Safety mechanism for hammer-operated firearms

A firearm with safety mechanism comprising:

• a housing;
• a spring-biased hammer rotatably supported by a transverse hammer pivot pin fixed in position relative to the housing, the hammer movable between a rearward cocked position and a forward firing position;
• a trigger operable to release the hammer from the cocked position to discharge the firearm;
• a blocking feature formed on the hammer pivot pin;
• and
• a hammer blocking member movably mounted to the hammer and selectively engageable with the blocking feature;
• wherein rotating the hammer from the firing position to the cocked position aligns the blocking member with the blocking feature of the hammer pivot pin such that the blocking member is movable to engage the blocking feature;
• wherein the blocking member is a cylindrical pin and the blocking feature of the hammer pivot pin is a notch.

A method for blocking a firing mechanism of a firearm comprising:

• providing the firearm including a hammer mounted about a hammer pivot pin and rotatable between a rearward cocked position and a forward firing position, a trigger operable to release the hammer, and a movable blocking member;
• positioning the hammer in the firing position, the blocking member being misaligned with a blocking feature on the hammer pivot pin;
• rotating the hammer to the cocked position;
• aligning the blocking member with the blocking feature on the hammer pivot pin;
• impacting the firearm on a surface;
• automatically moving the blocking member from a retracted position disengaged from the blocking feature of the hammer pivot pin to a projected position engaged with the blocking feature;
• and
• arresting rotation of the hammer to prevent discharging the firearm via the blocking member engagement with the blocking feature.

A revolver with safety mechanism comprising:

• a cylinder frame supporting a rotatable cylinder defining a plurality of cartridge-receiving chambers;
• a spring-biased hammer rotatably supported by a stationary hammer pivot pin arranged in the frame, the hammer movable between a rearward cocked position and a forward firing position;
• a trigger engageable with the hammer and operable to release the hammer therefrom;
• a blocking notch formed on the hammer pivot pin;
• and
• a hammer blocking pin movably mounted to the hammer and selectively engageable with the blocking feature;
• wherein rotating the hammer from the firing position to the cocked position aligns the blocking pin with the blocking notch of the hammer pivot pin such that the blocking pin is slideably engageable with the blocking notch.