Patent Publication Number: US-6336282-B1

Title: Device for automatically putting a revolver on safety

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to single-action revolvers, and more specifically, a device for automatically putting said revolvers on safety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Safety devices for revolvers, including those that have a means intended for intercepting the hammer when it is moved from the mounting or armed position to the firing position without acting on the trigger or in an involuntary or accidental manner in order to prevent the uncontrolled firing of a shot, are already known. An example of a safety device of this type has been described, e.g., in the co-pending Italian patent application No. BS 99 A 000028 of the same applicant. This patent application and a translation is attached in an appendix. Italian patent application No. BS99A000028 corresponds to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/356,761 filed Jul. 19, 1999. 
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the present invention is to propose a device for putting on the safety which is applied to the hammer of a revolver, which automatically engages the released hammer to keep same in a passive position, and which may be provided in addition to the hammer interception safety, which may already be equipped with the revolver. 
     Therefore, another object of the present invention is to maintain the hammer of a revolver in a position, in which, even if it is released, it is prevented from performing the action of percussion on the ammunition in line with the firing pin, assisted, in this sense, by the release of the release spring from the hammer proper, with the advantage, among others, of being able to safely load all possible ammunition in the cylinder of the gun. 
     According to the invention, a device for automatically putting on a safety of a revolver is provided The revolver has a stock, a hammer hinged to the stock and rotating between a mounting position and a percussion or firing position, a trigger for the control of the hammer, and in which the said hammer is stressed by a release spring and has a front firing pin. A spring-loaded safety piston is arranged between the hammer and the stock of the gun and is intended for spacing the hammer with the firing pin from the percussion front, thereby placing it in a neutral position, after each firing action and with the trigger released. 
     The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is partially sectional partial view of a revolver with the hammer released in the firing position; and 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar that of FIG. 1 but with the hammer in a safe and passive position. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings in particular, only some components of a revolver are shown. Specifically, the figures show: A part of the stock  11  with an associated grip  12 ; the cylinder  13  for the ammunition, mounted, rotating, in the stock  11 ; the hammer  14  with a respective release spring  15 ; the trigger  16  for controlling the hammer and for the rotation of the cylinder by means of a bar (not shown). 
     The hammer  14  is mounted on the stock  11  and is rotatable on an axis  14 ′ between a mounting or arming position and a percussion and firing position. In the front, the hammer has a firing pin  14 ″ and is stressed by the release spring  15 , tending to move it from the mounting position to the firing position. The mounting or arming position of the hammer is obtained with its rotation in opposition to the release spring  15 . However, if the hammer is in the firing position (FIG.  1 ), the release spring  15  comes up against a locking element  18  in the grip and is stopped by this element  18  and released by the hammer. In other words, the hammer, when it has performed the percussion action, is no longer stressed by the release spring, having a certain freedom. 
     The revolver may be, e.g., provided with a safety bar  19  mounted in the hammer  14 , arranged and acting as described in the above-mentioned, co-pending patent application, a translation of which is attached in the appendix. 
     According to the present invention, a safety device that is able to remove the firing pin from the percussion front of the ammunition automatically after each firing, and when the gun is not used, is mounted on the hammer  14 , in parallel to the firing pin  14 ″. This device comprises a piston  20  that is accommodated and slides in a front seat  21  provided in the hammer. The piston  20  has a rod  22  turned towards the stock  11  of the gun and is stressed by a safety spring  23 . 
     The axial sliding of the piston  20  in the seat  21  is limited by an interception pin  24  cooperating with two shoulders on the piston with which it interacts alternately. The spring  23  is arranged and acts in the manner of usually keeping the piston moved forwards towards the stock and permitting a return into the seat  21  of the piston when the hammer is in percussion. 
     In practice, when the hammer  14  is released from the mounting position, which is induced by the release spring  15 , it rotates in the percussion position or in the position of firing the ammunition. Then the safety piston  20  comes up against the stock  11  and returns to the seat  21  against the action of the respective spring  23  which will be compressed. It should be noted that, given the force of the release spring  15  of the hammer, the spring  23  of the piston  20  has essentially no effect, by choice, on the percussion action of the hammer. 
     At any rate, after the percussion and firing action, the hammer  14  is released by the release spring  15 , which, as stated above, is stopped against the lock  18  (FIG.  1 ). Thus, the safety spring  23 , reacting to the preceding compression, on the one hand, keeps the rod of the piston  20  supported against the stock, and on the other hand, causes a partial rotation backwards of the hammer  14  (FIG.  2 ), moving the firing pin away from the percussion front. The hammer will then be arranged and kept in a neutral position, in which rests, on the one hand, the release spring  15 , and on the other hand, the stock of the gun by means of the safety piston, which is at any rate prevented from performing any percussion action as long as there is no action on the trigger. 
     While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.