Pump gun

A pump gun is disclosed having a loading and firing mechanism which comprises a cartridge stop lever (21), that is not connected to the hammer, interacts with the cocking slide (22) associated with the cartridge magazine and is susceptible to rocking movements on an intermediate pin (30) between an operating interception position of a first cartridge in the magazine, when the cocking slide is in a retracted work position, and an idle release position of the same cartridge from the magazine tube, when the cocking slide is in the forward rest position.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention concerns improvements on a pump gun of the type disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 278,324 in the name of W. H. Elliot and produced by Colt.

STATE OF THE ART

The gun taken into consideration comprises mainly a barrel with a cartridge chamber, a cartridge magazine tube arranged under and parallel to the barrel, a carrier made to receive a cartridge from the magazine tube and to carry it up to the cartridge chamber, a breech block moving between a retracted open position and a forward closed position of the cartridge chamber, a firing pin on board of said breech block, a hammer associated with a control trigger and turning between a cocked and a firing position on said firing pin, a breech block retaining lever in a retracted position, a cocking slide moving between a forward rest position and a retracted work position to produce the movements of the breech block, the rotation of the hammer in the cocked position and the transfer of a cartridge from the magazine tube to the carrier to send it to the cartridge chamber following a successive forward movement of the breech block, and a closing lever associated with the cocking slide and designed to lock the breech block in the forward closed position of the cartridge chamber.

However in such a gun, the components of the loading mechanism of a cartridge into the cartridge chamber, cocking hammer and firing are all connected to and depend on the hammer. So, in particular, when for various reasons the cartridges require to be removed from the magazine to prevent the gun being used, and so as not to have to fire each individual cartridge until the magazine is empty, the hammer has to be cocked and released each time, taking care to accompany it carefully against the rear of the breach block so that it does not strike the firing pin. In this way however the risk of accidentally or however inadvertently firing a cartridge cannot be excluded.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

One objective of this invention is to avoid such a risk and therefore to enable the cartridges to be unloaded from the pump gun without necessarily having to use the hammer.

Another aim of the invention is to propose a pump gun like the one referred to above, but with some of its components improved, to facilitate loading of each cartridge into the barrel and for a more reliable and safe use of the gun itself.

These objectives and implicit advantages which derive from them are achieved, according to the invention, with an unloadable pump gun in compliance with the preamble of claim1and characterized by a longitudinally stationary cartridge stop lever, interacting with said cocking slide and susceptible to rocking movements on an intermediate pin between an operating interception position of a first cartridge in the magazine when the cocking slide is in the retracted position and an idle release position of the same cartridge from the magazine when the cocking slide is in the forward position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown, the gun comprises a receiver10which holds a cocking and firing mechanism and to which are fixed a barrel11with cartridge chamber and a magazine tube12, located under and parallel to the barrel and made to contain several cartridges13inserted through an opening10′ provided in one side of the receiver.

Said firing mechanism comprises: a breech block14holding a firing pin15, an extractor16and a firing pin stop17; a hammer18with relative control trigger19; a carrier20; a stop lever21; and a cocking slide22connected to the breech block by means of an action lock23, and where the hammer, trigger, carrier and stop lever are assembled on a trigger plate10aassociated with the receiver10.

In detail and considering the barrel as the front of the gun, the breech block14moves in line with the barrel between a forward, closing, thrust position of a cartridge13into the cartridge chamber of the barrel11and a retracted opening position of the cartridge chamber, of expulsion of the fired cartridge shell and cocking of the hammer. The movements of the breech block from one position to the other are set by the cocking slide22by means either of the action lock23or by hand. When the breech block is in the closed position, said action lock23rests against a fixed shoulder stop10″ with the help of a spring23′—FIG.12—, which, above all, acting as a safety device, prevents it uncoupling in the cases of either small movements of the cocking slide, or knocks or vibrations received by the gun.

Also of important is the fact that the breech block has a front appendix14′—FIG.15—facing forwards and forming a sloping surface or slide14″ made for a cartridge to rest against, be lifted by and to be pushed into the cartridge chamber of the barrel when the breech block moves forward into the closed position.

The firing pin stop17on board the breech block14is provided to hold the firing pin in a retracted inactive position until the breech block is in a forward position and the firing pin has to be hit by the hammer in order to fire a cartridge present in the barrel cartridge chamber.

The hammer18can turn on an axis24between an active position on the firing pin and a cocking position, in which it is stopped by a latch25integral with the control trigger19and engaging with a cocking tooth26of the hammer.

The carrier20oscillates on a pin28and is moved by the breech block action lock23and in relation to the position of the hammer18between a lowered position to receive a cartridge13from the cartridge magazine12and a raised position to guide the cartridge towards the cartridge chamber of the barrel11. When the breech block is forward, the carrier20is in the lowered position on a level with the exit of the magazine12; when, on the other hand, the breech block is retracted to cock the hammer, the carrier20is moved into the raised position. The carrier20has two lateral indents29which engage alternately with a locking means, such as a ball spring27or something similar—FIG. 14, to temporarily hold the carrier in one or the other of its two positions, lowered or raised.

The stop lever21is assembled on a respective pin30carried by the trigger plate10ato be longitudinally stationary, but rocking on said pin between an intercepting, working position of a first cartridge in the magazine12and an inoperative release position of the same cartridge from the magazine. This stop lever21is positioned below the carrier20and is associated and interacting with the cocking slide22. The latter is guided in the receiver10and manually movable along the cartridge magazine12between a forward rest position, in which the breech block is in the forward closed position, and a retracted work position, in which it moves the breech block back, causing the hammer to move into the cocked position and the carrier20to lift up.

At its rear, free end, the cocking slide has a slot31by means of which it engages with the action lock23associated with the breech block14and made to block the latter in the closed position of the cartridge magazine.

The cocking slide22has also a longitudinal slot32with two ribs33on an intermediate part of the length of the opposite sides, into which a stop protrusion34integral with the end facing forwards of the stop lever21, fits and is guided. Said stop protrusion34has a front surface35facing towards the cartridge magazine, two wings36on its sides and two sloping surfaces37on its rear side.

The stop lever21is stressed by two, different strength, flat springs; a first spring38, the weaker, placed between the trigger plate10aand the latch and tending to move the latter upwards into a working position; a second spring39, the stronger, positioned between the stop lever and the cocking slide22. The latter spring39is present only to come into contact with the rear part of the cocking slide22when the latter is moved forward, so as to annul the action of the first spring38and allow the protrusion34of the stop lever21to lower into an inoperative position. The spring39is on the other hand unimportant when it is in line with the slot32of the cocking slide22.

The front surface35of the stop protrusion34is made to stop and hold the cartridges in the magazine; the lateral wings36are provided to interact with the ribs33on the sides of the slot of the cocking slide22so as to move the protrusion34of the cartridge stop lever21higher; the sloping surfaces37behind the protrusion are there to interact with a shoulder40, also inclined, formed on a cross-piece near the rear end of the longitudinal slot32and separating the latter from slot31connecting the cocking slide22to the action lock lever23.

When the cocking slide22is in the forward rest position and the breech block14is in the closed position of the cartridge chamber, and thanks to the second spring39, the protrusion34of the cartridge stop lever21, is lowered without intercepting the first cartridge in the magazine, by means of the inclined shoulder40which engages the inclined surfaces37at the rear of the stop protrusion34. In this position, the carrier20is in a lowered position and can receive a cartridge from the magazine and if the hammer has been turned previously in the cocked position it is possible to release it to fire a cartridge present in the barrel—FIGS. 1 and 2.

The stop lever21, thrust by the first spring38, is on the other hand raised into the operating position, with the protrusion34protruding over the cocking slide22, when this cocking slide is fully retracted in the breech block14retracted position to open the cartridge chamber and to re-arm the hammer. So, the stop protrusion34with its front surface35intercepts and holds the cartridges in the magazine12—FIG.3. In a first section of the backwards movement of the cocking slide22, however, the action of the spring39ceases, but the stop lever21still remains lowered due to the lateral ribs33—FIGS.7-9—in the slot of the clocking slide that rest and slide on the wings36on the sides of the stop protrusion34until the latter comes into contact with the cartridge of the carrier. Only in the last portion of the backward movement of the cocking slide22does the stop lever21move into the interception position of the cartridge13in magazine12—FIGS. 3,4. In this way, in fact, the lateral ribs33disengage the lateral wings36of the stop protrusion34—FIGS. 8,10—and the spring38makes the stop lever oscillate until its protrusion34intercepts and holds the cartridge in the tank. At the same time the carrier20, engaged by the action lock23, will lift the cartridge13received on a level with the barrel, and the cartridge will be thrust and closed in the cartridge chamber following the successive manual forward movement of the cocking slide and consequent forward movement of the breech block in the closed position—FIG. 1, with the cartridge stop lever21lowered in the idle position and with the gun ready to fire again.

To discharge the cartridges from the magazine without firing them, simply cock the hammer—FIG.5—and move the cocking slide backwards and forwards without ever having to release the hammer until all the cartridges have been expelled.