Balanced rotating drop safety
A safety for a firearm has a blocking lever with an arresting lobe that engages a plunger. The arresting lobe and plunger are statically counterbalanced about a pivot axis by a counterbalance lobe on the blocking lever. The blocking lever is movable between a safe position, where it engages and prevents motion of a firing element, and a fire position, where it cannot engage the firing element. A cam, moved by the trigger, moves the plunger, which moves the blocking lever from the safe to the fire position to permit discharge of the firearm upon further pull of the trigger.
1. A safety for a firearm comprising a barrel and having a firing element movable along a firing axis aligned with said barrel, said safety comprising:
an engagement surface positioned on said firing element and oriented transversely to said firing axis;
a blocking lever mountable within said firearm proximate to said firing element, said blocking lever being rotatable about a pivot axis and comprising an arresting lobe, positioned on one side of said pivot axis, and a counterbalance lobe, positioned on an opposite side of said pivot axis;
a plunger mountable within said firearm and engageable with said arresting lobe, said plunger being movable transversely to said pivot axis, wherein motion of said plunger rotates said blocking lever about said pivot axis between a safe position, wherein said arresting lobe is engageable with said engagement surface of said firing element, and a fire position, wherein said arresting lobe cannot engage said engagement surface of said firing element; and
a spring adapted to bias said arresting lobe into said safe position.
2. The safety according to claim 1 , wherein said pivot axis is oriented parallel to said firing axis.
3. The safety according to claim 1 , wherein said spring acts on said counterbalance lobe.
4. The safety according to claim 1 , wherein said engagement surface comprises a shoulder projecting outwardly from said firing element.
5. The safety according to claim 1 , wherein said plunger comprises a recess adapted to receive said arresting lobe.
6. The safety according to claim 1 , wherein said counterbalance lobe statically balances said arresting lobe and said plunger about said pivot axis.
7. The safety according to claim 1 , further comprising a cam movably mountable within said firearm, said plunger comprising a cam follower surface engageable with said cam, motion of said cam into and out of engagement with said cam follower surface moving said plunger transversely to said pivot axis.
8. The firearm according to claim 7 , further comprising a spring adapted to bias said cam out of engagement with said plunger.
9. A firearm, said firearm comprising:
a barrel having a firing axis aligned with said barrel;
a firing element mounted within said firearm and movable along said firing axis;
a safety comprising:
an engagement surface positioned on said firing element and oriented transversely to said firing axis;
a blocking lever mounted within said firearm proximate to said firing element, said blocking lever being rotatable about a pivot axis and comprising an arresting lobe, positioned on one side of said pivot axis, and a counterbalance lobe, positioned on an opposite side of said pivot axis;
a plunger mounted within said firearm and engageable with said arresting lobe, said plunger being movable transversely to said pivot axis, wherein motion of said plunger rotates said blocking lever about said pivot axis between a safe position, wherein said arresting lobe is engageable with said engagement surface of said firing element, and a fire position, wherein said arresting lobe cannot engage said engagement surface of said firing element; and
a spring adapted to bias said arresting lobe into said safe position.
10. The firearm according to claim 9 , wherein said pivot axis is oriented parallel to said firing axis.
11. The firearm according to claim 9 , wherein said spring acts on said counterbalance lobe.
12. The firearm according to claim 9 , wherein said firing element comprises a firing pin.
13. The firearm according to claim 9 , wherein said firing element comprises a striker.
14. The firearm according to claim 9 , wherein said engagement surface comprises a shoulder projecting outwardly from said firing element.
15. The firearm according to claim 9 , wherein said plunger comprises a recess adapted to receive said arresting lobe.
16. The safety according to claim 9 , wherein said counterbalance lobe statically balances said arresting lobe and said plunger about said pivot axis.
17. The firearm according to claim 9 , further comprising a cam movably mounted within said firearm, said plunger comprising a cam follower surface engageable with said cam, motion of said cam into and out of engagement with said cam follower surface moving said plunger transversely to said pivot axis.
18. The firearm according to claim 17 , wherein said cam is pivotably mounted within said firearm.
19. The firearm according to claim 17 , further comprising a spring adapted to bias said cam out of engagement with said plunger.
20. The firearm according to claim 17 , further comprising:
a trigger movably mounted on said firearm;
a trigger bar extending from said trigger and engageable with said cam, motion of said trigger moving said cam.