WO2015048127A1

WO2015048127A1 - An integral suppressor assembly for a firearm

Info

Publication number: WO2015048127A1
Application number: PCT/US2014/057206
Authority: WO
Inventors: William Pope PACE; Eric TONKIN
Original assignee: Pace William Pope
Priority date: 2013-09-30
Filing date: 2014-09-24
Publication date: 2015-04-02
Also published as: US20150090105A1

Abstract

An integral suppressor assembly including a trunnion integrally extending from the front of the upper receiver, a tubular hand guard mounted to the trunnion, and a suppressor baffle mounted to the rifle barrel within the hand guard. The trunnion provides a structural interface for connecting the hand guard to the upper receiver, as well as the rifle barrel. The suppressor baffle seats within and encloses the muzzle end of the hand guard and is detachably connected to the end of the rifle barrel The interior of the hand guard forms a large expansion chamber around the barrel that works in conjunction with the suppressor baffle to reduce the noise signature of the weapon. The suppressor baffle is configured to have vent channels that direct the expanding combustion gases expelling the bullet from the barrel rearward into the expansion chamber of the hand guard before ultimately venting through the suppressor baffle.

Description

AN INTEGRAL SUPPRESSOR ASSEMBLY FOR A FIREARM

This invention relates to integrally suppressed firearms, and in particular an integral suppressor assembly for a firearm.

Background and Summary of the Invention The need to reduce the sound signatures of firearms is appreciated in order to reduce the risk of hearing damage, but also in order maintain tactical advantage. Suppressors, also referred to as silencers, are devices that are attached to or built into the barrel of a firearm to reduce the amount of noise, and the amount of visible muzzle flash, generated by firing the weapon. Suppressors reduce noise by allowing the rapidly expanding gases from the firing of the cartridge to be decelerated and cooled through a series of hollow chambers. The trapped gas exits the suppressor over a longer period of time and at a greatly reduced velocity, producing less noise signature. While useful in reducing the noise signature of a weapon, suppressors often add unwanted weight, length and mechanical complexity to a weapon.

The present invention seeks to provide an integral suppressor assembly with a compact design for reducing the overall length of the weapon, as well as reducing the sound signature of the weapon. The integral suppressor assembly consists of a trunnion integrally extending from the front of the upper receiver, a tubular hand guard mounted to the trunnion, and a suppressor baffle mounted to the rifle barrel within the hand guard. The trunnion provides a structural interface for connecting the hand guard to the upper receiver, as well as the rifle barrel. The suppressor baffle seats within and encloses the muzzle end of the hand guard and is detachably connected to the end of the rifle barrel The interior of the hand guard forms a large expansion chamber around the barrel that works in conjunction with the suppressor baffle to reduce the noise signature of the weapon. The suppressor baffle is configured to have vent channels that direct the expanding combustion gases expelling the bullet from the barrel rearward into the expansion chamber of the hand guard before ultimately venting through the suppressor baffle.

The above described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention may take form in various system and method components and arrangement of system and method components. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. The drawings illustrate the present invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an upper receiver assembly using the integral suppressor assembly of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the integral suppressor assembly of Fig.1 ;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper receiver of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the hand guard of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the suppressor baffle shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a partial side sectional view of the integral suppressor assembly of Fig. 1 showing a bullet entering the suppressor baffle;

Fig. 7 is another partial side section view of the integral suppressor assembly of Fig. 1 showing a bullet passing through the baffle chambers of the suppressor baffle;

Fig. 8 is another partial side section view of the integral suppressor assembly of Fig. 1 showing a bullet exiting the suppressor baffle;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the barrel assembly used in the upper receiver assembly of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 10 is an exploded view of the barrel assembly of Fig. 9; and Fig. 11 is a partial side sectional view of the barrel assembly of Fig. 9.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, Figs. 1 -12 illustrate an embodiment of an upper receiver assembly 100 that incorporates the integral suppressor assembly 200 of the present invention. As shown, upper receiver assembly 100 is designed and intended to be connected to a compatible conventional lower receiver assembly (not shown) as part of a complete M-16 style rifle (also not shown). Integral suppressor assembly 200 may also be incorporated into any firearm, but is ideally suited for use with M16 style weapons in various configurations and calibers. M-16 style weapons are air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed assault rifles with a rotating bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation or a gas driven piston. M- 16/AR-10 style weapons are commonly used by the various military organizations of the United States and by various law enforcement organizations. Although not illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that a conventional lower receiver assembly generally includes the fire control mechanism (trigger group), magazine well, hand grip and buttstock. Upper receiver assembly 100 also includes the bolt and bolt carrier assembly (not shown). The components and operation of the bolt and bolt carrier assembly of an upper receiver assembly, as well as that of the lower receiver assembly of an M-16 style rifle are well known and understood in the art, and therefore not illustrated in the drawings or described herein. Integral suppressor assembly 200 utilizes a compact design for reducing the overall length of the weapon, as well as, reducing the muzzle flash and noise signature of the weapon. The integral suppressor assembly of this invention is ideally suited for use with short barrel assemblies (barrel lengths between eight and ten inches long) although the suppressor assembly may be readily adapted for use with longer barrels. In addition, integral suppressor assembly 200 may be adapted and configured for use in any weapons, regardless of the type or caliber of the rounds used by the weapon. Integral suppressor assembly 200 is best suited for weapons chambered for the .300 AAC Blackout rifle round developed by Advanced Armament Corporation of Lawrenceville Georgia, but may be adapted for used with any conventional rifle round. The .300 AAC Blackout rifle round is well suited for suppressed short barrel rifle applications due to its ballistic characteristics, and is consequently an ideal round for use with integral suppressor assembly 200.

Integral suppressor assembly 200 as incorporated into upper receiver 100 consists of a trunnion 110 integrally extending from the front of the upper receiver 102; a tubular hand guard 210 mounted to the trunnion; and a suppressor baffle 220 mounted to the rifle barrel 120 within the hand guard. Trunnion 110 is typically cast or machined as an integral cylindrical extension of the upper receiver 102, and provides a structural interface for connecting hand guard 210 to the upper receiver, as well as rifle barrel 120. Hand guard 210 is secured to trunnion 1 10 by four screws 214 that extend through holes 213 in the hand guard and turn into threaded holes 117 in the trunnion. Suppressor baffle 220 seats within and encloses the muzzle end of hand guard 210. Suppressor baffle 220 is detachably mounted to the end of barrel 120 by turning a threaded female section 224 of its axial through bore 221 onto male threaded section 122 of barrel 120. When assembled, the interior of hand guard 210 forms an expansion chamber 211 around barrel 120 and adjacent suppressor baffle 220. The outer wall of trunnion 110 has three annular grooves 1 15 that seat one of three O-rings 1 16. O-rings 116 engage the walls of hand guard 210 to hermetically seal the connection between the trunnion 1 10 and hand guard 210. Similarly, suppressor baffle 220 carries an O-ring 226 that seats between the front face 222 of the suppressor baffle and the muzzle edge 216 of hand guard 210 to seal the connection between the suppressor baffle and the hand guard.

Hand guard 210 is a length of machined aluminum tube or bar stock that seats over trunnion 1 10. The tubular body of hand guard 201 defines a hollow interior with open ends, but no other holes or openings in its side walls. Hand guard 210 provides a suitable forearm or hand-guard structure that is grasped by the offhand of the user to provide for efficient support and handling of the firearm. The outside of hand guard 210 is machined to form four radially projecting accessory mounting rails 18. Rails 18 are typically Picatinny rails, which are commonly used on weapons for mounting lights, lasers, grips and other weapon accessories. Rails 18 are equally spaced radially around the circumference of hand guard 210 generally at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions. It should be noted that hand guard 210 mounted to trunnion 110 such that top 12 o'clock rails align with the integral rails 108 of upper receiver 102 to provided a continuous, uninterrupted mounting rail that extends the entire length of the upper receiver 100.

As best shown in Figs. 5-8, suppressor baffle 220 has a generally cylindrical body, preferably machined from a single section of aluminum bar stock, but may be cast, formed or otherwise fabricated from any suitable metal or composite material, such as ceramics or carbon fibre as desired. The axial through bore 221 permits the passage of a bullet through the suppressor baffle. Axial bore 121 is typically at least 0.04 inch (1 mm) larger than the bullet caliber of the particular weapon in order to minimize the risk of a bullet hitting the baffle walls ("baffle strike"). The receiver end of axial bore 221 has a female threaded section 225 adapted to receive the male threaded end 122 of barrel 120.

Suppressor baffle 220 is designed to be mounted to barrel 120 using common hand tools, such as a spanner wrench (not shown). The muzzle end of suppressor baffle 220 has a flat circular end face 222, which is dimensioned to abut against the muzzle end of hand guard 210 when the suppressor baffle 220 is mounted to barrel 120. A pair of detents 223 are formed in front face 222 to accept the contact pins of a conventional spanner wrench. In other embodiments, the suppressor baffle and its end face may be configured to detachably mount to barrel 120 using other tools and connection methods. In addition, a thread lock compound, such as locktite, is typically used to prevent suppressor baffle 220 from loosening from rifle barrel 120. Nevertheless, suppressor baffle 220 is easily removable with common tools.

As shown, the body of suppressor baffle 220 is machined so that its distal end has four vent channels 29 that extend from a pair of lateral cross bores 27. Cross bores 27 extend orthagonally to each other through the body of suppressor baffle 220 and intersect axial bore 221. Vent channels 29 are machined into the outside of the barrel end of suppressor baffle 220 and extend from the barrel end of suppressor baffle 220 to the lateral through bores 27. As shown in Figs. 6-8, bores 27 and vent channels 29 are in open fluid communication with axial bore 221 and expansion chamber 211 of hand guard 210. Bores 27 and vent channels 29 form an initial gas passage within suppressor baffle 220 for redirecting the expanding combustion gases venting through axial bore 221 from barrel 120 rearward into the expansion chamber 21 1of hand guard 210. The body of suppressor baffle 220 is also machined to have irregular shaped cutouts that form consecutive expansion chambers 231 , 233, 235, 237 separated by three spaced integral baffle walls 232, 234 and 236. It should be noted that the volume of each consecutive expansion chamber 231 , 233, 235 and 237 is smaller than the preceding chamber. Again, axial bore 121 extends the entire length of suppressor baffle 120 and is in open communication with each expansion chamber 231 , 233, 235 and 237, as well as cross bores 27.

Figs. 6-8 illustrate the operation of the integral suppressor assembly 200. When the weapon is fired, bullet 2 is expelled from barrel 120 by hot expanding gases 4. Upon exiting the barrel, bullet 2 enters suppressor baffle 220. As bullet 2 passes through cross bores 227, combustion gases 4 expand radially and are directed rearward through vent channels 229 into expansion chamber 21 1. Combustion gases 4 quickly, within milliseconds, expand throughout expansion chamber 121. As bullet 2 continues through suppressor baffle 220, combustion gases 4 propelling the bullet expand outward into each consecutive baffle chamber 231 , 233, 235 and 237 of the suppressor baffle. Combustion gases 4 are trapped within the expansion chamber 21 1 of the hand guard 210 and baffle chambers 231 , 233, 235 and 237. After bullet 2 exits suppressor baffle 220, the combustion gas are vented from the expansion chamber 21 1 and baffle chambers 231 , 233, 235 and 237 through bore 221 . Initially redirecting combustion gases 4 rearward into the expansion chamber 221 allows the combustion gases to rapidly expand and disperse within the large volume of space behind the suppressor baffle 220, which decelerates the combustion gases before ultimately venting back through the suppressor baffle. The irregular curved surfaces of baffle walls 32, 34 and 36 and the other contoured inner surfaces of suppressor baffle 220 help deflect the expanding combustion gases within the baffle chambers, which further decelerates combustion gases 4 before venting from the suppressor baffle. The irregular shapes of each consecutively smaller baffle chambers 231 , 233, 235 and 237 also facilitate the turbulent flow of combustion gases 4 within each expansion chamber, which further decelerates the expanding combustion gases.

It should be noted that hand guard 210 does not become heated to any degree that would compromise the user's operations of the weapon. The overall surface area of hand guard 210 and the volume of the expansion chamber 221 is sufficient to dissipate the thermal energy in the expanding combustion gases without over heating the hand guard itself even under sustained use. While it is well know that rifle barrels becomes heated during firing and can become very hot during sustained fire, barrel 120 has a spiral flange extending partially across its length, which acts as a heat sink for dispersing heat from the barrel. Hand guard 210 is spaced radially around barrel 120 and does not directly contact the barrel. The highly thermal conductive steel barrel is connected to the hand guard via contact with trunnion 110 and suppressor baffle 220, which are all constructed of aluminum - a less thermal conductive material.

One skilled in the art should note for this particular embodiment of the invention that the incorporation of the integral suppressor assembly 200 into upper receiver assembly 100 is facilitated by the particular structure and mechanical connection of trunnion 1 10 and the rifle barrel assembly 104, as well as the mechanical connections between the trunnion, hand guard 210 and suppressor baffle 220. As shown in Figs. 9-1 1 , barrel assembly 104 includes riffle barrel 120, gas block 140, gas tube 150 and barrel nut 160. Trunnion 110 provides a structural interface for connecting barrel assembly 104 to upper receiver 102. Rifle barrel 120 extends from upper receiver 102 along a longitudinal axis and is secured to upper receiver 102 by barrel nut 160. Gas block 140 and gas tube 150 are generally of conventional design used in gas operated direct impingement rifles and whose structure and operation are well known in the art.

Trunnion 110 is cast, machined or otherwise formed with an axial through bore 1 1 1 dimensioned for receiving barrel extension 130 therein. Trunnion 1 10 is machined so that axial bore 11 1 has an internal shoulder 1 14 and a threaded female section 1 12 for receiving the male thread body 162 of barrel nut 160. Trunnion 1 10 also has an axial keyhole 1 13 through which gas tube 150 extends.

Riffle barrel 120 includes a barrel extension 130, which is threaded onto the receiver end of the barrel. Barrel extension 130 is of conventional design for use with M-16 style rifles having lugs 238, feed ramps 239 and an axial bore 135 (Fig. 1 1 ) necked to accommodate the particular round intended for the weapon. Barrel extension 130 has an annular flange 132 and an alignment pin 134. Alignment pin 134 extends radially from the 12 o'clock position of barrel extension 130 and seats within the bottom slot of keyhole 1 13 when barrel 120 is fitted to trunnion 1 10. When barrel extension 130 is affixed to barrel 120, the location of shoulder 132 and alignment pin 134 are used to set the location for trapping a gas port in barrel 120. Gas port 127 is tapped in barrel 120 at set distance from annular shoulder 132 and in radial alignment to alignment pin 134 so that gas block 140 and gas tube 150 will be properly oriented in the 12 o'clock position of barrel 120 when the barrel is mounted to trunnion 1 10. Alignment pin 134 seats within the bottom of keyhole 1 13 to angularly orient the barrel extension within the trunnion so that the machined lugs 138 and feed ramps 139 are properly oriented within upper receiver 102 and gas tube 150 aligns with keyhole 1 13. As shown in Fig. 1 1 , barrel extension 130 is slid into bore 1 1 1 with alignment pin 134 seated within the bottom of keyhole 113 and barrel extension flange 132 abuts shoulder 1 14 within trunnion 1 10. Barrel 120 is secured to trunnion 1 10 by barrel nut 160.

Barrel nut 160 has an axial bore 161 dimensioned to slide over barrel 120 and seat over barrel extension 130 and a threaded male shaft 162 turns into threaded female section 1 12 of trunnion 110. Barrel nut 160 bears against flange 132 to securely hold barrel 120 to upper receiver 102. Gas block 140 is mounted to barrel 120 over gas port 127 and secured by set screws 142. Gas block 140 has an internal gas passage (not shown) that is in open fluid communication with gas port 127 and gas tube 150. Gas tube 150 extends through trunnion 1 10 into upper receiver 102 to operate the bolt carrier group (not shown) carried inside upper receiver 102. Gas tube 150 has a joggle 152, which aligns the gas tube with the circular top opening of keyhole 1 13. Joggle 152 also spaces gas tube 150 over barrel 120 to allow barrel nut 160 to rotate about the barrel so that the barrel nut can be unscrewed from trunnion 110 for repair and maintenance.

The design of trunnion 1 10 and barrel assembly 104 eliminates a number of common components and addresses several gunsmithing difficulties associated with conventional weapon designs, particularly M-16 style rifle designs. Those skilled in the art will note that while barrel assembly 104 is still secured by barrel nut 160, much of the machining work required to precisely align and orient the various components is greatly reduced, thereby reducing production costs. More importantly, the structure and mechanical connection of trunnion 1 10 and the rifle barrel assembly 104 provides several mechanical advantages to the structure and operation of suppressor assembly 200. Suppressor assembly 200 can be completely disassembled for cleaning and maintenance by simply unscrewing suppressor baffle 220 from barrel 120, which allows the suppressor baffle to be removed from hand guard 210 and removing four screws 1 14, which removes the hand guard from trunnion 110. Integral suppressor assembly 200 can be disassembly in minutes providing full access to barrel assembly 104, which can also readily be disassembled by unscrewing barrel nut 160 and set screws 142 of gas block 140. The ease of assembly and disassembly, makes cleaning, maintaining and repairing upper receiver assembly 100 more convenient.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that an invention having significant advantages has been provided. While the invention is shown in only a few of its forms, it is not just limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. The embodiment of the present invention herein described and illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is presented to explain the invention so that others skilled in the art might utilize its teachings. The embodiment of the present invention may be modified within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

Claim 1 : A suppressor assembly for a firearm having a receiver and a barrel mounted to the receiver, the integral suppressor assembly comprising:

an elongated tube detachably mounted to the receiver to extend over and axailly spaced from the barrel to define an enclosed interior tube space therein and around the barrel, the tube having a first end and a second end thereof, the first end of the tube adapted to be detachably mounted axially to the receiver to enclose and seal the first end of the tube; and

a suppressor baffle adapted to detachably connect to the barrel and seat within the second end of the tube to seal and enclose the second end of the tube, the suppressor baffle having an axial bore there through aligned with the barrel, the suppressor baffle also having a vent channel defined therein,

the vent channel of the suppressor baffle in open fluid communication with the axial bore of the suppressor baffle and the interior of the tube for directing combustion gas from the discharge of a bullet from the firearm receiver into the hand guard interior tube space between the receiver and the suppressor baffle before venting through the axial bore of the suppressor baffle.

Claim 2: The assembly of Claim 1 wherein the suppressor baffle also has a plurality of irregularly shaped expansion chambers defined therein, the expansion chambers are in open fluid communication with the axial bore of the suppressor baffle.

Claim 3: The assembly of Claim 1 wherein the suppressor baffle has a threaded section adapted to couple the suppressor baffle to the barrel, the threaded section forms part of the axial bore of the suppressor baffle.

Claim 4: The assembly of Claim 21 wherein the suppressor baffle has a first end and a second end, the axial bore of the suppressor baffle extends between and through the suppressor baffle first end and the suppressor baffle second end, the vent channels extend through the suppressor baffle first end.

Claim 5: The assembly of Claim 4 wherein the axial bore of the suppressor baffle has a threaded section formed in the suppressor baffle first end, the threaded section adapted to couple the suppressor baffle to the barrel.

Claim 6: The assembly of Claim 20 and a first seal part adapted to fit between the trunnion and first end of the hand guard to seal the engagement between the hand and the trunnion part when the hand guard is mounted to the trunnion part.

Claim 7: The assembly of Claim 6 wherein the first seal part is an O-ring.

Claim 8: The assembly of Claim 1 and a second seal part adapted to fit between the suppressor baffle and the second end of the tube to seal the engagement between the suppressor baffle and the tube when the suppressor baffle is mounted to the barrel.

Claim 9: The assembly of Claim 8 wherein the second seal part is an O-ring.

Claim 10: An Integrally suppressed receiver for a firearm comprising:

a receiver having an integral trunnion part, the trunnion having an axial bore extending there through, the axial bore configured to define an annular shoulder and a threaded female section;

an elongated barrel extending axially from the trunnion part, the barrel having a first barrel end and a second barrel end;

a barrel nut having an axial bore for receiving the barrel there through and a threaded male shaft turned into the threaded female section of the trunnion part for securing the barrel first end to the trunnion part;

an elongated tubular hand guard defining an interior thereof and having a first hand guard end and a second hand guard end, the first hand guard end detachably mounted axially over the trunnion part so that the hand guard covers the barrel and encloses the first hand guard end; and a suppressor baffle detachably connected to the second barrel end and seated within the second hand guard end to enclose the second hand guard end, the suppressor baffle having an axial bore there through aligned with the longitudinal axis of the barrel, the suppressor baffle also having a vent channel defined therein, the vent channel of the suppressor baffle in open fluid communication with the axial bore of the suppressor baffle and the interior of the hand guard between for directing combustion gas from the discharge of a bullet from the receiver into the hand guard interior between the trunnion part and the suppressor baffle before venting through the axial bore of the suppressor bore.

Claim 11 : The receiver of Claim 10 wherein the trunnion axial bore also configured to define an annular inner shoulder therein, the barrel extension flange,

the barrel includes a barrel extension part having an annular flange abutting against the shoulder.

Claim 12: The receiver of Claim 10 wherein the trunnion is configured to have a longitudinal keyhole defined therein.

Claim 13: The receiver of Claim 12 wherein the barrel extension includes a pin seated within the trunnion keyhole.

Claim 14: The assembly of Claim 10 wherein the suppressor baffle also has a plurality of irregularly shaped expansion chambers defined therein, the expansion chambers are in open fluid communication with the axial bore of the suppressor baffle.

Claim 15: The assembly of Claim 10 wherein the suppressor baffle has a threaded section adapted to couple the suppressor baffle to the barrel, the threaded section forms part of the axial bore of the suppressor baffle.

Claim 16: The assembly of Claim 14 wherein the suppressor baffle has a first end and a second end, the axial bore of the suppressor baffle extends between and through the suppressor baffle first end and the suppressor baffle second end, the vent channels formed in the suppressor baffle first end, the expansion chambers are formed in the suppressor baffle second end.

Claim 17: The assembly of Claim 16 wherein the axial bore of the suppressor baffle has a threaded section formed in the suppressor baffle first end, the threaded section adapted to couple the suppressor baffle to the barrel.

Claim 18: The assembly of Claim 10 and a first seal part adapted to fit between the trunnion and first end of the hand guard to seal the engagement between the hand and the trunnion part when the hand guard is mounted to the trunnion part.

Claim 19: The assembly of Claim 10 and a second seal part adapted to fit between the suppressor baffle and the second end of the hand guard to seal the engagement between the suppressor baffle and the hand guard when the suppressor baffle is mounted to the barrel.

Claim 20: The assembly of Claim 1 wherein the receiver includes a trunnion part extending therefrom, the barrel axially extending from the trunnion part.

Claim 21 : The assembly of Claim 1 wherein the suppressor baffles also has a radial bore extending between the vent channel and the axial bore of the suppressor baffle.

Claim 22: The assembly of Claim 4 wherein the expansion chamber is formed adjacent the suppressor baffle second end.