DEVICE FOR RAPIDLY ENGAGING AND DISENGAGING THE TRIGGER MECHANISM IN THE BREECH OF A GUN

Abstract: Disclosed is a device for the rapid engagement and disengagement of the monotrigger mechanism in the breech of a double-barrelled gun. A hook (14) is integrally provided in the underguard (12) that carries the mono­ trigger mechanism. An oscillating lever (15) pivoting in the breech (10) has a tooth (17) that interacts with the hook (14) so as to block and unblock the monotrig­ ger mechanism. The lever (15) is kept in operative po­ sition by a spring (20) and is moved into an inopera­ tive position for the disengagement of the mechanism from the safety sled (13).

Description: The invention relates to shotguns with two barrels and a single trigger and, particularly, to a device for rapidly engaging and disengaging the trigger mechanism in the breech of these guns in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 and described, for example, in document FR-A-1,519,013. In the field of double-barrelled shotguns, the barrels being positioned either side by side or one over the other, there are several trigger mechanisms already known, hereinafter referred to as monotrigger mechanisms, with two hammers corresponding to the two barrels of the gun, and with a single trigger for controlling, through levers and preloaded springs, the disengagement of the cocked hammers. In the conventional arrangements, see for example DE-A-2,004,186 and EP-A-0,078,867 also, the elements of a monotrigger mechanism may be premounted on a support, hereinafter referred to as the underguard, which is applicable to the lower portion of the breech of a gun, in correspondence with a suitable opening or slit. In particular, the above mentioned document FR-A-1,519,013 discloses a device for the rapid engagement and disengagement of a monotrigger mechanism in the breech of a shotgun, where the trigger mechanism is mounted on an underguard which can be sealed in the underside of the breech and wherein: a tongue is provided in the front portion of said underguard; a complementary seat is formed in said breech for receiving said tongue; an oscillating lever is mounted in said breech and has a terminal interacting with a safety sled on the upper part of the breech, and another terminal which is designed to cause blocking and unblocking of said underguard in the breech; a biasing spring acting on said oscillating lever to push it towards the blocking position of the underguard. In such an embodiment the blocking/unblocking of the underguard, however, relies completely on an added element, that being a piston placed between the underguard and oscillating lever and the spring acts on said lever through said element. This obviously requires an articulation between the oscillating lever and piston which tends to complicate the construction. Furthermore, the piston needs a sliding seat formed in the back of the breech, this because supporting it only on the spring is not reliable. Document DE-A-2,004,186 describes a hook on the rear of the trigger housing which, not having an oscillating lever to hook, engages on the breech. An object of this invention is to supply and simplify a connecting device of the underguard to the breech in which the blocking/unblocking action relies directly on the oscillating lever, with the advantage of eliminating any other interpositioned element and simplifying the operation since articulations and seats fo such an element are no longer needed. Thus, the object of this invention is a device in accordance with the characterizing part of claim 1. Greater details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of the monotrigger mechanism in the position of engagement in the breech of the gun; Figure 2 is a similar view, analogous to figure 1, showing the monotrigger mechanism in a disengaged condition; and Figure 3 represents the condition of safety of the monotrigger mechanism. Referring now to the drawings, numeral 10 represents generally the breech of a gun, in which is to be mounted a monotrigger mechanism 11. The members of the monotrigger mechanism 11 are premounted, in a manner known per se, on an underguard 12 which is applicable to the lower portion of the breech 10. In the upper portion of the breech 10 instead, there is mounted a slidable safety sled 13, which has an arresting portion 13′ facing the monotrigger mechanism 11 and intended to interfere with element 11′ of the latter to effect the safety positioning of the gun (see figure 3). In order to apply the underguard 12 to the breech 10, the former has a front tongue 12′ which is intended to be inserted in a complementary seat 10′ provided in the breech itself. In its rear part, the underguard 12 is integrally formed with a hook 14 which faces toward the interior of the breech 10, behind the monotrigger mechanism 11, and has a bevelled head 14′. In the breech 10, between the hook 14 and the safety sled 13, there is an oscillating lever 15 mounted on an intermediate transverse pin 16. Lever 15 has, on one side, a tooth 17 for engagement with the hook 14, integral with the underguard 12, and on the other side, a terminal 18 for interacting with a shoulder 19 provided at the base of the safety sled 13. Lever 15 is, furthermore, actuated by a preloaded spring 20 which keeps the tooth 17 of the lever normally engaged with the hook 14 and the terminal 18 displaced toward the shoulder 19 of the safety sled 13. In practice, the underguard 12, complete with monotrigger mechanism 11, is mounted on and attached to the breech 10 by, firstly, engaging the front tongue 12′ in its complementary seat 10′ and, subsequently, by pushing the monotrigger mechanism 11 in the breech 10 until the hook 14 and the tooth 17 of the lever 15 are reciprocally engaged. The coupling is facilitated by the bevelled head 14′ of the hook 14 and by the action of the spring 20 on the lever 15, without need of actuating any other member of the gun. The safety sled 13 is provided with a peg 21 that interacts with a spring-loaded pusher 22. Pusher 22 has a ramp 23 which defines, together with the peg 21, the position of safety, and an intermediate cavity 24 which defines, again together with the peg 21, the position of firing, that is to say, of operation of the gun. In the position of safety, the sled 13 is displaced fully to the rear, so that its arresting portion 13′ interferes with the member 11′ of the monotrigger mechanism, thus preventing the latter from operating. At the same time, the shoulder 19 is moved away from the terminal 18 of the lever 15, as it is shown in figure 3 of the drawings. In the position of firing, the safety sled 13 is halted in an intermediate position, due to the positioning of its peg 21 in the cavity 24 of the pusher 22. The shoulder 19 is adjacent to the terminal 18 of the lever 15, without, however, altering the position of the latter (see figure 1). In either position, of safety and of firing, the safety sled has no influence whatever upon the lever 15, so that the condition of engagement and of attachment of the monotrigger mechanism in the breech of the gun is not altered, when one passes from one position to the other. The safety sled 13 is, nevertheless, displaceable manually toward the front and beyond the position of firing. This permits the disengagement of the monotrigger mechanism 11, when it is necessary to remove it from the breech 10. As a result of such a displacement of the safety sled 13, the shoulder 19 acts against the terminal 18 of the lever 15, displacing the latter in opposition to the spring 20. Tooth 17 of the lever 15 is, meanwhile moved away and disengaged from the hook 14 of the underguard 12, as it is shown in figure 2 of the drawings. The monotrigger mechanism 11, now free, can be removed from the breech 10. When the manual action on the safety sled has ended, the spring 20 returns the lever 15 and, through the contact of its terminal 18 with the shoulder 19, the safety sled 13 to the position of firing, or to the position in which the described device is preplaced for engaging and holding the monotrigger mechanism, when the latter is remounted in the breech.

Claims: 1. A device for the rapid engagement and disengagement of a monotrigger mechanism in the breech of a shotgun, where the trigger mechanism is mounted on an underguard (12) which can be sealed in the underside of the breech (10) and wherein: a tongue (12′) is provided in the front portion of said underguard (12); a complementary seat (10′) is formed in said breech for receiving said tongue; an oscillating lever (15) is mounted in said breech and has a teminal (18) interacting with a safety sled (13) on the upper part of the breech, and another terminal which is designed to cause the blocking and unblocking of said underguard in the breech; a biasing spring (20) acting on said oscillating lever so as to push it towards the blocking position of the underguard, characterized in that the other terminal of the oscillating lever (15) has a tooth (17) designed to directly interact with a hook (14) integral with the back end of the underguard (12) for the blocking and unblocking of the underguard in the breech where the biasing spring (20) directly acts against the oscillating lever. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that said hook (14) extends inside the breech where said hook (14) has a bevelled head (14′), interacting with the tooth (17) of the oscillating lever when the trigger mechanism is inserted in said breech.

Inventors: BERETTA, PIER GIUSEPPE
Applicants: FABBRICA D'ARMI P.BERETTA S.P.A.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: F41A19
IPC codes: F41A19, F41A3, F41A17