US3736686A

US3736686A - Automatic hand firearm with interchangeable magazine

Info

Publication number: US3736686A
Application number: US00153349A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Moller; D Ketterer
Original assignee: Heckler und Koch GmbH
Current assignee: Heckler und Koch GmbH
Priority date: 1970-06-19
Filing date: 1971-06-15
Publication date: 1973-06-05
Anticipated expiration: 1990-06-05
Also published as: DE2030228B2; BR7103786D0; IL37064A0; BE768700A; DE2030228A1; FR2099141A5; DE2030228C3; ES205034Y; CH524126A; ES205034U

Abstract

An automatic firearm is provided with a magazine support structure which is fixed to the firearm and which includes magazine engaging lips located in the firearm in the conventional position, and a cartridge feeder member which is displaceable in the support structure by a feeder spring disposed at the free end of the support structure. The support structure has a lateral opening for inserting therein a magazine containing cartridges. Means are provided for releasably closing the opening. A flat tubular magazine is disclosed which is open at both ends, one of which is adapted to be engaged and secured by the magazine lips, the other one is arranged to be entered by the feeder member for delivering the cartridges to the breech. The magazine may be used as a packaging container for the cartridges.

Description

[ 1 June 5, 1973 111,381 8/1925 Switzerland.............. ....42/88 647,847 7/1937 Germany..................................42/O

Primary Examiner-Benjamin A. Borchelt Assistant Examiner-C. T. Jordan Att0rneyCraig, Antonelli & Hill [57] ABSTRACT An automatic firearm is provided with a magazine support structure which is fixed to the firearm and which includes magazine engaging lips located in the firearm in the conventional position, and a cartridge feeder member which is displaceable in the support structure by a feeder spring disposed at the free end of the support structure. The support structure has a INTERCHANGEABLE MAGAZINE Inventors: Tilo Moller; Dieter Ketterer, both of 7238 Oberndorf, Germany Assignee: Heckler & Koch Gmbl-l, Oberndorf (Neckar), Germany Filed: June 15, 1971 Appl. No.: 153,349

Foreign Application Priority Data June 19, 1970 Germany.....................P 228.7

United States Patent Moller et al.

541 AUTOMATIC HAND FIREARM WITH lateral opening for inserting therein a magazine containing cartridges. Means are provided for releasably closing the opening. A flat tubular magazine is disclosed which is open at both ends, one of which is adapted to be engaged and secured by the magazine lips, the other one is arranged to be entered by the feeder member for delivering the cartridges to the breech. The magazine may be used as a packaging container for the cartridges.

18 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 028 00 0 5mg 25 M 42 00 "n S n 6R mm N m u 2 n O H 4 mm. N S mm A m 0 T m." C m l N u n n u n E mm P m c d T. n m m A mm A n um i P mm a "m m S mm R m .j w m m o m u S n m A mm T m m r T e N r nu h S AF E G e D T R Hm E EM A M n 99 P w U H N H 0 0 U H G d H Std R s o 7 98 0 7 7 5 F 1]] l 00 M 2 8 6 m 4 5 5 ,7 [ii i 21 PATENTEDJUH 5197s I 3,736,686

SHEET 1 [1F 5 INVENIORS TILO M'o'lLER and DIETER KETTERER Y oax flmoww 9 2 ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUH 5197s 3. 736.686

sum 2 UF 5 INVENTORS TILO M'o'LLER and DIETER KETTERER BY 01mg QntowLQl-l -9 Hill! ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUN 5 I973 SHEET 3 UF 5 INVENTORS TILO Mb'LLERM DIETER KETTERER BY Can/L9 Omtovmmli 8 Him ATTORNEYS PATENIEDJUH 5 I975 SHEET 4 0F 5 IN VENTORS TILO MZJ'LLER a DIETER KETTERER BY cm- OMtomJlQL 9 Hum ATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUH 5 I975 3. 736 686 sum 5 OF 5 INVENTORS TILO M 6m. ER

and DIETER KETTERER BY c qg fimtwnlt '6 H 321 ATTORNEYS AUTOMATIC IIAND FIREARM WITH INTERCIIANGEABLE MAGAZINE This invention relates to an automatic hand firearm, in particular an automatic rifle with an interchangeable magazine.

Automatic hand firearms have a high firing rate so that provisions must be made for a sufficiently large store of cartridges and a fast feed of the stored cartridges, if the advantage of an automatic hand firearm is to be fully exploited. Therefore, removable or interchangeable magazines have become important for automatic hand firearms, in particular magazines of the flat tubular kind. The latter are casings consisting generally of sheet metal which are provided at one end" a with magazine lips and which comprise in their interior a spring loaded feeder member which urges cartridges disposed in the casing in the direction towards the magazine lips against which the respective foremost cartridge comes to rest. Recesses for these magazines are provided in the hand firearms, in particular a duct into which the upper end of the magazine having the maga zine lips can be inserted and detained by means of a latch. During firing, the breech of the firearm presses individual cartridges successively out of the magazine, in the direction of the magazine lips, while the feeder member pushes the column of cartridges located in the magazine forward in such manner that the respective uppermost cartridge rests against the magazine lips and is ready to be inserted into the barrel of the firearm by means of the breech.

These known magazines admittedly attain their object of providing a sufficient number of cartridges and of feeding them sufficiently fast to the firearm in a perfect manner, however they have the disadvantage that the cartridges must be individually inserted into these magazines by hand and in a laborious manner so that the loading of the magazines requires considerable time; for this reason ammunition required for an operation must be carried by a marksman in the form of full magazines. However, the quantity of ammunition which a marksman can thus carry with him is considerably determined also by the not insignificant weight of such magazines. Furthermore, it is also expensive when a large number of magazines must be available for each marksman. Neither the weight nor the cost of such magazines can be reduced below certain limits because a magazine must have high stability in order that it can reliably attain its object under very rough operational conditions in the field. Nevertheless it happens again and again that magazines and particularly their lips are deformed by a knock or a shock for example by a fall or when dropped, and cannot then function any more in a perfect manner. Such deformation can have particularlysevere consequences if it remains unnoticed by the marksman until it leads to loading interruptions caused either by the cartridges not being delivered perfectly or, however, not being held properly in the path of the breech.

Admittedly it is also known from repeating rifles to provide in the firearms themselves magazines with built-in feeder member and with magazine lips; however, these arrangements have the disadvantage that for loading the cartridges must then be inserted into the magazines more or less individually, under certain circumstances with the use of cartridge belts. In proportion to the time in which the cartridges contained in the magazine can be fired, the time required for this loading operation is far too long as that it could still be regarded in keeping with the character of an automatic hand firearm.

The invention is based on the object of avoiding the disadvantages of automatic hand firearms, which are caused by the use of removable or interchangeable magazines.

This object is attained according to the invention in that magazines lips as well as a feeder member and a feeder spring are component parts of a firearm and that an interchangeable magazine consists of a hollow body which encloses a space serving for receiving cartridges, the hollow body preferably forming the packaging container of the cartridges,-one end of the hollow body a being adjacent to the magazine lips and the other end thereof being engaged by the feeder member.

In the hand firearm according to the invention those component parts of the magazines used heretofore, namely the magazine lips and the feeder arrangement, are thus located on the rifle itself, whereas the intervening section of the conventional magazines which consists only of the hollow body containing the cartridges, is now constructed in the interchangeable manner. The particular advantage of this construction consists in that the magazine, which, according to the invention, now comprises only the hollow body serving for accommodating the cartridges, is so simple to construct and therefore so economical to produce that the marksman need not preserve it but can throw it away after the cartridges have been spent. Also the cartridges may be packed directly in such interchangeable magazines, so that the marksman need no longer occupy himself with the insertion of cartridges into a magazine. Since these magazines are not subjected to high stresses and need not be used more than once, they can be produced in a very light manner, so that the weight of these magazines does not noticeably increase the load carried by the marksman. A further advantage consists in that sensitive parts of the conventional magazines, in particular the magazine lips, are now disposed at a protected location in the firearm itself, so that loading interruptions by damaged magazines cannot occur any more and also the expenses are avoided which arose heretofore in connection with the replacement of damaged magazines.

The proposal of the invention referred to above of arranging the magazine lips as well as the feeder device of the firearm and of limiting the interchangeable magazine to a hollow body which is open at both ends and which encloses the space serving to accommodate the cartridges, can be made use of independently of whether the firearm is arranged to receive a tubular magazine or a drum magazine. In each case, care must be taken that one end of the magazine constructed in accordance with the invention can be attached to the magazine lips and that then the feeder member can be inserted under pressure into the opposite end of the magazine. When a tubular magazine is used it could be envisaged e.g. to provide on the firearm a magazine duct a lower end part of which is removable or pivotal to permit insertion of the magazine after the feeder device has been displaced into this lower end part.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a magazine support structure or duct accordingly provided on the firearm comprises at the upper end the magazine lips and encloses the feeder member and the feeder spring, but in this case the one side wall has an opening for inserting the magazine. This construction of the hand firearm according to the invention has not only the advantage that the magazine duct forms a perfect guide for the feeder member and a satisfactory holder for the magazine, but also removable or pivotal parts are avoided which could make handling of the firearm difficult. Also a cable which projects from the lower end of the magazine duct and is attached to the feeder member is sufficient in this case for pulling the feeder member into the lower part of the magazine duct to effect a change of the magazine, the feeder member then being located below the lower end of a magazine inserted into the magazine duct. Although other spring arrangements, eg with the use of roll springs, can also be envisaged, such constructional form of the invention is particularly simplified if the magazine duct is provided with a bottom member on which the feeder spring which is in the form of a helical compression spring is supported and the cable extends through a bore in the bottom member. Furthermore, A hollow end member may be located in the lower end of the magazine duct the walls of which end member are flush with the walls of an inserted magazine. This end member may simply be a section of a magazine which is inserted into the lower part of the magazine duct and is fixed therein. The particular advantage of the use of such end member resides in the fact that a perfectly stepless transition is present from the lower section of the magazine duct to the interior of an inserted magazine which transition ensures that the feeder member enters perfectly into the magazine and cannot be detained by a projecting section of the magazine.

If it is desirable that the opening provided in a side wall of the magazine duct for interchanging the magazine is to be closed in order that entry of dirt or moisture into this opening as well as disturbances in consequence of a displacement of the magazine are prevented or at least greatly impeded, the magazine duct may be surrounded by a sleeve which is telescopically displaceable thereon. In its rest position this sleeve covers the opening in the magazine duct and to permit interchange of the magazine, the sleeve can be withdrawn from the duct to such extent that the opening is released. In this embodiment of the invention a particular advantage is obtained when the cable attached to the feeder member is also attached to the lower end of the sleeve which is preferably closed by a bottom member, because upon withdrawal of the sleeve from the magazine duct not only the opening serving for interchanging the magazine is then released, but also at the same time the feeder member is pulled into the section of the magazine duct which is downwardly adjacent to the opening. If the sleeve is additionally arranged to be detained on the duct in a position in which it releases this opening, the opening in the magazine duct can be released and the feeder member can be displaced and held in a position in which an interchange of the magazine is possible, by a single manipulation namely by withdrawing the sleeve. After removing and discarding an empty magazine and inserting a new full magazine, a further manipulation is sufficient for releasing the detent and moving the sleeve back into its starting position in which it covers the opening in the magazine duct and releases the feeder member again.

In order to effect this detention of the sleeve a spring a loaded pawl may be mounted in a simple manner on a wall of the sleeve, e.g. on the wall forming the forward narrow side, a lip of this pawl penetrating through this wall and engaging in detent grooves which are disposed on the adjacent wall of the magazine duct. In order that these detent grooves have sufficient stability for securely holding the sleeve loaded by the feeder spring, a rail may be provided on the wall of the magazine duct which has interruptions serving as detent grooves.

In this embodiment of the invention preferably a further detent position for the sleeve is additionally provided in which the upper edge of the sleeve has a spacing of at least one finger width from abutment faces for this edge and/or the edge of the opening for inserting the magazine. This additional detent position ensures that if the sleeve slips accidentally out of the hand of the marksman during opening or closing, he cannot receive injuries owing to the fact that the fingers of his other hand enter between the forward edge of the closing sleeve and stationary firearm parts disposed opposite this edge.

The invention extends also to a magazine for a hand firearm of the kind referred to above. In a simple form such magazine may consist of a hollow body preferably serving directly as a packaging container which is cylindrical or slightly curved in its longitudinal direction and which has substantially uniform cross section, that is to say it may correspond in its middle section to the tubular magazines used heretofore. Since, however, in the magazine according to the invention, or also in the packaging container according to the invention, neither magazine lips are provided at the one end, nor a bottom member is present at the other end and, under certain circumstances, covers or other closures possibly provided must be removed prior to the insertion of the magazine or the packaging container into the firearm, a resilient rail with depressions suitable for the inserted cartridges is disposed, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, on the inside of at least one side wall of the hollow body. Such rail affords sufficient support to the cartridges in order to retain them in the hollow body during the manipulation of the magazine. Nevertheless the feeder member pushes the cartridges reliably through the hollow body in a perfect manner. The resilient rail may advantageously consist of a synthetic resin strip inserted into an undercut groove of the side wall, and a resilient element may then be disposed between the bottom of the groove and the rear side of the strip. This spring element may be e.g. a simple strip of foam material; however, in view of long storage ability and constancy of the spring characteristic over a wide temperature range, use of a blade spring is preferred.

When the magazine according to the invention is constructed for a double row arrangement of cartridges it is suitably provided with resilient rails on its two side walls.

Further features and constructional details of the invention may be seen from the following description in which the invention is described and explained in detail in relation to the constructional examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The features which may be seen from the description and the drawings may be used in other embodiments of the invention individually by themselves or severally in any combination. There are shown in:

FIG. 1 is the side view of a rifle according to the invention,

FIG. 2 illustrates a section along the line [I II through the rifle according to FIG. 1, on an enlarged scale,

FIG. 3 illustrates the section of the rifle according to FIG. 1 comprising the magazine arrangement, partly in side view and partly section along the line 111 III in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 illustrates the arrangement according to FIG. 3 after removal of the magazine,

FIG. 5 illustrates a section along the line V V through the arrangement according to FIG. 3,

FIG. 6 is a side view of a magazine intended for the rifle according to FIG. 1, and

FIG. 7 illustrates the magazine according to FIG. 6, partly in longitudinal section and partly in the view in the direction of the arrow VII.

An automatic rifle illustrated in FIG. 1 as a constructional example comprises a firearm casing 1, a barrel 2 whichis surrounded along part of its length by a hand protector 3, a grip member 4 which closes the firearm casing downwardly, a magazine arrangement 5 dis posed forwardly of the grip member 4, and a shoulder support 6 which closes the firearm casing 1 and the grip member 4 backwardly.

-As may be seen from FIGS. 2 to 5, a magazine arrangement 5 comprises a magazine support structure or duct 11 which consists in the present example of a box open on one wide side and which is rigidly connected to the firearm casing 1, e.g. by welding. At the upper end of the duct 11 there are provided magazine lips 12 which are also rigidly connected to the duct 11 and to the firearm casing 1, e.g. again by welding. This duct 1 1 has a bottom 13, and a hollow end member 14 is inserted into the lower part of the duct and has in crosssection approximately the same internal dimensions as a magazine 15 to be inserted into the duct. Within this end member 14 a feeder spring 16 of conventional construction is supported on the bottom 13 of the duct and tends to press a feeder member 17 disposed in the duct 11 in the direction towards the magazine lips 12. The cross-section of the duct 11 is matched to the crosssection of the magazine 15 and the existing side wall 18 of the duct is consequently provided in the region of its center with a longitudinal rib 19 which rests against a corresponding longitudinal rib 20 of the magazine 15.

. Each of the two side walls of the magazine 15 is provided with such longitudinal rib 20.

' The duct 11 is surrounded on its whole length by a sleeve 21 the cross-section of which is adjusted to the cross-section of the duct 11 and the magazine 15 and moreover has the same curvature in the longitudinal direction as the magazine 15 and the duct 11, so that the sleeve 21 is telescopically displaceable on the duct 11. The sleeve 21 consists of a hollow sheet metal body which is closed at its lower end by a slide cover 22. Similarly to the magazine 15 and the duct 11 the sleeve is provided with a longitudinal rib 23 on the major part of its length. On both sides of these longitudinal'ribs 23 there are located transverse ribs 24 which serve for stiffening the sleeve as well for improving its grip.

A pawl 26 is pivotally mounted near the upper end of the sleeve 21 on the outside of a wall thereof which, considered in the direction of firing, forms the forward narrow side of the sleeve. This pawl supports on its downwardly directed arm a lip 27 which extends through an opening 28 in the wall 25 of the sleeve. The

pawl 26 is loaded by a spring 29 which tends to press the lip 27 into the opening 28.

The wall 25 of the sleeve 21 provided with the pawl 26 is disposed at a certain spacing from the adjacent wall 30 of the duct 11. A longitudinal rail 31 is provided on the outside of this wall 30 and has

interruptions

32 and 33 which serve as detent grooves for the lip 27 of the pawl 26. Moreover an end face 34 at the lower end of the longitudinal rail 31 serves as abutment face for the pawl 26.

A cable 35 is attached to the feeder member 17 and extends through the windings of the feeder spring 16 to the bottom 13 of the duct 11 and further through an opening 36 in this bottom and through a slot 37 in the slide cover 22 of the sleeve 21. The end of the cable 35 which projects from the slide cover 22 of the sleeve 21 is provided with a head 38 which is supported on the outside of the slide cover 22. As may be seen from FIG. 4 the cable 35 is tensioned when the feeder member 17 is in its uppermost position, when the magazine is absent or empty, whereas the cable lies loosely within the compressed feeder spring 16 when the feeder member 17 is in its lower position as illustrated in FIG. 3. The cable 35 as indicated by broken lines in FIG. 3 may alternatively hang freely out of the slide cover 22 and indicate by the length of its section 35' which hangs out of the slide cover to which extent the magazine is filled.

The magazine 15 consists of a hollow body of synthetic resin which is open at its two ends and which can be produced e.g. by moulding, but alternatively also by extrusion, in large lengths and can then be cut to a desired length. The cross-sectional dimensions of the magazine 15 are so selected that it accommodates cartridges 41 in two mutually offset rows. A rib or rail 42 projecting inwardly from the forward narrow side of the magazine 15 serves for guiding the points of the cartridges, whereas rib or rails 43 projecting inwardly from the side walls provide guidance of the cartridges in the region of the forward ends of the cartridge casings. Furthermore, the magazine 15 is provided in the region of the outwardly projecting longitudinal ribs 20 with resilient rails on the insides of its side walls which are rails formed by strips 44 of synthetic resin. These synthetic resin strips are provided on their side adjacent to the magazine wall with laterally projecting edges by which they engage into undercut portions of a groove 45 disposed on the inside of the magazine wall in the region of each longitudinal rib 20. Between the bottom of these grooves 45 and the synthetic resin strips 44 there is always disposed a blade spring 46 which presses the associated synthetic resin strip 44 in the direction towards the magazine interior. The faces of the synthetic resin strips adjacent to the magazine interior are provided with depressions 47 into which engage the cartridges 41 in the manner clear from FIGS. 5 and 7.

In the region of the narrow walls recesses 48 and projections 49 are provided on the end faces of the magazine 15 and are arranged to co-operate with corresponding projections and recesses on the under edge of the magazine lips 12 in order that the magazine 15 is afforded an accurately defined position in the duct 1 1.

The magazine 15 is a synthetic resin component which can be produced very economically; it is used by the ammunition manufacturer as packaging container and is delivered filled with cartridges 41. The resilient rails formed by the synthetic resin strips 44 are provided with the depressions 47 hold the cartridges contained in the magazine 15 in a secure manner, so that the magazine can be manipulated without the cartridges contained therein being able to fall out. The spring support of the synthetic resin strips 44, however, ensures that the synthetic resin strips are pressed outwardly to permit the cartridges to be advanced by means of the feeder member under the effect of the force exerted by the feeder spring and do not impede a step by step advance of the cartridges.

For inserting the magazine 15 serving as packaging container, or also of the packaging container serving as magazine, into the duct 11 the sleeve 21 is withdrawn from the duct 11 after release of the pawl 26, until the pawl 26 engages by its lip 27 under the end face 34 at the lower end of the longitudinal rail 31. During withdrawal of the sleeve 21 from the duct 11 the feeder member 17 is also displaced from the upper position illustrated in FIG. 4 by means of the tensioned cable 35. When the sleeve 21 is located in its lowermost position in which the pawl 26 engages behind the end face 34 of the end of the rail 31, the sleeve 21 uncovers the lateral opening in the duct 11 as far as the upper edge of the member 14 and the feeder member 17 is pulled into the interior of the end member 14. Without difficulty an emptied magazine 15 can then be removed and a full magazine substituted therefor. After release of the pawl 26 the sleeve 21 is then returned into its starting position in which it is detained by the pawl 26 engaging into the upper interruption 32 of rail 31.

By this operation the spacing between the feeder member 17 and the slide cover 22 of the sleeve 21 is reduced and the cable 35 lies loosely in the interior of the feeder spring 16 as illustrated in FIG. 3. Thus, the feeder member 17 is then free to be pressed by the feeder spring 16 against the lowermost cartridge located in the magazine 15 and to press the cartridges as required in the direction to the magazine lips 12 when the firearm is actuated.

During the withdrawal of the sleeve 21 from the duct 11 when the magazine has been emptied as well as during the return of the sleeve 21 after removal of the magazine the force of the feeder spring 16 acts upon the sleeve 21 by way of the cable 35. The feeder spring 16 tends then to pull the sleeve suddenly over the duct, when it is released in the open position. In order that the marksman cannot suffer injuries by the suddenly closing sleeve owing to careless handling of the sleeve or however when his hand slips off the sleeve, an intermediate interruption 33 is provided in the longitudinal rail 31 into which the lip 27 of the pawl 26 drops when the sleeve closes suddenly. In this manner, it is ensured that the sleeve is automatically intercepted when its edge still has a spacing from the firearm casing which is greater than one finger width, so that even with careless handling of the firearm a finger cannot be clamped between the edge of the sleeve and the firearm casing.

it is clear from the above description that owing to the invention automatic hand firearms with interchangeable magazines, have been afforded a construction which makes it possible to produce magazines in the form of inexpensive disposable component parts which can serve directly as packaging containers for the cartridges, without the use of such magazines leading to difficulties. On the contrary, in the constructional example described one hand and a single manipulation. are sufficient for removing the feeder member ter, by means of a suitable device, e.g. again a cable, the feeder member has been moved into the lower section of the magazine duct. Also it is not absolutely necessary that a more or less closed duct is provided for the magazine, but guide and/or tensioning members are sufficient which hold the magazine between them.

What we claim is:

1. An automatic hand firearm having a magazine support structure fixed thereto and projecting therefrom, said support structure being in the form of a magazine duct comprising magazine lips located at the upper firearm end of said support structure, a feeder spring means disposed'at the lower opposite end of said support structure, a cartridge feeder member displaceable in said support structure by said feeder spring means, and an opening in said support structure intermediate said ends thereof for receiving therein an interchangeable magazine for accommodating cartridges, said magazines having two open ends, one of said ends being adapted to be engaged by said magazine lips, and the other one of said ends being arranged to be entered by said feeder member, and a hollow end member being disposed in the lower end of the magazine duct and having the walls thereof flush with the walls of an inserted magazine.

2. A hand firearm according to claim 1, wherein a cable projects out of the lower end of the magazine duct and is attached to the feeder member.

3. A hand firearm according to claim 2, wherein the magazine duct is provided with a bottom member on which the feeder spring constructed as a helical compression spring is supported and the cable extends through an opening in the bottom member.

4. A hand firearm according to claim 2, wherein the magazine duct is surrounded by a sleeve which is telescopically displaceable thereon.

5. A hand firearm according to 4, wherein the cable attached to the feeder member is attached to the lower end of the sleeve which is closed by a cover.

6. An automatic hand firearm according to claim 1, wherein the interchangeable magazine is of substantially uniform cross-section and hollow construction to provide a space for accommodating cartridges, said magazine also serving as a packaging container for said cartridges.

7. A magazine according to claim 6, wherein a resilient rail which has depressions arranged to suit cartridges inserted therein, is disposed on the inside of at least one side wall of the hollow body.

8. An automatic hand firearm havinga magazine support structure fixed thereto and projecting therefrom, said support structure being in the form of a magazine duct comprising magazine lips located at the upper firearm end of said support structure, a feeder spring means disposed at the lower opposite end of said support structure, a cartridge feeder member displaceable in said support structure by said feeder spring means,

and an opening in said support structure intermediate saidends thereof for receiving therein an interchangeable magazine for accommodating cartridges, said magazine having two open ends, one of said ends being adapted to be engaged by said magazine lips, and the other one of said ends being arranged to be entered by said feeder member, and the magazine duct being surrounded by a sleeve which is telescopically displaceable thereon.

9. An automatic hand firearm having a magazine support structure fixed thereto and projecting therefrom, said support structure being in the form of a magazine duct comprising magazine lips located at the upper firearm end of said support structure, a feeder spring means disposed at the lower opposite end of said support structure, a cartridge feeder member displaceable in said support structure by said feeder spring means, and an opening in said support structure intermediate 'said ends thereof for receiving therein an interchangeable magazine for accommodating cartridges, said magazine having two open ends, one of said ends being adapted to be engaged by said magazine lips, and the other one of said ends being arranged to be entered by said feeder member, a sleeve surrounding the magazine duct and being displaceable thereon, the sleeve being closed at the lower end thereof by cover means, and a cable projecting out of the lower end of the magazine duct, the cable being attached to the feeder member and the lower end of the sleeve.

10. A hand firearm according to claim 9, wherein the sleeve is detainable on the' duct in the rest position in which it covers the opening provided in the duct for inserting the magazine, and additionally also in a position in which it uncovers this opening.

11. A hand firearm according to claim 10, wherein a spring loaded pawl is mounted on a wall of the sleeve, a lip of the pawl extending through this wall and engaging into detent grooves which are disposed on the facing wall of the magazine duct.

12. A hand firearm according to-claim 11, wherein a rail is disposed on the facing wall of the magazine duct and is provided with interruptions serving as detent grooves.

13. A hand firearm according to claim 11, wherein the spring loaded pawl is mounted on the wall forming the forward side of the sleeve.

14. A hand firearm according to claim 10, wherein a further detainable position for the sleeve is provided in which the upper edge of the sleeve has a spacing of at least one finger width from one of the abutment faces for this edge and the edge of the opening for inserting the magazine.

15. An automatic hand firearm having an interchangeable magazine, characterized in that magazine lips as well as a feeder member and a feeder spring are component parts of the firearm and the interchangeable magazine is in the form of a longitudinally extending hollow body which is open at both ends and encloses a space serving for accommodating cartridges, and which is adapted to form directly the packaging container of the cartridges, one end of the magazine being disposed adjacent to the magazine lips and the other end being engaged by the feeder member, and a resilient rail having depressions arranged to suit cartridges inserted in the magazine is disposed on the inside of at least one side wall of the hollow body.

16. A magazine according to claim 15, wherein the resilient rail consists of a synthetic resin strip inserted into an undercut groove of the side wall, and wherein spring means is disposed between the bottom of the groove and the back side of the strip.

17. A magazine according to claim 15, adapted to receive a double row cartridge arrangement and provided on two side walls thereof with oppositely disposed resilient rails.

18. A magazine according to claim 15, wherein the magazine is slightly curved of a substantially constant cross section.

* III

Claims

1. An automatic hand firearm having a magazine support structure fixed thereto and projecting therefrom, said support structure being in the form of a magazine duct comprising magazine lips located at the upper firearm end of said support structure, a feeder spring means disposed at the lower opposite end of said support structure, a cartridge feeder member displaceable in said support structure by said feeder spring means, and an opening in said support structure intermediate said ends thereof for receiving therein an interchangeable magazine for accommodating cartridges, said magazines having two open ends, one of said ends being adapted to be engaged by said magazine lips, and the other one of said ends being arranged to be entered by said feeder member, and a hollow end member being disposed in the lower end of the magazine duct and having the walls thereof flush with the walls of an inserted magazine.

8. An automatic hand firearm having a magazine support structure fixed thereto and projecting therefrom, said support structure being in the form of a magazine duct comprising magazine lips located at the upper firearm end of said support structure, a feeder spring means disposed at the lower opposite end of said support structure, a cartridge feeder member displaceable in said support structure by said feeder spring means, and an opening in said support structure intermediate said ends thereof for receiving therein an interchangeable magazine for accommodating cartridges, said magazine having two open ends, one of said ends being adapted to be engaged by said magazine lips, and the other one of said ends being arranged to be entered by said feeder member, and the magazine duct being surrounded by a sleeve which is telescopically displaceable thereon.

9. An automatic hand firearm having a magazine support structure fixed thereto and projecting therefrom, said support structure being in the form of a magazine duct comprising magazine lips located at the upper firearm end of said support structure, a feeder spring means disposed at the lower opposite end of said support structure, a cartridge feeder member displaceable in said support structure by said feeder spring means, and an opening in said support structure intermediate said ends thereof for receiving therein an interchangeable magazine for accommodating cartridges, said magazine having two open ends, one of said ends being adapted to be engaged by said magazine lips, and the other one of said ends being arranged to be entered by said feeder member, a sleeve surrounding the magazine duct and being displaceable thereon, the sleeve being closed at the lower end thereof by cover means, and a cable projecting out of the lower end of the magazine duct, the cable being attached to the feeder member and the lower end of the sleeve.

10. A hand firearm according to claim 9, wherein the sleeve is detainable on the duct in the rest position in which it covers the opening provided in the duct for inserting the magazine, and additionally also in a position in which it uncovers this opening.

12. A hand firearm according to claim 11, wherein a rail is disposed on the facing wall of the magazine duct and is provided with interruptions serving as detent grooves.