Inline hammerless percussion firing system for muzzleloader firearms

What is this patent about?

’661 is related to the field of muzzleloader firearms and, more specifically, to an inline hammerless percussion firing system. Traditional muzzleloaders often utilize exposed hammers that are susceptible to snagging on debris or clothing, which presents a significant safety risk in the field. By moving the firing mechanism internally and utilizing a linear striker rather than a pivoting hammer, the system aims to improve both the mechanical reliability and the operational safety of the firearm while maintaining the deliberate loading sequence inherent to muzzle-loading designs.

The underlying idea behind ’661 is the integration of a lost motion trigger system with a multi-stage safety sear to prevent accidental discharges caused by mechanical shocks or drops. The inventor recognized that a hammerless system requires a robust way to manage the stored energy of a compressed striker spring. By decoupling the initial trigger movement from the actual release of the sear, the design ensures that the firing pin can only advance when the trigger is intentionally and fully depressed, moving a safety segment out of a restrictive notch and into a deeper firing clearance.

The claims of ’661 focus on a firing assembly comprising a linear striker, a cocking button that compresses a striker spring, and a pivoting retainer that locks the cocking button in a forward, energized position. Central to the independent claims is the relationship between a sear—which features both a safety notch and a deeper firing notch—and a two-part trigger assembly. This assembly consists of a trigger and a trigger edge that rotate independently during an initial phase of travel, ensuring the sear remains blocked unless a specific sequence of mechanical clearance is achieved.

In practice, the shooter arms the weapon by sliding the cocking button forward, which is then held by the retainer to keep the spring under tension. The sear acts as the primary gatekeeper, physically blocking the striker's path. The lost motion operation allows the trigger edge to pivot first, shifting its top segment from a position beneath the sear's safety notch to a position beneath the deeper firing notch. Only after this clearance is established does the trigger edge make physical contact with the main trigger body to pull it away from the sear, allowing the sear to drop and release the striker.

This approach differentiates itself from prior art by providing a dedicated anti-drop safety system that is inherent to the trigger's mechanical path. If the firearm is dropped and the main trigger is jarred loose, the sear will still catch on the trigger edge’s top segment because the lost motion has not been taken up by a finger pull. Furthermore, the inclusion of a manual uncocking button and an automatic reset linked to the barrel catch ensures the firearm can be safely de-energized without needing to discharge a round, a common challenge in muzzleloader operation.