The present invention relates to firearms; more particularly, to sidearms and shoulder-fired longarms that eject a spent cartridge shell from a side of the weapon after firing; and most particularly, to a system that allows a manufacturer or gun owner to select either the right-side or left-side (ambidextrous) ejection of shells from a given weapon.
Guns that eject a spent cartridge shell exclusively from one side of the weapon during a firing and reloading cycle are well known in the art of weapons. Typically, the shell is gripped by one or more extractor claws, elements of the bolt mechanism, during loading of a cartridge into the firing chamber. As the bolt is withdrawn after firing, the spent cartridge engages an ejector blade that causes the shell to be disengaged from the extractor claw(s) and propelled out of an ejector port defined in the bolt receiver.
Typically, a weapon is formed with the ejector port on the right side of the bolt receiver (“right” as used herein meaning the side of the weapon with respect to the shooter when the weapon is in firing position). For right-handed shooters, and especially for such shooters aiming the weapon with the right eye, this arrangement provides for convenient expulsion of shells in a direction away from the shooter's face and body. However, for left-handed shooters, and especially for such shooters aiming the weapon with the left eye, the opposite is true; spent shells are expelled undesirably toward the shooter's face and body. Therefore, a conventional right-side ported weapon is ill-suited to a left-handed shooter. One way to address this drawback is to manufacture left-side ported weapons having the internal ejection components reversed, but the market for such weapons is relatively small since the preponderance of the population is right-handed. The incentive for making left-side ported weapons is relatively low and thus manufacturing costs are proportionally higher. In addition, the owners of left-side ported weapons would likely face a chronic shortage of spare parts.
What is needed in the art is a system that allows a manufacturer or gun owner to select interchangeably either the right-side or left-side (ambidextrous) ejection of shells from a given weapon, preferably by the simple relocation of a minimal number of weapon components.
It is one aspect of the present invention to permit alternative configuration of the shell ejection mechanism of a given weapon as either right-side ejecting or left-side ejecting. The present invention fulfills this need as well as other needs.