GB2110350A - Blank-firing firearm having a rotatable cylinder - Google Patents

Abstract

A replica firearm (for example a Colt revolver or pistol, or a rifle) has a two-part cylinder (10, 20) having nipples (41) which, long ago, were required for the percussion caps. The nipples (41) accommodate firing pins (44) for the detonation of blank cartridges. The two parts (10, 20) of the cylinder rotate in unison when the cartridges are being fired, but the cylinder part (10) which is nearer to the muzzle of the gun has cartridge chambers (13) therein and can be rotated relatively to the other cylinder part (20) which has a loading aperture therein in order to eject empty cartridge cases and to load the gun again. Each chamber (13) in the cylinder part (10) communicates with a passage (15) through which gas produced by detonation of a cartridge reaches the barrel; the chamber (13) and the passage (15) are not co-axial. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Blank-firing firearm having a rotatable cylinder This invention relates to a blank-firing firearm having a rotatable cylinder.

Many people nowadays are interested in the pastime or leisure activity which, in essence, consists of re-creating and re-living at least some of the aspects of the times which the West of the United States of America was being acquired, opened up and developed; broadly speaking, these times began in about 1 835.

The idea of using an assembly of chambers capable of being rotated about an axis of rotation to bring one chamber at a time into alignment with a single barrel is one of the oldest ideas for obtaining sequantial firing of charges, but it was not until the invention of the percussion cap that the revolver became a practical proposition. The use of the percussion cap did away with all of the problems which arose from priming, and the guns themselves became less complicated because there was no need any more for a frizzen, frizzen spring or adjustable top jaw and cock.

A percussion revolver or pistol (for example of the Colt pattern) and some of the old rifles have a rotatable cylinder having five or more chambers each of which is in axial alignment with a nipple.

Means are provided to rotate the cylinder stepwise so as to bring the chambers and their associated nipples into line with the barrel of the revolver or rifle in succession; one such means comprise a pawl which is linked to the hammer of the gun and which engages a ratchet mounted on that end of the cylinder which faces away from the muzzle of the gun, the cylinder being rotated (through 600 for a six-chamber cylinder) each time the hammer is cocked. The gun was also provided with a locking device operable to lock the cylinder in each position to which it has been rotated, namely, with the respective chamber in accurate alignment with the bore of the barrel.In the use of such a percussion revolver or rifle, the chambers of the cylinder were charged and a percussion cap was placed on each of a plurality of nipples, each nipple being in accurate alignment with a respective one of the charged chambers.

When the trigger was operated, the hammer was released to strike the percussion cap and thereby fire a shot. Consequently, there is a demand for realistic replica firearms which have nipples on the cylinder in spite of the fact that percussion caps are no longer needed.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a replica firearm of the kind described in the preceding paragraph (hereinafter referred to as "a replica firearm of the type described" which will fire blank cartridges.

Accordingly, the present invention consists in a replica firearm of the type described (as defined above) having a rotatable cylinder comprising two co-axial contiguous portions; the first of said two portions having nipples and a right-cylindrical passageway which is spaced to one side of and extends parallel to the axis of rotation of the cylinder; the second of said two portions having chambers which are spaced from and parallel to said axis; and means connecting said first and second portions to one another in such a manner that the second portion can be rotated relatively to the first portion in a first direction of motion about said axis in order to permit the loading of blank cartridges into said chambers seriatim through said right-cylindrical passageway and that said first and second portions can be rotated in unison about said axis in a second direction of motion opposite to said first direction of motion with the respective nipples and chambers in axial alignment with one another.

In a preferred embodiment of said firearm, each of said chambers is in communication with a passageway whose longitudinal axis is not in alignment with that of said chamber. In this manner, it is ensured in a very simple manner that the cylinder cannot be drilled out to convert the firearm into one which will store and fire live ammunition (bullets).

Each passageway described in the preceding paragraph may have its longitudinal axis parallel to the rotational axis of the cylinder; alternatively, its longitudinal axis could be inclined to said rotational axis.

Said means connecting said first and second portions to one another include a locating slot provided in one of said first and second portions and a spring-biased locating dog carried by the other of said first and second portions, the forms of said slot and dog being such as to permit the free rotation of the second portion relatively to the first portion in said first direction of motion through at least 3600 but being such as to prevent the free rotation of the second portion relatively to the first portion in said second direction through more than 3600. Preferably, the locating dog is carried by the first portion of the cylinder and extends in axial direction in order to engage the axially extending locating slot in the second portion of the cylinder.

In one embodiment of the firearm according to the invention, each nipple houses part of an axially displaceable firing pin. Said firing pin is preferabiy spring-loaded so as to return it to its rest condition once it has been operated to detonate a blank cartridge.

The cylinder will preferably be provided with a ratchet at that end thereof which is directed away from the muzzle of the barrel of the firearm, and the firearm will additionally include a hammercontrolled pawl whose free end engages the successive teeth of the ratchet in order to rotate the cylinder.

The present invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figures 1, 2 and 3 are three different views of one part of a two-part cylinder of a replica firearm of the type described (as defined above) according to the invention; Figures 4, 5 and 6 are three different views of the principal other part of said cylinder; Figures 7 and 8 respectively illustrate a nipple and firing pin/spring for said other part; Figure 9 comprises two views of a locking ring or cap; Figure 10 shows a locating dog/spring and fixing screw; and Figure 11 shows the assembled two-part cylinder.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, there is illustrated an annular body 10 having an axial bore 11 counterbored at 12 for a purpose to be described later. There are six right-cylindrical chambers 13 formed in the body, said chambers 13 having longitudinal axes which are parallel to one another and to the longitudinal axis 14 of the body 1 0. There are also six right-cylindrical passages 15 formed in the body 10 and said passages also have longitudinal axes which are parallel to one another and to the axis 14. The chambers 1 3 communicate with respective passages 1 5 but each conjoined pair (namely, one chamber 1 3 and one passage 15) are not coaxial.

This gives rise to a shoulder 1 6.

Referring to Figures 4 to 6, an element 20 comprises a top piece 21 connected to an arbor 22 whose reduced-diameter free end 23 is screwthreaded. There is a bore 24 extending through the top piece 21 and the arbor 22.

The top piece is formed to provide crenellations in the spaces of which are bores and counterbores 26, 27; the longitudinal axes of said bores/counterbores are parallel to one another and to the longitudinal axis 28 of the element 20.

Another bore/counterbore is provided at the location indicated by the reference numeral 29 in Figure 4 and the longitudinal axis of said bore/counterbore 29 is parallel to the axis 28. The bores/counterbores 26, 27 and 29 extend right through the top piece 21. Lastly, a rightcylindrical passageway 30 extends through the top piece 21, the longitudinal axis of said passageway also being parallel to the axis 28.

The top piece 21 is surmounted by an annular ratchet 31.

Figure 7 illustrates a nipple 40 having a head 41 and a shank 42 of reduced diameter. A bore 43 extends through the nipple 40 and is for the accommodation of a portion 44 of a firing pin 45 which has an annular shoulder 46. The portion 44 is of greater axial length than another portion 47.

Referring to Figure 10, a locating dog 60 comprises a portion 61 which has a chamfered end 62 and which is connected to a cylindrical body 63 which has a central boss 64 projecting from that face thereof which is remote from the portion 61. Said boss 64 will serve to centralise a spring 65 which is placed on that end of the body 63.

In order to assemble the constituent parts described above, it is convenient to start with the nipples/firing pins of which there are six in a firearm having six chambers and passages 1 3, 1 5.

With each nipple and firing pin, the portion 44 is inserted into the bore 43 until the shoulder 46 makes contact with the free end of the shank 42 of the nipple 40. The coiled compression spring 50 (Figure 8) is placed around the portion 47 of the firing pin and the assembly is placed in one of the bores/counterbores 26, 27. Thus placed, the free tip of the portion 44 protrudes slightly above the head 41 of the nipple (see Figure 11) and the firing pin 45 can be moved against the force of the spring 50 by pushing against said free tip.

Now, the locating dog 60 is placed in the bore/counterbore 29 (Figure 6) with the spring 65 previously placed in contact with the face from which the boss 64 projects. The free end of the spring 65 will make contact with a locking dog screw 66 which maintains said parts in position.

As assembled, the chamfered end 62 of the dog 60 will project out of the top piece 21 so as to be visible below the surface 35 (Figure 5).

The annular body 10 is now connected to the element 20 by inserting the arbor 22 into one end of the bore 11 and by moving the element 20 and the body 10 relatively to one another until the screw-threaded end 23 protrudes beyond the end of said body at which there is the counterbore 25.

A locking ring 70 (Figure 9) is screwed onto the end 23 in order to secure the body 10 and the element 20 to one another. It will be realised that the protruding chamfered end 62 will make contact with the respective end face of the body 10 when said body 10 and said element 20 are brought together, and this will cause the locating dog 60 to be moved axially in the bore/counterbore 29 against the force of the spring 65. Said respective end face of the body 10 has a slot 75 which could be so shaped as to provide an inclined ramp portion which terminates at a vertical wall, the so-called vertical wall being such that its surface lies on or close to a plane which contains the axis 14 of the body 10 and the so-called ramp being such that it begins at the respective end surface of said body 10 and extends in a generally axial direction to the axially inner end of the so-called vertical wall.The coaction of the locating dog 60 and the locating slot 75 will become apparent from the following description.

Assuming that the cylinder shown in Figure 11 is installed in its proper place in a replica firearm (namely, on the arbor about whose longitudinal axis the cylinder rotates, the axis of said arbor being coincident with the respective longitudinal axes 14, 28 of the body 10 and the element 20) and assuming that the chambers 1 3 are empty, the following loading procedure is carried out: In view of the fact that the top piece 21 is provided with known notches 100 spaced apart from one another around the circumference of said piece, which notches are engaged by a pivotal stop (not illustrated) in order to lock the cylinder in alignment with the barrel, the top piece 21 is held stationary. The body 10 is, therefore, rotated in a clockwise direction (as seen in Figure 4) relatively to the element 20 in order to bring the various chambers 13 into alignment with the passageway 30 one at a time in order to permit the insertion of a blank cartridge into the chamber concerned by way of said passageway. Such clockwise rotation is continued until all of the chambers have been charged, and this clockwise rotation of the body 10 can be continued beyond one complete revolution of the body 10 because the chamfered end 62 will firstly drop into the slot 75 when it comes around again and secondly be calmed axially into its accommodating bore when rotation is continued.When the person who has been loading the gun sees that all of the chambers have been charged, the body 10 is rotated in the opposite direction (namely, anticlockwise as seen in Figure 4) until the end 62 of the dog drops into the slot 75 under the influence of the spring 65; any attempt to continue such anticlockwise rotation of the body 10 relatively to the element 20 will be prevented because the socalled vertical wall of the slot 75 and that face of the end 62 which is diametrically opposed to the chamfer are in engagement with one another.

The firearm is now ready for firing. The hammer is pulled back to cock the gun, thereby causing the pawl to push against the respective tooth of the ratchet 31 and to rotate the cylinder; the engaged pawl and ratchet turn the element 20 and the dog 60 carried by said element turns the body 10 by virtue of engagement of the dog in the slot 75. The cylinder is locked in its new position by the pivotal stop engaging the respective notch 100. The trigger is squeezed in order to release the hammer which strikes the protruding end of the portion 47 of the firing pin 45, the distal end of the portion 44 of said pin striking the centre of the blank cartridge and detonating it. The gas resulting from said detonation travels through the passage 1 5 and into the barrel.

Instead of the passages 1 5 being such that their axes are all parallel to the axis 14 of the body 10, they could be such that their axes make small included angles therewith.

There will obviously be a line on the cylinder where the body 10 and the element 20 abut but said line will not be very noticeable. Its existence could be concealed by making, for example, the outside diameter of the body 10 slightly smaller than that of the top piece 21.

It will be preferred for the two-part cylinder described herein to be made of a hard or hardened metal; an obvious choice would be steel appropriately hardened after all work has been carried out. The use of hard/hardened metal for the main components of the cylinder will prevent any modification of a replica firearm intended to convert the gun illegally into a projectile-firing gun.

It will also be preferred for the replica firearm to have a barrel according to the invention disclosed in Patent Application No. 81. filed on the same day as this Application. With such a barrel, the gas is permitted to travel along the entire length of the barrel and out of the muzzle.

The ratchet 31 illustrated in the drawings is integral with the element 20 but it could be made as a separate part and accommodated in an appropriate counterbored recess. Such a ratchet could easily be replaced when worn, or perhaps damaged, thereby reducing the expense of keeping the gun in working order.

Claims (12)

Claims

1. A replica firearm of the type described (as defined above) having a rotatable cylinder comprising two co-axial contiguous portions; the first of said two portions having nipples and a right-cylindrical passageway which is spaced to one side of and extends parallel to the axis of rotation of the cylinder; the second of said two portions having chambers which are spaced from and parallel to said axis; and means connecting said first and second portions to one another in such a manner that the second portion can be rotated relatively to the first portion in a first direction of motion about said axis in order to permit the loading of blank cartridges into the said chambers seriatim through said rightcylindrical passageway and that said first and second portions can be rotated in unison about said axis in a second direction of motion opposite to said first direction of motion with the respective nipples and chambers in axial alignment with one another.

2. A firearm as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each of said chambers is in communication with a passageway whose longitudinal axis is not in alignment with that of said chamber.

3. A firearm as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each passageway which is in communication with a respective one of said chambers has its longitudinal axis parallel to the rotational axis of the cylinder.

4. A firearm as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each passageway which is in communication with a respective one of said chambers has its longitudinal axis inclined to the rotational axis of the cylinder.

5. A firearm as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein said means connecting said first and second portions to one another include a locating slot provided in one of said first and second portions and a spring-biased locating dog carried by the other of said first and second portions, the forms of said slot and dog being such as to permit the free rotation of the second portion relatively to the first portion in said first direction of motion through at least 3600 but being such as to prevent the free rotation of the second portion relatively to the first portion in said second direction through more than 3600.

6. A firearm as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the locating dog is carried by the first portion of the cylinder and extends in axial direction in order to engage the axially extending locating slot in the second portion of the cylinder.

7. A firearm as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein saidwmeans connecting said first and second portions to one another include an arbor connected to or integral with said first portion, said arbor extending through a bore in said second portion and having its free end engaged by a releasable fixing device in such a manner as to prevent the connected portions from coming apart unintentionally and as to permit said relative rotation between said first and second portions.

8. A firearm as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein nipple houses part of an axially displaceable firing pin.

9. A firearm as claimed in Claim 8, wherein said firing pin is spring-loaded so as to return it to its rest condition once it has been operated to detonate a blank cartridge.

10. A firearm as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the cylinder is provided with a ratchet at that end thereof which is directed away from the muzzle of the barrel of the firearm, the firearm being additionally provided with a hammer-controlled pawl whose free end engages the successive teeth of the ratchet in order to rotate the cylinder.

11. A replica firearm of the type described (as defined above) constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

12. Any features of novelty, taken singly or in combination, of the embodiments of the invention hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

1 3. A cylinder for a replica firearm of the type described (as defined above), said cylinder being constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.