Firearms – Stock or barrel connectors – Barrel to receiver
Patent
1994-03-30
1995-12-19
Bentley, Stephen C.
Firearms
Stock or barrel connectors
Barrel to receiver
89 12, 89 141, 89 16, F41A 2128, F41A 1312
Patent
active
054759404
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a firearm. The weapon can be heavy, medium-weight, or light-weight, and automatic, semi-automatic, or single-loading. It will, however, preferably employ a magazine and have a locked or delayed slide. The barrel is preferably provided with a chamber accommodating a cartridge that comprises case, bullet, charge, and primer. The barrel can, however, also be employed for ammunition without a cartridge. The rear end of the barrel is directly adjacent to the frontmost point traveled by the slide. The slide travels back and forth inside the weapon's housing. The outside of the barrel is fastened directly or by way of an intermediary to the housing. The intermediary can be in one or more parts, concentric cylinders for example, and have a central perforation, whereby the rear of the barrel is secured in the perforation and whereby the rear end of the barrel is directly adjacent to the frontmost point traveled by a slide which travels back and forth inside the weapon's housing and the outside of the barrel is fastened directly or by way of an intermediary to a housing.
All terminology relating herein to direction relates to the direction traveled by the bullet with the weapon horizontal.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
All known firearms occasionally malfunction due to gas unpredictedly escaping into the housing from the barrel. An obstruction in the bore for example can increase the pressure of the gas and split the cartridge case or primer compartment. A defective and too wide primer channel can force gas directly into the housing or prematurely retract the slide, allowing gas in. Again, a foreign body, the nose of the next cartridge for example, can set off the cartridge already in the chamber when the slide closes too slowly. A cartridge can enter and jam the chamber as a result of malfunction when a hot weapon is shot, and can ignite due to the heat. Finally, the powder may not bum all at once but generate a succession of rapid pressure peaks that open the slide before burnout has progressed sufficiently.
Common to all these admittedly rare occurrences is the escape of highly compressed gas into the area inside the housing and immediately behind the rear end of the barrel. The gas primarily acts on the walls of the housing at that point, although also on the slide and other components. The housing will buckle out as a result. The slide, any mechanisms intended to absorb the shock or accommodate the impact of the backward-traveling slide, and other components as well can be damaged. Finally, the shooter himself can be injured.
Such occurrences can to some extent be prevented by increasing the strength of the involved components, the housing for example. The result, however, is a heavier and more expensive weapon.
The object of the present invention is to improve a firearm of the aforesaid genus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object is attained in the generic firearm in accordance with the present invention in that the area inside the housing and immediately behind the rear end of the barrel communicates with the atmosphere by way of at least one gas-escape port that extends forward out of that area. Dangerously high pressure inside the housing due to malfunction will accordingly be relieved or prevented by escape of the gas. A weapon in accordance with the present invention will accordingly not need to be too heavy or expensive in order to be safe. Any damage resulting from the malfunctions hereintofore described will be too slight to prevent the weapon from continuing to operate.
A firearm with an auxiliary gas-escape port extending forward from the rear of the barrel is admittedly known from European Patent 0 148 984 B1 (Heckler & Koch). One end of the port communicates with the atmosphere through a sound absorber. The purpose of the port, however, is to decelerate the bullet's exit speed to the subsonic range. The port's other end extends through the wall of the barrel, allowing some of the gas that forms when a highspeed cart
REFERENCES:
patent: 2816484 (1957-12-01), Grages
Guhring Manfred
Mauch Ernst
Bentley Stephen C.
Heckler & Koch
Hildebrand Christa
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