The present invention generally relates to firearms and features thereof, and, in particular, to a mechanism for engaging and mounting a forward grip or hand guard to a firearm.
In many semiautomatic and/or fully automatic firearms driven by gas operating systems, the barrels of such firearms typically are surrounded by a hand guard or forward grip with the barrel generally mounted in a “free floating” arrangement out of contact with the hand guard. During use of the firearm, the hand guard or forward grip portion enables the operator to securely grip and support the firearm along the barrel portion thereof without coming into contact with the barrel, which can become extremely hot during the firing of the weapon. Additionally, the hand guard can provide for the mounting of rails, lights and other accessories along the firearm.
Typically, many firearm hand guards have been designed to be removable so as to enable access to the barrel and/or gas system of the firearm for purposes of cleaning and/or replacement of the barrel and/or gas system components of the firearm. Such removable hand guards often are fastened to the barrel nut and/or upper receiver of the firearm with bolts, clamps or other, similar fasteners. Since it generally is necessary that the hand guards be mounted in as tight and secure a mounting as possible, a series of fasteners or similar attachment mechanisms often are used to install conventional hand guards. However, such attachments can introduce difficulties in removing and/or tightly securing the hand guard to the upper receiver, especially in the field and often typically require that tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, etc., be readily available to the shooter for removing and/or tightly securing the hand guard. In addition, it is often necessary to remove the barrel nut and/or the entire barrel assembly to remove some hand guards for change-out or replacement of the hand guard.
Accordingly, a need exists for an attachment mechanism for attaching a hand guard or forward grip to a receiver of a firearm that addresses the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.
One aspect of the disclosure is the provision of a system or mechanism for installing a hand guard on a firearm, wherein the mechanism seeks to enable a simpler, more efficient mounting of the hand guard in a stable and secure arrangement over the barrel of the firearm. The hand guard installation mechanism may include a barrel nut for attachment of the barrel to or adjacent the upper receiver of the firearm. The barrel nut may be generally in the form of an open-ended cylinder or sleeve having a first or proximal end that mounts to the upper receiver, a second, distal end through which the barrel is received, and a shoulder section. The shoulder section may extend around a longitudinal axis of the barrel nut, be located intermediate the first and second ends, and will generally define a first interfacing surface face. The hand guard also can include a central passage having a cylindrical inner diameter that generally mates with a cylindrical outer diameter of the barrel nut, with the barrel extending therethrough. The barrel nut further can be formed with an outer diameter that generally matches most conventional hand guards.
A locking element of the installation mechanism can have a body with a conical or tapered section generally defining a second interfacing surface for engaging the first interfacing surface of the shoulder section of the barrel nut. The body of the locking element can further include a bore defined at least partially thereinto or therethrough. The locking element can be received in and mate with a hole in the hand guard, wherein the hole may be in the form of a slot, aperture, or any other suitably configured hole. The locking element can be drawn against the barrel nut using a fastener, whereby the tapered or conical section (e.g., second interfacing surface) of the locking element interfaces with the shoulder section (e.g., first interfacing surface) of the barrel nut. As the locking element is drawn against the barrel nut by its engagement with the fastener, the hand guard can be urged and/or tightened against the receiver of the firearm and/or the barrel nut, to thus secure the hand guard against the receiver and/or the barrel nut. The locking element accordingly can act as a wedge that applies a clamping force between the barrel nut and hand guard.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the hand guard can include a body having opposite proximal and distal ends, and a length extending from the proximal end to the distal end; a lengthwise passage extending along the length of the hand guard; and at least one crosswise passage extending through a portion of the body of the hand guard, wherein the crosswise passage extends crosswise to the length of the hand guard. The crosswise passage can have an opening at each of outer sides of the portion of the body of the hand guard for at least partially receiving at least one fastener assembly, and there can be an opening between the crosswise passage and the lengthwise passage for allowing the at least one fastener assembly to extend into the lengthwise passage for at least partially mounting the hand guard.
In accordance with one aspect of this disclosure, the portion of the body of the hand guard comprises a lower portion of the hand guard, and the lower portion of the hand guard can include a grooved, undulating or otherwise contoured outer surface that at least partially defines a plurality of finger grip protrusions and at least one finger grip recess between a pair of finger grip protrusions. A finger grip protrusion of the pair of finger grip protrusions can at least partially define the at least one crosswise passage.
The hand guard can be part of a hand guard attachment mechanism that further includes a barrel nut and at least one fastener assembly. The barrel nut can be configured for at least partially mounting a barrel to the receiver of a firearm. The at least one fastener assembly can be at least partially received in both the crosswise passage and the opening between the crosswise passage and the lengthwise passage. The at least one fastener assembly can include a tapered section that wedges between portions of the hand guard and the barrel nut for providing at least one mounting force between the hand guard and the barrel nut.
The at least one fastener assembly, hand guard and barrel nut also can be cooperatively configured so that the at least one mounting force comprises an axial mounting force and/or a radial mounting force between the hand guard and the barrel nut. The fastener draws the tapered section into a crosswise passage of the hand guard and at least into more forceful engagement with a shoulder of the barrel nut. The method can further include respectively introducing a locking element and a fastener into opposite openings of the crosswise passage of the hand guard. The axial mounting force also can be directed in a direction that extends along the longitudinal axis of the hand guard. The radial mounting force can be directed in a direction that extends crosswise to the length of the hand guard.
Various additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the disclosure may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the disclosure and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed.
Various features, advantages and aspects of the present invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Moreover, it will be understood that the accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various aspects, advantages and benefits of the present disclosure, and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that, according to common practice, various features of the drawings as discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale, and that dimensions of various features and elements of the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure.
Referring now to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, as shown in
As further illustrated in
As shown in
According to the first embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
As
As generally illustrated in
As further illustrated in
As further shown in
As generally illustrated in
With the hand guard 10 fitted over and thus supported on the barrel nut 30, the locking element 31 can be inserted into the mating recess 55 of the hand guard 10, while the fastener 32 will be inserted through a fastener bore 67 extending through the opposite outer side of the hand guard 10 as indicated in
The shank of the fastener 32 will be received within the central bore 60 of the locking element 31, and as the fastener 32 is tightened into farther engagement with the locking element 31, the locking element 31 will be drawn toward the fastener 32 and toward a position in engagement with the barrel nut 30. The fastener 32 can be tightened into farther engagement with the locking element 31 by causing relative rotation between the fastener and the locking element, or more specifically by rotating the fastener relative to the locking element. In response to the relative rotation, the threads 63, 66 cooperatively act to draw the locking element 31 and fastener 32 toward one another. However, the head 64 of the fastener defines a shoulder for engaging against a corresponding arresting shoulder 74 of the hand guard 10, for restricting or arresting travel of the fastener 32 farther into the crosswise passage 70. As a result, the locking element 31 can be drawn toward the fastener 32 and against the barrel nut 20.
As illustrated in
The locking element 31 accordingly acts as a wedge so as to provide a clamping force between the barrel nut 30 and the hand guard 10 so that the hand guard 10 is urged against the outer diameter OD1 or surface of the barrel nut 30 to secure the hand guard 10 in place. The interaction of the corresponding tapered or conical interacting surfaces of the barrel nut 30 and locking element 31 further can generate a directional force that helps locate and align the hand guard 10 as the hand guard 10 is secured and mounted against or proximate the upper receiver 11 of the firearm and along the barrel nut 30. The design of the interface between the locking element 31 and corresponding interfacing surfaces 47 of the barrel nut 30 can cause the hand guard 10 to be locked in a position relative to the receiver, with an asymmetrical geometry, while eliminating undesired degrees of freedom of movement of the hand guard 10, and further providing a directional force that draws the hand guard 10 against the barrel nut 30 in both a downward and rearward direction as torque is applied to the fastener 32.
In accordance with the first embodiment, the locking element 31 and the fastener 32 will comprise parts of a fastener assembly that can be at least partially positioned in each of the lengthwise passage 25, the crosswise passage 70 and the connector opening 76 between the crosswise passage and the lengthwise passage such that at least a portion of the fastener assembly is wedged between portions of the hand guard 10 and the barrel nut 30 for providing at least one mounting force between the hand guard and the barrel nut. Further, while the fastener assembly of the present embodiment is shown with the locking element 31 and the fastener 32 as described herein, the fastener assembly alternatively may include other fastener(s), locking element(s), wedge or inclined surface(s), and/or the like.
In the first embodiment, a method for mounting the hand guard 10 to at least the barrel nut 30 can comprise causing relative movement between the hand guard and the barrel nut so that the barrel nut is at least partially received in the lengthwise passage 25 of the hand guard, and then providing at least one mounting force between the hand guard and the barrel nut while the barrel nut is at least partially positioned in the lengthwise passage of the hand guard. The interfacing surfaces 47, 57 and/or other suitable surface(s) can be configured so that the hand guard attachment mechanism 5 provides the at least one mounting force between the hand guard 10 and the barrel nut 30, and the at least one mounting force includes both axial and radial mounting force components.
The at least one mounting force provided by the attachment mechanism 5 thus can be resolved or otherwise be theoretically divided into a pair of independent vectors or force components that extend at right angles to each other. One of the components of the pair of force components is an axial force component that extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis L so as to extend along the lengthwise passage 25 of the hand guard 10. In contrast, the other force component of the pair of force components is a radial force component that extends toward and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. The radial force component may be referred to as a substantially radial mounting force that can be for substantially radially forcing an inner surface of the hand guard 10 against an outer surface of the barrel nut 30 and/or radially forcing together any other suitable structures. The axial force component may be referred to as a substantially axial mounting force that can be for substantially axially forcing the rear end of the hand guard 10 against or proximate the front end of the upper receiver 11 and/or axially forcing together any other suitable structures. In one example, the rear end of the hand guard 10 is forced into opposing face-to-face contact with the front end of, or any other suitable portion of the upper receiver 11. In another example, the proximal end 36 of the barrel nut 30 can include a second shoulder, radially outwardly extending flange or any other suitable structure against which the rear end of the hand guard 10 is forced into opposing face-to-face contact by the axial force.
The hand guard installation mechanism 5 accordingly can provide a simplified attachment of a hand guard 10 to a firearm F, without requiring a direct connection of the hand guard 10 to the receiver and/or barrel nut 30. The hand guard installation mechanism 5 further may be operated with the use of a single locking element and single fastener, although additional locking elements and/or fasteners also can be used as needed or desired, thus providing a substantially single point of attachment that enables the hand guard 10 to be securely and efficiently mounted to the receiver of the firearm F in a secure, substantially rigid and aligned position abutting the forward end of the upper receiver 11; as well as enabling the simple and efficient disconnection of the hand guard 10 from the upper receiver 11 as needed, simply by removal of a single or minimal number of fasteners 32. The hand guard installation mechanism 5 further does not require removal of the barrel 12 or barrel nut 30 and/or use of special tools or operations for the disconnection and remounting of the hand guard 10 to the firearm.
The hand guard 100 of the embodiment of
As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
In addition, while the hand guards 10, 100, 200 are illustrated in the figures as generally having a substantially cylindrical construction and/or including an integrated Picatinny rail formed therealong, which rail can be aligned with and its rear or proximal end placed into mating contact with the forward or proximal end of a corresponding Picatinny mounting rail formed along or mounted to the upper receiver, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the hand guards can be formed in a variety of shapes or configurations. The hand guards further can include or have mounted thereto various different accessories or features, including multiple rails arranged at various locations about the body of the hand guard, and/or further can include a series of slots or vent openings to enable air to pass through the hand guard.
Numerous other variations are also within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the hand guard attachment mechanism may not include a barrel nut. In one example, rather than including any barrel nut, a structure that is in some ways similar to the barrel nut 30 may be formed as an integral part of the forward receiver 11, or the like. In one embodiment, the forward receiver 11 may include a substantially cylindrically shaped forward mounting section for mating with the inner diameter of the hand guard 10, and that cylindrically-shaped forward mounting section of the receiver may include a first shoulder like the shoulder 47 for interacting with the locking element 50. Such a receiver may include a secondary shoulder, radially outwardly extending flange or any other suitable structure adapted to function as a stop surface for arresting axial movement of the hand guard relative to the receiver during wedging of the locking element 50 against the first shoulder. Both the cylindrically-shaped forward mounting section of the receiver discussed immediately above and the barrel nut 30 may be generally referred to as mounting structure.
The foregoing description generally illustrates and describes various embodiments of the present invention. The examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, aspects, applications or modifications of the present disclosure. It will, therefore, be understood by those skilled in the art that while the present disclosure has been described in terms of exemplary aspects, the present disclosure can be practiced with various changes and modifications which can be made to the above-discussed construction of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed herein, and that it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall not to be taken in a limiting sense.
Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure shall be construed to cover various modifications, combinations, additions, alterations, etc., to the above-described embodiments, which shall be considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, various features and characteristics of the present invention as discussed herein may be selectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustrated embodiments of the invention, and numerous variations, modifications, and additions further can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/926,520 filed Jan. 13, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
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