Reversible magazine latch system for pistols

The invention relates to pistols and to a reversible magazine latch system for a pistol, having a grip portion, in which there is provided a cavity for a magazione, said system comprising a latch seat disposed in said pistol, a magazine latch assembly adapted for disposition in and retention by said seat, and a magazine adapted to be engaged by said latch assembly, said seat comprising an opening extending through said pistol and adapted to receive said latch assembly at either end of said opening and retain said latch assembly therein, said magazine having two lateral slots, a selected one of said slots being accessible to said latch assembly when said magazine is disposed in said cavity, said magazine latch assembly comprising a body portion having a first head portion on a first end thereof and a chamber therein, a second head portion at a second end of said body portion, a movable latch.portion, and detent means extending from said latch portion to engage said selected one of said magazine slots. Such a system is known from GB-A-2 006 404 (= US-A-4. 236 337).

In the field of automatic firearms, and particularly pistols, it is common for the grip portion of the pistol to define a cavity for a magazine, and it is known to employ latches for locking and unlocking the magazine in the cavity. Among the known latches, there is a sliding type, which is seated and guided transversely, with respect to the cavity receiving the magazine, so as to engage a slot provided on a surface of the magazine. Generally, sliding latches have a unidirectional and irreversible use, in that they may be used either from left to right only, in the case of pistols adapted for right-handed individuals, or from right to left only, in the case of pistols adapted for left-handed individuals. Such limitation is an inconvenience when pistols are used by persons with the opposite hand.

GB-A-2 006 404 (= US-A-4. 236 337) sought to remedy the problem by providing a reversible sliding magazine latch for pistols. However, removal and insertion of the '337 latch device require placing the device at an oblique angle relative to the latch seats, which can cause some difficulty in realizing the benefits of the invention, in that the device is awkward to remove.

An object of the invention is to provide a reversible latch system for a pistol in which the latch assembly is easily reversed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reversible latch system in which the latch assembly can be inserted into and removed from the latch seat substantially axially of the latch seat.

According to the invention, the latch system defined in the first paragraph of this specification is characterized in that said second head portion is threadingly connected to said body portion to secure the body portion in the pistol in that said latch portion is movably disposed in said chamber, and in that said detent means extends through an opening in said body portion to engage the selected slot.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same way be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a pistol showing an illustrative disposition of the invention;
• Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the invention, taken along line II-II of Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrative of an embodiment of the invention, taken along line III-III of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of Fig. 3, but showing elements of the invention in an alternative position.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the illustration system is adapted for use in conjunction with a pistol 2 having a grip portion 4 in which there is provided a cavity 6 for a magazine 8.

The magazine 8 is provided with two lateral slots 10, 12; one on each side of the magazine. The slots 10, 12 are adapted to receive a latch means, as will be fully described herein below. The magazine 8 comprises spaced side walls 14, 16, a rounded front wall 18, a back wall 20, a base portion 22, and an internal follower 24, biased by a spring 26. The magazine is adapted to retain a plurality of cartridges and facilitates feeding of the cartridges into a cartridge chamber in the barrel of the pistol.

The grip portion 4 of the pistol 2 is provided with a latch seat 28 having first and second enlarged areas 30, 32 at either end thereof, respectively. The latch seat 28 is adapted to receive a magazine latch assembly 34. The magazine latch assembly 34 includes a generally tubular body portion 36 having at a first end thereof a first head portion 38 having a slot 40 therein. At a second end thereof, the body portion 36 is provided with internal threads 42 adapted to receive a threaded stem portion 44 of a second head portion 46 adapted to be received by the first enlarged area 30.

The body portion 36 and the stem portion 44, when threadedly connected, define a chamber 48 in which is disposed a latch portion 50. A shank 52 extends from a first end 53 of the latch portion 50 and through an axial opening 54 in the stem portion 44 of the second head portion 46, the shank 52 having a lock button 56 on a free end thereof. At a second end 57 of the latch portion 50, a coil spring 58 is disposed between the latch portion 50 and an internal end wall 60 of the body portion 36, to bias the lock button 56 outwardly, as shown in Fig. 2.

A forward wall 62 of the body portion 36 is provided with a slot 64 in which is disposed a free end of a pin 66 mounted in the latch portion 50, the slot 64 and pin 66 allowing limited movement of the latch portion 50 in the chamber 48.

Opposite the slot 64 there is an opening 68 in the body portion 36 adapted to receive the aforementioned magazine forward wall 18. The latch portion 50 includes a concave contour 70 generally complementary to the magazine wall 18 but including a detent means 72 adapted to engage one of the magazine slots 10, 12.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that in the illustrated position, the lock button 56 is biased to an outward position by the coil spring 58 and that the detent 72 is disposed in the magazine slot 12 to securely lock the magazine 8 in the cavity 6 of the grip portion 4 of the pistol 2.

To release the magazine 8, an operator depresses the lock button 56, against the bias of the spring 58, causing the latch portion 50 to move in the chamber 48, with the pin 66 moving in the slot 64 until the pin abuts an end of the slot, at which point the detent means 72 will be removed from the slot 12 (Fig. 3) permitting withdrawal of the magazine 8 from the cavity 6. After insertion of a new magazine, the operator releases the lock button 56, permitting the detent means 72 to be moved by the spring 58 into engagement with the magazine slot 12.

To change the latch assembly from a right-hand orientation, wherein the lock button is on the left (Fig. 1) to a left hand orientation, wherein the lock button is on the right, an operator depresses the lock button 56 to release the magazine 8, and then releases the lock button 56 and separates the body portion 36 from the stem portion 44, by turning the first head portion 38, as by insertion of a coin, or the like, in the groove 40 and disengaging the threaded portions of the body portion 36 and the stem portion 44. After separation of the threaded elements 36, 44 the latch portion 50 and the second head portion 46 are withdrawn from the latch assembly seat 28 by way of the first enlarged area 30, and the body portion 36, and the spring 58, are withdrawn from the latch seat by way of the second enlarged area 32. The positions of the second hand portion 46 and the latch portion 50, on the one hand, and the body portion 36, on the other hand, are exchanged, such that the lock button is on the right hand side, and the first head portion 38 on the left side, for left hand orientation. The threaded elements 36, 44 are threadedly engaged and the assembly is complete, with the head portion 38 disposed in the enlarged area 30 of the latch seat 28 and the second head portion 46 disposed in the second enlarged area 32 of the latch seat, and with the detent means 72 in position for engagement with the magazine slot 10.

Thus, the magazine latch assembly may be easily and quickly exchanged between left and right-hand orientation.