Patent attributes
The present invention comprises a novel hammer and biasing system in a paintball pistol to achieve automatic re-cocking with closed bolt results in a marker pistol configuration typically associated with open bolt systems. The trigger releases a compressions hammer that nests in a hammer sleeve, but an aperture in the hammer sleeve permits a protrusion on the compression hammer to strike a poppet valve which releases a burst of gas. The gas pressure forced into the barrel causes the paint ball to be expelled from the barrel, and forces the hammer and bolt assembly aft due to increased pressure in the lower bore. The pressure against the front wall of a hammer sleeve pushes the hammer sleeve aft, along with the compression hammer. Also, because the bolt is interconnected to the hammer sleeve it is forced back in the upper barrel as well. When forced back, the bolt allows the breach to open and a paintball to drop into the chamber. Also, the sear catches the compression hammer in the cocked position. The interconnected combination of the hammer sleeve, bolt and slide cover causes the slide cover to move back as well. Springs interconnected between the slide cover and the housing are stretched when the slide cover moves back, but biases the slide cover to return to its forward position. Because the slide cover is interconnected to the bolt and hammer sleeve, the return of the slide cover forward by the springs, also resets the bolt and hammer sleeve to their forward ready to fire position.
