WO2005050123A1

WO2005050123A1 - Locking lever, and semiautomatic weapon comprising said locking lever

Info

Publication number: WO2005050123A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/012440
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johannes Murello
Original assignee: Heckler & Koch Gmbh
Priority date: 2003-11-14
Filing date: 2004-11-03
Publication date: 2005-06-02
Also published as: DE502004003312D1; US20060265925A1; PT1682844E; CA2545898A1; EP1682844B1; KR20060113924A; ATE357640T1; EP1682844A1; DE10353154B3

Abstract

The invention relates to a locking lever (26) for spring-loaded locking of a removable ammunition magazine (10), and a semiautomatic weapon, particularly a rifle (3), which comprises such a locking lever. Said lever (26) is provided with a locking end (25) and an actuation end (24), the lever (26) being displaced from a locked position in which the locking end (25) grips the ammunition magazine (10) into an unlocked position in which the locking end (25) releases the magazine (10) via an unlocking force (E, F) that is applied to the actuation end (24). The actuation end (24) is provided with at least two differently aligned operating elements (28, 30) via which the unlocking force (E, F) can be applied, respectively. The inventive lever (26) can be embodied together with a locking mechanism (46) that can be actuated above the closing hand which surrounds a handle piece. The locking mechanism (46) and the magazine lock (26) can be operated independently of each other while being functionally disconnected from each other with the aid of recesses (62, 20) that are arranged accordingly.

Description

Locking lever and self-loading weapon with this locking lever

description

The invention relates to a locking lever of a removable ammunition magazine and a self-loading weapon with such a locking lever, in particular a rifle.

The positional designations used in the following such as "top", "front" etc. refer to a weapon that is in the normal position of use and whose core axis (barrel center axis) runs horizontally; "front" is in the direction of the shot; "Left" and "right" are referred to from the point of view of a shooter who has the weapon in his hand.

Modern self-loading rifles generally have a magazine shaft that is open at the bottom and into which a removable magazine can be inserted. In the case of such weapons, the magazine is usually locked in that an edge of the magazine is hung in the magazine shaft and then a spring-loaded locking end locks the magazine when the magazine is pushed into the shaft. The locking end snaps into, for example, a transverse groove provided for this purpose or under a transverse piece of the magazine. To release, the magazine is gripped with one hand, the thumb pressing with its lower link on an actuating end of the magazine lock and thereby releasing the locking end from the magazine so that it can be pulled down out of the shaft. The magazine lock is arranged between the trigger area and the magazine shaft. Such a magazine lock is known from US 4,429,479 A.

However, there are also situations in which it is desirable to operate the magazine lock with the shooting hand as well to be able to do so, if possible, without detaching it from the handle of the weapon. Such an operating option allows a particularly fast magazine change, in that a finger of the shooting hand (for example the index finger or thumb) unlocks the magazine lock and the magazine falls out of the shaft. In this way, the other hand can immediately insert and lock a magazine that is already ready in the shaft. Such a magazine change is not possible with the known magazine locks. DE 195 07 012 C2 discloses such a solution for a hand gun. It is desirable to be able to implement the conventional magazine change mode (see above) with the same lock, if possible, which is also useful, for example, when several magazines are coupled to one another, and the empty magazine of the bundle thus formed is removed from the weapon for reloading a full magazine of the bundle is reinserted.

The object of the present invention is therefore to develop a magazine lock so that it can be operated both with the shooting hand and with the other hand.

This object is solved by the features of claim 1. A spring-loaded locking lever locks a removable ammunition magazine. The locking lever has a locking end which acts on the ammunition magazine itself, and an actuating end to which an unlocking force is applied which moves the locking lever into an unlocking position in which the locking end releases the magazine. At least two differently oriented control elements are arranged at the actuating end, via which the unlocking force is to be applied to the actuating end. In a development of the invention, the locking lever is a swivel lever, the swivel axis of which, in particular, extends transversely to the main axis of the weapon. This means that the plane of movement (swivel plane) of the locking lever lies in a plane running vertically through the main axis of the weapon, which is particularly easy and safe to access, especially below the barrel or barrel. The arrangement of the swivel axis between the locking and actuation ends allows a particularly space-saving and simple construction which does not require any cranking and deflections on the locking lever. The application of the spring load by means of a spring, for example a leg spring, also allows a robust and inexpensive design. The design and arrangement of the controls according to claim 4 allows the alternative unlocking variants discussed above. The first control element is used to unlock with the hand not required for shooting, in which the magazine is embraced; the control element runs largely vertically here. And the second control element, which runs largely horizontally, can be operated with the shooting hand by applying a downward or upward force.

The developments of claims 5 to 9 include variants in which it does not matter whether the shooter is left-handed or right-handed; the magazine can be unlocked on both sides of the weapon. If the actuating wings come close enough to the trigger, they can even be actuated, for example by the index finger, of the shooting hand surrounding the weapon grip. The shooter can therefore keep the gun fully in the gun when changing the magazine and keep an eye on a target. A connection of the two actuation wings below the trigger guard stabilizes the second control element. According to claim 9, the trigger guard can also be interrupted and partially replaced by the horizontally extending control element. The magazine can unlocked without having to stretch the trigger finger; it can remain curved in the trigger area for unlocking.

The developments according to claims 10 and 11 also relate to designs which overall improve the handling of the magazine lock according to the invention. The one-piece design according to claim 12 is particularly advantageous from a manufacturing point of view.

Claims 13 and 14 relate to a self-loading weapon with a locking lever according to the invention, and one in which a breech catch piece is provided, which can also be unlocked with the shooting hand, so that the breech can be released as soon as a filled magazine has been inserted and the cartridge thus into the Cartridge can be transported in the barrel and the weapon is ready to fire again. The locking catch piece has an operating element which projects downward into a recess in the trigger guard; the second control element of the magazine lock has a recess corresponding to the recess in the trigger guard in the region of the section connecting the two actuating wings. This design prevents that dirt (sand, soil, scrub, etc.) can be deposited between the lower end of the control element belonging to the catch piece and the second control element of the magazine lock. This prevents the function of unlocking the locking catch piece from being hindered and / or a build-up of dirt accumulating when the control element of the locking catch piece is actuated causing the magazine lock to be released and the magazine to be released from the shaft.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings of an exemplary embodiment, in which: 1 shows a perspective view of a grip piece or a housing part of a weapon which has a locking lever according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a partially broken away representation of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a section of the trigger area from FIG. 2 obliquely from above.

Fig. 1 shows the trigger area 1 of a weapon, among other things. has a housing / handle 6 with a handle 4 and a magazine shaft 8 and a removable magazine 10. In the trigger area 1 there is a trigger bracket 12 attached to the upper end of the handle 4, which extends up to a housing area 14 adjoining the magazine shaft 8. The trigger 16 is arranged within the trigger guard and an operating element 18, which runs from above out of the housing / handle 6 along the housing region 14 into a recess 20 of the trigger guard 12, the trigger guard 12 itself in this region forming the lower end of the operating element 18 partially enclosing thickening 22. The function of the control element 18 is described further below. On the underside of the housing area 14, the actuating end 24 exits a locking lever 26, which is used for the spring-loaded locking of the magazine 10. A first control element 28 and a second control element 30 are arranged at the actuation end 24. The locking lever 26 itself is pivotally mounted between the magazine shaft 8 and the trigger area 1 with a pin 31 passing through the housing.

2 and 3 show the function of the locking lever 26. A locking end 25 of the locking lever 26 extends inside the housing area 14 and has a latching end face 27 at its upward-facing end. which engages in the corresponding locking position in a corresponding counter surface 29 on the magazine 10. With or without a similar but immovable locking pair (not shown) on the opposite side of the magazine 10, the magazine 10 is secured in the magazine shaft 8. The locking lever 26 itself is so spring-loaded by means of a leg spring, not shown, that the locking end 25 engages with the locking end face 27 on the magazine 10.

When the magazine 10 is inserted, the upper region of the corresponding magazine wall slides along the locking end 25 and pivots the locking lever 26 somewhat against the spring load until it engages in a transverse groove 32 provided on the magazine and the magazine 10 over the counter surface which engages with the locking end face 27 29 is secured downwards.

To release the magazine 10, the shooter grips with a free hand the end of the magazine 10 protruding from the magazine shaft 8, so that the thumb comes to rest on the surface 36 of the first operating element 28 facing the handle 4. When gripping the magazine, the thumb exerts an unlocking force E on the surface 36, which pivots the locking lever 26 against the spring force, so that the locking end 25 moves out of engagement with the magazine 10, the latching end surface 27 no longer with the counter surface 29 in Engagement is, and the magazine 10 can be pivoted out of the magazine shaft 8 or pulled.

Alternatively, the locking lever 26 can also be operated with the shooting hand enclosing the handle. The unlocking force is exerted via the second control element 30 by (for example the index finger or thumb) pressing against one of the obliquely upward-facing actuation surfaces 38, 40 on one of the two actuation wings 42, 44 and thus a force F via the second control element 30 to exercises below, which also moves the locking lever 26 out of the locking position and thus releases the magazine 10 fixed at the locking end 25. Since actuation wings 42, 44 are provided both to the right and left of the trigger guard 12, the release can be actuated in a variety of ways and regardless of whether the shooter is left-handed or right-handed. To improve handling, the surfaces 36, 38 and 40 are provided with grooves. Alternatively, they can be provided with knurls, knobs, dents and / or recessed grips (not shown) or other surface structures which improve handling. There are also versions with anti-slip coatings or inlaid elastomer elements. In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the trigger guard 12 is interrupted, the gap created is filled by the second control element 30, which is designed with or without the actuating wing 42, 44.

The locking lever 26 itself is fixed here in the housing region 14 by means of the pin 31 passing through the housing 6, which pin simultaneously defines the pivot axis of the locking lever 26. The fixation can also be carried out by means of stub axles (not shown) which are formed on the locking lever 26 and which are rotatably but axially fixedly mounted in the housing in a suitable manner. So that impacts and blows, ie acceleration, of the weapon cannot release the magazine lock, the locking lever 26 can be made from a relatively light plastic material, for example in one piece by injection molding under certain circumstances with a metal insert. The spring force of the leg spring acting on the locking lever 26, the lengths of the locking or actuating end 25, 24, the position of the pivot axis and the arrangement of the operating elements 28, 30, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44 are to be coordinated with one another, that a conceivably secure locking of the magazine 10 is ensured in use and at the same time actuation of the locking lever 26 is possible without the Actuating forces E and F become so great that there is an excessive exertion of the actuating hands.

In the housing 6 of the illustrated embodiment there is also a breech block 46 which keeps the breech 48 open after the last cartridge has been fired from the magazine 10 (FIG. 2). The closure lock 46 has at its upper end a forwardly pointing tongue 50 which is pushed upwards by the feeder 11 of the magazine 10 moving upwards when the latter is in the uppermost position when the magazine 10 is empty. The tongue 50 itself protrudes only so far into the magazine 10 that it is not touched by the rear ends of the cartridge cases (not shown), but only so far that the rear end of the feeder 11, which is in a guide groove 52 provided in the magazine 10 runs, the tongue 50 lifts so that a rear-facing catch surface 54 protrudes into the path of movement R of the closure 48. The closure 48, which runs forward under spring load, moves forward only to such an extent that a front end face 56 lies against the catching surface 54 and the movement stops. A part of the locking catch 46 projects downward from the housing into the trigger area 1, the control element 18 already mentioned extending into the trigger area 1 and running along the front area of the trigger guard 12, which is formed by the housing 6. The control element 18 has an actuation extension 58 at its lower end and a handle 60 protruding from the housing at its upper end, which protrudes only a little into the trigger area 1.

The actuation extension 58 runs in a recess 20 in the trigger guard 12 and is surrounded by a beveled thickening 22. The locking device 46 is via a leg spring 63, one leg of which is received by a groove 64 and the other leg at a suitable point in the trigger area. The force of the leg spring is set such that it is dependent on the spring force moving the feeder 11 upwards is overcome so that the lock 46 is pushed upward, but that it is not sufficient to overcome the frictional force acting between the end face 56 of the closure 48 and the catching surface 54 of the lock 46. Thus, the closure 48 remains open even when the empty magazine is removed and replaced with a full ammunition magazine. When the magazine is full, the feeder is no longer in engagement with the tongue 50 of the lock 46.

Conventionally, the locking lock is released by the loading lever (not shown) and thus the lock 48 being pulled back a little, as a result of which the catch surface 54 and the correspondingly fitting end face 56 of the lock 48 separate, the lock lock 46 snaps down due to the spring load and the Catching surface 54 lies outside the movement path of the breech 48, which is now moved forward (FIG. 3) and leads a cartridge into the cartridge chamber.

The actuation extension 58 now makes this retraction of the loading lever unnecessary. The locking catch 46 can now be unlocked, for example, by pressing the trigger finger from above onto the actuating extension 58, which moves downward in the recess 20 and thus pulls the catching surface 54 out of engagement with the end face 56 of the closure 48. The shutter 48 is released and moves forward as described above.

With this handling, after the filled magazine 10 has been inserted, no further activity needs to be carried out with the "magazine hand", but this can immediately hold the weapon again. On the one hand, the reloading process itself is accelerated, and on the other hand, a target can be sighted again with the help of both hands immediately after changing the magazine. The state of the weapon can also be “felt” with the actuation extension 58: it is usually for the shooter it is not clear whether a sequence of shots was ended despite actuation of the trigger 16 by the magazine 10 being empty or by the fact that a load inhibition has occurred. The position of the actuation extension 58 now allows a distinction to be made without having to examine the weapon 3 in more detail. If the locking catch 46 is in the working position described when the magazine 10 is empty, the actuating extension 58 protrudes from the recess 20 in the trigger guard 12 (FIG. 2); the shooter therefore palms the actuation extension 58 protruding from the thickening 22 inside the trigger guard 12. When the locking catch is in its rest position, the edge of the thickening 22 in the trigger guard 12 runs flush with the upward-facing surface of the actuation extension 58 (FIG. 1 ); the shooter feels a smooth, continuous surface and knows that the interruption or the end of the sequence of shots must have another cause (possibly an inhibition of loading). This means that possible manipulations on the locking lever or other measures to overcome such a loading inhibition are only indicated if the position of the actuating extension 58 of the locking lock 46 indicates that the magazine has not been emptied. In the other case, the shooter only has to replace the magazine 10, release the lock 46, for example via the actuation extension 58, and again has a rifle ready to fire.

The above-mentioned handle 60 allows the lock 46 to be pushed up even when the magazine is removed or without the action of the feeder 11, in order to be able to keep the lock 48 open without holding the loading lever, for example for inspection of the barrel.

So that the locking catch and the locking lever 26 for magazine locking work independently of one another, a recess 62 corresponding to the recess 20 in the trigger guard 12 is provided between the two actuating wings 42, 44. As shown, this recess 62 can be used as an opening in which the two actuating wings 42, 44 connecting intermediate region 68 to be executed. However, it can also arise in such a way that the two actuating wings 42, 44 are designed as “fork tines” which, starting from the locking lever 26, each run next to the trigger guard 12.

The recess 62 in any case prevents dirt, for example, from moving under the actuation extension 58 when the trigger lock 46 is released from the locking lever 26 and the magazine is released. It also prevents material located between the underside of the trigger guard 12 and the intermediate region 68 from attacking the actuating extension 58 from below and unintentionally shifting the lock 46 into a working position in which the lock 48 is blocked.

The combination of locking lever 26 and breech block 46 with their respective operating elements shown in the exemplary embodiment allows a very simple execution of all activities required for reloading a weapon. Nevertheless, the locking lever 26 for the spring-loaded locking of a removable ammunition magazine 10 can also be used without the spring-loaded locking lock 46 or in connection with another locking lock, e.g. as described in DE 196 55 169 C2.

Claims

claims

1. locking lever (26) for spring-loaded locking of a removable ammunition magazine (10), in particular a rifle (3), with a locking end (25) and an actuating end (24), the locking lever (26) from a locking position in which the locking end (25) engages the ammunition magazine (10), by means of an unlocking force (E, F) exerted on the actuating end (24), in an unlocking position in which the locking end (25) releases the magazine (10), characterized in that the Actuating end (24) has at least two differently oriented operating elements (28, 30), via which the unlocking force (E, F) can be exerted on the actuating end (24).

2. Locking lever (26) according to claim 1, wherein the locking lever (26) is designed as a pivot lever and its pivot axis (31) in particular extends transversely to a main axis of the weapon extending in the weft direction.

3. Locking lever (26) according to claim 2, wherein the pivot axis (31) passes through the locking lever (26) between the locking and actuating ends (25, 26).

4. Locking lever (26) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring load is applied via a spring element, in particular a leg spring.

5. locking lever (26) according to any one of the preceding claims, with a first control element (28), the approximately runs perpendicular to the main axis and with a second, the control element (30), which runs largely parallel to the main axis and to the pivot axis (31).

6. Locking lever (26) according to claim 5, wherein the second control element (30) extends in the front region of the trigger guard (12) and has two actuating wings (42, 44) each running to the right and left of the trigger guard (12).

7. locking lever (26) according to claim 6, wherein the actuating wings (42, 44) are arranged so that they can be actuated with a finger of a gun handle (4) enclosing shooting hand.

8. Locking lever (26) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein an area connecting the two actuating wings (42, 44) (68) extends under the trigger guard (12).

9. locking lever (26) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the trigger guard (12) has an interruption in which the second control element (30) extends.

10. locking lever (26) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first control element (28) is arranged so that it is to be actuated with the thumb of an operator's hand enclosing the magazine (10).

11. Locking lever (26) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the surfaces (36, 38, 40) of the operating elements (28, 30) provided for actuation have a structure or coating that facilitates actuation, in particular grooves, knurls, knobs or dents, and / or recessed handles or elastomer inserts are provided.

12. Locking lever (26) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the lever (26) is in particular made in one piece.

13. Self-loading weapon, in particular a rifle (3), with a locking lever (26) according to one of the preceding claims.

14. Self-loading weapon according to claim 13 with a trigger device with a spring-loaded breech block (46) which can be moved from a rest position, in which a breech (48) is released, by engagement with a feeder (11) of the ammunition magazine (10) into a working position , in which it holds the breech (48) in the open position, the breech block (46) having an operating element (18) arranged on the trigger guard (12), which can be actuated by means of a finger of the shooting hand enclosing a grip piece, around the breech block (46 ) from the working position to the rest position so that the closure (48) is released and which projects downwards into a recess (20) in the trigger guard, a region (68) connecting two actuating wings (42, 44) having a corresponding recess (62).