1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to safety devices for revolvers and, more specifically, to an indicia for marking a single empty chamber in an otherwise loaded revolver.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gun safety has long been of primary importance to gun enthusiasts. The many deaths and injuries which occur annually due to the accidental discharge of a bullet from a revolver serve to emphasize the importance of gun safety.
In the past, gun safety was principally geared toward mechanical safety mechanisms which would work in conjunction with the revolvers. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,842,847, 3,085,360, and 3,208,176 essentially disclosed a mechanism or means for physically blocking or preventing the undesired discharge of a bullet from a fire arm. U.S. Pat. No. 2,100,273 disclosed a mechanical means for indicating when a gun barrel was loaded.
These safety mechanisms were somewhat effective in preventing the accidental discharge of a bullet from a revolver. However, when these mechanisms malfunctioned, either the safety mechanism or the revolver was rendered inoperative. Furthermore these mechanisms were often clumsy and/or inconvenient to employ, causing many gun enthusiasts to use the mechanisms less than they otherwise would have.
The most effective method for assuring safe handling of a gun was simply to keep the revolver unloaded. However, this method was totally inapplicable to situations in which the revolver was about to be used or situations where it was essential to fire the revolver quickly once the need or desire to do so was perceived. In the May 1981 issue of Guns and Ammo magazine, it was stated that the best method for gun safety under these circumstances was to carry the revolver with the hammer down on an empty chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,526 disclosed a revolver capable of firing a variety of loads or bullet types and having an indicia on the cylinder of the revolver for indicating what types of loads are in each chamber of the revolver. However, these indicia were limited to identification of chambers compatable with particular load types for use with that particular type of revolver and did not in any way fill the need for indicating a particular empty chamber for use of a standard revolver consistant with the practice of keeping the hammer down on an empty chamber.
Thus a need exists to provide means for rapidly and conveniently identifying the specific empty chamber onto which the hammer was to rest so as to prevent the underside discharge of a bullet therefrom.