This disclosure relates to firearms, in particular to handguns, and more specifically to slide cover plates for the slide of a pistol.
During the routine operation of a handgun, and in particular for pistols, after firing the empty cartridge case should be removed from the cartridge chamber of the handgun as reliably as possible before a new cartridge is supplied by the reloading mechanism.
To ensure such smooth operation, pistols typically include a slide locking mechanism. Upon firing, for example, the resulting recoil will urge the slide of the pistol rearward (i.e., away from the barrel) and, depending on the pistol model, the motion can also be accompanied by a tilting movement of the barrel. During this linear movement of the slide, the cartridge case is extracted from the cartridge chamber, inter alia, and the process of ejecting the cartridge or case is completed. During the course of this process, the trigger or a trigger apparatus can also be tensioned, and a reloading process can take place, to place the pistol into condition to be able to fire a cartridge again. Such trigger apparatus very often include a large number of components, and are preferably arranged within the frame of the pistol. In addition, during the movement of the slide certain assemblies arranged in the frame of the pistol, such as the trigger apparatus, can interact with assemblies arranged in the slide of the pistol, such as a firing pin device. Such assemblies, such as for example the firing pin device, the extractor unit, and/or safeties are therefore often arranged in the slide. The respective sequences and manufacturer-related peculiarities of such individual assemblies are sufficiently known to a person skilled in the art and therefore do not require any further explanation at this point.
Upon the introduction of GLOCK pistols in the 1980's, the concept of arranging the firing pin devices of pistols in the pistol slide became widespread. For pistols having such a mechanism, the slide is usually closed on the rear side, i.e. in the direction facing the shooter, by means of a slide cover plate such that the firing pin device, and potentially also the extractor unit, in the slide is secured against falling out. Such slide cover plates have been described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 9,664,471 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 10,139,174 B2 and also in WO 2020157528 A1 (each of which is hereby incorporated by reference).
The pistol slide is generally separable from the pistol frame in order to permit a partial dismantling of the pistol (sometimes referred to as “fieldstripping”). The slide and frame are very often connected to one another via guide elements and/or guide rails having complementary shapes, and that can be separated after unlocking. Typically, the slide can be separated by urging it forward (i.e. toward the barrel, or muzzle) from the frame of the pistol.
Very often, however, the multiple individual components that may be arranged in the pistol frame, such as an ejector and/or a cam spring, and assemblies arranged with the cartridge and/or in the slide for the function of the pistol, such as the firing pin device, can interact in the movement path of the slide. For this reason, slide cover plates that incorporate one or more recesses can be found in the prior art. These slide cover plate recesses are typically designed such that those components protruding from the frame in the vertical direction are exposed, and the slide can be pulled. The slide cover plates are often designed in the vertical direction such that the guide rail of the slide remains free, in order that the guide elements remain clear when the slide is pulled. These relationships are known to the person skilled in the art and therefore do not need to be explained in further detail.
Additionally, a connection between the interior of the pistol and the surroundings can be formed by means of a gap between the slide and the frame and recesses provided on the rear face of the slide.
However, in addition to contributing to the facile dismantling of the pistol, such recesses can also serve, for example, in a maritime environment or when using the pistol after it has been submerged in water, to allow water to escape from the interior of the pistol more easily. In a few fields of use, such as in desert regions, however, dust and/or sand may get onto and/or into the pistol via the same recesses.
In order to preserve the low-friction operation of the various movement processes of a pistol, it is desirable that the penetration of foreign bodies, such as sand, dust, mud and the like, into the interior of the pistol be reduced or, at best, completely prevented.
What is needed therefore is a slide cover plate for the slide of a pistol that shields the interior of the pistol from the outside environment to the greatest possible extent. In addition, such a slide cover plate should make the pistol easier to operate, in particular with regard to dismantling and/or actuation of the slide during the loading process.
The present disclosure is directed to slide cover plates for handguns, and in particular for pistols.
For example, the disclosure may include a slide cover plate for a slide of a pistol, including a primary slide cover plate, where the primary slide cover plate is configured to be inserted into a complementary slide cover plate uptake formed on the slide, and/or is configured to support at least one firing pin device, a sealing cover plate coupled with and movable relative to the primary slide cover plate, where the sealing cover plate can move between an open position and a closed position, such that the sealing cover plate covers the slide when in its closed position.
In another example, the disclosure may include a pistol having a frame, a slide, movably coupled to the frame, a primary slide cover plate, where the primary slide cover plate is configured to be inserted into a complementary slide cover plate uptake formed on the slide, and/or is configured to support at least one firing pin device, and a sealing cover plate coupled with and movable relative to the primary slide cover plate, wherein the sealing cover plate can move between an open position and a closed position, such that the sealing cover plate covers a rear face of the slide when in its closed position.
The disclosed features, functions, and advantages of the disclosed apparatus, systems, and methods may be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure, or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.
4.
17.
In the description and claims, the terms “forward”, “rearward”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right” and so on are used in the common form and with reference to the object in its normal position of use. This means that, in the case of a handgun, the muzzle of the barrel is “forward”, the breech or slide is moved “rearward” by the explosion gases, etc. Additionally, a handgun typically includes a vertical plane passing through the barrel axis which defines a general plane of symmetry for the handgun, even where the handgun may not be precisely mirror-symmetric in every detail.
The slide cover plates of the present disclosure include a primary cover plate portion and a sealing cover plate portion, where the sealing cover plate portion is movably coupled to the primary cover plate portion so that the sealing cover plate portion can be disposed in an open position or a closed position. When the sealing cover plate portion is in its closed position the slide cover plate provides excellent protection for the inner workings of the pistol from environmental hazards, while when the sealing cover plate portion is in its open position the slide cover plate does not interfere with the forward movement of the pistol slide during disassembly. The disclosed slide cover plates may therefore also be referred to as multifunctional slide cover plates, convertible slide cover plates, adaptable slide cover plates, and the like.
A previously described slide cover plate 15 is shown in
The slide cover plates 2 of
An exemplary pistol slide 1 including a mounted slide cover plate 2 is shown in a closed position 311 in
The closed position 311 and the open position 312 of slide cover plate 2 can be seen particularly clearly in the cross-sectional views of
In
Furthermore, from
An additional recess 23 on an upper edge of slide cover plate 2 can also be seen in
A particularly preferred aspect of the disclosed slide cover plates is shown in the embodiment of
An additional illustrative example of the slide cover plate 2 of the present disclosure is shown in greater detail in
5. The slide cover plate of
The assembly of the depicted slide cover plate 2 can be well understood with reference to the exploded views of
The formation of a flattened region 36 on the hinge joint of sealing cover plate portion 31, as shown in
An alternative structure similar to that of the previous embodiment is shown in
An additional embodiment of a slide cover plate 2 is shown in
As in selected previous embodiments, the lateral protrusions 39 are also formed on the primary slide cover plate 21, but such lateral protrusions should not be considered absolutely necessary or required.
The lateral cross section views along the plane A-A″ and B-B″ seen in
As shown in
In the case of those embodiments of slide cover plate 2 that include a displaceable sealing cover plate portion 31, it may be particularly advantageous for sealing cover plate portion 31 to be connected to primary slide cover plate 21 via at least one sliding connection, or an interacting pair of guides. Such an interacting pair of guides can be formed on one side or, as is clearly visible in
The slide cover plates of the present disclosure can also be configured so that sealing cover plate portion 31 will not disappear completely inside the primary slide cover plate 21, as in the preferred variant shown, but rather has sealing cover plate portion 31 arranged outside the primary slide cover plate 21. In this variant, the subsequently formed features can also be arranged at least partially outside of the primary slide cover plate 21, such as a pair of guides or a snap mechanism 32.
As noted above, the displaceable variants can also incorporate a biasing mechanism 35, that preferably urges sealing cover plate portion 31 into its closed position 311. For reasons of clarity, such a representation is not shown, but it is easily possible for a person skilled in the art to provide a suitable biasing mechanism 35 with the aid of the present disclosure. For example, a leaf spring can be formed, preferably integrally, on the slider-shaped sealing cover plate portion 31. See, for example, the explanations with respect to the second embodiment.
Alternatively, or in addition, one or more snap mechanisms 32 can be combined very well with a displaceably arranged sealing cover plate portion 31, as shown by way of example in
A particularly preferred embodiment of the presently disclosed slide cover plates can also be seen in
This section describes additional aspects and features of the disclosed slide covering plates, and pistols incorporating the disclosed slide covering plates, presented without limitation as a series of paragraphs, some or all of which may be alphanumerically designated for clarity and efficiency. Each of these paragraphs can be combined with one or more other paragraphs, and/or with disclosure from elsewhere in this application, in any suitable manner. Some of the paragraphs below expressly refer to and further limit other paragraphs, providing without limitation examples of some of the suitable combinations.
A1. A multifunctional slide cover plate (2) for the slide (1) of a pistol, comprising a basic slide cover plate (21) which is designed for insertion into a slide cover plate uptake (11) of the slide (1) that is provided for this purpose, and/or for supporting at least one firing pin device, characterized in that a sealing cover plate (31) is formed that is movable relative to the basic slide cover plate (21) between an open position (312) and a closed position (311) and covers, preferably closes off, the slide (1) to the outside counter to the barrel direction (91) in the closed position (311).
A2. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to paragraph A1, characterized in that at least one snap mechanism (32) is formed on the basic slide cover plate (21) and/or the sealing cover plate (31) for temporarily fixing the sealing cover plate (31) in the open position (312) and/or the closed position (311).
A3. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to paragraph A2, characterized in that the snap mechanism (32) comprises a snap protrusion (33) on the basic slide cover plate (21) and at least one snap groove (34) on the sealing cover plate (31).
A4. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to one of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that a biasing mechanism (35) is designed to apply a preload to the sealing cover plate (31) direction of the closed position (311).
A5. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to paragraph A4, characterized in that the sealing cover plate (31) has a flattening (36) for interacting with the biasing mechanism (35) in order to apply the preload.
A6. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to either paragraph 4 or paragraph 5, characterized in that the biasing mechanism (35) has a leaf spring which is preferably integrally formed on the basic slide cover plate (21) and/or a mounting element (40).
A7. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to any of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that the sealing cover plate (31) is formed on the basic slide cover plate (21) so as to be rotatable or pivotable about a pivot axis (38) which preferably extends in the normal direction (92).
A8. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to any of paragraphs A1 to A6, characterized in that the sealing cover plate (31) is displaceable on and/or at least partially within the basic slide cover plate (21).
A9. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to paragraph A8, characterized in that at least one interacting guiding pair, comprising at least one guiding notch (41) and a guiding protrusion (42), is formed on or at least partially within the sealing cover plate (31) or the basic slide cover plate (21) for movement.
A10. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to any of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that the basic slide cover plate (21) and/or the sealing cover plate (31) has protrusions (39) which project laterally with respect to the slide (1) on at least one side.
A11. The multifunctional slide cover plate (2) according to any of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that the basic slide cover plate (21) and/or the sealing cover plate (31) and/or a protrusion (39) has surface structuring on the outer surface thereof.
A12. A handgun, in particular a pistol, having a slide (1) and a multifunctional sealing cover plate (2) according to any of the preceding paragraphs A1 to A11.
In the description and the claims, “substantially” means a deviation of up to 10% of the stated value, if physically possible, both downward and upward, otherwise only in the appropriate direction. The term: “combination” or “combinations,” unless otherwise stated, mean all types of combinations, starting from two of the relevant components up to a plurality or all of such components.
“Comprising,” “including,” and “having” (and conjugations thereof) are used interchangeably to mean including but not necessarily limited to, and are open-ended terms not intended to exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
Terms such as “first”, “second”, and “third” are used to distinguish or identify various members of a group, or the like, and are not intended to show serial or numerical limitation.
The disclosure set forth above may encompass multiple distinct examples with independent utility. Although each of these has been disclosed in one or more illustrative form(s), the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. To the extent that section headings are used within this disclosure, such headings are for organizational purposes only. The subject matter of the disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein. The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious. Other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed in applications claiming priority from this or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20209578.2 | Nov 2020 | EP | regional |