March 21, 1961 o. N. LEWIS 2,975,540
RECEIVER ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 2, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Q 2 \s I a a \Q Q N V *D h m 3 Q N R 3 I Q N 0 I 0 u 00 INVENTOR. OLIVER N.I EWIS March 21, 1961 Filed Oct. 2, 1958 E: M.- 'Imv- I O. N. LEWIS RECEIVERASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.
OLIVER N. LEWIS masts Q Patented Mar. 23, 196i RECEIVER ASSEMBLY Oliver N; Lewis, New Haven, Corina assignor to Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, a corporation of Virginia Filed Oct. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 764,798
4 Claims. (Cl. 4275) The present invention is directed to firearms and deals in particular with gas operated weapons.
A particular feature of the invention is the provision of a novel receiver assembly in weapons of the above general class.
An additional feature of the invention is the provision of a receiver-trigger guard-slide arm arrangement which affords a minimum width across the receiver body.
A further feature of the invention is the provision of a firearm receiver assembly including a receiver having a pair of depending sidewalls, a trigger guard having a pair of guide tracks and a pair of slide arms movable upon the tracks wherein one sidewall, one slide arm and one track of each pair thereof are tiered vertically.
A firearm embracing certain features of the present invention may comprise a receiver having a pair of laterally spaced depending sidewalls, a pair of slide arms and a trigger guard including a pair of laterally spaced guide rails, the sidewalls of the receiver and the guide rails being spaced from one another, vertically, so as to provide support and sliding clearance for the slide arms, one slide arm and one guide rail of each pair thereof being disposed coplanar with the corresponding depending side wall of the receiver.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the succeeding specification when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 illustrates a portion of a gas operated firearm utilizing the principles of the present invention with certain parts thereof broken away for clarity;
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of Fig. l as viewed in the plane of theline 22 and in the direction indicated;
Fig. 3 shows the slide arms in perspective; and
Fig. 4 is a perspetcive view of the trigger guard.
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a wooden stock having a cavity 11 for receiving and supporting a barrel receiver assembly indicated generally by thereference numeral 12.
A group of elements, hereinafter referred to as the receiver assembly, includes thereceiver member 13 having a pair of depending sidewalls 14 and 16 respectively. The rear end of the receiver is mounted upon aboss 17 formed integral with arecoil block 18 in turn secured to thestock 10 by means of a screw 19 in generally the same fashion as shown and described in US. Patent 2,844,904, issued on July 29, 1958, to Wallace B. Butler.
The forward end of the receiver is connected to a barrel 21 in turn secured by means of a take-down screw to the stock in the manner disclosed and claimed in said Butler patent.
The receiver houses abolt assembly 22 adapted to reciprocate within the receiver along the ways orkeys 23, 24 and 26;
The bolt assembly, shown in the retracted or open position in Fig. 1, is actuated by a pair of slides orslide arms 27 and 28 each terminating at one end in a return bendportion defining ears 29 and 31 respectively.
The connection between the slides and the bolt assembly is accomplished by apin 32 received in theslot 33 of the bolt assembly and theholes 34 and 36 of the slide arms.
The front ends of the slide arms are connected to a driving:block 37 actuated by a gas piston (not shown) in well known fashion. Afinger piece 38 is provided upon slidearm-28 so that the slide may be actuated manually.
A trigger guard assembly, indicated generally by thereference numeral 39, is shown secured at its rear end to a depending lug 41 formed on therecoil block 18 by means of a screw 42, while the forward end thereof is connected to; thereceiver 13 by means of a T-sh-apedkey 43 whichengages a mating slot in the receiver.
Pin 44 is effective to lock the trigger guard and the receiver against longitudinal relative motion. Note, in particular, that the guard assembly embraces a first pair of guides orrails 46 and 47 spaced apart at the rear end by themain body 48 of the trigger guard while the front ends of the rails are stiffened by a block 49 having an inclined wedge-like surface 51 adapted to mate with a corresponding surface formed on thestock 10. The guard assembly also includes a second pair ofguide rails 45 and 50 which are straddled by theears 29 and 31.
A reference to Fig. 2 at this time will reveal a prime advantage of the present invention wherein it is apparent that the depending sidewalls 14 and 16 of the receiver are each tiered above and are coplanar with theside arms 28 and 27 respectively which are, in turn, tiered above and are coplanar with theguide rails 47 and 46 of the trigger guard assembly.
Obviously, the slide bars are supported by and moved to and fro upon therails 46 and 47. Note also that the slides are restrained laterally wherein thecars 29 and 31 straddle and slide along the outside surfaces of theguides 45 and 50, respectively.
From the viewpoint of the cavity 11 formed in the stock, within which the receiver assembly is disposed, the slide arms and thetrigger guard rails 46 and 47 amount to extensions of the receiver sidewalls 14 and 16 thus afiording an exceedingly slim receiver assembly.
In prior art arrangements, the slides frequently straddle the receiver or are otherwise disposed outside the receiver sidewalls necessitating a thicker receiver section and a correspondingly heavier stock in the area of the receiver. In other prior art designs the slides are disposed inside the receiver and this arrangement also requires a wider receiver in order to accommodate the slides and the bolt.
Note that the tiering or verticaly disposition of the sidewalls of the receiver, the slide arms and the trigger guard rails permits an absolute minimum width across the receiver body as evidenced by the dimension A in Fig. 2.
Obviously, a variety of modifications and arrangements can be devised in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
What is claimed is:
1. A firearm receiver assembly comprising a receiver, a pair of slide arms, and a trigger guard, said receiver having a pair of laterally spaced depending sidewalls and said trigger guard including a pair of laterally spaced guide rails, the sidewalls of the receiver and the guide rails being spaced from one another, vertically, so as to provide sliding clearance for the slide arms, one slide arm and one guide rail of each pair thereof being disposed coplanar with the corresponding depending sidewall of the receiver and means for securing the assembly together to maintain said coplanar disposition.
2. The firearm receiver assembly of claim 1 wherein a second pair of guide rails are provided in the trigger guard for precluding lateral motion of the slide arms with respect to the receiver.
3. A firearm receiver assembly comprising a receiver asvaam recoil block for supporting the rear end of the receiver, a pair of slide arms, a trigger guard secured to the recoil block and including a pair of laterally spaced guide rails, the forward end of said trigger guard being'rigidly con: nected to the forward end of the receiver,.the sidewalls of the receiver and the guide rails being spaced from one another vertically so as to provide sliding clearance for the slide arms, one slide arm and one guide rail of each pair thereof being disposed coplanar with the correspond ing depending sidewall of the receiver the connection be tween the trigger guard and the recoil block and the trigger guard and the receiver being operative to maintain the coplanar disposition of the sidewalls, slide arms and guide rails. a j .4. A firearm'receiver assembly comprising a receiver having a pair of laterally spaced. depending sidewallspa recoil block for supporting the rear end of thereceiver, a
pair of slide arms, a trigger guard secured to the recoil block and including a pair of laterally spaced guide rails, the forward end of said trigger guard being rigidly connected to the forward end of the receiver, the sidewalls of the receiver and the guide rails being so tiered vertically so that the slide arms ride on the rails, one slide arm and one guide rail of each pairthereof being disposed coplanar with the corresponding depending sidewall of the receiver said assembly being secured together to maintain the coplanar arrangement by means of the connection'betw'een the trigger guard, the recoil block and the receiver.
References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS l,572,45 -Swebilius Feb. 9, 1926 2,487,198 Swebilius Nov. 8, 1949