Abstract: A pistol including a loaded chamber indicator to identify the presence of a cartridge loaded in the firing chamber. The pistol may generally include a barrel, a receiver attached to the barrel thereby defining a barrel-receiver assembly, and a chamber associated with the barrel-receiver assembly. An indicating element is provided which in one embodiment may be pivotally mounted in the barrel-receiver assembly. The indicating element is displaceable in response to contact by the cartridge from a first position which may in one embodiment correspond to an absence of a cartridge loaded in the chamber, to a second position which may in one embodiment correspond to a presence of a cartridge loaded in the chamber. A biasing member, such as a spring, may be provided to bias the indicating element towards the first position.

Abstract: A camblock assembly with a camblock and a guide rod is employed in a firearm having a frame constructed of synthetic polymer material. The camblock has a front flange with flange surfaces that engage corresponding bearing surfaces of the frame to distribute forces and energy to the frame during recoil of the firearm. A shelf member is positioned at a front end of the camblock and a coiled flat wire buffer spring is positioned about the guide rod to resist movement of a reciprocating slide. A detent mechanism positioned within the camblock contacts a surface of a slide stop pin to hold the slide stop latch in place. The interior of the slide stop latch contains an elongated wire having an end that engages the frame such that the slide stop latch is biased in a down position.

Abstract: A camblock assembly with a camblock and a guide rod is employed in a firearm having a frame constructed of synthetic polymer material. The camblock has a front flange with flange surfaces that engage corresponding bearing surfaces of the frame to distribute forces and energy to the frame during recoil of the firearm. A shelf member is positioned at a front end of the camblock and a coiled flat wire buffer spring is positioned about the guide rod to resist movement of a reciprocating slide. A detent mechanism positioned within the camblock contacts a surface of a slide stop pin to hold the slide stop latch in place. The interior of the slide stop latch contains an elongated wire having an end that engages the frame such that the slide stop latch is biased in a down position.

Abstract: A camblock assembly with a camblock and a guide rod is employed in a firearm having a frame constructed of synthetic polymer material. The camblock has a front flange with flange surfaces that engage corresponding bearing surfaces of the frame to distribute forces and energy to the frame during recoil of the firearm. A shelf member is positioned at a front end of the camblock and a coiled flat wire buffer spring is positioned about the guide rod to resist movement of a reciprocating slide. A detent mechanism positioned within the camblock contacts a surface of a slide stop pin to hold the slide stop latch in place. The interior of the slide stop latch contains an elongated wire having an end that engages the frame such that the slide stop latch is biased in a down position.

Abstract: A camblock assembly with a camblock and a guide rod is employed in a firearm having a frame constructed of synthetic polymer material. The camblock has a front flange with flange surfaces that engage corresponding bearing surfaces of the frame to distribute forces and energy to the frame during recoil of the firearm. A shelf member is positioned at a front end of the camblock and a coiled flat wire buffer spring is positioned about the guide rod to resist movement of a reciprocating slide. A detent mechanism positioned within the camblock contacts a surface of a slide stop pin to hold the slide stop latch in place. The interior of the slide stop latch contains an elongated wire having an end that engages the frame such that the slide stop latch is biased in a down position.

Abstract: A pistol including a mechanism that locks manual safety of the pistol. The lockable manual safety mechanism may include a manual safety that engages the firing apparatus of the pistol to prevent discharge of the pistol when the trigger is pulled. The firing apparatus may include a trigger, trigger bar, sear, and hammer that contacts a firing pin which may strike a chambered cartridge. The manual safety may be movable into and out of engagement with the firing apparatus. In one embodiment, the safety engages the sear to prevent the sear from moving and releasing the hammer while held in the cocked position by the sear. In one embodiment, the manual safety is a lever that is pivotally mounted to the frame of the pistol. The pistol may further include a locking member that engages the safety.

Abstract: A camblock assembly with a camblock and a guide rod is employed in a firearm having a frame constructed of synthetic polymer material. The camblock has a front flange with flange surfaces that engage corresponding bearing surfaces of the frame to distribute forces and energy to the frame during recoil of the firearm. A shelf member is positioned at a front end of the camblock and a coiled flat wire buffer spring is positioned about the guide rod to resist movement of a reciprocating slide. A detent mechanism positioned within the camblock contacts a surface of a slide stop pin to hold the slide stop latch in place. The interior of the slide stop latch contains an elongated wire having an end that engages the frame such that the slide stop latch is biased in a down position.

Abstract: The lightweight stock and frame construction for a firearm involves replacing a substantial portion of the side walls of the metal frame with forwardly extending portions of the side walls of the wooden or plastic stock. Specifically, the right hand and left hand sides of the stock are provided with right and left hand side wall extensions that extend forwardly from the forward end of the stock on each side thereof, and the right and left hand side walls of the frame are formed with openings conforming in shape to and adapted snugly to receive the said forwardly extending side wall extensions of the stock.

Abstract: A revolver of the swing-out cylinder type is provided with an improved ejector means the longitudinal travel or stroke of which is appreciably greater than that of conventional ejector means. The ejector means has a cartridge ejector portion for engaging the rims of cartridges contained in the chambers of the cylinder of the revolver and a generally tubular ejector guide portion slidably mounted on the rearward end of the cylinder and extending forwardly into the longitudinal center bore of the cylinder pivot shaft. The ejector spring that urges the ejector means to its normal forwardmost position has an outer ejector spring section disposed within the annular space between the tubular guide portion of the ejector means and the center bore of the cylinder pivot shaft and an inner ejector spring section of smaller diameter than the outer ejector spring section disposed on the rearward end of the ejector rod.

Abstract: A revolver having an essentially conventional hammer and trigger is provided with a main spring that combines the function of the separate hammer spring and trigger spring heretofore employed, the single main spring urging both the hammer and the trigger to their respective at-rest positions. A generally vertically disposed main spring lever is positioned rearwardly of the hammer and the trigger, the lower end of the main spring lever being pivotally mounted on the frame and the upper end being operatively connected to the hammer at a point below the pivot axis thereof. A generally horizontally disposed main spring is positioned between the trigger and the main spring lever, the forward end of the main spring being operatively connected to the trigger at a point below the pivot axis thereof and the rearward end of the spring being operatively connected to the main spring lever at a point intermediate the lower and upper ends thereof.

Abstract: A firearm of the break-open and take-down type has a frame, at least one barrel releasably mounted on the frame, and a fore end assembly releasably secured to the underside of the barrel. The fore end assembly comprises a wooden fore end stock having a channel-shaped transverse cross-section, a metal latch plate removably secured to the bottom wall of the fore end stock, and latch means mounted on the latch plate for releasably securing the fore end assembly to the underside of the barrel. The latch plate has a downwardly extending latch mechanism portion and the inner surface of the bottom wall of the fore end stock is formed with a longitudinally disposed latch plate receiving opening in which the latch mechanism portion of the latch plate is snugly received.

Abstract: Over-and-under firearms of the break-open type have an upper barrel and a lower barrel secured together and pivotally mounted on the frame of the firearm. A top lever is rotatably mounted on the frame for retaining the barrels at their closed position when the top lever is at its barrel locking position and for releasing the barrels for rotation to their open position when the top lever is rotated to its barrel unlocking position. Upper and lower firing pins and springs are mounted for longitudinal movement on the frame, and upper and lower hammers and springs pivotally mounted on the frame. The spring loaded hammers press the firing pins forwardly when the hammers are at their forward or fired position so that the forward ends of the firing pins extend into the rearward ends of the upper and lower barrels.

Abstract: Break-open firearms of the type to which the present invention relates have a frame, a barrel housing pivotally mounted on the frame, at least one barrel secured to the barrel housing and an ejector slidably mounted for longitudinal movement in an ejector receiving slot formed in the barrel housing. The present invention comprises an improvement in the means for retaining the ejector in the ejector receiving slot of the barrel housing. An integrally formed vertically extending ejector retainer lug is disposed adjacent the forward end of the ejector and an ejector retainer lug receiving recess is formed in the barrel housing adjacent the forward end of the ejector receiving slot, the ejector retainer lug of the ejector being received in the retainer lug receiving recess of the barrel housing when the ejector is at its rearward position and being moved forwardly out of said recess when the ejector is at its forward position.

Abstract: A break-open type firearm having a frame, one or more barrels pivotally mounted on the frame, a barrel lock bolt for releasably locking the barrel at its closed position and a top lever for moving the barrel lock bolt from its barrel locking position to its barrel unlocking position is provided with novel means for retaining the top lever in the lever receiving opening of the frame. The top lever has a vertically elongated lock bolt operating crank that is rotatably received in the lever receiving opening of the frame, the operating crank having a spring strut receiving notch formed therein. The frame has a lever retaining shelf located in the lever receiving opening of the frame and a spring strut retaining shelf located below the lever receiving opening adjacent the upper end of the strut receiving notch of the operating crank.

Abstract: A double barrel firearm having two parallel barrels spaced apart by a front spacer secured to the barrels at the forward ends thereof and by a rear spacer secured to the barrels toward the rearward ends thereof is provided with a removable filler strip assembly for filling the space between the barrels. The removable filler strip assembly comprises a pair of filler strips which extend along opposite sides of the barrels in the space between the barrels from the forward end of the rear spacer to the rearward end of the front spacer. Filler strip engaging means at the forward ends of the filler strips releasably connect said forward ends to the front spacer, and filler strip retainer means releasably secured to the rear spacer releasably connect the rearward ends of the filler strips to the rear spacer.