This invention relates to a pressured fluid propelled gun which admits two modalities of ammunition loading as well as to the use of several types of ammunition, such as spherical projectiles, with self loading (magazine gun modality) and pellets or other of suitable projectiles, hand fed, placing said ammunition at the barrel inlet each time it is fired (single shot modality).
The invention is based on a particular mounting and operative link to the body of the gun, and to the barrel, or barrel shell, of an already known ammunition loading device, which comprises a tube closed at one end, a spring being supported on its bottom and which has an actuator of said spring, allowing to store ammunition which is delivered unit by unit through an opposite end of said open tube, a slide placed in front thereof which has a recess fit to receive a single projectile, from a set of them, accommodated in the loading device. When the gun is closed, a displacement occurs through the thrust of said slide, until said recess receives said projectile aligned between the barrel rear end and the pressure air duct outlet end, ready to be fired.
Utility model ES 290 417 discloses a feeding projectile device for air guns which having a similar structure to the above mentioned, with the loading device located close to the buttstock, where, in the event no ammunition in the loading device exists it is possible to fire other projectiles, hand loaded at the mouthpiece of the barrel inlet, i.e. the gun can be used with hand load or as a magazine-gun.
On the other hand, patent of invention ES 556 902 discloses an ammunition automatic loading system for air guns, consisting of the association of a sliding part to barrel end, said sliding part being provided with an ammunition unit receiving recess, so that said slide may move perpendicularly to the barrel between two positions, in such a way that said recess is aligned in a first position with the outlet hole of a spring loading device, and in a second firing position, is located in front of the barrel entrance hole, in a correct position to be fired, the barrel and said loading device being adjacent and integral with each other.
Above systems, as they include a sliding part, arranged between the air pressure outlet and the barrel, require joining means placed at both sides of said slide and a perfect alignment of the three parts, to prevent fluid leaks, and a lower performance of the gun increasing production costs.
Patent DE-C-722537 discloses a double ammunition loading gun including a tiltable barrel having integral thereof, and parallel to the axis of said barrel a loading device of the kind above disclosed allowing to store ammunition. A strong plate spring permanently acts below a rear part of said barrel so as to urge it to a limit position guaranteed by a stop at which point the open end of said ammunition device faces a suitable sized recess in order to transfer to it a single ammunition unit. Mentioned recess communicates with a fluid propellant source and in a firing position the barrel is aligned at its turn with said recess.
This system has the drawback that the movement of the barrel is limited to the same angle as the loading device, so that the barrel can not have additional functions for example acting as a cocking lever, as it would be of interest to compress the spring of a compression chamber, and an additional lever set should be provided. Additionally if any problem arises in the loading device, or it should to be replaced, the actuation is complicated and onerous, demanding in some circumstances the dismounting of the barrel.
To solve above problem an in order to lower the production cost of the gun, and to increase performances, the invention proposes the loading device, be movable, articulated by one of its ends, and whose movement is obtained on the request of the thrust caused by the barrel or barrel shell when closing the gun, in such a way that said loading device will deposit, when opening the gun and while there is ammunition therein, a projectile in a recess formed on the bottom of a groove acting as a guide of the loading device opening.
A pressure fluid supply duct ends in said recess and against the recess the barrel geometrical axis is aligned, end-to-end when the gun in firing position and the loading device displaced.
Accordingly, the invention provides a gun as defined in claim 1.
The invention can be applied to any kind of guns propelled by a fluid under pressure, either comprising a container high pressure liquified stable gas with a such as CO2, or a plunger associated to a spring, or bearing a stem installed in a chamber and associated to devices for compressing the air therein or loading said spring.
In particular, in the drawings, we are referring to below, an embodiment is disclosed consisting of a gun with a compression chamber with plunger an stem, linked to a plunger compressing device such as the one disclosed in utility model nº 295 545, owned by the same applicant.
The characteristics and advantages of the object of the invention will appear clearer from the detailed description below, referring to 2 sheets of drawings attached, showing a materialization of the invention for example purpose, not limitative, according to following detail:
Fig. 1 and 2, show in full details, a loading device -11-, ready to automatically feed, unit by unit, ammunition -13-, advantageously spherical, to a recess -12- with which a barrel -10- may be aligned in the gun firing position. Said loading device -11- of a well-known constitution in this sector of the art, comprises a tubular body -11a- closed at one end, on whose bottom is supported a spring -11b- and an actuator -11c- linked to said spring and which allows the ammunition -13-loading, which is delivered accordingly unit by unit, to recess - 12-.
The invention is characterized in that above loading device -11- is articulated by one end -14- and its distal end portion remains free, located within a groove - 15- formed in a piece -21-. Said groove -15- includes a stop -16- limiting the displacement of said the loading device end portion -11- which is pushed against said stop -16-, by the action of one of the branches of a spring -17-, attached to a side pivot -34- of said part -21-, in such a way that the geometrical axis of the loading device -11- is perfectly aligned with a recess -12- formed on the bottom of said groove -15-, suitably sized, in order to receive, when facing the loading device, -11- a single ammunition unit -13-, said recess -12- communicating through a duct -22- with the fluid propellant source, with the particularity that the barrel -10- is likewise articulated at one end -32- to the barrel shell -18- and is movable on the same articulating plane as the loading device, in such a way that in the gun firing position, said loading device -11- is displaced by the barrel -10- which remains then facing end-to-end with said recess -11- with a maximum adjustment, ready foot firing.
The simplicity and effectiveness of the solution proposed are obvious, which likewise means a quite reasonable production cost, and which is shown in details in fig. 1 and 2, wherein the articulating point -32- of the barrel -10-, must be understood as indicative of a possible solution, though said barrel may be interrelated to the support body by means of another embodiment such as for instance the one described in the utility model ES 295 545 of the same owner, for example.
In a possible embodiment materialization of above solution, said loading device -11- is articulated by one end to a compression chamber -20- (that comprises a stem -27- and a plunger -28- with an annular joining means -29-), advantageously close to one of its ends, and the stop and guiding groove -15- thereof are shaped in a piece -21- which will close said chamber -20- distal end. The spring -17- is linked to that chamber and adjusted in a pivot -34- which tends to continually push the loading device -11- to the loading position, facing said stop -16-and its end being aligned with the recess -12-. Under such circumstances, said part -21- comprises a tubular portion -23- which is tightly fit to the mouthpiece of the compression chamber -20-, with an annular offset where a tight joint -24- is fitted and a cross hole -25- through which is arranged a locking pin -19-, which, in addition, will permit the rotation of said chamber and its operating association to a fluid pre-compression device, such as the one described in the utility model ES 295 545 above mentioned, as it can be seen in fig. 5 of the drawings attached. Piece -21- can comprise, in addition an axial duct -26- for the passage through it of a fluid, which is connected to the duct -22-, and a side passage -26a- of pressure relief.
At the cross sectioned portion of the piece -21- of figs. 1 and 2, it can be seen that the duct -22-has an enlarged portion -33- wherein a valvular means can be located (no shown) to control the passage of the fluid from the chamber -20- through the duct -25- to the recess -12- at the ammunition -13- firing phase.
Also, said part -21- has an appendage -30- with a hole -31- to articulate a lever for controlling said valvular means (not shown).
Lastly, fig. 6 indicates an example of embodiment of the object of the invention adapted to a gun un which the fluid propellant source is a stable, high pressure liquified gas, such as CO2 , contained in a receptacle -35- the loading device -11- being articulated to the gun body -18- and displaced from its loading position by a coplanar barrel -10-, as it was stated above movable along a plane coplanar, to the articulating plane of said loading device -11-, to which it remains adjacent in the firing position of the gun.
Sufficiently disclosed the object of the invention, in order it can be understood and put into practise by an expert of the art, it is requested to extend the detailed description to any variation of detail which do not alter its essentiality, as it is stated in the following claims.