Shotgun for competitive clay target shooting

Abstract

A shotgun includes a stock, a receiver and a barrel group. The stock has a butt end and an opposite second end. The receiver which is for containing a moving parts group, has a rear end and a forward end and is releasably mountable at the rear end by a releasable coupler to the second end of the stock. The barrel group has a discharge end and an opposite loading end. The loading end is releasably mountable by a pivotable coupler to the forward end of the receiver. The moving parts group, when mounted in the receiver, contain all of the moving parts between a trigger and a firing pin or pins in moving operation relative to the receiver required during firing of the shotgun. The releasable coupler includes a manually operable coupler release. The coupler release is manually actuable so that the releasable coupler mounts the receiver to, or demounts the receiver from, the stock upon tool-less, hand actuation by a user of the coupler release, that is, upon manual actuation by the user without the need to use a tool, such as a screwdriver, to assist in operating the coupler release. The receiver may be quickly removed by hand from the stock and quickly replaced with a spare receiver containing a spare moving parts group.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A shotgun comprising: 
 a stock having a butt end and an opposite second end,    a receiver for containing a moving parts group, said receiver having a rear end and a forward end and releasably mountable at said rear end by a releasable coupler to said second end of said stock,    a barrel group having a discharge end and an opposite loading end, said loading end releasably mountable by a pivotable coupler to said forward end of said receiver,    wherein said moving parts group, when mounted in said receiver, contains all of the moving parts between a trigger and a firing pin in moving operation relative to said receiver during firing of said shotgun when said barrel and said stock are mounted to said receiver,    wherein said releasable coupler includes a manually operable coupler release, said coupler release manually actuable so that said coupler mounts said receiver to, or demounts said receiver from, said stock upon tool-less, hand actuation by a user of said coupler release.    
     
     
         2 . The shotgun of  claim 1  wherein said releasable coupler comprises a rigid elongate member releasably mountable into a receiving socket.  
     
     
         3 . The shotgun of  claim 2  wherein said rigid elongate member threadably mounts into said receiving socket.  
     
     
         4 . The shotgun of  claim 2  wherein said receiving socket is a rigid tubular member mountable into a bore in said second end of said stock, and wherein said rigid elongate member is mountable to said rear end of said receiver so as to cantilever said rigid elongate member from said rear end of said receiver into co-axial alignment with said tubular member when said tubular member is mounted to said stock and said stock is mounted to said receiver.  
     
     
         5 . The shotgun of  claim 4  wherein said rigid elongate member is a bolt-like member threadably mountable to said tubular member.  
     
     
         6 . The shotgun of  claim 5  wherein said bolt-like member is a bolt having interrupted thread, said bolt having oppositely disposed parallel planar lands along thread-disengaging portions of a length of said bolt, said lands extending contiguously between oppositely disposed interrupted thread surfaces along thread-engaging portions of said length of said bolt, 
 and wherein said tubular member has an interrupted thread inner surface for threaded engagement with said thread-engaging portions of said bolt, said tubular member having apertures therein, said apertures aligned and sized so that as said bolt is rotated relative to said tubular member while in threaded engagement with said tubular member, said thread-engaging portions are rotated out of thread engaging radial alignment with said interrupted thread inner surface of said tubular member and into radial alignment with said apertures in said threaded walls, thereby aligning said thread-disengaging portions of said bolt with said interrupted thread inner surfaces,  
 whereby said bolt is disengaged from said tubular member and may be withdrawn therefrom.  
 
     
     
         7 . A shotgun receiver for mounting to: 
 a stock having a butt end and an opposite second end,    and for mounting to a barrel group having a discharge end and an opposite loading end, said loading end releasably mountable by a pivotable coupler to said forward end of said receiver,    said receiver comprising a moving parts group and a releasable coupler, said receiver having a rear end and a forward end and releasably mountable at said rear end by said releasable coupler to said second end of said stock,    wherein said moving parts group, when mounted in said receiver, contains all of the moving parts between a trigger and a firing pin in moving operation relative to said receiver during firing of said shotgun when said barrel and said stock are mounted to said receiver,    wherein said releasable coupler includes a manually operable coupler release, said coupler release manually actuable so that said coupler mounts said receiver to, or demounts said receiver from, said stock upon tool-less, hand actuation by a user of said coupler release.    
     
     
         8 . The shotgun receiver of  claim 7  wherein said releasable coupler comprises a rigid elongate member releasably mountable into a receiving socket.  
     
     
         9 . The shotgun receiver of  claim 8  wherein said rigid elongate member threadably mounts into said receiving socket.  
     
     
         10 . The shotgun receiver of  claim 8  wherein said receiving socket is a rigid tubular member mountable into a bore in said second end of said stock, and wherein said rigid elongate member is mountable to said rear end of said receiver so as to cantilever said rigid elongate member from said rear end of said receiver into co-axial alignment with said tubular member when said tubular member is mounted to said stock and said stock is mounted to said receiver.  
     
     
         11 . The shotgun receiver of  claim 10  wherein said rigid elongate member is a bolt-like member threadably mountable to said tubular member.  
     
     
         12 . The shotgun receiver of  claim 11  wherein said bolt-like member is a bolt having interrupted thread, said bolt having oppositely disposed parallel planar lands along thread-disengaging portions of a length of said bolt, said lands extending contiguously between oppositely disposed interrupted thread surfaces along thread-engaging portions of said length of said bolt, 
 and wherein said tubular member has an interrupted thread inner surface for threaded engagement with said thread-engaging portions of said bolt, said tubular member having apertures therein, said apertures aligned and sized so that as said bolt is rotated relative to said tubular member while in threaded engagement with said tubular member, said thread-engaging portions are rotated out of thread engaging radial alignment with said interrupted thread inner surface of said tubular member and into radial alignment with said apertures in said threaded walls, thereby aligning said thread-disengaging portions of said bolt with said interrupted thread inner surfaces,  
 whereby said bolt is disengaged from said tubular member and may be withdrawn therefrom.  
 
     
     
         13 . The shotgun of  claim 1  wherein said receiver further comprises a low-locking barrel group release latch mounted to a low side of said receiver, said low side of said receiver corresponding to a trigger side of said receiver, said release latch cooperating with a locking mechanism on said barrel group for releasable locking of said barrel group on said pivotable coupler into firing engagement with said firing pin.  
     
     
         14 . The shotgun of  claim 13  wherein said release latch has a latch actuating trigger mounted to said low side of said receiver so as to extend therefrom for manual actuation by a user.  
     
     
         15 . The shotgun of  claim 14  wherein said latch actuating trigger is mounted adjacent a trigger guard of said receiver.  
     
     
         16 . The shotgun of  claim 15  wherein said latch actuating trigger is slidably mounted to said low side of said receiver.  
     
     
         17 . The shotgun receiver of  claim 7  wherein said receiver further comprises a low-locking barrel group release latch mounted to a low side of said receiver, said low side of said receiver corresponding to a trigger side of said receiver, said release latch cooperating with a locking mechanism on said barrel group for releasable locking of said barrel group on said pivotable coupler into firing engagement with said firing pin.  
     
     
         18 . The shotgun receiver of  claim 17  wherein said release latch has a latch actuating trigger mounted to said low side of said receiver so as to extend therefrom for manual actuation by a user.  
     
     
         19 . The shotgun receiver of  claim 18  wherein said latch actuating trigger is mounted adjacent a trigger guard of said receiver.  
     
     
         20 . The shotgun receiver of  claim 19  wherein said latch actuating trigger is slidably mounted to said low side of said receiver.  
     
     
         21 . The shotgun of  claim 1  wherein said butt end of said stock has a slide channel formed therein in generally co-planar alignment with a longitudinal axis of a barrel of said barrel group, said stock further comprising a recoil absorbing slide resiliently slidably mounted in said slide channel, said slide having a shoulder pad mounted at an exposed end of said slide, said exposed end protruding from said butt end, said slide having an upper portion extending from said slide channel along an upper surface of said stock, generally opposite a handgrip of said stock, a slide cover member mounted to said slide and extending generally the length of said stock and along said upper surface of said stock, said slide cover for sliding over said upper surface of said stock as said slide slides in said slide channel so as to absorb recoil upon firing of said shotgun.  
     
     
         22 . The shotgun of  claim 21  further comprising a rigid insert slidable over an exposed portion of said exposed end of said slide when said slide is fully extended from said butt end of said stock so as to disable operation of said slide.