US2095297A - Locking-mechanism for breakdown firearms - Google Patents

Description

00%. 12, 1937. L. S TIENNON LOCKING MECHANISM FOR BREAKDOWN FIREARMS Filed June 20, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q wm W WW am s W Z w Z W Qw n h] n O. H U@ 3% MM Wu Q f a w y 0 mi Q a w A? N53 mm YRNW IIIHIIH u NJ Oct. 12, 1937. STIENNON 5,

LOCKING MECHANISM FOR BREAKDOWN FIREARMS Filed June 20, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /rwerzior I $021215 (5159727102? Dec, j Fay L. ParJeZZ 4077277 Patented Get. 12, 1937 UNETED STAES FATENT OFFICE LOCKING-MECHANISM FOR BREAKDOWN FIREARMS Application June 20, 1935, Serial No. 27,519

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvement in break down firearms, that is to say, that class of firearms in which a barrel-unit and a butt-unit are hinged together for relative pivotal movement.

More particularly, the present invention relates to the mechanism by means of which the two units of the firearm above referred to are held against relative pivotal movement.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a breakdown firearm with a superior locking-mechanism characterized by simplicity, ruggedness and economy of manufacture.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a superior locking-mechanism for breakdown firearms which will accommodate itself to variations of manufacture and assembly.

A further object is to provide a superior locking-mechanism in which a locking-bolt carried by one of the relatively-pivoted units of the firearm would automatically accommodate itself to variations in the locking-abutment of the complementary pivotal member of the firearm.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the following, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims, the present invention includes all features disclosed therein which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a broken view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of a so-called overand-under double-barreled shotgun in which the present invention is embodied, many parts not directly related to the present invention being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a broken top view thereof with the retaining-cap removed;

Fig. 3 is a broken horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a broken vertical sectional View taken on the line i-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig.6 is a perspective view showing the operating-lever, coupling-head, locking-bolts and associated parts in related positions, looking mainly toward the under-side thereof;

Fig. '7 is a perspective View of the two complementary locking-bolts and the coupling-head, looking mainly toward the under-side thereof and shown as separated for clarity of illustration;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the operatinglever looking mainly toward the under-side thereof and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the thrust-stud.

The particular multiple-barrel firearm herein chosen-for the illustration of the present invention is of that class commonly referred to as over-and-under firearms, in which the barrels are arranged one over another. The firearm in question includes a butt-unit and a barrel-unit pivoted together, as is usual in breakdown firearms.

The butt-unit comprises in the main a frame generally designated by the numeral 20, and a buttstock 2i rigidly secured to the rear end of the said frame. The barrel-unit above referred to comprises in the main an upper barrel 22, a lower barrel 23 and a forestock 24, which latter is provided with a forestock-shoe 25 bearing against the cylindrically-contoured forward end 2% of the frame 20 in the usual manner of breakdown firearms. The barrel-unit may be rocked with respect to the butt-unit from the position in which it is shown by full lines in Fig. 1 to the position in which it is indicated by broken lines in the same figure, and vice versa. The rocking movement referred to takes place about a pivotpin 21 carried by the frame 20and arranged concentrically with respect to the cylindrically-contoured forward end 26-of the said frame.

The frame 20 is hollowed out, so to speak, to provide a chamber 28 immediately to the rear of its standing-breech 29 and has rearwardly projecting from its respective upper and lower walls a pair of substantially-parallel spaced- apart tangs 30 and 3| which are connected together at their rear ends by a substantially-vertical tiebar 32.

Directly below its forwardly-facing standingbreech 29, the frame-20 is provided with a bottom passage 33 normally closed by a removable coverplate or closure 34 through which various machining operations may be carried on within the interior of the chamber 28 of the frame prior to the installation of the said cover-plate 34, and

through which various features of the mechanism may be introduced, removed or adjusted.

Extending through the standing-breech 29and through portions of the respective opposite sidewalls 3535 of the said frame 2!] is a pair of longitudinal guide-ways 36-36 respectively receiving cylindrically-contoured locking-bolts 31 and 38, each of which has reciprocating movement and capacity for slight turning movement in the particular one of the bearing-passages 36 in which it is mounted.

The forward end of each of the guide-ways 36 intersects a vertically-extending arcuate notch or 769 555 3.9, one of which is formed on each of the frame 20, and having an upstanding finger-piece respective opposite sides of the transverse center line of the gun structure, as indicated particularly well in Fig. 5. Normally projecting into the recesses or notches 39, just referred to, are looking-lugs 484U, rearwardly projecting from the barrel-unit of'which the upper and lower barrels 22 and 23 constitute the main features. The

upper surfaces of the locking-lugs 4048 are inclined slightly downwardly and rearwardly for engagement respectively byl'the similarly-sloping under-faces 4l--4| of locking-noses 4242 of the said locking-bolts 3Tand 38.. 7

Adjacent its rear end, the locking-bolt 31 is formed with an inwardly-opening cylindrical socket 43 receiving, with freedom for slight relative movement in all directions, a cylindricallycontoured trunnion-like projection 44 offsetting laterally from a coupling-slide 45. The opposite V slight rocking movement, in aguide-passage 49 formed in a bridge-piece 58 extending vertically between the respective upper and lower tangs 30 and 3| of .the frame 20, The rear end of the guide-tail 48 of the coupling-slide is adapted to engage with and rearwardly shift a slide-bar 5| which is adapted to rearwardly shift a manually-operable safety-slide 52 located upon the upper surface of the upper tang 38 and having a stem 53 extending inwardly through a passage 54 in the saidtang and coupled in any suitable manner .to the rear portion of the slide-bar 5| before referred to. l

The coupling-slide 45 is also provided with a laterally-opening coupling+notch 55 receiving a coupling-pin 56 depending from the under side of the head 5! of an operating-lever 51 through a clearance-passage 51 in the top wall of the 58 overlying the upper tang 30 of the frame 20.

The head 57 at the forward portion of the operating-lever 51 is located in a rearwardly-opening recess 59 formed in the frame 20 just to the rear 3 of the standing-breech 29 thereof as indicated particularly well in Figs. 1 and 2. The said recess 59 is surrounded on its front and side portions by a substantially-semi-circular upwardly-facing seat 60, against which rests a retaining-cap 6| also engaging with the upper face of the head 51 of the operating-lever5l and retained in place by 'means of a screw BZeXtending upwardly thereinto, as indicated in'Fig. 1. Adjacent-its right side, the head 5'! of the operating-lever 51 is provided with a depending cylindrically-contoured fulcrum-pin T63 turning in a suitable socket 64 formed in theupper wall of the frame 20.

At a point adjacent the end wall of its couplingnotch 55, the coupling-head 45 is provided with a vertical socket 65 receiving, with freedom for turning movement, the cylindrical shank 56 of a thrust-stud 61 having a horizontal passage 68" through its head portion 69. Bearing in the passage 68 of the thrust-stud 61, just referred to, is the forward end of a guide-rod 10 having'a rigid annular spring-seat 1| adjacent its rear end, against the forward face of which a spring '12 seats. The forward end of the spring 12 just referred to bears against the rear face of the head 69 of the thrust-stud 61 and exerts a constant effort to move the same forwardly, and hence to bodily shift the coupling-head 45 forwardly, to-

gether with its complementary locking-bolts 31 and 38. The rear end 13 of the guide-rod 10 is pointed and constantly urged by the spring 12 into a forwardly-facing shallow socket 14 formed in the forward face of the bridge-piece 50.

It may here be noted that the spring 12, acting through the thrust-stud 61, not only urges the coupling-head 45 forwardly, but, also, urges the forward end of. the same upwardly toward the under-surface of the upper-wall of the frame 28.

In assembling the locking mechanism prior to the installation of the removable bridge-piece 50, both locking-bolts 31 and 38 may be inserted in their respective guide-ways 3635, with the locking-bolt 31 turned so as to face its cylindrical socket, 43robliquely downwardly. The trunnion 44 of the coupling-slide 45 may now be inserted into the socket 43 and the said slide then swung upwardly with the locking-bolt 3! as a center to enter the trunnion 46 into the downwardly-andinwardly-opening socket 41 in the locking-bolt 38. After the bridge-piece thrust-stud 6T, guide-rod 'Hland spring 12 have been installed, the forward end of the coupling-slide 45 will be urged upwardly, as well as forwardly, while the rear portion of the said coupling-slide will be supported by the riding of its guide-tail 48 in the guide-passage 49 in the said bridge-piece 50.

When the finger-piece 58 of the operatinglever 5'! is swung from left to right into the position in which it is indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2, such movement will take place about the fulcrum-pin 53, and the coupling-pin 56 of the said lever will act against the rear wall of the coupling-notch of the coupling-slide 45 and force the same rear'wardly against the yielding counter-urge of the spring 12.

The rearward movement of the coupling-slide '45, as above described, will, in turn, effect,

through the intermediary of the trunnions 44 and 48', the simultaneous rearward movement of the locking-bolts 31 and'38, and, hence, Withdraw the respective locking-noses 4242 of the said bolts from engagement with and out of the path of the complementary locking-lugs 4040 of the barrel- .unit. The barrel-unit may now be swung with reference to the butt-unit into the position in which it is indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1.

When the barrel-unit is again restored to its normal position, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 1, and the locking-bolts 31 and 38 released for forward travel, the respective locking-noses 42-42 thereof will be respectively reengaged with the locking-lugs 40-40 of the barrel-unit for holding the latter firmly in position for the firing of the arm. a

By means of the construction above described, the respective locking-bolts 31 and 38 may turn about their longitudinal axes to automatically causerthe under-faces 4! of their respective locking-noses 4242 to make a satisfactory surface engagement with the upper-surfaces of the re- 7 spective locking-lugs 40 of the barrel-unit. This independent automatic adjusting movement of the lockihg-bolts 31 and 38 compensates for variations in manufacture and adjustment, and is permitted by reason of the fact that the trunnions 44 and 46 fit the respective sockets 43 and 4'! with a sufiicient degree of freedom.

Furthermore, by reason of the freedom for relative movement of the locking-bolts '31 and 38' with respect to each other and with respect to the coupling-slide 45, other variations in manufacture are also compensated for. For instance, should the guideways 3B-36 in the framestructure not be in absolute parallelism, no binding action would occur.

As an incident to the rearward travel of the coupling-slide 45, the guide-tail 48 of the latter will be forced against the forward end of the slide-bar 5| with the effect of also moving the same rearwardly, together with the safety-slide 52 and other parts coupled thereto.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth Without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

1. In a locking mechanism for breakdown firearms, the combination with a locking-bolt mounted in the firearm-structure with capacity for both reciprocation and turning movement therein about its longitudinal axis; spring-means urging the said locking-bolt into its locking position; a pivoted manual operating-member for retracting the said locking-bolt; and a reciprocating coupling-member connected to the said manual operating-member for being moved thereby and loosely connected to the said lockingbolt in such manner as to permit the said locking-bolt to turn about its longitudinal axis with respect thereto to accommodate itself to a member to be locked.

2. In a locking mechanism for breakdown firearms, the combination with a locking-bolt mounted in the firearm-structure with capacity for both reciprocation and turning movement therein about its longitudinal axis; spring-means urging the said locking-bolt into its locking position; a pivoted manual operating-member for retracting the said locking-bolt; and a reciprocating coupling-member loosely connected to the said manual operating-member for being moved thereby and also loosely connected by means of interengaging socket-and-trunnion means to the said locking-bolt in such manner as to permit the saidlocking-bolt to turn about its own longitudinal axis with respect thereto to accommodate itself to a member to be locked.

3. In a locking-mechanism for breakdown firearms, the combination with a pair of lockingbolts mounted in the firearm structure with capacity for both reciprocation and independent turning movement therein; each of the said locking-bolts being provided with a socket, one of least of which is of downwardly-opening notchlike form; a coupling-member connected to the said manual operating-member for being moved thereby and provided with two trunnions respectively entering the sockets in the said lockingbolts to connect the same to the said couplingmember for operation by the said manual operating-member; and spring-means constructed and arranged to urge the said coupling-member forwardly and to urge the same upwardly to maintain one of its trunnions in the downwardlyopening socket of one of the said locking-bolts.

4. In a locking-mechanism for multiple-barrel breakdown firearms, the combination with a pair of spaced-apart cylindrical locking-bolts, each of which is mounted in the firearm structure with capacity for turning movement about its longitudinal axis and longitudinal reciprocation; a coupling-member extending between and loosely coupled to each of the said locking-bolts; and a manual operating-member connected to the said coupling-member intermediate the points of connection of the latter with the said locking-bolts.

5. In a locking-mechanism for multiple-barrel breakdown firearms, the combination with a pair of spaced-apart cylindrical locking-bolts, each of which is mounted in the firearm structure with capacity for turning movement about its longitudinal axis and longitudinal reciprocation; a coupling-member extending between and loosely coupled to each of the said locking-bolts; a manual operating-member connected to the said coupling-member intermediate the points of connection of the latter with the said locking-bolts; and spring-means urging the said coupling-member forwardly, and through the latter simultaneously urging both of the said cylindrical locking-bolts forwardly. 7

ROY L. PARSELL,

Administrator of the Estate of Louis Stiennon,

Deceased.

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