FIREARM INDEXING MECHANISM
A revolver includes a frame; a hammer rotatably coupled to the frame; a trigger mounted on the frame and movably coupled to the hammer; a cylinder rotatably mounted on the frame and having more than six chambers, each of the chambers adapted to receive a cartridge, wherein the cylinder is rotatable into discrete firing positions; and a pawl connected to the hammer for moving the cylinder between the discrete firing positions.
The present invention relates to firearms, and more particularly to an indexing mechanism for firearms.
BACKGROUNDA single action revolver usually includes a hammer actuated by the user to produce rotation of a cylinder containing cartridges discharged by the revolver. In such a revolver, firing is caused by a subsequent and distinct movement of the index finger of the hand that pulls the trigger after the hammer has been actuated into a full cock position.
Single action revolvers typically have a revolving cylinder that holds a number of cartridges to be discharged by the firearm during use. Such cylinders allow for easy loading, firing, and unloading of the revolver and give the user the ability to fire multiple rounds before having to reload the cylinder. The capacity of the revolving cylinder dictates the available rounds for firing by the user before reloading and a typical revolver has a revolving cylinder with six chambers, each chamber adapted to hold a single cartridge. A cylinder having more than six chambers would allow the revolver to hold additional cartridges and thereby allow a user to discharge more cartridges before having to reload the cylinder. In addition to being able to hold additional cartridges, if the cylinder had substantially the same diameter as a standard six-chamber cylinder, it could be used with a frame of a standard sized revolver. However, if the cylinder with additional chambers were oversized, a larger frame might be required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to aspects of the present invention, a revolver is provided including a frame; a hammer rotatably coupled to the frame; a trigger mounted on the frame and movably coupled to the hammer; a cylinder rotatably mounted on the frame and having twelve chambers, each of the twelve chambers adapted to receive a cartridge, wherein the cylinder is rotatable into twelve discrete firing positions; and a pawl connected to the hammer for moving the cylinder between the discrete firing positions.
In one embodiment, the pawl has a single finger adapted to contact the cylinder and the cylinder is configured to rotate about 30 degrees between discrete firing positions. More specifically, in one embodiment, rotation of the hammer from a safety position in which the trigger tang is in the second notch to a full cock position in which the trigger sear engages the hammer sear causes the cylinder to rotate 30 degrees. Further, each of the twelve chambers may be adapted to receive a .22 caliber cartridge. Additionally, a ratchet may be attached to the cylinder to engage the pawl, and the ratchet may comprise twelve teeth.
In another embodiment, a revolver is provided including a frame; a hammer rotatably coupled to the frame; a trigger mounted on the frame and movably coupled to the hammer; a cylinder rotatably mounted on the frame and having a plurality of chambers, each of the plurality of chambers adapted to receive a cartridge, wherein the cylinder is rotatable into discrete firing positions; and a pawl connected to the hammer for rotating the cylinder thirty degrees between the discrete firing positions.
In one embodiment, the pawl has a single finger adapted to contact the cylinder and is adapted to contact the cylinder at only a single point.
In yet another embodiment, a revolver is provided including a frame; a hammer rotatably coupled to the frame; a trigger mounted on the frame and movably coupled to the hammer; a cylinder rotatably mounted on the frame and having more than six chambers, each of the more than six chambers adapted to receive a cartridge, wherein the cylinder is rotatable into a plurality of discrete firing positions; and a pawl connected to the hammer for moving the cylinder between the discrete firing positions, wherein the pawl has a single finger adapted to contact the cylinder.
In general, embodiments of the present invention are directed to providing a single action revolver having an indexing and firing mechanism including a rotatable cylinder that can accommodate more than six cartridges within the cylinder and having a diameter with substantially the same diameter as a standard six-cartridge cylinder. Therefore, the indexing and firing mechanism is configured to be incorporated into a frame designed for a standard six-cartridge single action revolver. Additionally, the firing action, i.e., pulling back the hammer into a full cock position and then pulling the trigger to discharge a cartridge from the cylinder, is substantially similar to a standard single action revolver. In one embodiment, the cylinder is configured to hold twelve cartridges and can be housed within the frame of a standard six-cylinder revolver such as the COLT® .45 revolver.
With reference to
A recess 20 is defined on the right side of the frame 12 so that each of the cartridge chambers 16 can be aligned with the recess to permit the loading of unused cartridges and the ejection of spent cartridges. A gate 22 is configured to be lodged within the recess 20 and is pivoted on the frame 12 such that it can be moved between the open position, as shown in
A hammer 24 is pivotally attached to the frame 12 by a screw 36 (
With reference now to
The base of the hammer 24 is further configured to interact with a trigger 38 which may be actuated by a user to discharge a cartridge from the chamber 16. In one embodiment, the base of the hammer 24 includes a first notch 40 defined by a lip 42, and a hammer sear 44. The first notch 40 serves as a loading notch to maintain the hammer 24 in a loading position in which the cylinder 14 is unlocked so that it may be freely rotated during the insertion of cartridges into the chambers 16.
The base of the hammer 24 further includes a second notch 46 similar to the first notch 40 and located above the first notch closer to the firing pin 29, as shown in
The trigger 38 is pivotally mounted on a trigger screw 52 secured to the frame 12 and extending transversely thereto. The trigger tang 48 terminates in a trigger sear 50, wherein the trigger tang is configured to be received in the second notch 46 to hold the hammer in the safety position and in the first notch 40 to hold the hammer in the loading position, and the trigger sear 50 is configured to be received in the hammer sear 44 to retain the hammer in the full cock position. A sloping surface 54 on the trigger 38 is contacted by a first leg of a bifurcated leaf spring 56 to bias trigger rotation in a clockwise direction as shown in
A cylinder lock 58 is pivotally attached to the frame 12 for engaging the cylinder 14 to prevent rotation of the cylinder when the hammer is in certain positions (i.e., any position other than the loading position). More specifically, a second leg of the bifurcated leaf spring 56 biases the cylinder lock 58 about a mounting pin 60 such that a projection 62 on the cylinder lock is urged into one of a plurality of circumferentially spaced locking notches 64 on a periphery of the cylinder 14. In one embodiment, the cylinder 14 has twelve notches 64, one notch corresponding to each of the twelve cartridge chambers 16. A tail 66 of the cylinder lock 58 is contacted by a protrusion 68 on the hammer 24 for moving the cylinder lock between a locking and an unlocking position with respect to the cylinder 14.
Operation of the indexing mechanism will now be described with respect to
With reference now to
As shown in
From the safety position, the hammer 24 can be rotated rearwardly away from the cylinder to the loading position, as shown in
With reference now to
With reference now to
If a user of the revolver does not want to fire the revolver after the hammer 24 is rotated into the full cock position, the user may disengage the trigger sear 50 from the hammer sear 44 and slowly rotate the hammer 24 back toward the cylinder 14 until the trigger tang 48 is inserted into the first notch 40.
Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention.
Claims
1. A revolver comprising:
- a frame;
- a hammer rotatably coupled to the frame;
- a trigger mounted on the frame and movably coupled to the hammer;
- a cylinder rotatably mounted on the frame and having twelve chambers, each of the twelve chambers adapted to receive a cartridge, wherein the cylinder is rotatable into twelve discrete firing positions; and
- a pawl connected to the hammer for moving the cylinder between the discrete firing positions.
2. The revolver of claim 1, wherein the pawl has a single finger adapted to contact the cylinder.
3. The revolver of claim 1, wherein each of the twelve chambers is adapted to receive a.22 caliber cartridge.
4. The revolver of claim 1, wherein the cylinder is configured to rotate about 30 degrees between discrete firing positions.
5. The revolver of claim 1, further comprising a ratchet on the cylinder, wherein the pawl engages the ratchet to rotate the cylinder.
6. The revolver of claim 1, wherein the ratchet comprises twelve teeth.
7. The revolver of claim 1, wherein the hammer has a first notch and a second notch adapted to receive a trigger tang integral with the trigger, and a hammer sear adapted to receive a trigger sear integral with the trigger tang.
8. The revolver of claim of claim 7, wherein rotation of the hammer from a safety position in which the trigger tang is in the second notch to a full cock position in which the trigger sear engages the hammer sear causes the cylinder to rotate 30 degrees.
9. The revolver of claim of 1, further comprising a cylinder lock pivotally mounted to the frame and adapted to engage the cylinder to prevent rotation of the cylinder.
10. The revolver of claim 9, wherein the cylinder has twelve notches and wherein the cylinder lock is adapted to engage one of the twelve notches in each discrete firing position.
11. A revolver comprising:
- a frame;
- a hammer rotatably coupled to the frame;
- a trigger mounted on the frame and movably coupled to the hammer;
- a cylinder rotatably mounted on the frame and having a plurality of chambers, each of the plurality of chambers adapted to receive a cartridge, wherein the cylinder is rotatable into discrete firing positions; and
- a pawl connected to the hammer for rotating the cylinder thirty degrees between the discrete firing positions.
12. The revolver of claim 11, wherein the pawl has a single finger adapted to contact the cylinder.
13. The revolver of claim 11, wherein the pawl is adapted to contact the cylinder at only a single point during rotation of the cylinder.
14. The revolver of claim 11, further comprising a ratchet on the cylinder, wherein the pawl engages the ratchet to rotate the cylinder.
15. The revolver of claim 14, wherein the ratchet comprises a plurality of teeth and wherein the pawl is adapted to engage only a single tooth of the plurality of teeth to rotate the cylinder between discrete firing positions.
16. The revolver of claim 11, wherein the frame has an aperture and wherein one of the plurality of chambers is aligned with the aperture in the discrete firing position.
17. The revolver of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of chambers is adapted to receive a.22 caliber cartridge.
18. A revolver comprising:
- a frame;
- a hammer rotatably coupled to the frame;
- a trigger mounted on the frame and movably coupled to the hammer;
- a cylinder rotatably mounted on the frame and having more than six chambers, each of the more than six chambers adapted to receive a cartridge, wherein the cylinder is rotatable into a plurality of discrete firing positions; and
- a pawl connected to the hammer for moving the cylinder between the plurality of discrete firing positions, wherein the pawl has a single finger adapted to contact the cylinder.
19. The revolver of claim 18, wherein the pawl is adapted to contact the cylinder at only a single point during rotation of the cylinder.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 13, 2009
Publication Date: Apr 14, 2011
Inventor: Douglas F. Donnelly (Hartford, CT)
Application Number: 12/578,551