Firearm fire control selector

• US 20070180984A1
• Filed: 02/09/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Colt's Manufacturing IP Holding Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC (Colt Defense Holding LLC)
• Inventors: Huther, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 89/148
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/74 Hammer safeties, i.e. means for preventing the hammer from hitting the cartridge or the firing pin F41A17/02 - F41A17/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 19/02 Burst limiters F41A19/67 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 19/46 Arrangements for the selection of automatic or semi-automatic fire
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 35/06 Adaptation of guns to both right and left hand use

Abstract

In accordance with the first exemplary embodiment a semi-automatic M-4 type firearm is provided. The firearm comprises a receiver and a reversible safety selector. The receiver has a right side and a left side. The reversible safety selector is rotatably coupled to the receiver and comprises a shaft with a user selector member at one end. The user selector member is adapted to allow a user to move the reversible safety selector relative to the receiver. The reversible safety selector is adapted to be mounted to the receiver in a first position with the user selector member located on the right side of the receiver. The reversible safety selector may be mounted to the receiver in a second position different from the first position with the user selector member located on the left side of the receiver.

Claims

1. A semi-automatic M-4 type firearm comprising:

a receiver having a right side and a left side; and

a reversible safety selector rotatably coupled to the receiver and comprising a shaft with a user selector member at one end, the user selector member being adapted to allow a user to move the reversible safety selector relative to the receiver,

wherein, the reversible safety selector is adapted to be mounted to the receiver in a first position, with the user selector member located on the right side of the receiver, and the reversible safety selector may be mounted to the receiver in a second position different from the first position with the user selector member located on the left side of the receiver.

2. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the shaft has a supporting portion and a camming portion, and wherein the user selector member is located at only one end of the shaft.

3. The firearm of claim 1, wherein, the receiver further comprises a detent, and wherein the shaft further comprises first and second indexing features, and wherein, the first indexing features engage the detent when the user selector member is on the left side of the receiver, and wherein, the second indexing features engage the detent when the user selector member is on the right side of the receiver.

4. The firearm of claim 3, wherein the first and second indexing features are located on opposite ends of the shaft, and the camming portion is between the first and second indexing features.

5. The firearm of claim 1, wherein, the shaft has a selector position indicator located on an end of the shaft opposite the user selector member.

6. The firearm of claim 1, wherein, the selector member has a first selector position indicator, and wherein, the shaft has a second selector position indicator located on an end of the shaft opposite the selector member, and wherein, the first and second selector position indicators have the same angular orientation relative to an axis of rotation of the shaft.

7. A firearm capable of semi-automatic fire comprising:

a receiver having a moveable hammer located therein, the receiver having a bore there through;

a selector rotatably mounted in the bore through the receiver, the selector having a selector member and a camming surface; and

a trigger movably mounted in the receiver and having a sear thereon to engage the hammer, the camming surface of the selector being adapted to engage the trigger when rotated relative to the receiver;

wherein, the selector has a number of selectable positions disposed for selection by rotation of the selector, and wherein, the selector is capable of being removably mounted to the receiver by insertion into the bore from both a right side of the receiver and a left side of the receiver.

8. The firearm of claim 7 wherein the selector has a shaft extending through the receiver and wherein the shaft is a one piece member and the camming surface is formed on the shaft.

9. The firearm of claim 7, wherein, the receiver has “

SAFE” and

firing position indicia on both the left and right sides, and wherein, the angular orientation of the “

SAFE” and

firing indicia position on the left and right hand sides of the receiver is substantially the same relative to an axis of rotation of the selector.

10. The firearm of claim 7, wherein the selector has a first orientation when inserted into the bore from the left side of the receiver, and has second orientation, inverted from the first orientation when inserted from the right side.

11. The firearm of claim 7, wherein, the selector member comprises a tab and a first selector position indicator, and, the camming surface comprises a shaft having a second selector position indicator located on an end of the shaft opposite the tab, and wherein, the first and second selector position indicator have the same angular orientation relative to an axis of rotation of the shaft.

12. The firearm of claim 7, wherein, the receiver further comprises a detent, and wherein, the selector further comprises first and second detent engagement features, and wherein, the first detent engagement features engages the detent when the selector lever is on the right side of the receiver, and wherein, the second detent engagement features engages the detent when the selector lever is on the left side of the receiver.

13. The firearm of claim 12, wherein the first detent engagement features and the second detent engagement features each have two corresponding detent engagement positions, and wherein the two detent engagement positions corresponding to the first detent engagement features and the two detent engagement positions corresponding to the second detent engagement features define two common selectable positions of the selector.

14. The firearm of claim 7, wherein the camming surface has first and second engagement portions mirrored about a common axis, and wherein, the first engagement portion engages the trigger when the selector lever is on the right side of the receiver, and wherein, the second engagement portion engages the trigger when the selector lever is on the left side of the receiver.

15. The firearm of claim 7, wherein the selector has two selectable positions for effecting selection of two different modes of operation of the firearm, and wherein the firearm is in a “

SAFE”

mode when a first selectable position is selected and is in semi-automatic mode of operation when a second selectable position is selected.

16. The firearm of claim 11, wherein, the tab isolated on the left side of the receiver when the selector is inserted into the bore from the left side of the receiver and the tab is located on the right side of the receiver when the selector is inserted into the bore from the right side of the receiver and wherein the tab extends from the shaft towards the rear of the firearm both when the tab is on the left side and on the right side of the receiver.

17. A safety selector for a semi-automatic firearm, the safety selector comprising:

a selector lever;

a first supporting surface connected to the selector lever, the first supporting surface being adapted to movingly support the safety selector in a firearm receiver and having first detent features;

a trigger camming surface connected to the first supporting surface; and

a second supporting surface connected to the trigger camming surface, the second supporting surface being adapted to movingly support the safety selector in the firearm receiver and having second detent features;

wherein, the first detent features and the second detent features each define two index positions of the safety selector and the second detent features are substantially inverted from the first detent features.

18. The safety selector of claim 17, wherein the safety selector is of unitary construction and further comprises a shaft forming the first supporting surface, the camming surface and the second supporting surface.

19. The safety selector of claim 18, wherein one end of the shaft is adapted to be inserted through a bore into the firearm receiver for mounting the safety selector to the firearm and the selector lever depends from the shaft at an opposite end of the shaft from the one end.

20. The safety selector of claim 17, wherein the first supporting surface and second supporting surface define an axis of rotation of the safety selector when mounted in the firearm receiver and wherein the trigger camming surface has first and second trigger engagement portions symmetrical about the axis of rotation.