EP1759161B1

EP1759161B1 - Magazine catch for small firearms, especially self-loading pistols

Info

Publication number: EP1759161B1
Application number: EP05741668A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jaroslav Rezek; Rostislav Hrubos; Michal Kovarik
Original assignee: Ceska Zbrojovka AS
Current assignee: Ceska Zbrojovka AS
Priority date: 2004-06-21
Filing date: 2005-05-25
Publication date: 2008-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-25
Also published as: DE602005004407D1; EP1759161A1; ATE384239T1; CZ299785B6; DE602005004407T2; WO2005124263A1; CZ2004744A3

Abstract

A magazine catch (2) for the magazine (3) of a small firearms allows the user to release the magazine (3) with - either right or left hand and comprises of a movable cylindrical parts (20) equipped with a pressing surface (21) at one end and with a spring-loaded button (27) with a locking - latch (272) protruding into the recess (33) of the magazine (3) at the other end while during the initiation of the magazine catch (2) by the pressing surface (21) the magazine catch (2) is moved against the force of the return spring (290) together with the spring-loaded button (27) out of the engagement of its locking latch (272) from the recess (33) of the magazine (3) and during the initiation of the magazine catch (2) with the springloaded button (27) the movement of the cylindrical part (20) is blocked. The spring-loaded button (27) is pivotably mounted on the cylindrical part (20) by means of a pin (231).

Description

Technical Field

The invention relates to a magazine catch for small firearms, especially self-loading pistols in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 allowing the user to release the magazine in the firearm grip with either right or left hand by pressing the magazine catch transversely arranged in the upper part of the firearm grip.

Background Art

Document US 5 519 954 A , which forms a basis for the preamble of claim 1, discloses a similar magazine catch.
Furthermore, document No. DE-OS 2905770 describes a magazine catch, the controlling element of which comprises of a pin that is arranged in the firearm grip transversally to the shooting direction and which can be moved axially and the ends of which protrude from the grip.
In the central part of the pin there are to opposing conical surfaces between which the central part of the pin is narrowed. A lower end of a two-armed lever, that is mounted on a peg in the grip body in a swinging way, leans against this narrowed part. The upper arm of the two-armed lever is finished with a locking protrusion reaching to the opposite recess of the magazine if it is locked. The locking protrusion is pushed to this position by a compression spring installed between the upper arm and the opposite wall of the recess in the grip where the described mechanism is arranged and where the central narrowed part of the pin also reaches, while the spring presses the lower arm of the two-armed lever to the central narrowed part of the pin at the same time.
If a right-handed or left-handed person presses one of the protruding ends of the pin, the pin will move, which makes one of the conical surface shift the lower arm out of the reach of the compression spring until the locking protrusion of the upper arm leaves the opposite recess of the magazine, which will subsequently fall from the gun.
If one of the ends of the pin is released, it will return to its original position due to the action of the compression spring and consequently the force exercised by the lower arm of the two-armed lever onto one of the conical surfaces, i.e. to the condition that allows to insert the loaded magazine into the firearm grip and to lock it with the spring-loaded locking protrusion.
The solution described above represented indisputable progress in its day. However, it has proved to have some disadvantages.
The arrangement of the two-armed lever with a compression spring in the space of a relatively large recess created in the body of the grip - pistol frame - together with the application of two conical surfaces from the central part of the pin, optimized to provide a sufficient force component for the deflection of the two-armed lever is quite laborious from the point of view of both production and also assembly. After prolonged use of such a magazine catch, the impacts of dusty environment must be taken into account and can significantly impair the function of the magazine catch and increase its wear become evident.

Disclosure of Invention

The above-mentioned shortcomings are negated in accordance with claim 1, by a magazine catch for small firearms, especially self-loading pistols in accordance with claim 1, allowing the user to release the magazine in the grip with either right or left hand by pressing the magazine catch transversely arranged in the upper part of the handgun grip based on this invention, the principle of which is that the magazine catch comprises of a cylindrical part finished with a pushing surface at one end and installed in the transversal bore in the firearm frame in a sliding way and of a spring-loaded button installed on the other end of the cylindrical part in a swinging way and equipped with a locking - latch adapted to slide into the recess in the opposite part of the inserted magazine. Between the cylindrical part and the spring-loaded button there is a compression spring. The cylindrical part is equipped with a superficial groove in which the end of the longer arm of the return spring that brings the cylindrical part into the resting position is positioned freely and the shorter arm of the return spring is positioned in a frame. On the surface of the cylindrical part there is external shouldering. The transversal bore is equipped with internal shouldering, both for the purpose of defining the resting position of the magazine catch.
From a structural and operational point of view such a design based on the invention is beneficial where the other end of the cylindrical part is equipped with a pin on which the spring-loaded button is mounted in a swinging way while this button is equipped with a locking latch, further with a hole for the swinging installation of the spring-loaded button on the pin and a supporting surface that the compression spring installed in the holding bore created in the cylindrical part leans against.
The magazine catch according to the invention has low demands on space and functions reliably at the same time by having a straight-through hole in the frame in which the longer arm of the return spring is arranged freely and the end part of the spring is freely positioned in the superficial groove and there is also a holding hole containing the shorter arm of the return spring. The same holds good for the design where in the cylindrical part, there is a longitudinal recess into which part of the front wall of the magazine reaches and the length of which exceeds the width of the magazine and the axis of the bore is shifted away from the longitudinal recess with regard to the axis of the cylindrical body.

Brief Description of Drawings

The invention is further described in a more detailed way in its application in a self-loading pistol with the use of the attached drawings where Fig. 1 presents a side view of the self-loading pistol frame portion without grip panels with the exposed spring-loaded button of the magazine catch and with the magazine in the frame grip, Fig. 2 shows a axonometric view of the part of the frame comprising the grip, Fig. 3 presents the magazine in an axonometric view, Fig. 4 presents the set of parts of the magazine catch, Fig. 5 shows a section of the pistol frame on the A-A plane indicated in Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is a magnified part of Fig. 5, Fig. 7 presents magnified detail of B shown in Fig. 5, Fig. 8 presents the magnified set of parts of the - magazine catch without the return spring, Fig. 9 presents an axonometric view of the assembled magazine catch in magnified representation with the cylindrical part partly exposed allowing you to see the arrangement of the compression spring in the bore and Fig. 10 shows a section of the part of the pistol frame where you can see the attachment of the return spring the longer arm of which is engaged with the magazine catch.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

In the frame 1 of the pistol in the upper part of its grip 11 near the trigger guard12 a transversal bore 13 is made in which the cylindrical part 20 of the magazine catch 2 is arranged in a sliding way while one of its ends with the pressing surface 21 protrudes out of the frame 1 and is within the reach of the thumb of the right-handed user. The shooting direction is marked with an arrow 0 in Figs. 1, 2 and 5.
At the other end, the cylindrical part 20 is equipped with external shouldering 22 that forms a stop together with the internal shouldering 14, see Fig. 7 delimiting the movement of the cylindrical part 20 by pressing the magazine catch 2 to the right, seen in Figs. 2, 5, 6, 7 and 10.
On the other end of the cylindrical part 20 there is a holding console 23 with two opposite coaxial holes 24, 24' and a recess 25 that is continued with a holding bore 26 seen in Figs. 6, 9, 10 and with a stop 230 the function of which will be described below.
The magazine catch 2 comprises a spring-loaded button 27 with a protrusion 270 and a holding hole 271 and it is equipped with a locking latch 272 and supporting surface 273.
The spring-loaded button 27 is attached in a swinging way to the holding console 23 with a peg 231 that passes through the coaxial holes 24, 24' and the holding hole 271. In the holding bore 26 there is a compression spring 261 leaning against the supporting surface 273 that acts against it with its flexible pressing force.
Before the spring-loaded button 27 the transversal bore 13 has a longitudinal extension 131 that is continued with the holding console 23, protrusion 270 and partly the extended external part of the spring-loaded button 27 protruding from the upper part of the grip 11 that can be controlled by the thumb of a left-handed user. The swing of the spring-loaded button 27 is limited by the stop 230 shown in Figs. 6 and 8.
The magazine 3 has a recess 33 on the transition of the front wall 31 to one side wall 32, see Figs. 3 and 6 on the level where with the inserted magazine the locking latch 272 of the spring-loaded button 27 is located.
For spatial reasons there is a beneficial longitudinal recess 28 in the cylindrical part 20, seen in Figs. 5 and 6 into which a part of the front wall 31 of the magazine 3 reaches while the length of the recess exceeds the width of the inserted part of the magazine 3 enabling the required movement of the magazine catch 2 during its functioning. If the longitudinal recess 28 is used, the C axis of the holding bore 26 is shifted towards the D axis of the cylindrical body 20 away from the longitudinal recess 28.

The function of the magazine catch is as follows:

If it is necessary to release the magazine 3, generally emptied by shooting fired by a shooter - a right-handed person, the shooter uses the thumb of the right hand to press the protruding pressing surface 21 of the cylindrical part 20 of the magazine catch 2. This way he/she overcomes the resistance of the longer arm 291 of the return spring 290 with simultaneous movement of the cylindrical part 20 in the transversal bore 13 as well as drawing-out of the spring-loaded button 27 until its locking latch 272 leaves the recess 33 of the magazine 3 in the grip 11. This way the magazine 3 is released and it falls off the grip 11 of the pistol. When the pressure on the pressing surface 21 is released, the action of the longer arm 291 in the superficial groove 21 returns the magazine catch 2 to its initial position, which is delimited by the touch of the external shouldering 22 on the cylindrical part 20 on the internal shouldering 14 of the transversal bore 13 as you can see in Fig. 7.
During the subsequent insertion of the magazine 3 to the grip 11 the contact of its edge over the recess 33 with the locking latch 272 causes its deflection, i.e. swing of the spring-loaded button 27 on the peg 231 against the force of the compression spring 261 and the locking latch 272 subsequently fits into the recess 33 of the magazine 3 at its full insertion into the grip 11. The depth of penetration of the locking latch 272 into the recess 33 of the magazine is delimited by the above mentioned stop 230.
If a left-handed shooter needs to release the magazine 3, the shooter presses the protruding part of the spring-loaded button 27, which turns a little around the peg 231 against the force of the compression spring 261 until the locking latch 272 leaves the recess 33 of the magazine 3, which releases the magazine 3 and it falls off the grip 11. During this controlling of the magazine catch 2 by a left handed person when this person presses the spring-loaded button 27 the movement of the cylindrical part 20 is blocked by the above-mentioned touch of the external shouldering 22 on the cylindrical part 20 on the internal shouldering 14 of the transversal bore 13 as you can see in Fig. 7. The procedure of the subsequent insertion of the magazine 3 into the grip has been described above.
Depending on the capability of the shooter the magazine catch 2 can also be controlled with the index finger of the right or left hand. In such a case if the shooter is a right-handed person, he/she controls the magazine catch 2 by pressing the spring-loaded button 27 with the index finger of his/her right hand. In the case of a left-handed person the shooter controls the magazine catch 2 by pressing the pressing surface 21 of the cylindrical part 20 of the magazine catch 2 with the index finger of his/her left hand.
The invention is not in any way limited to the described and presented sample embodiment and it can also be easily applied in the case of other firearms, e.g. submachine guns.
The invention can be utilized industrially mainly by manufacturers of small firearms within terms of innovation of these arms, mainly self-loading pistols.

Claims

A magazine catch (2) for the magazine (3) of small firearms, especially self-loading pistols allowing the user to release the magazine (3) in the grip (11) of the firearm with either right or left hand by pressing the magazine catch (2) arranged transversally in the upper part of the gun grip (11), while the magazine catch (2) comprises of a cylindrical (20) part terminated with a pressing surface (21) at one end, installed in the transversal bore (13) in the gun frame (1) in a sliding way and of a spring-loaded button (27) installed on the other end of the cylindrical part (20) in a swinging way and equipped with a locking latch (272) adapted for sliding into the recess (33) in the opposite part of the inserted magazine (3) and that between the cylindrical part (20) and the spring-loaded button (27) there is a compression spring (261), characterized in that the cylindrical part (20) is equipped with a superficial groove (29) in which the end of the longer arm (291) of the return spring (290) that brings the cylindrical part (20) into the resting position is positioned freely and the shorter arm (292) of the return spring (290) is positioned in a frame (1) while on the surface of the cylindrical part (20) there is external shouldering (22) and the transversal bore (13) is equipped with an internal shouldering (14) for the purpose of delimiting the initial position of the magazine catch (2), and the longer arm (291) of the return spring (290) is parallel and side-by-side to the shorter arm (292) of the return spring (290) and in the frame (1) there is a straight-through hole (16) in which the longer arm (291) of the return spring (290) is positioned freely while terminal part of the longer arm (291) is freely positioned in the superficial groove (29) on the cylindrical part (20) and in the frame (1) there is a holding hole (15) placed parallel and side-by-side to the straight-through hole (16) while the shorter arm (292) of the return spring (290) is installed in the holding hole (15).
The magazine catch for the magazine as in Claim 1, characterized in that the other end of the cylindrical part (20) is equipped with a pin (231) on which the spring-loaded button (27) is mounted in a swinging way while this button (27) is equipped with a protrusion (270) with a locking latch (272) and with a holding hole (271) for the swinging installation of the spring-loaded button (27) on the pin (231) and a supporting surface (273) that the pushing spring (261) installed in the holding bore (26) created in the cylindrical part (20) leans against.
The magazine catch for the magazine as in Claim 1 and 2, characterized in that in the cylindrical part (20) there is a longitudinal recess (28) into which a part of the front wall (31) of the magazine (3) reaches and the length of which exceeds that width of the magazine (3) and that the axis (C) of the holding bore (26) is shifted away from the longitudinal recess (28) with regard to the axis (D) of the cylindrical part (20).