CA2545898A1 - Locking lever, and semiautomatic weapon comprising said locking lever - Google Patents

Abstract

The automatic weapon has a magazine (10) which may be held in place by a locking lever (26). The lever is pivoted on a transverse pin (31) just under the trigger (16) guard (12). The lever has two arms (28,30) at approximately 90 degrees to each other, with roughened surfaces for convenience in handling. The lever has a catch inside the magazine shaft (8), engaging a projection on the magazine.

Description

Locking lever and semi-automatic firearm with this locking lever Description The invention concerns a locking lever of a removable ammunition magazine as well as a semi-automatic firearm with such a locking lever, in particular, a rifle.
The position indications in the following such as "above", "front", etc., relate to a weapon that is in the normal firing position and of which the axis of the gun (barrel central axis) extends horizontally; "front" lies thereby in the firing direction; "left" and "right"
are indicated with respect to the view of a gunner that has the weapon in the firing position.
In general, modern self loading rifles have a magazine well that is open at the bottom and into which a removable magazine can be inserted. In general, the magazine is locked in such weapons by that a side of the magazine is hung up in the magazine well and that then a spring-loaded lock end locks the magazine during the insertion of the magazine into the well. The lock end rests thereby, for example, in a thereto provided transverse groove or under a crosspiece of the magazine. For removal, the magazine is surrounded by a hand, whereby the thumb presses with its lower member on an operation end of the magazine lock and thereby releases the lock end from the magazine so that it can be retracted downwards from the well. The magazine lock is hereby arranged between the trigger and the magazine well. Such a magazine lock is known from US 4 429 479 A.
From US 2 338 470 a locking lever is known of which the operation end can be operated in two directions. On the one hand by pressing on the magazine well and on the other hand by lifting the magazine well. The lock end, which engages in a clearance of the magazine well, is thereby lifted from its engaging position around two, according to the operation, diiTerent rotation points.

However, there are also situations in which it is desirable to be able to operate the magazine lock with the shooting hand, and, if possible, without its being unlatched from the frame of the weapon. Such an operating possibility allows namely for a very fast magazine replacement, in which the finger of the shooting hand (for example, the index finger or the thumb) unlocks the magazine lock and the magazine falls out of the well. The other hand can thus immediately insert an, already kept ready, magazine in the well and lock it. Such a magazine replacement is not possible with known magazine locks. DE 195 07 012 C2 discloses such a solution for a hand gun.
It is thereby desirable to be able to realize also, if possible with the same lock, the conventional magazine exchange modus (see above), which is, for example, also useful when several magazines are joined together and the empty magazine of the bundle formed in this way is taken out of the weapon for reloading and a full magazine of the bundle is again inserted.
From US patent 5 519 954 a lock mechanism is known in which a lock end that engages with the magazine can be rotated without intervention by means of an operation element and in which the total locking/unlocking set including the first operation element and the locking element can be displaced without intervention by means of a second operation element.
The task of the present invention therefore consists in providing a simplified magazine lock which can be operated with the shooting hand as welt as the other hand.

This is solved by characteristics of claim 1 starting from the method presented in US patent 5 519 954. The operation end is thereby provided with at least two dii~erently oriented operation elements by means of which the lock end can be rotated into its unlocking position. A versatile operation of the lock mechanism together with a simple construction is guaranteed by this configuration.
In a further development of the invention the rotation axis of the locking lever extends transversely to the principal axis of the weapon. That is, the plane of motion (pivot plane) of the locking lever lies in a plane that extends vertically through the main axis of the weapon, which is well and securely accessible in particular underneath the gun or the barrel.
The placement of the pivot axis between the locking and operation end allows for a very space saving and simple construction that arrives without cranks and redirections at the locking lever. In addition, the application of the spring load via a spring, for example a leg spring, allows a robust and economical implementation. The implementation and arrangement of the operation elements according to claim 4 allows the alternative unlocking variants described in the above. The first operation element thereby serves to carry out the unlocking, in which the magazine is grasped with the hand that is not reduired for shooting; the operation element extends here largely vertically. And the second operation element, which extends largely horizontally, can be activated with the shooting hand, while a downward or upward force is applied.
Further embodiments pertain to variants in which it is immaterial whether the gunner is left or right handed and in which the magazine can be unlocked on both sides of the weapon. If the activation wings are near enough to the trigger then these can even be activated, for example, be unlocked without that the trigger finger has to be stretched; it can remain crooked in the trigger region for the unlocking.
The further developments according to the claims 10 and 11 concern likewise embodiments that all in all improve the handling of the magazine lock according to the invention. From a manufacturing technical perspective, the single-piece construction according to claim 12 is very advantageous.
Claim 13 and 14 relate to a semi-automatic firearm with a locking lever according to the invention, and such a one that is provided with a lock catch, which can be unlocked likewise with the shooting hand, so that the lock can be released as soon as a filled magazine has been inserted and the cartridges can thus be fed into the cartridge chamber in the barrel and the weapon is again firing ready. The slide lock comprises in addition an operation element that protrudes downwards in a clearance in the trigger guard; the second operation element of the magazine comprises thereby, in the region of the section that connects both the trigger wings, a clearance that corresponds to the clearance in the trigger guard. This implementation prevents that possibly dirt (sand, soil, fibers, etc.) can accumulate between the bottom end of the operation element that belongs to the slide lock and the second operation element of the magazine lock. It is thus prevented that the functioning of the locking of the slide lock is impeded and/or that, during the operation of the operation element of the slide lock, a dirt layer that builds up causes an activation of the magazine lock and that the magazine releases itself from the well.
In the following the invention is further clarified with the aid of included drawings of an embodiment example, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a frame and a casing part of a weapon that comprises a lock lever according to the invention, Fig. 2 shows a partly exploded representation of fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows obliquely from above a perspective view of a section of the trigger area from fig. 2.
Fig. 1 shows the trigger area 1 of the weapon which, among others contains a casing/frame 6 with a handhold 4 and a magazine well 8 as well as a removable magazine 10.
In the trigger region 1 a trigger guard 12, which extends up to a casing region that borders to the magazine well 8, is arranged at the upper end of the handhold 4. Inside the trigger guard the trigger 16, as well as an operation element 18, is arranged that extends from above from the casing/handhold part 6 at the a casing region 14 along a clearance 20 of the trigger guard 12, whereby the trigger guard 12 itself contains in this area a thickening 22 that partly surrounds the bottom end of the operation element 18. The function of the operation element 18 is described further below. At the bottom side of the casing region 14 the operation end 24 of a locking lever 26 emerges that serves for the spring-loaded locking of the magazine 10. A first operation element 28 as well as a second operation element 30 is arranged at the operation end 24. The locking lever 26 itself is arranged rotatable between the magazine well 8 and the trigger area 1 via a pin 31 that penetrates the casing.
Figs. 2 and 3 show the function of the locking lever 26. Inside the casing region 14 a lock end 25 of the locking lever 26 extends that contains on its end that points upwards a stop end surface 27 that engages in a corresponding mating surface 29 on the magazine 10 in the depicted locked position. The magazine 10 is in this way, with or without a similarly constructed but immobile stop coupling (not depicted) on the opposite side of the magazine 10, secured in the magazine well 8. The locking lever 26 itself is via a leg spring, which is not depicted, spring loaded in such a way that the lock end 25 engages with the stop end surface 27 with the magazine 10.
During the insertion of the magazine 10, the upper region of the corresponding magazine slides along the lock end 25 and rotates the lock end 26 slightly against the spring loading until it locks in a transverse groove 32 formed in the magazine, and the magazine 10 is secured from below via the mating surface 29 that is engaged with the stop end surface 27.
For the release of the magazine 10, the gunman grabs with a free hand the end of the magazine 10 that protrudes from the magazine well 8, so that the thumb is positioned at the surface 36 of the first operation element 28 that faces the handhold 4. During the holding of the magazine, the thumb exerts an unlocking force E on the surface 36, which rotates the locking lever 26 against the spring force, so that the locking lever 25 disengages itself from the magazine 10, the stop end surface 27 no longer engages with the mating surface 29, and the magazine 10 can be rotated, or pulled, respectively, out of the magazine well 8.
Alternatively, the locking lever 26 can also be operated with the shooting hand that holds the frame. The unlocking force is thereby exerted by the second operation element 30 as (for example, the index finger or thumb) presses against an obliquely upwards pointing activation surfaces 38, 40 on one of the two activation wings 42, 44, and in this way exerts via the second operation element 30 a force F downwards, which likewise moves the locking lever 26 away from the locked position and thereby releases the magazine 10 that is fixated on the locking lever 25. Because activation wings 42, 44 are provided to the right as well to the le$ of the trigger guard 12, the unlocking can be activated in numerous ways and independently from the handedness of the gunman. The surfaces 36, 38, and 40 are provided with ridges in order to improve the handling.
Alternatively, however, they can also be provided with, not depicted, knurls, naps, dents, and/or handgrip troughs, and/or other surface structures that improve the handling. There are also embodiments with slip proof layers or inlaid elastomeric elements. In another embodiment (not depicted) the trigger guard 12 is interrupted and the formed gap is thereby filled in by the second operation element 30 which is constructed with or without activation wings 42, 44.
'The locking lever 26 itself is here fixated in the casing region 14 by the pin 31 that penetrates the casing 6 and which at the same time defines the pivot axis of the locking lever 26. The fixation can also take place through a (not depicted) axis stub that is formed on the locking lever 26 itself and that is in an appropriate way supported in the casing rotatably but is axially fixed. Since impacts and blows, i.e. accelerations, of the weapon cannot release the magazine lock, the locking lever 26 can be made from a relatively light plastic, for example, as a single piece in an injection molding process, possibly with a metal inlay. The spring force of the leg spring that acts on the locking lever 26, the length of the locking land the operation ends 25, 24, the position of the pivot axis and the arrangement of the operation elements 28, 30, 36, 3 8, 40, 44, must be adjusted to each other in such a way that a possible secure fixation of the magazine 10 is guaranteed during use and that at the same time an activation of the locking lever 26 is possible, without that the activation forces E and F become so large that an excessive strain of the activating hand results.
In casing 6 of the depicted embodiment example is also a bolt stop 46 that holds the lock 48 open (fig. 2) after the firing of the last cartridge from the magazine 10. The bolt stop 46 contains at its upper end a tongue 50 that points forwards and which is slid upwards by a, upwards moving, magazine follower 11 of the magazine 10 when it is in the upper position in case of an empty magazine 10. The tongue 50 itself protrudes only to such an extent into the magazine 10 that it is not touched by a back end of the cartridge cases (not shown), but only so far that the back end of the magazine follower 11, which extends in a guidance groove 52 in the magazine 10 that is hereto provided, lifts the tongue 50, so that a, backwards pointing, catch surface 54 protrudes into the path of the lock 48.
The lock 48 which, under spring loading, runs to the front, moves only so far to the front that a, forward pointing, front surface 56 rests on the catch surface 54 and stops the movement. A part of the bolt stop 46 protrudes downwards from the casing in the trigger region 1, whereby the operation element 18, which was already mentioned above, extends into the trigger region 1 and extends along the region of the trigger guard 12 that is formed on the casing 6. The operation element 18 contains at its bottom end a guidance extension S 8 and at its upper end a handhold 60 which protrudes from the casing, which protrudes only a little into the trigger region 1.
The guidance extension 58 extends in a clearance 20 in the trigger guard 12 and is surrounded by a tapered thickening 22. The bolt stop 46 is via a leg spring 63, of which one leg is taken in by a groove 64 and the other leg is taken in by a suitable place in the trigger region. The force of the leg spring is adjusted in such a way that it negotiates the spring force due to the magazine follower 11 which moves upwards, so that the bolt stop 46 is slid upwards, but that is, however, not sufficient to overcome the friction force that acts between the front surface 56 of the lock 48 and the catch surface 54 of the bolt stop 46. The lock 48 thus remains open when the emptied magazine is removed and is replaced with a full ammunition magazine. The magazine follower is no longer engaged with the tongue 50 of the bolt stop 46 in the case of a full magazine.
Conventionally, the bolt stop is released when the cocking handle (not depicted), and thereby the lack 48, is pulled back a little; as a result the catch surface 54 and the corresponding neighboring front surface 56 of the lock 48 separate, the bolt stop 46 snaps downwards because of the spring loading, and the catch surface 54 lies outside the path of the lock 48 that is now moved forward (fig. 3) and feeds a cartridge into the cartridge chamber.
The guidance extension 58 now renders this pulling back of the cocking lever unnecessary.
The bolt stop 46 can now namely be unlocked by that, for example, the trigger finger presses from above on the guiding extension 58, which moves downwards in the clearance 20 and thereby pulls the catch surface 54 out of the engagement with the front surface 56 of the lock 48. The lock 48 is released and moves forward as described in the above.
The "magazine hand" does not have to carry out a further action after the insertion of the full magazine 10 in this handling mode, but can again hold the weapon immediately. On the one hand, the reloading process will be thus accelerated and, on the other hand, a target can again be aimed at immediately with the help of both hands after the magazine replacement. Likewise, the state of the weapon can be "sensed" with the guidance extension 58: To the gunman it is usually not clear whether a shooting succession is, in spite of the activation of the trigger 16, ended because the magazine 10 is empty or because a loading jam has occurred. The position of the guiding extension 58 now allows a determination without that the weapon 3 has to be examined in more detail. Namely, when the bolt stop 46 is in its described working position in case of an empty magazine 10, then the guiding extension 58 protrudes from the clearance 20 into the trigger guard 12 (fig. 2); the gunman thus feels inside the trigger guard 12 the guiding extension 58 that sticks out of the thickening 22. When the bolt stop is in its rest position then the edge of the thickening 22 in the trigger guard 12 extends flush with the upwards pointing surface of the guiding extension 58 (fig. 1); the gunman feels a smooth, continuous surface and knows that the interruption or the end of the shooting succession must have another cause (possibly a loading jam). That is, possible operations on the lock lever or other measures to negotiate such a loading jam are only appropriate when the position of the guiding extension 58 of the bolt stop 46 indicates that the magazine has not been emptied. In the other case the gunman must only replace the magazine 10, release the bolt stop 46, for example, via the guiding extension 58, and again has a firing ready rifle at his disposal.
The handhold 60 mentioned in the above allows that the bolt stop 46 is slid upwards also in the case of a removed magazine and/or without engagement of the magazine follower 11 and to keep the lock 48 open without holding the cocking handle, for example, for inspection of the barrel.
Since the bolt stop and the locking lever 26 operate independently from each other for the magazine locking, a clearance 62 that corresponds to the clearance 20 in the trigger guard 12 is provided in between both the activation wings 42, 44. As depicted, this clearance 62 can be constructed as an opening in the intermediate region 68 that connects both activation wings 42, 44.
to However, it can also be formed in such a way that both activation wings 42, 44 are constructed as "fork spikes" which each extend from the locking lever 26 near to the trigger guard 12. .
In any case, the clearance 62 prevents that during the release of the trigger bolt 46, for example, dirt under the guidance extension 58 simultaneously moves the locking lever 26 and the magazine disengages. It is likewise prevented that material, that possibly is present in between the bottom side of the trigger guard 12 and the intermediate region 68, engages from below with the guiding extension 58 and unintentionally slides the bolt stop 46 into an operation position in which the lock 48 is blocked.
The in the embodiment example represented, the combination of locking lever 26 and bolt stop 46 with their respective operation elements allows a very simple execution of all operations required for the reloading of a weapon. Nevertheless, the locking lever 26 for the spring loaded retaining of a removable ammunition magazine 10 can also be constructed without the spring loaded bolt stop 46 or in connection with another bolt stop, for example, as described in DE 196 55 169 C2.
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Claims (5)

1. A locking lever (26) for the spring loaded retainment of a removable ammunition magazine (10) with a lock end (25) that engages with the ammunition magazine (10) in its locking position and retains it, and an operation end (24) for the rotation of the lock end (25) to is unlocking position in which it releases the magazine (10), characterized by that the operation end (24) is provided with at least two differently oriented operation elements (28, 30) by means of which the lock end (25) can be rotated into its unlocking position.

2. Locking lever (26) according to claim 1 whose rotation axis (31) extends transversely to a principal axis that extends in the shooting direction.

3. Locking lever (26) according to claim 2, whereby the pivot axis (31) intersects the locking lever (26) between the locking- and operation end (25, 26).

4. Locking lever (26) according to one of the preceding claims, whereby the spring loading is provided by means of a spring element, in particular a leg spring.

5. Locking lever (26) according to one of the preceding claims with a first operation element (28), which