MONOTRIGGER MECHANISM FOR TRAPSHOOTING GUNS

Abstract: A monotrigger mechanism is disclosed for double-barrel­ led guns in which guns the hammers (14,15), their respective springs (18,20) levers (19,21) trigger (22) and pendular mass (24) are all premounted on an under­ guard (12). The trigger (22) is longitudinally positio­ nable and the coupling of the underguard (12) is effected by means of an oscillating lever (55) controlled by the safety sled (13), which is mounted on the upper portion of the breech (10) of the gun and interacts with the trigger (22).

Description: The present invention relates to trapshooting guns in general and, more particularly, to a monotrigger mechanism for guns in which the hammers, their springs, levers, trigger and other members are all premounted on an underguard of the gun. In the field of double-barrelled trapshooting guns and hunting guns with the barrels positoned either side by side or one over the other, there are several types of trigger mechanisms which are already known. These mechanisms generally comprise a pair of hammers corresponding to the two barrels of the gun and a single trigger for controlling the successive disengagement of the two hammers. Each conventional trigger mechanism has its own characteristic features and its members can be directly inserted inside the breech of the gun as illustrated, for example, by the documents FR-A-2,070,572; FR-A-1,432,897; US-A-3,421,243; GB-A-2,179,723; or they can be placed on an underguard which is applicable to the lower portion of the breech of the gun, in correspondence with a suitable opening or slit as illustrated, for example, by the documents FR-A-1,519,013; EP-A-0,078,867 and DE-A-2,004,186. This allows for the assembling and disassembling of the trigger mechanism as a unit. To be more precise, a monotrigger mechanism for doubled-barrelled guns, particularly trapshooting guns, is shown in the documents FR-A-1,519,013 and EP-A-0,078,867. This monotrigger mechanism comprises an underguard having means for the coupling to and detaching from the breech of the gun; two hammers pivoted on said underguard, each of which urged by a spring and coordinated with a firing pin corresponding to the two barrels; a pair of oscillating levers pivoted on said underguard and each designed to arrest a respective hammer in the cocked position, and a trigger pivoting on said underguard and rearwardly attached to a pendular mass for the separate control of the displacement of, firstly, one oscillating lever and then the other oscillating lever so as to disengage the two hammers according to a predetermined sequence, said pendular mass having a pair of shoulders diversely positioned for engaging at subsequent times said oscillating levers, following a first and second action of said trigger. In such a realization, however, the trigger is in a fixed position. The document US-A-4,667,429 also discloses a longitudinally adjustable trigger, but without specifying its application to a particular trigger mechanism. This adjustable trigger comprises supporting means pivotably attached to the body of the gun; a plurality of arresting notches longitudinally positioned in said supporting means; and a spring loaded arresting element in said trigger, longitudinally displaceable along said supporting means and selectively engageable with said arresting notches. The arresting element can be of various shapes, but has a grip which allows for manual manoeuvring and which is always on the outside of the trigger and therefore does not exclude the possibility that it could come into contact with parts which could cause undesired releasings and possible tamperings of the trigger. An object of the present invention is to supply a monotrigger mechanism in accordance with the documents FR-A-1,519,013 and EP-A-0,078,867, but having an adjustable trigger for a more suitable use of the mechanism. Another object of the invention is to supply a monotrigger mechanism with an adjustable trigger where the arresting element is protected inside the body of the trigger and is only and purposely accessible with a rod. In this way there is the advantage of assuring the correct blocking of the trigger in each position of use without the possibility of involuntary, undesired or tampered movements. Said objects are achieved with a monotrigger mechanism which is in accordance with claim 1 whereby the state of the art is described by the above mentioned documents FR-A-1,519,013; EP-A-0,078,867 and US-A-4,667,429. Greater details of the invention will become more evident from the following detailed embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partial, sectional view of the trigger mechanism with elements in the rest position; Figure 2 is an analogous view of the trigger mechanism with the hammers in cocked position; Figure 3 is a view analogous to figure 2, showing the right hammer in phase of disengagement; Figure 4 is a partial, sectional view of the condition of engagement of the left hammer (after the disengagement of the right hammer); Figure 5 is a view analogous to figure 4, showing the left hammer in phase of disengagement; and Figure 6 is a sectional view of the trigger and of the engagement means of the trigger mechanism in the breech. With reference now to the accompanying drawings, numeral 10 represents, in general, the breech of the gun. In the breech, there is mounted a trigger mechanism 11, the member elements of which are premounted on an underguard 12, which is in turn applicable to the lower portion of the breech. In the upper portion of the breech, instead, there is mounted a safety sled 13 that has an arresting or blocking portion 13′ facing toward the trigger mechanism and intended to prevent, when in the position of safety, the functioning or operation of the trigger mechanism itself. The trigger mechanism 11 comprises two hammers 14-15, that is, a right one (14) and a left one (15). Both hammers are pivoting on the underguard 12 and are intended to act against the firing pins 16-17, corresponding to the two barrels (positioned side by side or one over the other) of the gun (not shown in the drawings). Hammer 14 is urged by a cross-bow spring 18 and is engaged in cocked position by a spring-loaded lever 19. Lever 19 is oscillatingly mounted on a pin 20′ attached to the underguard 12 and having, on one side, a tooth 19′ for interaction with the hammer 14, and, on the other side, a beak 19″ faced toward the rear. Similarly, hammer 15 is urged by a cross-bow spring 20 and is engaged in cocked position by a spring-loaded lever 21. Lever 21 is also mounted on the pin 20′ and has a tooth 21′ interacting with the hammer 15 and a rear beak 21″. The displacement of the hammers 14-15 in cocked position is determined by the corresponding levers 14′-15′, controlled, in manner known per se, by the opening of the barrels. Conversely, the disengagement of the hammers for firing is controlled by a single trigger 22, pivoting at 20′ on the underguard 12 and intended to act, firstly, on the lever 19 of the right hammer 14 and, subsequently, on the lever 21 of the left hammer 15, through a pendular mass 24 positioned behind the levers 19-21. The pendular mass 24 is pivoting underneath, at 25, on the trigger 22 and is urged by a spring 26 which keeps the mass normally displaced toward the rear beaks 19″-21″ of the levers 19-21. The pendular mass is provided, furthermore, with a pair of shoulders 27-28 so positioned as to interact, at subsequent times, the first with the rear beak 19″ of the lever 19 of the right hammer 14, and the second with the rear beak 21″ of the lever 21 of the left hammer 15, for the disengagement of the hammers, in accordance with the sequence described hereabove. In fact, starting from the cocked position illustrated in figure 2 of the drawings, to a first activation of the trigger 22 (see arrow E in figure 3) corresponds the rising of the pendular mass 24 with consequent displacement of the lever 19 and the disengagement of the right hammer 14 for the firing of a shell in one barrel. The recoil and counterrecoil action which follows determines the detachment of the shoulder 27 of the pendular mass 24 from the beak 19″ of the lever 19. This, then, allows the pendular mass 24 to interact, through the other shoulder member 28, with the beak 21″ of the other lever 21, as soon as the trigger 22 is released after the firing of the first shell. One has, thusly, the condition illustrated in figure 4. Starting from this condition, it is possible to disengage the left hammer 15, in order to fire the shell in the other barrel of the gun. This is done by acting again on the trigger, as indicated by arrow F′ in figure 5. Advantageously, trigger 22 of the trigger mechanism 11 is position-controlled and, for this purpose, it is coupled with a lever support 31 that constitutes that portion of the trigger which pivots, at 20′, on the underguar. The underguard carries at its rear the pendular mass 24 and extends upperly with an appendix 32 intended to cooperate with the arresting portion 13′ of the safety sled 13 mounted in the breech 10, in the setting of the gun in the position of safety. More precisely, as clearly shown in figure 6, the trigger 22 is provided in its upper part with a guide seat 33, shaped as the tail of a swallow, or as a T or the like,. Guide seat 33 is intended to mate with a corresponding guide portion 34 longitudinally provided in the lower part of the support 31. In the upper portion of the trigger 22, there is also provided a cavity 35 open toward the support and toward the rear of the trigger proper. In this cavity 35, there is displaceably mounted an arresting or blocking latch 36, which has, in its upper part, a wedge-like tooth 37 and, in its rear part, a manouver member portion 38. The blocking latch 36 is, further, provided with a peg or stem 39, guided into an opening 40 provided in the trigger 22 at the base of the cavity 35. The wedge-like tooth 37 of the blocking latch 36 is facing toward and cooperates selectively with any of a plurality of arresting notches 41 provided on the lower surface of the support 31. The notches are spaced one from another longitudinally along the support 31, each having a shape corresponding to and opposite to the wedge-like shape of the tooth 37 of the blocking latch 36. The manouver member portion 38 of the blocking latch 36 protrudes from the rear opening of the cavity 35 of the trigger 22 and is provided with a transverse aperture 38′, into which a small rod or equivalent member may be inserted for controlling the latch. The latch 36 is urged by a spring 42, for example a torque spring, mounted on a spine 43 and having a first terminal 42′ attached to the latch 36 and a second terminal 42″ blocked between the upper surface of the trigger and the base of the support 31. The spring 42 is preloaded, in order to keep the blocking latch normally displaced toward the support 31. The tooth 37 is engaged with one of the arresting notches 41. In order to change the position of the trigger, it is therefore sufficient to insert the small rod in the opening 38′ of the manouver member portion 38 of the blocking latch 36, so as to displace the latter to a point where its tooth is disengaged from the notch in which it was positioned. This allows, then, the displacement of the trigger with respect to the support until the tooth is carried to engage another notch, thus arriving at another position of the trigger with respect to the previous, initial position. To apply the trigger mechanism 11 to the breech 10, the underguard 12 is provided in the front thereof with a tongue 12′ which is intended to engage within a complementary seat 10′ provided in the breech itself. At the rear, the underguard 12 is integral with a hook 54 which faces toward the interior of the breech 10, behind the trigger mechanism 11. The hook 54 has a bevelled head 54′. In the breech 10, between the hook 54 and the safety sled 13, there is provided an oscillating lever 55 mounted on an intermediate transverse pin 56. Lever 55 has, on one hand, a tooth 57 for engaging the hook 54 integral with the underguard 12 and, on the other hand, a terminal 58 for interaction with a shoulder 59 provided at the base of the safety sled 13. The lever 55 is, furthermore, urged by a preloaded spring 60 acting so as to keep its tooth 57 normally engaged with the hook 54 and its terminal 58 displaced toward the shoulder 59 of the safety sled 13. In practice, the underguard 12, complete with the trigger mechanism 11, is mounted on and attached to the breech 10 by, firstly, engaging the front tongue 12′ in the complementary seat 10′ and, subsequently, pushing the mechanism in the breech until the hook 54 and the tooth 57 of the oscillating lever 55 are reciprocally engaged. The coupling is aided by the bevelled head 54′ of the hook 54 and by the action of the spring 60 acting on the lever 55 without the need of any other operation. The safety sled 13 is provided with a peg 61 that interacts with a spring-loaded pusher 62, which has a ramp 63 defining with the peg 61 the position of safety and, furthermore, has an intermediate cavity 64 which defines, again with the said peg 61, the position of firing, that is to say, the position of operation of the gun. In the position of safety, the sled 13 is fully displaced to the rear, so that its arresting portion 13′ interferes with the appendix 32 of the trigger 22, thus preventing the operation or functioning of the trigger mechanism 11. At the same time, the shoulder 59 is moved away from the terminal 58 of the lever 55. In the position of firing, the safety sled 13 is arrested in an intermediate position due to the positioning of its peg 51 in the cavity 64 of the spring-loaded pusher 62. The shoulder 59 is, thus, adjacent to the terminal 58 of the lever 55, without however, altering the position of the latter. In either position, of safety or of firing, the sled 13 has, therefore, no influence whatever upon the oscillating lever 55, so that the condition of engagement and attachment of the trigger mechanism in the breech 10 is not altered when one passes from one condition to the other. The safety sled 13 is, however, displaceable manually toward the front and beyond the position of firing, in order to disengage the trigger mechanism 11, when it is necessary to remove it from the breech 10. As a result of this displacement of the sled 13, the shoulder 59 acts against the terminal 58 of the lever 55, displacing the latter in opposition to the action of the spring 60. The tooth 57 of the lever 55 is, thus, moved away and disengaged from the hook of the underguard 12, in order to allow the removal of the trigger mechanism. When the manual operation has ended, the spring 60 returns the lever 55 and, through the lever, the safety sled 13 to the position of firng, or to the position which allows the successive mounting and blocking of the trigger mechanism.

Claims: 1. A monotrigger mechanism for double-barrelled guns, particularly trapshooting guns, comprising an underguard (12) having means for the coupling to and detaching from the breech of the gun; two hammers (14, 15) pivoted on said underguard, each of which urged by a spring (18, 20) and coordinated with a firing pin (16, 17) corresponding to the two barrels; a pair of oscillating levers (19, 21) pivoted on said underguard (12) and each designed to arrest a respective hammer (14, 15) in the cocked position, a trigger (22) pivoted on said underguard (12) and rearwardly attached to a pendular mass (24) for the separate control of the displacement of, firstly, one oscillating lever (19) and then the other oscillating lever (21), so as to disengage the two hammers (14, 15) according to a predetermined sequence, said pendular mass (24) having a pair of shoulders (27, 28) diversely positioned for engaging at subsequent times said oscillating levers, following a first and a second action of said trigger, and wherein said trigger (22) is slidably coupled with a lever support (32) pivoting on said underguard and serving to act upon said oscillating levers through said pendular mass; said trigger (22) having blocking latch (36) with a tooth (37) thereon engaging selectively one of a plurality of complementary arresting notches (41) provided on said lever support (32) and spaced from one another longitudinally along said lever support, so as to define various positions of use of said trigger, said blocking latch (36) being urged by a biasing spring (42) for keeping said latch in engaging position with said arresting notches, whereby said blocking latch (36) is seated in a cavity (35) provided in the upper part of said trigger and has a manouver portion (38) thereon, protruding from said cavity and having an opening (38′) for receiving a rod, when said latch is to be displaced in opposition to said preloaded spring (42) and trigger is to be adjusted in the longitudinal direction. 2. Monotrigger mechanism according to claim 1) wherein the trigger comprises a guide seat (33) and the lever support is formed with a guide portion (34) which mates with the guide seat dove-tail fashion, the biasing spring (42) being a tension spring which is wound around a spine (43) provided in the trigger cavity in preloaded condition with one end of the tension spring extending longitudinally trapped between the guide seat and the trigger support and the other end of the spring retained in the latch. 3. Trigger mechanism, according to precedent claims, wherein said underguard (12) has frontally a tongue (12) for engagement within a complementary seat (10′) provided in the breech of the gun, and, rearwardly, a hook (54) facing the interior of said breech; and wherein in said breech threre is provided an oscillating lever (55) having, on one side, a tooth (57) interacting with said hook (54) for blocking and unblocking the trigger mechanism in the breech and, on the other side, a terminal (58) interacting with said safety sled (13) for manually controlling the disengagement and the unblocking of the trigger mechanism; the condition of engagement of the trigger mechanism being insured by a spring (60) acting on said oscillating lever (55). 4. Trigger mechanism, according to claim 3, wherein said hook (54) is integral with said undergard (12) and has a bevelled head (54) interacting with said oscillating lever (55) when the trigger mechanism is inserted in the breech of the gun; and wherein said safety sled (13) has a shoulder (59) interacting with said terminal (58) of said oscillating lever (55) to move away the said tooth (37) from said hook (54) when said safety sled is manually displaced to a position other than the position of safaty of of firing.

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