US20220397356A1

US20220397356A1 - Lower Receiver

Info

Publication number: US20220397356A1
Application number: US17/343,065
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward J. Newman; Michael G. Levine
Original assignee: Dark Storm Industries LLC
Current assignee: Dark Storm Industries LLC
Priority date: 2021-06-09
Filing date: 2021-06-09
Publication date: 2022-12-15

Abstract

A lower receiver for a firearm having a body having a wall defining: a magazine well extending from the trigger well, wherein the magazine well is configured and dimensioned to receive a magazine; the magazine well having sidewalls, wherein at least one sidewall has a protrusion for docking a magazine within the magazine well.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to providing an improved lower receiver, particularly, an improved lower receiver having a protrusion to fix a magazine in place.

RELATED ART

Semi-automatic firearms, particularly those with detachable magazines, are continuously under increasingly heightened regulations. A “detachable magazine” is generally defined as an ammunition feeding device that can be removed from a firearm without disassembly of the firearm action. Standard semi-automatic firearms are manufactured and sold with a detachable magazine. Users can replace a magazine in the standard semi-automatic firearms without disassembling the firearm action.
There is a longstanding need in the industry and in order to prosper in this increasingly highly regulated market, one must continue to develop their products and product line, including semi-automatic firearms having non-detachable or fixed magazines, wherein the feeding device is formed as an integral part of the firearm or is otherwise affixed to the firearm such that it requires disassembly, and/or additional step(s) to change the feeding device. However, the existing products fail to address these issues unlike the current invention set forth hereinbelow.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

An objective of the present invention includes providing an improved lower receiver in compliance with increased regulations.
A further objective of the present invention includes providing an improved lower receiver having a design requiring at least an additional step to load a magazine.
Another objective of the present invention includes providing an improved lower receiver that contains a protrusion, that prevents full magazines from being swapped.
Other objectives, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, are provided for illustration of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention in any manner whatsoever.

FIG. 1 illustrates a left side view of a firearm including a lower receiver of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a front right side perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a left side view of FIG. 1 , having the upper receiver pivoted relative to the lower receiver in a loading position; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a pistol type embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

This invention relates to providing an improved lower receiver, particularly, an improved lower receiver having a protrusion to securing a magazine, referring generally to FIGS. 1 to 5 .
Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 5 , a firearm 1 is shown, which includes a buffer tube and stock 2, an upper receiver 4, a barrel 6, a magazine 8, and a lower receiver 10 in accordance with the present disclosure. The stock 2 is attached to the buffer hoop 20 positioned at the proximal end of the lower receiver 10. The stock 2 may be a fixed stock, an adjustable stock, a collapsible stock, an arm brace, or a buffer tube 102 without a stock or arm brace. The upper receiver 4 is pivotally coupled to the lower receiver 10 at a receiver coupling 50 positioned at the distal end of the lower receiver 10. The receiver coupling 50 receives a pivot pin 51 that pivotally couples the lower receiver 10 to the upper receiver 4. The barrel 6 extends from the upper receiver 4. The firearm 1 may also include a rail system 7 disposed about the barrel 6 to facilitate the mounting of accessories to the firearm 1.
The lower receiver 10 includes the stock mount 20, a trigger well 30, a magazine well 40, and the receiver coupling 50. The trigger well 30 is positioned adjacent to the buffer hoop 20 and the magazine well 40 is positioned adjacent the receiver coupling 50 such that the trigger well 30 is positioned between the magazine well 40 and the buffer hoop 20 and the magazine well 40 is positioned between the trigger well 30 and the receiver coupling 50. The trigger well 30 is configured to receive a firing mechanism 60 that includes a trigger 62 and safety/fire selector 64.
A trigger guard 38 extends from a lower surface of the trigger well 30 and connects to a proximal surface of the magazine well 40. The trigger guard 38 may be integrally formed with lower receiver 10 or may be removable from the lower receiver 10. The trigger 62 passes through a trigger opening 34 that is defined in a lower portion of the trigger well 30 and is positioned above the trigger guard 38 such that a user may engage the trigger 62 to actuate the firing mechanism 60. The trigger well 30 also defines a lock opening 36 that passes through sidewalls 37 of the trigger well 30. The lock opening 36 receives a locking pin also referred to as a takedown pin 36 a that selectively fixes the upper receiver 4 to the lower receiver 10.
The magazine well 40 is configured to receive the magazine 8 and to fix the magazine 8 to the lower receiver 10. The magazine well 40 has sidewalls 44 wherein at least one sidewall has a fixed protrusion 46 for docking (also referred to as securing or fixing) a magazine 8 within the magazine well 40, wherein the lower receiver 10 is unibody. As magazine 8 is inserted into the well 40, the protrusion 46 engages a magazine 8, once the magazine 8 is completely received within the magazine well 40, the magazine 8 can be loaded from above.
Once the magazine 8 is loaded to the desired level of rounds 68, the magazine 8 becomes fixed/docked within the lower receiver 10 due to the pressure of the populated magazine 8 against the protrusion 46. In order to remove the magazine 8 from the well 40, one must either empty the magazine 8, whether via (1) manually removing the round(s) 68 and/or (2) by shooting the round(s) 68. In short, a full magazine 8 cannot be inserted and docked into the lower receiver 10. Note: traditionally a magazine 8 is engaged by a magazine release mechanism (not shown) of a standard semi-automatic firearm which allows standard magazines to be fixed within the lower receiver 10.
The takedown pin 36 a selectively fixes the upper receiver 4 to the lower receiver 10. When the takedown pin 36 a is in a locked position, the upper receiver 4 is fixed to the lower receiver 10 such that a round 68 may pass from the magazine 8 fixed in the magazine well 40 of the lower receiver 10 into a chamber (not shown) of the upper receiver 4. The trigger 62 of the firing mechanism 60 is then engaged by a user to fire the round 68 from the chamber of the upper receiver 4, to eject the fired round 68 from the chamber, and to load a subsequent round 68 from the magazine 8 into the chamber. This process may be repeated until the magazine 8 is spent (i.e., out of rounds).
The magazine 8 may be reloaded with fresh rounds 68 or unloaded by moving the takedown pin 36 a to an unlocked position and pivoting the upper receiver 4 to a loading position relative to the lower receiver 10 about the receiver coupling 50. When the upper receiver 4 is pivoted to the loading position, the upper portion of the magazine well 40 is accessible to load rounds 68 or to remove rounds 68 from the magazine 8. It will be appreciated that the magazine 8 is fixed within the magazine well 40 of the lower receiver 10 by the protrusion 46 once the magazine 8 is populated. The magazine 8 may also be loaded through the use of an ejection port speed loader (not shown).
The lower receiver 10 may also be used with a semi-automatic pistol 100. The pistol 100 includes a buffer tube 102, the upper receiver 4, a barrel 106, the magazine 8, and the lower receiver 10. For the pistol 100, the buffer tube 102 replaces the stock 2 and is secured to the lower receiver 10 by the buffer hoop 20. The buffer tube 102 may also include an arm brace (not shown). It will be appreciated that the barrel 106 of the pistol 100 is substantially similar to the barrel 6 of the firearm 1 detailed above. The pistol 100 functions in a similar manner to the firearm 1 detailed above. Note: (firearm non-NFA—same as pistol but with a front vertical grip).
While several embodiments of the disclosure have been shown in the drawings, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Any combination of the above embodiments is also envisioned and is within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope of the claims appended hereto.
All the above referenced patents; patent applications and publications are hereby incorporated by reference. Having thus described a few particular embodiments of the invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications and improvements as are made obvious by this disclosure are intended to be part of this description though not expressly stated herein, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not limiting. The invention is limited only as defined in the claims and equivalents thereto.

Claims

1. A lower receiver for a firearm, wherein the lower receiver comprises:

a unibody having a wall defining: a trigger well configured and dimensioned to receive a firing mechanism; and a magazine well extending from the trigger well, wherein the magazine well is configured and dimensioned to receive a pliable magazine; said magazine well having sidewalls, wherein at least one sidewall has a fixed protrusion for docking a pliable magazine within the magazine well.

2. A firearm comprising:

a stock; an upper receiver defining a chamber; a barrel extending distally from the upper receiver; a lower receiver pivotally coupled to the upper receiver, wherein the lower receiver comprises: a unibody having a wall defining: a trigger well configured and dimensioned to receive a firing mechanism; and a magazine well extending from the trigger well, wherein the magazine well is configured and dimensioned to receive a pliable magazine; said magazine well having sidewalls, wherein at least one sidewall has a protrusion for docking a pliable magazine within the magazine welt.

3. A firearm as in claim 2, further comprising a pliable magazine docked within the magazine well of the lower receiver.

4. A lower receiver for a firearm, wherein the lower receiver comprises:

a body having a wall defining: a magazine well extending from the trigger well, wherein the magazine well is configured and dimensioned to receive a pliable magazine; said magazine well having sidewalls, wherein at least one sidewall has a protrusion for docking a pliable magazine within the magazine well.

5. A lower receiver for a firearm as in claim 4, wherein said protrusion is fixed.