RIFLE HAVING A REPLACEABLE BARREL

Rifle having a replaceable barrel

The invention relates to a rifle with a replaceable barrel with two or more barrels for different purposes and calibres and with own cases for different cartridges.

Such a fastening system for a rifle with a replaceable barrel known as such has been disclosed in the patent specification FI-20040200. It has been stated that it is possible to load a rifle by accident, for example, with a 22LR-calibre cartridge, al¬ though the rifle has a barrel for a 17HMR cartridge, the diameter of which is ap¬ proximately 1 mm smaller than the diameter of the barrel for the 22LR cartridges. Test shots have been fired using a 22LR cartridge in a rifle having the barrel for a 17HMR cartridge and it has been noted that a lead bullet will compress so much that it will pass through the barrel, and does not cause any danger.

The purpose of the invention is to prevent such a mistake and a possible theoreti¬ cal accident. It is characteristic of a rifle with a replaceable barrel according to the invention that at least one barrel has a cavity into which a projection or upper edge in the cartridge case corresponding to the barrel fits, when the right case has been inserted into the rifle. Thus, it is possible to prevent a wrong case and thus also a wrong cartridge from getting into a barrel, which is of a smaller calibre than the cartridge.

It is characteristic of an embodiment of the invention, in which replaceable barrels of three different calibres are used for 22LR, 22 Win. Mag. and 17HMR cartridges that the replaceable barrel 22LR has a cavity, into which the upper edge of a cor¬ responding 22LR cartridge case fits, as the case has been inserted into the rifle. The calibres are those of a so-called small-bore rifle, and after the new 17HMR calibre in rifles with replaceable barrels was introduced, it has been noted that there is a risk that it is possible to load the rifle with a cartridge, the calibre of which is 22, i.e. with a diameter of 5.6 mm, when again the rifle may have a barrel with a calibre of 17, i.e. a diameter of 4.3 mm. By means of the invention a car¬ tridge case, which is not intended for a 17-calibre barrel, will simply not fit the rifle with the said barrel.

It is characteristic of a second embodiment of the invention that the replaceable barrels have a code, such as a colour ribbon encircling the base of the barrel, and that the rifle stock has equivalent codes with markings indicating which colour cor¬ responds to which calibre. The user or buyer of the rifle can see already in the rifle rack that an orange colour ribbon around the barrel tells that the rifle concerned is a "SAKO" rifle and that the equivalent orange colour spot in the stock with the marking 22LR indicates that the barrel of the rifle is intended for a cartridge with the 22LR calibre.

If and when the cartridge case has still the same code it can be made sure that the right cartridge case is used, into which the right cartridges intended for the case fit.

The invention will next be described by means of an example, referring to the en¬ closed drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows a rifle with a replaceable barrel, i.e. a small-bore rifle provided with a riflescope;

Figure 2 shows a part in the lock casing of the rifle in sectional view, and

Figure 3 shows the locking head of a replaceable barrel.

Three replaceable barrels of different calibres are used in a rifle with replaceable barrels for 22LR, 22 Win. Mag and 17HMR cartridges. The 22LR replaceable bar¬ rel 1 has a cavity 2, into which the upper edge 4 of the cartridge case 3 for the re¬ spective 22LR cartridge case fits, when the case has been inserted into the rifle. If the rifle has a 17-calibre barrel without the cavity 2, and one tries to insert a 22LR or 22 Win. Mag. cartridge case, this will not be successful, because the edge of the case will in this case contact the edge of the barrel with no cavity.

The replaceable barrels of a rifle with a replaceable barrel have the colour codes 5 and the stock of the rifle has the equivalent colour codes 6 with the markings 22LR, 22Win.Mag. and 17HMR, indicating which calibre barrel is attached to the rifle. If the case still has the colour code, it is also avoided that a case with another colour code be pushed into the rifle by accident, the barrel of which has another colour code.