NZ204663A - Firearm slide-on silencer:greater volume of silencing chamber surrounds barrel than extends beyond it - Google Patents

Description

204663 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No.: 204663 Date: 21st June 1983 PATENT OFFICE 17 APR 1984 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION ' "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND/OR RELATING TO NOISE SUPPRESSORS vFOR FIREARMS" KEVIN ARTHUR, PARKINSON, of 16 Ranui Road, Nelson, New Zealand, a New Zealand citizen, hereby declare the invention for which I /^W^pray that a patent may be granted to me/iu$, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - 204663 The present invention relates to improvements in and/or relating to a noise suppressor for a firearm.

When shooting pests and wild game, animals it is often desirable to minimise the noise of the discharge so as not to scare a future target and with this in mind a variety of noise suppressors or moderators have been evolved. None however has been totally satisfactory.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a noise suppressor for a firearm which will go at least some way to overcoming difficulties frequently encountered with such devices.

* ;Accordingly in one aspect the present invention consists in a noise suppressor for a firearm comprising means defining a .chamber having an outlet through which a bullet can pass and an entranceway into which the muzzle end of the barrel of a firearm can be inserted without mutual rotation and means not dependent on mutual rotation with the barrel to reproducibly and retainably locate the end region of a barrel of a firearm to said means defining a chamber once the muzzle end of the barrel has been inserted through said entranceway so that the muzzle opens into the chamber and is aligned with, but spaced from, ;said outlet so that a bullet being discharged from said barrel will pass out through said outlet, the construction and arrangement being such that a greater volume of the chamber when a firearm is engaged as aforesaid will be about rather than entending beyond the end of the barrel. ;Preferably said means to reproducibly and retainably locate a barrel of a firearm comprises a tubular or substantially tubular ,, ;I 2" ;I 14 APR 1986 ;- 3 - ;204663 ;member having extending therealong a slot to allow the sliding therealong of the foresight of the firearm. ;Preferably means is provided defining an abutment point against which the foresight is to be located in use. ;Preferably said means defining a chamber is in the form of a substantially tubular member. ;Preferably said chamber defining substantially tubular member is disposed eccentrically substantially about the tubular or substantially tubular member into which the barrel is to be located. ;In a further aspect the present invention consists in a noise suppressor for a firearm as previously defined including a tube or sleeve eccentrically positioned and at least partly within a larger tube or sleeve with which it is axially parallel, there being a common slot between the two tubes or sleeves extending along at least a greater axial part of the common part of the axial lengths thereof to facilitate the location of the muzzle region of a firearm, having a foresight slidable along said slot, into the smaller tube or sleeve, the smaller tube or sleeve thus providing at least in part said means to reproducibly and retainably locate and said larger tube or sleeve defining at least in part said means defining a chamber. ;Preferably said suppressor is formed substantially completely from a plastics material. ;In a further aspect the present invention consists in in combination a noise suppressor in accordance with the present invention and a firearm in which the same ;204663 ;4 - ;The preferred forms of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings 1n which ;Figure 1 shows preferred apparatus in accordance with the present invention operatlvely fitted about the end of the barrel of a rifle, the dotted muzzle end of the barrel and its upwardly projecting fore-5 sight showing how a significant portion of the means defining a chamber 1s disposed about or substantially about the barrel and is not disposed beyond the muzzle as 1s the case with existing noise suppressors, ;Figure 2 1s a side elevation view of the preferred form of the 10 noise suppressor, there being shown at the left hand end in dotted outline a plastic clip capable of being clip engaged about the extremity of the smaller sleeve or substantially tubular member in order to retain the same on the barrel, ;Figure 3 is a view AA of the suppressor of Figure 2, ;15 Figure 4 1s a view BB of the suprressor of Figure 2, the clip again being shown In broken outline, ;Figure 5 1s a plan view of the apparatus shown 1n Figure 2, ;Figure 6 is a sectional view CC of the apparatus shown 1n Figure ;4,' ;20 Figure 7 is a sectional view DD of the apparatus shown in Figure 2, ;Figure 8 shows an alternative arrangement for retaining the barrel locating substantially tubular member or sleeve onto the barrel during use, ;25 ;204663 ;- 5 ;Figure 9 1s the other side elevatlonal view of the modification shown 1n Figure 8, ;Figure 10 Is a plan view of the modification shown in Figures 8 and 9, ;Figure 11 1s a view EE of the arrangement shown in Figure 8, and ;5 ;Figure 12 Is a sectional view FF of the arrangement shown in Figure 8. ;The preferred suppressor in accordance with the present invention 1s preferably for a rifle of 0.22 inch calibre and it is to be used ;10 with low velocity ammunition i.e. sub-sonic. Obviously however, a suppressor in accordance with the present invention could be applicable to other calibres. ;In the preferred form of the present invention the noise suppressor is substantially conyletely constructed 1n matt black acry- ;15 ;lonitrlle butadiene styrene super heat resistance JSRXT and is moulded, reamed and milled to fit a particular model or range of models of 0.22 inch calibre rifles. Hand made versions of the noise suppressor are more conveniently constructed in PVC. ;20 Novel features of design and advantages of the noise suppressor in accordance with the present invention over others Include:- ;(1) No alteration to rifle needed. ;(2) Instant, easy, push on fitting, no costly threading of barrel as other makes require. ;25 ;TT OFFICE ;? 1 APR 1984 ;204363 ;- 6 - ;(3) Elimination of excessive protrusion 1n front of barrel -designed so that suppressor chamber lies under and mainly behind the front of the barrel, whereas in others the whole suppressor protrudes in front of the barrel. ;(4) lightness and better balance - this suppressor is made of ;5 ;special plastics while others are made of metal. ;(5) It can be used with existing open sights or with telescopic sights. ;(6) It can be fitted permanently to rifles using any ammunition I.e. sub-son1c or super sonic without ill effects to ;10 ;suppressor or rifle fire, but of course high velocity ammunition cannot be effectively silenced. ;It is envisaged that each noise suppressor would be clearly labelled to indicate the make and models of rifle 1t would fit. ;15 ;Turning to the form of the invention as shown in Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings it can be seen that the structure is one of two substantially tubular forms. The first tubular form 1 1s substantially completely disposed 1n a second tubular form 2 with which 1t is substantially eccentrically aligned, but 1n such a way that the same ;20 ;have a substantially common peripheral line so that when a slot 3 1s provided at that line which extends from the end 4 of the tubular member 1 to an abutment point 5 a clean opening 6 is provided up through which a foresight 7 of the barrel 8 of a rifle received within the barrel locating tube 1 can be positioned and pressed up against ;25 j—- ;the abutment point or line 5. I . r...intoffice ;APR 1984 ;204663 ;- 7 - ;In line with the bore of a rifle located within the locating tube or sleeve 1 is the outlet 9 which preferably takes the form of an Inwardly projecting tube so as to provide a baffle affect adjacent the actual exit point. ;5 As can be seen more than half of the volume of the chamber 10 defined by the larger tubular member 2 about the locating tubular member 1 is disposed back from the muzzle of a rifle. In this respect reference should be made to Figure 5. It 1s also to be noted that the bulk of the volume is below the actual barrel of the rifle. This has 10 the effect of improving balance and at the same time minimising Interference with sighting of the rifle. ;To hold the barrel within the locating tube 1 having regard to the pressure of gases which will egress from the barrel of a rifle in use a retaining clip 11 preferably of appropriate plastic material 1s ;15 ;positioned adjacent the end 4 so that the same achieves a clamping affect as shown 1n Figure 1 onto the barrel. ;In other forms of the present Invention the alternative arrangement as depicted in Figures 8 to 12 can be employed where the barrel 20 locating tube or sleeve 12 1s provided with upstanding portions 13 which can be clamped together with appropriate nut and bolt means 14 to achieve a clamping affect about a barrel. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate other alternatives which can achieve such location. ;204663 ;- 8 - ;If desired gussets 15 (shown dotted) can be provided. It is envisaged however, that such gussets would preferably only be Included 1f the noise suppressor 1s being hand made. It is believed they are not required if the noise suppressor 1s formed substantially completely as a high pressure Injection moulding. In any event such gussets would ;5 ;increase the mould costs. ;It is envisaged that the moulding of the apparatus would be achieved without the end section 16 and the tubular portion 17 of the outlet 9. These portions can be separately manufactured and attached 10 to the end by appropriate welding or adhesive processes. It can be seen therefore that the present invention can be manufactured relatively cheaply. Since all portions (excluding the clip 11 and portions 17 and 16) can be prepared 1n a single mould assembly and easily withdrawn therefrom to the right when considering the apparatus as 15 depicted in Figure 6. ;It is envisaged that the overall length of the apparatus shown in Figures 1 to 7 would be approximately 245mm, the slot 3 would extend from the end 4 of the tubular barrel 1 for a distance of 170mm, the barrel 1 would extend for a distance of 25mm from the end of the larger tubular member 2 and the larger tubular member 2 would extend for a distance of 75mm beyond the abutment point 5 to the end piece 16. It 1s envisaged that the outside diameter of the large tubular member 2 would be approximately 43mm. The Inner diameter of the tubu- ;20 ;lar member 1 would vary according to the rifle wi*" 204663 suppressor 1s to be fitted. It 1s envisaged that the Inside diameter of the tubular member 17 which shrouds the outlet 9 would be approximately 7.5mm.

On the basis of the foregoing therefore 1t can be seen that the present invention provides a compact noise suppressor having all of the advantages previously mentioned. i 204663

Claims (11)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A noise suppressor for a firearm comprising means defining a .chamber having an outlet through which a bullet can pass and an entranceway into which the muzzle end of the barrel of a firearm can be inserted without relative rotation and means not dependent on relative rotation with the barrel to reproducibly and retainably locate the end region of a barrel of a firearm to said means defining a chamber once the muzzle end of the barrel has been inserted through said entranceway so that the muzzle opens into the chamber and is aligned with, but spaced from, said outlet so that a bullet being discharged from said barrel will pass out through said outlet, the construction and arrangement being such that a greater volume of the chamber when a firearm is engaged as aforesaid will be about rather than entending beyond the end of the barrel.

2. A noise suppressor as claimed in Claim 1 wherein when a firearm is engaged1 a substantian y greater jvolume of the said chamber is about rather than extendi beyond the end of the barrel.

3. A noise suppressor as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said means to reproducibly and retainably locate a barrel of a firearm comprises a tubular member having extending therealong a slot to allow the sliding therealong of the foresight of the firearm.

4. A noise suppressor as claimed in Claim 3 wherein means is provided defining an abutment point against which the foresight is to be located in use.

5. A noise suppressor as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said means defining a chamber is in the form of a tubular member 204663 - n -

6. A noise suppressor as claimed in Claim 5 wherein said chamber defining said! tubular member is disposed eccentrically defining _ said! relative to the tubular member defined in Claim 3.

7. A noise suppressor as claimed in any one of the preceding claims substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

8. A noise suppressor for a firearm as claimed in claim 1 including a tube or sleeve eccentrically positioned and at least partly within a larger tube or sleeve with which it is axially parallel, there being a common slot in ' the two tubes or sleeves extending along at least a greater axial part of the common part of the axial lengths thereof to facilitate the location of the muzzle region of a firearm, having a foresight slidable along said slot, into the smaller tube or sleeve, the smaller tube or sleeve thus providing at least in part, said means to reproducibly and retainably locate and said larger tube or sleeve defining at least in part said means defining a chamber.

9. A noise suppressor as claimed in claim 8 wherein said smaller tube or sleeve extends beyond one end of said larger tube.

10. A noise suppressor as claimed in any one of the preceding claims when formed substantially completely from a plastics material.

11. In combination a noise suppressor as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and a>-fire?"m "mo u mopatiuniu positioned.