The present disclosure relates generally to handguards, and more particularly, to functional handguards that reduce inaccuracy and are easily installed for the AR-15 style rifle.
Handguards are guards that are attached to the front of a firearm to provide for grip and protection. Individuals may find themselves grabbing a firearm's barrel when firing for stability. Said barrel can become extremely heated and cause burns on the user's hand. Guards eliminate this risk. Furthermore, guards can enable additional attachments to the firearm itself.
Handguards, however, are not perfect. Using handguards can cause an increase in firearm weight. By increasing the weight of the firearm, maneuvers can be hindered, disrupted, or in fact impossible. An increase in weight can also effect aiming precision. Furthermore, by nature, a handguard may alter the accuracy of the firearm.
Users will use the sights of a firearm to ensure firing accuracy. Sights typically involve a rear sight and forward sight that the user must align to be able to pinpoint a firing target location. The forward sight is typically mounted on the barrel of firearm while the rear sight is mounted on the upper receiver of the firearm. Ensuring that the sights are in proper alignment can be difficult. A user must make an assumption that the sights are in alignment but begin the process of adjusting and zeroing in the sights through use of the firearm. What is needed is a handguard system for installing on a firearm that automatically forces the barrel into the predetermined position so that the sights are automatically zeroed when the handguard is attached to the firearm.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The invention is directed toward a handguard assembly for a firearm comprising an upper component comprising a top portion connected to a first side wall and a second side wall; an internal cavity defined by said first side wall and said second side wall; wherein said first side wall has one or more tabs disposed at a bottom end; wherein said second side wall has one or more tabs disposed at a bottom end; a front opening; a rear opening; a lower component comprising a first side; a second side disposed adjacent to said first side; an opening along a length of said lower component defined by said first side and said second side; wherein said first side has one or more slots disposed in said first side; wherein said second side has one or more slots disposed in said second side; a front cap having a curved top side; a rear cap having a curved top side; wherein said one or more tabs of said first side wall of said upper component are removably disposed within said one or more slots of said first side of said lower component; wherein said one or more tabs of said second side wall of said upper component are removably disposed within said one or more slots of said second side of said lower component; wherein said upper component and said lower component position a barrel of said firearm into a position where said firearm is in a zero sights state.
In another embodiment said first side wall of said upper component and said first side of said lower component are joined at a non-perpendicular angle; and said second side wall of said upper component and said second side of said lower component are joined at a non-perpendicular angle.
In another embodiment a first distance between said one or more tabs on said first side wall of said upper component and said one or more tabs on said second side wall of said upper component is less than a second distance between said one or more slots in said first side of lower component and said one or more slots in said second side of said lower component. Said front cap and said rear cap may be disposed within an internal cavity of said lower component. Said front cap and said rear cap may be removably secured to said lower component with a plurality of screws.
A top front edge of said front opening of said upper component may be lower than a top rear edge of said rear opening of said upper component when said handguard assembly is attached to said firearm. Said top side of said front cap may be higher than said top side of said rear cap when said handguard assembly is attached to said firearm.
Still other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described the embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of the best modes suited to carry out the invention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious aspects all without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the drawing and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
Various exemplary embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, wherein like reference numerals refer to identical or similar components, with reference to the following figures, wherein:
The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced with or without any combination of these specific details, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention and the claims.
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When the tabs 110 of the upper component 100 are fit within the slots 210 of the lower component 200, the tabs 110 pull the sides of the lower component 200 inward, causing the lower component 200 to apply pressure to the front cap 300 and rear cap 400 and squeeze the barrel 24. The entire assembly thus becomes locked into optimal place where the sights are zeroed. In this embodiment the distance between the tabs 110 on the opposite sides of the upper component 100 is less than the distance of the slots 210 on the opposite sides of the lower component 200. In other embodiments this distance may be equal or greater than the distance of the slots 210 on the opposite sides of the lower component 200.
To utilize the invention, the user inserts the front cap 300 and rear cap 400 into the lower component 200. The user utilizes the screws 500 to secure the lower component 200 to the front cap 300 and the rear cap 400. In some embodiments the front cap 300 and rear cap 400 are part of the lower component 200 rather than separate components. In other embodiments the front cap 300 and rear cap 400 are already attached to the lower component 200. The user then positions the lower component 200 against the lower receiver and inserts the barrel 24 into the lower component 200. The user ensures that the front cap top side 310 and rear cap top side 410 engages the barrel 24. The user then places the upper component 100 over the gas tube 22. The user inserts the tabs 110 of the upper component 100 into the slots 210 of the lower component 200. At this point in time the sights are zeroed. The user can fire the firearm 20. The user can then ensure that the sights are zeroed by confirming the location of a hit on a target
Other embodiments are possible without varying from the core of the invention. For instance, the screws 500 may be any size and shape or may be replaced by other fastening members.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that many further combinations and permutations of such matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed in the order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art the order of steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intended to limit the order of the steps; these words are simply used to guide the reader through the description of the methods. Further, any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/805,071, filed on Feb. 13, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby fully incorporated by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20130276341 | Wells | Oct 2013 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20200256637 A1 | Aug 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62805071 | Feb 2019 | US |