The disclosure generally relates to a firearm and more particularly relates to firearm conversion sleeves of a firearm.
Cartridge inserts are used to allow a firearm owner to use different sized cartridges for similar caliber bullets with a particular firearm. The cartridge inserts are nonpermanent attachments to a firearm's barrel. Inserts can be used for rifles, shotguns, and pistols. The most common cartridge conversion inserts alter the length of the bullet cartridge used within the firearm. For example, a .32 automatic colt pistol bullet cartridge can be inserted into a .303 caliber insert. A .303 rifle can then fire the loaded .303 caliber insert. Problems with these types of cartridge inserts include the bullet not securely remaining inside the insert and the insert deforming over time. In addition, use of these conventional cartridge inserts causes an increased inefficiency when loading a firearm.
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and/or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. Elements and/or components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, depending on the context, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably and is not intended to be limiting.
The disclosure is related to firearms and to a firearm conversion sleeve used with a firearm and configured to adjust a firearm to allow use of similar caliber bullets within different cartridges. For example, a firearm conversion sleeve may be configured to be slidably inserted into a firearm barrel to shoot .300 WINCHESTER MAGNUM cartridges. That is, the barrel of a particular firearm may be configured to receive a firearm conversion sleeve and a user may insert a firearm conversion sleeve to use a particular projectile that the firearm may not have been originally adapted to use within the receiver of the barrel. Methods of installing and using the firearm conversion sleeve are also disclosed. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may be a quick attachment/detachment sleeve. For example, in certain embodiments, the firearm conversion sleeve may not require tools to attach the firearm conversion sleeve to the firearm. That is, a user may attach the firearm conversion sleeve by hand without the use of tools (i.e., toollessly). In other instances, a spanner wrench or other tool may be used to remove the firearm conversion sleeve from the barrel of the firearm. In this manner, once the firearm conversion sleeve is removed, the firearm barrel breech face may be exposed and accessible to a user. To attached the firearm conversion sleeve to the barrel of the firearm, the user may slide the firearm conversion sleeve within a slot of the barrel, twist the firearm conversion sleeve to lock it into place within the barrel, and the firearm may then receive a particular cartridge. One benefit of a nonpermanent insert is the continuous use of a firearm with different cartridges without degradation of the insert or the extra hassle of loading a cartridge insert with each shot.
The firearm configured to receive a firearm conversion sleeve may be any conventional firearm. For example, the firearm may be a .300 WINCHESTER MAGNUM rifle, a WINCHESTER Short MAGNUM bolt-action rifle, a 30-30 WINCHESTER rifle, a .308 WINCHESTER rifle, a .225 WINCHESTER rifle, a .222 REMINGTON rifle, or a .220 SWIFT rifle, among others. In some instances, the firearm may be a break-action, hinged-block, bolt-action, lever release, or rotating-drum action firearm, among others. In certain embodiments, the firearm conversion sleeve may be configured to be attached to a firearm's barrel. The firearm conversion sleeve may allow a firearm user to continuously load and fire a similar sized caliber bullet with a different sized cartridge in a firearm. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may not swell after consistent and/or continuous discharge of the firearm. The firearm conversion sleeve may improve firearm loading efficiency over other types of cartridge converters.
Generally speaking, the firearm conversion sleeve may include a hollow cylindrical tube that can be attached to the breechface of a firearm's barrel. The hollow cylindrical tube may be open on the front end and open on the back end of the tube. That is, the hollow cylindrical tube may include an elongated bore extending through the length of the tube. The inner surface of the firearm conversion sleeve, forming the bore, that extends throughout the firearm conversion sleeve may be of different textures. For example, the inner surface of the bore may be smooth. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may be rifled. The firearm conversion sleeve may have a textured outer surface on a collar disposed on one end of the firearm conversion sleeve for hand-tightening and removal of the firearm conversion sleeve. The textured outer surface may be knurled, ribbed, or lathed in another fashion. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may have a textured outer surface that extends above the rest of the hollow cylindrical tube. For example, an aft end of the firearm conversion sleeve may include a collar having an outer diameter greater than the outer main body of the firearm conversion sleeve. In some instances, the outer circumferential surface of the collar may include the textured outer surface. The textured outer surface may provide a means for extracting the bullet cartridge. In certain instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may have a series of indentions on the collar capable of accepting prongs from a tool. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may have a threaded surface to prevent slip within the firearm's barrel by using friction. The firearm conversion sleeve may have a means for adjusting the size of a cartridge that a firearm's barrel can receive. For example, the bore extending through the main body and the collar may be of varying diameters. In certain embodiments, the hollow cylindrical tube may taper on one end. The firearm conversion sleeve may include one or more alloys to prevent swelling of the firearm conversion sleeve within the firearm barrel.
In certain embodiments, the firearm conversion sleeve may include a main body that can include a distal end, a body portion, and a proximate end. That is, the firearm conversion sleeve may be a single, continuous piece of material (e.g., a main body) configured to be inserted into a firearm barrel. In this manner, the main body may extend from a distal end to a proximate end. The body portion may extend between the distal end and the proximate end. In some instances, firearm barrels may be configured to first receive the distal end of the firearm conversion sleeve. In other instances, firearm barrels may be configured to first receive the proximate end of the firearm conversion sleeve. In yet other instances, firearm barrels may be configured to receive either the proximate end or the distal end of the firearm conversion sleeve. In each embodiment, the firearm barrel may have an inner wall, at least a portion of which complements the size and/or shape of at least a portion of the firearm conversion sleeve. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may taper at one end. In other instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may be flat at one or more ends.
In certain embodiments, the firearm conversion sleeve may include a threaded outer surface configured to threadably engage a firearm barrel. For example, the firearm conversion sleeve may include a threaded outer surface on the proximate end of and covering a portion of the main body. The firearm barrel may include a complementary threaded inner surface configured to threadably engage the threaded outer surface on the firearm conversion sleeve. For example, a breechface end of the firearm barrel may include a slot with a threaded inner surface at an end of the slot opposite the breechface. The threaded inner surface of the slot may threadably engage the threaded outer surface of the firearm conversion sleeve to secure the firearm conversion sleeve to the barrel. The threading disposed on the slot and the firearm conversion sleeve may be fine or coarse thread and can be any of a variety of thread pitches or counts. In some instances, the threaded outer surface of the firearm conversion sleeve may be on the distal end and cover a portion of the main body of the firearm conversion sleeve. In other instances, the threaded surface may be on the proximate end or body portion of the firearm conversion sleeve. In other examples, the threaded outer surface may extend the length of the main body of the firearm conversion sleeve or may extend any other length along the firearm conversion sleeve. In certain embodiments, the firearm conversion sleeve and the slot may have another means to engage and be coupled to each other, such as a ball and detent, friction fit, tab, or other fastener. The threaded outer surface may accept single thread, double thread, or triple thread design. Furthermore, the barrel's threaded inner surface may accept unified, metric, square, ACME, or buttress threading forms, among others.
In certain embodiments, the firearm conversion sleeve may include a lip disposed along the main body. In some instances, the lip may be formed by a collar disposed on one end of the firearm conversion sleeve. For example, the collar may extend perpendicularly and/or radially away from the body portion of the firearm conversion sleeve. In some instances, the collar may extend radially outward from the body portion of the firearm conversion sleeve at any angle between 1-179 degrees. In this manner, the lip may prevent the firearm conversion sleeve from sliding within the firearm barrel. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may include two or more lips. For example, the firearm conversion sleeve may include a radially inwardly recessed surface or depression along the body portion to form a second lip. In other instances, the firearm conversion sleeve may not include a lip.
In certain embodiments, the firearm conversion sleeve may be cylindrical or substantially cylindrical. That is, the distal end, the body portion, the proximate portion, and each component described herein may be cylindrical or substantially cylindrical. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve and the components thereof may all have similar cross-sectional shapes, such as circles, rectangles, squares, or triangles. In other instances, the firearm conversion sleeve and the components thereof may all have different cross-sectional shapes, such as circles, rectangles, squares, or triangles.
In certain embodiments, the firearm conversion sleeve may include a collar. For example, the collar may be defined by a surface extending generally radially outward from the firearm conversion sleeve and/or protrude from the breechface of the firearm barrel when the firearm conversion sleeve is engaged with or coupled to the barrel. In other instances, the outer surface of the collar may be flush with the outer surface of the body portion of the firearm conversion sleeve. The collar may be cylindrical. In other instances, the outer surface of the collar may be some other shape, such as triangular, rectangular, oval, or some other geometric shape. In certain embodiments, the collar of the firearm conversion sleeve may include a textured outer surface configured to help a user tighten the firearm conversion sleeve to a firearm barrel. In some instances, the textured outer surface of the collar may be a knurled surface. In other instances, the textured outer surface of the collar may be scratched, smooth, include a series of ridges, or some other texture thereon.
In certain embodiments, the collar of the firearm conversion sleeve may include at least one notch. That is, the at least one notch may be disposed and/or etched into the collar. In some instances, the notch may be configured to receive an extractor to remove a spent cartridge from within the firearm conversion sleeve. In another example, the firearm conversion sleeve may include two notches configured to receive a spanner wrench or other tool. In this manner, the at least one notch may improve the user's ability to attach and/or remove the firearm conversion sleeve from the firearm barrel. In other instances, the at least one notch may improve the user's ability to insert and/or remove cartridges from within the firearm conversion sleeve. In some instances, each of the at least one notch may be circular. In other instances, each notch may be another shape such as rectangular, triangular, hexagonal or some other geometric shape. The at least one notch may be configured to receive one or more tools such as a crescent wrench, a flathead screwdriver, or some other tool.
In certain embodiments, the collar of the firearm conversion sleeve may include one or more indentions. For example, the one or more indentions may be disposed and/or etched into the collar. In some instances, the indention may be configured to receive an extractor. In this manner, the one or more indentions may improve the user's ability to attach and/or remove the firearm conversion sleeve from the firearm barrel. In some instances, each of the one or more indentions may be semi-circular. In other instances, each of the one or more indentions may be rectangular, triangular, square, or some other geometric shape. The one or more indentions may be configured to receive one or more tools such as a spanner wrench, crescent wrench, flathead screwdriver, or some other tool.
In certain embodiments, a firearm conversion assembly includes a firearm barrel. For example, the firearm barrel may be disposed on one end of the firearm with a breechface end, a muzzle end, and a slot. In some instances, the slot may include a threaded inner surface configured to engage a threaded outer surface of the firearm conversion sleeve. In this manner, the slot may have an opening with a larger diameter than the diameter of a bore extending the length of the firearm barrel. In other instances, the slot may be a smooth inner surface rather than threaded inner surface. In certain embodiments, the slot may extend from the breechface end of the firearm barrel towards the muzzle end. In some instances, the threaded inner surface of the slot may be on the breechface end of the slot. In other instances, the threaded inner surface may be opposite the breechface end of the slot. The slot may or may not include a taper at one end.
In some embodiments, the firearm conversion sleeve 100 may configured to receive a cartridge for a .300 WINCHESTER MAGNUM rifle (e.g.,
In some embodiments, as shown in
The firearm conversion sleeve 100 may be constructed from any suitable material or combination of materials. The firearm conversion sleeve 100 may be made from one or more alloys, including, but not limited to, steel, bronze, copper, tin, brass, or zinc, among others. The conversion sleeve 100 may be any suitable material or combination of materials.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In certain embodiments, a threaded outer surface 210 may be provided along the outer wall surface of the main body 202 adjacent to the proximate end 208. The threaded outer surface 210 may be configured to threadably engage with another threaded surface within a firearm barrel slot, discussed herein. In other embodiments, the threaded outer surface 210 may be disposed along any portion of the main body 202 of the firearm conversion sleeve 200. The threading of the threaded outer surface 210 may be fine or coarse thread and can be any of a variety of thread pitches or counts. The threaded outer surface 210 may accept single thread, double thread, or triple thread design.
In some embodiments, as shown in
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In some embodiments, the textured outer surface 318 may be configured to provide grip to a user. The textured outer surface 318 may be smooth, knurled, ribbed, or lathed in another fashion. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve 300 may have a textured outer surface that extends above the rest of the hollow cylindrical tube. In other instances, the firearm conversion sleeve 300 may have a textured outer surface 318 that is level with the body portion 306. Adjacent to the proximate end 308 may be a threaded outer surface 310 configured to engage with another threaded surface within a firearm barrel slot, discussed herein. The threaded outer surface 310 may be disposed along any portion of the main body 302 of the firearm conversion sleeve 300. The threading of the threaded outer surface 310 may be fine or coarse thread and can be any of a variety of thread pitches or counts. The threaded outer surface 310 may accept single thread, double thread, or triple thread design.
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In some embodiments, the textured outer surface 418 may be configured to provide grip to a user. The textured outer surface 418 may be smooth, knurled, ribbed, or lathed in another fashion. In some instances, the firearm conversion sleeve 400 may have a textured surface that extends above the rest of the hollow cylindrical tube. In other instances, the firearm conversion sleeve 400 may have a textured outer surface 418 that is level with the body portion 406. Adjacent to the proximate end 408 may be a threaded outer surface 410 configured to engage with another threaded surface within a firearm barrel slot, discussed herein. The threaded outer surface 410 may be disposed along any portion of the main body 402 of the firearm conversion sleeve 400. The threading of the threaded outer surface 410 may be fine or coarse thread and can be any of a variety of thread pitches or counts. The threaded outer surface 410 may accept single thread, double thread, or triple thread design.
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Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality described with respect to a particular device or component may be performed by another device or component. Further, while specific device characteristics have been described, embodiments of the disclosure may relate to numerous other device characteristics. Further, although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments may not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments.
The disclosure claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/565,613, filed Sep. 29, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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329793 | Wheeler | Nov 1885 | A |
3640013 | Franklin | Feb 1972 | A |
5479737 | Osborne | Jan 1996 | A |
9459071 | Hendricks | Oct 2016 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2249304 | May 1975 | FR |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20190101349 A1 | Apr 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62565613 | Sep 2017 | US |