WO2003104740A1

WO2003104740A1 - Firearm maintenance tool

Info

Publication number: WO2003104740A1
Application number: PCT/AU2003/000709
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anthony James Bransby
Original assignee: Anthony James Bransby
Priority date: 2002-06-07
Filing date: 2003-06-09
Publication date: 2003-12-18
Also published as: AUPS283802A0

Abstract

A firearm maintenance tool (11) adapted to clean residue from a surface of a firearm component. The tool comprises a cleaning element (21) and an axle (51), the axle (51) adapted to be engaged with the firearm component proximate the surface and the cleaning element (21) is adapted to be able to rotate about the central axis of the axle (51) when the axle (51) is engaged with the firearm component to thereby remove said residue.

Description

"Firearm Maintenance Tool"

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tool which can be utilised in the maintenance of firearms. It is particularly applicable to firearms having a repeating or "automatic" operation but is not restricted to such devices.

Background Art

It is well known that the breach mechanism of a firearm is subject to the build up of deposits of residue from burnt propellant. This residue contains a mixture of materials of which carbon is the major substance. Particularly with repeating and automatic weapons this build-up can result in the jamming of the mechanism of the rifle resulting in it failing to operate. In military situations particularly, such failures may be fatal to the operator. As a result, it is necessary to clean the residue from the breach mechanism frequently in order to avoid the jamming of the mechanism.

One of the chief areas of residue build-up is the firing pin housing. Conventionally, the residue is cleaned from the housing by any readily available implement such as a flat screw driver blade or a pen knife. Such implements are far from ideal for the cleaning purpose as it is common for the mechanism to receive some damage during the cleaning process. Often, the surface of the carbonised area is scored, giving better adhesion to subsequent carbon build-up with increasing difficulty for subsequent cleaning. The problem is exacerbated in the case of weapons which have a sealing ring associated with the firing pin housing such as the M4 and M16 weapons. With such weapons, it is well known that the cleaning implement tends to slip off the carbonised surface onto the gas sealing ring thereby scoring the sealing ring, which further reduces the performance of the rifle.

Finally the use of a flat blade on a rounded surface requires many strokes for effective cleaning with result that cleaning is often performed far short of optimum level. Thus cleaning takes excessive time for this repetitive task and poor cleaning usually results.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly the invention resides in a firearm maintenance tool adapted to clean residue from a surface of a firearm component, the firearm maintenance tool comprising a cleaning element and an axle, the axle adapted to be engaged with the firearm component proximate the surface and the cleaning element being adapted to be able to rotate about the central axis of the axle when the axle is engaged with the firearm component to thereby remove said residue.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the cleaning element is adapted to rotate about the axle.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the cleaning element is fixed to rotate with the axle.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the axle is pivotally supported from the cleaning element.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the firearm component is cylindrical.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the axle is adapted to be inserted into an aperture in the firearm component .

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the cleaning element comprises a scraper edge adapted to engage the surface of the cylindrical firearm component to be operative to remove said residue.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the scraper edge conforms to the profile of the surface to be scraped. According to a preferred feature of the invention, the scraper edge is adapted to be aligned parallel to the axis of the axle.

According to a preferred embodiment, the cleaning element is configured as a planar element, the plane of which is offset from the axis.

According to a preferred embodiment, the cleaning element further comprises a first screwdriver blade of relatively narrow breadth.

According to a preferred embodiment, the cleaning element further comprises a second screwdriver blade of relatively wide breadth.

According to a preferred embodiment, the second screwdriver blade comprises at least one indent adapted to provide a blade having a central narrowed portion.

According to a preferred embodiment, the cleaning element further comprises an "Allen" key.

According to a preferred embodiment, the "Allen" key comprises a hexagonal pin supported by the cleaning element.

According to a preferred embodiment, the "Allen" key penetrates the cleaning element.

According to a preferred embodiment, the axle element further comprises an "Allen" key.

According to a preferred embodiment, the axle element comprises a second "Allen" key element at the extremity of the axle element.

The invention will be more fully understood in light of the following description of two specific embodiments. Brief Description of the Drawings

The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:-

Figure 1a is an isometric view of a maintenance tool according to the first embodiment; Figure 1 b is a side elevation of the maintenance tool of Figure 1 a;

Figure 1c is a plan view of the maintenance tool of Figure 1a;

Figure 1 d is an end view of the maintenance tool of Figure 1 a;

Figure 2a is an isometric view of the cleaning element according to the first embodiment; Figure 2b is a side elevation of the cleaning element of Figure 2a;

Figure 2c is an end view of the cleaning element of Figure 2a;

Figure 2d is a planned view of the cleaning element of Figure 2a;

Figure 3a is an isometric view of an axle element according to the first embodiment ; Figure 3b is a side elevation of the axle element of Figure 3a;

Figure 3c is a planned view of the axle element of Figure 3a;

Figure 3d is an end view of the axle element of Figure 3a;

Figure 3e is an end view of the axle element of Figure 3a from the opposed end;

Figure 4a is an isometric view of the maintenance tool according to the first embodiment when engaged with a fire-pin housing;

Figure 4b is a side elevation of the maintenance tool of Figure 4a when engaging a fire-pin housing; and

Figure 4c is a planned view of the maintenance tool of Figure 4a when engaging a fire-pin housing. Figure 5a is an isometric view of a maintenance tool according to the second embodiment;

Figure 5b is a side elevation of the maintenance tool of Figure 5a; Detailed description of a specific embodiment

Figures 1a to 4c disclose a first embodiment of a firearm maintenance tool according to the invention. The maintenance tool shown is particularly adapted for use with an M4 or M16 rifle. As shown in figure 1 a-d, the maintenance tool 11 comprises a cleaning element 21 and an axle element 51 pivotally connected to the cleaning element 21 by a pivot 13.

As shown more fully in drawings 2a - 2d, the cleaning element 21 comprises a planar device having an upper face 24, a lower face 25, a first end 26 and an opposed second end 27. It should be noted that throughout the specification the terms upper and lower shall be used for convenient reference relative to diagrams only and have no implication in relation to the actual orientation of the device when used. The cleaning element 21 also has a front face 22 and an opposed rear face 23.

As seen from the side elevation as shown in Figure 2b, the front face 22 and the upper face 24 intersect at a straight upper front edge 28 which extends the full length of the cleaning element. The front face comprises three portions, a first, narrow portion 31 extending from the first end 26, a second broad portion 32 substantially centrally located and a pivot retaining portion 33 adjacent to the second end. The first and second portions are delimited by a transverse side 34 of the second portion 32 while a wide notch 36 separates the lower section of the second portion 32 and the third portion 33. A circular pivot hole 37 adapted to receive the pivot 13 is positioned adjacent the lower edge of the third portion 33. A regular hexagonal hole 38 is positioned adjacent the upper section of the third portion 33. Another aperture 39 extends from the upper surface to intersect with the hexagonal hole 38. The hexagonal hole 38 is adapted to receive a hexagonal pin 14 and be locked in place by a lock-screw inserted into aperture 39. It may be noted that the hexagonal pin will thereby extend from both faces of the cleaning element when installed. However, it may also be noted that the size of the regular hexagon on each side may differ. As best seen in Figure 2c, the profiles of the first end 26 and second end 27 are tapered to thin flat blades adapted to engage slots of screws of the firearm and to be used to loosen or tighten those screws. The second end 27 provides a much broader blade and is thereby adapted to operate a particular large headed screw found on certain weapons. The first end 26 provides a blade of width suitable for a wide range of screws generally found upon such weapons.

The axle element 51 is more fully shown in Figures 3 a to e and comprises a stirrup section 52 having a pair of co-planar arms 54 extending from a base section 53. Co-axial pivot holes 55 transversely penetrate the arms 54 in order to receive the pivot 13. The outer face 56 of the base section 53 is planar and parallel to the pivot axis. As is seen in Figure 3d the end profile of the stirrup section has curved upper and lower faces joined by planar faces 57. It will be seen that the base section thus has two perpendicularly disposed axes of symmetry.

The axle element 51 further comprises an axle in the form of a rod 61 extending transversely from the outer face 56 of the base section 53, but, as shown in Figure 3d, is offset from both axes of symmetry. The outer end portion 63 of the rod 61 is provided with a hexagonal profile and is adapted to be used as a key for a socket headed cap screw that may be used on the firearm.

Both the cleaning element and the axle element are made from a hard and rigid material. According to a preferred construction, the material is steel which is case-hardened. According to an alternative preferred construction, the material is stainless steel.

The firearm maintenance tool is assembled by initially inserting the hexagonal pin 14 in the hexagonal hole 38 in the cleaning element 21 and locking in place with a lock-screw inserted into aperture 39. The cleaning element 21 and axle element 51 are joined by placing the cleaning element 21 between the arms 54 of the axle element 51 such that the pivot hole 37 in the cleaning element 21 is aligned with the pivot holes 55 in the arms 54, the axle element being oriented such that the rod 61 is disposed further from the cleaning element 21. Thereafter, a pivot is inserted.

As shown in Figures 4a to 4c, the primary use of the tool is as a device to scrape the residue from the firing pin housing. It will be seen from Figures 4a to 4c that the firing pin housing of an M4 or M16 rifle comprises a substantially cylindrical body 71 having an axial firing-pin aperture adapted to receive the firing pin. A circumferential groove 73 is provided in the outer face of the housing intermediate the ends to receive the sealing ring. The end section 74 of housing which in use is adjacent the cartridge is of reduced diameter and is provided with a curved fillet where it adjoins the section of the housing of greater diameter. It is this end section on which the residue primarily accumulates.

In using the maintenance tool, the rod 61 is inserted into the axial firing-pin aperture. The cleaning element 21 is rotated about the pivot 13 so that the lower edge 25 bears on the surface of the end section of the firing pin housing. The corner 35 between the lower face 25 of the second portion 32 and the transverse side 34 of the cleaning element 21 is curved having a radius of curvature corresponding to the radius of curvature of the curved fillet. As a result, the edge of the central portion 32 is axially aligned along the surface of the firing pin housing. Further, because the rod 61 is offset from both axes of symmetry of the base section 53 of the axle element 51 , the lower face 25 of the central portion 32 is not disposed tangentially to the surface of the firing pin housing but rather is cocked at an angle. Thus the edge between the lower face 25 and the front planar face 22 of the central portion 32 is presented to the surface in a way whereby, as the cleaning element is rotated about the firing pin housing, the edge tends to dig into the residue to scrape it away evenly. Thus this tool provides a simple yet effective means of removing the residue in the field. Further, because of the design of cleaning element 21 whereby the first end 26 forms a narrow screwdriver blade, the second end 27 forms a broad screwdriver blade and the hexagonal pin provides an "Allen" key having 2 sizes, while the outer end portion 63 of the rod 61 provides another "Allen" key, it will be seen that a maintenance tool is provided for a firearm that provides in a single, simple compact unit a device which performs many of the maintenance functions required and in particular a more effective means of cleaning residue than has been disclosed previously.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 5 to. The second embodiment is of substantially the same construction as that of the first embodiment and therefore, in the drawings, like parts are denoted by like numerals.

The second embodiment differs from the first in having two additional features. The first of these varies the design of the planar device and comprises an indent 81 on each side of the blade which comprises the second end 27. The indents 81 are positioned equi-spaced from the upper face 24 and the lower face 25 at the second end 27 to thereby define an upper edges 82 and lower edges 83 of the indents. The indents penetrate the blade which comprises the rear end 27 sufficiently to cause the width of the blade face 84 between the upper edge 82 and the lower edge 83 to be narrower than the width of the faces 85 and 86 of the extremities of the blade. This allows the second end to engage and operate certain additional screw head found on certain weapons.

The second feature found on the second embodiment is an adaptation of the outer end portion 63 of the rod 61. As shown in Figure 5a and 5b, the very extremity of the end portion 63 comprises a second hexagonal profile 91 slightly smaller than the remaining hexagonal profile of the end portion 63. This second hexagonal profile portion 91 extends for only a short length (approximately 1 mm). This arrangement enables the axle to be used as a dual sized "Allen" key. It has been found to be particularly suitable where the second hexagonal profile is only slightly smaller than the hexagonal profile of the remaining end portion 63, eg where the smaller hexagon is of nominal size of 3mm and the larger is of nominal size is of 1/8 inch.

It can be seen that the second embodiment provides a firearm maintenance tool which is adapted to an even wide range of applications than that of the first embodiment. Modifications and variations as would be known to the skilled addressee are considered to be within the scope of this invention and it should be appreciated that the present invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiment described above.

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A firearm maintenance tool adapted to clean residue from a surface of a firearm component, the firearm maintenance tool comprising a cleaning element and an axle, the axle adapted to be engaged with the firearm component proximate the surface and the cleaning element being adapted to be able to rotate about the central axis of the axle when the axle is engaged with the firearm component to thereby remove said residue.

2. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cleaning element is adapted to rotate about the axle.

3. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cleaning element is fixed to rotate with the axle.

4. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 3 wherein the axle is pivotally supported from the cleaning element.

5. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at any one of the previous claims wherein the firearm component is cylindrical.

6. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 5 wherein the axle is adapted to be inserted into an aperture in the firearm component .

7. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the cleaning element comprises a scraper edge adapted to engage the surface of the cylindrical firearm component to be operative to remove said residue.

8. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 7 wherein the scraper edge conforms to the profile of the surface to be scraped.

9. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the scraper edge is adapted to be aligned parallel to the axis of the axle.

10. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at any one of the previous claims wherein the cleaning element is configured as a planar element, the plane of which is offset from the axis of the axle.

11. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at any one of the previous claims wherein the cleaning element further comprises a first screwdriver blade of relatively narrow breadth.

12. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 11 wherein the cleaning element further comprises a second screwdriver blade of relatively wide breadth.

13. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 12 wherein the second screwdriver blade comprises at least one indent adapted to provide a blade having a central narrowed portion.

14. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at any one of the previous claims wherein the cleaning element further comprises an "Allen" key.

15. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 14 wherein the "Allen" key comprises a hexagonal pin supported by the cleaning element.

16. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 15 wherein the "Allen" key penetrates the cleaning element.

17. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at any one of the previous claims wherein the axle element further comprises an "Allen" key.

18. A firearm maintenance tool as claimed at claim 17 wherein the axle element comprises a second "Allen" key element at the extremity of the axle element.

19. A firearm maintenance tool substantially as herein described.

20. A firearm maintenance tool substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.