Ordnance – Barrels – Recoil absorbers and climb arrestors
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-29
2004-08-03
Johnson, Stephen M. (Department: 3641)
Ordnance
Barrels
Recoil absorbers and climb arrestors
Reexamination Certificate
active
06769346
ABSTRACT:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
N/A
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever including copyrights.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to firearms and weapons, and, more particularly to the more complete employment of, recognition of and conformity with the principles of reverse thrust in conjunction with the nozzle effect, both as applicable to subsonic and/or supersonic gas flow, so as to produce greater momentum of said gasses in order to generate more significant forces for use in the reduction of muzzle jump and/or recoil of firearms and weapons upon firing.
2. Description of the Background Art
The firing of projectiles, bullets, shot, and shells (hereinafter “projectile”) from firearms and weapons is an advancement that is well known in the art. The act of firing such firearms and weapons is known to result in recoil and muzzle jump, the reduction of either or both of which is the subject of the present invention. Recoil is the result of rearward acting force acting upon the weapon, and upon the shooter, during the firing process, which recoil is created by the forward momentum of the projectile. Muzzle jump is an upward movement of the barrel upon firing. Muzzle jump results from the recoil force acting along the longitudinal axis of the barrel, which axis is typically above the point of resistance supporting the weapon. For example, a shoulder-fired weapon, such as a rifle, shotgun or submachine gun, has a point of resistance—other than the resistance presented by the weight of the weapon itself—where the butt of the weapon rests against the shooter's shoulder. The highest point on the butt of the weapon, namely the heel, is typically one or more inches below the axis of the barrel, and hence below the level at which the recoil force acts. The spacing between the heel and the uppermost exterior portion of the barrel, including what is referred to as the rib, is a term of art referred to as the amount of drop at the heel. As a result of the drop at the heel, the recoil force vector acts above the point of resistance thereby resulting in a moment force that causes the barrel to pivot upward. Similarly, in the case of a hand-held weapon such as a pistol, the uppermost portion of the grip or the main bearing portion of the hand upon the rear of the grip is below the level of the barrel. Since the barrel axis represents the recoil force vector, muzzle jump is also experienced with handguns.
Recoil and muzzle jump are undesirable for a number of reasons. For example, in anticipation of recoil and muzzle jump shooters have been known to flinch, resulting in an uncontrollable momentary closing of the eye, which flinching is a cause of poor aim and missed targets. Furthermore, physically resisting muzzle jump and recoil tends to fatigue the shooter and inhibits the shooter's ability to fire a large number of projectiles, particularly in rapid succession. In addition, the reduction of muzzle jump and recoil will enable the use of larger mass projectiles. Given that the recoil force is dependent in part on the weight of the firearm (e.g. the heavier the firearm, the lower the resulting recoil experienced by the shooter, and visa versa), and that the use of lighter weight firearms is more desirable for military and police use, as well as any other uses that require one to carry the firearm for long periods of time, recoil reduction increases the shooter's ability to tolerate the firing of larger mass projectiles, than otherwise and/or to use a lighter firearm that otherwise. In addition, since recoil and muzzle jump each cause the firearm to move out of alignment with the target, follow-up shots at the target are more difficult and the ability of the shooter to rapidly and accurately return the firearm to a properly aimed position is greatly hindered. Accordingly, the reduction of muzzle jump and/or recoil enhances the shooter's ability to rapidly and accurately return the firearm to a properly aimed position.
In the case of submachine guns the successive, incremental muzzle jumps caused by rapid automatic fire results in muzzle “Climb” which raises the firearm out of alignment with the intended target during firing. Current methods to overcome “Climb” include, but are not limited to, the reduction of the cyclic rate of fire (e.g. from 800 or 650 rounds per minute to 440 rounds per minute) and use of pre-selected three, four or five round firing burst limiters. While such methods tend to curb, but not eliminate, the aggregate amount of “Climb” per firing burst, they do so at the cost of reduction of the total number of rounds accurately deliverable to the target within a given measure of time. Consequently, “Climb” represents a dangerous impediment to lawful users of submachine guns, such as military and police (e.g. SWAT teams). The reduction of muzzle jump in submachine guns through the use of the reverse thrust system equates to the reduction of “Climb” and thus to the ability to deliver a greater total number of rounds to the target within an equal measure of time. While the location of the reverse thrust device is still intended to be located at a safe distance from the chamber of the barrel, given the significantly shorter barrels lengths commonly used in submachine guns the relative location may be closer to the muzzle.
The reduction of recoil and muzzle jump is also desirable in other applications, such as those applications involving large weapons and/or military cannons. Specifically, the reduction of recoil shock forces will improve the viability of electronic is and mechanical systems and equipment in military hardware such as tanks and ships. The reduction of recoil shock will also benefit the physical and mental well being of personnel in proximity to the firing station associated with large weapons. Finally, the reduction of recoil will result in less fatigue and shock stress for metals and other components of the weapon and firing stations, thereby improving durability.
While the background art reveals several attempts directed to reducing muzzle jump and recoil, it does not reveal a system for reducing muzzle jump and/or recoil that recognizes or applies the greater benefits available through observance of and conformity with, or material conformity with, the applicable principles of reverse thrust. Moreover, while the background may include the use of conduits for directing gas flow it does not also contemplate the conduits to function as nozzles or to function as nozzles in compliance with the goal of maximization of the principles of reverse thrust.
For example, it is known to provide porting for shotgun and firearm barrels to reduce recoil and muzzle jump. The porting of the barrel enables the venting of gases in a generally upward direction during the firing process. Such gasses thus escaping on a wide cone, unconcentrated flow basis are subject to immediate and broad expansion directly diminishing the opposing force that the gas flow was intended to create for the purpose of reducing muzzle jump and/or recoil. The venting of gases in this manner is extremely inefficient, and thus incomparable, in that it generates only minimal downward forces on the barrel to stabilize the muzzle and reduce muzzle jump. Such systems fail to harness and thus maximize the otherwise available reverse thrust forces. The inherent inefficiency of a number of systems is only slightly offset by venting barrel gases at or near the muzzle end of the barrel, at which location a certain minimal advantage due to increased leverage applicable to muzzle jump is possible. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,943, issued to Kelly, discloses a gun-leveling device that comprises
Bowen, Esq. Mark D.
Johnson Stephen M.
Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler & Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A.
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