Gas operated automatic weapon

A gas operated automatic weapon comprising:

• a receiver frame;
• a barrel having a bore and chamber formed therein and secured to said receiver frame;
• a bolt assembly slidably mounted within said receiver;
• a feed mechanism feeding cartridges into said receiver frame through a breech opening formed in said receiver frame and ejecting spent cartridge casings from said receiver frame;
• actuating means for causing said bolt assembly to move rearwardly to allow said ammunition to be fed into said receiver frame into a position aligned with said bolt assembly and further causing said bolt assembly to move so as to ram said round to ammunition into said chamber;
• means locking said bolt in said position with said round seated in said firing chamber;
• means locking said bolt during firing of said firearm and releasing said bolt for said rearward movement after firing of said round;
• trigger means selectively operable to cause a round positioned in said chamber to be fired;
• said means for actuating said bolt including power cylinder means including at least one piston and cylinder and including means for communicating gas pressure existing in said barrel bore to one side of said piston to create a force on said piston by said gas pressure generated in the bore by firing of said round;
• said means further including a bolt extraction spring compressed by said piston and means for retracting said bolt by said compressed bolt extraction spring after firing of said cartridge and unlocking of said bolt assembly;
• said feed mechanism including a feed slider moved rearwardly by said bolt assembly and returned by said means causing said bolt assembly to ram rounds of ammunition into said chamber, said feed slider including portions located to the front and the rear of said bolt extraction spring and portions extending therebetween, and further including means feeding said cartridges into said receiver frame by successive movements of said feed slider.