Gas operated action for auto-loading firearms

1. A gun action assembly comprising:

a receiver;

a bolt-carrier having a cam slot, the bolt-carrier reciprocable in the receiver between battery and recoil positions;

a spring for biasing the bolt-carrier toward the battery position;

a bolt having a longitudinal axis and a cam pin, the cam pin located in the cam slot of the bolt-carrier; and

an action rod fixedly attached to said receiver, the action rod having a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis of the action rod being offset from the longitudinal axis of the bolt;

wherein the cam pin engages the action rod during a portion of the bolt-carrier travel, the action rod preventing rotation of the bolt when the cam pin is engaged with the action rod.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bolt-carrier includes a longitudinal aperture for receiving the action rod.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal axis of the action rod is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bolt.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cam pin includes an aperture.

5. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the cam pin aperture is laterally offset from the central longitudinal axis of the bolt.

6. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein when the cam pin is engaged with the action rod, the action rod passes through the cam pin aperture.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the bolt is rotatable between a battery position and a recoil position; the cam pin aperture being aligned with the action rod when the bolt is in the recoil position.

8. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the receiver further comprises an ejection port and the bolt-carrier further comprises a charging handle which passes through the ejection port, wherein the charging handle engages the ejection port to prevent rotation of the bolt-carrier.

9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cam pin does not protrude beyond an outer surface of the bolt-carrier.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the receiver is made from a tubular member.

11. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the action rod comprises an elongate member fixedly attached at one end to a recoil plate, the recoil plate being fixed to the receiver.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the receiver further comprises a cartridge ejection port;

the bolt-carrier further comprises a charging handle, the charging handle extending through the cartridge ejection port;

wherein the charging handle prevents rotation of the bolt-carrier within the receiver.

13. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the charging handle is slidably engaged with the receiver within the cartridge ejection port.

14. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein a portion of the charging handle contacts a portion of a wall surface of the receiver.

15. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal axis of the action rod is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the bolt-carrier.

16. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the action rod prevents rotation of the bolt about its longitudinal axis when the cam pin is engaged with the action rod.

17. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein a cartridge case may be ejected from the gun action assembly through the cartridge ejection port.

18. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the charging handle may be used to manually actuate the bolt-carrier.

19. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a gas elbow fixedly attached to the receiver, the gas elbow having a gas way; wherein gas pressure may be directed by the gas elbow to initiate recoil of the bolt-carrier.

20. The assembly of claim 19 , wherein the gas elbow further comprises a gas tube.

21. The assembly of claim 20 , wherein the bolt-carrier further comprises a gas port which receives the gas tube when the bolt-carrier is in the battery position.

22. The assembly of claim 19 , further comprising an adjustable gas valve.

23. The assembly of claim 19 , wherein the bolt-carrier includes a gas vent.

24. The assembly of claim 19 , wherein the receiver further includes a variable decline angle accessory mount.