushing 68 to even slightly rotate
with respect to the slide 28. This further causes the handgun of
this invention to become a more accurate weapon.
The plug 92 is substantially hollow forming an interior opening 96.
A recoil spring 98 is to be located within the opening 96. Spring
98 is deemed to be conventional in configuration and is employed in
the conventional type of handgun. This recoil spring normally has a
force of approximately six pounds per inch.
The recoil spring 98 also surrounds a cylinder 100 of a recoil
absorber assembly. Cylinder 100 is conventionally hollow and is
closed at its outermost end but does have one end open. Through the
open end is conducted a piston 102. An O-ring seal 104 is located
about the piston 102 and is to form a substantially air-tight seal
between the piston 102 and the inner wall of the cylinder 100. The
piston 102 is connected to a rod 106 which is fixedly connected to
a plate 108. The outer surface of the plate 108 is adapted to come
into physical contact with a portion of the trigger housing 22.
Aligning elements 110 and 112 are connected to the plate 108 and
are to extend forward around a portion of the link 32. The link 32
is to be movable in the slot 114 located between the elements 110
and 112.
The rod 106 is shown to be substantially hollow and includes on
each side thereof diametrically opposed slots 116. An inner piston
which has a piston head 120 is movably mounted in the hollow
opening within the rod 106. The inner piston 118 includes a pair of
diametrically spaced apart fingers 122.
A connecting rod 124 is to be locatable within the fingers 122 and
tends to bias such radially outward. A ring 126 is to be locatable
about the rod 106 with the recesses 128 formed within the ring 126
to connect with the fingers 122. Because the rod 124 is located
interiorly of the fingers 122 and the fingers 122 are always biased
outwardly into engagement with recesses 128, such will always be
maintained in continuous engagement until it is desired to take the
elements apart manually.
Another plate 130 is to surround the rod 106 and be located in
close proximity to plate 108. A ring of resilient material 132 is
to be located between the plates 108 and 130. This pillow of
resilient material produces a certain amount of energy damping
characteristic. Such resilient material can be a sponge rubber or
the like.
A small spring 134 is located between the plate 130 and the ring
126. The function of the spring 134 is to exert a constant small
bias against the ring 126 tending to move such in a direction so
that the piston head 120 is held in abutting contact with the plate
108. However, it will become more apparent further on in the
description that once the recoil apparatus of this invention is
installed within the handgun, the piston head 120 will be displaced
away from the plate 108. The piston head 120 is to be in continuous
contact with the protuberance 66 of the link 32. As the link 32 is
pivoted within the handgun, the piston head 120 will be moved
inwardly and outwardly with respect to the plate 108.
Located within the hollow opening 136 formed within the rod 124 is
a coil spring 138. A cap 140 is to cover the free end of the coil
spring 138 and includes an opening 142 formed therein for a pin 144
to pass therethrough. The head 146 of the pin 144 is to be located
within the bifurcated member 148 which includes a pair of
diametrically spaced apart fingers 150. The head 146 functions to
bias radially outwardly the fingers 150 into engagement with
appropriate recesses 152 formed within the cylinder 100. In this
manner, as long as the head 146 is positioned within the member 148
and the fingers 150 are biased outwardly, the members 144, 148 and
100 will be connected together into a single unit. The member 148
fits within the slot 116 of the rod 106.
The operation of the recoil absorber apparatus located within this
invention is as follows: Let it be assumed that the handgun 20 is
in the cartridge firing position shown in FIG. 4 of the drawing.
Prior to firing of the cartridge, the 6 pound force of the recoil
spring 98 is transmitted through the ring 126, through the fingers
122 to the inner piston 118 and to the inner piston head 120. Inner
piston head 120, as previously mentioned, is in continuous contact
with the protuberance 66 of the link 32. With the link 32 in the
position shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, a torque is created about
the pin 30 which is actually in excess of the force of the spring
98. In actual practice it has been found that this force is
approximately double the size of the spring force, that is, twelve
pounds. This means that there is a double force tending to maintain
the locking lugs 62 into full cooperation with the locking recesses
64.
When the cartridge is fired and as the projectile 58 moves down the
bore 56, at some point in time the recoil force is built up
sufficiently to overcome this twelve pound force located on the
link 32. At this particular point in time, it is hopeful that the
projectile 58 is located just at the end of the bore substantially
in the position shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. From thereon, as
the barrel is moved, this barrel movement will not be transferred
to the projectile 58 so as to cause the projectile to fly untrue to
its target.
When the recoil force is sufficient to overcome the twelve pound
force created through the spring 98 and the location of the
protuberance 66, the slide 28 is forced to move in a rearward
direction. This rearward direction, due to the cooperation between
the lugs 62 and the recesses 64, causes the barrel 54 to pivot
slightly downwardly with respect to the slide until the locking
lugs 62 are taken out of cooperation with the recesses 64. When
this occurs the slide 28 is then free to move in the aft direction
with respect to the barrel 54. At this particular time, because the
protuberance 66 has been moved with respect to the piston head 120,
no longer a twelve pound force is being transmitted and just the
conventional 6 pound force is now being transmitted to the link
32.
As the slide 28 continues to move in the rearward direction, the
inner bushing 70 of the bushing assembly is taken out of its press
fit relationship with the enlarged portion 76. Also, the
protuberance 66 has been moved to a position shown in FIG. 5 of the
drawings wherein the six pound force of the recoil spring is
transmitted through the link 32 so as to create a torque about the
pin 30 in substantially the opposite direction tending to hold the
barrel 54 in its downwardly pivoted position. In other words,
because of the inclusion of the protuberance 66, a positive
superior locking arrangement is achieved to hold the barrel in the
down position when it is in the down position while at the same
time tending to hold the barrel more positively in the up position
when it is in the up position.
As the slide 28 continues to move in a rearward direction and the
recoil spring 98 is compressed, at a certain amount of movement,
the end of the cylinder 100 will come into contact with the end of
the opening 96 located within the plug 92. At this point a
compressing of the cylinder with respect to the piston 102 occurs
and the air located in the chamber within the cylinder 100 is
compressed. The greater amount of compression, the greater amount
of the resisting force and the greater amount of energy absorbed.
The length of the recoil absorber assembly is selected so that the
cylinder 100 will not contact the end of the opening within the
plug 92 until the slide 28 has moved sufficiently in the aft
direction so as to eject the spent cartridge and then pick up the
new cartridge ready for insertion within the firing chamber. At
that particular point it is desirable to absorb as much of the
recoil as fast as possible so as to minimize the recoil force which
is transmitted to the shooter of the handgun Previously, with the
conventional type of handgun, the remaining recoil energy would be
transmitted directly to the hand of the operator which would cause
the hand of the operator to move substantially away from the line
of target.
As energy is absorbed within the air chamber located within the
cylinder 100, the coil spring 98 is also absorbing a portion of the
recoil energy. Because of the resilient pad of material 132 located
between the plates 130 and 108, an additional energy absorption
medium is provided. In actual practice, it has been found that no
matter what amount of recoil force is produced, in no way will
there be a direct metal to metal contact and that the combination
of the air chamber, the recoil spring, and the resilient pad of
material 132 sufficiently absorbs the entire amount of recoil
energy without there being any metal to metal contact of the slide
with the trigger housing.
When all of the recoil energy has been absorbed, the force of the
recoil spring 98 then causes the slide 28 to be moved in the
forward direction until the handgun assumes the position shown in
FIG. 4 of the drawings. In this position a cartridge has now been
replaced within the firing chamber and the handgun is again ready
to be fired.
* * * * *