Base recovery device and gun equipped with such a device

A device for recovering ammunition bases for a gun including a breechblock movable in a breech ring between a closed position, in which the breechblock closes off a chamber, and an open position, in which said chamber is open to receive a round of ammunition, wherein said device includes:

• an extendable structure that is extendable between a non-spread out state and a spread out state, the extendable structure having a base-receiving opening located opposite the chamber in the spread out state and not located opposite the chamber in the non-spread out state, the base-receiving opening being delimited by a first arm connected to the breech ring and a second arm parallel to the first arm;
• at least one lever that is rotatable about a pivot pin parallel to the first and second arms and is connected to the breech ring, the at least one lever supporting the second arm;
• and
• a movement mechanism for moving the at least one lever, wherein the movement mechanism is arranged to place the at least one lever in a folded up position, in which the extendable structure is in the non-spread out state, and in an unfolded position, in which the extendable structure is in the spread out state,
• wherein the movement mechanism includes:
• an actuating member able to be moved in translation and rotation, the rotation being controlled by a system for controlling the movement of the breechblock;
• a drive assembly connected to the at least one lever and able to move the at least one lever in rotation about the pivot pin as a result of a rotation of the actuating member;
• and
• a clutch assembly carried by the breech ring and able to adopt a coupling position, in which the actuating member and the drive assembly are coupled in rotation, and a decoupling position, in which the actuating member and the drive assembly are uncoupled, the clutch assembly being arranged to be placed in the coupling position during a phase of recovery stroke of the gun, during which the breechblock is moved from the closed position to the open position, whereby the at least one lever is moved to the unfolded position by the drive assembly to enable an ejection of a base into the extendable structure in the spread out state once the breechblock is in the open position, and to be placed in the decoupling position as the end of the recovery stroke of the gun approaches, whereby the at least one movable lever is then moved to the folded up position by action of return means, independently of the movement of the breechblock.