US2874502A - Grip and trigger arrangement for hand firearms - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 24, 1959 T. w. LOCKWOOD I 2,

' GRIP AND TRIGGER ARRANGEMENT FOR HAND FIREARMS A Filed March 29, 1957 United States Patent lice 4 I Prima .7 GRIP AND TRIGGER ARRANGED BENT FDR HAND FIREARMS Thomas W, Lockwood, Berwyn, Ill. Application March 29, 1957, Serial N 0. 649,390 1 claimx tcl. 42 -69) This invention relates to firearms, and more particularly to improvements in grip and trigger structures for hand guns.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved grip and trigger construction for a hand gun, said construction involving relatively simple parts, providing increased accuracy in the operation of the firearm with which it is associated, and being inexpensive to incorporate into a firearm.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved grip and trigger arrangement for a hand gun which enables the gun to be securely held, which prevents deviation of the gun from an aimed position thereof when the trigger mechanism is actuated, and which enables the firearm to be held by the strongest fingers of the hand in a manner preventing displacement of the gun by knuckle action when the trigger mechanism is actuated, which often occurs in the hand guns of the prior art.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view, to a reduced scale, showing the manner in which the gun of Figures 1 to 5 is held in the hand and the manner in which the trigger mechanism thereof is actuated .by the smallest finger of the hand, thereby producing a minimum amount of movement of the gun when the gun is fired.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates a hand gun which is provided with the usual grip or stock 12 and the barrel portion 13. integrally formed with the body of the gun at the forward side of the stock or grip 12 are the respective forwardly facing grooved fingerreceiving grip elements 14, 15 and 16, said elements being channeled to respectively receive the first, second and third fingers of the hand, shown at 17, 18 and 19 in Figure 6 when the gun is gripped. The stock or grip 12 is thus held between the thumb and the three strongest fingers 17, 18 and 19, providing a secure and steady support for the gun.

Connecting the lower forward portion of the lowermost finger-receiving element 16 to the lower forward corner portion of the stock or grip 12 is the curved trigger finger guard 20 which defines an enclosure 21 for receiving the smallest finger 22 of the hand. Designated at 23 is the triggering rod of the gun which is connected in a conven tional manner to the triggering mechanism thereof and which is arranged so that the triggering mechanism is re 36 provided in the channeled element 35, limiting the 2,874,502 Patented Feb. 24, 1959 in Figure 1. The lower end of the rod 23 is pivotally connected at. 24 to an arm 25 secured to a sector gear 26 which is journaled on a shaft 27 secured transversely in the hollow stock or grip 12, for example, having its ends secured in respective inwardly projecting boss elements 28 and 29 formed on the inner surfaces of the opposing walls ofthe stock 12. Alternatively, the sector gear 26 may be secured to the shaft 27 which may be journaled in the opposed bosses 28 and 29, whereby the sector gear 26 is free to rotate ongthe transverseaxis defined by the shaft.

. Slidably mounted in the stock 12 below and meshing with the sector gear 26 isa rack bar 30 which projects forwardly from the stock and which is provided at'its forward end with the forwardly concave finger-engaging element 31 located in the enclosure 21. A coiled spring 32 is connected between the intermediate portion of the triggering rod 23 and a lug 33 provided on the inside surface of the stock 12 below the point of connection of the spring to the triggering rod 23, so that the spring biases the triggering rod 23 downwardly and hence biases the sector gear 26 counterclockwise, as-viewed in Figure 1. This biases the bar 30 to the outwardly extending position, shown in Figure l. A stop lug 34 on the supporting element 35 of the bar 30 travels in a longitudinal slot longitudinal movement of the bar 30. Thus, the lug 34 engages against the forward end of the slot 36 in the position thereof shown in Figure 1, under the biasing force of the spring 32, limiting the forward extension of the rack bar 30 to the position shown. When the gun is fired, the small finger 22 of the hand is flexed to move the element 31 rearwardly, elevating the triggering rod 23, and causing the operation of the release mechanism of the gun, to fire same. Rearward movement of the rack bar 30 is limited by the engagement of the depending lug 34 with the rear end of the guide slot 36.

As will be readily apparent, and as above explained, the gun may be securely held by the three strongest fingers of the hand, combined with the thumb, and the smallest finger 22 may be employed to actuate the triggering element 31. This enables the gun to be fired without any substantial knuckle action, whereby the movement of the gun is reduced to a minimum when the triggering element 31 is moved rearwardly by the smallest finger 22.

As will be apparent, the movement of the smallest finger 22, in firing the gun, is substantially in a rearward direction without producing any additional action ofthe hand, so that the gun is held stationary when fired. In the conventional type of hand gun employing a lever type trigger, the movement of the trigger finger causes the finger to move in a downward arc, which affects substantially all the knuckles of the hand, providing a substantial m0vement thereof, which is transmitted to the gun, and which decreases the firing accuracy thereof.

While a specific embodiment of an improved grip and triggering structure for a hand gun has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a hand gun, a barrel, a hollow stock depening from r one end of said barrel and having a downwardly and rearwardly inclined forward wall, an upwardly movable triggering element in said stock, three forwardly concave, vertically adjacent, stationary finger-engaging elements formed on the upper forward edge of the stock below said barrel and adapted to be engaged by the first three fingers of the hand, a horizontal rack bar slidably mounted in the -stoclc'and'.jarojeeting forwardly therefrom below said r stationary.fingenengagingvelements,t a. rack gearv journaled in said stock above said rack bar and meshing with said rack bar, a rearwardly extending arm on said rack gear, means pivotally connecting said farm to said-triggering elementandithus;operatively;.eonnecting said. rack. gear to said :movable triggering :element, spring means connecting said triggering element to-- the lower portion of'the forward wa1l:of said. stockrand biasing said triggering element downwardly andlsaidrackbar toward a forwardly extended position, a forwardly concave verticalfinger-engaging member. rigidlyrconnected at its mid: portion to'the forward end of said rack bar adapted tobe engaged by the fourth finger 50f thenhand, whereby-the force exerted on said finger-engagingmember will be directed substantially in axial alignment with said rack bar, a guard element connecting) the lowermost of the three stationary finger- -asmaoz r stoek and defining a guard enelosure around said lastengaging elements'to the'low'er "forward portion of the named forwardly concave finger-engaging member, and

cooperating means on said rack bar and said lower portion of the forward wall limiting forward extension of said rack bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Aug. 10, 1938

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