A DOUBLE LEVER DEVICE FOR LOWERING THE HAMMER IN SEMI-AUTOMATIC AND AUTOMATIC PISTOLS

Abstract: The invention concerns a device for lowering the hammer (11) in semi-automatic and automatic pistols. It includes a release lever (20) to hold the hammer cocked and an interception lever (21) to arrest the hammer in an intermediate, safe position. The release and interception levers (20, 21), are located side by side and can be moved both together away from the hammer when this has to pass from the cocked position to the firing one when the trigger is pulled. The release lever (20) can be moved away from the hammer separately from the interception lever (21) to stop the hammer in the aforementioned safety position maintained by the said interception lever (21).

Description: A DOUBLE LEVER DEVICE FOR LOWERING THE HAMMER IN SEMI-AUTOMATIC AND AUTOMATIC PISTOLS * *** * This invention concerns the portable firearms sector and especially semiautomatic and automatic pistols: in particular, it refers to a device for lowering the hammer in these pistols. The primary purpose of this invention is to offer a hammer lowering device in pistols that uses two hammer interception levers for two different functions where a single release lever is usually provided. Another purpose of the invention is that of creating a hammer lowering device in pistols in which a first release lever sets or cocks the hammer and a second arrest lever fixes a manual lowered position for the hammer, preventing it however from reaching and activating the firing pin of the gun. The two levers are controlled in series, in other words together when the hammer is released for firing and separately due to the safety and arrest effect of the hammer in the lowered position when the hammer is released without firing. In this way, the involuntary or accidental firing of the gun is prevented when it is put away or anyway not used. These purposes are reached with the hammer release and lowering device in pistols according to the characterising part of claim 1. It will anyway be described in more detail as follows with reference to the enclosed indicative and not limiting drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the invention in prospective of the hammer and its relative control parts; Figure 2 shows only the hammer in prospective; Figure 3 shows only the release and interception levers in prospective; Figures 4 and 5 are two cutaway views of the device with the hammer in the cocked position and in the lowered safe position; and Figure 6 shows a cross- section of the release and interception levers. In these drawings, 10 indicates the pistol casing which carries a hammer 11 , a rotating safety shaft 12, and the hammer lowering device which is commanded by trigger 14 through a connecting rod 15 and a release lever 16. This latter has an arm 16, that interferes with one end of connecting rod 15. The hammer is fitted to the casing 10 through shaft 11 on which it rotates between an armed or cocked position to a release or firing position. The pistol has a firing pin which is not illustrated. When the hammer 11 is in the cocked position, it is rotated away from the firing pin - Fig. 4; when it is in the firing position it is hard against the firing pin. The hammer can also take up the intermediate lowered position between these two extreme positions of cocking and firing: the hammer is now in a safe disabled position and cannot reach the firing pin. The hammer is pushed by a thrust spring 17, which acts in the direction of arrow F in figures 4 and 5. This spring is compressed when the hammer is in the cocked position but when released, it moves the hammer rapidly to the firing position. Concentric with the rotation shaft 11, the hammer has a peripheral circular shape bearing a release tooth 18 and an interception tooth 19,: the teeth are arranged at an angle to each other. More precisely, tooth 18 precedes the interception and safety tooth based on the hammer rotation direction when it passes from the cocked position to the firing position. - A - Device 13 of the invention is joined to the hammer 11 and includes a release lever 20 and an interception lever 21 , located side by side, and fitted so that they swing on the same pin 22 supported by the frame 10, parallel to shaft 16 of the hammer: the levers can move together or separately. The release lever 20 has a terminal release nose 20 that interacts with the release tooth 18 of the hammer to block this when rotated to the cocked position and to release it at the moment of release to fire a shot or lowering to the intermediate safe position. The interception lever 21 has a terminal nose that interacts with the interception tooth 19 of the hammer when this is in the lowered safe position, without reaching the firing pin. The release and interception levers, 20, 21 are each moved by springs 23 and 24 respectively. These springs act in a direction to normally keep each lever in contact with the circular portion of the hammer bearing the release tooth 18 and the interception tooth 19. The release lever 20 has a shoulder 20a at the top that interacts with a cam section 12 on the safety shaft 12: this section is foreseen to define the active and inactive positions of the release lever. In the active position - Fig. 4, the cam section 12 of the safety shaft does not interfere with the shoulder 20a at the top of the release lever 20 and therefore when it is pushed by its respective spring 23, it remains in contact with the hammer in the interaction condition with the release tooth 18. In the inactive position, Fig. 5 the cam section 12 of the safety shaft 12 on one side engages the summit shoulder 20a of the release lever 20 in the direction to move the hammer away so that the terminal nose 20 of the same lever cannot engage the release tooth 18 of the hammer. On the other side, and when the release lever is in an inactive position, the back of the cam section 12 of the safety shaft finds itself interacting with the interception lever to keep this adjacent to the hammer, engaged with the interception tooth 19. This is to ensure the positive mechanical arrest of the lowered hammer and to impede accidental movements of the interception lever which could lead to the uncontrolled release of the hammer. Moreover, on one side, the interception lever 21 has a drive prong that extends towards the release lever 20, placing itself in front of this with its face turned towards the hammer - Fig. 6. On the opposite side, the interception lever 21 has an overhang 26 with which it engages the arm 16 of the release lever 16. This lever 16 swings on the same shaft 11 as the hammer 11 and when commanded by the trigger 14 through the connection rod 15, it rotates in a direction to cause the interception lever 21 to move away from the hammer against the action of the respective spring 24. In practice, when the safety shaft 16 is rotated to the active position - Fig. 4, the release lever 20 and the interception lever 21 - pushed by their respective springs 23 and 24, are both brought up to the hammer 11 , on the trajectory of the corresponding release teeth 18 and interception teeth 19. Now, the hammer can be rotated backwards into the cocked position where it is maintained by the release lever 20 whose terminal prong engages with the release tooth 18. Starting from this position, releasing the hammer to use the gun is obtained by using the trigger 14 which, through its connection rod 15 moves the release lever 16. This lever now acts with its arm 16 against the overhang 26 of the interception lever 21, moving this away from the hammer together with the release lever 20 obligatorily driven by the lateral prong 25 interfering with it. The hammer now no longer held back, or intercepted by any other means, is pushed to rotate forwards by its spring 17 to hit the firing pin and fire a shot. Again, starting from the cocked position in Fig. 4 the hammer can be lowered without using the trigger and without it hitting the firing pin. This lowering is obtained through a rotation of the safety shaft 12, delimited by appropriate means, from the active position to the inactive position as in Fig. 5. The cam section 12 of the safety shaft 12 now acts against the summit shoulder 20a of the release lever 20, causing this to move away from the hammer, separately from the interception lever 21 which still remains next to the hammer in the condition to intercept the intercepting tooth 19 of the hammer itself. The hammer is therefore freed by the release lever and rotates under the push from its spring 17. Nevertheless, after it has rotated forwards by a certain amount, the hammer is positively arrested by the interception lever 21 whose terminal prong intercepts and engages with the hammer interception tooth. The hammer now remains in a safe position without being able to reach the firing pin, thus preventing the accidental or involuntary firing of the ammunition in the barrel. As mentioned above, the interception lever 21 is held in the engaged position by the respective tooth 19 by the back of the cam section on the safety shaft 12. The conditions to use the gun again are restored by just rotating the safety shaft to its original active position where it does not engage the release lever.

Claims: C L A I M S 1. A device for lowering the hammer in semiautomatic and automatic pistols where the hammer (11) - which swivels on a shaft between the two extreme positions of being cocked and of firing caused by a spring (17) - can be arrested in an intermediate safety position between the said extreme positions, where the passage of the hammer from the cocked position to the firing position is commanded by a trigger (14) through a connection rod (15) and a release lever (16) and where the intermediate safety position is caused by a rotating safety shaft (12), characterised by the fact of including a release lever (20) aimed at defining 0 the hammer cocking position and an interception lever (21) aimed at arresting the hammer in an intermediate safety position, by the fact that the said release and interception levers (20, 21) are located side by side, mounted in a swinging manner on the same pin (22) pressed by springs (23, 24) that tend to normally hold the said levers against the hammer and lb by the fact that the release levers and interception levers (20, 21) can both be moved together away from the hammer when this has to pass from the cocked position to the firing position on command from the trigger, whilst the release lever (20) can be moved separately away from the hammer by the interception lever (21) to arrest the hammer in the said intermediate position by the said interception lever (21). 2. A device for lowering the hammer according to claim 1 , in which the hammer (11) has a circular shaped part facing the interception levers (20, 21) a release tooth (18) and an interception tooth (19), spaced in an angular manner and where the release tooth (18) precedes the interception tooth (19) in the hammer rotation direction from the cocked position to the firing position. The device also has a release tooth (18) in an interaction plane with the said release lever (20) to stop the hammer in the cocked position and an interception tooth in an interaction plane with the said interception lever (21) to arrest the hammer in the intermediate safety position. 3. A device for lowering the hammer according to claims 1 and 2 in which the interception lever (21) has a lateral drive prong (25) that superimposes the release lever (20) on the side of the latter facing the hammer for the joint movement of the two levers (20, 21) in the direction away from the hammer when this has to pass from the cocked position to the firing position. 4. A device for lowering the hammer according to claims 2 and 3 in which the intercepting lever has a lateral prong (26) interfering with the release lever (16) when this is moved by the trigger through the connection rod to cause the release lever and the interception lever (20, 21) away from the hammer. 5. A device for lowering the hammer according to claims 2-4 in which the release lever (20) has a summit shoulder interacting with a cam section (12) of the rotating safety shaft (12) for moving the said release lever away from the hammer when the safety shaft is rotated and the hammer has to be lowered into the intermediate safety position defined by the interception lever (21) with the interception tooth (19) of the hammer. 6. A device for lowering the hammer according to claim 5 in which the said cam section (12) of the safety shaft has a back which interacts with the interception lever (21) when the hammer is lowered to keep the it next to the hammer and in the engagement position with the interception tooth (19).

Inventors: GUSSALLI BERETTA UGO, GUSSALLI BERETTA, UGO
Applicants: GUSSALLI BERETTA UGO, GUSSALLI BERETTA, UGO
Application year: 2000
Main classification: F41A17
IPC codes: F41A17, F41A19