Abstract:
The cartridge ejector has a spring loaded ejector slide supported by the barrel pivot block for siding motion from a seated position to an eject position. The slide has a finger configured to engage the cartridge casing rim when the casing is seated at the breech end and the slide is at the seated position. Opposite the finger is a catch captured by a sear. In response to opening the breech the slide snaps to the eject position to eject and throw the cartridge casing from the breech.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates cartridge casing ejection mechanisms for breakable breech-type firearms such as single shot pistols, rifles and shotguns. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In firearms, such as single shot firearms, shotguns and the like, a barrel assembly is provided which includes the barrel for the firearm. The barrel has a receiver end into which the cartridge is manually inserted for firing. After the cartridge has been inserted into the barrel receiver, the barrel assembly is pivotally closed to a breech assembly which includes the breech, firing pin and the like. When the barrel assembly is closed the barrel receiving end abuts the breech for firing. After the firearm is fired, the breech is opened to revel the spent cartridge casing. The casing, for many firearms, must be manually removed with the fingers which can result in burning of the fingers by the hot casing. Further, time is consumed in removing the casing. In shooting competition, the time necessary to remove the casing is time which is lost. 
     In some firearms there is a casing withdrawal mechanism which, as the barrel assembly is pivoted from the breech, pulls the casing from the barrel receiver to a withdrawn position where the shooter can grasp the casing to remove it from the firearm. 
     One such firearm is a Thompson® Contender® which includes the casing withdrawal mechanism. This mechanism includes a slide which has at one end a finger to engage the cartridge casing. In response to pivoting of the barrel assembly the slide is urged rearwardly which withdraws the casing from the barrel for grasping by the shooter. The speed of withdrawal of the cartridge is related to the speed at which the barrel is pivoted. In no case can the barrel be pivoted fast enough to impart sufficient momentum to the casing to forcefully eject the casing free from the barrel. 
     It would be advantageous to provide an ejector mechanism which is adapted to throw, in response to pivoting of the barrel assembly, the casing from the barrel to thus dispense with the need for the shooter to manually pull the casing from the barrel receiver. It would be advantageous to provide such an ejector mechanism which can be retrofit in firearms such as a such a Thompson® Contender®. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     There is, therefore, set forth according to the present invention a cartridge ejector for a firearm of the type having a breech assembly and a barrel assembly including a barrel having a receiver end to receive a cartridge and abut the breech assembly when the breech is closed for firing of the firearm. The barrel assembly is adapted to pivot from the breech assembly to open the breech for loading and removing a cartridge casing from the barrel receiver end. Further the cartridge casing includes a rim. The ejector includes a pivot block disposed on the barrel assembly to support the barrel for pivoting motion to open and close the breech. A stock assembly is provided to support the barrel and pivot block for pivoting relative to the breech assembly for opening and closing the breech. Suitable breech locking means are provided for locking the breech closed for firing and unlocking the barrel for pivoting to open the breech. The cartridge Hector has an ejector slide supported by the pivot block for siding motion from a seated position to an eject position, the slide including a finger configured to engage the cartridge casing rim when the casing is seated at the breech end and the slide is at the seated position. Opposite the finger is a catch. A spring disposed between the slide and the pivot block urges the slide from the seated position to the eject position to extend outwardly from the receiver end and a sear is pivotally disposed at the pivot block and has an arm to engage the catch to hold the slide at the seated position against the bias of the spring. A release is moveably disposed in the pivot block to engage and pivot the sear in response to opening of the breech to disengage the arm from the catch to release the slide to snap to the eject position to eject and throw the cartridge casing from the breech. 
     In one version where the ejector is to be retrofit in a firearm having a withdrawal mechanism, the slide, retainer and release are arranged in an in-line configuration so as to be contained within the pivot block in the former position of the withdrawal mechanism. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other features and advantages, will become better appreciated as the same becomes better understood with reference to the claims, specification and drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art cartridge withdrawal mechanism; 
     FIG. 2 is a top section view of the pivot block showing the arrangement of ejector according to the present invention with the ejector in a seated position; 
     FIG. 3 is top section view similar to that of FIG. 2 showing the extension of the ejector for ejecting a cartridge casing; 
     FIG. 4 is a side section of the ejector according to the present invention showing expulsion of a casing; and 
     FIG. 5 is an end view of the barrel showing the ejector according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art ejector  10  of the type used in a Thompson® Contender® firearm. The ejector  10  is exposed in a pivot block  12  which is adapted to support a barrel  14  for rotation about a stock assembly (not shown in FIG. 1) in a manner known in the art. To accommodate the pivoting motion, a pivot bore  16  is provided laterally through the pivot block  12 . The barrel  14  is cylindrical and includes a breech end  18  and chamber  20  which is adapted to receive a cartridge. The breech end  18  has a countersink  22  to accommodate the rim of a typical cartridge. 
     The pivot block  12  is substantially rectangular in lateral section and includes therethrough a channel  24  which is adapted to receive for sliding motion the ejector  10 . The ejector  10  passes through the channel  24  to an end  26 . 
     As is known, when the pivot block  12  and barrel  14  are pivoted to close the breech of the firearm, the closure thereof draws the ejector  10  into a seated position where at it is received into a slot  28  fashioned in the barrel  14  breech end  18  to receive the cartridge rim flush into the countersink  22  and the cartridge into the chamber  20 . After firing, the breech is opened by pivoting the barrel  14  and pivot block  12  which, by a cam surface (not shown) urges the ejector  10  outwardly from the breech end  18  to withdraw the cartridge casing from the chamber  20 . In this position, the shooter grasps the cartridge rim and fully withdraws it from the chamber  20 . A new cartridge is inserted into the chamber  20  such that its rim engages the ejector  10  and as the breech is closed by pivoting about the bore  16 , the ejector  10  is returned to a seated position whereat it nests into the slot  28 . 
     As discussed above, a drawback with these prior ejectors is that the shooter must manually grasp the cartridge casing after it has been withdrawn from the chamber  20  and pull it form the chamber  20  for discarding. 
     Turning to FIG. 4, the ejector  30  according to the present invention is shown. The ejector  30  is disposed between a barrel assembly  32  including the barrel  14  and a pivot block assembly  34 . As shown in FIG. 4, the barrel  32  and pivot block assembly  34  are pivoted away from a stock assembly  36  which includes a breech assembly  38  having a firing pin mechanism as is known in the art. The stock assembly  36  includes a stock  40  which supports the pivot block assembly  34  and includes a forwardly extending housing  42  containing and mounting the pivot block assembly  34  in a manner known in the art. The housing  42  supports a pivot pin  44  which passes through the bore  16  of the pivot block assembly  34  to support the pivot block assembly  34  for rotation for opening and closing the breech for the firearm. 
     The barrel  14  has a breech end  46  which, when the barrel assembly  32  is closed to the breech assembly  32  abuts the breech assembly  38  for firing of a cartridge in a manner known in the art. The cartridge has a casing  48  including a circumferential rim  50 . 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the barrel assembly  32  has been pivoted away from the breech assembly  38  for ejection of the casing  48  as hereinafter described. 
     With continuing reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the pivot block assembly  34  includes a laterally extending groove  52  to mount a component (not shown) for a breech locking mechanism (not shown) as is well known in the art. The breech locking mechanism is adapted to lock the breech closed for firing of the firearm. A release (not shown), also known in the art, is included with the firearm to release the breech locking mechanism for pivoting of the barrel assembly  32  in the manner illustrated in FIG.  4 . 
     The ejector  30  according to the present invention is adapted to be mounted into and through the chamber  20  defined through the pivot block assembly  34  and extending parallel to the axis A for the bore of the barrel  14 . The ejector  30  for this purpose includes an ejector slide  54  having a substantially rectangular cross section and including an orthogonal extending finger  56  adapted to engage the rim  50  of the casing  48 . Accordingly, the finger  56  has a tip  58  which is circular and includes a countersink  22  to, when the finger  56  is in a seated position in the breech end  46  of the barrel  14  merges with and provides a continuous countersink  22  to closely receive the casing rim  50 . 
     To accommodate the finger  56 , the breech end  48  has the slot  28 . When the slide  54  is in a seated position as shown in FIG. 2, the finger  56  is closely received into the slot  28  and the casing  48  is nested in the countersink  22  and against the tip  58  for firing of the cartridge. When the slide  54  extended to the eject position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the finger  56  is displaced from the slot  28  to withdraw the casing  48  from the chamber  20 . 
     The slide  54  is retained within the channel  24  by a slide retainer pin  60  which is received through a recess  62  formed at the bottom of the slide  54 . The slide retainer pin  60  thus limits the motion of the slide  54  to between the seated and eject positions as shown. The slide retainer pin  60  is mounted through the pivot block assembly  34  as shown in FIGS. 2-4. To urge the slide  54  toward the eject position, an ejector spring  64  is provided and received into a bore  66  extending from the barrel breech end  46  into the barrel assembly  32 . 
     Opposite the finger  56  the slide  54  has a catch  68  including an arcuate forward surface  70  extending to a retention surface  72  the purpose of which will hereinafter become evident. 
     With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, to capture the slide  54  in the seated position, the ejector  30  includes a sear  74  pivotally disposed within the channel  24  for pivotal motion about a sear retention pin  76 . The sear  74  has one end at arm  78  includes an arcuate leading edge  80  transitioning to a catch surface  82  adapted to cooperatively Engage the retention surface  72  of the catch  68  to retain the slide  54  in the seated position. To urge the sear  74  to pivot in a counterclockwise direction, the pivot block assembly  34  includes a bore  84  mounting a pin  86  which in turn supports a spring  88  engaging the arm  78  in a lateral direction. Thus, with reference to FIG. 2, the spring  88  urges the to pivot to maintain the engagement between the catch surface  82  and the retention surface  72  of the slide catch  68  thereby retaining the slide  54  against the bias of the ejector spring  64 . 
     Opposite the arm  78 , the sear  74  includes a leg  90  adapted to be engaged by a release  92  in the channel  24 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the release  92  includes a slanted engaging surface  94  adapted to engage the leg  90  of the sear  74 . Opposite the engaging surface  94 , the release  92  has a leading edge  96  adapted to contact the housing  42  for displacement of the release  92  in the manner hereinafter described. To retain and capture the of the release  92 , a release pin  98  is received through a recess  100  defined in the underside of the release  92 . Thus the release pin  98  and recess  100  cooperate to limit the sliding motion of the release  92  within the channel  24 . 
     With reference to FIG. 4, when the breech of the firearm is open, a cartridge is inserted into the chamber  20  such that the rim  50  of the casing  48  engages the fingertip  58  to be seated there against. The cartridge is urged into the chamber  20  forcing the slide  54  to move into the channel  24  against the bias and compressing the ejector spring  64 . The forcing of the slide  54  occurs upon closing of the breech. When the breech is closed the breech assembly  38  is engaged by the extending finger  56  which forces the finger  56  to the seated position. For that purpose a suitable cam surface can be fashioned on the finger  56  or breech assembly  38 . The movement of the slide  54  causes the catch forward surface  70  to engage the arm leading edge  80  to pivot the sear  74  against the bias of the spring  88  until the arm  78  clears the forward  70  such that the catch surface  82  snaps into and captures the forward surface  70  of the catch  68  for the slide  54  as shown in FIG.  2 . In the position as shown in FIG. 2, the sear leg  90  has engaged the engaging surface  94  of the release  92  to urge it to an extended position as shown in FIG. 2 whereat it extends from the pivot block assembly  34  limited by the release pin  98 . In this position, the finger  54  is nested in the slot  28  and the breech end  18  for the barrel  14  is closed against the breech assembly  38  for firing of the weapon. When closed, the breech locking assembly (not shown) locks the barrel assembly  32  and pivot block assembly  34  in the firing position with the breech end  18  nested against the breech of the stock assembly  36 . 
     After the cartridge has been fired, the breech lock is released to permit the barrel assembly  32  to be pivoted relative to the stock assembly  36  as suggested in FIG.  4 . After the breech end  18  has cleared the breech assembly  38 , the leading edge  96  of the release  92  engages the housing  42  which urges the release  92  to the right, as suggested in FIG. 3, whereupon its engaging surface  94  urges the leg  90  of the sear  74  to pivot the sear  74  in a clockwise direction. As the sear  74  is pivoted, the catch surface  82  clears the forward surface  70  of the catch  68  for the slide  54  freeing the slide  54  to be forcibly urged to the right in FIG. 3 by the ejector spring  64  to expel the casing  48  from the chamber  20  as the slide  54  snaps to the eject position. The snapping action of the slide  54  imparts sufficient momentum to the casing  48  to expel it from the chamber. 
     Thus, the shooter need not remove the casing  48  in that the ejector  30  according to the present invention ejects the casing  48  and throws it from the firearm. 
     A further advantage of the ejector  30  of the present invention is that it may be mounted in a firearm which previously included an ejector  10  according to the prior art. The slide  54 , sear  74  and release  92  are designed and adapted to fit within the channel  24  thus providing the advantages of a retrofit ejector  30  without requiring a great deal of modifications to the barrel assembly  32  or pivot block assembly  34 . 
     While I have shown and described certain embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that is subject to many modifications