US2803908A - Firearm with interconnected bolt lock and firing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 27, 1957 o. RALEY 2,803,908

FIREARM WITH INTERCONNECTED BOLT LOCK AND FIRING MECHANISM Filed April 7, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ODIS RALEY jmwbm k ATTORNEYS Aug. 27, 1957 o. RALEY FIREARM WITH INTERCONNECTED BOLT LOCK AND FIRING MECHANISM Filed April 7, 1954 INVENTORY oms RALEY ATTORNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 o. RALEY 2,803,908

FIREARM WITH INTERCONNECTED BOLT LOCK AND FIRING MECHANISM Filed April 7, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent FIREARM WITH INTERCONNECT ED BOLT LOCK AND FIRING MECHANISM Odis Raley, Paragould, Ark.

Application April 7, 1954, Serial No. 421,514

12 Claims. (Cl. 42-22) This invention relates to firearms and it relates more particularly to guns of the repeating or magazine type having a reciprocating breech block or bolt which is locked in its closed position at the instant that the cartridge is fired. The invention has particular applicability in so-called pump guns wherein the breech block and related parts are actuated by reciprocation of a forearm which is connected to the brench block by means of an action bar. The following description, therefore, refers specifically to a pump gun type of firearm, but it is to be understood that the invention can be used in other types of firearms such as semiautomatic rifles or pistols, for instance.

An important object of the invention is to provide safety means for preventing operation of the gun after it has been fired but before the trigger has been released, so that the gun cannot be reloaded and unintentionally fired again while the trigger is pressed. Another object of the invention is to provide positive means for preventing firing of the gun before the breech block or bolt is completely forward and locked.

Pump guns require some means for locking the action after the gun is cocked and loaded so that the forearm cannot be inadvertently moved rearwardly permitting too much head space between the bolt and the rear face of the barrel, thereby creating an obviously dangerous condition. It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel type of action lock for firearms of this kind. Moreover, a primary purpose of the invention is to accomplish the foregoing and other objects by providing a firearm which consists of relatively few parts which may be easily manufactured and assembled to provide a sturdy and reliable gun.

Firearms embodying the present invention consist in general of a gun barrel and a receiver or frame which encloses and supports the loading and firing mechanism including a reciprocating bolt slidably supported in the receiver for movement toward and away from the rear end of the barrel, a bolt-lock for positively locking the bolt in its chamber closing position at the instant that the cartridge is fired, and means for firing the cartridge including a spring-loaded hammer and trigger mechanism. A magazine, most desirably of the box type, feeds live cartridges into position within the receiver for loading. When the trigger is pulled firing a cartridge which has been loaded into the cartridge chamber, the bolt may be unlocked so that it can be moved rearwardly, drawing with it the empty cartridge shell and ejecting it through an opening in the receiver. During this rearward stroke of the bolt, a fresh cartridge is fed into a position from the magazine so that on the forward stroke of the bolt the new cartridge is moved forwardly by the bolt into the firing chamber as the bolt advances.

The present invention is especially directed to the provision, in firearms of the general type above referred to, of an elongated bolt-lock which is pivoted intermediate its ends to the receiver and has a bolt locking head portion at one end, the head portion being movable into and out of locking engagement with the bolt as the bolt-lock is rocked about its pivot. The opposite end of the bolt-lock is constructed and arranged for cooperation with the firing mechanism in such a manner as to ensure that the gun cannot be fired until the bolt is fully closed and locked. Furthermore, when the gun is fired, a portion of the firing mechanism is moved into locking or fastening engagement with the bolt-lock so that the bolt-lock cannot be pivoted out of its locking position with respect to the bolt until the trigger is released.

A further aspect of the invention is: in an arrangement whereby the hammer is mounted on the bolt-lock in such manner that it is moved into and out of alignment with the firing pin as the bolt-lock is pivoted into and out of locking engagement, respectively, with the bolt. Thus, unless the bolt-lock is fully engaged with the bolt, the hammer will not strike the firing pin in the event that it should accidentally become disengaged from the sear for any reason. Consequently, the gun cannot be fired until the bolt is fully locked, and the danger of exploding the cartridge while the bolt is unlocked is virtually eliminated. This arrangement of the bolt-lock and hammer is what is referred to generally hereinafter as the floating hammer.

Other advantages and specific features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a side view of the central portion of a firearm embodying the invention, the housing being broken away in part to expose certain operating parts of the Fig. 2 is a side view of the opposite side of the receiver portion of the firearm shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view taken along a vertical central section of the receiver longitudinally of the gun and showing the parts in the positions which they assume at the instant the gun is fired, some of the parts being removed for clarity;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in the positions which they assume when the bolt is re tracted;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the after portion of the receiver, the lower housing and butt-stock having been removed and showing the camming end of the action bar and the action lock, the parts being shown in the positions which they assume after the gun has been fired and when the trigger is released;

Fig. 6 is a side View of the central portion of the receiver showing the action bar moved rearwardly far enough to unlock the bolt;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the parts in the positions which they assume when the gun is ready to be fired;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the receiver as viewed from below and stripped of :all related parts, both ends of the receiver being broken away;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the bolt-lock by itself;

Fig. 10 is a perspective View of the combined action bar guide plate and ejector;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the action bar lock shown in Figs. 5 to 7;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing modifications of the action bar cam, the action bar lock, and the bolt-lock;

Fig. 13 is a transverse section through the receiver taken on line 13-13 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 14 is a transverse section through the barrel and forearm track taken on line 1414 of Fig. l; and

-the rear end of the action bar 26 (see Fig. 15).,

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the rear or camming end of the action bar shownin Figs. 5 to 7.

The firearms here specifically disclosed as particular embodiments of the invention are shotguns and consist of a barrel 10, rigidly secured at its rear end to a generally cylindrical receiver 12, which is mounted in a metal housing 14 secured to a wooden butt-stock 15. A suitable trigger guard 16 is provided on the underside of the housing 14 bridging an opening therein through which the trigger extends. The upper side of the housing 14 is open so that the receiver 12 will fit down into. it and is held therein by take-down bolts 18, which are. threaded into the receiver in the usual manner. the housing 14 of metal, it could of course be. a wooden stock, in which case it would be integral. with the buttis a forearm gripv 20, mostdesirably made of wood,

Instead of making V which is slidably mounted on a track 22 to be described I more fully hereinafter. Track 22 is secured to the under.- side .of the barrel 10 at its forward end by means of a bracket 24 and at its rear end to the receiver 12 in any suitable manner. An action bar 26 connects the forearm with the breech block or bolt 28 in a mannerdescribed hereinafter, so that the bolt 28 can be retracted and advanced by reciprocating or pumping the forearm.

' Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3 to 7 inclu sive, the breech block 28 is in this instance, a cylindrical bolt which is adapted to slide within the cylindrical portion of the receiver 12 along a line which is coextensive with the axis of the bore of the gun barrel. An elongated recess 30 is'formed in the side of the bolt 28 adjacent its rear end, into which fits a laterally projecting lug on an arm- 33 extending upwardly and forwardly from The rear'portion of the action bar 26 is slidably guided between a guide member 34 and the receiver 12, so that upon reciprocationof the action bar 26 by means of the forearm 20, the bolt 28 will be moved toward and away from the rear face of the barrel 10. The guide member 34 is provided with laterally extending upper and lower guide lugs 34a and 34b, on which the upper and lower edges of the action bar 26tslide. A slot 36 (Figs. 5,. 6 and 7) is provided in the side of the receiver, through which the lug 32 extends for engagement with the bolt, and in which the lug 32 will slide in order to permit movemerit of the bolt into and out of breech closing position. A plug is. threaded into the rear end of the receiver 12 as shown in order to close off this end of the receiver through which the bolt is passed in assembling or disassembling the gun.

The'underside of the receiver 12 is provided with a suitable opening 37 through, which fresh cartridges 38 (Fig. 4) may be fed from a conventional box-type magainc 39 to the firing chamber in the rear of the barrel. The magazine 39 is most desirably of the removable clip type which is fastened to the receiver by some resilient means not shown. Additional openings are provided on the underside of the receiver rearwardly of the opening 37 for the introduction of the bolt-lock and hammer into .the receiver as will become apparent hereinafter. Moreover, as seen in Fig. 2, an ejection port 40 is provided in the upper side of the receiver 12 for permitting the expended shells to be ejected in the usual manner, when thebolt is retracted. For this purpose, extractor arms 42 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) are provided on either side of the bolt 28,

shell will be withdrawn from the cartridge chamber and ejected from the receiver when brought, by means of the bolt, into contact with a suitable ejector 43 (Fig. .13)

which extends into a longitudinal slot 44 in the bolt. It

.will of course be understood that the ejector 43 also pre- V 4 V V to the forward or breech closing face thereof and is adapted to be struck by a hammer 46 to be described hereinafter.

The construction described so far is more or less typical of pump guns in which the bolt is reciprocated by means of the forearm through the action bar, in order to extract and eject an empty shell and to feed afresh cartridge from the magazine into. the firing chamber, thereby reloading the gun. Coming now to the means for locking the bolt 28 in its forward or closed position to which the present invention is especially directed, the bolt-lock consists of an elongated bifurcated member 48 (Fig. 9) which is pivoted at a point intermediate its extremities to the downwardly extending portions49 (Fig. 8) of the receiver 12 by means of a pin 50 (Fig. 3), on which the member 48 may rock. At the forward end of the boltlock or rocker arm 48, is a head portion 52 connecting the two side members of the bolt-1001948. The head portion 52 is adapted to be moved into and out of bolt-locking engagement with the rear face of the bolt 28 through an aperture 53' in the underside of the receiver (Figs. 3, 4 and 8)..

In-order that the force of recoil, exerted by the bolt 28 on the head portion 52 of the bolt-lock upon explosion of a cartridge, be taken directly by the receiver 12 instead of by the. pin 50 on which the. bolt-lock is pivoted, it is important that the head portion 52 contact .both the forward and rearward edges of the aperture 53 when the bolt lock 'is in locked position. To this end, the front sur. face of the head portion 52 is cylindrically shaped with the center ofthe arc formedby thissurface located at the center ofthe. pivot pin 50. Consequently, the front face ofthe bolt-lockisalways in contact with'or in very close proximity with :the forward edge of the aperture 53. Moreover, the rear face of the head portion 52 extends upwardly at a slight angle forming a surface inclined to the under portion of receiver, so that this side of the head portion is brought into contact with the adjacent edge f i he ap ture 53 when he bolt-lock is swu g into locking position. I In order to provide a snug fit, the rear'edge of the aperture 53 isinclined at the same angle as the rear face of the head portion 52.

A, notch 54-is provided in the lower rearrface of the bolt'28into which the'head portionSZ of the bolt-lock projects in 'itsloeking position. In order to provide full surface contactb'e ween the ol 28. and t e bo -lo k. th s rf ce of the notch 54 whichiis n ag d by heh ad '52 of the-hol elock. 4.8 is hap d t conform i h t cylindrical surface of this member- Th s r ce wea between these surfaces and also provides a Construction whereby, even if the bolt-lock 48 is not pivoted fully into locking positionwith the bolt, it will render the belt immovable so -long as any portion of the front face of the bolt-lock engages the notch 54 of the bolt. Moreover, t he arrangement hereinabove described whereby the full force of recoil is taken by the receiver through the headportioni-ofthebolt-lock instead-of through its'pivot pin 50 is important in preventing undue wear or distortion-of the pin 50. Furthermore, this construction avoids the necessity for a precise fit at the pivot for the bolt-lock, and therefore is less expensive to manufacture, bOihljIlSOfQI asthe cost-of the materials used is concerned and in h tim necessary to m preci i n P -.1 i r Th. he d portion 52 of the bolt-lock 48 is rged, in hi particular case, into ng gemen with the bol 2. y means ofacompres io p g 56, ne n f wh h engages in a=recess-57 in the underside. of the head 52 andthe .otheneridof-which :rests in a recess provided in in the drawings so as to conform more or less with the path of head portion 52 of the bolt-lock. The horizontal arm of bracket 58 is bored and threaded at 59 for reception of one of the take-down bolts 18, by which the receiver is secured to the housing 14.

Referring now more especially to Figs. 5 to 7 of the drawings, it will be noted that the bolt-lock 48 is provided adjacent its head portion 52 with a laterally extending pin or lug 60 adapted to be engaged by the action bar 26 within a cam slot 62 formed adjacent the rear end of the action bar. As is especially well shown in Fig. 15, the after end of the action bar 26 is in its! most desirable form provided with a hook-shaped portion 63 which is adapted to engage the lug 60 on the head portion 52 of the bolt-lock and to lift the head portion into locking engagement with the bolt 28 as the action bar is moved all the way forward to the position shown in Fig. 7. Consequently, in the construction shown in Figs. 5 to 7, the head portion of the bolt-lock is moved into locking position both by the spring 56 and by the positive camming engagement of the hook 63 with the lug 60. In this particular arrangement, since the boltlock is cammed by positive engagement with a portion of the action bar into locking position, the spring 56 may, if desired, be omitted. However, it is better to include this spring because it helps to ensure engagement of the lug 60 by the hook 63 as the latter is moved forwardly. Rearward movement of the action bar 26 will, on the other hand, bring the opposite edge of the slot 62 into engagement with the lug 60 in order to cam the head portion of the bolt-lock downwardly, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 6. Thus, the head portion 52 becomes disengaged from the bolt 28, so that the latter may be retracted in the receiver. The recess 30, by which the extremity of the lug 32 of the action bar engages the bolt 28, is in the present construction of L-shaped configuration for a purpose which will become apparent hereinafter.

Since the bolt must of course be unlocked before it can be retracted in the receiver, the horizontal arm of recess 30 is made longer than the width of the lug 32 at its bolt-engaging end by an amount (best illustrated in Fig. 3) equal to the amount of movement of the action bar 26 necessary to cam the bolt-lock 48 into and out of engagement with the bolt. This provides a lostmotion connection between the action bar 26 and the bolt 28 to permit the bolt to be either unlocked or locked by the action bar while the bolt is in its breech closing position. Such lost-motion between the action bar and the bolt is necessary because the action bar performs two functions: one being the reciprocation of the bolt within the receiver, and the other being to cam the boltlock into and out of locking position. Since it is necessary in the construction shown in Figs. 5 to 7 that the lost-motion occur only when the bolt 28 is at its extreme forward position, it is essential in this instance to provide some means of preventing such lost-motion at any other point in the travel of the bolt. Consequently, recess 3! is provided with a vertical arm or notch having a width about equal to the width of the extremity of lug 32. Fig. 4 shows the lug 32 located in the notched portion of recess 30 during actual reciprocation of the bolt. In order to shift the lug 32 into the vertical arm of the recess 30, the action bar is off-set at 64 (Figs. 5 to 7 and 15) so that as the shoulders formed by this off-set come into engagement with the guides 34a and 34b of the guide member 34, the after end of the action bar 26 will be moved vertically.

Thus, when the action bar is moved rearwardly far enough to unlock the bolt, at which point the lug 32 of the action bar is almost at the rearmost end of the re cess 30 in the bolt, the shoulders formed on the action bar at 64 come into engagement with the guides 34a and 34b. Further rearward movement of the action bar causes this end of the bar, including arm 33 and lug 32, to be moved down so that the lug 32 is engaged in the notched portion of the recess 30 of the bolt, all as shown in Fig. 6. The slot 36 in the side of the receiver is also off-set at its forward end as shown to permit the above described vertical motion of the action bar.

With the lug 32 of the action bar located in the notched portion of the recess 30, the bolt, which is at this point free to move rearwardly because the bolt-lock 48 has been pivoted out of locking position, will be retracted by further rearward movement of the action bar. After the bolt has been fully retracted in order to eject an empty shell and to cock the hammer 46, it is then moved forwardly by means of the action bar to feed a new cartridge 38 into the chamber. It will be noted that, since the lug 32 is located in the notched portion of recess 30 during reciprocation of the bolt, there is no lost-motion between the action bar and the bolt when the direction of movement of the action bar is reversed while the gun is being reloaded. Upon return of the bolt to battery position, however, the lug 32 is moved upwardly into the elongated portion of the recess 30 by the offset in the action bar at 64 guided between lugs 34a and 34b. The action bar is then permitted to move an additional distance forwardly independently of the bolt, in order to positively lock the bolt by engagement of the bolt-lock pin 60 with the hook 63 of the action bar as shown in Fig. 7. It will of course be understood that the same result can be attained by off-setting the recess 30 and the action bar 26 upwardly instead of downwardly as here shown.

Coming now to the firing mechanism, best seen in Figs. 3 and 4, a highly desirable feature of the invention is to be found in the construction wherein the hammer is pivoted to the bolt-lock instead of to the receiver or to some other stationary framework of the gun, as is the usual practice. Thus, the hammer 46 pivots on a pin 65 mounted in the side members of the pivoted bolt-lock 48 adjacent the forward end thereof. The hammer is posi tioned between the side members of the bolt-lock where it is free to swing from a substantially horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 4, to a substantially vertical position where it strikes the firing pin 45 in the bolt when the gun is fired. An arm 66 at the heel of the hammer 46 below its pivot pin 65 is provided with a hole through which one end of a coil spring 68 is inserted. The spring 68 is placed under tension by stretching it so that its opposite end can be hooked to a pin 7d at the rear end of the bolt-lock 48. The hammer 46 is therefore constantly urged by the hammer spring 68 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 3-7.

By mounting the hammer on the bolt-lock in the abovedescribed manner, the hammer will move upwardly and downwardly with the pivoted bolt-lock as the latter is brought into and out of locking engagement with the bolt. Consequently, the nose of the hammer, which strikes the firing pin will or will not be in registry with the firing pin depending on whether or not the bolt-lock is pivoted all the way up into its locking position. By making the vertical dimension of the area of actual contact between the firing pin and the hammer as small as practicable and by locating this area at the uppermost portion of the nose of the hammer, the amount of vertical movement of the hammer, and consequently of the head portion 52 of the bolt-lock located almost directly below the front face of the hammer, necessary to place the hammer into and out of alignment with the firing pin, can be made very small. Therefore, unless the bolt-lock is fully engaged with the bolt, the hammer will not strike the firing pin and the gun cannot be fired. This virtually eliminates the possibility of the gun going off while the bolt is unlocked either because of premature actuation of the trigger or because of accidental disengagement of the hammer from the sear.

It has been proposed heretofore to journal the hammer in a bolt locking member which may be pivoted into and .the cocking notch 84 of the hammer to pass.

out of'locking engagement with the bol However, prior guns empl yi thi so-ealled floati ammer a ran ement-have, been relatively ineffective in accomplishing' the desired result and for this reason, to applieants knowledge, are, not being manufactured at the present time. One reason for the lack of commercial success of such prior constructions is. th relatively comple nature of the loading and firing mechanism necessary to incorporate this feature. Another reason is that in these prior proposals the effective vertical travel of the bolt engaging :portion of the bolt-lock was actually so arrang d as to minimize the desired result which, in this case, is, to move he h mme ap y n o and ou of l me t wi t firingpin. as the bolt becomes locked and unlocked, respeetively. Furthermore, in such prior proposals, the floatingrhammei' construction has been limited, so far as applicant is aware,.t0. guns of the. tubular magazine type and has not been applicable in guns provided with a box type magazine. This is due to the fact that the boltlock and floating hammer of prior gun constructions inter-. fered'with the passage of the shells upwardly from the magazine clip directly below the receiver to a position in the receiver where it can be moved forwardly by the bolt into the firing chamber.

' In the present construction, however, a totally new concept of the floating hammer is used whereby the maximum effect of the floating movement of the hammer is attained and wherein only a few relatively simple parts are employed. Moreover, the present arrangement may be used with a box magazine and is, as a matter of fact, more particularly designed for use with that type of gun. Thus, it will be readily seen from the drawings (Fig. 3.) that since the hammer46 is journaled in the bolt-lock 48 adjacent the head portion 52 at. the forward end thereof, it travels vertically about the same distance as the head portion 52 moves when the bolt-lock is rocked about its pivot 50. This gives the hammer a maximum amount of ffloat with respect to the locking and unlocking movement of the bolt-lock, thereby providing further assurance that the hammer will be moved out of alignment with the firing pin when the bolt is unlocked.

A trigger 74 is pivoted at 76 in the downwardly extending portions 49 of the receiver 12 and is provided with a lug 78, which is adapted for engagement with a sear 80 (Fig. 4) pivoted in the receiver at 82. The fore ward end of the sear 30 extends forwardly forengagement with a cooking notch 84 on the hammer 46. for holding the ha m in o ke p o he mmer hen seqke urging the sear 80 in a clockwise direction, as shown in the drawings, about its pivot 82. A hook-shaped port-ion 86 is provided at the rear end of the sear for enga'gement by the lug 78 on the trigger 74. Since the trigger is prevented from swinging in a clockwise direction beyond its position shown in Fig. 4 by the pin 70 of the bolt-lock 48, the portion 86 of the sear which rests against the pin 78 prevents clockwise movement of the sear 80 beyond the position shown in Fig. 4 so that the hammer '46 is held by the sear in cocked position until the trigger is pulled. When the trigger is pulled 'rearwardly to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3., the sear 80 is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction releasing the hammer, which swings upwardly under the influence of the hammer spring 68 and strikes the firing pin 5, when the bolt-lock 48 is in full locking engagement with the bolt. A trigger and sear spring 88 embracing the-pivot pin 76. has one end bearing on the underface of the receiver 12 while the opposite end thereof urges both the trigger 74 and the sear "80 in a clockwise direction.

It is. readily apparent from the foregoing that when the tion shown in Fig. 4 by retraction of the bolt 28, thesear 80 will be pivoted counterclockwise sufiiciently to permit The scar bein ur e n a cl ckw se. direc i n. by the spr n .8 w l immediately return to its normal position where it en- '8 gases the eeki n ch 84 h n h hamme pi ots ack somewhat to the position shown in hroken lines in Fig 3 uponreturn of the bolt 28 to. itsadvanced position in the receiver.

.In Order. ensure ha he hea port n .2 .Qf the bo lock 48 is fully IgaEQ With the bolt 28 before the gun can be fired, the trigger 74 is provided with a recess or slot 90 on the front edge thereof adjacent the pin 7 0v on the rear end portion of the bolt-lock 4.8. The slot 90 has a width approximately equal'to the diameter of pin 70 and is sumciently deep and so positioned that pin 70 can move up into it, as shown in Fig. ,4, when the. bolt-lock 48 is rocked' in a counterclockwise direction to unlock the bolt 28; With the pin 70 thus located within the slot 90, it becomes impossible to pull the trigger 74 in order to release the hammer- Thisyis.

readily apparent from Fig. 4 where it may be seen that e trigger i eadered mmovab by h P 10- .0

90, can ride across the top of pin 70, as shown in Fig. 3.

Now, if after the gun has been fired and the trigger s n elease so ha it an returned by h r ge andsear spring 88 to its normal position, the nose por-. tion 92 of the trigger is located directly above the pin 70, s ha unde these ir ms a ces the bolt-lock 48 not be cammed by the action bar 26 out of locking en-. gagement with bolt 28 due to the fact that counterclockwise rotation of the bolt-lock is prevented by the relative positions ofthe. pin 70 and the nose portion 92 of th tr gger- Th etore. t s mp e to reload u or even to actuate any part of the firing mechanism so long as the trigger is held back. However, upon release of the trigger, the slot 90 will becorne aliigned With the pin 70 so that' the bolt-lock can then be cammed out of locking position and the gun reloaded. Moreover, the above described construction also provides means for positively holding the bolt-lock in locked position so that it cannot be jarred out of engagement with the bolt upon recoil of the gun when fired, due to the fact that the t gger will be retracted during recoil, thereby posinin h no e p rtion 9 ove he p n a v e ing the b lt-l ck 8 hrr t v e i its locked P i Q ur ng oil In order to avoid inadvertent actuation of the action a bar 26' when the gun is loaded and cocked, an action lock 94 (Figs. 5 to 'Z and ll) is. pivoted by means of a screw 96 to one side member of the bolt-lock 48.- The forward end of the lever comprising the action lock 94 is provided witha lug 98 adapted for engagement with a notch 100 onthe rear edge of the hook portion 63 of the action bar 26. When the lug 9.8. of the action lock en? gages the action bar 26 as shown in Fig. 7, the action bar can not be moved rearwardly in order to unlock or retract the bolt. Rearwardly of, that is to the right of, the pivot 96 asv viewed in Figs. 5 to 7, the lever 94 is provided With ears 102, 103 adapted to embrace hammer spring 68 at, a point intermediateits ends as shown in Fig. 5, so that vertical shifting in the position of the forward end of coil spring 68 will pivott-he lever 94 into or out of looking engagement with the action bar 26.

As will be, readily apparent from Figs. 5 and 7, as 'well as from Figs. 3 and tl, the forward end of the spring ,68 which is attached to the heel of the hammer 46, moves vertically as the hammer pivots between its cocked and uncooked positions. Thus, when the hammeris. cocked (Fig. 7) the forwardend of the hammer spring 68 is .at its lowermost position, thereby lowering the rear porj tier-1M. th a n. lock a d a in its a 9 into ever, when' the'gun is fired,'the heel of the hammer is raised, lifting the forward end of spring 68 laterally to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5. This in turn pivots the action lock 94 counterclockwise disengaging its lug 98 from the action bar 26 to permit subsequent actuation thereof. It will be seen therefore that the action lock is automatically engaged and disengaged depending on whether or not the hammer is cocked. Although in the specific construction shown in the drawings, the above described action lock is used in connection with a floating hammer, it is of course possible to use a similar type of action lock where the hammer is pivoted directly in the receiver and a totally different type of bolt-lock is used.

At the rearward end of the action lock 94, a finger lever 104 extends downwardly to a point just forward of the trigger and below the housing or stock 14 within the trigger guard 16 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Lever 104 is provided for the purpose of manually lifting the rear end of the action lock 94 when the gun is cocked in order to disengage it from the action bar in the event that it is desired to open the action while the gun is cocked.

Referring particularly to Figs. and 13, it will be noted that the ejector 43 referred to hereinbefore is in this instance an integral part of the gunde member 34 formed by means of an upward extension thereof. A slot 1% (Fig. 8) is provided in the side of the receiver, through which the ejector 43, which is bent at a suitable angle to the body portion of the member 34, is inserted into the interior of the receiver as shown in Fig. 13. This provides an inexpensive manner of mounting the ejector. It is easily manufactured and assembled and may be readily replaced in case the ejector is damaged for any reason.

Fig. 14 shows a cross section of the novel forarm track 22, which in this instance is V-shaped and is provided with outwardly extending flanges 108. The forearm grip 20 is grooved to fit the flanges 108 which prevent any wobble in the forarm frequently found where the conventional tubular guide is used. Furthermore, this particular type of forearm track is desirable from the standpoint of economy, since it can be easily formed from sheet steel at considerable saving in cost as compared with the conventional tubular type of mounting used heretofore. The track 22 could of course be invertted if desired or could be U-shaped in cross section rather than V -shaped as shown in the drawings.

Certain modifications which may be made in the boltlock actuating cam, the action lock and the bolt-lock are illustrated in Fig. 12. In general this modified construction operates in substantially the same manner as the construction shown in Figs. 3 to 7. Thus, the bolt 28 is reciprocated by means of the action bar 26 through the upwardly extending arm 33 and lug 32 which extends into the recess in the bolt. The firing mechanism, including the hammer 46, trigger 74 and sear 3%, is identical with that hereinbefore described. Moreover, it will be noted that the cooperative relationship between the firing mechanism and the bolt is exactly the same as in the first described embodiment of the invention. However, in the modified construction shown, no positive carnming means are provided for lifting the bolt-lock 48 into locking engagement with the bolt, this being accomplished by means of the spring 56. Consequently, the inclined rear edge of the action bar 26 as shown in Fig. 12 acts solely as a camming surface for moving the lug 60 on the bolt-lock downwardly in order to unlock the bolt, the hook-shaped portion 63 being completely omitted in this case.

A notch 110 in the lower edge of the action bar is provided in place of the notch 100 on the hook 63 of the previously described constructionfor engagement by the modified action-lock 112 shown in Fig. 12. Action lock 112 is pivoted to the bolt-lock 48 on the pivot pin 65 on which the hammer 46 is mounted. While the action lock 112 operates in generally the same manner as the first described member 94 (Figs. 5 to 7), it is in several respects specifically different from the first. For instance, the member 112 has no provision for being moved manually and independently of the bolt-lock 43 out of locking engagement with the action bar 26. It is moreover provided with only a single ear 114 which engages the underside of the hammer spring 68, a spring 116 embracing the pin 65 being provided to urge the rear end of the action lock 112 upwardly into engagement with the hammer spring 68. One end of the spring 116 presses against the underside of the camming lug 60, and the opposite end lifts upwardly on the rear end of the action lock 112 as shown. It will be readily apparent therefore that the action lock 112 will be moved into and out of locking engagement with the action bar 26 by cocking and uncocking the hammer 46, as in the case of the corresponding member 94 of Figs. 5 to 7. In fact, the action lock 94 could, if desired, be substituted for the action lock 112 of Fig. 12. This would require only minor obvious changes in the structure illustrated in Fig. 12.

Since the action lock 112 can not be moved manually out of engagement with the action bar in the same manner as the member 94 of Figs. 5 to 7, it is of course desirable to provide means for unlocking the action when the gun is loaded and cocked without having to fire the cartridge in the chamber. To this end, a downwardly extending finger lever 118 is provided at the rear end of the bolt-lock 48, this lever being adapted to project below the housing 14 and forwardly of the trigger 74 within the trigger guard 16 to a position corresponding to that of the lever 104 on the action lock 94 in the previously described construction. The lever 118 permits the rear end of the bolt-lock 48 to be raised thereby unlocking the bolt and at the same time disengaging the action lock 112 from the action bar 26 so that the latter can be actuated.

An advantage of the above described modified construction is to be found in the fact that it is necessary to provide lost-motion between the action bar and the bolt only in unlocking the bolt, it being unnecessary to provide any lost-motion at the end of the forward stroke of the bolt, because in this instance the action bar does not cam the bolt-lock into locked position. This does away with the necessity for moving the rear end of the action bar 26 vertically in order to shift its lug 32 into and out of the notched portion of the recess 30. In fact, in the modified construction the recess 30 may be a straight slot as shown in Fig. 12. Similarly, in this construction, neither the slot 36 in the receiver nor the action bar are off-set as in the structure disclosed in Figs. 5 to 7.

From the foregoing disclosure of certain specific embodiments of the invention, it will be observed that important advantages are to be found in the firearms disclosed. Thus, due to the cooperating relationship between the rocking bolt-lock and the firing mechanism, the trigger can not be pulled to fire the gun unless the bolt is locked. In addition, when the gun is fired, a portion of the firing mechanism securely fastens the bolt-lock in its bolt engaging position so that it can not be moved out of locking position until the trigger is released. This accomplishes two desirable results. First, it ensures that the bolt will not become unlocked during the actual explosion of the cartridge and secondly, it prevents initiation of the reloading operation as long as the trigger is squeezed. Furthermore, even if the trigger is released long enough to permit the bolt to be unlocked and retracted but is inadvertently squeezed again during the remainder of the loading operation, the gun will not automatically go off when the forearm is returned to its forward position as might be expected. This is due to the fact that whenever the bolt-lock 48 is out of locking engagement with the bolt 28, the pin 70 at the rear end of the bolt-lock is located within the slot 9 .9 in the trigger (Fig. 4) so that if'the trigger is pulled under these circumstances, the nose portion 92 of the'trigger will exerta rearward pressure on the pin 70 which in turn pivots the bolt-lock 48 slight- 1;y farther away from its locking position against the spring 56. The slight additional counterclockwise motion of the bolt-lock permits the trigger to move in the same direction a small amount but not enough to disengage the nose of the sear 80 from the cocking notch 84 of the hammer.

i Consequently, in the case of the modification shown in Fig. 12;, if the loading operation is completed, the gun will not'fire until the trigger is released permitting the boltlock to be pivoted into locking position and releasing the trigger from the pin 70 so that the trigger can be 'pivotedfar enough to disengage the sear from the haminer. On "the other hand, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 to 7 where the hook 63 on the action bar is designed tomove the head of the bolt-lock positively into locking engagement with the bolt but if the trigger is pulledduring the loading operation, the head of the boltlock will have been moved downwardly somewhat from its positionin Fig. 6 as explained above, so that the tip of the hook 63 on the action bar 26 will abut the lifting lug 69 as the action bar approaches its forward position. This will arrest further forward movement of the action bar and prevent camming of the head of the bolt-lock upwardly into locking position, until the trigger is released permitting the bolt-lock to be raised slightly to a position above the tip of the hook 63, which position it would assume under normal conditions. if for any reason the hammer should be accidentally released under the above circumstances when the bolt is not locked, the hammer will fall harmlessly below the firing pin as has been described hereinbefore. In addition to the several safety features herein described it is also feasible to incorporate a conventional type of safety which simply prevents actuation of the trigger or sear by interposing a manually operated locking member between one of these elements and a stationary portion of the gun such as the receiver.

What is claimed is:

1. In a firearm, a barrel, a frame including a receiver to which the rear end of the barrel is connected, a magazine for feeding cartridges into said receiver, a bolt mounted in said receiver for movement into and out of breech closing positions, a bolt-lock for locking said bolt in its breech closing position, means for actuating said bolt-lock, and means for firing a cartridge in the firing chamber of said' barrel; said firing means having a mem ber engageable with said bolt-lock, said bolt-lock com prising an elongated member pivoted intermediate its ends to, said frame andhaving a bolt locking head portion on one side of its pivot movable into and out of locking engagement with said bolt as said bolt-lock is rocked about, its pivot, said firing means further including a hammer pivoted to said bolt-lock adjacent the head portion thereof, said bolt-lock having on the opposite side of its pivot a portion which is engageable with said firing means member for cooperatively interlocking saidboltlock and said firing means.

2. In a firearm, a barrel, a frame including a receiver to which the rear end of the barrel is connected, a boxtype magazine located directly below the foremost portion of said, receiver adjacent the rear end of said barrel for feeding cartridges upwardly into said receiver, an elongated bolt extending longitudinally at least across the portion of said receiver into which the cartridges are fed by said magazine and mounted in said receiver for movement into and out of breech closing position, a bolt-lock for locking said bolt in its breech closing position, means for actuating said bolt-lock, and means. for firing a cartridge in the firing chamber of said barrel; said bolt-lock comprising an elongated member pivoted to said frame adjacent the rearward portion of the receiver and having abolt locking head portion forwardly of its pivot movable into and out oflocking engagement with said bolt adjacent the rear end of said bolt as said bolt-lock is swungaboutits pivot, said firing means having a hammer pivotedto said bolt-lock adjacent the head portion thereof-i 3. In a firear rnQ-a barrel, a frame including'a receiver to which the rear end of thebarrel; is connected, a magazine for feedingcartridges into said receiver, a bolt mounted in said receiver for movement into and'out of breech closing position, .a bolt-lock for locking said bolt in its breech closing position, means for actuating said bolt-lock, and firing means including a trigger for firing a cartridge in the firing chamber of said barrel; said boltlock comprising an elongated member pivoted intermediate its ends to said frame and having a bolt locking head potrion at one end thereof movable] into and out of locking engagement with said bolt as said bolt-lock is rocked about its pivot, said trigger being pivoted to said frame adjacent the end of said bolt-lock opposite the head portion thereof, said bolt-lockhaving a trigger engaging portion and said trigger having a recess into which said trigger engaging portionis moved when said bolt-lock is pivoted out of locking engagement with said bolt whereby said trigger is rendered inoperative when said bolt is unlocked; said trigger also having a nose portion adjacent said recess, said nose portion being brought into engagement with said -t rigger engaging portion of said bolt-lock when said trigger is moved to its firing position thereby preventing said bolt-lock from being pivoted out of locking engagement with said bolt when the gun is fired and until the trigger is released.

4. A firearm as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for actuating the bolt-lock comprises an action bar mounted for reciprocation in said frame and having a camming surface engageable with said bolt-lock for pivoting the head portion thereof out of locking engagement with the bolt when said action bar is moved in one direction.

5. A firearm as defined in claim 4 wherein said action bar is provided with a further camming surface which is engageable with said bolt-lock for pivoting the head portion thereof into locking engagement with the bolt when said action bar is moved in the opposite direction.

6; firearm as defined in claim 4 which further includes a spring supported in said frame of the gun and engaging said bolt-lock to urge the head; portion thereof into locking engagement with the bolt. 7 v 7. In a repeating firearm comprising a frame, a breech block slidably supported on saidframe, a hammer pivoted within said frame for pivotal movement between cocked and uncocked positions, a coilspring connected at one end to said frame and at its opposite end to said hammer at a point spaced from its pivot and urging said hammer toward its uncocked position, and an action bar connected to said bolt for reciprocating the latter'into and outof breech closing position and capable of moving said ham.- mer into cocked position, the combination of; an action.- lock comprising a lever mounted on said frame for pivotal movement and having a portion movable into and out of locking engagement with said action bar, said actionlock having means for engaging said coil spring intermediate its extremities and for holding said action-lock in engagement with said coil spring, whereby lateral movement of said coil spring caused by the movement of said hammer between its cocked and uncooked positions causes said action-lock to be pivoted into. and out of locking engagement, respectively, with said action bar.

8. The combination defined in claim 7.wherein said means for engaging said coil spn'ng and for holding said action-lock in engagement; with saidcoil spring comprises a pair of ear-portionsextending laterally from said lever and embracing said coil, spring, one on either. side thereof:

9. The combination; defined; in claim; 7 wherein said action-lock in engagement with "said coil spring comprises an ear-portion extending laterally from said lever for engagement with one side of said coil spring and a resilient member secured to said action-lock and urging said earportion into engagement with said coil spring.

10. In a firearm comprising a frame including a receiver, a bolt slidably mounted in said receiver and an action bar connected to said bolt and slidably supported by said frame for reciprocation longitudinally of said receiver; a combined action bar guide and ejector member comprising a guide portion by which said action bar is slidably supported on said frame, said guide portion being secured to said frame and having an integral ejector portion extending therefrom into said receiver through an aperture provided in said receiver, said ejector portion extending into said receiver for cooperation with said bolt in ejecting used cartridges from the receiver.

11. In a firearm, a barrel, a frame including a receiver to which the rear end of the barrel is connected, at boxtype magazine located directly below the foremost portion of said receiver adjacent the rear end of said barrel for feeding cartridges upwardly into said receiver, an elongated bolt extending longitudinally at least across the portion of said receiver into which the cartridges are fed by said magazine and mounted in said receiver for movement into and out of breech closing position, a boltlock for locking said bolt in its breech closing position, means for actuating said bolt-lock, and means for firing a cartridge in the firing chamber of said barrel; said boltlock comprising an elongated member pivoted intermediate its ends to said frame and having forwardly and rearwardly extending arms, said forwardly extending arm having a bolt locking head portion movable into and out of locking engagement with said bolt adjacent the rear end of said bolt as said bolt-lock is swung about its pivot, said firing means including a hammer pivoted to said bolt-lock adjacent the head portion thereof and trigger means having a portion engageable with a pormounted in said receiver for movement into and out of breech closing position, an elongated bolt-lock pivoted intermediate its ends to said frame for locking said bolt in its breech closing position, said bolt-lock having a bolt locking head portion on one side of its pivot movable into and out of locking engagement with said bolt as said bolt-lock is rocked about its pivot, means for actuating said bolt-lock and firing means including a trigger located adjacent the end of said bolt-lock opposite the head portion thereof and pivoted to said frame, said bolt-lock having a trigger engaging portion and said trigger having a nose portion which is brought into locking engagement with said trigger engaging portion of said bolt-lock when said trigger is moved to its firing position thereby preventing said bolt-lock from being pivoted out of locking engagement with said bolt when the gun is fired and until the trigger is released.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 728,739 Mannlicher May 19, 1903 940,191 Rebman Nov. 16, 1909 1,150,610 Mauser Aug. 17, 1915 2,126,816 Roemer Aug. 16, 1938

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