Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a firearm loading device for selectively loading a single round of ammunition.
Description of the Prior Art
Firearms are configured to fire rounds of ammunition. To fire a firearm, the shooter of the firearm pulls a trigger mechanism, which releases a hammer. The hammer is designed to then strike a firing pin which, in turn, strikes an impact sensitive round of ammunition. Once struck, the round of ammunition expels a bullet from the barrel of the firearm toward a target.
Automatic or semi-automatic firearms allow the shooter to fire consecutive rounds of ammunition, without reloading, from a magazine. Examples of such firearms include the AR-15, the AR-10, and similarly styled variants. These rifles include a bolt that cycles backward and forward between each shot. When moving forward, the bolt pushes a round of ammunition from the top of the magazine into the firing chamber. Then, as the bolt moves backward after firing, an extractor removes the spent casing of the fired round from the firing chamber. This process can be repeated until all rounds have been fired from the magazine. After all rounds are fired from the magazine, many rifles include a bolt catch mechanism that is activated by the empty magazine. The bolt catch mechanism is configured to lock the bolt to the rear of the rifle to allow for the loading of a new magazine. Once the new magazine is loaded, the bolt catch mechanism can be lowered by pressing a bolt catch release button on the firearm, thus allowing the bolt to travel forward and chamber a round from the magazine.
While firing consecutive rounds is useful in certain types of shooting scenarios, for certain types of shooting competitions, competition rules dictate that the firearm only have a single round of ammunition loaded in the firearm at a time. Loading a magazine with a single round, firing the round, ejecting the magazine for the loading of another round, and then reinserting the magazine to the firearm is a cumbersome process. Alternatively, modifying magazines to allow for the loading of ammunition through an ejection port on the side of the firearm can be a risky activity as such modifications can lead to catastrophic failure, potentially injuring the shooter. Cumbersome loading and reloading can interrupt a shooter's rhythm, making the shooter less effective. Additionally, operating the bolt release button is also often an awkward reach for the shooter, further interrupting their shooting rhythm.
Therefore, improvements in ammunition loading devices are desired. The present disclosure addresses the problems associated with selectively loading a single round of ammunition.