US3570161A - Blocking bolt safety device - Google Patents

Abstract

A SAFETY DEVICE FOR USE WITH A BOLT ACTION RIFLE OR CARBINE, WHEREIN THE BOLT IS LOCKED AND UNLOCKED BY MANUAL OPERATION OF A HANDLE, THE DEVICE HAVING AN ELONGATED FLAT BODY PORTION PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE END THEREOF EXTERNALLY ON THE RECEIVER, THE OTHER END HAVING A YOKE RECEIVING THE HANDLE FOR RETENTION THEREIN WHEN THE SAFETY IS "ON" AND A SPRING TO RETURN THE DEVICE AUTOMATICALLY TO "OFF," WHENEVER THE HANDLE IS MANIPULATED TO FULLY LOCK THE BOLT.

Description

March 1-6, 1971 H. J. NORDHAUSER 3,570,161

BLOCKING BOLT SAFETY DEVICE Filed Aug. 2, 1967 fzzvenior:

Herbefi J. Nordhanser HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent Otfice 3,570,161 Patented Mar. 16, 1971 3,570,161 BLOCKING BOLT SAFETY DEVICE Herbert J. Nordhauser, Box 8652, Albany, N.Y. 12208 Filed Aug. 2, 1967, Ser. No. 657,982 Int. Cl. F41c 17/00, 17/08 US. CI. 42-70 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Safety devices for firing mechanisms of small arms are well known. Such devices are particularly desirable and are almost always incorporated in commercial or sports shooting equipment. In view of the vast amounts of military ordnance classified surplus, as a result of obsolescence and changing military requirements; it has also become popular to provide so-called sporterized versions of military hardware. Examples of such weapons currently available on the market in some quantity include: Various models (e.g., Model 1916, 1892 Mosquetons, 1902 Indo-China, 1907-15 Colonial) of the 8 mm. Lebel rifle and carbine; the -11 mm. Gras rifle and a 1936 M.A.S. rifle. One defect common to all these, and other military firearms, from the sportsmans standpoint, is that they have no safety device of any kind. For such guns to be commercially feasible and acceptable it is highly desirable to incorporate a safety which, while being reliable, will require the least amount of modification to the firing mechanism and hold conversion costs to a minimum. Thus, such fully integrated automatic safety devices as are exemplified by the invention described in the US. patent to Knode, Jr.3,130,513--are quite unsuitable for low-cost, simple installation on sporterized versions of the aforementioned weapons.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a simply installed, low-cost reliable safety device for a commercialized version of a bolt action type military weapon requiring no modification to the internal firing mechanism of the weapon.

A more specific object of the invention herein described is the provision of a simple, yet reliable safety device adapted to be externally mounted on the receiver of a sporterized version of a military type rifle or carbine originally manufactured without any safety device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention I have provided for use with a bolt action weapon, exemplified by the several versions of the French made 8 mm. Lebel rifle or carbine, a safety device having an elongated body portion, preferably made from a flat sheet-metal stamping (or casting), pivotally mounted at one end thereof on the receiver externally of the firing mechanism. At the other end of the elongated body portion are restraining means to grip the bolt handle or lever in the form of a yoke, in the disclosed embodiment. The yoke arms, laterally spaced on the body, receive the handle when the safety is in the on position. When manually moved from the unlocked to the locked position, the handle is angularly displaced from the body portion which is then caused to pivot rearwardly about the said one end under the action of a spring member engaged with and intermediate the body portion and the gun receiver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the claims appended hereto and from the following detailed description with accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevation of a typical Lebel rifle having the safety device of the invention installed thereon; and

FIG. 2 is a partial pictorial view of the said rflle and safety device with the parts of the device illustrated in a disassembled position for clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now more specifically to FIG. 1, partially illustrated therein is a rifle, indicated generally at 10, which is of Lebel manufacture. It will be understood, however, that my invention will be equally useful with other varieties and manufactures of such military type rifles and carbines lacking the desired safety devices for commercialized usage. The illustrated gun includes a bolt, indicated generally at \12, a receiver 14, and a stock 16. The model shown, which is typical of the aforementioned guns, includes a retaining screw 18 which passes through a hole 19 in the trigger or firing mechanism, indicated generally at 20. Indicated generally at 22 is the bolt han dle comprising a bolt block 23 and the handle or lever itself, indicated at 24. While shown projecting at a slight downward angle from block 23 it will be clear that the lever or handle portion 24 may project at an increased downward angle or project essentially laterally in a horizontal plane, depending on the exact manufacture of the gun selected for sporterization. In any event, the handle usually includes a round knob 26. at the extreme end thereof for ease of manipulation of the bolt handle. The firing mechanism, illustrated externally only, includes a conventional trigger guard and trigger mechanism, indicated generally at 28.

The blocking bolt safety device of my invention is generally indicated at 30. The device includes an elongated body portion 32 preferably in the form of a stamping of substantially fiat sheet-metal for ease of manufacture and lowest cost. A reinforcing rib 33 is provided, although it will be understood the body portion could comprise a casting or any other form of manufacture in keeping with desired functional operation, as described fully hereinbelow. At one end of the elongated body portion is a hole 34 adapted to loosely receive the retaining screw 18 having a head 18a of sufiicient size to maintain the body portion on the receiver. Indicated at 36 at the other end of the body portion is restraining means in the form of a yoke having a pair of arms 36a and 36b laterally spaced of the body portion 32. As seen in FIG. 1, the arms are adapted to receive the bolt handle portion 24 therebetween, the handle resting at the bottom of the yoke.

As seen in FIG. 1 the bolt is in an unlocked position being restrained thereat by the safety device 30. It will be understood that the shooter will move the handle angularly to the position shown and position the safety device in its on position for engagement with the bolt by camming the bolt handle portion 24 down into the yoke restraining means 36, i.e., between the laterally spaced arms 36a and 3612. In this position the handle portion 24 of the bolt, which is only partially locked, cannot move out of safe, as the pivot point of the elongated body portion 32 at screw 18 is a fixed distance from the handle position at the bottom of the yoke. Thus, the body member cannot pivot forwardly of the position shown since it is bearing against the stock well, at 39, nor can it pivot rearwardly since it cannot move the bolt handle portion 24 from the position shown. To enhance the gripping action, however, and to enable the body 32 to be automatically moved to the safety off position when the shooter angularly manipulates the bolt handle to fully lock the bolt, I provide resilient means in the form of a spring member, indicated generally at 40. The spring member shown has a loop portion 41 adapted to receive and be retained on screw 18, a bearing leg 42 that nests against the shoulder or stock well 39, and an upright or working leg portion 43 having a book 44 at the extreme end thereof. The hook 44 engages the body portion 32 of the safety device and urges the body rear- Wardly about the pivot point at hole 34. The spring member also provides increased restraint on the handle 24 in that it increases the frictional engagement between the yoke arms and the handle. The spring thus acts as an automatic return device and a tensioning member.

The present invention therefore fulfills a demonstrated need for an inexpensive, simply installed and operated, yet reliable safety device for the enumerated, and similar, military type rifles and carbines without any need for modifications, external or internal, of these weapons.

:What I claim and desire to obtain Letters Patent of the United States on is:

1. In combination with a bolt action firearm, wherein a bolt is locked and unlocked by angular motion of a bolt handle and wherein said angular locking motion of said bolt is operative to cock a firing mechanism, the improvement of a safety device comprising a bolt handle blocking member pivotally mounted at one end thereof externally of said firing mechanism, the other end of said blocking member having restraining means comprising an open-ended yoke portion having a pair of laterally spaced arms, said blocking member being manually pivotable about said one end to move said restraining means forwardly to a safety on position, wherein said laterally spaced arms receive said bolt handle therebetween to maintain said bolt in the unlocked position.

2. In combination with a bolt action firearm, wherein a bolt is locked and unlocked by angular motion of a bolt handle and wherein said angular locking motion of said bolt is operative to cock a firing mechanism, the improvement of a safety device comprising a bolt handle blocking member pivotally mounted at one end thereof externally of said firing mechanism, the other end of said blocking member having restraining means comprising a yoke portion including a pair of generally parallel arms laterally spaced on said blocking member and open to receive said bolt handle, and a spring member externally mounted on said firearm at said one end of said blocking member, said spring member having a bearing leg engaging said firearm and an actuator leg engaging said blocking member to pivot said blocking member rearwardly to a safety 0 position whenever said bolt handle is moved angularly outwardly of engagement with said restraining means and into the bolt locked position, said resilient member operating to enhance continuous frictional engagement of said blocking member restraining means with said bolt handle for more positive restraint thereof, said blocking member being manually pivotable about said one end to move said restraining means forwardly to a safety on position, wherein said restraining means engages said bolt handle to maintain said bolt in the unlocked position.

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