Automatic hand guns in contrast to conventional pistols are commonly supplied with reversing hammer mechanisms for the firing pins immediately above and adjacent to the top of the grip which is set in motion by pulling the trigger. A magazine for shells is held in place in the handle by use of a releasable catch which must be readily manipulated by hand when a magazine is to be removed and replaced. Cushion-type reinforced replaceable grips have portions of the reinforcement specially formed at critical locations to make certain that there is no deformation of those portions of the grip which might otherwise impair either the hammer mechanism or the magazine release.
Frame construction for a firearm (10) with a frame (18) and a slide (12) constrained to move longitudinally between a forward and a rearward position but which is also removable from the frame. A recess (39) in the side of the frame contains the Kammer trigger mechanism (26, 38) that is accessible through a side opening (40) in the frame. A thin side plate (42) drops over the side opening and is held at its side edges and bottom edge by flanges (50) an the side plate overlapping congruent grooves in the frame and is held in place an top by the slide. After removing the slide in the conventional manner, the side plate can be slide upwardly and removed using a finger cutout (48) in the side plate.
A weapon grip includes a grip body and a cross-sectionally generally U-shaped grip shell, each having opposite side walls and a rear wall interconnecting the side walls. The grip shell which is a one-piece component, is readily removably and replaceably inserted on the grip body in an installed position such that the walls of the grip body face the respective walls of the grip shell. The grip body and the shell body carry respective first and second abutment faces extending parallel to the length dimension of the grip body. The first and second abutment faces are in contact with one another in the installed position. First and second guides are formed on the grip body and the grip shell, respectively, and are disposed relative to one another and relative to the first and second abutment faces such that during motion of insertion of the grip shell on the grip body parallel to the length dimension, the first and second guides are in sliding engagement with one another and, by camming action, shift the grip shell relative to the grip body in a direction transverse to the length dimension for causing the first abutment face to arrive into contact with the second abutment face upon conclusion of the motion of insertion.
A grip assembly for a hand gun, including two body panels which are received at opposite sides of a handle of the gun, and which may be formed either separately or integrally as a unitary body, with at least one grip element being mountable in fixed position relative to the body panels and relative to the handle. Preferably, the assembly includes both a forward grip unit and a back strap formed at least in part of deformable elastomeric material for cushioning contact of the grip assembly with the user's hand. The forward grip unit may have two side portions to be received at outer sides of the two body panels, with a forward strap extending between and interconnecting the side portions at the front of the handle. The body panels may be connected to the handle by extension of a pin through those panels and through an opening in the handle. The same pin may also extend through an opening in the back strap to secure the body panels, the forward grip unit, and the back strap in fixed relative positions.
A firearm (10) is provided which is light weight, safe and simple to operate. The firearm (10) comprises a bolt-barrel-receiver assembly (12), a grip assembly (14) and a magazine assembly (16). the bolt-barrel-receiver assembly (12) comprises a barrel assembly 41, a receiver assembly, (42) and a bolt assembly (44). The grip assembly (14) comprises a grip body (110) and a fire control assembly (112). Plastic is incorporated into the barrel assembly (41), the fire control assembly (112) and the grip body (110). The firearm (10) incorporates several safety features through a safety actuator (222) and a disconnect (148). These safety features include a surface (243) for blocking movement of a sear (120), a blocking surface (248) for blocking movement of the disconnect (148) and a hammer passage (246) allowing blocking of the hammer (118). Due to the design of the various assemblies, the firearm (10) is comparatively simple to disassemble for cleaning or repair. A takedown screw (158) allows separation of the grip assembly (14) from the bolt-barrel-receiver assembly (12). A frame retaining pin (224) allows removal of the fire control assembly (112) from the grip body (110).
A configurable firearm grip is provided in which a removable portion thereof can be selected by the user based on the user's preference. For example, backstraps of various forms, thicknesses, and textures can be fitted to a handgun depending upon if the handgun is to be used for target shooting, competitive target shooting, hunting, personal protection, or any other shooting activity, or to accommodate varying hand sizes. The backstrap can be removed and installed without the use of tools. Cooperative portions on the inner surfaces of the backstrap and the rearward portion of the grip facilitate the registration of the backstrap with a fixed portion in preparation for the insertion of a locking element. The backstrap is able to be secured on the fixed grip portion of the handgun with one hand while the locking element is inserted through the backstrap and the fixed grip portion with the other hand.
