Firearms, chain removers for firearms and methods for using the same

Abstract

A firearm that includes a chain wheel, a cartridge feed chain that engages the chain wheel, and a chain remover to remove the cartridge feed chain from the chain wheel is disclosed. An example chain remover includes a U-shaped guide region through which at least a portion of the chain wheel passes. The chain wheel further includes a shoulder surface and the U-shaped region of the chain remover includes an inner radial surface wherein the inner radial surface and the shoulder surface are coupled.

1 . A firearm comprising: 
 a chain wheel;    a cartridge feed chain that engages the chain wheel; and    a chain remover to remove the cartridge feed chain from the chain wheel, the chain remover further comprising a U-shaped region through which at least a portion of the chain wheel passes.    
   
   
       2 . A firearm as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the chain wheel further includes a shoulder surface and the U-shaped region of the chain remover includes an inner radial surface wherein the inner radial surface and the shoulder surface are coupled.  
   
   
       3 . A firearm as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the chain remover further comprises: 
 guide plates that run substantially tangential to a root circle of the chain wheel; and    a notch located at an end of the chain remover distant from the guide plates through which a fastener may secure the chain remover in place.    
   
   
       4 . A firearm as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the chain remover is coupled to the chain wheel and the fastener in such a way that the chain remover floats in the axial direction from the chain wheel to the fastener in the plane that runs transversely a rotation axis that runs through the chain wheel.  
   
   
       5 . A firearm as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the cartridge feed chain comprises links and the combined width of the guide plates and chain wheel is substantially the same as the width of a link in the cartridge feed chain.  
   
   
       6 . A firearm as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the chain remover is constructed as one piece from a plate.  
   
   
       7 . A firearm as defined in  claim 6 , wherein the initial thickness of the plate corresponds to the chain width.  
   
   
       8 . A firearm as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the chain remover comprises guide plates at both the pull and the return strands of the cartridge feed chain.  
   
   
       9 . A firearm as defined in  claim 8 , wherein the distance between outer edges the guide plates at the pull strand and outer edges the guide plates at the return strand is substantially equal to the diameter of the root circle of the chain wheel.  
   
   
       10 . A firearm as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the chain remover does not affect normal operation of the cartridge feed chain.  
   
   
       11 . A firearm as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the chain remover is composed of a material that can be used in a temperature range of −80 to 200° C., in particular −40° C. to 110° C., in particular of 42 CrMo4.  
   
   
       12 . A chain remover for use in a firearm magazine comprising: 
 a U-shaped guide region through which at least a portion of a chain wheel passes;    guide plates that run substantially tangential to a root circle of the chain wheel; and    a notch located at an end of the chain remover distant from the guide plates through which a fastener may secure the chain remover in place.    
   
   
       13 . A chain remover as defined in  claim 12 , wherein the U-shaped region of the chain remover further includes an inner radial surface and the chain wheel includes a shoulder surface wherein the inner radial surface and the shoulder surface are coupled.  
   
   
       14 . A chain remover as defined in  claim 12 , wherein the chain remover is coupled to the chain wheel and the fastener in such a way that the chain remover floats in the axial direction from the chain wheel to the fastener in the plane that runs transversely a rotation axis that runs through the chain wheel.  
   
   
       15 . A chain remover as defined in  claim 12 , wherein the combined width of the guide plates and chain wheel is substantially the same as the width of a link in a cartridge feed chain that engages the chain wheel.  
   
   
       16 . A chain remover as defined in  claim 12 , wherein the chain remover is constructed as one piece from a plate.  
   
   
       17 . A chain remover as defined in  claim 12 , wherein the chain remover comprises guide plates at both the pull and the return strands of the cartridge feed chain.  
   
   
       18 . A chain remover as defined in  claim 17 , wherein the distance between outer edges the guide plates at the pull strand and outer edges the guide plates at the return strand is substantially equal to the diameter of the root circle of the chain wheel.  
   
   
       19 . A chain remover as defined in  claim 12 , wherein the chain remover is composed of a material that can be used in a temperature range of −80 to 200° C., in particular −40° C. to 110° C., in particular of 42 CrMo4.  
   
   
       20 . A method of removing a chain from a chain wheel, comprising: coupling a chain remover to the chain wheel wherein the chain remover has a generally U-shaped guide region in which a portion of the chain wheel rotates and guide plates at an end of the guide region wherein the guide plates remove the chain from the chain wheel.