Magazine Locking Means for Firearms Having a Magazine in a Pistol Grip

The present invention generally relates of an improved firearm of the type having a pistol grip or a corresponding weapon part, in which an exchangable magazine is adapted to be introduced and which upon shooting is gripped by the hand of the marksman. More particularly the invention is directed to a magazine catch for firearms of the above type, in which the pistol grip at the front side thereof is formed with a so called grip safety, which has to be pulled before the weapon can be fired, and in which the magazine catch in the apparatus according to the invention is partly enclosed in said grip safety and cooperates therewith.

The invention has been made as a result of the development of hand firearms like pistols, sub machine guns and other pistol like weapons having magazines which have to be quickly exchanged, but it is obvious that the invention is as well useful also for many other types of firearms having exchangeable magazines in the part of the firearm which during shooting is gripped by the hand of the marksman, whereby a grip safety is pressed thereby releasing the weapon for firing.

In conventional firearms like a sub machine gun the magazine catch is usually located so that it can be actuated by the hand seizing the pistol grip, that is the firing hand. This makes an exchange of magazine difficult, and above all it prolonges the time needed for exchange of magazine, and this is an obvious disadvantage in critical situations. For pistols, having rather small magazine capacities, structural solutions have since long been looked for in order to provide quick exchanges of magazines. Said firearms therefore are often formed with a magazine catch which can be actuated be the thumb of the hand used for firing of the weapon at the same time as the support hand seizes and introduces a new magazine in the magazine guide of the pistol grip. The magazine catch used in such known weapons generally is placed on one side of the pistol grip, ordinarily the left side, and hence the magazine catch can be actuated by the thumb of the hand firing the weapon only by right-handed marksmen. In said known apparatus the magazine catch engages a recess provided directly in the wall of the magazine which has rather thin wall thickness. This embodiment is sufficient for small and light magazines but the structure is considered too weak for larger and heavier magazines.

The invention is intended to provide a magazine catch for the above mentioned types of firearms, which is co-ordinated to the grip safety, which can be actuated by the thumb of the firing hand both by right-handed and left-handed marksmen thereby enabling the quickest possible exchange of magazines, and which is formed for effectively holding even large and heavy magazines for instance magazines for sub machine guns.

The said objects are fulfilled by means of some few and easily manufactured pieces. The invention is mainly characterized in that the magazine catch is movably mounted at the front edge of a magazine guide and is formed so that said magazine catch, in its locked position, engages under a projecting portion of the front side of the magazine. Preferably the magazine catch is formed as a plate which is rotatably mounted about a cross pin at the lower part thereof, and which at its upper part is formed with two grab parts projecting on opposite sides of the pistol grip, whereby optionally any of the grab parts can be used for releasing the catch and letting the magazine out.

Further chatacteristics of the invention and advantages thereof will be evident from the following specification and from the appended claims.

Now the invention will be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a sub machine gun seen from the left side and from the right side respectively.

FIG. 3 shows, like in FIG. 1, a sideview of a sub machine gun, partly in a cross section view, having a magazine catch according to the invention.

FIG. 4 shows more in detail a cross section through the magazine catch according to the invention, and the co-ordination thereof with the grip safety and the magazine, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the magazine catch.

The sub machine gun shown in FIGS. 1-3 is of known type and therefore all parts thereof will not be described in detail. The firearm comprises a receiver 1 having a not-illustrated lock bolt and a pistol grip 2 connected to the receiver 1 and having a trigger and a grip safety 4. An exchangable magazine 5 is adapted to be introduced in a magazine guide 6 provided in the pistol grip 2 and to be locked in this position by a magazine catch.

The grip safety 4 is in the form of a curved handle which is rotatably mounted on a cross pin 7 of a grip safety bracket 8. The magazine catch 9 is rotatably mounted on the same pin 7. As best shown in FIG. 5 the magazine catch comprises at its bottom a tubular carrier 10, an intermediate plain portion 11 over a web a yoke-formed part 12 having fold out grab portions 13 and 14. The yoke part 12 is integral with the intermediate portion 11 and at its top 15, by means of which the yoke part of the catch extends into the magazine guide 6 and into the area of magazine introduction.

The largest part of the magazine catch 9 is enclosed between the grip safety 4 and the front wall of the magazine guide 6. The upper part of the catch, which is formed as a yoke having grab parts 13 and 14 in the form of double folded plate parts projecting on opposite sides thereof, encloses the side walls of the magazine guide 6. The grab parts 13 and 14 of the catch 9 are readily accessable by the thumb of the marksman on the left side for right-handed marksmen and on the right side for left-handed marksmen. The upper edge 16 of the magazine catch 9 provides a stop edge for engagement with a lock plate 17 which is welded or otherwise fixedly mounted on the front side of the magazine.

As explained above the grip safety 4 and the magazine catch 9 are rotably or pivotally mounted on the same pin 7, and a pressure spring 18 is mounted between the grip safety 4 and the plain intermediate part 11 of the magazine catch. Said spring 18 biasses the two parts in opposite directions. The grip safety is blocked from moving forwardly by the trigger guard or any other part of the firearm, and the magazine catch, in turn, is blocked from moving rearwardly by the magazine guide, whereby the grip safety normally takes a firing blocking position and the magazine guide normally takes a magazine locking position.

For introducing a magazine 5 in the magazine guide 6 of the pistol grip the magazine is just pushed right up, whereby the upper edge thereof, by actuating the web 15 of the catch, moves the catch out until the lock plate 17 of the magazine has passed the upper edge 16 of the catch, whereby the catch snaps back and locks the magazine against the bottom edge of the lock plate 17.

For exchanging magazine the magazine catch is pressed forwardly by the thumb of the firing hand, that is the thumb of the firing hand of a right-handed marksman or of a left-handed marksman, whereby the upper edge 16 of the catch is released from the lock plate 17 of the magazine, and the magazine 5, which slides easily in its guide, drops out of the magazine guide. This can be done by using only one hand without the need of moving the hand from the pistol grip and even without moving the firearm from its adjusted firing position. With the other hand the marksman can get a new magazine and move same as far into the magazine guide that the upper edge 16 of the catch snaps into position under the lock plate 17 of the magazine.

It is to be understood that the above description and the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings is only an illustrating example, and that many different variations and modification may be presented within the scope of the appended claims.