M16A1 Burst control

In a firearm having a receiver including a receiver housing, a pivotable trigger having a primary sear, a disconnect pivotably carried in the housing by the trigger and having a secondary sear, a pivotable hammer in the housing having primary and secondary sear receiving notches to latch the hammer in a cocked position, means normally biasing said disconnect and the secondary sear to a latching position in said seondary sear notch, and recoiling parts, the improvement comprising a burst control assembly in said housing for automatic firing of a preselected number of shots in a burst, said assembly including:

• a burst sear device pivotable between a first inactive position and a second pawl activating position,
• means for biasing said burst sear device to said first position,
• means carried by sid recoiling parts for moving said burst sear device from said first position to said second position during counter-recoil movement of said recoiling parts,
• a pawl carried by said burst sear device for pivotable movement therewith as the burst sear device moves between said positions,
• a ratchet wheel in said housing in position for rotation thereof by said pawl a predetermined distance from an initial position each time the burst sear device moves from said first position to said second position,
• means carried by the rachet wheel for pivoting said disconnect against the bias of said disconnect biasing means to unlatch said secondary sear from said secondary sear notch each time said ratchet wheel is rotated to permit the hammer to move to its firing position, and
• mens carried by the wheel for automatically returning the wheel to its initial position each time the trigger is pivoted from a firing position to an inactive position.