High volume automatic and semi-automatic firearm

• US 4,930,399 A
• Filed: 01/09/1989
• Issued: 06/05/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gilbert Equipment Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Gilbert Equipment Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Trevor, John Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, David H.
• Application Number:
  US07/294,410
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 89/191.02, 89/191.01, 89/185
• US Class Current: 89/191.02
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 11/00 Assembly or disassembly features; Modular concepts; Articulated or collapsible guns F41A3/64, F41A19/10 - F41A19/15, F41A21/48, F41A25/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 3/46 mounted on the bolt F41A3/48 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 5/18 gas-operated

Abstract

This invention relates to a shotgun which has low felt recoil, a reliable loading of blunt nosed shells and which can fire a high number of rounds per minute. More particularly, this invention relates to an automatic or semi-automatic shotgun which has a low felt recoil but yet reliably can be fired at a high rate using a variety of blunt nosed shells.

Claims

1. A firearm comprising:

a receiver portion having butt means for resting against the shoulder of a shooter;

a barrel extending forwardly from the receiver portion, said barrel having a charging end and a discharge end;

a gas tower in fluid communication with said barrel;

a bolt carrier assembly slidably disposed in said gas tower whereby said bolt carrier assembly is actuated by gas pressure in said barrel from the discharge of a cartridge, the bolt carrier assembly further including a rearward end having a downwardly extending section having a first elongated slot with a longitudinal axis with respect to a longitudinal axis of the bolt carrier assembly, said downwardly extending section further including a second elongated slot having a longitudinal portion and downwardly directed cam portion disposed at the forward end, and a roller received in said second slot;

a bolt slidably connected to the bolt carrier assembly by a transverse bar fixed to the bolt and extending through the first elongated slot in the bolt carrier assembly whereby said bar and first elongated slot cooperate to limit axial movement of the bolt on the bolt carrier assembly, the bolt further having a recess in the upper surface thereof to receive the roller when said bolt carrier assembly is in a position rearward with respect to the bolt;

a firing pin disposed in said bolt;

a longitudinal track portion in said receiver and having an upwardly extending recess cooperating with said roller in the bolt carrier assembly;

wherein the roller is positioned in said recess in the track and in a rear portion of the second slot when the bolt carrier assembly is in a forward position with respect to the bolt and the receiver, and wherein rearward movement of the bolt carrier assembly with respect to the bolt causes the cam portion of the second elongated slot to engage the roller to move the roller into said recess in the bolt whereby said bolt carrier assembly and bolt move rearwardly with the roller engaging the track in the receiver and the recess in the bolt such that the bolt is in a fixed position with the bolt carrier assembly during rearward travel.

2. A firearm as in claim 1 wherein the downwardly extending section of said bolt carrier assembly has a cam at the forward end thereof to actuate a locking pin on said bolt.

3. A firearm as in claim 1 wherein the downwardly extending section of said bolt carrier assembly has a spring loaded kicker sear on the lower surface thereof to contact a cam on the lower surface of said bolt.

4. A firearm as in claim 1 trigger mechanism having selector means to enable either firing or continuous firing when the trigger mechanism is depressed.

5. A firearm as in claim 1 wherein said bolt includes an extractor and a sub extractor at one end to eject a shell and a guide means located above said extractor and said subextractor.

6. A firearm as in claim 1 including a drum magazine to charge a shell.

7. The firearm of claim 1 where said bolt includes a locking means to lock the bolt with respect to the barrel and a cam means on the bolt carrier assembly to actuate the locking means, said locking means being actuated by forward movement of the bolt carrier assembly with respect to the bolt.

8. The firearm of claim 1 wherein the bolt carrier assembly includes a piston received in said gas tower.

9. A firearm as in claim 1 including means to charge a shell comprising a magazine which is disposed forwardly at an angle of about 4 to 6 degrees.

10. A firearm as in claim 9 wherein said magazine is substantially linear.

11. A firearm as in 1 comprising a guide rod assembly passing through said bolt carrier assembly to guide axial movement of the bolt and bolt carrier assembly.

12. A firearm as in claim 11 wherein one end of said guide rod terminates in the butt means of the receiver.

13. A firearm as in claim 11 wherein said guide rod has a spring around at least a part of said guide rod to bias the bolt carrier assembly in a forward position.

14. A bolt and bolt carrier assembly for use a gas operated automatic firearm having a barrel and a gas tower communicating with the barrel, and a receiver portion in communication with the barrel and gas tower, said receiver having a longitudinal track having an upwardly disposed recess positioned rearward of the barrel, the assembly comprising;

a bolt carrier assembly slidably disposed in the gas tower and being actuated by gas pressure in the barrel and gas tower, said bolt carrier assembly being slidable from a forward position to a rearward position in the receiver, the bolt carrier assembly further including a downwardly extending section having a first elongated slot having a longitudinal axis with respect to a longitudinal axis of the bolt carrier assembly, the downwardly extending section further including a second elongated slot having a first portion having a longitudinal axis with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bolt carrier assembly and a downwardly directed cam portion disposed at the forward end, a roller member slidably received in said second slot, and means to actuate a locking means in a bolt;

a bolt slidably connected to the bolt carrier assembly by a transverse bar fixed to the bolt and extending through the first elongated slot, the bolt further including a complementary recess disposed in an upper surface thereof to receive said roller when said bolt carrier assembly is in a rearward position with respect to the bolt, said bolt further including locking means to lock the bolt with respect to the barrel and being actuated by forward movement of the bolt carrier assembly with respect to the bolt;

wherein the bolt is operatively connected to the bolt carrier assembly such that the bolt is in a fixed forward position with respect to the bolt carrier assembly when the bolt carrier assembly is in a rearward position with respect to the barrel and the bolt by the roller cooperating with the cam portion in the bolt carrier assembly, the recess in the bolt and the track in the receiver, and wherein the cam portion of the bolt carrier assembly urges the roller upwardly into the recess in the track when the bolt engages a rearward end of the barrel and the locking means the bolt in position with respect to the barrel by forward movement of the bolt carrier assembly with respect to the bolt.

15. A bolt and bolt carrier assembly as in claim 14 comprising a firing pin which extends through said bolt carrier assembly to a forward face of said bolt.

16. A bolt and bolt carrier assembly as in claim 14 wherein on said forward face of said bolt there is an extractor and a sub-extractor for ejecting shells and a guide means disposed between the extractor and sub-extractor.

17. A bolt and bolt carrier assembly as in claim 14 wherein said bolt carrier assembly has a spring tensioned kicker sear which is engaged by a cam on said bolt.