Patent Application
20240247903
The invention relates to the field of firearms and provisions for modifying a service weapon for training purposes. In particular, the invention relates to a conversion kit to replace the service barrel with a sub-caliber barrel for firing reduced energy training cartridges.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Significant resources are spent annually to train military forces and police departments in the use of their service weapons. One type of training employs low-energy cartridges designed to simulate service rounds for non-lethal training. An advantage of the low-energy training ammunition is that it has a shorter range and lower penetration capacity than standard ammunition. A weapon firing low-energy marking cartridges makes an effective close-range, force-on-force training system. This system enhances the realism and training value of interactive scenario tactical training because it allows trainees to use their service weapons in a representative manner for simulated exercises, e.g., counter-terrorism, close quarters combat, urban fighting, protection of dignitaries, trench clearing, and fighting in wooded areas.
Modifications to a service weapon are typically required to permit cycling of rounds while firing low-energy training ammunition. These modifications may include replacing the service barrel in a weapon with a sub-caliber barrel using a conversion kit. Conversion kits typically employ a clamping device affixed to the muzzle end of a barrel sleeve. These clamping devices add mass to the muzzle end of the weapon, thus altering its weight and balance. These conversion kits typically require the use of a tool to install and remove the clamping device, which may be easily lost or misplaced.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a conversion kit for replacing a service barrel in a weapon with a sub-caliber barrel to fire reduced energy training cartridges that does not significantly alter the weight or operations of a service weapon. In addition, it is desirable to provide a conversion kit for modifying a service weapon to fire reduced energy training cartridges that does not require any tools to make such modifications. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.
In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a conversion kit for a weapon to replace a service barrel with a sub-caliber barrel for firing reduced energy training cartridges. The conversion kit includes a barrel support having a double tapered bore extending from a muzzle end of the barrel support and a cylindrical bore extending from a breach end of the barrel support and into the double tapered bore. The doubled tapered bore has a first cylindrical section, a second cylindrical section, a first tapered section between the first and second cylindrical sections and a second tapered section disposed at the end of the second cylindrical section opposite the first tapered section. The conversion kit further includes a collet having a gripping portion disposed in the first cylindrical section, a shoulder disposed in the first tapered section and a sleeve portion disposed in the second cylindrical section. A collet bore extends through the collet. The conversion kit also includes a barrel sleeve disposed through the cylindrical bore of the barrel support and through the collet bore. A collet nut is disposed in the first cylindrical portion of the tapered bore and is configured to engage the collet. The collet nut urges the shoulder toward the first tapered section thereby causing an inner diameter of the gripping portion to reduce and grip the barrel sleeve at a first clamping point. The collet nut also urges the sleeve portion into the second tapered section causing an inner diameter of the shoulder portion to reduce and grip the barrel sleeve at a second clamping point.
In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a conversion kit for a weapon to replace a service barrel with a sub-caliber barrel for firing reduced energy training cartridges.
The conversion kit includes a barrel support having a tapered bore extending from a muzzle end of the barrel support and a cylindrical bore extend from a breach end of the barrel support and into the double tapered bore. The tapered bore has a first cylindrical section, a second cylindrical section, and a first tapered section between the first and second cylindrical sections. The conversion kit further includes a collet having a shoulder disposed in the first cylindrical section, a gripping portion disposed in the first tapered section and a sleeve portion disposed in the second cylindrical section. A collet bore extends through the collet. The conversion kit also includes a barrel sleeve disposed through the cylindrical bore of the barrel support and through the collet bore. A collet nut is disposed in the first cylindrical portion of the tapered bore and is configured to engage the collet. The collet nut urges the shoulder toward the first tapered section thereby causing an inner diameter of the gripping portion to reduce and grip the barrel sleeve at a first clamping point.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
and
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. There is no intention to be limited by any principle presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description.
A weapon 10 shown in
With reference now to
The barrel support 44 is generally cylindrical in shape and sized to replace the muzzle silencer 18 of the weapon 10. With the muzzle silencer 18 removed from the weapon 10, the barrel support 44 maybe inserted into the hand guard 14 and secured to the weapon 10 in the same manner as the muzzle silencer 18. For example, exterior threads (not shown) on the collet nut 48 may be used to secure the conversion kit 40 to the receiver 12. As best seen in
With reference to
To remove the barrel sleeve 42 from the collet 46, the collet nut 48 is loosened from the barrel support 44, which causes the shoulder portion 64 to disengage the first tapered section 50.2 and the sleeve portion 60 to disengage the second tapered section 50.4 causing in the collet 46 to relax the clamping force on the barrel sleeve 42. The collet 46 is fabricated from resilient material, such as, for example, spring steel. Accordingly, when the collet nut 48 is loosened, the collet 46 substantially returns to its original position, thereby enabling the barrel sleeve 42 to be removed therefrom. Once the sleeve portion 60 and the gripping portion 62 are relaxed, the barrel sleeve 42 maybe extracted from the collet 46 and, in turn, from the barrel support 44.
As best seen in
The following dimension are for a current design of the collet 46; however, it should be understood that such dimensions are exemplary and that other dimensions could alternatively be employed. The overall length of the example collet 46 maybe approximately 42 mm, with the length of the sleeve portion 60 being approximately 28 mm. The length of the slots 68, 70 are approximately 40 mm and the length of the flutes 72 are approximately 29 mm, respectively. The shoulder portion 64 is located approximately 40 mm from the end of the sleeve portion 60. In the illustrated example, a taper angle of the shoulder portion 64 relative to a longitudinal axis A is approximately 45°, and a taper angle of the end of the sleeve portion 60 relative to the longitudinal axis A is approximately 24°. A taper angle of the first tapered section 50.2 relative to the longitudinal axis A is approximately 45° and a taper angle of the second tapered section 50.4 relative to the longitudinal axis A is approximately 24°. One skilled in the art should appreciate that the dimensions of the collet 46 mayvary depending on the geometry and dimensions of the other components of the conversion kit 40, 140 as well as the geometry and dimensions of the corresponding service components of the weapon (e.g., housing, hand guard, service barrel, silencer, etc.) to be configured with the conversion kit.
The barrel support 144 is generally cylindrical in shape and sized to replace the muzzle silencer 18 of the weapon 10. With the muzzle silencer 18 removed from the weapon, the barrel support 144 may be inserted into the hand guard 14. A tapered blind bore 150 formed in the barrel support 144 functions as a spindle for receiving the collet 46. The blind bore 150 includes a first cylindrical section 150.1 having a first diameter D1 extending from the muzzle end 152 of the barrel support 144, a first tapered section 150.2 transitioning from the first cylindrical section 150.1 to a second cylindrical section 150.4 having a second diameter D2. A portion of the first cylindrical section 150.1 is threaded for receiving the collet nut 48. A cylindrical bore 154 extends from the breach end 156 of the barrel support 144 into the blind bore 150 and is configured to receive the barrel sleeve 42.
In operation, the collet 46 is placed into the blind bore 150 of the barrel support 144 until the gripping portion 62 abuts the first tapered section 150.2. The barrel sleeve 42 is inserted into the cylindrical bore 154 in the barrel support 144 and passes through the bore 66 in the collet 46 and extends out of the muzzle end 152 of the barrel support 144. The collet nut 48 is then threaded into the first cylindrical section 150.1 and tightened therein to secure the barrel sleeve 42 in the collet 46. As the collet nut 48 is tightened and engages the collet 46, the shoulder portion 64 is urged toward the first tapered section 150.2 thereby causing the inner diameter of the gripping portion 62 to reduce and grip the barrel sleeve 42 at a first clamping point. In this way, the tapered blind bore 150 fixedly secures the barrel sleeve 42 at one end of the collet 46 into the barrel support 144.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/381,475, filed on Oct. 28, 2022. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63381475 | Oct 2022 | US |
