Semiautomatic rifle with lateral feeding mechanism and ejection from below

Abstract: The present invention pertains to semiautomatic sports rifle and shotgun having a smooth or riflcd bore. Its casing (20) has a lateral opening (27) for introducing cartridges from one side of the easing and a lower opening (28) for ejecting the case (25') of each cartridge fired from below. At the level of the lateral opening (27) is mounted a rotating lateral feeding means (29), which is able to receive and to hold a second cartridge (26) during the firing of a first cartridge (25) and to introduce the second cartridge automatically into the gun with the aid of the brecchblock (22) after the firing of the first cartridge (25) and the ejection of its empty case.

Description: The present invention pertains to semiautomatic sports rifles and shotguns with a smooth and/or rifled bore, and it pertains specifically to the feeding of the cartridges to be fired and to the ejection of the fired cartridge case in such rifles. In the state of the art are known rifles having a magazine or tank of cartridges extending along the barrel of the firearm in order to simplify the operation of loading of the firearm so as not to open the rifle every time for inserting new cartridges. Such rifles are divulged, for example, in DEC-53 064 and in US-A-1 905 922. A semiautomatic rifle, which has a pivoting, opening/closing barrel and in which are generically provided a cartridge feeding means on one side and a means for ejecting a fired cartridge case from below, was described in a contemporary patent application of the same applicant. Besides advantages in terms of safety and use practicality, such a semiautomatic rifle has the significant feature of being ambidextrous thanks to the ejection from below, which does not influence the right and left raising of the gun. The present invention applies to the said semiautomatic rifle and proposes specifically a mechanism for the lateral feeding of cartridges to be fired and a means for ejecting the fired cartridge case from below. The mechanism proposed here is essentially according to claim 1 and shall be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 show lateral and top views of parts of a rifle according to the present invention, respectively; Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of a part A encircled in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of the part of the rifle defined by the section B in Figure 2; Figure 5 shows part of the gun in the phase of introducing a cartridge into the feeding means; Figure 6 shows a section of the gun with a cartridge in the barrel and one on the feeding means; Figure 7 shows an enlarged detail of a part C encircled in Figure 6; Figure 8 shows the phase of removal and ejection from below of the case of a fired cartridge; Figures 9 and 10 show lateral and top views of the gun in the position of releasing the feeding means from the breechblock unit, respectively. Figure 11 shows an enlarged detail of a part D encircled in Figure 10; Figure 12 shows a partial section of the gun with the feeding means in the phase of introducing the cartridge into the casing; Figures 13 and 14 show lateral and top views of a partial section of the gun, respectively, in the position of inserting the cartridge into the chamber from the breechblock; and Figure 15 shows a partial section of the gun with the feeding means empty and with the second cartridge in the barrel for firing. The rifle shown comprises, in the known manner, a casing or a pivot 20, a barrel 21 with a cartridge chamber 21', a breechblock unit 22, and a triggering device, of which only the trigger 23 is shown. The barrel 21 is connected to the casing 20 with a pin 24, which forms an axis of rotation of the barrel between a closed position and a pivoted, opened position. The breechblock carriage 22 is guided longitudinally in the casing 20 and can be moved between a closed and an opened position, i.e., a position advanced towards the barrel and a stopped position, respectively, to which correspond the insertion of a cartridge to be fired in the chamber 21' and the removal from the said chamber of a fired cartridge case. For the removal the breechblock unit 22 is provided with a removal means 22', which is intended to hook onto the base of the cartridge case so as to drag this case backwards when the breechblock stops. The triggering device in the casing does not need a specific description. The rifle is able to be fed with and to fire in succession two cartridges, which are indicated as 25 and 26 in the drawings, and which will be referred to below as the first cartridge 25 and the second cartridge 26, respectively. The case of a (first) fired cartridge is indicated as 25'. According to the present invention, a lateral opening 27 for the feeding of the cartridges 25, 26 to be fired and a central lower opening 28 for the exit of the case 25' of a fired cartridge are provided in the casing 20 of the rifle. The first cartridge 25 is inserted manually directly into the gun through the lateral opening 27 when the breechblock unit has stopped, and it is inserted at the bottom into the cartridge chamber 21' by means of the breechblock unit when it has advanced. On the side of the casing 20, at the level of the lateral opening 27, is provided a feeding means 29, which is intended to receive the second cartridge 26 and to feed it automatically after the firing of the first cartridge 25 and the removal of its case 25'. The feeding means 29 is in the form of a rotating spoon, which in its rear part is mounted on a pin 31 rotating with the vertical axis. Thus, the spoon 30 is turned from the rear forward and can rotate from side to side from a starting position outside the casing, in parallel with same, to an internal feed position in which it is turned diagonally within the casing towards the cartridge chamber through the lateral opening 27. The spoon 30 is configured to receive and to hold the second cartridge 26 with the base towards the rear. A spring 32, which is mounted on the rotating pin 31 and is prestressed between the spoon and casing, tends to make the spoon rotate from the starting position to the feeding position (Figure 4). On the other hand, precisely in its rear part, the spoon 30 interacts with a stop slide 33 to lock the spoon in its starting position against the action of the spring 32 and to unlock the spoon when this [spoon] must be moved into the feeding position. The stop slide 33 is guided in the casing 20 in parallel with the breechblock 22. It is stressed by a hook spring 34, which usually keeps it pressed towards the spoon 30 (Figure 11). On the one hand, in front, the spoon has a catch 35 intended to intercept a lug 36 in the rear of the spoon 30 in the manner of holding said spoon in the starting position, the interaction of the catch with the lug of the spoon being ensured by the hook spring 34. On the other hand, in the rear, the spoon has a release lip 37 intended to be intercepted by the breechblock unit 22 only when same has stopped. The action of the breechblock unit against the release lip 37 thus causes a stopping of the stop slide 33 and consequently the release of the spoon by the catch 35 so that this [spoon], moved by the spring 31, is moved into the feeding position. Then, with its subsequent advancement, the said breechblock carriage 22 picks up the second cartridge from the spoon and sends it into the cartridge chamber of the barrel. In addition, in its front part, the spoon 30 has a cavity 38 (Figures 3, 4 and 7), in which engages a consent lever 39, which acts as a means of enabling the release of the spoon for its movement from the starting position to the said feeding position only if the second cartridge 26 is present on the spoon (Figure 7). In fact, only the second cartridge on the spoon presses the consent lever 39, disengaging it from the cavity 38 of the spoon so that this spoon may rotate towards the interior of the casing. Finally, towards the interior of the casing, the spoon 30 has a cam-shaped wing 40, which interferes with the breechblock when same advances so as to cause the return of the spoon into the starting position after the second cartridge is fed in, where it shall be hooked onto by the slide. Figures 1-4 show the gun with the spoon 30 in its starting position, but without the second cartridge 26. Figure 5 shows the phase of insertion of the second cartridge 26 into the feeding means, or on the spoon 30, assuming [that] the first cartridge 25 is already in the cartridge chamber 21' and [that] said breechblock is advanced in the closed position as in Figure 6. The cartridge 26 on the spoon releases the consent lever 39 as in Figure 7 in order to enable the rotation of the spoon from the starting position. After the firing of the first cartridge 25, the breechblock 22 stops, and the case 25' is removed with the corresponding removal means 22'. The case, stopping with the brecchblock, meets an ejection shoulder 40, which forces it to slope and to exit from the lower opening 28 of the casing as shown in Figures 8 and 9. At the same time, the breechblock, stopping (Figures 10 and 11), moves the stop slide 33 backwards, thus releasing the spoon 30. This [spoon], stressed by the corresponding spring 32, rotates towards the interior with the second cartridge turned towards the cartridge chamber of the barrel as in Figure 12. At this point, the brecchblock advances, intercepts, and pushes the second cartridge 26 into the chamber 21', and while simultaneously interacting with the cam wing 40 (Figures 13 and 14) brings the spoon out into its starting position. The second cartridge 26, pushed into the chamber by the breechblock, may then be fired, while the feeding means remains empty on the side of the casing.

Claims: Semiautomatic sports rifle and shotgun having a smooth or rifled bore, comprising a casing or pivot (20), a barrel (21), which is connected to the said casing and has a cartridge chamber (21'), a breechblock unit (22), which can be moved in the said casing between an advanced position and a stopped position, i.e., positions of closing and of opening of the said cartridge chamber, respectively, a triggering device for controlling the firing, and in which the said rifle can be loaded with a first cartridge (25), which can be inserted manually into the said cartridge chamber (21'), characterized in that a second cartridge (26) can be automatically fed in after the firing of the said first cartridge, the said casing (20) has a lateral opening (27) for introducing the cartridges on one side of the said casing and a lower opening (28) for ejecting from below a case (25') of each cartridge fired, and in that , at the level of said lateral opening (27) of the said casing is mounted a rotating lateral feeding means (29), which is able to receive and to hold the said second cartridge (26) during the firing of the said first cartridge (25) and to introduce the said second cartridge into the gun automatically with the aid of the said breechblock unit (22) after the firing of the said first cartridge (25) and the ejection of its empty case through the said lower opening and following the backwards movement of the said breechblock. Semiautomatic rifle in accordance with claim 1, in which said lateral feeding means (29) comprises a spoon (30), which is mounted on a pin (31) that rotates with the vertical axis, which [spoon] is directed towards the rear from the said rotating pin, is shaped to receive the cartridge with its base turned towards the rear and can be moved between a starting position outside the casing, in which it receives and holds said second cartridge (26), and an internal feeding position, in which it is turned diagonally within the casing, towards the cartridge chamber (21'), through said lateral opening (27) and with the base of the cartridge in the position of being intercepted by the breech block unit (22) when it moves into the advanced position to introduce the second cartridge into the chamber (21') of the barrel. Semiautomatic rifle in accordance with claim 2, in which the said spoon (30) is stressed by a said prestressed spring (32), which tends to make the spoon rotate from the outside starting position to the internal feeding position and in which arc provided a stop means (33, 35) for defining and holding the spoon in said starting position against the action of the spring (32), a means (39) for enabling the movement of the spring towards the feeding position only with the presence of the second cartridge on the feeding means, and a release means (37), which interacts with the breechblock unit, which stops to disconnect the stop means that hold the spoon in the starting position, so that this spoon moves in the feeding position. Semiautomatic rifle in accordance with claim 3, in which the stop means (33, 35) and the release means (37) are integrated into a slide, arranged on the side of the casing, in parallel with the breechblock unit and turned towards the spoon from the rear forwards. Semiautomatic rifle in accordance with claim 3, in which the means for enabling the movement of the said spoon only in the presence of the second cartridge is a consent lever (39), which usually engages in a cavity (38) of the spoon in order to hold same in the starting position and which is disengaged from the cavity if the feeding means is loaded with the cartridge. Automatic rifle in accordance with the claims 2-5, in which the spoon has a cam-shaped wing (40), which is intended to interact with the breechblock unit advancing for a return of the spoon from the feeding position to the starting position, in which it is automatically engaged by the stop means (33). Automatic rifle in accordance with the above claims, in which an ejection shoulder (41), which intercepts the cartridge case dragged by the stopping breechblock unit in order to force it to exit from the lower opening, is provided in the said casing (20). Semiautomatic rifle in accordance with claim 1, in which said lateral feeding means comprises a lateral portion constituting a guide for the insertion of a new cartridge and a constraint of said new cartridge on the lateral feeding means. Semiautomatic rifle in accordance with claim 8, in which said lateral portion is obtained by a folded edge of the lateral feeding means.

Inventors: GUSSALLI BERETTA UGO, GUSSALLI BERETTA, UGO
Applicants: BERETTA ARMI SPA, FABBRICA D'ARMI P.BERETTA S.P.A.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: F41A9
IPC codes: F41A9, F41C7