Abstract:
The present invention concerns a safety device for a firearm such as a revolver, which includes a flexible, elastic element ( 24 ) fixed to the hammer and having a free end ( 26 ) interacting with the tail of a cylinder blocking lever ( 13 ) to move the latter from an active block position to an inactive release position of the cylinder consequent to a rotation of the hammer from a rest position to a cocked position passing through an intermediate, safety half-cocked position.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention concerns the firearms in general and refers in particular to a safety device for breech loading guns, such as cylinder loading handguns, that is revolvers.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    In revolvers the ammunitions are inserted, as is known, into respective chambers provided in a revolving cylinder which is mounted on the frame of the gun. The cylinder may by rotated both mechanically, intermittently to move round, after each shot, to place a new cartridge in line with a firing pin driven by the hammer of the firearm, and freely, by hand at the moment of access to remove the fired shell cases and to load further ammunition.  
           [0003]    The mechanical rotation of the cylinder is caused by the hammer which interacts with a cylinder blocking lever or bolt. This cylinder blocking lever, thrust by a spring, normally remains in an active interception and blocking position of the cylinder at the point in which it has stopped. But the cylinder blocking lever is moved into an idle position, that is neutral, releasing the cylinder by means of the hammer when it turns, passing through an intermediate safety or half-cocked position, between a rest position after each shot and a cocked or rearming position for the next shot.  
           [0004]    When the hammer turns directly from the rest position to the cocked position, the cylinder blocking lever is momentarily neutralised, allowing the mechanical rotation of the cylinder (via a well known device) in order to bring a new bullet in line with the firing pin.  
           [0005]    If on the other hand the hammer is blocked in the intermediate safety, half-cocked position, the cylinder blocking lever is held in the inactive position away from the cylinder allowing it to be revolved manually. When the hammer passes directly from the cocked position to the firing position, it does not influence the cylinder blocking lever which thus remains in the active cylinder block position.  
           [0006]    According to a well known and widely used technique, in order for the hammer to interact with the cylinder blocking lever for the operating method described above, it has been given a particular shape which is also the cause of inconveniences. In fact, a part of the cylinder blocking lever is made flexible, whereas the hammer is equipped with a lug which comes into contact with said cylinder blocking lever. The “flexibility” of that part of the cylinder blocking lever is achieved by cutting a groove in it, so as to form a forked section with at least one of the prongs thinner and relatively flexible. This prong interacts with the lug of the hammer due to the rotations in carrying out the functions envisaged.  
           [0007]    However, the cylinder blocking lever is difficult to make and has a weakened structure in the forked area, as the technicians working in this sector know only too well, becoming quite often a breakage point due to the stress the flexible prong is subjected to when the firearm is used.  
         OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    One object of this invention is to avoid the known technical inconveniences as regards to the safety devices for revolvers, by eliminating the need for a forked configuration of a part of the cylinder blocking lever, therefore simplifying the manufacture of the lever itself and leaving the structure and the robustness of all its parts integral.  
           [0009]    Another object of the invention is to provide a safety device for revolvers which is simple and efficient, using a flexible means inserted and attached on one side of the hammer, remaining within the shape of the latter, without influencing the thickness or mechanical resistance of the cylinder locking lever or bolt.  
           [0010]    These objects and obvious advantages they bear are achieved by a safety device for revolvers wherein an attached flexible element is fixed to the hammer and having a free end interacting with a tail of a cylinder blocking lever to move this from an active block position to the inactive release position of the cylinder consequent to a turn of the hammer from the rest position to the cocked position passing through an intermediate safety, half-cocked position. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The invention will be described more in detail in the course of the present description and reference will be made to the indicative and not limitative drawings, in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 shows a cross-section view of a part of a revolver with trigger and hammer released, in the safety position, ready for successive re-arming;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 shows the same view as in FIG. 1, but with the hammer in the intermediate safety, half-cocked position for releasing the cylinder so that it can turn;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 shows a similar view of the revolver with the hammer in the cocked position and cylinder blocked;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 shows another similar view of the revolver, but with trigger still pulled, hammer released and cylinder blocking lever in the block position, following firing of a cartridge; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 shows a view of the hammer from the side facing in the direction of the cylinder blocking lever. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    In said drawings there are represented a part of the body or frame  11  of a revolver with a cylinder  12  for the cartridges, a cylinder blocking lever or bolt  13 , a hammer  14 , a trigger  15  and a firing pin  16  controlled by the hammer.  
         [0018]    The cylinder  12  is assembled on the frame, turning on a respective axis of rotation  12 ′. It can be turned both at set intervals, operated by a mechanical device, not shown, but however well known, associated with the hammer, to bring each cartridge, one after the other, in line with the firing pin, and revolve freely, idle, when released by the cylinder blocking lever  13 .  
         [0019]    The cylinder blocking lever  13  is the rocking type; it is assembled on an oscillating pin  13 ′. On one side of said pin, the cylinder blocking lever has a blocking nose  17  made to engage recesses in the external surface of the cylinder  12 , setting the angular positions so that the cartridges are in line with the firing pin and, on the opposite end, a tail  18  turned towards the hammer  14 . A thrust spring  19  is connected to the cylinder blocking lever  13 , which acts to hold normally the nose  17  in an active blocking position of the cylinder. The cylinder lever  13 , through its tail part  18 , is on the other hand movable by the hammer, as will be explained later, opposing the action of said spring  19 , in an inactive position for releasing the cylinder  12  to enable the latter to rotate, both mechanically for set distances, and manually freely.  
         [0020]    The hammer  14  is assembled on the frame  11 , turning on a shaft  14 ′ and in contact with a pressure spring—not shown. The hammer, as is usual, moves, from a rest position after each shot, where it rests against the frame  11 —FIGS.  1 - 4 , and a cocked position of the hammer—FIG. 3, moving through an intermediate safety, half-cocked position—FIG. 2.  
         [0021]    In its turn the trigger  15  rotates on a respective shaft  15 ′ and is moved by a return spring  20 . Furthermore it has a nose  21  facing towards the hammer  14  and designed to define the safety, half-cocked intermediate position or the cocked position of the hammer. For this purpose, along its profile facing the nose  21  of the trigger  15 , the hammer  14  has at least one first tooth  22  for the intermediate safety, half-cocked position and a second tooth  23  for the hammer cocked position, at an angular distance one from the other, the former higher than the latter, both in a position concentric to the rotation shaft  14 ′ of the hammer itself.  
         [0022]    A flexible element  24  designed to intercept from the side the tail  18  of the cylinder blocking lever  13  is assembled on a side of the hammer  14 , so as to move said cylinder lever  13  from the active block position to the release cylinder position—FIGS. 1 and 2.  
         [0023]    This flexible element  24  has the shape of a steel blade and it is fixed, at  24 ′, in a groove or recess  25  cut in the side of the hammer—FIG. 5—so as to remain within the shape of the latter. The blade  24  has however a free rounded or bevelled end  26  facing the tail  18  of the cylinder blocking lever, on the same plane as the tail itself. This tail  18 , seen in cross-section, will have in preference an inclined plane  27  on one side—FIG. 5—starting from the top and increasing towards the bottom with respect to the plane of the tail itself. With the hammer  14  in the rest position as shown in FIG. 1, the cylinder blocking lever  13 , thrust by the spring  19 , is in the active position for the block of the cylinder  12 . In this case the free end  26  of the flexible or spring element  24  on board the hammer  14  is below the tail  18  of the cylinder blocking lever  13  on an interception plane with the same.  
         [0024]    Starting from this position, as soon as the hammer turns to the cocked position—FIG. 3—passing through the intermediate safety, half-cocked position—FIG. 2, the flexible element or blade  24  intercepts and causes the cylinder blocking lever  13  to turn in its inactive cylinder release position.  
         [0025]    If the hammer is stopped by the nose  21  of the trigger  15  in the safety, half-cocked position—FIG. 2, the cylinder lever  13  is held in the inactive position allowing the manual free rotation of the cylinder  12  to remove the fired cartridges and to load new ammunition.  
         [0026]    When the hammer is rotated in the cocked position ready to fire, as shown in FIG. 3, the end  26  of the flexible element or blade  24  rises above the tail  18  of the cylinder lever  13  releasing it. The cylinder lever  13  thrust by the respective spring  19 , engages the cylinder in order to block it in the angular position reached. The firearm is then ready to fire, which takes place as soon as the hammer is released by the trigger. The hammer, now driven by the respective spring, moves towards the firing pin, hitting it to fire the ammunition in line with it. By this movement of the hammer, the flexible element or blade  24  returns with its free end  26  below the tail of the cylinder lever  13 , helped in this case by the inclined plane  27  of the tail itself. In fact, the inclined plane obliges this flexible element or blade  24  to flex sideways, and pass alongside the tail  18  of the cylinder lever  13 , and then to return, due to the elastic reaction, to position below and on a line with the tail itself.