Shell stripper assembly

Abstract

A shell stripper assembly includes a shell stripper, a stripper guide, a stripper guide plate, and a magazine insert. The shell stripper strips the top round from the firearm magazine so that it can be picked up by the firearm breech bolt. The shell stripper slides between guide rails of the stripper guide, and its motion is controlled by the stripper guide plate.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 664,847, filed Mar. 24, 2005, entitled “SHELL STRIPPER ASSEMBLY FOR FIREARM,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if presented herein.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Technical Field[0003]The technical field is related to feeding mechanisms for firearms which strip a round from a magazine and feed the round into a chamber of a firearm.[0004]2. Related Art[0005]Conventional firearms generally include a bolt assembly that both strips the top round from a magazine and then seats the round in the chamber of the firearm. Reliability of this action may suffer, however, in cases such as where the breech bolt diameter is relatively large. Because the breech bolt is typically cylindrical, a large breech bolt diameter means that only a relatively small forward area of the breech bolt will be available to reach into the magazine well and strip the top round from the magazine. ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]According to one embodiment of the present invention, a shell stripper assembly comprises a shell stripper having a body including a first leg, a second leg joined to the first leg at a nose portion, and a first tab extending from the first leg. The shell stripper assembly can also include a stripper guide having a first guide rail and a second guide rail, a stripper guide plate, and a magazine insert. The shell stripper body can be sized to be received between the first and second guide rails, while the shell stripper assembly is adapted to cooperate with an action mechanism within a firearm, such as a rifle, shotgun or handgun, to strip rounds from a magazine of the firearm. The shell stripper further can be provided with an engagement surface that is adapted to efficiently and reliably engage rounds in the magazine. The use of the shell stripper to strip rounds from the magazine thus can minimize or eliminate the requirement for the breech bolt to strip rounds from the magazine. The breech bolt diameter may therefore be minimized as a determining factor in the size or shape of the magazine and / or the magazine well. In addition, the magazine insert can support the magazine of the firearm at a non-zero angle so as to place the top round in the magazine in an orientation to enable the round to be easily and reliably engaged and lifted out of the magazine into a position to be picked up by the breech bolt during closing of the action of the firearm.

Problems solved by technology

Reliability of this action may suffer, however, in cases such as where the breech bolt diameter is relatively large.

These factors may impose undesirable dimensional constraints in designing the firearm.

Images