A gun trigger mechanism

This invention relates to firearms, and in particular, although not exclusively to gas operated automatic guns, although it may also be used with semi-automatic guns. The present invention is particularly concerned with a trigger mechanism.

Automatic guns are well known and the term is applied to a gun in which, when a trigger is pulled, a plurality of cartridges are fired serially for as long as the trigger is held or until the last cartridge is fired. Semi-automatic guns are similarly well known and the term is usually applied to a gun which, when a trigger is pulled, fires a cartridge subsequently ejects the cartridge, cocks the bolt and chambers a next cartridge automatically but does not fire said next cartridge until the trigger is released and again pulled to repeat the cycle. Automatic and semi-automatic guns are generally of three different kinds namely, recoil operated, blow-back operated or gas operated and the present invention relates to the latter form of operation.

Automatic and semi-automatic guns are well discussed in literature and examples are "Small Arms of the World" by W.H.B. Smith, tenth edition completely revised by Joseph E. Smith published by Stockpole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. and Janes Infantry Weapons 1977 edited by Dennis H.R. Archer published by Janes Publishing Company, and a known type of gas operated, automatic gun is the United States 7.62 mm NATO M.60 machine gun described at pages 695 - 699 in Small Arms of the World and pages 332 - 337 of Janes Infantry Weapons and the 5.56 mm AR18 rifle described at page 656 in Small Arms of the World and pages 229 - 231 of Janes Infantry Weapons.

A gas operated gun, such as the AR18 has a receiver housing a bolt/bolt carrier assembly which is urged toward a barrel by a drive spring and actuated by a trigger through the intermediary of a sear. A radial drilling through the wall of the barrel is provided at a predetermined distance along the barrel length and externally in cooperating with the drilling is a gas piston and cylinder assembly. In operation the bolt/bolt carrier assembly strips and feeds a cartridge from a magazine into a feed area within the receiver and the bolt drives the cartridge over a feed ramp within the normally provided barrel extension to chamber the cartridge. The bolt is usually then rotated into a locked position so that the cartridge is securely held within the chamber. Because the bolt/bolt carrier assembly are slidably and rotatably movable with respect to one another and the firing pin is carried by the bolt carrier assembly, final forward momentum of the bolt carrier assembly rotates and locks the bolt as it drives the firing pin into the cartridge to thereby discharge the cartridge. Gas, is produced by the firing action of the cartridge, which gas enters the radial drilling once the bullet has past the drilling and enters the gas cylinder whilst the bullet is still within the barrel. Of course, once the bullet leaves the barrel the gas is dissipated. The cylinder is arranged to be the movable part and the cylinder is connected to the bolt carrier assembly by a rod so that as the cylinder fills with gas it is driven by the gas, the bolt carrier is driven rearwardly thereby unlocking the bolt, extracting the spent cartridge, ejecting the same and cocking the gun for a further series of operations. A further, similar, cycle is then produced for as long as the trigger is squeezed and of course for as long as there are cartridges to provide the gas discharge. It is to be noted that the movable cylinder does not have the same length of travel as the bolt carrier assembly.

The AR18 rifle along with several other automatic weapons fires fran a closed bolt position which means that the bolt/bolt carrier assembly are all the way forward and a round has been chambered by the preceding cycle so that when the trigger is pulled only the hammer or other light weight firing mechanism moves; the bolt and carrier assembly do not move until after firing takes place and there is no consequential motion or force applied to the gun before the instant of firing. This is in distinction to a gun which fires from the open bolt position {such as an M-60 machine gun) where the bolt/bolt carrier assembly are held back behind the feed area by the previous cycle being interrupted and the bolt carrier being caught by a sear before the bolt/bolt carrier assembly are driven all the way forward by the drive spring. Thus, initially no cartridge has been chambered and when the trigger is pulled the bolt/bolt carrier assembly is released and driven forward by the main spring to then chamber and fire the cartridge.

In an automatic or scmi-automatic gun of the kind which fire from the open bolt position it is known to provide a reciprocating bolt carrier assembly which is selectively held in readiness for release and firing by a pivotable sear which, in turn, is actuated by a pivotable trigger. In such guns, it is usual for the bolt carrier assembly to be provided with a sear engaging lug which is arranged to engage with the top rear portion of the sear and, in this manner, when the sear engaging lug engages with the top rear portion of the sear the bolt carrier assembly is prevented from moving forwardly to a firuig position. In a gun, such as the M-60 machine gun, the bolt carrier assembly is held back behind the cartridge feed station by the previous gun cycle being interrupted. In this respect the bolt carrier is caught by the sear before the bolt carrier assembly is driven all the way forward by the bolt carrier assembly drive spring. Because it is common for a firing cycle to be completed with the bolt carrier assembly all the way forward, it is customary for a manual cocking handle to be provided to draw the bolt carrier assembly rearwardly so that the sear engaging lug engages with the sear and to thereby permit a cartridge to rise from, for example, a magazine into the receiver feed area of the gun.

To enable the cartridge to rise into the feed area, it is obviously necessary for the bolt to be withdrawn behind the base of the cartridge. However, it will be appreciated that if in manually cocking, or for that matter if the gun is dropped on its buttstock, the bolt carrier assembly can be withdrawn rearwardly sufficiently for a cartridge to rise into the feed area but insufficiently for the sear engaging lug to engage with the sear. To overcome this problem, it is known to provide a notch in the top of the sear in which the sear lug may engage at a point in the forward cycle of the bolt prior to chambering the cartridge, locking the bolt against the barrel, and firing the cartridge.

It has, however, been found that with such a notch in the top of the sear when the trigger is pulled the lug tends to abrade a forward edge of the notch thereby damaging both the lug and the notch. Stopping the bolt on the notch then has the undesirable result in that a cartridge may be partly stripped from the magazine and displaced in the feed area and may even be partially chambered, possibly resulting in prevention of removal of the magazine. Alternatively, if the last round is fired and the now empty magazine is replaced by a fresh nagazine, because the bolt stripping shoulder will have stopped forward of the cartridge base, the bolt will move forwardly when the trigger is pulled and the bolt released from the notch.

This invention seeks to provide a gun having a trigger mechanism in which the foregoing defect is at least partially mitigated.

According to this invention, there is provided a gun including a trigger mechanism comprising a pivotally mounted trigger connected to rotate a pivotal sear having a rear part which is provided to selectively engage a lug on a reciprocal bolt means and a notch in an upper surface of the sear which is also arranged to cooperate and engage with said lug when said lug is not engaged with said sear rear part, and mounted on the trigger axis, a member arranged to cooperate with a portion of the sear and which is spring biassed for movement with the trigger, whereby when the trigger is pulled to rotate the sear in a first direction out of engagement with the lug the member is intially prevented from moving with the trigger by the sear portion and when the lug is released by the sear the sear is further rotated in said first direction by the lug contacting the sear upper surface to free the member to move toward the trigger and under the sear portion, thereby preventing the sear from rotating in a direction counter to said first direction until the trigger is released.

Preferably the sear portion is an L-shaped extension on the same side of the sear pivot as that side driven by the trigger.

Advantageously, the member is spring biassed to contact a portion of the trigger on a side of the trigger pivot remote from the sear pivot.

The terms "forward" and "rearward" and similar adverbial phrases used herein are used in relation to the gun muzzle so that, for example, the buttstock is positioned rearwardly of the muzzle.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

• Figure 1 shows a left hand side view of a gas operated fully automatic gun in accordance with this invention, drawn to a reduced scale in comparison with the remaining figures,
• Figure 2 shows a partially sectioned part view of a gun in accordance with this invention showing the trigger mechanism in a rest position,
• Figure 3 shows the trigger mechanism of Figure 2 shown with the trigger pulled,

In the Figures like reference numerals denote like parts.

The gas operated automatic gun shown in Figure 1 has a receiver 1 to the rear wall channel 131 of which is connected a buttstock 2 and at the opposite end of the receiver 1 from the buttstock 2 there is connected a barrel 10. A pistol grip 11 is connected by a screw and nut Underneath the receiver 1 and a fore grip 12 is connected by screws on the underside of the barrel 10. The pistol grip 11 is connected to the receiver 1 through the intermediary of a trigger guard 72 shrouding a trigger assembly 73 having a rotatable sear actuator (safety catch) 77.

Mounted in the bottom well of the receiver 1 is a cartridge magazine 4 which is of the drum type although it may be a flat box- type magazine. The magazine 4 is held to the receiver by a magazine latch assembly 5.

A cocking handle assembly 6 for a bolt carrier assembly 3 (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) is mounted on the left hand side of the receiver 1 incorporating a cocking bar sub-assembly 60 including a cocking handle 601.

Mounted on the top rear of the receiver 1 is a rear sight mount 96 and on the right hand side of the receiver is a carrying handle 97. Also on the right hand side of the receiver is an ejector slot 104 and in both sides at the front of the receiver are provided four cooling apertures 105 to assist in removing heat from the rear end of the barrel 10. A gas system 9 is connected in between the front of the receiver 1 and a foresight assembly 95. A bayonet lug attachment 98 is provided on the barrel and at the muzzle there is a flash suppressor 99.

The trigger mechanism shown in Figures 2 and 3 is mounted within a receiver 1 and comprises a trigger assembly 73 connected to a sear 700 through the intermediary of a sear selector 77. Secured to the lower receiver is a trigger guard 72. A bolt carrier assembly 3 having a block 300 within which is slidably and rotatably mounted a bolt 317, has a pair of vertical sear lugs 325, one on each side of the gun longitudinal axis (only one of which is shown in the sectional view of Figures 2 and 3), and the bolt carrier assembly, shown in solid lines, is shown with the lugs 325 engaged with a top rear portion of the sear 700.

The trigger assembly 73 has an arcuate finger pull trigger 730 pivotally mounted on a rod 731, the trigger 730 being biassed by a spring 732 disposed in a blind hole 736 within the trigger 730, one end of the spring 732 acting against the closure of the blind hole 736 and the other end of the spring acting against the trigger spring retainer 733 which is stationary in respect to the receiver 1. The retainer 733 is located in a guide slot 734 in the trigger to permit the trigger to move arcuately. The trigger has a tail 739 having a top rear face 735 which operates the sear 700 through the sear selector 77.

The sear selector is a rotatable safety catch having a lever (not shown) external of the receiver and in the position shown in the Figures 2 and 3, is able to transmit motion of the tail 739 to a lip 712 of the sear.

The sear 700 is pivotally mounted on a transverse rod 701 which secures the sear 700 to a sear buffer 705. The lip 712 of the sear is biassed downwardly toward the trigger tail 739 by a compression spring 702 that is mounted within a recess 703 in the sear and on a stud 704 secured to the lower receiver wall. Positioned in front of the lip 712 is an L-shaped nose 720 having the base of the L remote from the lip 712.

Secured on the same pivot rod 731 of the trigger is a prop member 745 having a nose 746 which abuts with the trigger and a tail 747 which is arranged to cooperate with the L-shaped nose 720. The nose 746 is biassed by a spring 748 toward the trigger.

The top of the sear has a rear portion 715 which is angled and has a greater depth than a front portion 716, the front and rear portions being separated by a safety, sear lug engaging, notch 717. A review of Figures 2 and 3 will show that the rear portion 715 is arranged to be substantially horizontal when the trigger is at the rest position and the front portion is arranged to be angled slightly downwardly with respect to the horizontal when the trigger is pulled (as shown in Figure 3).

In Figure 2 the bolt carrier assembly 3 is shown in phantom lines with the lugs 325 held by the safety notch 717 and the forward extent of the bolt 317 will be observed. It will be realised, therefore, that the bolt 317, if not held by the rear portion of the sear, will be held by the notch 717 so that a cartridge in the feed area 103 will not be inadvertently chambered.

In operation with the bolt assembly 3 held by the sear, either at the rear of the sear or in the notch 717, the tail 747 of the prop member is situated in the angular space formed by the L-shaped nose 720. As the finger pull 730 is pulled rearwardly, so the trigger rotates in a counter clockwise direction (as viewed in the Figures) with the result that the top rear face 735 of the trigger pushes the sear selector 77 against the lip 712 of the sear to thereby rotate the sear in a clockwise direction. As the trigger and sear rotate, a position is reached where the lugs 325 are no longer held by the sear but the tail 747 is arranged to be of such a length that although the lugs are released by the sear the tail 747 is held in abutment with the inside, base, edge of the L-shaped nose 720. Assuming that the lugs 325 are initially held at the rear portion of the sear then as the bolt moves forwardly (to the left as viewed in the Figures) then the sear will be further rotated in a clockwise direction by the sear lugs engaging on the top surface of the sear. Such action, by itself, is sufficient to rotate the nose of the sear out of contact with the tail 747. It will be realised that normally the trigger will continue to be rotated in a counter clockwise direction and that whilst the trigger is rotating counter clockwise and the tail 747 is held by the nose 720 then the nose 746 will move out of contact with the trigger. As soon as the tail 747 is released by the nose 720 so the member 745 flips in a counter clockwise direction so that the nose 746 abuts the trigger and the tail 747 moves under the base of the L-shaped nose 20 (as shown in Figure 3). Such action moves the notch 717 out of the path of the lugs 325. As long as the trigger is pulled and there are cartridges to be fired so the bolt carrier assembly 3 will move backwards and forwards as shown in phantom lines in Figure 3.

When now the trigger is released, i.e. it moves in a clockwise direction, so the trigger rotates the prop member 745 in a.clockwise direction with the result that the tail 747 begins to move from under the base of the L-shaped nose 720. Coincident with rotation of the prop member 745 is, of course, counter clockwise rotation of the sear 700. Continued release of the trigger causes the selector 77 to move out of contact from the lip 712 and the sear to be held by the nose 720 being supported by the tail 747. As the trigger is released further, so the prop member is rotated until the tail 747 no longer supports the nose 720 and the member 745 flops causing the sear to flop onto the selector 77.

The time taken for the sear to flop from release of support by the tail 747 to being supported by the selector 77 is determined by the force exerted by the spring 702 and the mass of the sear 700 and this time is predetermined to be greater than the time taken for the lugs 302 to travel from the rear of the sear past the notch 717 in a normal firing cycle. In this manner, it is not possible for the bolt carrier assembly lugs 325 to be inadvertently caught by the notch 717 during a firing cycle.

Additionally, quick release of the sear when the trigger is released enables the sear to rise into the path of the lugs in a greatly reduced portion of the gun cycle time as compared with a system where the sear moves coincident with the slow release of the trigger. Thus an additional advantage of the present invention is provided in that there is a higher probability of full area engagement between the sear and the lugs during the impact of stopping the bolt.

Attention is directed toward our co-pending Application Nos

which relate to various other features of the gun as herein described.