Small bullet loading device removably fitted to an air gun

#The present invention concerns a small bullet loading device removably fitted to an air gun provided with a compression piston actuated by a mail spring being tensioned by a lever or by the very gun barrel being provided in a tiltable arrangement by way of lever, said device comprising a removable, multishot small bullet loader provided with a revolver type drum and a slide mechanism designed to revolve said drum in concurrence with each main spring tensioning operation, in such a way that a small bullet is thus arranged in alignment with the gun by, said slide mechanism being actuated by an oscillating actuator cooperating with said lever or tiltable barrel.

#Air guns of the prior art are known which are provided with loading devices of the type comprising a removable loader being apt to house a certain number of small bullets, and means cooperating with the gun's main spring tensioner to position a small bullet in alignment with the gun barrel. An example of said loading devices is that adopted by the rifle sold under the trade name Gold Star Air Rifle, model PREFIX GT & GS, produced by the Firm BSA, wherein said removable loader includes a housing in whose inside a revolving, small bullet drum is mounted, said drum having holes having been provided to house the small bullets, these latter being introduced through an orifice of a cover of said housing. During the loader filling up operation it is necessary to successively revolve said drum in order to bring a next following empty hole to a position facing said orifice, said revolving motion bringing about a progressive tensioning of a torsion spring The loader is besides provided with retaining means designed to in turn hold each of said holes in alignment with the gun barrel. The gun is provided with a mechanism cooperating with a main spring tensioning lever momentarily releasing said drum retaining means, said torsion spring thereby pushing the drum thus causing it to sweep a certain angle to thus align the next following small bullet with the gun barrel. A compressed-air transfer tube delivers said small bullet from the loader to a chamber.

#A drawback presented by this device of the BSA rifle lies in the fact that the loader filling up operation is a bothersome and annoying task since it requires to successively tension said torsion spring while at the same time bringing the next following empty hole of the drum to a position facing said orifice provided in the loader housing cover. In addition to this, the accuracy with which the small bullet is positioned by said loader is not enough to allow to shoot it, it being hence necessary to as has been mentioned previously deliver the small bullet to said chamber by means of said air transfer tube having been especially provided for such a purpose.

#These and other characteristics win be best appreciated in the light of the following detailed description referring to the enclosed drags wherein:

#FIG. 1 is a partial, perspective view of an air gun with the small bullet loading device of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective, exploded view showing the members integrating the loader of the device of FIG. 1;

#Firstly referring to FIG. 1, this latter shows an air gun incorporating the small bullet loading device of the present invention. The gun in question is of the type comprising a compression chamber 25 being fitted in its inside with a piston being actuated by a main spring (these two latter members not having been shown), said spring being manually tensioned by a user of the gun by means of moving a tiltable barrel 11 being thus used by way of lever, said barrel 11 comprising a body 13 connected to a tensioning link 12 provided to tension said spring.

#It is to be pointed out that although the figures illustrate the device of the invention having been implemented in a tiltable barrel gun said device could in its essential aspects be for example equally adapted to a gun of the fixed barrel type having a piston spring tensioning lever being independent from said barrel, for such a purpose providing modifications for the assembly of the loader as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

#Still referring to FIG. 1, on one end of said compression chamber 25 and on the butt 33 of the gun and surrounding a sight holder 51 a mount 16 has been provided which incorporates a more or less prismatic pocket 18 being apt to house a removable, multishot small bullet loader 50 comprising a housing 1 being at opposite lateral ends provided with spring-loaded pushes 23 having been integrally formed with retractable, wedge-shaped catches 19 (see also FIGS. 2 through 4, 6 and 7) being apt to snap-fit into inner recesses 20 of said pocket 18 thereby becoming engaged in theme in such a way that in order to install the loader in the gun it is only necessary to press it into said pocket 18 all the way down till said wedge-shaped catches 19 snapfit into said recesses 20 thereby becoming engaged in them. All that is needed in order to remove the loader is to release said catches 29 by manually aching on said pushes 23 while pulling loader 50 outwards.