US2978825A - Toggle firing mechanism for firearms - Google Patents

Description

vA il 11, 1961 GQH. TICHENOR IV TOGGLE FIRING MECHANISM FOR FIREARMS Filed April 8, 1958 29 FIG.1 34 a II 45 3 43 j/a FIG.4

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' ATTORNEY ,U itfi S e Pate t I r 2,978,825 TOGGLE FIRINGMECHANISM FOR FIREARMS George H. Tichenor IV, 841 S. Oakland Ave., Pasadena, Calif.

Filed Apr. s, 1958, Ser- No. 727,164 12 Claims. or. 42-69) This application pertains to firearms such as guns or pistols, and is particularly directed to a spring-loaded, trigger operated hammer control mechanism therefor, for actuating a firing pin for detonating a cartridge.

One object of this invention is to provide a control mechanism of the character described for a firearm hammer, which will operate with a minimum amount of trigger travel, and which shall provide a crisp, easily adjusted trigger pull.'

' Another object of this invention is to provide an improved gun hammer control mechanism of the type described, which may be precisely adjusted fortheamount of trigger pull necessary, which will retain said adjustment in spite of time and temperature changes, and for which there will be no noticeable trigger movement felt by the trigger finger.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide in hammer control mechanism of the character described, improved spring releasable toggle means to retain'said mechanism in uncocked position, said toggle means being provided with a pair of magnetized portions arranged to help hold the toggle means in the cockedposition of the hammer and to prevent half cocking.

A further object of this .invention is to provide in toggle mechanism of the character described, means to changethe angularity of one of the toggle links.

' Another object of this invention is to provide hammer 2,978,825 Patented Apr. 11, 1961 Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the mechanism of Fig. 1 with the frame pivots in cross-section; and I Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 2 with the firing pin advanced.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, Fig. 1 ilustrates 7 gun control mechanism 10, constituting the invention, for

control mechanism of the character described, having which shall not require extremely accurate workmanship a and low tolerances for successful operation, which shall be easy to manipulate; and yet practical and eflicient and safe in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of invention will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a device embodying the invention with the toggle set in cocked position;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device of Fig. 1 showing the toggle in unco'cked position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 5-5 of He small firearms such as rifles and pistols which operate to fire a cartridge by striking a firing pin with a hammer 12. The hammer 12 is in the form of a bellcrank lever and is formed with an upwardly extending head portion 13. The head portion is formed with an upwardly projecting striking end 14 and an upwardly extending thumb-catch 15. A pair of parallel, spaced leg portions 16 extend downwardly from the head portion 13 of the hammer. leg portions are provided with a pair of outwardly extending pivot pin projections 17 formed coaxially on the outer surfaceof the legs 16. The legs also have forwardly projecting lower end arms or portions 18 extending forwardly of pivots 17. The mechanism is mounted between parallel walls 20 of a gun housing. The pivot projections 17 of the hammer legs are received within a pair of bearing sockets 21 formed in the sides of therifie housing walls 20. Therefore the hammer may pivot about its axis.

Between the legs 16 of the hammer, at the upper rear section thereof, is a transverse pin 19. A spring engaging member 22 is mounted on pin 19 between the legs of the hammer. The spring-engaging member 22 is formed with a head portion having a flat circular underside 23 from which a centering pin 24 projects for engaging and centering the upper end of a mainspring 25. The mainspring 25 is of coiled steel construction of a normally expanded type. When the hammer 12 is rotated rearwardly to cocked position, as in Fig. l, the mainspring 25 will be compressed. The lower end of the mainspring may be anchored in any suitable manner. A second transverse pin 19a extends between the legs 16 of the hammer at the lower forwardly projecting portionslS thereof. Pivoted to pin 19a is a toggle member 26. The toggle member 26 hasa lever portion 27 through the middle of which the pin 19a passes. At one end of the portion 27 of the lever arm, and spaced from the pin 19a, is a counterweight 28. The counterweight 28 is swingable through an are about the pivot 19a and between the legs 16 of the hammer 12. A link 29 of the toggle member 26 is formed opposite the pivot point 19a and is magnetized. The outer end of link 29 is pivoted by pin 30 between two flanges 31 forming a cavity 31a'in the head 32 of a second toggle member 33. The toggle arm head 32 is formed with an extended magnetized portion 34. At the juncture of the magnetized portion 34 and the head 32 is an outwardly projecting lug 35. Extending downwardly from the arm head 32 is an elongated shaft or arm 36. Arm 36 is flexible. At the lower end of arm 36 is a second up,-

standing ridge or lug portion 37 similar to lug 35'and provided with a threaded opening 38. Opposite the lug 37 are a pair of rounded parallel flanges 39 formed with a space 39a therebetween. A transverse pivot'pin 40 is supported in pin openings 40a in the frame walls 20 and traverses the two flanges 39 and pivotally supports a trigger 41.

The trigger 41 is provided with a finger 42 extending above an intermediate pivot pin-engaging portion 41a of the trigger and facing the toggle arm portion 36. Extending downwardly below the portion which engages pin 40 is a finger pull portion 43. Extending further below finger portion 43 is an adjusting tab 44.

Surrounding the finger portion 43 of the trigger'is a finger guard 45. An adjusting screw 46 is screwed into threaded openings 46a, 46b in the'finger guard 45, and is provided with an intermediate shaft portion 47 of reduced diameter which extends through an openingin the The . adjusting itab 44 on the finger pull 43. The length of I travel of the finger'will be limited by the. adjustment of screw 46, since the adjusting tab 44 will'abut the enlarged threaded portion of the screw-46, uponthe finger being pulled. L

' other; The shaft 36 of the toggle arm which isflexible i When the firing mechanism Will therefore be forced to bendaway from the adjustmentscrew 48. hereinafter be pointed out.

-A leaf spring member 4%: is mounted by means of The purpose of this adjustment will 48 which will bend toggleshaft 36 -into alignment with *theforceonpinll'ay I The toggle arm 33'and link portion of the counter.--

a bolt 50 to the inside of the finger guard 45.- .One end of the spring 49a. extends upwardly into thegun housing and engages the head 48a: at the lower end of adjustment screw 48. 7 1

Ill is in the position of :Fig; 2, it. is in its uncooked; position; 1 :The mainspring is loose and extended." The forward end 18 of the hammerrests on the front of end 55 of firingpin chami ber 56 inwhich is housed an inertialfiringpin57. The.

firing pin being of the inertial type,the gun is safe since;

when the trigger is not cocked a'blow on the hammer will notdischarge the cartridge. 1

Onlywhen the hammer iscocked, as in Fig-.1 will the i 'firing'pin'project so as to be struck when themechanism 'ready for firing, as illustrated lH'F g.1,lh6 following quired, the adjusting screw 46 has been provided to regu is triggered. l i

In order to place the mechanism in cocked position 'stepsmustbetaken: V The operator of the firearm grasps the trip hammer 12 i manually byengaging the thumb-catch 15 with his thumb.

' The hammer is then pulled backwards to compress spring toggle mechanism. As the hammer is pulled rearwardly,

25, until the hammer is held in cocked position by the it will pivot clockwise on lugs 17.

Toggle lever 26 will rotate counterclockwise on pivot pin 19a. Toggle arm 33 will swing in a clockwise direction on pivot pins 40. As the pin 19a continues to move upwardly, away from pin 40, the point will be reached as shown in Fig. l, where the toggle 33 and the link 29 are in alignment so as to limit the further movement of pin 19a about the axis of lugs 17. In this position the magnet head 34 has been brought to bear upon the magnetized link portion 29 of the toggle member 26. The magnet head 34 strikes link 29 and hence also serves to prevent the toggle 33 from moving past position of alignment. The two magnetized portions of the mechanism are of opposite polarity so as to attract each other. The force of the mainspring in this position is directed against the hammer 12 so as to tend to rotate the hammer forwardly about the axis of lugs 17. However, as the link 29 and toggle 33 are in alignment, forming a strut bent slightly past the straight line through the axis of pins 19a and 40, the force of the mainspring and the magnetized parts will tend to hold links in suchposition.

With the toggle 33, and link 29, in alignment, the toggle cannot be broken should the gun he dropped, since the shock force acting on counterweight 28 would tend to rotate link 29 to counter the same'shock force acting on link 29 and toggle'33, as well as trigger 41, thus rendering the gun safe from accidental discharge if struck While in the cocked position.

The spring 49a will also hold the toggle links in alignment by pressing against the head of adjustment screw 48 'Which may be considered an extension of the toggle shaft 36. The pressure of pm 1911 through link 29 against pin 30 and through toggle shaft36 to pin 40' must be in a straight, line, This may be adjusted by means of screw weight. become as one piece'when they. are in alignment.

However, when a slight angle is formed at'the point of pin 30. between toggle arm .33 and link 29, the resistance of the toggle thus formed will belost. While the force requiredto throw the two members out of alignment by endwise thrust is considered infinite, only a slight force is required to break the alignment by rotating one of the toggle portions. This force is supplied by the trigger 41. I Trigger ll pivotsgabout pin 40 as does thetoggle :arm 33.,

A short rearward pull on the finger piece 43 will move the projectioni lzi againstthe shaft .36 of the toggle arm thus pushing the toggle arm upwardly and forwardly. Only the holding power of the magnet 34 against the link 29 and the force of spring 49a must be overcome. When I the force on the trigger is sufficientto counterbalance;

these forces, the toggle alignment is broken and the 'resist ance to the triggerpull will become -nil.- The action of the mainspring 25 to rotate the hammer head and there: ,forepin lflaabout the axis of lugs 17 will release the toggle, forcing the head 32 of .thetoggle arm'upwardly and forwardly andarcing the. striking surface 14 of 1 the hammerlz forwardly against the firing pin chamber 56. While the force of: the magnet 34 holding the. toggle in,

alignment must be quite strong to counteract the forces; l againstinthe leverage applied by the long finger piece 43;against-the stem42 is great enough .to provide alight and easy triggering. At thesametime the trigger pull willalso be considered crisp" bccause'of the counterpull ,of the magnet and the readiness-with which the magnet gives way when only slightly separated from the link.

219 of the toggle arm 26.

; Since onlythe slight movement of the trigger: is relate the positioning of the trigger.

It I will be noted that in the. cocked position of the pivot 19a is at right angles to a line passing through pivots 19a, 30, 40, so that the force of spring 25 is transmitted directly through the last line of pivots.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that the matter set forth above or shown in the accompanying drawings is 'merely illustrative and is not to be interpreted in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being delineated in the appended claims.

Having thus described certain embodiments of the invention what is claimed is:

1. In combination, a gun housing, a hammer pivoted thereto, toggle means to hold said hammer in cocked position, trigger means pivoted to the housing to break the toggle, spring means to move said hammer to uncocked position upon breaking the toggle, said toggle means including a toggle arm pivoted to said hammer, a second toggle arm pivoted to the pivotal point of the trigger means, and means on the trigger means to engage the second toggle arm for moving the same upon pulling the trigger, said second toggle arm having an extension shaped to contact the first toggle arm when said toggle arms are in alignment, to hold said toggle arms in alignment, said first toggle arm having a counterweight extension;

2. The combination of claim 1, with means on said second toggle arm to bend said second toggle arm.

3. The combination of claim 2, said last means including a screw screwed to said second toggle arm, and 2. lug on said arm adapted to be abutted by said screw.

4. The combination of claim 3, with spring means acthammer, a line from the axis ofpivot 17to the'axis of I cluding magnetized means to aid in preventing breaking of the toggle, said toggle means including a toggle arm pivoted to said hammer, a second toggle arm pivoted to thepivotal point of said trigger means, means on the trigger means to engage the second toggle arm for moving the same upon pulling the trigger to break the toggle, spring means to aid in retaining said toggle arms in alignment to retain said hammer in cocked position, one of said toggle arms being provided with a counterweight.

6. The combination of claim 5, in combination with means to bend said other toggle arm.

7. The combination comprising a gun housing, a hammer pivoted to said gun housing, a trigger pivotally connected to said gun housing, toggle means between said trigger and said hammer for holding the hammer in cocked position and for releasing said hammer, means on said toggle to adjust the same, means on the trigger to control said toggle means, said gunhousing being formed With a trigger guard, an adjustable screw screwed to said trigger guard and having spaced shoulder portions, one

end of said trigger being formed with a tab engaging said adjustable screw between said shoulder portions, whereby adjustment of the screw relative to said guard will define the limits of movement of said trigger.

8. In combination, agun housing, a hammer pivoted .thereto, toggle means to hold said hammer in cocked position, trigger means pivoted to the housing to break the toggle, spring means to move said hammer to uncooked position upon breaking the toggle, said toggle means including a toggle arm pivoted to said hammer, a v a 9; The combination of claim 8, with spring means acting on said second toggle arm to aid in retaining said toggle arms in alignment.

10. In combination with a gun housing containing a firing pin, a mechanism received within said gun housing and mounted therein for striking said firing pin, said mechanism comprising a hammer pivoted to said housing, means acting to rotate said hammer about its pivot, toggle means connecting said hammer to said housing, said toggle means comprising a pair of links pivotally interconnected and provided with means to limit the movement of said links relative to each other in one direction, said one of the links, of said toggle means connected at one end to a pivot which is fixed relative to said housing, and the other link of said toggle means being pivotally connected to the hammer, a trigger pivotally mounted in said housing, and means on the trigger to move the first of said toggle links thus breaking the alignment of said toggle links, said toggle links adapted to hold the hammer in cooked position when aligned, and to release said hammer for rotation to uncooked position when said links are misaligned, said other link of said toggle means having a counterweight extending beyond its pivot to the hammer. I

11. In combination, a gun housing, a hammer pivoted thereto, toggle means to hold said hammer in cocked posi tion, trigger means pivoted to the housing, spring means to move said hammer to uncooked position, upon breaking said toggle, said toggle means comprising a .toggle arm pivoted to the hammer, a second toggle arm pivoted to the housing and to the first toggle arm, means on the trigger to engage said toggle means to break the toggle upon pulling the trigger, and said first toggle arm having a counterweight extending beyond its pivot to the hammer.

12. The combination of claim 11, one of said toggle arms having means to engage the other toggle arm to retain said toggle arms in alignment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 22,881 Lowe Feb. 8, 1359 24,768 Tromly July 12, 1859 595,046 Critchett Dec. 7, 1897 2,249,231 Smith .2 July 15, 1941 2,375,721 Woodhull May 8, 1945 2,424,247 McCaslin July 22, 1947 2,874,503 Niesp Feb. 24, 1959

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