EP1692451B1 - Breech block catch - Google Patents

Abstract

Firearms, breechblock stops for firearms and methods of operating the same are disclosed. An example firearm includes a trigger that requires a force to be released, a trigger guard, a breechblock, and a spring-loaded breechblock stop that is operable between a resting position and an operative position. The example breechblock stop includes a slider control that has a control extension in the trigger guard. The firearm also includes a removable ammunition magazine that includes a follower. The breechblock stop may be moved between an operative position and a resting position by one of engagement with the follower of the magazine or actuation of the slider in a direction of operation essentially perpendicular to force releasing the trigger. Furthermore, the breechblock is unlocked in a released position when the breechblock stop is in the resting position, and the breechblock is locked in an open position when the breechblock stop is in the operative position.

Description

The invention relates to a spring-loaded closure lock, which is displaceable by engagement with the feeder of an ammunition magazine from a rest position in which the closure is released, in a working position in which the closure lock locks the closure in the open position. Such a lock closure is for example in the DE 196 55 169 disclosed.

Positional designations used hereinafter, such as "top", "front", etc., refer to a weapon which is in normal use stop and whose axis of the soul (running central axis) runs horizontally; "front" lies in the weft direction; "left" and "right" are from the point of view of a shooter who has the weapon at the ready.

The operating principle of a conventional lock, especially for automatic rifles, is that a tongue of the lock in the region of the feeder of the ammunition magazine protrudes, the tongue moves up when the magazine is empty and moves a catch surface in the trajectory of the closure, then behind blocked in the magazine. The force applied by the closing spring frictional force between the shutter and catch surface is sufficient to keep the lock even with the magazine removed (without engagement of the feeder) in engagement with the shutter. The lock is unlocked by the shutter is retracted together with the loading lever, a spring the Shutter lock moves down so that the catch surface is no longer in the path of movement of the shutter, and the shutter with the loading lever can move forward and leads with inserted filled magazine a cartridge in the cartridge chamber. That is, after replacing an emptied magazine with a full one, the loading lever is actuated to make the weapon ready to fire again. This type of handling takes time and usually requires bringing the weapon out of a target position. The shooter may even have to move out of his cover.

Out DE 18 90 933 U Another extraction device according to the preamble of claim 1 is known in which the closure lock has a control element arranged next to the trigger guard, which can be actuated by a finger of the shooting hand to adjust the lockout from the working position to the rest position, so that the closure is released , This lock is designed as a pivot lever whose operating element is operated in the same direction as the trigger but in the opposite orientation. An involuntary stretching of the trigger finger can lead to unlocking the lock. The operating element runs laterally outside of the end bar and can therefore be easily actuated or damaged by external influences (eg when walking along objects, scrub, equipment, or the like).

The object of the present invention is to provide an operating option that is easy to use and designed to be largely insensitive to incorrect operations.

This object is achieved by a trigger device according to claim 1.

The operating element is particularly easily accessible if it runs within the draw-off area, namely inside the trigger guard, along a surface which is arranged opposite the trigger. Belonging to the trigger guard inner surface can also be formed by a housing section. This arrangement also prevents unwanted actuation of the trigger lock, since the trigger guard practically forms a cage around the operating element. The leadership of the control element in a recess mounted in the trigger guard, in which the operating element protrudes downward, improves and stabilizes the leadership of the entire trigger lock and helps to prevent damage to the operating element (such as breaking or bending).

An actuating extension facilitates the operation, which can be done for example on the lying on the trigger finger of the shooting hand.

In accordance with claim 3 lock closure, control element and actuating extension can be made in one piece, for example as a metallic casting, as a forged part or as a plastic injection molded part u.U. with a metal insert.

The developments according to claims 4-6 offer further handling advantages. Thus, the position of the control element or the actuating extension and thus the position of the lock can be felt. Namely, if the lock is in its working position, ie when the magazine is empty, the actuating extension projects at least partially upwards out of the trigger guard. At dormant lock closure, ie when filled or partially filled magazine, the actuating extension is flush with the profile of the trigger guard (claim 4 and 5). These different positions can be easily felt with your fingers, ie the shooter can tell if the magazine is still loaded is and whether an unwanted or unexpected interruption of the shooting sequence is caused either by an empty shot magazine or by a jam or other malfunction of the weapon.

The development according to claim 6 makes it possible to arrange the actuating extension so that it protrudes in its working position from the surrounding bead, so that the actuating projection is palpable, and forms in its rest position a continuous surface with the bead. This design allows unlocking the lock without removing the finger from the trigger area.

The claims 7 and 8 relate to an embodiment in which the operating element of the closure lock can be arranged close to the controls of a lever for locking a magazine, without mutual interference takes place. In this case, an operating element of this lever, which runs in the region of the closure lock below the trigger guard, also has a recess, largely aligned with the recess in the trigger guard. This ensures that impurities, dirt or objects deposited in this area do not affect the position of the magazine latch when the lock is actuated, and vice versa. That is, releasing the shutter lock does not cause the magazine latch to disengage, nor does operating the magazine latch or inserting a new magazine have any effect on the position of the shutter lock.

The specified in claim 9 locking mechanism can shut down the function of the lock by this is fixed in its rest position.

Claim 10 is directed to a self-loading weapon, in which in a particularly advantageous manner, the operation of the lock as well as a lever for magazine locking is realized.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines Griffstücks bzw. eines Gehäuseteils einer Waffe zeigt, die eine erfindungsgemäße Verschlußsperre aufweist,

Fig. 2

eine teilweise aufgebrochene Darstellung der Fig. 1 zeigt,

Fig. 3

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines Ausschnitts des Abzugsbereichs aus Fig. 2 von schräg oben zeigt.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings of an embodiment in which:

Fig. 1

shows a perspective view of a handle or a housing part of a weapon, which has a closure lock according to the invention,

Fig. 2

a partially broken view of the Fig. 1 shows,

Fig. 3

a perspective view of a section of the hood area Fig. 2 pointing diagonally from above.

Fig. 1 shows the trigger area 1 of a weapon which has, inter alia, a housing / handle 6 with a handle 4 and a magazine shaft 8 and a removable magazine 10. In the draw-off area 1, a trigger guard 12 which attaches to the upper end of the handle 4 and extends up to a housing area 14 adjoining the magazine shaft 8. Within the trigger guard of the trigger 16 is arranged and an operating element 18 which extends from above from the housing / handle 6 on the housing portion 14 along a recess 20 of the trigger guard 12, wherein the trigger guard 12 itself in this area a the lower end of the control element 18th partially enclosing thickening 22 has. The function of the operating element 18 will be described below. At the bottom of the housing portion 14 exits the actuating end 24 of a lever 26, which serves for spring-loaded locking of the magazine 10. At the operating end 24, a first control element 28 and a second control element 30 are arranged. The lever 26 itself is penetrating the housing Pin 31 pivotally mounted between the magazine shaft 8 and deduction area 1.

Fig. 2 and 3 show the function of the lever 26. In the interior of the housing portion 14 extends a locking end 25 of the lever 26 which has at its upwardly facing end a latching end surface 27 which engages in the illustrated locking position in a corresponding mating surface 29 on the magazine 10. With or without a similarly executed but immovable locking pair (not shown) on the opposite side of the magazine 10, the magazine 10 is secured in the magazine shaft 8. The lever 26 itself is spring-loaded by means of a leg spring, not shown, that the locking end 25 engages with the locking end face 27 on the magazine 10.

When inserting the magazine 10, the upper portion of the corresponding magazine wall slides along the locking end 25 and pivots the lever 26 slightly against the spring load until it engages in a transverse groove 32 provided on the magazine and the magazine 10 via the mating end face 27 in engagement mating surface 29 is secured down.

To release the magazine 10, the shooter surrounds with a free hand, which protrudes from the magazine shaft 8 end of the magazine 10, so that the thumb on the handle 4 facing surface 36 of the first control element 28 comes to rest. When gripping the magazine the thumb exerts on the surface 36 an unlocking force E, which pivots the lever 26 against the spring force, so that the locking end 25 moves out of engagement with the magazine 10, the locking end surface 27 is no longer with the counter surface 29 in Intervention is, and the magazine 10 can be swung out of the magazine shaft 8 or pulled.

Alternatively, the lever 26 can be operated with the handle surrounding the handle. This is the Entriegelungskraft exerted on the second control element 30 by (for example, the index finger or thumb) against one of the obliquely upwardly facing actuating surfaces 38, 40 presses on one of the two actuating wings 42, 44 and so via the second control element 30 exerts a force F down, which also moves the lever 26 from the locking position, thus releasing the magazine 10 fixed at the locking end 25. Since both the right and left of the trigger guard 12 actuating wings 42, 44 are provided, the unlocking in many ways and regardless of whether the shooter is left or right handed, are operated. To improve handling, the surfaces 36, 38 and 40 are provided with grooves. But you can also be alternatively provided with knurls, knobs, dents and / or recessed grips, not shown, or other surface structures that improve handling. There are also versions with slip-resistant coatings or inserted elastomer elements. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the trigger guard 12 is interrupted, the resulting gap is thereby filled by the second control element 30, which is designed with or without operating wings 42, 44.

The lever 26 itself is fixed here via the housing 6 penetrating pin 31 in the housing portion 14, which simultaneously defines the pivot axis of the lever 26. The fixation can also be done on the lever 26 itself formed (not shown) axle stub, which are rotatably mounted in a suitable manner in the housing but axially fixed. So that shocks and blows, ie acceleration, the weapon can not solve the magazine latch, the lever 26 can be made of a relatively light plastic material, for example in one piece by injection molding under certain circumstances with a metal insert. The spring force of the leg spring acting on the lever 26, the lengths of the locking or operating end 25, 24, the position of the pivot axis and the arrangement of the operating elements 28, 30, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44 are to be coordinated with one another, that a conceivable safe Locking of the magazine 10 is ensured in use and at the same time an actuation of the lever 26 is possible without the actuating forces E and F are so large that an excessive effort of the actuating hands takes place.

In the housing 6 of the illustrated embodiment, there is also a lock 46, which after firing the last cartridge from the magazine 10, the shutter 48 is open ( Fig. 2 ). The lock 46 has at its upper end a forwardly facing tongue 50 which is pushed by the upwardly moving feeder 11 of the magazine 10 upwards when it is in the uppermost position when the magazine 10 is empty. The tongue 50 itself protrudes only so far into the magazine 10, that it is not touched by the rear ends of the cartridge cases (not shown), but only so far that the rear end of the feeder 11, which in a designated guide groove 52 in the magazine 10 extends, the tongue 50 lifts so that a rearwardly facing catch surface 54 projects into the path of movement R of the closure 48. The shutter 48, which moves forward under spring load, moves forward only to the extent that a forwardly facing end face 56 bears against the catching surface 54 and stops the movement. A portion of the shutter 46 projects downwardly from the housing into the exhaust area 1, wherein the above-mentioned control element 18 extends into the exhaust area 1 and extends along the front portion of the trigger guard 12, which is formed by the housing 6. The control element 18 has at its lower end an actuating extension 58 and at its upper end a projecting out of the housing handle 60, which protrudes only a piece into the exhaust area 1.

The actuating extension 58 extends in a recess 20 in the trigger guard 12 and is surrounded by a tapered thickening 22. The closure lock 46 is received via a leg spring 63, one leg of which is received by a groove 64 and the other leg at a suitable location in the fume hood becomes. The force of the leg spring is adjusted so that it is overcome by the feeder 11 upwardly moving spring force, so that the lock 46 is pushed upwards, but that is not sufficient, between the end face 56 of the closure 48 and the catch surface 54th the lock 46 to overcome acting frictional force. Thus, the shutter 48 remains open when the emptied magazine is removed and replaced with a filled ammunition magazine. When filled magazine, the feeder is no longer engaged with the tongue 50 of the lock 46.

Conventionally, the lock is released by the loading lever (not shown) and thus the shutter 48 is pulled back a bit, thereby separating the catch surface 54 and the corresponding abutting end face 56 of the closure 48, the lock 46 snaps into place by the spring load down and Trapping surface 54 is outside the trajectory of the shutter 48, which is now moved forward ( Fig. 3 ) and a cartridge into the chamber.

The actuation extension 58 now makes this retraction of the loading lever superfluous. The closure lock 46 can now be unlocked, for example, by the trigger finger presses from above on the actuating extension 58, which moves in the recess 20 down and thus pulls the catch surface 54 out of engagement with the end face 56 of the closure 48. The shutter 48 is released and moves forward as described above.

In this handling needs after the insertion of the filled magazine 10 no further activity with the "magazine hand" are executed, but this can hold the weapon immediately again. On the one hand, the reloading process itself is thus accelerated and, on the other hand, a destination can be targeted again immediately after the magazine has been changed with the help of both hands. Likewise, with the actuation extension 58, the state of the weapon can be "felt": For the shooter, it is usually not clear whether a firing sequence was terminated despite actuation of the trigger 16 in that the magazine 10 is empty or in that a stoppage has occurred , The position of the actuating extension 58 now allows a distinction without having to examine the weapon 3 in more detail. If, in fact, the closure barrier 46 is in the described working position with the magazine 10 emptied, then the actuating extension 58 protrudes from the recess 20 in the trigger guard 12 (FIG. Fig. 2 ); the shooter thus feels inside the trigger guard 12 protruding from the thickening 22 actuation extension 58. The lock is in its rest position, the edge of the thickening 22 extends in the trigger guard 12 flush with the upwardly facing surface of the actuating projection 58 (FIG. Fig. 1 ); the shooter feels a smooth, continuous surface and knows that the interruption or the end of the shot must have another cause (possibly jamming). That is, possible manipulations on the lock lever or other measures to overcome such a jam, are only displayed when the position of the actuating extension 58 of the lock 46 indicates that the magazine is not emptied. In the other case, the shooter only has to replace the magazine 10, release the lock 46, for example via the actuating extension 58, and again has a rifle ready to fire.

The above-mentioned handle 60 allows the closure lock 46 to push upwards even when the magazine is removed or without the action of the feeder 11 in order to be able to keep the closure 48 open without holding the loading lever, for example for the inspection of the barrel.

Thus, the shutter lock and the lever 26 to lock the magazine work independently, one of the recess 20 in the trigger guard 12 corresponding recess 62 is provided between the two actuating wings 42, 44. These Recess 62 can, as shown, be designed as an opening in the intermediate region 68 connecting the two actuating wings 42, 44. But it can also arise so that the two actuating wings 42, 44 are designed as "forks", starting from the actuating lever 26, each extending next to the trigger guard 12.

The recess 62 prevents in any case that, for example, dirt under the actuation extension 58 when releasing the trigger lock 46 simultaneously moves the lever 26 and the magazine disengages. It is also prevented that possibly located between the bottom of the trigger guard 12 and the intermediate portion 68 material from below on the actuating extension 58 engages and the lock 46 unintentionally shifts to a working position in which the shutter 48 is blocked.

The illustrated in the embodiment combination of lever 26 and lock 46 with their respective controls allow a very simple implementation of all required for reloading a weapon activities. Nevertheless, both the lever (26) for spring-loaded locking a removable ammunition magazine 10 can be performed without the spring-loaded lock 46 and vice versa.

To block the shutter lock function, the front leg of the lock 46 loading leg spring 63 is extended forward over the lock 46 and is located at its end just below a projection (not shown) which is formed in the weapon housing and is located above this leg end. How out Fig. 3 can be seen in the closure catch 46 for receiving the spring leg, two grooves 64, 64 'is formed, whose distance from the horizontal extension of the lower surface of the projection in the housing is small. The bottoms of the two grooves 64, 64 'have a different distance to the lower surface of the projection. Sits the thigh the spring in the one recess 64, in which there is a large distance from said horizontal extension, the function of the lock 46 is carried out unhindered as described above. If the function of the lock is to be suppressed, the end of the leg spring can be displaced out of the groove 64, for example with the aid of a suitable tool, into the other, higher situated groove 64 'and inserted there. The movement of the lock-up is now locked because the extended end of the spring leg, the projection on the housing just under engages, so that the movement of this leg and thus the lock 46 is blocked upwards.

The shutter lock setting can be factory set or made at any time on the mounted gun with a suitable tool (such as a thin screwdriver or a knife tip).

Other versions and functions of the lock 46 arise from the DE 196 55 169 ,

Claims (10)

1. A trigger mechanism having a spring-loaded breech lock (46) that is displaceable from a non-operational position,
   in which the breech (48) is released, by engagement with the carrier (11) of an ammunition magazine (10), in particular a rifle (3), into an operational position, in which it holds the breech (48) in an open position,
   wherein the breech lock (46) comprises a control element (18) disposed on the trigger guard (12), which element can be actuated by means of a finger of the shooting hand clasping a grip (4) in order to move the breech lock (46) from the operational position into the non-operational position, thereby releasing the breech (48),
   characterised in that the breech lock (46) is designed as a slide that comprises an actuating extension (58) downwardly protruding into a recess (20) in the trigger guard (12) and the actuating direction of which is substantially perpendicular to a force releasing the trigger.
2. A trigger mechanism according to Claim 1,
   wherein the control element (18) in front of the trigger (16) at a surface (2) adjoining the trigger region (1) extends inside the trigger region (1) along said surface.
3. A trigger mechanism according to Claim 1 or 2,
   wherein the control element (18), the actuating extension (58) and the breech lock (46) are preferably constructed in a single piece.
4. A trigger mechanism according to Claim 1, 2 or 3,
   wherein in the operational position the actuating extension (58) extends upwards out of the trigger guard (12) into the trigger region (1).
5. A trigger mechanism according to one of the preceding claims,
   wherein in the non-operational position the actuating extension (58) extends in the profile of the trigger guard.
6. A trigger mechanism according to one of the preceding claims,
   wherein the trigger guard (12), in a portion surrounding the recess (20), comprises an enlargement (22) at least partially enclosing the actuating extension (58) of the breech lock (46).
7. A trigger mechanism according to one of the preceding claims,
   wherein a control element (30), belonging to a lever (26) to lock an ammunition magazine (10) and extending in the front region of the trigger guard (12), comprises a recess (62) matching the recess (20) of the trigger guard.
8. A trigger mechanism according to Claim 7,
   wherein the control element (30) comprises two actuating flaps (42, 44), one extending to the right and one to the left next to the trigger guard.
9. A trigger mechanism according to one of the preceding claims,
   wherein a locking mechanism (64) is provided, which makes it possible to retain the breech lock (46) in its non-operational position.
10. A semi-automatic weapon, in particular a rifle (1), having a trigger mechanism according to one of the preceding claims, and also a spring-loaded lever (26) to lock a removable ammunition magazine (10),
    wherein the lever (26) comprises an actuating end (24) comprising at least two differently oriented control elements (28, 40) via which in each case an unlocking force (E, F) can be exerted.

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