Toy automatic pistol for ping pong balls

A toy pistol for holding a supply of and automatically firing ping pong balls comprising in combination, an elongated frame having a simulated barrel at the forward end thereof and a hollow handle having a forward open edge and extending downward from the axis of said frame adjacent the rearward end thereof, a magazine for storage of ping pong balls in the upper portion of said frame sloping upward and rearward from said simulated barrel and discharging into said simulated barrel, guide means extending along the axis of said frame from the rearward end thereof, a firing ram slidable along said guide means for movement axially of said frame from a retracted position therein to a fired position in which the forward end of the ram forcefully strikes a ball in the simulated barrel to fire it therefrom, and a compression spring at the innermost end of said guide means in said frame adjacent said rear end thereof and engageable with said ram to fire it forwardly when said spring is released from a compressed condition;

• the improvement comprising a rigid T-shaped member comprising a combination trigger and sear having the head thereof extending beneath the guide means and generally parallel thereto for axial movement between fully forward and rearward positions and the stem of said T-shaped member comprising the trigger and extending along the forward edge of said handle and movable into and outward from said open forward edge of said handle, said ram having a holding detent extending downward and the opposite ends of the head of said T-shaped member having pins projecting laterally therefrom and said frame having a pair of longitudinally-spaced forward and rearward guide slots in which said pins on said head are slidably received for guiding movement of said head, said rearward slot having an upper edge sloping rearward and downward, a tension spring secured respectively at its opposite ends to said frame and the head of said T-shaped member, and a sear projecting from the upper portion of the head of said T-shaped member and engageable with said holding detent on said ram when said head is in its fully forward position, whereby when said trigger on said T-shaped member is moved manually toward and into said handle, said head moves rearward and said compression spring is compressed and the tension spring is tensioned and the rearward pin on said head is moved downward along said upper edge of said rearward slot while moving rearward therein to compress said compression spring until near the end of said movement when the sear automatically disengages the holding detent to permit the compression spring to fire the ram against a ball in said simulated barrel and project it therefrom while said tension spring automatically restores said T-shaped member to the fully forward position thereof and in which the forward end of said ram is in its extended firing position in which it blocks movement of the next ball in the magazine from entering said barrel, said forward end of said rearward slot having vertical clearance to permit said pin in said slot to move downward incident to moving forward to restoring position and thereby allow the sear and holding projection to move past each other.