GB2285853A - Air pistol - Google Patents

Abstract

An air pistol comprises a lower body portion (10) housing a spring-operated piston-and-cylinder device for the supply of compressed air through a passageway (12) directly to a breech chamber (14) at a rear end of a fixed barrel (18). An upper body portion (28) is pivotably mounted on the lower body portion at a front end, and is arranged to be raised at a rear end to cock the gun. The breech becomes sealed in a lowered position of the upper body portion by opposition between flat surfaces of the breech (22) and of a closure block (38, 40), a sealing ring (42) being presented in the closure block surface to seal against the breech face. A silencing chamber (46) is formed by the upper and lower body portions together, between a discharging end (48) of the barrel and a pellet outlet opening (44) from which it is spaced. <IMAGE>

Description

AIR PISTOLS This invention is concerned with improvements in, or relating to, air pistols.

It is to be understood that the term "air" (as in "air pistol11) is used herein as the term most commonly used to refer to the propulsive gas used in a gun of this general kind, the term so being used in a generic manner without limitation as to gases, or mixtures of gases, which could be employed instead of ordinary atmospheric air.

The invention provides, in one of its aspects, an air pistol comprising an intermediate portion providing a barrel extending forwards from a breech chamber into which a projectile to be fired can be loaded, a lower body portion comprising discharging means which is operable to discharge compressed air through an air passageway which enters the breech chamber through the intermediate portion directly from the lower body portion, and an upper body portion which is pivotally mounted at a front end portion and can be raised at a rear end as a lever arm to cock the gun, the intermediate portion of the pistol presenting an upwardly and rearwardly facing breech face surrounding an opening to the breech chamber through which a projectile can be loaded into the chamber, and breech closure means of the upper body portion being arranged to seal against the breech face around the breech opening when the upper body portion is lowered to the lower body portion in preparing the pistol for firing.

The air discharging means can be of a conventional spring-operated piston and cylinder type, the lever arm provided by the pivotable upper body portion being operatively connected to the piston to draw it forwards in cocking the gun.

The breech closure means of the upper body portion may comprise an O-ring, or similar elastomeric sealing element, arranged to abut the breech face all around the breech opening. The sealing element may be set in a breech closure face which is complementary to the breech face, lying closely adjacent to the breech face when the upper body portion is fully lowered. The two opposing faces may both be flat, lying in planes inclined forwardly from a plane perpendicular to the axis of the barrel; the angle of inclination may be about 400, but this angle can be varied to optimise conditions in different versions of the gun.

The inclination of the breech face is of benefit in forming an elongate, generally oval, breech opening which can facilitate pellet insertion.

There follows a description, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawing, of an air pistol which illustrates the invention by way of example.

The accompanying drawing is a side view of the pistol, partly in section and showing the pistol partly opened in a cocking action.

The pistol comprises a lower body portion 10 which houses a spring-operated piston and cylinder device (not shown, but of a conventional kind) for discharging air under pressure through a passageway 12 to a breech chamber 14 when the pistol is fired.

The air-discharging device is provided directly beneath an intermediate portion 16 of the pistol which comprises a tubular barrel-forming member 18 having a bore 19; an axis of operation of the air-discharging device is generally parallel to the barrel, the device operating to discharge compressed air rearwardly of the pistol into the passageway 12. The barrel-forming member 18 projects forwardly from a fixed supporting block 20 in which a rear portion of the member is mounted, the block 20 standing above the lower body portion 10. The member 18 extends rearwardly all the way through the block 20 to a flat breech face 22, provided by the member 18 and the block 20 together, which surrounds an opening 24 to the breech chamber 14.The breech chamber is formed by an enlarged rearmost portion of the barrel bore 19, being suitably shaped to receive a conventional pellet which is to be inserted into the bore, ready for firing.

The flat breech face 22 is an upwardly and rearwardly facing surface; in the gun illustrated the surface is inclined forwardly at an acute angle of 400 from a plane perpendicular to the axis of the barrel bore 19. Owing to the inclination of this surface, the breech opening is oval rather than circular, the non-circular effect being heightened by the fact that in enlargement of the bore, to create the breech chamber 14, more material is removed from upper surfaces than lower surfaces to ease the loading of pellets.

It is to be noted from the illustration that the air passageway 12 is relatively short in length, has only one bend in it and enters the breech chamber 14 transversely of the bore axis (at right angles, in the version illustrated) through the supporting block 20 and the wall of the tubular barrel-forming member 18.

Owing to the inclination of the breech face 22, there is clearance for the portion of the passageway leading into the chamber to be drilled from above. Such an arrangement of air passageway has been found to give high efficiency.

A front end portion of an upper body portion of the pistol is secured to the lower body portion 10 at a pivotal mounting 26 adjacent to the nose (front end) of the gun to form a raisable lever arm 28 for cocking the pistol. The cocking mechanism is of a conventional kind, though an unusual feature is that a depending link 30 is arranged to pull on an upstanding tag 32 which projects from the piston of the air-discharging device. A latching mechanism comprising a releasing catch 34 is provided at the rear end of the lever arm 28 to engage with complementary mechanism 36 provided at the rear end of the lower body portion 10 when the gun is closed for firing.

The latching mechanism is provided at the rear end of a breech closure block 38 of the lever arm 28. The closure block has a forwardly and downwardly facing breech-closing face 40 which is complementary to the breech face 22 and lies closely adjacent to or against the breech face when the gun is closed for firing. An O-ring 42 is retained in a groove in the closure face 40 to form a seal around the breech opening 24, the seal preventing the rearwards escape of air from the breech chamber 14.

The lever arm 28 is of inverted channel form forwardly of the closure block 38, so enclosing the intermediate portion 16 of the pistol when the pistol is closed. The barrel-forming member 18 terminates at its front, discharging, end 48 a little way short of the front end of the lever arm, there being a pellet outlet opening 44 in a front end wall of the lever arm. The lever arm 28 together with the lower body portion 10 so form a silencing chamber 46 through which a pellet discharged from the barrel passes to the pellet outlet 44.

To load the pistol, the catch 34 is operated to release the rear end of the lever arm 28 for upwards pivotal movement of the arm to cock the gun. A pellet is introduced into the breech chamber and inserted into the barrel bore 19. The lever arm is then brought down and secured, to close and seal the breech chamber 14, and the pistol is ready to be fired.

Claims (7)

1. An air pistol comprising an intermediate portion providing a barrel extending forwards from a breech chamber into which a projectile to be fired can be loaded, a lower body portion comprising discharging means which is operable to discharge compressed air through an air passageway which enters the breech chamber through the intermediate portion directly from the lower body portion, and an upper body portion which is pivotally mounted at a front end portion and can be raised at a rear end as a lever arm to cock the gun, the intermediate portion of the pistol presenting an upwardly and rearwardly facing breech face surrounding an opening to the breech chamber through which a projectile can be loaded into the chamber, and breech closure means of the upper body portion being arranged to seal against the breech face around the breech opening when the upper body portion is lowered to the lower body portion in preparing the pistol for firing.

2. An air pistol according to claim 1 in which the air discharging means is of a spring-operated piston and cylinder type, the lever arm provided by the pivotable upper body portion being operatively connected to the piston to draw it forwards in cocking the gun.

3. An air pistol according to either of claims 1 and 2 in which the breech closure means of the upper body portion comprises an elastomeric sealing element, arranged to abut the breech face all around the breech opening.

4. An air pistol according to claim 3 in which the sealing element is set in a breech closure face which is complementary to the breech face, lying closely adjacent to the breech face when the upper body portion is fully lowered.

5. An air pistol according to claim 4 in which the two opposing faces are flat, lying in planes inclined forwardly from a plane perpendicular to the axis of the barrel.

6. An air pistol according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the upper body portion in its lowered position provides a pellet outlet spaced from a discharging end of the barrel, the upper body portion together with the lower body portion forming a silencing chamber through which a pellet discharged from the barrel passes to the pellet outlet.

7. An air pistol substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.