Trigger mechanism for hammer fired-firearm
View Patent ↗A trigger mechanism and related methods employ translating and pivoting of a trigger bar. A method of operating a firing pin safety includes generating a movement of a trigger bar pivotally coupled with a trigger. A sear is engaged with the trigger bar during the movement of the trigger bar so as to disengage the sear from a hammer. The trigger bar is engaged with the hammer during rotation of the hammer so as to induce a rotation of the trigger bar relative to the trigger. The firing pin safety is engaged with the trigger bar during the rotation of the trigger bar relative to the trigger so as to reconfigure the firing pin safety from an engaged configuration that prevents actuation of a firing pin by the hammer to a disengaged configuration that accommodates actuation of the firing pin by the hammer.
1. A trigger mechanism for a hammer-fired firearm, the trigger mechanism comprising:
a trigger having a released configuration and a pulled configuration;
a trigger bar pivotally coupled with the trigger to rotate around a trigger bar axis, the trigger bar being biased to rotate around the trigger bar axis in a biasing direction;
a pivotally-mounted hammer configured to rotate around a hammer axis between a cocked configuration and an uncocked configuration, the hammer comprising a trigger bar cam configured to induce a rotation of the trigger bar around the trigger bar axis opposite to the biasing direction during a reconfiguration of the hammer from the cocked configuration to the uncocked configuration while the trigger is in the pulled configuration, the hammer being biased to rotate around the hammer axis toward the uncocked configuration from the cocked configuration;
a pivotally-mounted sear configured to rotate around a sear axis between an engagement configuration and a disengagement configuration, the sear being configured to restrain the hammer in the cocked configuration when the sear is in the engagement configuration and accommodate rotation of the hammer around the hammer axis from the cocked configuration to the uncocked configuration when the sear is in the disengagement configuration, the sear being configured to rotate from the engagement configuration to the disengagement configuration in response to a movement of the trigger bar induced by a reconfiguration of the trigger from the released configuration to the pulled configuration.
2. The trigger mechanism of claim 1 , wherein a rotation of the trigger bar around the trigger bar axis is limited in the biasing direction.
3. The trigger mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the rotation of the trigger bar around the trigger bar axis is limited in the biasing direction by a hammer pivot pin by which the hammer is pivotally mounted to a frame of the hammer-fired firearm.
4. The trigger mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the sear is biased to rotate around the sear axis toward the engagement configuration from the disengagement configuration.
5. The trigger mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the trigger bar comprises:
a first engagement surface configured to engage the sear during a first portion of the movement of the trigger bar induced by the reconfiguration of the trigger from the released configuration to the pulled configuration without inducing disengagement between the sear and the hammer; and
a second engagement surface configured to engage the sear during a second portion of the movement of the trigger bar induced by the reconfiguration of the trigger from the released configuration to the pulled configuration so as to induce disengagement between the sear and the hammer.
6. The trigger mechanism of claim 5 , wherein:
the first engagement surface is oriented substantially normal to the movement of the trigger bar induced by the reconfiguration of the trigger from the released configuration to the pulled configuration; and
the second engagement surface is angled relative to the first engagement surface by at least 40 degrees.
7. The trigger mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the trigger bar is configured to interface with the trigger bar cam to block a rotation of the hammer toward the uncocked configuration when the trigger is in the released configuration.
8. The trigger mechanism of claim 1 , wherein when the trigger is in the pulled configuration, the trigger bar is configured to:
rotate around the trigger bar axis in the biasing direction into engagement with the sear during a reconfiguration of the hammer from the uncocked configuration to the cocked configuration; and
accommodate reengagement of the sear with the hammer during the reconfiguration of the hammer from the uncocked configuration to the cocked configuration to restrain the hammer in the cocked configuration.
9. The trigger mechanism of claim 8 , wherein the trigger bar is configured to disengage from the sear during a reconfiguration of the trigger from the pulled configuration to the released configuration.
10. The trigger mechanism of claim 1 , further comprising:
a firing pin configured to be actuated by the hammer during a reconfiguration of the hammer from the cocked configuration to the uncocked configuration; and
a firing pin safety having an engaged configuration and a disengaged configuration, the firing pin safety being configured to:
prevent actuation of the firing pin by the hammer when the firing pin safety is in the engaged configuration;
accommodate actuation of the firing pin by the hammer when the firing pin safety is in the disengaged configuration; and
reconfigure from the engaged configuration to the disengaged configuration during the rotation of the trigger bar around the trigger bar axis opposite to the biasing direction during the reconfiguration of the hammer from the cocked configuration to the uncocked configuration while the trigger is in the pulled configuration.
11. The trigger mechanism of claim 10 , wherein the firing pin safety reconfigures from the disengaged configuration to the engaged configuration in response to a rotation of the trigger bar around the trigger bar axis in the biasing direction induced by a reconfiguration of the hammer from the uncocked configuration to the cocked configuration.
12. A method of operating a firing pin safety of a hammer-fired firearm, the method comprising:
generating a movement of a trigger bar pivotally coupled with a trigger by reconfiguring the trigger from a released configuration to a pulled configuration;
engaging a sear with the trigger bar during the movement of the trigger bar so as to disengage the sear from a hammer in a cocked configuration;
while the trigger is in the pulled configuration, engaging the trigger bar with the hammer during a reconfiguration of the hammer from the cocked configuration to an uncocked configuration so as to induce a rotation of the trigger bar relative to the trigger; and
engaging the firing pin safety with the trigger bar during the rotation of the trigger bar relative to the trigger so as to reconfigure the firing pin safety from an engaged configuration that prevents actuation of a firing pin by the hammer to a disengaged configuration that accommodates actuation of the firing pin by the hammer.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
biasing the trigger bar to rotate relative to the trigger; and
limiting rotation of the trigger bar when the trigger is in the released configuration.
14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising biasing the sear into engagement with the hammer.
15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
engaging the sear with a first surface of the trigger bar during a first portion of the movement of the trigger bar without inducing disengagement between the sear and the hammer; and
engaging the sear with a second surface of the trigger bar during a second portion of the movement of the trigger bar so as to induce disengagement between the sear and the hammer, the second surface being angled relative to the first surface by at least 40 degrees.
16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising interfacing the trigger bar with the hammer to block a rotation of the hammer to the uncocked configuration when the trigger is in the released configuration.
17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
while the trigger is in the pulled configuration,
rotating the trigger bar relative to the trigger into engagement with the sear during a reconfiguration of the hammer from the uncocked configuration to the cocked configuration; and
reengaging the sear with the hammer during the reconfiguration of the hammer from the uncocked configuration to the cocked configuration to restrain the hammer in the cocked configuration.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising disengaging the trigger bar from the sear during a reconfiguration of the trigger from the pulled configuration to the released configuration.
19. The method of claim 12 , further comprising reconfiguring the firing pin safety from the disengaged configuration to the engaged configuration in response to a rotation of the trigger bar induced by a reconfiguration of the hammer from the uncocked configuration to the cocked configuration.
20. A method of blocking rotation of a hammer to prevent actuation of a firing pin when a trigger of a hammer-fired firearm is in a released configuration, the method comprising:
pivotally supporting a trigger bar from a trigger having a released configuration;
biasing the trigger bar into a fixed configuration relative to the trigger in the released configuration;
restraining the hammer in a cocked configuration via a sear; and
in response to a disconnection of the sear from the hammer with the trigger in the released configuration, blocking rotation of the hammer from the cocked configuration to an uncocked configuration via contact between the hammer and the trigger bar.