Improvements in Safety Catches for Hammer and Hammerless Guns.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1891-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Catches for Hammer and Hammerless Guns.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark,
of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to
me by The Jenkins Safety Catch Gun Company of Rock Hill, in the County of
York, and State of South Carolina, United States of America Manufacturers) and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a safety catch for hammer and hammerless guns, and
has for its object to provide a simple and durable device whereby the triggers will
be normally locked but whereby when the firearm is held at the shoulder or in a
firing position the pressure of the hand upon the grip or stock of the piece will
instantly release the triggers.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
Specification, in which
Figure is a partial side elevation and partial sectional view of a gun stock
having the improvement applied, the trip being located at the top.
Figure 2 is a view similar to that represented in Figure 1, illustrating a slight
modification in the construction of the trip mechanism; and
Figure 3 is a partial vertical section through a stock, illustrating the construction
of a second modification and the location of the trip mechanism at the under side
of the stock.
Similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the
views.
A lock latch 10 is pivoted within a chamber 11 in the stock in such manner that
the head of the latch may be forced over and in engagement with the body section
of the trigger or triggers 12 and when the latch is in this position the trigger or
triggers cannot be drawn to operate the firing mechanism. In the preferred
construction of the device two levers 13 and 14 are independently pivoted in the
stock chamber 11 the pivots being preferably between their centres and inner ends,
as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The inner or facing ends of the levers are provided
with teeth 15, the teeth of the two levers being adapted to mesh and the toothed
ends of the levers are preferably made segmental or are shaped as mutilated gears.
The levers when in their normal position are practically horizontal and when so
situated the forward end of the lever 13 bears so firmly against the latch 10 as to
maintain the latter in a locking engagement with the triggers. In the back of the
latch a diagonal recess 16 is produced and the lever 13 bears against the upper end
of the outer wall of this recess when the latch is in its locking position. The outer
or rear end of the lever 14 is pivotally connected by a link 17 with the under face
of a trip plate 18. The trip plate is pivoted in the stock chamber 11 and covers an
opening in the chamber, which opening may be located either in the top or bottom
of the stock as may be found practicable. The outer face of the trip lever is
preferably made convexed and extends beyond the outer surface of the grip section
of the stock in which section the plate is located. The plate is capable of being
pressed within the stock chamber 11 against the tension of a spring 19 which
hormally forces it outwards. The outward movement of the trip plate is limited
by a lip 20 upon said plate striking against a wall of the chamber 11 and the
spring 19 exerting tension upon the plate may be of any desired shape. The
spring shewn in Figures 1 and 3 is practically V-shaped and is attached within

page_text: the stock chamber at one end; the spring illustrated in Figure 2 is coiled around
the link 17 bearing at its upper end against a pin or washer upon the link, the
lower portion of the spring being seated in a casing 21 within the stock chamber
through which casing the link passes.
In Figure 3 a single lever B is employed and the lever is centrally pivoted.
This latter form of lever may be used as a substitute for that shewn in Figures 1
and 2 but the dual levers are preferred.
The triggers can be drawn to actuate the firing mechanism only when the trip
plate is pressed inward as while the plate is in its normal position the levers are
maintained in a horizontal position and the latch in the locking position. By
reason of this construction as soon as the gun is brought to the shoulder the trip
plate is pressed inward by the hand of the marksman gripping the stock as the
plate is located at a point where the stock must be gripped when the stock is at
the shoulder and the latch is moved from engagement with the triggers the moment
the trip plate is pressed inward as when the outer end of the lever 14 is pressed
downward, the corresponding end of the lever 13 is carried in the same direction
and in moving enters the recess 16 of the latch and forces the latch rearward and
downward disengaging it completely from the triggers. It is evident that the
moment the trip plate is relieved from pressure the spring will act to restore it and
the lever or levers to their normal or locking position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
1. In a firearm, the combination, with the stock having a recess in the grip
portion a catch for locking the trigger and a lever engaging the catch to prevent
its retraction, of a trip plate pivoted longitudinally in the said grip recess and
projecting beyond the surface of the grip a spring for pressing the grip outward
and returning the catch and lever to their normal positions and a connection
between the trip plate and the said lever, substantially as described.
2. The combination, with a trigger latch, of levers independently fulcrumed and
provided with engaging toothed ends a spring-pressed trip plate and a connection,
substantially as described, between one lever and the latch and the other lever and
the trip plate, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination, with a trigger latch having a recess in its rear surface and
a spring-pressed trip plate, of a lever engaging with the recessed surface of the
latch and having a segmental toothed inner end a second lever having a toothed
end engaging with the toothed surface of the first lever and a link connection
between the levers and the trip plate, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1901
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.