Patent Application
20250102268
This invention relates to airguns of the break barrel type.
Conventional break barrel airguns provide a stock and receiver that are joined to a barrel by way of a hinge. The receiver houses a spring into which energy is stored, a trigger for releasing the stored energy of the spring to drive a piston into a compression tube having a transfer port that communicates pressure from the compression tube to a breech end of the barrel. In such airguns, the barrel is hingedly joined to the receiver. When the user wishes to use the break barrel airgun, the user rotates the barrel relative to the stock and receiver. This separates the breech end of the barrel from the transfer port allowing a pellet to be loaded therein. After loading the user rotates the barrel to a position where the breech end of the barrel is positioned proximate to the transfer port. The barrel is also connected to the spring in a manner that causes the energy to be stored in the spring as the break barrel is moved during the loading process.
While the acts of rotating the barrel to and from the loading position can be conducted rather quickly. The process of manually loading an individual pellet into the breech end of a barrel while holding an airgun can be challenging and can extend the time between shots significantly.
One general aspect includes an airgun having a multi-shot magazine. The airgun includes a breech that may include a first face with a port from which a compressed gas can flow. The airgun also includes a barrel defining a passageway through the barrel with an opening at a back barrel face with the passageway sized to receive a projectile. The airgun further includes a pivot joining the barrel to the breech such that the barrel can be moved between a firing position where the opening is positioned to receive the compressed gas and a cocking position. The airgun includes a rotary magazine that includes a turret having a plurality of projectile holders arranged around a central axis of the turret, a center channel positioned at the central axis of the turret, the turret configured to rotate around the center channel, and a first engagement component positioned around the center channel. The first engagement component is configured to reduce backlash and prevent backwards rotation of the turret. The airgun further includes a magazine holder adapted to position a projectile holder of the plurality of projectile holders in alignment with the passageway. The magazine holder includes an arbor, a spring, and a second engagement component coupled to the arbor and biased into contact with the rotary magazine by the spring, the second engagement component configured to interface with the first engagement component.
In some examples, the first engagement component may include a first plurality of angled surfaces, the first plurality of angled surfaces disposed around the central axis of the turret and may include a step between adjacent angled surfaces of the first plurality of angled surfaces. In some examples, the second engagement component may include a second plurality of angled surfaces, the second plurality of angled surfaces disposed around the arbor and may include a second step between adjacent angled surfaces of the second plurality of angled surfaces. In some examples, the second engagement component may include a first semi-circular portion may include the second plurality of angled surfaces and a second semi-circular potion may include a planar surface. In some examples, the airgun may further include a first seal positioned around the opening at the back barrel face configured to interface with a first surface of the turret and a second seal positioned around the port at the breech and configured to interface with a second surface of the turret. In some examples, the first engagement component and the second engagement component are configured to interface to translate the turret along the arbor during rotation of the turret from a first position along a length of the arbor to a second position along the length of the arbor before returning to the first position, where at the first position, the projectile holder of the plurality of projectile holders is aligned with the passageway. At the first position, a seal of the breech is in contact with the turret to seal around the projectile holder. In some examples, the opening of the barrel may include a chamfer around a perimeter of the opening configured to guide a projectile into the passageway. In some examples, the first engagement component and the second engagement component are further configured to interface to bias rotation of the turret such that the plurality of projectile holders are aligned with the passageway.
The detailed description is set forth below with reference to the accompanying figures. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items. The first digit of the reference number refers to the figure in which the item first appears. The systems depicted in the accompanying figures are not to scale and components within the figures may be depicted not to scale with each other.
In the airgun 100, pellets or other such projectiles may be loaded into the magazine 124 and the pellets are shot from the magazine 124 into the breech and barrel 104 during firing. Accordingly, alignment between a projectile holder of the magazine 124 and the barrel opening is important to ensure pellets are able to fire accurately and without obstruction due to misalignment. The magazine 124 is configured not to deform the pellet geometry during loading and firing. Accordingly there may be tight or minimal clearance between the pellet and the projectile holder, e.g., similar in diameter to the passage defined within the barrel 104. The magazine 124 may be manually indexed during a cocking cycle, or may be automated in some embodiments to automatically advance after firing and/or during a cycle of the airgun 100.
The magazine 124 may remain connected and/or coupled with the breech 102 during loading, firing, re-loading, and other interactions with the airgun 100. The magazine 124 may be removed for service in some examples. The magazine 124 may be loaded while the breech 102 is open and/or by manually indexing the magazine 124 and loading at an open portion of the magazine 124. The magazine 124 may be fitted within a cover to prevent the pellets from coming out during shooting. The cover may snap on or otherwise couple to the magazine 124 such that the magazine 124 rotates freely relative to the cover. The cover need not be removed during pellet loading. The cover may include one or more cutouts or open portions such that loaded pellets can be seen by the user during operation.
The magazine 124 may be formed of a polymer, such as Delrin, or other such resilient material including polymers, metals, plastics, composites, and other such materials. Accordingly, the magazine 124 may be capable of withstanding dry-firing of the airgun 100.
The magazine 124 may further include indexing teeth to aid in positioning and may be spring loaded to help reduce backlash and/or movement of the magazine 124 during operation in order to maintain alignment of the projectile holders of the magazine 124 during firing and other interactions. Accordingly, the magazine 124 may be supported by a magazine holder 126 that includes an engaging feature that enables the magazine to rotate in only one direction, e.g., clockwise, and enables the magazine 124 to rotate indefinitely (without winding or a physical stop). The barrel 104, specifically the opening at the breech 102 may have a lead-in chamfer to aid with any potential mis-alignment. The indexing teeth may include angled planar surfaces with steps in-between adjacent angled planar surfaces and the indexing teeth of the magazine holder 126 may interface with indexing teeth of the magazine 124 to enable the rotation and alignment features. The indexing teeth may be biased into contact with one another through the use of a spring incorporated within the magazine holder 126 and/or magazine 124.
It will be appreciated that such misalignment can happen in various ways, along a vertical axis, along a horizontal axis, or both as may occur in the event that shuttle 54 is allowed to slide vertically at a cant and that given the requirements for alignment, thermal and other environmental factors can also impact alignment.
Such concerns place a significant burden on the design of such a system in that a conventional manner of addressing such requirements is to impose exacting constraints on the design of such systems and the materials used such a system. However, such approaches add cost, weight, and complexity which may not be useful in field environments. Alternatively, user adjustment controls can be provided however the need for constant adjustments this creates usability problems.
The indexing teeth on the magazine holder 126 of the breech 102 may include a feature having angled planar surfaces that correspond with the indexing teeth of the magazine 124 and may interact together. The indexing teeth of the magazine holder 126 may include an injection molded component, metal component, composite, plastic, or other such material that is pressed into the breech 102 or otherwise held in place while the magazine 124 can freely rotate.
The indexing teeth and a spring of the magazine holder 126 may interact to bias the magazine 124 into contact and alignment with the magazine holder 126. The angled surfaces of the indexing teeth on the magazine 124 and the magazine holder 126 may cause the magazine 124 to move laterally away from the magazine holder, for example along a length of an arbor on which the magazine 124 rotates. After the magazine 124 rotates to the next position of a projectile holder, the step of the indexing teeth results in the magazine 124 moving laterally back into contact with the magazine holder 126. Accordingly, the biasing member (e.g., spring) and the indexing teeth may reduce backlash, prevent backwards rotation of the magazine 124, and maintains alignment of the projectile holders with the passageway of the barrel 104. The indexing teeth are shown and described in further detail with respect to
The biasing member and the indexing teeth may work together to bias rotation of the magazine 124 such that the projectile holders of the magazine 124 are aligned with the passage of the barrel 104. In this manner, the indexing teeth may act as a pawl mechanism that allows backwards rotation to a degree, but only allows backwards rotation until the projectile holder and the passage of the barrel 104 are aligned. The biasing member causes the angled surfaces of the indexing teeth to engage such that the backwards rotation to the ‘stop’ of the pawl mechanism is induced through the force applied by the biasing member to ensure alignment of the projectile holder of the magazine 124 and the barrel 104.
One or more seals may be positioned on either side of the magazine 124 to seal around the projectile holder and thereby create a sealed passageway from a compressed air source through to the passageway of the barrel 104 without any leaks. The seals may compress against the magazine 124 and may be formed of a material that may seal around the pellet yet also compress enough to not restrict rotation of the magazine or prevent the barrel 104 from latching during lockup. Accordingly, during rotation of the magazine 124, the lateral movement of the magazine 124 described herein may result in the magazine 124 losing contact with the seal during rotation before re-contacting the seal when the next projectile position is reached.
One general aspect described herein includes an airgun 100 having a magazine 124 for providing multi-shot capability to the airgun 100. The airgun 100 includes a breech 102 that may include a first face with a port from which a compressed gas can flow. The airgun 100 also includes a barrel 104 defining a passageway through the barrel 104 with an opening at a back barrel face with the passageway sized to receive a projectile. The airgun 100 further includes a pivot joining the barrel 104 to the breech 102 such that the barrel 104 can be moved between a firing position where the opening is positioned to receive the compressed gas and a cocking position, for example as depicted in
In some examples, the first engagement component may include a first plurality of angled surfaces, the first plurality of angled surfaces disposed around the central axis of the turret and may include a step between adjacent angled surfaces of the first plurality of angled surfaces. In some examples, the second engagement component may include a second plurality of angled surfaces, the second plurality of angled surfaces disposed around the arbor and may include a second step between adjacent angled surfaces of the second plurality of angled surfaces. In some examples, the second engagement component may include a first semi-circular portion may include the second plurality of angled surfaces and a second semi-circular potion may include a planar surface. In some examples, the airgun 100 may further include a first seal positioned around the opening at the back barrel face configured to interface with a first surface of the turret and a second seal positioned around the port at the breech 102 and configured to interface with a second surface of the turret. In some examples, the first engagement component and the second engagement component are configured to interface to translate the turret along the arbor during rotation of the turret from a first position along a length of the arbor to a second position along the length of the arbor before returning to the first position, where at the first position, the projectile holder of the plurality of projectile holders is aligned with the passageway within the barrel 104. At the first position, a seal of the breech 102 is in contact with the turret to seal around the projectile holder. In some examples, the opening of the barrel 104 may include a chamfer around a perimeter of the opening configured to guide a projectile into the passageway. In some examples, the first engagement component and the second engagement component are further configured to interface to bias rotation of the turret such that the plurality of projectile holders are aligned with the passageway.
The barrel 104 defines a passageway 302 along the length of the barrel 104 through which a pellet is fired from the airgun 100. The pellet rests in a projectile holder 304 of the magazine 124. The magazine 124 may include a plurality of projectile holders, such as, for example, six projectile holders to provide six shots before the magazine 124 is reloaded. In some examples, the magazine 124 may hold fewer or greater than six pellets in some examples. The stock portion 202 includes a chamber 306 for storing compressed gas that may be used to fire a pellet from the projectile holder 304 down the passageway 302.
The magazine 124 is held in place at the breech 102 by the magazine holder 126. In the example illustrated in
The breech 102 includes the magazine 124 that has a turret 402 and a cover 404. The turret is shown in
The magazine 124 is held in place by the magazine holder 126 that includes multiple components to maintain the magazine 124 in position and enable rotation of the magazine 124 to advance to a subsequent projectile for firing. The magazine holder 126 includes the channel 312 described herein as well as an arbor 510, spring 508, and first engagement component 506.
The arbor 510 is inserted into the channel 312 with the spring on the arbor 510. An end of the arbor 510 rests within the first engagement component 506. In some examples, the end of the arbor 510 may extend through the first engagement component 506 and into the pivot 502 of the magazine 124. In some examples, the arbor 510 may thread into the back of the first engagement component 506 such that the first engagement component 506 can move laterally along the direction of the channel 312 while interfacing with an engagement component of the magazine 124.
In some examples, the first engagement component 506 may be pressed or secured into the end of the channel 312 with a passage through the first engagement component 506 such that the arbor 510 passes through and secures into the pivot 502 of the magazine 124. In this example, the spring 508 provides a biasing force to maintain the magazine 124, and specifically the engagement component of the magazine 124 to remain in contact and engagement with the first engagement component 506.
The indexing teeth of the first engagement component 506 may include a feature having angled planar surfaces that correspond with the indexing teeth of the magazine 124 and may interact together. The indexing teeth of the first engagement component 506 may include an injection molded component, metal component, composite, plastic, or other such material that is pressed into the breech 102 at the channel 312 or otherwise held in place while the magazine 124 can freely rotate. The magazine 124 is retained by being secured to the arbor 510 with the spring 508 positioned around the shaft of the arbor to provide a biasing force that allows lateral movement of the magazine 124 in a limited range.
The indexing teeth of the first engagement component and the spring 508 of the magazine holder 126 may interact to bias the magazine 124 into contact and alignment with the magazine holder 126. The angled surfaces of the first engagement component 506 and on the magazine 124 may cause the magazine 124 to move laterally away from the magazine holder 126, for example along an axis aligned with the channel 312. After the magazine 124 rotates to the next position of a projectile holder, the step of the indexing teeth results in the magazine 124 moving laterally back into contact with the magazine holder 126. Accordingly, the biasing member (e.g., spring 508) and the indexing teeth of the first engagement component 506 may reduce backlash, prevent backwards rotation of the magazine 124, and maintains alignment of the projectile holders with the passageway of the barrel 104.
The breech 102 shows an opening 512 in a face of the breech 102 adjacent the barrel 104 through which projectiles enter the barrel 104. The opening 512 may include a chamfer around a perimeter of the opening to aid projectiles in entering the opening 512 from the magazine 124. The opening 512 may also be surrounded by a channel wherein a seal 514 is situated. The seal 514 may rest within the channel around the opening 512 to seal around the projectile holder and thereby create a sealed passageway from a compressed air source through to the passageway of the barrel 104 without any leaks. The seal 514 may compress against the magazine 124 and may be formed of a material that may seal around the pellet yet also compress enough to not restrict rotation of the magazine 124 or prevent the barrel 104 from latching during lockup. Accordingly, during rotation of the magazine 124, the lateral movement of the magazine 124 described herein may result in the magazine 124 losing contact with the seal 514 during rotation before re-contacting the seal 514 when the next projectile position is reached.
The stock portion 202 and conduit 406 may be surrounded by a seal 518 that rests within a channel 516 such that when the breech 102 is in the closed configuration, the seal 518 contacts the face of the stock portion 202 as well as the face of the magazine 124 to seal a passage between the conduit 406 and the projectile holder 504.
The second engagement component 606 may include a plurality of angled surfaces, the plurality of angled surfaces disposed around the pivot 502 of the turret 402 and may include a step 702 between adjacent angled surfaces of the plurality of angled surfaces. In some examples, the second engagement component 606 may include a first semi-circular portion may include the second plurality of angled surfaces and a second semi-circular potion may include a planar surface as shown and described in
The indexing teeth of the second engagement component 606 may include angled planar surfaces with steps 702 in-between adjacent angled planar surfaces and the indexing teeth may interface with indexing teeth of the first engagement component 506 to enable the rotation and alignment features. The indexing teeth may be biased into contact with one another through the use of a spring 508 incorporated within the magazine holder 126 and/or magazine 124.
The indexing teeth and the spring associated with the magazine 124 may interact to bias the magazine 124 into contact and alignment with the magazine holder 126. The angled surfaces of the indexing teeth on the magazine 124 and the magazine holder 126 may cause the magazine 124 to move laterally away from the magazine holder, for example along a length of an arbor on which the magazine 124 rotates. After the magazine 124 rotates to the next position of a projectile holder, the step 702 of the indexing teeth results in the magazine 124 moving laterally back into contact with the magazine holder 126. Accordingly, the biasing member (e.g., spring) and the indexing teeth may reduce backlash, prevent backwards rotation of the magazine 124, and maintains alignment of the projectile holders with the passageway of the barrel 104.
The turret 402 includes a profile 704 that may enable a securing device such as a nut or other component that may releasably secure to the arbor to interact with the turret 402, for example to engage the first engaging component 506 and the second engaging component due to the force of the spring 508 along the arbor 510. The turret 402 also includes exterior profiles 602 that may provide for user engagement with the turret 402 through the cover 404 to rotate the turret 402 to provide a subsequent projectile to the opening of the barrel 104.
The engagement component 802 includes angled surfaces 804 and steps 806 as described herein. The angled surfaces 804 and steps 806 may only cover a portion of the engagement component 802 in some examples. In some examples, the engagement component 802 may be entirely covered with angled surfaces 804 and steps 806.
A portion 810 of the engagement component 802 may be flat, without the angled surfaces 804 and steps 806. In some examples, the flat portion 810 may enable the system to accurately engage with the magazine holder 126. Additionally, the engagement component 802 is shown as cylindrical in shape with a flat side 812. The flat side 812 may correspond to a flat portion of a perimeter of the channel 312. The flat side 812 and the perimeter of the channel 312 may engage to ensure that the engagement component 802 is accurately positioned to ensure proper positioning and alignment of the projectile holders with the passageway 302.
The magazine support 1104 provides a channel 1204 that may be similar and/or identical to the channel 312 described herein. The magazine support 1104 enables an arbor 510 (illustrated in
The magazine 124 is held in place by the magazine holder 1104 that includes multiple components to maintain the magazine 124 in position and enable rotation of the magazine 124 to advance to a subsequent projectile for firing. The magazine holder 1104 includes the channel 1204 described herein as well as an arbor 510, spring 508, and a first engagement component 506.
The arbor 510 is inserted into the channel 1204 with the spring on the arbor 510. An end of the arbor 510 rests within the first engagement component 506. In some examples, the end of the arbor 510 may extend through the first engagement component 506 and into the pivot 502 of the turret 402.
In some examples, the first engagement component 506 may be pressed or secured into the end of the channel 1204 with a passage through the first engagement component 506 such that the arbor 510 passes through and secures into the pivot 502 of the magazine turret 402. In this example, the spring 508 provides a biasing force to maintain the magazine 124, and specifically the engagement component of the magazine 124 to remain in contact and engagement with the first engagement component 506.
The indexing teeth of the first engagement component 506 may include a feature having angled planar surfaces that correspond with the indexing teeth of the magazine 124 and may interact together. The indexing teeth of the first engagement component 506 may include an injection molded component, metal component, composite, plastic, or other such material that is pressed into the breech 102 at the channel 1204 or otherwise held in place while the magazine 124 can freely rotate. The magazine 124 is retained by being secured to the arbor 510 with the spring 508 positioned around the shaft of the arbor to provide a biasing force that allows lateral movement of the magazine 124 in a limited range.
The indexing teeth of the first engagement component and the spring 508 of the magazine holder 126 may interact to bias the magazine 124 into contact and alignment with the magazine holder 126. The angled surfaces of the first engagement component 506 and on the magazine 124 may cause the magazine 124 to move laterally away from the magazine holder 126, for example along an axis aligned with the channel 1204. After the magazine 124 rotates to the next position of a projectile holder, the step of the indexing teeth results in the magazine 124 moving laterally back into contact with the magazine holder 126. Accordingly, the biasing member (e.g., spring 508) and the indexing teeth of the first engagement component 506 may reduce backlash, prevent backwards rotation of the magazine 124, and maintains alignment of the projectile holders with the passageway of the barrel 104.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the scope of the invention.
