TOP ASSEMBLY FOR A FRONT RIFLE REST

Abstract

A rifle rest for supporting a forearm of a rifle has a base and a top assembly connected to the base. The top assembly has base plate, a right-side rail assembly has a first support pad, and a left-side rail assembly has a second support pad. The first support pad contacts the forearm of the rifle below an equator of the forearm, and the second support pad contacts the forearm of the rifle above the equator in a way that the contact points counteract radial torque applied to the rifle upon firing.

Description

BACKGROUND

Rifles used in competitive long-distance range shooting are generally supported by a front rifle rest and a rear support in the form of a sandbag. The most commonly used front rests are tripod stands supporting a sandbag or vise to hold the rifle. The legs and other parts of the rest have mechanical adjustments to position and aim the rifle.

Accuracy and precision while shooting long-range are hindered by many variables. These variables affect both short-range shooting and long-range shooting. However, at longer ranges the effect is much more noticeable. Wind, mirage, etc., are environmental in nature and cannot be overcome by technology. However, there are several physical properties involved that can be addressed by technique and or equipment. Gunstock design, rear sandbag design, and front rest design all have an effect on accuracy and precision.

First, when a bullet is fired, there is the acceleration of a bullet down the barrel that creates a mathematically defined force or reaction based on the weight of the bullet opposing the gun weight, the net of which is called recoil. This is linear recoil and it can be reduced in several ways. Over the years, there have been all sorts of recoil reducers designed and built utilizing air, springs, hydraulics, and simply adding weight or mass to the rifle.

Second, a less understood form of recoil is observed as the twisting or torquing of the rifle when a bullet is fired. All rifle barrels have grooves or rifling to impart a right-hand or clockwise spin on the bullet for stability. The longer and heavier the bullet, the more spin it requires to stabilize, thus generating more radial recoil. Again, this clockwise bullet spin generates an equal but opposite reaction. This opposite reaction is commonly referred to as torque but is also known as radial recoil.

Until now, the problems caused by radial recoil have not been addressed directly by any front rest. However, the symptoms of radial recoil have been managed in several other ways. One way to decrease the effect of torque is by lowering the rifle barrel in the forearm of the rifle stock. This method puts the source of torque lower and between the sandbags instead of above the sandbags. Another popular attempt at managing torque is to make the vertical sides of the rifle forearm taller, thereby increasing the contact patch of the front sandbags. These both work to some degree and have become popular in long-range equipment.

Another way of mitigating the effect of radial recoil is by altering the materials used on the vertical sides of the front rests. Varying degrees of effectiveness have been seen by modifying the hardness or fill of the front sandbags, using different materials, and using hard rollers.

In all methods discussed above, the contact point holding the forearm is in contact at roughly the three and nine o'clock positions on the forearm. This arrangement allows the forearm to roll to the left or counterclockwise about the centers of the bags or pads to lesser or greater amounts.

With all current methods discussed, the tension of the front bags or pads is being relied on to limit the radial movement but this is creating another problem in terms of friction in the linear plane. High friction or tracking force will cause vertical shot dispersion and, in the extreme, is illegal by rule. The high-power competition rules state that the rifle must be free to be picked up from the rest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of an exemplary rifle rest with a top assembly constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

FIG. 2A is a rear perspective view of the rifle rest of FIG. 1 with a forearm stop removed for clarity.

FIG. 2B is a rear elevational view of the rifle rest of FIG. 1 with the forearm stop removed.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the rifle rest of FIG. 1

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pair of side support pad assemblies.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of one of the side support pad assemblies of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the side support pad assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the rifle rest of FIG. 1 showing a forearm of a rifle positioned in the top assembly.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the rifle rest of FIG. 1 showing the forearm of the rifle positioned in the top assembly.

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of another embodiment of a rifle rest with a top assembly constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein with a forearm stop removed for clarity.

FIG. 9B is a rear elevational view of the rifle rest of FIG. 1 with the forearm stop removed.

FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of a pair of rail assemblies.

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the rifle rest of FIG. 9 showing a forearm of a rifle positioned in the top assembly.

FIG. 12 is a front left perspective view of the rifle rest of FIG. 9 showing the forearm of the rifle positioned in the top assembly.

FIG. 13 is a front right perspective view of the rifle rest of FIG. 9 showing the forearm of the rifle positioned in the top assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosed herein in detail, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts are not limited in their application to the details of construction, experiments, exemplary data, and/or the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description, or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts are capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting in any way.

In the following detailed description of embodiments of the inventive concepts, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the inventive concepts. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the inventive concepts within the disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure.

Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the inventive concepts. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

Referring now to the figures, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-3, a front rifle rest 10 is shown. The rifle rest 10 is configured to support a forearm or stock 12 of a rifle 14 (FIGS. 7 and 8) while a user is aiming and firing the rifle 14 at a target. The rifle rest 10 generally includes a base 16 and a top assembly 18.

The base 16 may have a bipod or tripod configuration wherein the base 16 has two or three legs (not shown) for engaging a surface such as the ground. The legs may be vertically adjustable. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the base 16 may be constructed in various forms without departing from the scope of the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

The top assembly 18 is connected to the base 16 and configured to cradle the forearm 12 of the rifle 14. In one embodiment, the top assembly 18 has a bridge 20 and a base plate 22. The base plate 22 is rotatable relative to the bridge 20 about a vertical axis, and the base plate 22 is selectively movable along a vertical plane. These movements together enable the base plate 20 to be movable for adjusting a horizontal aim of the rifle 14 for adjusting a vertical aim of the rifle 14.

The base plate 22 has an upper side to which a right-side rail assembly 24a and a left-side rail assembly 24b are mounted. The side rail assemblies 24a and 24b form the cradle for the forearm 12 of the rifle 14. A forearm stop 26 may also extend from a front side of the base plate 22 in a manner well-known in the art.

The right-side rail assembly 24a includes a block 30a, a bottom support pad assembly 32a, and a side support pad assembly 34a, and the left-side rail assembly 24b includes a block 30b, a bottom support pad assembly 32b, and a side support pad assembly 34b. The right-side rail assembly 24a and the left-side rail assembly 24b are adjustable along the base plate 22 in a to-and-fro manner relative to one another to slidably secure the forearm 12 of the rifle 14 between the right-side rail assembly 24a and left-side rail assembly 24b. The right-side rail assembly 24a and the left-side rail assembly 24b may be adjustable to accommodate various forearm widths, such as from less than two inches to over five inches in width.

The block 30a has an inward-facing surface 36a. The block 30a may have a shoulder 38a near a lower end thereof. The inward-facing surface 36a may be angled outwardly from the shoulder 38a relative to a vertical plane at an angle 39a of approximately two degrees (FIG. 2B). But in another version, the inward-facing surface 36a may be vertical.

The block 30b has an inward-facing surface 36b. The block 30b may have a shoulder 38b near a lower end thereof. The inward-facing surface 36b may be angled inward from the shoulder 36b relative to a vertical plane at an angle 39b of approximately two degrees so the inward-facing surface 36b of the block 30b is parallel to the inward-facing surface 36a of the block 30a (FIG. 2B). But in another version, the inward-facing surface 36b may be vertical to correspond to the inward-facing surface 36a of the block 30a in a parallel fashion.

The bottom support pad assembly 32a may include a support member 38a (e.g., a block) and a support pad 40a mounted to an upper side of the support member 38a so the support pad 40a forms a portion of a forearm support. The support member 38a is connected to the block 30a with a fastener 42, so the support member 38a and the support pad 40a are rotatable front to back about a horizontal axis.

The bottom support pad assembly 32b may include a support member 38b (e.g., a block) and a support pad 40b mounted to an upper side of the support member 38b, so the support pad 40b forms a portion of a forearm support. The support member 38b is connected to the block 30b with a fastener 42, so the support member 38b and the support pad 40b are rotatable front to back about the horizontal axis, which the support member 38a and the support pad 40a are rotatable. Together, the bottom support pad assembly 32a and the bottom support pad assembly 32b form a support for a lower side of the forearm 12 of the rifle 14 across which the forearm 12 may slide when the rifle 14 experiences linear recoil upon firing.

The side support pad assembly 34a (FIG. 4) may include a support member 44a (e.g., a plate) and a support pad 46a mounted on one side of the support member 44a so the support pad 46a forms a portion of a support. The support pad 44a may be mounted adjacent to a lengthwise edge of the support member 44a. The support member 44a is connected to the inward-facing surface 36a of the block 30a with suitable fasteners 48, so the support member 44a and the support pad 46a are fixed in position. The support member 44a may be provided with a pair of slots 50 so the vertical position of the side support pad assembly 34a relative to the block 30a is adjustable.

The side support pad assembly 34b (FIG. 4) may be identical in construction to the side support pad assembly 34a. To this end, the side support pad assembly 34b may include a support member 44b (e.g., a plate) and a support pad 46b mounted on one side of the support member 44b, so the support pad 44b forms a portion of a support. The support member 44b is connected to the inward-facing surface 36b of the block 30b with suitable fasteners 48 so the support member 44b and the support pad 46b are fixed in position. The support member 44b may be provided with a pair of slots 50 so the vertical position of the side support pad assembly 34b relative to the block 30b is adjustable.

In one embodiment, the support pads 40a, 40b, 46a, and 46b may be sandbags with a tube or bag filled with a particulate material. The bag may vary in size and the materials used to manufacture the bag. Regardless, the sandbags should be deformable by finger pressure when filled with the particulate material. In one exemplary embodiment, the sandbags 40a and 40b have a length of 1½″ inches and a diameter of ⅜″ inches, and the sandbags 46a and 46b have a length of 2½″ inches and a diameter of ⅜″ inches. An exemplary material used for the bag is a braided nylon, and an exemplary particulate material is 100-150 grit glass beads.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in use, the side support pad assembly 34a is mounted to the block 30a so the support pad 46a contacts the forearm 12 of the rifle 14 solely below the equator of the forearm 12, and the side support pad assembly 34b is mounted to the block 30b so the support pad 46b is vertically staggered relative to the support pad 46a and contacts the forearm 12 of the rifle 14 solely above the equator of the forearm 12. Such contact counteracts the counterclockwise (as viewed from the rear of the rifle 14) radial torque applied to the rifle 14 upon the rifle 14 being fired.

In one embodiment, the side support pad assembly 34a is mounted to the block 30a so the support pad 46a contacts the forearm 12 of the rifle 14 near a lowest area of the forearm 12, and the side support pad assembly 34b is mounted to the block 30b so the support pad 46b contacts the forearm 12 of the rifle 14 approximate a highest area of the forearm 12. Again, such contact counteracts the counterclockwise (as viewed from the rear of the rifle 14) radial torque applied to the rifle 14 upon the rifle 14 being fired.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-13, another embodiment of a right-side rail assembly 50a and a left-side rail assembly 50b is illustrated. The right-side rail assembly 50a and the left-side rail assembly 50b are similar in construction to the right-side rail assembly 24a and the left-side rail assembly 24, respectively, except as described below.

With the right-side rail assembly 50a, the side support pad assembly 34a is a sheet of material 52a, such as a felt. The sheet of material 52a is adhered to the inward-facing surface 36a of the block 30a. The sheet of material 52a is substantially planar, so the sheet of material 52a is angled outwardly from the shoulder 38a relative to a vertical plane at an angle 53a of approximately two degrees (FIG. 9B).

With the left side rail assembly 50b, the side support pad assembly 34b is a sheet of material 52b, such as a felt. The sheet of material 52b is adhered to the inward-facing surface 36b of the block 30b. The sheet of material 52b is substantially planar, so the sheet of material 52b is angled inwardly from the shoulder 38b relative to a vertical plane at an angle 53b of approximately two degrees (FIG. 9B).

With reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, in use, the sheet of material 52a is mounted to the block 30a so the sheet of material 52a contacts the forearm 12 of the rifle 14 solely below the equator of the forearm 12, and the sheet of material 52b is mounted to the block 30b so the sheet of material 52b contacts the forearm 12 of the rifle 14 solely above the equator of the forearm 12 of the firearm. Such contact counteracts the counterclockwise (as viewed from the rear of the rifle 14) radial torque applied to the rifle 14 upon the rifle 14 being fired.

From the above description, it is clear that the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein are well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein, as well as those inherent in the invention. While exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made that will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed.

Claims

1. A rifle rest for supporting a forearm of a rifle, comprising: a base;a top assembly connected to the base and configured to cradle the forearm of the rifle, the top assembly comprising: a bridge;a base plate rotatable relative to the bridge about a vertical axis and selectively movable along a vertical plane to enable the base plate to be movable for adjusting a horizontal and vertical aim of the rifle;a right-side rail assembly and a left-side rail assembly, each mounted on the base plate to form a cradle for the forearm of the rifle, each of the right-side rail assembly and the left-side rail assembly comprising: a block with an inward-facing surface;a bottom support pad assembly including a support member and a support pad, the support member rotatably connected to the block to allow rotation about a horizontal axis; anda side support pad assembly mounted on the inward-facing side of each block, the side support pad assembly including a support member and a support pad, wherein the support pad forms a portion of the cradle for supporting the forearm of the rifle,wherein the bottom support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies are configured to support a lower side of the forearm of the rifle, enabling sliding movement of the forearm across the bottom support pad assemblies when the rifle experiences linear recoil upon firing, andwherein the side support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies are arranged to make staggered contact with the forearm of the rifle, with the side support pad assembly of the right-side rail assembly contacting the forearm below an equator of the forearm, and the side support pad assembly of the left-side rail assembly contacting the forearm above the equator to counteract radial torque applied to the rifle upon firing.

2. The rifle rest of claim 1, wherein the support pads of the bottom support pad assemblies and the side support pad assemblies are sandbags, each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material and is deformable by finger pressure.

3. The rife rest of claim 2, wherein the sandbags are made of a braided nylon material filled with particulate material comprising 100-150 grit glass beads.

4. The rifle rest of claim 1, wherein the inward-facing surface of each block is angled relative to a vertical plane, and wherein the block of the right-side rail assembly is angled outwardly while the block of the left-side rail assembly is angled inwardly.

5. The rifle rest of claim 4, wherein the support pads of the bottom support pad assemblies and the side support pad assemblies are sandbags, each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material and is deformable by finger pressure.

6. The rife rest of claim 5, wherein the sandbags are made of a braided nylon material filled with particulate material comprising 100-150 grit glass beads.

7. The rifle rest of claim 4, wherein the inward-facing surface of each block is provided with a shoulder at a lower end, and wherein the angle of the inward-facing surfaces is approximately two degrees relative to a vertical plane.

8. The rifle rest of claim 5, wherein the side support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies include adjustable slots that enable the vertical position of the side support pad assemblies relative to the blocks to be varied.

9. The rifle rest of claim 4, wherein each of the support pads of the side support pad assemblies is a sheet of felt material adhered to the inward-facing surface of each block so the sheet of felt material is angled relative to the vertical plane to contact the forearm of the rifle below and above the equator, respectively, thereby counteracting radial torque upon firing.

10. The rifle rest of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a bipod or tripod configuration with two or three legs, each leg being vertically adjustable to engage a surface.

11. The rifle rest of claim 1, wherein the right-side rail assembly and the left-side rail assembly are adjustable along the base plate between about two inches to about five inches.

12. The rifle rest of claim 1, further comprising a forearm stop extending from a front side of the base plate to prevent forward movement of the forearm of the rifle.

13. A rifle rest for supporting a forearm of a rifle, comprising: a base; anda top assembly connected to the base, the top assembly having a base plate, a right-side rail assembly with a first support pad, and a left-side rail assembly with a second support pad;wherein the first support pad contacts the forearm of the rifle below an equator of the forearm, and the second support pad contacts the forearm of the rifle above the equator of the forearm in a way that the contact points counteract radial torque applied to the rifle upon firing.

14. The rifle rest of claim 13, wherein each of the first support pad and the second support pad is a sandbag, each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material, the sandbags being deformable by finger pressure when filled.

15. The rifle rest of claim 13, wherein each of the right-side rail assembly and left-side rail assembly includes a block with an angled inward-facing surface, the inward-facing surfaces being positioned parallel to each other, and wherein the inward-facing surface of each block is angled relative to a vertical plane, and wherein the block of the right-side rail assembly is angled outwardly while the block of the left-side rail assembly is angled inwardly.

16. The rifle rest of claim 15, wherein each of the first support pad and the second support pad is a sandbag, and wherein each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material and is deformable by finger pressure.

17. The rifle rest of claim 4, wherein each of the support pads of the side support pad assemblies is a sheet of felt material adhered to the inward-facing surface of each block so the sheet of felt material is angled relative to the vertical plane to contact the forearm of the rifle below and above the equator of the forearm, respectively, thereby counteracting radial torque upon firing.

18. A top assembly for a rifle rest for supporting a forearm of a rifle, comprising: a bridge connectable to a base;a base plate rotatable relative to the bridge about a vertical axis and selectively movable along a vertical plane to enable the base plate to be movable for adjusting a horizontal and vertical aim of the rifle;a right-side rail assembly and a left-side rail assembly, each mounted on the base plate to form a cradle for the forearm of the rifle, each of the right-side rail assembly and the left-side rail assembly comprising: a block with an inward-facing surface;a bottom support pad assembly including a support member and a support pad, the support member rotatably connected to the block to allow rotation about a horizontal axis; anda side support pad assembly mounted on the inward-facing side of each block, the side support pad assembly including a support member and a support pad, wherein the support pad forms a portion of the cradle for supporting the forearm of the rifle,wherein the bottom support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies are configured to support a lower side of the forearm of the rifle, enabling sliding movement of the forearm across the bottom support pad assemblies when the rifle experiences linear recoil upon firing, andwherein the side support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies are arranged to make staggered contact with the forearm of the rifle, with the side support pad assembly of the right-side rail assembly contacting the forearm below an equator of the forearm, and the side support pad assembly of the left-side rail assembly contacting the forearm above the equator to counteract radial torque applied to the rifle upon firing.

19. The rifle rest of claim 18, wherein the support pads of the bottom support pad assemblies and the side support pad assemblies are sandbags, each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material and deformable by finger pressure.

20. The rifle rest of claim 18, wherein the inward-facing surface of each block is angled relative to a vertical plane, and wherein the block of the right-side rail assembly is angled outwardly while the block of the left-side rail assembly is angled inwardly, and wherein each of the support pads of the side support pad assemblies is a sheet of felt material adhered to the inward-facing surface of each block so the sheet of felt material is angled relative to the vertical plane to contact the forearm of the rifle below and above the equator of the forearm, respectively, thereby counteracting radial torque upon firing.