US3919800A

US3919800A - Facile loading repeating firearm

Info

Publication number: US3919800A
Application number: US447159A
Authority: US
Inventors: Val A Browning
Original assignee: Browning Arms Co
Current assignee: Browning Arms Co
Priority date: 1974-03-01
Filing date: 1974-03-01
Publication date: 1975-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-18
Also published as: CA1007496A

Abstract

A side loading firearm is provided with a mechanism associated with a tubular magazine beneath the barrel and a side loading opening which functions to insure that there is always a cartridge visible through the opening when the gun is loaded to capacity but that the loading opening is always free for quick reloading whenever there is room in the magazine or the receiver for one or more cartridges. The mechanism includes a carrier member for lifting cartridges from the loading aperture up and into the chamber of the firearm in combination with a plurality of latch and stop means cooperatively adapted to control the timing of the carrier member with respect to the ejection and loading movements of the breech bolt.

Description

United States Patent [191 Browning Nov. 18, 1975 FACILE LOADING REPEATING FIREARM [75] Inventor: Val A. Browning, Ogden, Utah [73] Assignee: Browning Arms Company, Morgan,

Utah

[22] Filed: Mar. 1, 1974 [21] Appl. N0.: 447,159

[52] US. Cl. 42/17 [51] Int. Cl. F4lC 13/00 [58] Field of Search 42/17, 21

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,481,042 1/1924 Walther et al. 42/17 2,278,589 4/1942 Rutherford i 42/17 2,480,017 8/1949 Green... t 42/21 2,586,509 2/1952 Browning 42/17 2,887,808 5/1959 .lanson et al..... 42/17 3,171,225 3/1965 Green et al. 42/17 Primary ExaminerVerlin R. Pendegrass Assistant ExaminerC. T. Jordan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Trask & Britt [57] ABSTRACT A side loading firearm is provided with a mechanism associated with a tubular magazine beneath the barrel and a side loading opening which functions to insure that there is always a cartridge visible through the opening when the gun is loaded to capacity but that the loading opening is always free for quick reloading whenever there is room in the magazine or the receiver for one or more cartridges. The mechanism includes a carrier member for lifting cartridges from the loading aperture up and into the chamber of the firearm in combination with a plurality of latch and stop means cooperatively adapted to control the timing of the carrier member with respect to the ejection and loading movements of the breech bolt.

4 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures US. Patent N0v.18, 1975 Sheet10f3 3,919,800

US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet 2 of3 3,919,800

US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet30f3 3,919,800

H. lfifimiiiiiiii FACILE LOADING REPEATING FIREARM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field:

This invention relates to side loading fire-arms and provides a facile loading mechnism for such firearms whereby loading may be accomplished whether or not a cartridge is positioned within the side loading aperture. Although the invention is generally applicable to repeating firearms, whether the firearm in question has a manual or automatic action, it is particularly directed to use with shotguns, ideally those with semi-automatic, gas operated actions.

2. State of the Art:

Side loading of firearms is well known, especially in the case of rifles. Similarly, gas operated, semiautomatic shotguns have long been available. An example of a commercially successful automatic shotgun is that disclosed generally in U.S. Pat. No. 659,507. The shotgun disclosed by that patent has a tubular magazine suspended beneath the barrel and adapted to store four standard cartridges in addition to the chambered cartridge, giving the gun a total capacity of five shots. U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,509 discloses and claims the double automatic shotgun having a total capacity of two shots. The shotgun is loaded from the side of the receiver and includes a carrier assembly adapted to lift a cartridge from the loading opening on the side to up behind the chamber for insertion into the chamber upon ejection of the chambered shell. Although the side loading feature of that shotgun is advantageous from the standpoint of ease and speed of loading, the gun includes no magazine for storage of additional cartridges. Accordingly, its acceptance has been somewhat limited inspite of its advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides side loading and storage capabilities not previously available for firarms equipped with tubular magazines. The invention includes a carrier mounted within the receiver with a lowered position, beneath the loading aperture, and a lifted position, to the proximity of the chamber. The carrier constitutes means for carrying cartridges from the loading or bottom portion of the receiver to the upper or chamber portion of the receiver, all generally in conformity with the apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat No. 2,586,509. According to this invention, however, the timing of the breech bolt and carrier are coordinated so that the carrier starts to lift only when the breech boltis fully opened; i.e., fully rear-ward in its loading position. Thus, the carrier remains in appropriate position to receive a shell during the entire duration required for the breech bolt to eject a spent cartridge in response to firing the gun. In this fashion, a cartridge may be automatically loaded from the magazine onto the carrier while the bolt travels to the rear of the receiver and before the carrier lifts from cartridge-receiving position. A tubular magazine suspended beneath the barrel of the firearm in conven tional fashion is thereby permitted to work in cooperation with the side loading apparatus and without causing interference with manual loading operations. A notable characteristic of this invention is its controlled timing of the cartridge storage and loading functions of the magazine and associated control elements.

Among the control elements associated with the magazine and carrier member is a latch mounted within the receiver and biased normally to retain the carrier member in its lowered position. The latch is preferably located to the rear of the receiver and carrier, and in any event, is released by contact of a cartridge resting on the carrier member. An additional latch element holds the carrier in its lowered position until the breech bolt is fully retracted. As a consequence, the carrier member, once latched into its lowered position, will remain in that lowered position except when both l the breech bolt is in its loading position, and (2) A cartridge is actually located atop the carrier member.

A second control element is a cartridge stop member mounted to depend from the breech bolt so that, when the breech bolt is in its battery or closed position, the stop member constitutes means for retaining any cartridge stored in the magazine sufficiently far into the magazine that the loading aperture is unobstructed. That is, any cartridges stored within the magazine are restrained from projecting into the side loading aperture so that there is room for another cartridge to be inserted through the aperture onto the carrier. A notable characteristic of the mechanism of this invention is that the loading mechanism functions whether or not a cartridge is stored on the carrier.

A third control element comprises a cartridge arrester. This element is associated with the receiver, and is normally held in blocking position to prevent cartridges stored in the magazine from entering the receiver when the carrier member is in its lifted position. That is only a cartridge resting against the aforesaid stop member is permitted to follow the bolt rearward beyond the arrester. Conventional means associated with the breech bolt eject a cartridge from the chamber when the breech bolt is moved from its battery position to its loading position, and other means associated with the breech bolt force the carrier member into its lowered position when the breech bolt moves to its battery position. Means are also provided in association with the cartridge arrester and the breech bolt for moving the arrester away from its blocking position in response to moving of the breech bolt to battery position, thereby permitting a cartridge in the magazine to come to rest against the cartridge stop member.

If a cartridge is at rest on the carrier when the breech bolt moves from its battery to its loading position, any cartridges stored in the magazine remain behind the arrester. In that case, when the breech bolt moves to loading position, the cartridge on the carrier is loaded into the chamber, and when the bolt closes, the last cartridge loaded into the magazine is released to contact the cartridge stop member but does not advance to the carrier. Thus a cartridge may be inserted into the side loading aperture without interference. If no cartridge is at rest atop the carrier member when the breach bolt moves to loading position, a cartridge follows the bolt and the stop means in their rearward travel. Accordingly, if a shot is fired before reloading, the cartridge held by the stop will follow the breech bolt to the rear onto the lowered carrier and come into contact with the carrier release latch, thereby causing the carrier to lift it into the elevation of the chamber for loading into the chamber when the bolt returns to its battery position.

From the foregoing, it should be understood that when the gun is fully loaded, a cartridge will be visible on the carrier through the side loading aperture, but a cartridge will ordinarily not be visible in this position when the gun is in less than fully loaded condition. In either event, however, automatic loading of cartridges from the magazine or the receiver into the chamber in response to rearward motion of the bolt is identical.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings which illustrate what is presently regarded as the preferred mode for carrying out the invention;

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a gas operated, semi-automatic shotgun embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation to a larger scale of the receiver portion of the same firearm rotated 180 and partially cut away to expose selected internal structure;

FIG. 3 is a view to the same scale and similar to FIG. 2, but oriented the same as FIG. 1 to show the opposite side of the receiver section of the firearm;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmental views in partial crosssection of the receiver and trigger guard sections of the firearm taken generally along the centerline 4-4 of FIG. 3 but illustrating internal working mechanisms in elevation;

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are fragmentary views of a portion of the internal mechanism showing the operation of the mechanism with cartridges loaded into the magazine of the shotgun;

FIG. 10 is a fragmental view of selected components shown in FIGS. 4 through 9, in the same plane and to the same scale as those figures;

FIG. 11 is a fragmental view in cross-section taken along the section line 1111 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is similar to FIG. 10 with portions of the mechanism removed; and

FIG. 13 is a fragmental view taken along the detail line l313 of FIG. 12.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT As shown by the drawings, a gas operated, semiautomatic shotgun 21 is assembled with its principal parts in more or less conventional arrangement. Thus, a tubular magazine 22 is encased in a forearm 23 suspended beneath a barrel 24, and all of these elements are mounted forward of a receiver-trigger guard assembly, designated generally 25, which in turn is suspended from a stock 26. A loading aperture 27 is provided through what may be regarded as the left side of the receiver while a cartridge expelling port 28 is provided on the opposite or right side of the receiver in line with the chambered portion 29 of the barrel 24.

In loading the firearm of this invention, cartridges 35 are introduced one by one through the loading aperture 27 as shown in FIG. 3. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the firearm in receptive loading condition; i.e., with the breech bolt 36 in its loading position. In this position, the breech bolt 36 is fully to the rear so that the breech 37 directly behind the chamber 29 is open. Referring to FIG. 3, a cartridge is shown partially inserted into the magazine 22 with the front end of the cartridge 35 bearing against the maagazines spring follower 39 in conventional fashion. The cartridge 35 may be pushed easily with the thumb against the base of the cartridge to about one-half to three-quarters length into the magazine 22.

A carrier assembly, designated generally 44, is mounted within the receiver to pivot on an axle 45 located above the trigger guard 46 from a lowered position (FIGS. 4 and 6) to a lifted position (FIG. 5). A carrier latch 50 is mounted within the receiver and is biased normally to retain the carrier 44 in its lowered position. It is positioned towards the rear of the loading aperture 27 so that it may be forced from its latching position by the base of a cartridge 35 at rest in loading position on the carrier (See FIG. 8).

Pulling the thumb away from the cartridge 35 and out of the opening permits the cartridge to snap to the rear against the carrier release latch 50, thereby permitting the carrier to lift the cartridge up into the breech of the receiver 37 behind the chamber 29. This action of the carrier causes release of the breech bolt 36 by a bolt sear 51 so that the bolt 36 returns to its battery position (FIG. 6). The breech is then closed and locked ready to fire. Forward travel of the bolt 36 also urges the carrier 44 down to its lowered position wherein it is latched until a subsequent cartridge presses against the carrier release latch 50. Other mechanism (FIG. 10 through 13) retains the carrier 14 in its lowered position without regard to the latch 50 whenever the bolt 36 is in battery position.

With the breech block forward in battery position, a fingerJike, spring actuated cartridge stop 52 depending from the under surface of the breech bolt 36 is brought into cartridge-retaining position behind the magazine.

Additional cartridges

53, 54 may then be guided into the loading aperture and pushed forward until the base 55 of the last cartridge loaded 54 passes the front tip of the cartridge stop 52. As may be seen from FIG. 7, the cartridge stop 52 is spring biased down behind the base 55 of the cartridge 54 and is located to hold the cartridge 54 far enough into the magazine to ensure that the loading aperture 27 is open for the quick reception of subsequent cartridges as they are pushed in sequence against the base of the immediately preceding cartridge.

Because the magazine tube length is limited, or often plugged in conformance with hunting regulations, so that it is capable of receiving only a predetermined number of cartridges, eventually there is insufficient room remaining in the magazine to receive an additional cartridge. Thus, the last cartridge 56 loaded into the firearm cannot be pushed far enough for its base to pass the front end of the cartridge stop 52. Release of this cartridge by the thumb allows it to move to the rear to a position on the carrier 44 against the carrier latch 50. This cartridge 56 is held from falling out of the gun to pressure of the magazine spring transmitted through the cartridge to the latch 50 and trigger guard 46. In this condition, as best shown by FIG. 8, the firearm is fully loaded.

An important aspect of this invention, as compared to other firearms having tubular magazines, is that the center of gravity of the stored cartridges is relatively closer to the receiver. In effect, the volume of stored cartridges is shifted to the rear one full cartridge length. This shift enhances the feel or balancce of the firearm.

A glance into the loading aperture will indicate to the shooter that his gun is fully loaded if he sees a cartridge reposing on the carrier. Normally, whenever the gun is in less than fully loaded condition, the loading aperture will be free to receive another cartridge. Thus, if a shot is fired and the cartridge 56 is loaded into the chamber as previously described, the remaining

cartridges

53, 54 are held in stored condition in the magazine.

The illustrated firearm functions in afashion inherent in semi-automatic guns of the type known to the art, but the principles of operation of the present invention are..equally applicable to manually operated firearms such as slide action or pump shotguns. In the illustrated instance, after a shot is fired, the spend cartridge will be ejected through the ejection opening 28 (FIG. 2). Any cartridge reposing on the carrier at this moment has necessarily maintained the latch 50in unlatched conditridge is inserted into the loading aperture'27 between the second and third shots.

A cartridge arrester 58 is mounted within the receiver and functions to retain the cartridges stored within the magazine when the carrier 44 is lifted. Although the cartridge arrester 58 may be mounted to coact with a variety of working pieces within the receiver or trigger guard, it is shown pivoted from the trigger guard 46 on an axle 59 so that it automatically rises when the carrier 44 lifts and is depressed, as shown in FIG. 6, when'the carrier 44 returns to its lowered position. The rearmost cartridge 54 (FIG. 7) in the magazine is thus allowed to come to rest against the cartridge stop 52. It is then free to follow the breech bolt in its rearward travel to loading position in the event no additional cartridge is loaded through the loading aperture 27 prior to movement of the bolt 36 following either discharge or manual ejection of a cartridge from the chamber 29. If another cartridge is introduced through the loading aperture, it will push any cartridge resting against the cartridge stop sufficiently forward in position to be inherently arrested by the cartridge arrester 58 as it lifts in response to rearward vmovement of the bolt 36.

fashion beyond the cartridge stop 52, the side loading aperturev 27 will always be empty unless the gun is in fully loaded condition. The automatic loading action of the gun for firing successive shots is virtually identical whether the gunfis fully loaded or not, i.e., whether or not a cartridge is at rest atop'the carrier 44. If a cartridge is at rest on the carrier, the remaining cartridges are held forward of the tip end of the arrester 58 so that they are held by the arrester 58 when the carrier 44 is lifted into loading position. With the carrier 44 in its lowered position, the arrester 58 is always held down so that the last cartridge in the magazine advances to the cartridge stop 52. Accordingly, the mere fact that the side loading aperture 27 is in receptive condition to receive another cartridge does not prevent automatic and rapid loading of stored cartridges into the chamber. The rearmost stored cartridge will follow the breech bolt and depress the latch 50 so that it is loaded at precisely the same instant the carrier would otherwise load a cartridge already at rest on the carrier.

FIGS. 10 through 13 illustrate the fashion in which the carrier 44 is latched into its lowered position or released in response to the position of the bolt 36. The mechanism illustrated prevents a cartridge on the carrier 44 from lifting up into contact with the bolt 36 when it is in battery position. As shown by FIG. 10, the carrier 44 is retained in lowered position by a latch element 60 spring-biased to overlap one side rail 44a of the carrier 44. The latch element 60 is carried at the end of a spring member 61 which is mounted by a pair of spaced pins 62 adjacent a recess 63 milled into a wall of the receiver.

As best shown by FIG. 12, a linkage member 65 is attached to the bolt 36 so that it reciprocates within the receiver as the bolt 36 moves back and forth from battery to loading position. A dog element 66 extends up from the spring member 61 in position to register with a ramp surface 67 formed in the under surface of the linkage member 65. (See FIG. 13.)

In operation, as the bolt 36 moves to the rear, the linkage member is pulled back so that the ramp 67 engages the dog 66, thereby urging the spring member 61 into the recess 63. As aa consequence, the latch element 60 is forced back out of contact with the rail 44a so that the carrier 44 is free to lift (assuming the carrier latch element 50 is released). When the bolt returns to battery position, the carrier precedes it slightly into lowered position where it is normally held by the latch 50. Return of the bolt 36 to battery position inherently releases the dog 66 from contact with the ramp 67 so that the latch element 66 is again urged across the rail 44a.

Reference herein to certain details of the illustrated or preferred embodiment should not be taken as limit ing the scope of the appended claims which themselves recite those details regarded as essential to the invention.

I claim:

1. In a side loading firearm having a barrel, a tubular magazine suspended beneath the barrel, a chamber bored into one end of said barrel, a receiver attached to communicate with said magazine and said chamber, means within the magazine to urge cartridges therein toward said receiver, and a breech bolt reciprocally mounted within said receiver to alternate between an open (loading) position and a closed (battery) position, the improvement which comprises:

a loading aperture in one side of the receiver constituting means for loading cartridges into the magazine;

a carrier member mounted within the receiver with a lowered position beneath the loading aperture and a lifted position to at least near the bottom of the chamber constituting means for carrying cartridges from the bottom portion of the receiver to the upper portion of the receiver in approximate alignment with the chamber when the breech bolt is in its loading position;

a latch mounted within the receiver biased normally to retain said carrier member in its lowered position and located to be released by contact of a cartridge resting on said carrier member so that said carrier member, once latched in its lowered position, will remain in said lowered position, except when both the breech bolt is in its loading position and a cartridge is located atop said member;

a cartridge stop member mounted to depend from said breech bolt so that when said breech bolt is in its battery position, said stop member constitutes means for retaining any cartridges stored in the magazine sufficiently far into the magazine to keep said loading aperture unobstructed so that there is room for another cartridge to be inserted therethrough;

means associated with said breech bolt for ejecting a cartridge from said chamber when the breech bolt is moved from its battery position to its loading position;

means associated with said breech bolt to force said carrier member into its lowered position when said breech bolt moves to its battery position;

cartridge arrester means associated with said receiver normally held in a blocking position to prevent cartridges stored in the magazine from entering the receiver when the carrier member is in its lifted position; and

means associated with said cartridge arrester and said breech bolt for moving said arrester away from its blocking position in response to moving of the breech bolt to battery position, thereby to permit a 8 cartridge from the magazine to come to rest against said cartridge stop member.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said cartridge stop member is mounted on said breech bolt to travel with the breech bolt to the rear when the breech bolt is moved to its loading position so that a cartridge resting against said cartridge stop will move to the rear to rest atop said carrier member unless a cartridge is already at rest atop said carrier member, said stop member being further adapted to permit travel of the breech bolt to the rear whether or not a cartridge is at rest on said carrier member.

3. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said cartridge arrester means is associated with a trigger guard assembly mounted within the bottom portion of the receiver.

4. The improvement of claim 1 further including a latch element normally retaining said carrier in its lowered position when the bolt is in its battery position, operable to release said carrier when said bolt is in its loading position.

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. I 3 919 DATED November 18, 1975 lN\/ ENTOR(S) Val A. Browning It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

C01. 1, line 41, change "firarms" to --firearnrs-;

Col. 3, line 60, change "Fig.3" to -Fig. 4;

Col. 4, line 50, change "to" to --by--;

Col. 4, line 59, change "balancce" to --balance--;

C01. 4, line 21, change "14" to -44---;

Col. 5, line 11, change "THe" to --The-;

Col. 6, line 21, change "aa" to -a-.

Signed and Salad this thirteenth I) 3y Of April 1976 [SEAL] A ttes t:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting ()jll'icer ('ummissimur uflarvrrrs and Trademarks UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Q PATENT N0. 3,919,800

DATED November 18, 1975 INV ENTOR(S) Val A. Brownin It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 1, line 41, change "firarms" to --firearms;

C01. 3, line 60, change "Fig.3" to --Fig. 4;

Q Col. 4, line 50, change "to" to by-;

Col. 4, line 59, change "balancce" to -balance--;

Col. 4, line 21, change "14" to -44;

O Col. 5, line 11, change. "THe" to The-;

C01. 6, line 21, change "aa" to -a--.

Signed and Scaled this t thirteenth Day or April 1976 [SEAL] Arrest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner nflarcins and Trademarks

Claims

1. In a side loading firearm having a barrel, a tubular magazine suspended beneath the barrel, a chamber bored into one end of said barrel, a receiver attached to communicate with said magazine and said chamber, means within the magazine to urge cartridges therein toward said receiver, and a breech bolt reciprocally mounted within said receiver to alternate between an open (loading) position and a closed (battery) position, the improvement which comprises: a loading aperture in one side of the receiver constituting means for loading cartridges into the magazine; a carrier member mounted within the receiver with a lowered position beneath the loading aperture and a lifted position to at least near the bottom of the chamber constituting means for carrying cartridges from the bottom portion of the receiver to the upper portion of the receiver in approximate alignment with the chamber when the breech bolt is in its loading position; a latch mounted within the receiver biased normally to retain said carrier member in its lowered position and located to be released by contact of a cartridge resting on said carrier member so that said carrier member, once latched in its lowered position, will remain in said lowered position, except when both the breech bolt is in its loading position and a cartridge is located atop said member; a cartridge stop member mounted to depend from said breech bolt so that when said breech bolt is in its battery position, said stop member constitutes means for retaining any cartridges stored in the magazine sufficiently far into the magazine to keep said loading aperture unobstructed so that there is room for another cartridge to be inserted therethrough; means associated with said breech bolt for ejecting a cartridge from said chamber when the breech bolt is moved from its battery position to its loading position; means associated with said breech bolt to force said carrier member into its lowered position when said breech bolt moves to its battery position; cartridge arrester means associated with said receiver normally held in a blocking position to prevent cartridges stored in the magazine from entering the receiver when the carrier member is in its lifted position; and means associated with said cartridge arrester and said breech bolt for moving said arrester away from its blocking position in response to moving of the breech bolt to battery position, thereby to permit a cartridge from the magazine to come to rest against said cartridge stop member.