GB2538082A

GB2538082A - .22 caliber adapter for 5.56mm caliber rifles

Info

Publication number: GB2538082A
Application number: GB1507715.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony Rembiasz Mark
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-05-06
Filing date: 2015-05-06
Publication date: 2016-11-09
Also published as: GB201507715D0

Abstract

An adapter case for allowing a .22 calibre cartridge 14 to be used with a larger calibre firearm consists of a front half 10 and a rear half 12. The front half 10 is adapted to receive a .22 calibre cartridge 14. The rear half contains a firing mechanism such as a firing pin 20 actuated by a primer 24, which fires the .22 calibre cartridge 14. The rear half 12 may be interchangeable in order to allow for centerfire or rimfire cartridges. The front half may be interchangeable to allow for different types of cartridge. The adapter case may have the dimensions of a 5.56mm x 45mm NATO cartridge.

Description

22 Caliber Adapter for 5.56mm Caliber Rifles

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application is in respect of an invention in the technical field of firearm caliber conversion kits.

The application represents die invention of the technical components that allow any conventional firearm chambered for 5.56mm and.223 Remington to fire.22 caliber rounds.

A common problem with firearm enthusiasts is the rising price of ammunition. This forces people to purchase smaller caliber ammunition due to its cheaper manufacturing costs. The most. popular inexpensive type of ammunition is the.22 Long Rifle. One must either purchase a new firearm or buy a conversion kit for an existing firearm to fire such ammunition. Both options require a large upfront cost and are unappealing to the majority of shooters. The most popular conversion kits are for firearms that fire 5.56mm x 45mm NATO ammunition. This is due to the fact that a 5.56mm barrel can fire.22 bullets with no modification. However other parts of the rifle such as the bolt and magazine require modification.

22 ammunition differs from 5.56mm ammunition in two major ways which poses a problem when creating a conversion kit. Firstly.22 ammunition is a lot smaller in size, meaning the breech, bolt and magazine of the rifle are not compatible. The next problem the majority of.22 ammunition is rimfire and not the conventional centerfire. The difference between the two is the position of the primer within the casing of the ammunition. Thus the position of the firing pin has to change. Conventional conversion kits for 5.56mm x 45mm rifles replace the bolt carrier mechanism and the magazine of the firearm. These are both expensive parts that are difficult to manufacture.

This application represents, to the applicants knowledge, the first.22 caliber conversion system that allows a user to fire.22 caliber Long Rifle ammunition, as well as other.22 caliber variants, without the need to modify a 5.56mm x 45mm firearm. All prior arts that achieve the same goal require modification to the end users firearm and are limited to one model of firearm.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the invention is to provide a system for a conventional 5 56rnm x 45mm firearm to fire.22 caliber rounds reliably.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a system for a conventional 5.56mm x 45mm firearm to fire.22 caliber rounds reliably, wherein the system requires no modification to the firearm.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a system for a conventional 5 56mm x 45mm firearm to fire.22 caliber rounds reliably, wherein the system requires no modification to the firearm magazine.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a system for a conventional 5 56mm x 45mm firearm to fire.22 caliber rounds reliably, wherein the system can be used with a variety of.22 caliber rounds e.g. .22 Long, .22 Long Rifle and.22 Winchester Magnum To accomplish the foregoing and other objectives, the present invention utilizes an adapter case with the exact dimensions of a 5 56mm x 45mm NATO round of ammunition used in most popular rifles. This allows for the firearm to cycle the adapter case as it would a normal round of ammunition without any modifications.

The adapter case consists of two halves that connect together to foul the completed case. Within the front part of the case, a desired round of.22 ammunition is placed. The rear part of the case encompasses a firing mechanism required for the round to fire. The front and rear parts of the case attach to form the completed adapter case. Once fired, the two halves can be disassembled to allow for another round of.22 ammunition to be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a view of the complete invention; Fig. 2 is a cutaway view of the inside of the complete invention; Fig. 3 is a disassembled view of the front part of the invention; Fig. 4 is a disassembled view of the rear part of the invention; Fig. 5 is a disassembled view of an alternate rear part of the invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in more detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying images. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring now to the invention in more detail, in Fig. 1 there is shown the complete adapter case with a round of.22 LR ammunition 14 installed. The adapter compromises of two halves, the front half 10 and the rear half 12. The two screw together to for the complete adapter case. The complete adapter case has the exact same dimensions as a standard case of 5.56mm x 45mm NATO ammunition. This allows for a firearm to cycle the adapter case, as if it was a round of ammunition for which the rifle was originally designed to fire.

Figure 2 shows a cutaway view of the complete adapter case with a round of.22 LR 14 ammunition present. The front half 10 of the case screws in to the rear half 12. The front half 10 holds the.22 LR 14 ammunition and is secured tightly when the rear half 12 installed. A plastic insert 18 holds the components of the rear half 12 together. The firing pin 20 is under pressure from spring 22 and is pushed forward by the blank primer 24 when the firearm fires.

Figure 3 shows the front assembly of the adapter case. The front half 10 holds the.22 LR 14 round in place. To fit different length.22 caliber rounds of ammunition such as.22 Winchester Magnum, the front half 10 has to be exchanged for the appropriate size.

Figure 4 shows the rear half of the adapter case with all its components. The rear half 12 encapsulates four components. The blank primer 24 is struck by the firearm's firing pin thus pushing the firing pin 20 forward. This forward motion allows the firing pin 20 to strike the.22 LR 14 round of ammunition and ignite the primer. The spring 22 holds the firing pin back to give the firing pin 20 full momentum when pushed forward by the blank primer 24. The plastic insert 18 aligns and holds all the fore mentioned components.

Figure 5 displays an alternate rear half for the adapter case. This alternate case allows for a user to fire centerfire.22 caliber rounds. The rear half 12 is the same as in previous figures, however the components inside differ greatly. The due to the alternate firing pin's 28 design, it doesn't require the blank primer 24 as shown in figure 4. The spring 22 performs the same function as before. and the alternate plastic insert 26 performs the same duties despite its different shape.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An adapter case for a firearm, said adapter case compromising: * A front half with die ability to contain one round of.22 calibre ammunition * A back half that connects to said front half to complete said adapter case, said back half of said adapter case includes a firing mechanism to allow the firing of said.22 calibre ammunition in said front half of said adapter case.
2. The adapter case of claim one, further including interchangeable front halves to allow the operation of different.22 caliber ammunition e.g. .22 long, .22 long rifle and.22 Winchester Magnum.
3. The adapter case of claim one, further including interchangeable rear halves to allow the operation of centerfire or rimfire.22 caliber ammunition.
4. The adapter case of claim one, where the dimensions of the adapter case are identical of a
5.56mm x 45mm NATO round of ammunition.