US2538940A - Locking device for automatic firearms - Google Patents

Description

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Filed July 25, 1946 A F C HENCKEL LOCKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS `Fan. 23, 1951 Patented Jan. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT LOCKING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Aage Frederik Christian Henckel, Hellerup, Denmark Application July 25, 1946-, serial No. 686,234

In Denmark April 30, 1946 'Ihe present invention relates to asafety mechanism for the type of automatic firearms where the recoiling parts are retain^d in their rearmost position bv a catch released bv a trigger, and the hammer or striking lever of which is released by the recoiling parts at the end of their forward stroke and. apart from being of simple and plain construction and easily operated. the obiect of the invention is to produce a safety device affording the highest possible degree of safetyagainst untimely di"charge, particularlv in the case where the recoiling parts are not locked.; It is known from certain constructions of` breech loading guns that they are provided with a safety member in the form of asliding pawl that can be pushed. for the purpose of safety, against untimely firing. into the track of the. hammer or of a stud in the side of the latter, and thereby prevent the hammer from completing its striking the primer or the firing pin, even if the trigger should be inadvertently operated :for the release of the hammer.

The safety mechanism according to the invention is of a similar nature, but it is characterizedin that the sliding pawl can be carried forward from the position Fire (in which position the sliding pawl is entirely out of function). to two dierent positions of safety, viz., in addition to a position Unload in which the sliding pawl, asy previously known, has engaged the track for the hammer and prevents it from completing its striking down, and also further forward to a position "Safetv in which the pawl furthermore entirely locks the catch. so that it isimpossible forthe recoiling parts to become disengaged-` for their forward stroke.

Furthermore, the safety mechanism according' to the invention is characterized in that the sliding pawl, when in the position UnlOa-d, has. stopped the hammer in its striking motion. and will be locked by the hammer both against being carried rearward to the position Fire wv(which might otherwise cause the firing of the cartridge last introduced into the chamber of the firearm) struck down, the sliding pawl is locked by thelatter against being carried forward to the position Unload or to the position Safety (which could otherwise, in the case of delayed ignition of afcartridge,l causebreakage to the hammer or the'slidingpawl).

ionims. (01.42470)` A Aform of construction by way of example for arlocking mechanism according to the invention is shown on the drawing wherein- Figure 1 shows the locking-and-dischargemechanism and also the rear part of the breech block and breech piece .in an automatic iirearm; all in side View, with the safety member in the: pos1tion Unload and with the recoiling parts in their foremost position.

Figure 2 shows the same parts with the recoiling parts in their rearmost position and the safety; member inthe position Fire...

Figure 3 shows a section along line. III-III in Figure 1, and

Figure 4 shows a section along `line IV-IV in Figure 2. K

In thegdrawing, I is the recoiling breech piece ofthe iirearm, in which a breech block 3 is rotat ably carried onV a bolt 2. The breech block has a longitudinal bore for a springactuated striking pin 4. By a pin 5, pressing against the rear face of the breech piece I, the later isiniluen'ced by a recoil spring 6 enclosed in a spring chamber l. Breech piece I with breech block 3 is moved in the longitudinal axis in a slide box closed on top by a cover 8 `and at its bottom front by atrigger plate 9, also at the rear bya trigger guard III. In the sidewalls Ilia of trigger guard I0, four horizontal pivotsV II, IZ, I3, and I4 are mounted for a trigger I5, a catch I6, a hammer or striking lever Il and a rod I8 respectively. Besides vatrigger grip I5a, the trigger I5 has also a for-` ward arm I9 engaging in a downward tongue or guard 20 on the catch I6, which latter is designed as a two-pronged, one-arm lever, see Figure r 3.- The catch I6 has on topa pull-notch 2l for coV action with an edge 22 Aon breech piece I. A springl -I @a presses against the bottom plane of one .prong of the catch, this spring pressing the catch with' the pull-notches upwards.

-I -Iammer I'l has at its bottom a fork-bearing for a pin L Saiected by a surrounding striking spring 24. Further, hammer VI'i has a side lug 25 and a plane (not shown) co-acting during the retraction of the recoiling parts with a lug or a-roll on the breech piece for pressing the hammer-.'.rearwards'and finally a rest 26 for 'a point V21.1011 rod I8. The' latter is designed as a two-armed-lever, iwithf its second arm 21d co-acting with'a tongue128 onrbreech piece I.

The safety member proper is a slide-pawl 33 with a cleft front slideable longitudinally in the firearm in slots a, guided in sidewalls Ia of the trigger guard, and situated between the trigger and the catch, the bottom -plane of whichpawl has a recess 35 to its front, and to its rear on the top plane a tongue 34 and, finally, at its rearmost part an upward lever 36 with a vertical groove 32. As previously mentioned the safety member has three main positions: Fire, Unload and Safety In the position Fire, the rearmost one (see for example Fig. 2) the safety member is out of function; in position: Unload the intermediate one (see for example Fig. l) it is pushed so far to the forward that, with its front part with recess 35, it is situated forward in the track of lug of the hammer and con-- sequently it prevents the hammer from striking down, and in the Safety position, the foremost one, it is pushed so far forward that the tongue 34 on the rear of its top plane reaches in below catch i6, whereby the latter is preventedy from being lowered by the trigger for the disengagement of the breech piece.

The sliding of the safety member from one main position to another is effected by means of a locking-trunk (see Figure 4), rotatably mounted in bearing block 29 and inserted in the left sidewall of the trigger guard, which trunk has an outside finger grip 3l, while on its inner end it has a crank 3l engaging groove 32 in the rear arm of the safety member, besides which its circumference has three recesses 38 in one and the same section which recesses in connection with a spring-actuated pivot 39 co-acting with them indicate. the three main positions of the safety member. Any operation of the safety member is effected with the recoiling parts resting in their rearmost position, retained by tonguev 2l of the catch.

The safety mechanism operates in the following manner:

In the position of the safety member 33 shown in Figure 2, position Fire,` the member is out of function; neither the catch I6 nor the hammer Il are locked.

If the trigger grip l5a is worked, arm I9 will draw the pull-notch 2|' of catch I6 free of its engagement with the edge 22 of breech piece l, and under influence of the recoil spring 6, pin 5 will press the breech piece I with breech block 3 forwards into firing position. Just before this latter position is reached, tongue 28 on breech piece l will press the pole arm 27a forwards, and thereby the point 2l will leave the rest 26 of hammer I1. Under the influence of striking spring 24, the hammer will now rotate and strike the striking pin which latter will be pushed forwards into breech block 3 and ignite the fuse of the cartridge inserted into the chamber at the forward stroke of the recoiling parts.

When the recoiling parts are in their fore--v most position, and the hammer I1 has struck down, the safety member is locked in the' position Fire, as the tongue 25 of the hammer I1 is of so great circular extension that its cylindrical face, when the hammer is struck down, still reaches down in front of the forward end of the safety member, thereby preventing the same from being pushed forwards.

In the position of the safety member shown in Figure 1, position Unload, the catch is still unlocked, but the safety member is pushed so far to the forward that its foremost part with recess is situated in the track of tongue 25 on hammer l1.

When, after the trigger having been worked, and toward the end of their forward stroke, the recoiling partshave pressed tongue 21 of the; rod' out of rest 26 on. the hammer Vl, the

latter will start to rotate, actuated by striking spring 24, but soon thereafter its motion will be stopped by tongue 25 striking the bottom face of the safety member in the bottom of recess 35. This is the situation illustrated in Figure 1. The hammer will thus be prevented from striking down, and consequently the cartridge last introduced into the chamber will not be red, nor will the recoiling parts be thrown rearward again. If now the magazine or cartridge belt of the firearm is removed, or if the feeding of cartridges therefrom is stopped, a subsequent loading grip (during which the trigger is worked), will cause the cartridge in the chamber to be thrown out in the same manner as is the case with an empty cartridge, so that from such moment the firearm will be unloaded, as no fresh cartridge is introduced.

From the moment when tongue 25 of the hammer has engaged recess 35 in the bottom plane of the safety member, the latter will be locked so that it can neither be retracted from tongue 25, nor can it be pushed further forward, untilv the hammer has been cocked once more by the recoiling parts being carried back to rest in their rearmost position.

In the position Safety where, as previously mentioned, the safety member has been pushed still further forward above'tongue 25, and even so far as to allow tongue 3d at the rear of its top face to tread in below catch I6, a double safety is effected as the catch can not be pressed down, through the trigger being worked, for the disengagement of the recoiling parts, andneither will the hammer, even if disengaged, be able to strike down, in the case that the former safety should fail.

I claim:

1. In an automatic firearm including a striking pin adapted to be struck by a hammery the com-v bination which comprises, a recoil mechanism capable of axial movement within said firearm to a rearward position and to a forward position, a trigger, a trigger-actuated catch for retaining said recoil mechanism in its rearward position, a hammer adapted to be released by said recoil mechanism at the end of its forward movement, said hammer being' provided with a side lug, a slide pawl slidable axially of said firearm, said. pawl' being disengaged from said hammer and said catch while in its rearward position, and be ing slidable forwardly to two different safety positions, in one of which, when partly slid for wardly to the unload position, said slide pawl engages said side lug on said hammer and thereby prevents said hammer when released from striking said striking pin, without however impeding movement of said recoil mechanism. and. in the second of said forward positions, the safety position, when slid forward fully to the limit of its forward axial movement, said slide pawl is positioned so as to block movement of said catch, thereby preventing release of said recoil mech-I anism for forward movement thereof.

2. In an automatic firearm as defined in claim 1, the arrangement wherein 'said slide pawl is provided with an extending tongue, said tongue,y whensaid slide pawl is in its forward or safetyr position, being positioned so as to extend into the path of movement of said trigger-actuated catch, thereby blocking movement of said catch and preventing release of said recoil mechanism for forward movement thereof.

3. In an. automatic firearm as defined in claim 1, the construction in which said slide` pawlV is provided with a recess in which said side lug on said hammer is adapted to be positioned when said slide pawl is in the partly-forward unload position, thereby locking said pawl in said position, and preventing said hammer from striking said striking pin When said hammer is released.

4. In an automatic rearm as dened in claim 1, the construction in which said side lug on said hammer is providedswith a curved outward face portion, said face portion being so positioned, when said hammer is released when said slide paWl is in its most rearward position, as to prevent forward movement of said slide pawl, which is thereby retained in said rearward or re position.

AAGE FREDERIK CHRISTIAN HENCKEL.

. 6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 657,052 Bleha Q Aug. 28, 1900 712,282 Fay et a1 Oct. 28, 1902 845,994 Beckwith Mar. 5, 1907

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