Patent ID: 9476673
Filing Date: 2016-10-25
CPC Classification: F16B,F41C

Claim Text:
1. A method of locking a handguard of a firearm to a corresponding upper receiver; the method comprising: providing an upper receiver of a firearm having a first end and a second end; the first end having outer edges and an outwardly extending threaded portion; providing a handguard having a first end and a second end with a bore therebetween; the second end having outer edges that are configured to closely confront the outer edges of the upper receiver; the bore is configured to receive the outwardly extending threaded portion of the upper receiver; the handguard further configured to include a lower lip at the first end, the lower lip having an interior surface; providing a barrel nut having a first end and a second end, said second end configured to receive the outwardly extending threaded portion of the upper receiver and the first end configured to receive a barrel of a firearm; the barrel nut having an outer surface at the first end; providing a wedge assembly having a top wedge with an upper generally indented surface and a lower inclined surface, and a bottom wedge with an upper inclined surface inversely complementary to the inclined surface of the top wedge and a lower surface configured to be received and confront the interior surface of the lower lip of the handguard; securing the second end of the barrel nut to the threaded portion of the upper receiver; sliding the top wedge into contact with the bottom wedge at their respective inclined surfaces and joining the wedge assembly together to form a combined wedge assembly where the two respective inclined surfaces are closely confronting each other; positioning the combined wedge assembly within the interior portion of the lower lip of the handguard with the upper indented surface of the top wedge forming a hollow that is configured to closely receive the outer surface of the barrel nut; squeezing the outer surface of the barrel nut into the hollow of the handguard; and aligning and confronting the two outer edges of the handguard and upper receiver.