The Cocking Mechanism of the Hammerless
The locks of the hammerless shotgun work inside of the frame or lock, and are cocked by an ingenious little mechanism operated by the movement of the barrels when they are opened. The Anson & Deely cocking mechanism is one of the oldest and best of these devices, and is still used on many American as well as European arms. The levers of this mechanism are hung with pivots in the end of the frame—one end projecting into the fore end and the opposite end resting beneath the hammer toe. As the gun is “broken,” or opened, it presses down the forward end of the cocking lever, and the other end rises and pushes the hammers into the cocked position. This is the principle upon which all cocking devices are constructed, and while it works smoothly and is so simple that it is not likely to get out of order, it is mechanically weak, owing to the short frame required to secure adequate leverage. Perhaps one of the best variations of the Anson & Deely device is one employed by an American manufacturer who makes use of a rod running through the frame from the fore end to the hammer. To each end of this rod is attached a crank, so hung that as one crank is depressed the other rises and pushes the hammer to the cock position as the barrels are swung to open the gun.
A Lug is Forged on the End of Each Barrel, and When Fitted Together They are Brazed
The cocking hook is an ingenious device found on American shotguns and many variations of it are, of course, used on the different makes of arms. The Parker gun is provided with a hook working a slide, thus pulling the hammers to cock. In the Baker, a bent arm is pivoted to the breech to serve the same purpose. Another example of American ingenuity may be noted in the lug-cocking devices used on the Ithaca and Fox guns. This simple arrangement is made by connecting the toe of the hammer directly with the lug, which is an integral part of the barrel. The hammer is thus made to act as its own lever, for as the toe portion rises when the barrel is opened, the striker falls back until it is caught in the notch of the sear.
To guard against the possibility of accidental discharge of the hammerless gun, in which type of gun the hammer must be always at full cock, a safety trigger bolt is utilized. This bolt is affixed in the frame in a vertical position by pivoting it, and to the upper part of the lever is attached a slide placed on top of the tang immediately back of the top lever which opens the barrels. As this safety slide is pushed, the lower end of the lever is brought close up against the triggers, blocking them, and thus prevents them from moving while the safety is in the “on” position. To discharge the gun, the slide must be pushed forward to the “off” position, which moves the lower end away from the triggers. This type of safety is of the nonautomatic variety and can only block the triggers when the slide is operated by the shooter.
The automatic type of safety consists of a block, or bar, fitted in the frame and extending from the safety bolt to the post of the top lever. When the top lever is pushed to one side to open the barrels, this block, or bar, pushes the safety bolt over the triggers, automatically blocking them and preventing accidental discharge. The triggers must be pressed to withdraw the automatic safety bar.
The Rotary Bolt, an American Invention, Is Strongest Device Known for Locking the Barrels to the Frame
To make the shotgun less likely to go off in the hands of the careless gunner, the tumbler safety has been incorporated into the mechanism of a few American weapons. The tumbler safety is a bar, automatically operated by the triggers, and interposed between the strikers and their firing pins. This device makes it impossible for the arm to be discharged by the hammer jarring off when dropped, for the tumbler bar occupies its position between the strikers and firing pins until the triggers are pulled.
The Three-Bolt Mechanism Is One Form of the Rotary-Bolting Principle Used by Many Gun Builders
The practical value of both the automatic safety and the tumbler type of bolt is questioned by practically all experienced gunners. Its presence is designed to make the arm less dangerous in the hands of careless and ignorant sportsmen. This it may serve to do, but since there should be no excuse for tolerating the latter, most handlers of the scatter gun fail to see the utility of the former. The novice should lose no time in acquiring the knack of handling his chosen weapon, and if he will but exercise a little care, he will find the hand-operated safety quite sufficient, for he will not be troubled through accidental discharge of his gun. By far the larger portion of accidents occur through careless handling of the gun and by the untimely pulling of the trigger, either by dragging the gun through the brush or by nervousness, and it is impossible to make use of a safety device to prevent the accidental discharge.
The Fore End Is an Extension of the Stock beyond the Triggers and the Frame