EP0143114B1

EP0143114B1 - A modular hammer and safety assembly for a firearm

Info

Publication number: EP0143114B1
Application number: EP83111882A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paul S. Giragosian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-11-28
Filing date: 1983-11-28
Publication date: 1988-09-07
Also published as: ATE37083T1; DE3377930D1; EP0143114A1

Abstract

A modular hammer and safety assembly (2), for a firearm, said assembly comprising a slide structure for connection to a firearm slide receiver assembly (16), an ejector mechanism, a hammer (26), a spring (34), biasing the hammer, a sear (40) for retaining the hammer in a cocked position, a disconnector assembly (46) operable to prevent actuation of the sear (40) during a cocking operation, and a safety device (62) selectively moveable to a position preventing firing of the firearm, the housing and the aforementioned components being interconnected such that the assembly may be withdrawn, or inserted into, a firearm as a unitary modular unit.

Description

The invention relates to firearm arrangements and to hammer assemblies therefor.
In breaking down semi-automatic pistols of the type disclosed in US-A-1,070,582, issued August 19th, 1913 to J. M. Browning, and generally referred to as the conventional Colt Government Model .45, an operator is faced with a multitude of individual components, all of which must be carefully kept track of and carefully returned to their rightful positions in the handgun.
In an attempt to adapt handguns to accepting more than a single caliber of cartridge, interchangeable components have been introduced. In US-A-2,090,657, fur example, issued August 24, 1937 to D. M. Williams, there is shown and described a modified pistol of the'582 type having a subcaliber barrel and slide which may be substituted for the standard parts to enable subcaliber ammunition to be used.
In an attempt to make conversions as convenient as possible, there have been provided various components in modular form, such as complete barrel assemblies, slide-receiver assemblies, frame and trigger assemblies, and the like, affording quick and easy interchangeability of packages of components.
In some instances of conversion, it is necessary to adapt the hammer assembly and/or safety assembly to the "new" slide assembly. By and large, such components constitute a multiplicity of parts, mostly small in size, easily lost, and certainly not quick and easy to disassemble and reassemble.
US-A-3,016,646 discloses a removable hammer assembly for a pistol according to the preamble of claims 1 and 6 which assembly includes a hammer, a spring for biasing the hammer to the firing position and a sear for retaining the hammer in a cocked position. In addition, a disconnector is provided for disabling the trigger of the pistol when the slide is retracted. The hammer assembly is insertable into the firearm by means of a vertical slide and is locked in place by means of the slider.
Although the pistol comprises a safety mechanism, this is mounted on the pistol frame and not on the hammer assembly and is arranged to act directly on the trigger mechanism. Thus significant parts of the firearm mechanism are not readily removable from the firearm.
US-A-3,713,241 discloses a pistol having a removable hammer assembly, the assembly being removable by rotation thereof relative to the pistol frame. The hammer assembly includes a hammer, a hammer spring, a sear and for cooperating with the hammer in conventional manner. In addition, the assembly includes an ejector element. However, no disconnector or safety mechanism is mounted on the hammer assembly.
DE-C-90,430 discloses a pistol having a removable hammer assembly although removal of the assembly is not a simple operation and it is not intended that this be performed by the user. The assembly comprises a hammer, a hammer bias spring and a safety mechanism, but no sear coupling the trigger to the hammer and arranged to hold the hammer in a cocked position.
An object of the invention is to provide a firearm of the type having a modular hammer assembly including a sear with an improved safety mechanism which is readily removable from the firearm, and another object is to provide a hammer assembly for such a firearm.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a firearm arrangement comprising a frame assembly, a modular hammer assembly, a slider assembly carrying a firing pin, a safety means and a barrel assembly, said hammer assembly comprising:

a housing;
slide means on said housing for coupling the hammer assembly to the frame assembly such that the hammer assembly may be withdrawn from or inserted into the firearm arrangement as a modular unit;
hammer means mounted in said housing;
spring means disposed in said housing and biasing said hammer toward a firing position;
a sear pivotally mounted in said housing and adapted to engage said hammer means and retain said hammer means in a cocked position against said spring means; and
disconnector means slidably mounted in said housing, said slider assembly being arranged to slide on said frame assembly and said hammer assembly to lock the hammer assembly in said frame assembly characterised in that:
the safety means is mounted on said hammer assembly and is movable between an inactive position and an active position in which it decouples said sear from said hammer means; and
safety actuator means is provided on said slider assembly and is operable to engage said safety means to move the safety means to said active position.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided, for use in a firearm arrangement comprising a frame assembly, a slider assembly, a safety means and a barrel assembly according to said one aspect, a hammer assembly comprising:

a housing;
slide means on said housing for coupling the hammer assembly to said frame assembly;
hammer means mounted in said housing;
spring means disposed in said housing and biasing said hammer toward a firing position;
a sear pivotally mounted in said housing and adapted to engage said hammer means and retain said hammer means in a cocked position against said spring means; and
disconnector means slidably mounted in said housing characterised in that:
the safety means is mounted in said housing and is movable between an inactive position and an active position in which it decouples said searfrom said hammer means.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a firearm assembly with parts broken away, showing a frame assembly, a slide receiver, a barrel assembly (in part) and a modular hammer and safety assembly, illustrative of an embodiment of the invention, in place in the firearm, parts of the assemblies being shown in section to more clearly show the various components thereof, the hammer and safety assembly being shown in "at rest" position without the safety engaged;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of portions of Fig. 1, with additional components shown;
Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of a portion of the assembly shown in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 1, but shows the assembly in a cocking position;
Fig. 5 is similar to Fig. 4, but shows the assembly in a cocked position;
Fig. 6 is similar to Figs. 1 and 2, but shows the assembly in a safety "on" position;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view, similar to Fig. 6, but shows the safety "on", and illustrates the complementary operation of the slide receiver and hammer and safety assembly;
Fig. 8 is a rear elevational view similar to Fig. 3 but shows the assembly in an alternative position;
Fig. 9 is a top plane view of the illustrative hammer and safety assembly;
Fig. 10 is a front elevational view of the hammer and safety assembly;
Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of the hammer and safety assembly; and
Fig. 12 is a side elevational view similar to Figs. 2, 5 and 7, but showing the assembly in a cocking position with the safety actuated.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the illustrative hammer and safety assembly 2 is disposed in a pistol including a frame assembly 4 having as portions thereof a trigger guard 6, a trigger mechanism 8, a grip portion 10, and a barrel mounting portion 12. The pistol further includes a barrel assembly 14 connectable to the barrel mounting portion 12 and a slide receiver 16 slidably received by and mountable on the frame assembly.
The modular hammer and safety assembly 2 includes a housing 20 having extending therefrom a slide means (22 (Figs. 9, 11) adapted to interconnect with a slide means 25 on the frame assembly 4 for sliding interconnection with slide means 23 of the slide receiver 16 (Figs. 7, 8), the slide receiver thereby locking the hammer and safety assembly 2 in place in the frame assembly 4. In assembly, the hammer and safety assembly 2 is inserted in the frame assembly 4 such that the respective hammer and safety, and frame, slide means are aligned. The slide member 16 is then slid onto the combined frame and hammer and safety assemblies by sliding engagement of the slide means 23 with the aligned slide means. The slide receiver 16 locks together the frame and hammer and safety assemblies 4, 2. Also extending from the housing 20 is an ejector means 24 (Fig. 9, 11). A hammer 26 is pivotally mounted in the housing 20 by a pin 28 disposed centrally of a pawl portion 30 of the hammer 26. The pawl portion 30 is provided with teeth 32 on a portion of its periphery. A spring 34 is mounted on a pin 36 in the housing 20 and extends into a recess 38 in the hammer 26. The spring 34 biases the hammer forwardly, or leftwardly as viewed in Fig. 1.
A sear 40 is pivotally mounted in the housing 20 by a pin 42. A first end 44 of the sear 40 is adapted to engage the teeth 32 of the hammer pawl portion 30; a second end 45 of the sear 40 is adapted to be engaged by the trigger mechanism 8. Thus, the sear 40 interconnects the trigger mechanism 8 and the hammer 26.
A disconnector means 46 is disposed in the housing 20 and comprises a pin 48 slidably disposed in a bore 50 in the housing 20. The pin 48, at a first end 52 thereof is engageable with the slide receiver 16, and at a second end 54 thereof carries a pusher member 56 operable to divert movement of the trigger mechanism 8 during a cocking operation, as will be further explained below.
A safety means 60 is mounted in the housing 20 and includes a reciprocally moveable plunger 62 engageable with the sear 40 to separate the sear and the hammer pawl portion, releasing the hammer but shielding a firing pin 63, as will be further discussed below. The plunger 62 has a slot 64 therein in which is disposed a pin 66, the slot and pin arrangement permitting movement of the plunger selectively toward and away from the sear 40. An actuating lever 68 (Fig. 12) may be located on the side of the slide receiver 16 and be operatively connected to the plunger, as by a rotatable cam means 69, to serve as an actuator for the safety plunger. As shown in Figs. 3 and 8, it is preferable that an actuating lever 68 be disposed on each side of the slide receiver 16 to facilitate manipulation by either hand of an operator.
In Figs. 1 and 2, the firearm is shown at rest, with the safety in the inactive, or raised, position. The hammer 26 is in a forward position, biased forwardly by the spring 34. The first end 52 of the disconnector pin 48 is disposed in a recess 70 in the slide receiver 16.
To cock the piece, the slide receiver is moved rearwardly by an operator to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 12. Referring particularly to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the rearward movement of the slide receiver 16 has forced the disconnector pin 48 out of the recess 70 and downwardly, causing the pusher member 56 at the second end 54 of the disconnector pin 48 to bear against the trigger mechanism 8, pushing the trigger mechanism downwardly and out of alignment with the sear 40. At this point, pressure applied to the trigger by the operator will fail to actuate the hammer. The rearward movement of the slide receiver 16 relative to the hammer and safety assembly 2, has further caused the hammer to pivot upon pin 28, against the bias of the spring 34 to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 12. The toothed portion 32 of the pawl portion 30 of the hammer has been engaged by the first end 44 of the sear 40, holding the hammer in a rearward position, as shown. A leaf spring 74 extending from the frame assembly 4 bears against the sear 40 and exercises a steadying and holding influence thereon.
When the slide receiver 16 returns to its for- wardmost position (Fig. 5), the disconnector pin 48 is positioned to re-enter the slide recess 70. A trigger spring 72 urges the trigger mechanism 8 back to its normal position, which in turn urges the disconnector pin 48 back into the slide recess 70.
At this point, if it is not desired to fire the piece, the actuator lever 68 may be rotated to move the safety plunger 62 into abutting engagement with the sear 40, separating the sear from the pawl portion 30 of the hammer 26, thereby releasing the hammer and permitting the hammer to pivot forwardly under the influence of the spring 34 (Fig. 7). Turning the safety actuating lever 68 serves to rotate the cam means 69, as aforementioned, which serves to move cam stop means 76 into a position protecting the firing pin 63 from contact by the hammer 26 (Fig. 7). Thus, the actuation of the safety causes the hammer to move forwardly, but prevents the hammer from striking the firing pin. To fire the pistol, it is necessary to release the safety and re-cock the pistol.
Upon firing of the pistol, expansion of gases causes rearward movement of the slide receiver 16 to cock the pistol and repeat the above cycle. As the slide receiver proceeds rearwardly the slide receiver and the ejector means 24 cooperate to remove a spent cartridge from the chamber of the gun, in accordance with known methods. If the safety is "on" and an operator attempts to cock the piece, the engagement of the plunger 62 with the sear 40 prevents retention of the hammer 26 in a rearward cocked position, the hammer merely returning to the forward position, engaging the stop means 76 and preventing thereby from engaging the firing pin 63.
If it is desired to convert the pistol to a different caliber, the required interchange components are removed from the frame assembly and new components are attached thereto. First an operator releases the barrel assembly. The slide receiver 16 is then removed by sliding forwardly, or leftwardly as viewed in the drawings. The hammer and safety assembly 2 is then removed from the frame by lifing upwardly. To facilitate operation with a different caliber of ammunition, a "new" hammer and safety assembly, slide receiver, and barrel assembly are attached, as above described, to the frame 4. The entire hammer and safety assembly is removable and insertable as a single unit.

Claims

1. A firearm arrangement comprising a frame assembly (4), a modular hammer assembly (2), a slider assembly (16) carrying a firing pin (63), a safety means (62) and a barrel assembly (14), said hammer assembly comprising:

a housing (20);

slide means (22) on said hosing for coupling the hammer assembly to the frame assembly (4) such that the hammer assembly (2) may be withdrawn from or inserted into the firearm arrangement as a modular unit;

hammer means (26) mounted in said housing;

spring means (34) disposed in said housing and biasing said hammer (26) toward a firing position;

a sear (40) pivotally mounted in said housing (20) and adapted to engage said hammer means and retain said hammer means (26) in a cocked position against said spring means; and

disconnector means (46) slidably mounted in said housing, said slider assembly (16) being arranged to slide on said frame assembly (4) and said hammer assembly (2) to lock the hammer assembly (2) in said frame assembly (4); characterised in that:

the safety means (62) is mounted on said hammer assembly (2) and is movable between an inactive position and an active position in which it decouples said sear (40) from said hammer means (26); and

safety actuator means (68) is provided on said slider assembly (16) and is operable to engage said safety means (62) to move the safety means to said active position.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 in which said hammer (26), is mounted upon a first pivot pin (28) fixed to said housing (20), said spring means (34), is mounted on a first mounting pin (36) fixed to said housing, said sear (40), is mounted upon a second pivot pin (42) fixed to said housing, said disconnector means comprises a pin (48) disposed in a bore (50) in said housing, said safety means comprises a reciprocally moveable plunger (62) engageable with said sear (40), said plunger (62) having a slot (64) therein, and a second mounting pin (66) fixed to said housing and disposed in said slot (64), permitting said reciprocal movement of said plunger (62) on said second mounting pin (66).

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said safety actuator means (68) is coupled to moveable stop means (76) such that operation of said actuator means (68) to move the safety means to said active position further causes said stop means (76) to adopt a position shielding said firing pin (63) from actuation by said hammer means (26).

4. An arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said safety actuator means (68) is coupled to cam means (69) arranged to engage said safety means (62) for movement thereof.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4 when dependent on claim 3 wherein said stop means (76) is arrangement for common movement with said cam means (69).

6. For use in a firearm arrangement comprising a frame assembly, a slider assembly, a safety means, and a barrel assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, a hammer assembly (2) comprising:

a housing (20);

slide means (22) on said housing (20) for coupling the hammer assembly (2) to said frame assembly (4);

hammer means (26) mounted in said housing (20);

a sear (40) pivotally mounted in said housing (20) and adapted to engage said hammer means (26) and retain said hammer means in a cocked position against said spring means; and

disconnector means (46) slidably mounted in said housing characterised in that:

the safety means (62) is mounted in said housing (20) and is movable between an inactive position and an active position in which it decouples said sear from said hammer means (26).