Double action revolver apparatus and method

Abstract

A double action revolver has a frame on which is mounted a cylinder, a trigger and a hammer. A hammer or main spring is interposed between the trigger and hammer such that pulling the trigger causes the spring to compress and bias the hammer toward its fired position. The position of the hammer remains essentially unchanged during initial trigger pull by virtue of a toggle spring device interposed between the frame and the hammer. When the hammer spring is sufficiently compressed, a surface on the trigger contacts and engenders a deflection or buckling of the toggle spring device. Buckling of the toggle spring device permits the hammer spring to drive the hammer to the fired position in which a cartridge is fired. A spring loaded cylinder stop, having a projection adapted to be received in a locking recess on the cylinder, is adapted to be displaced forwardly, against the bias of its spring load during initial trigger return from the pulled position to its normal or released position. Each locking recess is constituted by a primary locking notch and secondary locking notch. The primary and secondary notches are so arranged that forward movement of the cylinder stop causes it to leave the primary notch and enter the secondary notch. This permits the cylinder to be rotated a few degrees under the impetus of a cylinder spring. Further trigger return permits the cylinder stop to move rearwardly out of the secondary notch and over the surface of the cylinder. When the cylinder stop clears the secondary notch, the cylinder automatically rotates to the next index position where the cylinder stop enters the succeeding primary locking notch and terminates cylinder rotation.