Unfinished firearm frame and jig

An unfinished firearm frame having a top adapted to receive a slide. Where rear restriction protrusions extend from the top of the frame near a rear of the frame which restricts addition of the slide to the frame and front restriction protrusions extend from the top of the frame and forward of the at least one rear restriction protrusion which restricts addition of the slide to the frame. Where there is a recoil assembly block adapted to prevent a recoil assembly from being assembled into the frame. A jig having a right side and a left side to receive and clamp the frame. The jig including three pin hole guides, a removal guide edge for each of the at least one rear restriction protrusion and the at least one front restriction protrusion and a recoil assembly cutout to allow a tool to pass to the recoil assembly block.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to firearms, and more particularly to unfinished firearm frames.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The assembly of firearms from parts instead of purchasing a complete firearm has become popular with the purchasers of firearms. It has become a hobby that allows the firearm to be customized with the desired features by the purchaser. When a purchaser buys a completed firearm from the dealer, that purchaser usually ends up spending more money on customizing the firearm, while discarding parts that originally were part of the firearm. Popular changes to completed firearms are trigger replacement, barrel replacement, sight replacement and weight reduction modifications.

One of the parts of the firearm is always engraved with a serial number and registered with various government agencies. The registered part is generally considered as the firearm for registration purposes and is usually the receiver or frame of the firearm. The purchaser can purchase only the registered part and build a firearm by purchasing the other required parts to complete the firearm Under the law in most jurisdictions, a purchaser can machine a firearm without registration of that part that is normally registered. The unregistered machined part usually has restrictions from sale to others and must remain with the person who machined the unregistered part. If a transfer of the unregistered part takes place, the normal federal firearms regulations which include serialization, registration and background checks are required to be performed on the recipient of the firearm. An issue with machining the firearm from scratch is that most purchasers do not have a machine shop or the skills to machine such parts.

Machine shops and polymer manufacturers can manufacture firearms receivers up to a point of incompletion, that allows them to sell the unfinished frame to customers, who then proceed to finish the frame for their personal use. Under the federal law, if the part is only completed eighty percent or less of the effort to provide a completed part that requires registration, the part is considered not being a firearm. It should be noted that the “80%” description is not recognized by the ATF as an official technical term, but is understood as a classification or description of the type of component that is being produced within the firearms industry. The part being classified as a non-firearm allows the part to be sold by manufacturers without violating the law.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an unfinished firearm frame that can be completed by a purchaser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An unfinished firearm frame including areas adapted to install firearm parts to finish the unfinished firearm frame. The frame having a top adapted to receive a slide. Where there is at least one rear restriction protrusion extending from the top of the frame near a rear of the frame which restricts addition of the slide to the frame and at least one front restriction protrusion extending from the top of the frame and forward of the at least one rear restriction protrusion which restricts addition of the slide to the frame. Where there is a recoil assembly block adapted to prevent a recoil assembly from being assembled into the frame. A jig having a right side and a left side to receive and clamp the frame. The jig including three pin hole guides, a removal guide edge for each of the at least one rear restriction protrusion and the at least one front restriction protrusion and a recoil assembly cutout to allow a tool to pass to the recoil assembly block.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENT

Embodiments of an unfinished firearm frame for building a firearm are disclosed.FIGS. 1-10show a first embodiment of an unfinished frame and the method of finishing the unfinished frame, so it may be used as part of a complete firearm.FIGS. 1-2show an unfinished frame10molded from polymer material. The unfinished frame10shown is used with GLOCK firearm parts to assemble a pistol. The unfinished frame10includes various open areas and holes to receive firearm parts to complete the unfinished frame10into an assembled firearm. The unfinished frame10ofFIGS. 1-2is a pistol frame workpiece for modification. The workpiece after modification becomes a pistol frame adapted to receive a slide. The workpiece includes a body11having a grip13, a trigger guard15, and a forward frame portion17extending forward of the grip13. The body11defines an upper plane surface94adapted to define a limited gap96(shown inFIGS. 10 & 11) with a lower surface of a slide. The body11defines a receptacle98adapted to receive a rail component (locking block rail inset48) having upper rail elements (front rails60at the top of each side56) adapted to engage a slide. The body11has a block element protruding above the upper plane surface adjacent the receptacle and adapted to prevent full insertion of a rail component by obstructing the receptacle. The forward frame portion has opposed elongated upper edges in part defining the upper plane surface and spaced apart to define an elongated channel200adapted to receive an elongated pistol operating component202. A web204is positioned at an intermediate position along the length of the channel. The web spans between the opposed elongated upper edges to divide the channel into a forward portion and a rear portion, and is adapted to prevent the insertion of the elongated pistol operating component.

The unfinished frame10does not include three of the required pin holes for assembly the unfinished frame10into a firearm. The unfinished frame10includes four restriction protrusions that prevent a slide of the pistol to be attached to the unfinished frame10.FIG. 2shows the unfinished frame10with two front restriction protrusions12and two rear restriction protrusions14.FIG. 2shows the unfinished frame10including a recoil assembly block16which prevents a recoil assembly from being installed. The recoil assembly block16includes a cutting guide edge18formed as part of the unfinished frame10.FIGS. 3-5show a jig20to be used as a clamping block about the unfinished frame10.FIG. 3shows the jig20split into a right half22and a left half24.FIG. 4shows the unfinished frame10placed in the right half22of the jig20.FIG. 5shows the left half24of the jig20assembled to the right half22of the jig20, thereby enclosing the unfinished frame20.FIG. 3shows locating pins26on the inside of the left half24andFIG. 4shows locating pin holes28for proper assembly of the jig20.FIG. 3shows a locking tab30on the right half22and a locking clip32on the left half24of the jig20. The locking clip32engages the locking tab30when the right half22and the left half24are assembled, thereby locking the right half22and the left half24of the jig20together. The jig20can be clamped into a vise to finish the unfinished frame10.

The jig20includes a first pin hole guide34, a second pin hole guide36and a third pin hole guide38on each of the right half22and left half22of the jig20, as shown inFIGS. 3 and 5. Each pin hole guide34,36,38is marked with the corresponding drill bit size to be used. The first pin hole guide36is associated with a trigger pin. The second pin hole guide36is associated with a locking block pin. The third pin hole guide38is associated with a trigger housing pin. Each of the right half22and left half24of the jig20includes open guides at the positions of the front restriction protrusions12and the rear restriction protrusions14, as shown inFIGS. 3-5. The open guides each include a front stop40, rear stop42and removal guide surface44. Each open guide includes an indicator for what is to be removed from the unfinished frame10, as shown by the arrow and the word REMOVE. The jig20includes recoil assembly cutout46formed by the right half22and left half24to allow an end mill to enter the jig20and remove the recoil assembly block16.

The unfinished frame10is finished by inserting the unfinished frame10in the jig20and clamping the jig20in a vise. The first pin hole, second pin hole and third pin hole are all drilled by the correct corresponding drill bit using the pin hole guides34,36,38. Each hole is drilled from each the right half22and the left half24of the jig20into the unfinished frame10, instead of drilling one time from one side of the jig20and through the unfinished frame10onto the other side of the jig20. The front restriction protrusions12and the rear restriction protrusions14are removed using the removal guide surface44. Typically, a milling machine tool is used for removal of the front restriction protrusions12and the rear restriction protrusions14. The removal guide surface is used to prevent too much material from being removed. Finally, the recoil assembly block16is removed by inserting an end mill against the recoil assembly block16from the direction of the recoil assembly cutout46and using the cutting guide edge18. The cutting guide edge16is used to prevent too much material from being removed.

A pistol frame includes slide rails on the top of the frame to receive and locate the slide of the firearm onto the frame. The slide rails are milled or formed as part of the pistol frame by pistol manufacturers. Polymer pistol frames typically have two front rails and two rear rails. The first embodiment includes the use of a locking block rail insert48and a rear rail insert50, as shown inFIGS. 6-7.FIG. 8shows the slide52and pins used, along with other firearm parts. The locking block rail insert48and the rear rail insert50are installed in the unfinished frame10after modifying the unfinished frame10in the jig20to provide the front and rear rails required to install the slide52. The locking block rail insert48is a frame with two sides56and a cross member58. The locking block rail insert48includes a front rail60at the top of each side56. The sides56each include a front hole62at the front of the locking block rail insert48which aligns with a pin hole64preformed in the unfinished frame10. The front hole62is for a front locking block pin66to pass through the unfinished frame10and aid in holding the locking block rail insert48in position. The sides56each include a rear hole68at the rear of the locking block rail insert48which aligns with the first pin hole70on the unfinished frame10, so that a trigger pin72may pass and aid in holding the locking block rail insert48in position. Thus, the first pin hole70serves as an aperture defined by the body11at the receptacle98adapted to receive a pin engaging the rail component (locking block rail insert48). The sides56each include a semi-circle cut out74above the rear hole68which aligns with the second pin hole76on the unfinished frame10, so that a locking block pin78may pass and aid in holding the locking block rail insert56in position. The unfinished frame10includes surfaces within the unfinished frame10that interact with edges of the sides56to provide support for the locking block rail insert48and lock the locking block rail insert48in position. The rear rail insert50is a frame with two sides80and a cross member82. The rear rail insert50includes a rear rail84at the top of each side80. The sides80include a lower hole86which aligns with the third pin hole88on the unfinished frame10, so that a trigger housing pin90may pass and aid in holding the rear rail insert50in position. The unfinished frame10includes surfaces within the unfinished frame10that interact with edges of the sides80to provide support for the rear rail insert50and lock the rear rail insert50in position.FIG. 9shows a side cross section of an assembled firearm using unfinished frame10. Lines92inFIG. 9denote where the recoil assembly block16was removed.FIG. 10shows a front cross section of the slide52and rail area of the assembled firearm ofFIG. 9that includes the locking block rail insert48.FIG. 11shows a rear cross section of the slide52and rail area of the assembled firearm ofFIG. 9that includes the rear rail insert50.

FIGS. 12-16show a second embodiment.FIG. 12shows an unfinished frame100with front restriction protrusions102, rear restriction protrusions104and recoil assembly block106.FIGS. 13-14shows a jig108with a right half110and left half112. The jig108includes three pin hole guides114labeled with the corresponding drill bit size to be used for drilling. Each of the right half110and left half112of the jig108includes a removal guide surface116for removing the front restriction protrusions102. Each of the right half110and left half112of the jig108together form a recoil assembly cutout118to allow an end mill to enter the jig108and remove the recoil assembly block106. Each of the right half110and left half112of the jig108includes a rail slot120near the rear of the jig108.FIG. 15shows a close up the rail slot120where a milling tool can be inserted to remove material from the rear restriction protrusions104to form a rear rail122.FIG. 16shows a close up of the area124where the material was removed to form the rear rail122by using the rail slot120of the jig108.

While different embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to the embodiments could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements are illustrative only and are not limiting as to the scope of the invention that is to be given the full breadth of any and all equivalents thereof.