METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FIREARM RECOIL CONTROL

Abstract

This invention helps the user of a firearm to better control recoil of the firearm. This is achieved by utilizing the transfer of force from the user's thumb that is usually at a random point on the firearm to the end of the barrel where the counteractive force is needed. This invention provides superior ergonomics to allow the user's thumb to be in its most natural position while still allowing maximum control. There is stippling on the thumb engagement interface to allow for better grip from the thumb to the device. There is an integrated and highly engineered lattice structure that is integrated in the device. This allows for the weight of the product to be greatly reduced. This means that the user will not get fatigued while using this device due to its extremely light weight.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to firearms, including accessories, sport shooting, hunting, security, safety, and marksmanship.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A common topic among avid firearm users concerns a common issue regarding the recoil control of a pistol. Some people have talked about how using any techniques and devices (“other means”) available to them did not feel natural, requiring them to place their thumb on or squeeze the thumb towards a pistol barrel to control recoil. In other words, a contortion of the thumb was required by other means to achieve better recoil control; making said other means non-ergonomic. An ergonomic technique or device for recoil control has been needed since firearm use began centuries ago, particularly pistols. For recoil control, a second hand (“control hand”) is needed for control, while the trigger hand is used for firing. Typically, the firing hand is the dominant right hand for right-handed people leaving the left hand for controlling recoil. For left-handed people, the hand roles are reversed.

Recoil (also called knockback, kickback, or kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a pistol is discharged. The recoil of a firearm is a result of the conservation of momentum. According to Newton's third law, the force required to accelerate something will evoke an equal but opposite reactional force, which means the forward momentum gained by the projectile and exhaust gases (ejecta) is mathematically balanced out by an equal and opposite momentum exerted back upon the pistol. In handheld small arms, the recoil momentum is eventually transferred to the ground through the shooter's body, resulting in a noticeable impulse commonly referred to as a “kick.”

A goal for pistol shooting is to skillfully control a pistol through the entirety of its recoil cycle in order to: (1) Recapture the front sight picture as smoothly and quickly as possible; and then (2) return the pistol to its correct (handheld) firing position in order to repeat the same accurate shot consistently, with as little lost time and accuracy and additional conscious effort as possible.

Many pistol shooters have trained themselves in some way to successfully handle a pistol while, at the same time, forcing themselves to hit the target by using either a difficult or a stressful and ultimately more physically injurious pistol-handling technique.

Many pistol competitors win shooting matches with an index finger incorrectly placed upon the front of the trigger guard for lack of a better technique or accessory.

The act of recoil control is important in self-defense as well as competitions. More specifically, there has been a need for an ergonomic solution for thumb placement of the control hand while allowing slight downward pressure with that same thumb. This technique helps the user control recoil while not hindering the ability to utilize the rest of the control hand's grip strength. If there is no to minimal recoil, then a user can get proceeding shots off faster while staying on target with little to no adjustment.

The nature of the recoil process is determined by the force of the expanding gases in the barrel upon the pistol (recoil force), which is equal and opposite to the force upon the ejecta. It is also determined by the counter-recoil force applied to the pistol (e.g., an operator's). The recoil force only acts when the ejecta are still in the barrel of the pistol. The counter-recoil force is generally applied over a longer time period. It adds forward momentum to the pistol equal to the backward momentum supplied by the recoil force in order to bring the pistol to a halt. There are two special cases of counter-recoil force: Free-recoil, in which the time duration of the counter-recoil force is very much larger than the duration of the recoil force, and zero-recoil, in which the counter-recoil force matches the recoil force in magnitude and duration. Except for the case of zero-recoil, the counter-recoil force is smaller than the recoil force but lasts for a longer time. Since the recoil force and the counter-recoil force are not matched, the pistol will move rearward, slowing down until it comes to rest.

Employing zero-recoil systems is often neither practical nor safe for the structure of the pistol. In many cases, a pistol is very close to a free-recoil condition since the recoil process generally lasts much longer than the time needed to move the ejecta down the barrel. The recoil momentum must be absorbed directly through the small distance of elastic deformation of the materials the pistol is made from and a spent shell ejection mechanism. The remaining momentum is absorbed by the shooter's fingers, hands, arms, and body.

For small arms, how the shooter perceives the recoil, or kick, can significantly impact the shooter's experience and performance. For example, a pistol with a high recoil momentum may be approached with trepidation, and the shooter may anticipate the recoil and flinch as the shot is released. This trepidation has led shooters to jerk the trigger rather than pull it smoothly, and the jerking motion is almost certain to disturb the alignment of the pistol and may result in a miss.

The shooters have been physically injured by firing a weapon generating recoil over what the body can safely absorb or restrain; perhaps getting hit in the forehead by a hand pistol as the elbow bends under the force or soft tissue damage to the wrist and hand, and these results vary for individuals. In addition, excessive recoil can create serious range safety concerns if the shooter cannot adequately restrain the firearm in a down-range direction.

In order to solve the problems with recoil, a mechanism of the invention is attached to the firearm using a rail. Many rail types have been used for attaching accessories to a firearm. The Picatinny rail, or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. An updated rail version is adopted as a NATO standard as the STANAG 4694 NATO Accessory Rail.

Muzzle devices can reduce the recoil impulse by altering the pattern of gas expansion. For instance, muzzle brakes primarily work by diverting some of the gas ejecta towards the sides, increasing the lateral blast intensity (hence louder to the sides) but reducing the thrust from the forward-projection (thus less recoil). Similarly, recoil compensators divert the gas ejecta mostly upwards to counteract the muzzle rise. However, suppressors work on a different principle, not by vectoring the gas expansion laterally but instead by modulating the forward speed of the gas expansion. By using internal baffles, the gas is made to travel through a convoluted path before eventually being released outside at the front of the suppressor, thus dissipating its energy over a larger area and a longer time. This technique reduces both the intensity of the blast (thus lower loudness) and the recoil generated (as for the same impulse, force is inversely proportional to time). Pistol recoil reduction devices and modifications include: A recoil buffer system, tungsten guide rod, bull barrel, front/rear slide cuts, heavy frame, and ported barrel have varying reduction effects and are expensive and, at most, only 20% effective. The remaining 80% of grip technique effectiveness has remained unsolved until this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Some or all of the above insights, needs, problems, and limitations may be addressed by at least the summary of various aspects of the invention as described as follows:

The invention comprises a method and apparatus of a mechanized process for firearm recoil control.

Said mechanized process and mechanism include an ergonomic fixture and technique for comfortable, effective recoil control. The ergonomic fixture comprises a curved thumb rest and the ergonomic technique for managing and securing recoil control. The curved thumb rest is engaged by pressing the thumb of the recoil control hand while the firing hand remains in a firing position with the forefinger of the firing hand proximal to the trigger of the firearm.

In one embodiment of the invention, the ergonomic fixture is attached to the pistol barrel of the firearm.

In another embodiment of the invention, the ergonomic fixture is molded/machined to fit into the lower mounting track or rail of the firearm. The lower receiver group (lower) encompasses the pistol grip, magazine well, and the fire control group. Traditionally this part is either molded (polymer and composite) or machined (aluminum and steel).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the ergonomic fixture attaches to a pistol rail.

In one embodiment of the invention, an elongated tab of the ergonomic fixture is approximately 26.41 mm in length, extending rearward from the mounting base of the ergonomic fixture toward the thumb of the control hand. Other lengths greater than or lesser than the 26.41 mm length further comprises the ergonomic fixture variations to match the rail mounting position to the hand size of the user. The user sets the rail position of the ergonomic fixture to align the elongated tab location to match the hand size of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a left side view of an exemplary pistol shown with a recoil limiting mechanism of the invention mounted on the pistol's rail.

FIG. 1B is left side view of the exemplary pistol shown with the recoil limiting mechanism engaged by a thumb of the control hand of a shooter or user.

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of an exemplary Picatinny rail used to mount the recoil limiting mechanism of the invention.

FIG. 1D is a right side view of an exemplary pistol with an exemplary Picatinny rail 121 mounted.

FIG. 2A-2E are various views and orientations of the recoil limiting mechanism.

FIG. 3A-3D are various views and orientations of the recoil limiting mechanism with including various contours and dimensions detailed.

FIG. 4A-4E are supplementary views and orientations of the recoil limiting mechanism with including various contours and dimensions detailed.

FIG. 5A—identifies various parameters and locations needed to comprehend and calculate the moment of inertia and the muzzle-flip angle.

FIG. 5B is a left side view of a pistol barrel, slide, and spring.

FIG. 5C is a perspective view of a magazine for holding bullets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Example embodiments of the invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying and incorporated by reference (cross-referenced) drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown.

Like identified numbers refer to like elements throughout this document. The use of asterisks herein is indicative of multiplication operations unless otherwise noted.

It should be noted that, as used in this specification, the singular forms “a” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The use of the term “slot” herein applies to any cutout or opening that is non-circular and generally has an elongated opening that is greater in length than the transverse width of the opening.

The recoil of a firearm, whether large or small, is a result of the law of conservation of momentum. Neglecting the momentum of the gases ejected from the barrel immediately after firing, the conservation of momentum requires that the total vector momentum of the firearm and projectile remains zero. A firearm and its projectile may both be at rest and certainly have zero relative velocity before firing, so their total momentum is zero.

With reference to FIGS. 1A, 5B, and 5C, an exemplary pistol 100 is shown with a recoil limiting mechanism 101 attached. Mechanism 101 is attached with a bolt or screw 109 to pistol frame assembly 118. The firearm or pistol 100 has two primary assemblies; frame 118 and slide assembly 108. The slide assembly 108 includes the slide housing 521 for the barrel, guide rod, extractor, and firing pin with front sight 107 and rear sight 106 mounted on top. The slide assembly 108 contains a spring 522 (shown in FIG. 5B). The frame assembly 118 includes a trigger 104 and a handle grip 105. The frame assembly 118 includes a barrel 520 (shown in FIG. 5B). A magazine 5C optionally contains a multiplicity of projectiles or bullets 501 and is normally present within a cavity of the handle 105.

With reference to FIG. 1A, the attached recoil limiting mechanism 101 has a side lattice hole structure 115 and a thumb engagement interface 102. There is stippling on the thumb engagement interface 102 to allow for better grip from the thumb to the device. Mechanism 101 is attached to a male Picatinny rail 103.

With reference to FIG. 1B, the pistol is shown augmented with recoil control using non-firing hand 113 with thumb 111 engaging the interface 102 with extended thumb 112. There is stippling on the thumb engagement interface 102 to allow for better grip from the thumb to the device.

With reference to FIG. 1C, an exemplary Picatinny rail 121 is shown.

With reference to FIG. 1D, a right-side view of an exemplary pistol or firearm 130 is shown with Picatinny rail 122 attached.

With reference to FIGS. 2A-2E, various views 200 of the recoil control mechanism 101 are shown.

With reference to FIG. 2A, a female attaching structure 201 is shown for attachment of recoil control mechanism 101 to a Picatinny rail mounted below the barrel 520 of firearm 100.

With reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2D, a top lattice hole structure 215 for decreasing the weight of recoil control mechanism 101, is shown.

With reference to FIGS. 2A-2E, The holes 115 and 215 become a 3-D lattice structure when they intertwine and intersect. In other words, it takes both the top and side “holes” to make the lattice structure.

With reference to FIG. 2C, bolt hole 203 is shown. A bolt is placed here to fasten the recoil control mechanism 101 to the Picatinny rail 121.

With reference to FIG. 2D, a nut retaining hole 202 is shown. A nut is placed hereto retain the extended bolt to fasten the recoil control mechanism 101 to the Picatinny rail 121.

With reference to FIG. 3A-3D, various detailed and dimensioned views 300 of the recoil control mechanism 101 are shown.

With reference to FIG. 3A, outside curvature angle 301 determines the angle for thumb engagement interface. Outside angle to curvature 302 is the angle from the barrel end to which outside curvature starts.

With reference to FIG. 3B, bottom curvature angle 303 is the curvature angle of the bottom thumb engagement interface. Base length 304 is the fixed length of the base. The arm length 305 is the variable length of arm, based on the user hand size. Width—309 is the overall width of recoil control mechanism 101.

With reference to FIG. 3C, the base width 307 is the fixed height of the base. Arm height 308 is the height of the arm from the base.

With reference to FIG. 3D, is the inside curvature angle 306 is the inside curvature angle for the thumb engagement interface.

With reference to FIGS. 4A-4E, various detailed and dimensioned views 400 of the recoil control mechanism 101 are shown.

With reference to FIG. 4A, bottom curvature width 401 is the width of the bottom thumb engagement interface curvature. Top curvature width 402 is the width of the top thumb engagement interface curvature. Curvature height 403 is the height of the thumb engagement interface curvature.

With reference to FIG. 4B, bottom radius of curvature 404 is the radius of the bottom of thumb engagement interface. Top radius of curvature 405 is the radius of the top of the thumb engagement interface.

With reference to FIG. 4C, arm width 412 is the distance from side of the firearm to the outer most surface of recoil control mechanism 101.

With reference to FIG. 4D, inside angle to curvature 406 is the angle from the barrel to which the inside curvature starts. Inside curvature angle 407 is the inside curvature angle for the thumb engagement interface.

With reference to FIG. 4E, the lattice structure 408 is the height of lattice structure holes. The lattice structure 409 is the width of lattice structure holes. Horizontal lattice distance 410 is the horizontal lattice structure spacing. Vertical lattice distance 411 is the vertical lattice structure spacing.

With reference to FIG. 5A, hands/thumbs are not shown to simplify the illustration. The dynamics of firing and recoil 500 are illustrated. The recoil torque and resulting angular displacement theta (θ), 504 called “muzzle flip,” are indicated as part of the firing dynamic 500. The initial firing angle indicated by axis 531 is shown to be approximately zero degrees from horizontal before the firing associated muzzle flip. The recoil angle associated with the muzzle flip a short time after firing is θ, 504, with a rotating from axis 531 to axis 532.

The chambered bullet 501 is fired by pressing the trigger 104 by the firing hand. Upon firing, the ignition of the propellant, for example, gunpowder, within the bullet's casing produces a high-pressure gas that propels the projectile (“round”) 502 into and accelerates through the barrel cavity at a distance, L″—523. As round 502 exits the barrel, the exit speed is called its muzzle velocity, v_p. The exiting round 502 is followed by an explosive gas or plumb 508 with velocity v₀. The ejected gas 508 has an effective exit velocity v_e=αv₀, where alpha (α) is between 1.25 and 1.75 (dependent primarily upon the type of propellant used), and V₀ is the muzzle velocity. The total or effective momentum p_e of the propellant and projectile or round 502 is determined by:

$P_e=m_p{V}_0+m_g\alpha V_0$

Where: m_p is the projectile 502 mass, and m_g is the mass of the propellant charge, approximately equal to the mass of the ejected gas, 508.

With reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the slide assembly 108 has an overall length L′, 503. The length L, 513, extends from the rear end of bullet 501 to the barrel 520 exit 535 along axis 531. The length L″, 523, extends from the rear of round 502 within bullet 501 before firing to the front of round 502 as it clears the barrel 520 after firing.

With reference to FIGS. 1A and 5A, the center of mass (centroid) of the pistol 100 varies based on a variety of factors, including the mass distribution of the pistol itself, loading, and the presence of a magazine with varying numbers of bullets held and one chambered and loaded. The recoil angle associated with muzzle flip is θ, 504 is also a function of the mass of round 502 and propellent of bullet 501.

Exemplary firearm 100 centroids are shown in FIG. 5A at X1—505, X2—506, and X3—507 horizontally located at distances LX1—514, LX2—515, and LX3—516 from the barrel 520 exit 535. Vertical locations of centroids 505, 506, and 507 are at associated heights h1, h2, and h3, respectively. These horizontal and vertical distances are used in calculations assigned to the following scenarios: one chambered bullet 501 and an empty magazine 510, one chambered bullet 501 with one bullet in the magazine 510, and one chambered bullet 501 and a fully loaded magazine 510.

Recoil Momentum:

p _f +p _p=0, where p_f is the momentum of the firearm 100 and

• • p_p is the momentum of projectile 502.

So, immediately after firing, the momentum of firearm 100 is equal and opposite to the momentum of the projectile 502.

• • Since the momentum of a body is defined as its mass multiplied by its velocity, we can rewrite the above equation as:

m _f v _f +m _p v _f=0, where m_f is the mass of the firearm 100

• • v_f is the velocity of the firearm 100 just after firing
    • m_p is the mass of projectile 502
    • v_p is the velocity of projectile 502 just after firing

A force integrated over time is the momentum supplied by that force. The counter-recoil force must supply enough momentum to the firearm 100 to bring it to a halt.

Therefore:

${\int }_0^{\mathrm{tr}}{F}_r\left(t\right)dt=m_f·v_f\left(t\right)=-m_p·v_p\left(t\right)$

• • where F_r(t)=is the recoil force as a function of time (t)
  • t_r=the recoil force duration
  • As projectile 502 accelerates down the barrel 520, the velocity v_p(t) varies due to the projectile 502 acceleration as v_p(t)=α(t)·t. Also, as the projectile 502 accelerates down the barrel 520, the firearm 100 velocity v_f (t) varies due to various factors, including the firearm 100 recoil.

Angular Momentum:

The recoil force on the firearm 100 may not only force the pistol backward relative to the projectile 502 but may also cause rotation about the center of mass of the firearm and (in part) the hand or hands holding it. F_r(t) is the recoil force on the firearm 100 due to the expanding gases, equal and opposite to the force on the projectile, F_p(t).

$\tau =I\frac{d^2\theta }{{\mathrm{dt}}^2}=\mathrm{hF}\left(t\right)$

I is the moment of inertia of the firearm 100 about its pivot point or centroid, and θ is the angle of rotation of the barrel axis 532 “up” from its firing axis 531 orientation (the aim angle). The moment of inertia, or “rotational inertia,” of a rigid body is a quantity that determines the torque needed for a desired angular acceleration about a rotational axis.The angular momentum of the firearm 100 is found by integrating:

$I\frac{d\theta }{\mathrm{dt}}=h{\int }_0^{t}F\left(t\right)\mathrm{dt}={\mathrm{hm}}_f{V}_f\left(t\right)={\mathrm{hm}}_p{V}_p\left(t\right)$

The angular momentum is based on the equality of the momenta of the firearm 100 and projectile/round 502.

Where: h is the perpendicular distance or height of the center of mass of the pistol below the barrel center line. Three exemplary heights, h1 at X1 505, h2 at X2 506, and h3 at X3 507, are shown in FIG. 5A.

And: dθ/dt is the instantaneous angular velocity of axis 532 in radians per second. The angular rotation displacement θ, 504 of the firearm 100 as the projectile 502 exits the barrel 520 at exit 535 is then found by integrating again:

$I{\theta }_f=h{\int }_0^{t_f}{m}_p{V}_p\mathrm{dt}=2{\mathrm{hm}}_{p}L$

Where:

• • t_f is the time of travel of the projectile 502 in the barrel 520 (because of the acceleration α=2x/t² the time is longer than L/V_p in other words; the projectile 502 is stall accelerating as it leaves the barrel 520),

So:

• • t_f=2L/V_p, and L 513 is the distance the projectile 502 travels from its firing position to the tip of the barrel 535.
  • F=ma, force equals mass time acceleration, so m_p×a_p=m_f×a_f

I=BAM·m_f(L/2)²−m_fh2

• • Where: I=moment of inertial from barrel exit 535 to the centroid of the firearm 100.

Note: BAM is the barrel assembly mass factor relative to the firearm 100 mass. In one exemplary embodiment, the BAM factor could approximate 0.5 or 50% of the firearm weight, depending on the magazine loading.

The angle θ_f 504 at which the muzzle flips above the aim angle at axis 531 is then given by:

${\theta }_f=\frac{2{\mathrm{hm}}_{p}L}{I}$

The projectile 502 leaves barrel 520 as the muzzle rise begins. So, the ejected gas 508 is included as the projectile (m_p) leaves the pistol barrel since it blocks the expanding gas generated by the propellant combustion behind the projectile. The forward vector of this blast creates a jet propulsion effect that exerts a force upon the barrel and creates an additional momentum in addition to the backward momentum generated by the projectile before it exits the firearm at 535. The overall recoil applied to the firearm 100 is equal and opposite to the projectile's total forward momentum and the ejected gas. Likewise, the ejected gas 508 affects the recoil energy given to the firearm 100. By conservation of mass, the mass of the ejected gas 508 will be equal to the original mass of the propellant (assuming complete burning).

Claims

1. An apparatus for a firearm to control recoil and muzzle flip comprising: an ergonomic fixture and technique for managing recoil control: the firearm is comprised of a pistol;the ergonomic fixture comprises a curved thumb rest;the ergonomic fixture comprises an elongated tab;the ergonomic fixture is attached to a pistol barrel of a firearm; andthe technique for managing recoil control comprising: engaging the curved thumb rest by a thumb of the recoil control hand while a firing hand remains in a firing position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprises a mechanism for managing and securing pistol recoil control: the mechanism comprises a control means for comfortable recoil control and effective recoil control based on a size, curvature, and location of the elongated tab of the ergonomic fixture: an elongated tab location of the ergonomic fixture is approximately 26.41 mm in length, extending rearward from the mounting base of the ergonomic fixture toward the thumb of the control hand;a user sets the rail position of the ergonomic fixture to align the elongated tab location to match the hand size of the user.

3. The ergonomic fixture of claim 1 wherein the ergonomic fixture is comprised of a 3-D lattice structure with both the top and side “holes” intertwined and intersected making the 3-D lattice structure that decreases weight while maintaining strength of the fixture.

4. A mechanized process and method for recoil control of a pistol comprising: Mounting an ergonomic fixture to a pistol rail;aligning an elongated tab of the ergonomic fixture with respect to an extended thumb and hand size of a user to an aligned location on the pistol rail;securing the ergonomic fixture to the pistol rail at the aligned location;gripping the handle grip of the pistol by a firing hand of the user;placing a control hand by the user on the side of the pistol in opposition to the firing hand;placing the extended thumb by the user of the control hand on the elongated tab of the ergonomic fixture;placing a trigger finger of the firing hand by the user on a pistol trigger;aiming the pistol by the user at a target;squeezing the pistol trigger by the user until the pistol fires; andlimiting the muzzle flip of a pistol recoil with a force of the thumb of the user upon the elongated tab of the ergonomic fixture.

5. A mechanized process and method for recoil control of a pistol comprising: Molding an ergonomic fixture to a lower;aligning an elongated tab of the ergonomic fixture with respect to an extended thumb and hand size of a user to an aligned location on the pistol rail;securing the ergonomic fixture to the pistol rail at the aligned location;gripping the handle grip of the pistol by a firing hand of the user;placing a control hand by the user on the side of the pistol in opposition to the firing hand;placing the extended thumb by the user of the control hand on the elongated tab of the ergonomic fixture;placing a trigger finger of the firing hand by the user on a pistol trigger;aiming the pistol by the user at a target;squeezing the pistol trigger by the user until the pistol fires; andlimiting the muzzle flip of a pistol recoil with a force of the thumb of the user upon the elongated tab of the ergonomic fixture.