Safe cocking handle

Abstract

The present invention relates to an open-bolt firearm (25) including a bolt (9) slidably guided within a frame (16) between a forward position relative to a barrel or barrel extension (1) and a rearward, ready-to-reload and fire position; a cocking handle (8) also slidably guided within the frame (16) against which the bolt (9) abuts; a firing pin (10) disposed in or integral with the bolt (10); and a handle safety device (7) disposed on the cocking handle (8) or bolt, capable of occupying a safety position in which a spacer (12) of the handle safety device (7) is positioned between the bolt and the barrel, barrel extension (1) or frame to prevent contact between the firing pin (10) and a round (3) loaded in the barrel, or a firing position in which the spacer (12) is not positioned between the bolt and the barrel.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to safeguarding an open bolt firearm using a cocking handle. [Background technology]

[0002] Machine guns operate with an open bolt to avoid the risk of overheating (self-ignition). This means that before a round is fired, while waiting to be fired, the moving parts (usually including the slide, breech bolt, and firing pin, sometimes collectively referred to as the bolt slide) are in their rear position in the weapon, and the cartridge is in the leader while waiting to be fired. The cartridge is therefore unloaded while waiting to be fired. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Application No. 2003 / 192222A1

[0004] The command to fire releases the moving parts from their rearward positions. The energy that moves the moving parts is stored in a spring called a recoil spring. When these moving parts are released, after they have completed their forward movement, the projectile is fired as a result of a firing pin, which may or may not be attached to the moving parts, striking the primer.

[0005] The impact firing energy is obtained during the rearrest of the moving part, either by manual rearming by the shooter or automatically by recovering the energy provided by the round. The impact firing energy can therefore be stored in a rearrest spring or in a separate spring (e.g., a hammer spring when firing is performed by a hammer).

[0006] In the event of a misfire with an unfired cartridge in the chamber, the shooter performs an intuitive problem-solving action known as a "crisis action," which involves grasping the cocking handle, returning the moving part until it is sear-loaded, and waiting for firing to resume by acting on the trigger.

[0007] During this recocking action, if the shooter does not fully retract the moving part to the sear, leaving an unfired round loaded, and the shooter intentionally or unintentionally releases the moving part and it returns fully forward, there is potentially enough impact firing energy to risk the unintentional firing of a round, all without any action on the trigger.

[0008] To address this problem, full forward movement of the moving part must therefore be prevented.

[0009] In the case of an Uzi or NEGEV submachine gun, forward movement is prevented by the handle being blocked by the receiver frame.

[0010] Another option is described in patent application WO 02 / 04999, which also prevents forward movement of the moving part by blocking the handle with the receiver frame, but requires a deliberate action on the part of the user to rotate the handle and lock it. This system therefore fails in case of unintentional release. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention relates to an open-bolt firearm including a bolt slide slidably guided in the receiver frame between a forward position relative to the barrel, barrel extension, or receiver frame and a rearward standby position for reloading and firing; a cocking handle similarly slidably guided in the receiver frame on which the bolt slide rests; a firing pin disposed in or attached to the bolt slide; and a handle safety disposed on the cocking handle or on the bolt slide, which can assume either a safety position in which a distance piece of the handle safety is inserted between the bolt slide and the barrel, barrel extension, or receiver frame to prevent contact between the firing pin and a round loaded in the barrel, or a firing position in which the distance piece is not inserted between the bolt slide and the barrel.

[0012] In the present invention, moving parts are understood to mean all parts that are moved by the weapon reload cycle (bolt slide, slide, breech bolt, etc. depending on the type of weapon).

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the device of the present invention comprises a suitable combination of at least one of the following features: - A handle safety is placed on the cocking handle, - the weapon includes a handle clamp that is pivotable from a first position in which the handle clamp locks the handle safety in the firing position to a second position in which the handle safety can be moved to its safety position; - the handle catch is arranged to swing to its second position when the cocking handle is pushed forward to the catch; - a handle safety is disposed on a pivot pin fixed to the re-cocking handle and includes a bearing surface that can abut a corresponding surface of the handle catch to lock the handle safety in the firing position; - the receiver frame includes a deflector against which a surface of the handle safety abuts during its rearward movement, causing the handle safety to swing to the firing position when the cocking handle reaches the rearward standby position for reloading and firing or when the bolt slide reaches the intermediate (anti-runaway) retention notch; - the handle catch is arranged to swing to its first position when the handle safety is in the firing position and the bolt slide is in the rearward standby position for reloading and firing; The cocking handle comprises a handle grip which can be locked in a forward position by controllable locking means. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of various parts of an example of a weapon according to the invention after a full reload with the moving part in the forward position, the breech fully closed, the base of the cartridge against the breech face and the firing pin ready to fire. [Figure 2] 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of various portions of the example of FIG. 1 with the moving parts in a forward position after an incomplete reload, the base of the cartridge not against the breech face, the firing pin not being able to exit the breech bolt far enough to strike the cartridge, and the handle safety being inserted between the slide and the barrel extension. [Figure 3] 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of various portions of the example of FIG. 1 with the movable portion in an intermediate reloading position and the handle safety released from under the barrel extension. [Figure 4] 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of various parts of the example of FIG. 1 with the movable part in an intermediate reload position and the handle safety being pushed to its lower position by a deflector on the receiver frame; [Figure 5] 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of various parts of the example of FIG. 1 with the moving part in the rear reloading position after the moving part has been latched in the standby position, and the handle safety is in the down position through the action of the deflector and held in this position by the swing of the handle catch. [Figure 6]2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of various parts of the example of FIG. 1 with the moving part midway through its forward return movement. The handle safety is held in a down position by a handle catch and is held in this position by a spring. [Figure 7] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an example of a handle retention device that holds the handle in a forward position with a leaf spring. [Figure 8] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an example firearm according to the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Modern light machine guns, with the exception of the barrel, are now often made from lightweight materials (aluminum rather than the steel traditionally used for machine guns). Therefore, it is important to avoid putting too much force through the receiver frame and cocking handle to prevent firing if the rearmament is incomplete, thus preventing these parts from breaking (or increasing their mass by making them too large to prevent them from breaking).

[0016] To prevent firing, the moving part according to the invention cannot move completely forward due to the thickening part 7 (hereinafter referred to as the handle safety) between the moving part and the normal forward stop of the weapon, the barrel or barrel extension 1 against which the breech bolt 11 is locked in the case of a bolt-action breech. Therefore, in this case, the absence of forces directly on the receiver frame and parts that absorb the forward blow is what is evaluated during the intentional firing of the weapon.

[0017] Alternatively, the distance piece may be inserted between protrusions provided for this purpose on the receiver frame.

[0018] This handle catch 7 has just enough thickness to prevent the firing pin 10 from protruding, so that the primer 2 cannot be struck. Furthermore, advantageously, the moving parts 9, 10, 11 (in particular the breech bolt 11 and the locking slot which controls the movement of the breech bolt in the slide 9) are dimensioned so that when the moving part (bolt slide) abuts the handle catch 7, the bolt slide is far enough forward that the weapon is locked, and therefore the shooter is also safe from the hot ignition of the loaded cartridge, even if a shell is fired as a result of the hot ignition, and the system does not explode (the pressure is contained in the locked weapon).

[0019] One object of the present invention is therefore to - If an unfired cartridge is in the chamber, - and if an action on the cocking handle is followed by an incomplete re-seating of the moving part, The aim is to prevent the projectile from being unintentionally fired as a result of the impact.

[0020] FIG. 1 shows the various parts in use under normal circumstances, just before a round is fired. It can be seen that the breech bolt 11 is locked to the barrel extension and adjacent base of the barrel. The base of the loaded round rests on the breech face, and the firing pin 10 is in contact with the primer 2. The handle safety 7 is locked under the barrel extension 1, and the handle catch 6 abuts the housing of the front stop 4, which allows the handle safety 7 to be released when the re-cocking handle 8 is brought to its forward position. In this position, the round can be fired in the normal manner. During a normal (i.e., automatic) cycle, the bolt slide is returned rearward by the automatic mechanism without the re-cocking handle accompanying this movement; the handle safety 7 therefore remains under the barrel extension; and the moving part (or bolt slide) is either latched by the firing mechanism at the end of a burst or between individually fired shots, or moved forward again to fire the next shot in the burst.

[0021] FIG. 2 shows a similar situation to FIG. 1, but with partial manual recocking. It can be seen that the handle safety is inverted 90°, allowing the distance piece 12 to be inserted between the slide 9 and the barrel extension 1. The additional thickness of this distance piece 12 then prevents the firing pin 10 from striking the primer 2. Note that, advantageously, in the illustrated example, the distance piece 12 does not abut directly against the slide 9, but rather against a lug on the handle body 8 that itself abuts against the slide 9. This advantageous arrangement allows for a limited travel distance to be defined for the handle safety. This lug also serves as the abutment against which the recocking handle 8 abuts when the moving part is brought rearward; it is hereinafter referred to as the control lug of the recocking handle 8.

[0022] Figure 3 shows the moving part in an intermediate manual reloading position, with the handle safety 7 released from under the barrel extension 1 and now abutting the control lug of the re-cocking handle 8. In this position, if the re-cocking handle 8 is released unintentionally, a return to the situation in Figure 2 will occur and a shot will be prevented.

[0023] Figure 4 shows the mobile part in the intermediate reloading position, where the handle safety device 7 is pushed towards its lower position by a deflector 20 arranged on the receiver frame.

[0024] 5 shows the moving part in the rearward reloading position after it has been latched in the ready-to-fire position. At this time, the handle safety 7 is in the down position as a result of the action of the deflector 20 and is held in this position by the swinging of the handle catch 6. Specifically, the rear end surface 15 of the handle catch 6 now abuts against the corresponding seat surface 13 of the handle safety 7. From this position, the user can push the recocking handle 8 forward without the handle safety 7 popping out.

[0025] When the user pushes the re-cocking handle forward to the stop, a cavity in the stop allows the forward end of the handle catch to bulge, causing the rear end to swing in the opposite direction, disengaging the handle safety 7 and thus returning the re-cocking handle 8 to the position shown in FIG. 1 (albeit with the movable part in the rearward position).

[0026] Advantageously, the re-cocking handle 8 includes means for reducing the risk of uncontrolled movement of the re-cocking handle 8 which could result in the unintentional release of the handle safety 7. These may be, for example, simple male / female reliefs perpendicular to the movement that are overcome "by force", or more complex mechanisms, such as a handle base including a lug or hole that cooperates with a corresponding hole or lug in the receiver frame, from which the handle disengages upon lateral movement of the handle prior to the re-cocking movement proper.

[0027] As shown in Figure 7, as a preference, the weapon according to the invention comprises a leaf spring 21 comprising at least one lug 22 which is inserted into a corresponding groove 23 in the handle body 8 when the handle is in the forward position. This leaf spring 21 comprises a rear flank (i.e. a flank towards the rear of the weapon) which has a small angle (less than 45°, preferably 30° or less) with the axis of movement of the handle in order to provide low resistance to the forward movement of the handle. This low resistance can advantageously be obtained by a front sliding surface 24 of the handle body against which the surface lug 22 of the leaf spring abuts during the forward movement of the handle. Conversely, the front flank of the lug 22 of the leaf spring 21 has a high angle (i.e. an angle greater than the angle of the rear flank, preferably 45° or more) with the axis of the moving part. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1 Barrel extension 2. Primer 3 rounds 4 Cocking lever front stopper 5 Handle 6 Handle fastener 7 Handle safety device 8 Handle body 9 slides 10 firing pins 11. Gun breech bolt 12 Handle safety device distance piece 13 Handle safety device seat that contacts the handle fastener 14 Handle Clamp Release Feature 15 Handle fastener seat that contacts the handle safety device 16 Receiver Frame 17 Handle safety pivot pin 18 Handle fastener pivot pin 19 Handle safety spring 20 Handle safety device deflector 21 Leaf spring 22 Leaf spring lug 23 Handle clip-in groove 24 Handle body sliding surface 25 Machine Gun 26 Handle fastener spring

Claims

1. 1. An open-bolt firearm (25) comprising: a bolt slide (9) slidably guided in the receiver frame (16) between a forward position relative to a barrel, a barrel extension (1), or a receiver frame and a rearward standby position for reloading and firing; a cocking handle (8) similarly slidably guided in the receiver frame (16) on which the bolt slide (9) rests; a firing pin (10) disposed in or attached to the bolt slide; and a handle safety (7) disposed on the cocking handle (8) or on the bolt slide, the handle safety (7) being capable of occupying a safety position in which a distance piece (12) of the handle safety is inserted between the bolt slide and the barrel, the barrel extension (1), or the receiver frame to prevent contact between the firing pin (10) and a round (3) loaded in the barrel, or a firing position in which the distance piece (12) is not inserted between the bolt slide and the barrel.

2. 2. The firearm according to claim 1, wherein the handle safety device (7) is arranged on the cocking handle (8).

3. 3. The firearm of claim 2, including a handle catch (6) that is pivotable from a first position, in which the handle catch (6) locks the handle safety (7) in the firing position, to a second position, in which the handle safety (7) can be moved to its safe position.

4. 4. A firearm according to claim 3, wherein the handle catch (6) is arranged to swing to its second position when the cocking handle (8) is pushed forward to a catch.

5. 6. The firearm of claim 3, wherein the handle safety (7) is disposed on a pivot pin (17) fixed to the cocking handle (8) and includes a seat (13) adapted to abut against a corresponding surface (15) of the handle fastener (6) to lock the handle safety (7) in the firing position.

6. 6. The firearm of claim 3, wherein the receiver frame includes a deflector (18) against which, in use, a surface of the handle safety (7) abuts during its rearward movement, causing the handle safety (7) to swing to the firing position when the cocking handle reaches the rearward standby position for reloading and firing.

7. 7. The firearm of claim 6, wherein the handle catch is arranged to swing to its first position when the handle safety is in the firing position and the bolt slide is in the rearward standby position for reloading and firing.

8. A firearm according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cocking handle comprises a handle grip (5) which can be locked in the forward position by controllable locking means.

9. 9. A firearm according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the bolt slide includes a breech bolt (11) and the thickness of the distance piece (12) is determined to prevent impact but allow locking.

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