Patent ID: 7506467

Claim:
A rotary percussion handgun comprising; a handle to be grasped by one hand of a user; a tubular outer frame to be grasped by the user's other hand, the outer frame having a proximal end coupled to the handle by an intermediate member assembly, the outer frame enclosing a plurality of barrels and an ammunition ejection system; the intermediate member assembly including a guide disc rotating relative to a load disc, the load disc being attached to the outer frame and the guide disc being attached to the handle, the load disc having an array of holes radially offset from a longitudinal axis of the handgun, the holes being coaxially aligned with the barrels, the guide disc having a guide aperture radially offset from the longitudinal axis, the guide aperture being coaxially alignable with each of the plurality of barrels; the handle enclosing a firing mechanism, the firing mechanism extending coaxially from the guide aperture, the firing mechanism including a spring loaded firing member; the handle, the guide and the firing mechanism rotate together along the longitudinal axis relative to the outer frame and the load disc, a full rotation of the handle includes a plurality of firing cycles corresponding to the number of barrels, each firing cycle starts with the firing member aligned to a first barrel, as the handle rotates, the load disc pushes the firing member away from the intermediate member, thereby compressing a compression spring, once the handle rotates to a position where the firing member is aligned with a second barrel, the load disc releases the firing member, the compression spring projects the firing member toward the intermediate member assembly, whereby the firing member contacts an ammunition cartridge and the handgun fires a hinge and a hinge lock; the outer frame being pivotally connected to the handle by the hinge, the hinge having a hinge pin cooperating with a hinge recess to allow the outer frame to be selectively removable from the handgun; and the hinge lock including a hinge lock wheel cooperating with a bracket and a hinge lock pin to selectively lock the outer frame to the intermediate member assembly and the handle, the bracket being fixed to the intermediate member assembly and extending along the outer frame, the bracket having a hinge pin recess for receiving a first end of the hinge lock pin, the pin recess being contoured to prevent rotation of the hinge pin, the hinge wheel cooperating with the hinge pin, whereby as the hinge wheel rotates around the hinge pin, the pin translates axially, a frame journal is located in the outer frame for receiving a second end of the hinge pin, wherein by rotating the hinge wheel in a first direction, the hinge pin locks the outer frame to the intermediate member assembly, by rotating the hinge wheel in a second direction, the hinge pin exits the journal to unlock the outer frame from the intermediate member assembly, thereby allowing the outer frame to pivot about the hinge to an open position.