ZA200904650B

ZA200904650B - A firearm

Info

Publication number: ZA200904650B
Application number: ZA200904650A
Authority: ZA
Inventors: Andries Christoffel Piek
Original assignee: Milkor Special Products Propri
Priority date: 2008-04-03
Filing date: 2009-07-02
Publication date: 2010-04-28

Description

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THIS INVENTION relates to a firearm having a rotary magazine. : The Applicant expects the invention to find particular application in the field of firearms in the form of handguns firing large caliber rounds, such as grenade launchers, and that application will particularly be borne in mind for purposes of this specification. The Applicant believes that certain types of such firearms suffer from undesirable deformation during firing as a result of large forces induced in them. The present invention aims to maximize the stiffness of such a firearm thereby to minimize such deformation.

In accordance with the invention, broadly, there is provided a firearm which includes: a front assembly which includes a barrel, having a barrel axis, and a rotary magazine rotatable about a magazine axis generally parallel to, spaced from, and in fixed relationship to the barrel axis, the magazine defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced cartridge chambers which can respectively be brought into register with the barrel by angular displacement of the magazine about the magazine axis; a rear assembly which includes a breech plate, a firing mechanism, and a stock, the rear assembly and the front assembly being pivotally interconnected by oo a pivot hinge defining a pivot axis generally parallel to and spaced from the barrel axis, to'allow the assemblies to be pivoted about said pivot axis between a firing condition, in which the breech plate is behind and in register with the magazine, and a loading condition, in which the breech plate is laterally offset with respect : | to the magazine to permit access to the rear openings of the cartridge chambers i 30 for loading; and :

an elongate connector able to resist tensile strain, the elongate connector extending along a passage defined axially through the magazine, being anchored oo to the front assembly, and defining at a rear end thereof a first engagement | RE formation that is releasably engageable with a complementary second engagement formation defined by the rear assembly thereby to prevent rearward displacement of the second engagement formation relative to the first.

In a preferred embodiment, the elongate connector defines a spindle about which the magazine is rotatable. The spindle is advantageously fixed to the front assembly such as to prevent any relative displacement.

The second engagement formation may be fast with the breech plate.

The first engagement formation and the second engagement formation may be releasably interengageable by relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear : assemblies into the firing condition. In this case, the first engagement formation may include a shoulder and the second engagement formation may include a seat for receiving the second engagement formation and a collar for abutting a front of the shoulder when the first and second engagement formations are interengaged. In this case, the seat may be crescent- or U-shaped and define an entry via which the first engagement formation is arcuately displaceable into and out of the seat by relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear assemblies. :

In the case of the first engagement formation and the second engagement formation being releasably interengageable by relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear assemblies into the firing condition, the second engagement formation may include a latch which is displaceable between a closed condition, in which, with the front and rear assemblies in the firing condition, the first engagement formation is held captive in the second engagement formation by the latch to prevent relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear assemblies, and an open condition, in which the first engagement formation is released to

) | 4 permit relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear assemblies into the loading condition. The latch may have biasing means biasing it into its closed condition. The latch may have manual displacement means for displacing it from its closed to its open condition against the bias of the biasing means.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. oo

In the drawings: : : a

Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a firearm in accordance with the invention, in a firing condition;

Figure 2 shows a three-dimensional partial-cutaway view of the firearm of

Figure 1, in the firing condition;

Figure 3 shows a three-dimensional partial-cutaway view of a central portion of the firearm of Figure 1, in a loading condition; and

Figure 4 shows a three-dimensional partial-cutaway view of a central portion of the firearm of Figure 1, in the firing condition. :

In this embodiment, the firearm is a grenade Jauncher, which is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the firearm 10 includes a front assembly 11.1, a rear assembly 11.2, and a pivot hinge 18 via which the front and rear assemblies 11.1 and 11.2 are interconnected and pivotally displaceable about a pivot axis 18.1 defined by the hinge.

The front assembly 11.1 includes a barrel 12, a front handle 14, and a magazine 16.

The rear assembly 11.2 includes a breech plate 17, a firing mechanism including a trigger arrangement 20, a rear handgrip 22, and a shoulder stock 24.

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The magazine 16 is a rotary magazine and has six cartridge chambers 16.1 oe which are shaped and dimensioned to accommodate grenade cartridges. oo

The front assembly 11.1 and the rear assembly 11.2 are relatively pivotally displaceable between: . a firing condition, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, in which the breech : plate 17 is behind and in register with the magazine 16; and - a loading condition, in which the breech plate 17 is laterally offset from the rear assembly 11.2 thereby to expose the rear of the cartridge chambers 16.1 of the magazine 16 for loading of the chambers. :

With the front assembly 11.1 and the rear assembly 11.2 in the firing condition, they are further interconnected by releasably interengaged arms 25.1 and 25.2 defined by the respective assemblies. However, the arms 25.1 and 25.2 are typically relatively flexible and provide only nominal bracing between the front and rear assemblies.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the firearm 10 includes an elongate connector inthe form of a metal rod 32 defining an axis 30.1. A front end 35 of the rod 32 is fixed to the front assembly 11.1 such as to prevent any relative displacement and the axis 30.1 of the rod 32 is parallel to and spaced apart from the barrel axis 12.1.

The rod 32 extends through a central passage defined through the magazine 16 and serves as a spindle about which the magazine 16 is rotatable or angularly displaceable. The magazine 16 is particularly angularly displaceable between six predefined positions, thereby to align successive cartridge chambers 16.1 of the magazine 16 with the barrel 12 and firing mechanism.

The rod 32 has at its rear end a first engagement formation including a flange 32.1, the flange defining a forwardly facing shoulder 33. The rear assembly 11.2 includes a complementary second engagement formation which comprises a

® collar 40 and a seat 42. The collar 40 and the seat 42 are roughly crescent- or

U-shaped such that they define an entry 43 via which the flange 32.1 can be

So | laterally displaced into and out of the seat 42 by relative pivotal displacement of : the front and rear assemblies 11.1 and 11.2. An axial length of the seat 42 behind the collar 40 corresponds to that of the flange 32.1 such that the flange 32.1 can snugly be received in the seat 42 and held axially captive therein behind the collar 40 with the shoulder 33 abutting a rear of the collar 40.

The second engagement formation includes a latch 44. The latch 44 is displaceable between a closed condition and an open condition. In the open condition, the flange 32.1 is laterally displaceable into and out of the seat 42.

When the front and rear assemblies 11.1 and 11.2 are in the loading condition and the latch 44 in the closed condition, as shown in Figure 4, the latch 44 bears against a side of the flange 32.1 facing the entry 43, thereby to hold the flange 32.1 captive in the seat 42 thereby to prevent relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear assemblies. The latch 44 has biasing means in the form of a spring (not shown) biasing the latch 44 to the closed condition.

In use, a user wishing to load the firearm 10 must displace it from the firing condition into the loading condition. The user manually displaces the latch 44 against the biasing means by means of manual displacement means including a button (not shown). The user then pivots the front assembly 11.1 about the pivot axis 18.1 relative to the rear assembly 11.2. The flange 32.1 of the rod 32 is arcuately displaced from the seat 42. When the button is released, the biasing means biases the latch 44 back to the closed condition.

The breech plate 17 is displaced into a position offset from the rear of the magazine 16 and the cartridge chambers 16.1 are exposed, and the user loads the magazine 16 by inserting grenade cartridges into respective cartridge chambers 16.1.

When the magazine 16 is loaded or the user otherwise wishes to displace the firearm 10 into the firing condition, the user pivots the front assembly 11.1 relative to the rear assembly 11.2 into the. firing condition. The flange 32.1 bears against : a side of the latch 44 thereby automatically to displace the latch 44 into its open ~ 5 condition against the bias of the biasing means of the latch 44. The flange 32.1 : is received in the seat 42, and the biasing means biases the latch 44 back into its closed condition. The flange 32.1 and hence the rod 32 also are therefore held axially captive by the collar 40 and laterally captive by the seat 42 and the latch 44, : :

The two assemblies 11.1 and 11.2 are now firmly interconnected on opposite sides of the barrel axis 12.1 by the hinge 18 and the rod 32, respectively. The firearm 10 can now be fired in conventional fashion.

It will be appreciated that firing of the firearm 10 induces a large force along the barrel axis 12.1, tending to part the breech plate 17 from the magazine 16.

Without the benefit of interengagement of the front and rear assemblies 11.1 and 11.2 via the rod 32, as is the case in a conventional firearm of this type, sucha force would induce a significant bending moment in the hinge 18, partly due to inadequate stiffness of the arms 25.1 and 25.2 to counter such a bending moment. This would lead to undesirable elastic deformation of the firearm, which : could result in diminished accuracy and excessive wear of certain components of the firearm.

However, in the firearm 10, due to tensile strength and stiffness of the rod 32, the proximity of the rod to the axis 12.1, and the positioning of the rod 32 and the hinge 18 on opposite sides of the axis 12.1, stiffness of the firearm 10 is increased and such undesirable deformation of the firearm 10 in use is minimized. It is envisaged that such increased stiffness and minimized deformation in the firearm 10 will result in higher accuracy and reduced wear of certain components.

Claims

° Iiny —__ CL Claims: I

1. Afirearm which includes: ~~. a front assembly which includes a barrel, having a barrel axis, and a rotary magazine rotatable about a magazine axis generally parallel to, : spaced from, and in fixed relationship to the barrel axis, the magazine defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced cartridge chambers which can respectively be brought into register with the barrel by angular displacement of the magazine about the magazine axis; a rear assembly which includes a breech plate, a firing mechanism, and a stock, the rear assembly and the front assembly being pivotally interconnected by a pivot hinge defining a pivot axis generally parallel to and spaced from the barrel axis, to allow the assemblies to be pivoted about said pivot axis between a firing condition, in which the breech plate is behind and in register with the magazine, and a loading condition, in which the breech plate is laterally offset with respect to the magazine to permit access to the rear openings of the cartridge chambers for loading; and an elongate connector able to resist tensile strain, the elongate connector extending along a passage defined axially through the magazine, being anchored to the front assembly, and defining at a rear end thereof a first engagement formation that is releasably engageable with a complementary second engagement formation defined by the rear assembly thereby to prevent rearward displacement of the second engagement formation relative to the first.

2. A firearm as claimed in claim 1, in which the elongate connector defines a : spindle about which the magazine is rotatable.

3. A firearm as claimed in claim 2, in which the spindle is fixed to the front assembly such as to prevent any relative displacement.

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4. A firearm as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the second Co engagement formation is fast with the breech plate. Co i

5. A firearm as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the first engagement formation and the second engagement formation are : releasably interengageable by relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear assemblies into the firing condition. : SA

6. A firearm as claimed in claim 5, in which the first engagement formation includes a shoulder and the second engagement formation includes a seat for receiving the second engagement formation and a collar for abutting a : | front of the shoulder when the first and second engagement formations are interengaged.

7. A firearm as claimed in claim 6, in which the seat is crescent- or U-shaped and defines an entry via which the first engagement formation is arcuately displaceable into and out of the seat by relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear assemblies.

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8. A firearm as claimed in any of claims 5 to 7, in which the second engagement formation includes a latch which is displaceable between a closed condition, in which, with the front and rear assemblies in the firing condition, the first engagement formation is held captive in the second engagement formation by the latch to prevent relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear assemblies, and an open condition, in which the first engagement formation is released to permit relative pivotal displacement of the front and rear assemblies into the loading condition.

9. A firearm as claimed in claim 8, in which the latch has biasing means biasing it into its closed condition.

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10..- A firearm as claimed in claim 9, in which the latch has manual SN "displacement means for displacing it from its closed to its open condition .- -against the bias of the biasing means. _ : .

11. A firearm substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. : : DATED THIS 2"° DAY OF JULY 2009 . DHWELTHAGEN ADAMS & ADAMS APPLICANT'S PATENT ATTORNEYS