Recoil pad with sling attachment

A slip on recoil pad having a sleeve portion and a cushion portion. The sleeve and cushion portions can be formed integral with one another or be separate components attached together. The sleeve component may be comprised of a neoprene or polypropylene rubber for providing enhanced cushioning, warmth, and durability, and may also include a rifle sling attachment stud, grommet. The rifle sling attachment stud preferably includes a reinforcing liner or strip to prevent the reinforcing stud from pulling through the sleeve portion of the recoil pad. In addition, a protective layer is provided to overlie the rivet, or grommet portion attached to the eyelet of the rifle sling attachment stud to prevent marring or scratching of the rifle stock when it is installed and attached thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to recoil pads and sling attachment 
studs for firearms such as rifles and shotguns, but more particularly to 
slip on recoil pads and sling attachment studs for firearms. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
The art to which the invention relates partially comprises recoil pads and 
the hardware for attaching a rifle sling to a rifle. Many commercially 
available firearms are sold having the rifle sling attachment studs 
mounted to the forend and butt stock portion of the firearm. Still others 
are sold with a forend cap and a smooth butt stock without having sling 
attachment stud. Firearms that do not provide a means for attaching a 
sling are often difficult to carry or climb elevated hunting stands in the 
deep woods. In such situations, the user must often lay the rifle on the 
ground while attaching a tether line, climb the stand and hoist the 
firearm up to a shooting position. Very often, the ground is wet, snow 
covered or muddy and, therefore, placing the firearm on the ground is not 
desired by the user. 
Manufacturers of rifle slings have attempted to remedy this situation by 
producing what is commonly referred to as a "shotgun sling". The shotgun 
sling includes a pad having spaced apart looped ends with a sliding cinch. 
The looped ends are attached a length of strap. A user of such a sling 
typically slips the loop over the barrel of the rifle and the other loop 
over the butt stock of the firearm and cinches them tight. In this 
fashion, the firearm sling is attached to the firearm without the 
necessity of studs. A common drawback associated with these types of 
slings propensity to slide up and down the length of the firearm and 
therefore not maintain a uniform installed position. The slipping problem 
is further compounded when one considers the different configurations of 
butt stocks. 
For example, in lever action rifles the butt stock may have a curved pistol 
grip portion or it may have a straight ranger style stock which is 
particularly well suited for scabbard carrying. Thus, if the user were to 
attach a shotgun sling to a pistol grip butt stock, the cinched end has a 
greater tendency to engage the pistol grip of the rifle stock and minimize 
slipping. However, with respect to the straight or ranger style stock, 
there is no stock structure on which the cinched loop can grip and 
therefore it slides freely along the length of the stock often into 
communication with the lever actuating mechanism of the rifle. If the loop 
and the rifle sling were to come into contact with the lever actuating 
mechanism, it could block the safe operation and manipulation of the lever 
rifle during shooting and hunting exercises. 
Most firearms include sling attachment studs mounted to the stock portions 
of the firearm. A typical attachment stud includes a threaded shank which 
is turned into the stock material. The shank terminates in a button eyelet 
having a central bore for receiving the arm of a sling swivel or buckle. 
Accordingly, when a firearm is not fitted with sling attachment studs at 
the factory, many shooters drill holes for insertion of sling attachment 
studs into the butt stock and sometimes into the forend stock. The 
disadvantages of drilling a firearm stock are most frequently attributable 
to improper or inaccurate drilling and installation of the stud. Of 
course, if the rifle stock is particularly ornate, includes aesthetically 
pleasing wood such as a deep walnut or redwood, or if the firearm has 
artistic or collectable value in "factory form", the user may not wish to 
drill holes in the stock for fear of altering its appearance or 
diminishing its value. 
In addition, the art to which the invention relates is directed to recoil 
pads. On many rifles and shotguns, depending upon the design and 
manufacture, the recoil associated with firing the weapon is often 
unpleasant to the shooter. As a means to remedy this situation, various 
manufacturers have attached to the end of the butt stock a thickness of 
foam or elastomeric padding in an attempt to absorb the recoil associated 
with firing the weapon. 
Many firearm manufacturers, however, do not include a recoil pad attached 
to the end of the stock. Many reasons may account for this, one of which 
is the added length, weight, or aesthetic appearance of the butt stock 
with the recoil pad attached. One common example is the lever action rifle 
where length is a consideration to some, but in comparison to the recoil 
felt by the shooter, many individuals desire a recoil pad attached to the 
end of the butt stock. Manufacturers have attempted to remedy this 
situation by providing slip on recoil pads. Some of the more popular 
recoil pads include a sleeve portion attached to a corrugated rubber 
portion. Still others replace the corrugated rubber portion with a 
gel-like package. The sleeve portion is slipped over the end of the butt 
stock and the corrugated portion is placed against the shooter's shoulder. 
When the weapon is fired, the rearward recoil into the user's shoulder 
compresses the corrugated or gel portions thereby absorbing some of the 
felt recoil and shock. Such recoil pads can be placed on virtually any 
type stock, those that have rifle sling attachment studs, pistol grip type 
stocks or ranger style stocks without rifle sling attachments studs. 
A common problem associated with slip on recoil pads, when applied to a 
firearm having rifle sling attachment studs, is the propensity of the 
sleeve portion to cover the stud attached to the butt stock. In this case 
the user must either trim the recoil pad or simply attach the sling buckle 
underneath the slip on pad which causes a bulge under the recoil pad and 
diminish the utility of the swivel action of the sling buckle to stud 
contact. 
Accordingly, attachment of the slip on recoil pad to a butt stock of a 
firearm not having a butt stock rifle sling attachment stud does not alter 
the above described problem associated with the slippage of the 
aforedescribed shotgun slings. 
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to invent a slip on recoil pad having 
a rifle sling attachment stud or other means of receiving an existing 
stud. Such a device would facilitate the absorption of recoil, eliminate 
the need for drilling holes into the wood of the butt stock, and eliminate 
the slippage associated with shotgun slings. Until now, it is believed 
that such a sling has not been invented. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is an improved slip on recoil pad having a corrugated 
portion, a sleeve extending from the corrugated portion, and an attachment 
stud mechanism. The preferred construction of the present invention can be 
of any suitable material such as rubber, flexible plastics, or virtually 
any suitable material capable of providing the structure necessary and 
associated with a recoil pad. 
The present invention also includes a sling attachment stud or stud 
receiving mechanism (hereinafter an "attachment mechanism") attached to 
the slip on sleeve of the recoil pad. The attachment stud mechanism 
includes a typical sling eyelet through which a rifle sling swivel or 
buckle can be attached. The rifle sling swivel is attached to the sleeve 
of the recoil pad. 
To prevent inadvertent extraction or the rifle sling eyelet from pulling 
through the sleeve material, a rivet, grommet, or stay can be attached to 
the post of the eyelet from the inside of the sleeve. In the preferred 
embodiment, the rivet, grommet, or stay is covered with a non-marring or 
non-scratching material. The non-marring or non-scratching material is 
provided so that when the recoil pad is slipped onto the stock of the 
rifle the wood stock is not scratched or marred by the rivet, grommet, 
stay or stud shank which is preferably made of a high strength metal 
construction. 
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sling attachment stud 
has an eyelet and a post and the post extends through the sleeve portion 
of the recoil pad through a strip of non-metallic reinforcing material 
which partially or totally lies in the interior of the recoil pad so as to 
further prevent pulling or stretching of the recoil pad in an undesired 
fashion. 
In the embodiment mentioned above, if the eyelet stud is capped with a 
rivet, grommet or stay on the inside of the sleeve portion of the recoil 
pad, the weight of the rifle may have a tendency to pull the recoil pad 
away from the rifle stock. As a means to remedy this situation, the 
reinforcing strip or liner that overlies the interior surface of the slip 
on recoil pad is firmly attached to that interior surface by adhesive, 
stitching, or any other suitable means of rigid attachment and is placed 
atop this reinforcing material. If a stay is used, the stay may have a 
curved construction such that a portion of the stay is parallel to the 
long axis of the firearm and a portion is perpendicular. In this way the 
stay may rest adjacent the butt stock end and bottom side. The force from 
the sling attached to the mechanism on the sleeve is then transferred to 
the end of the firearm via the stay. 
Any pulling or forces applied to the attachment stud would have a tendency 
to distribute those forces over the liner or reinforcing strip on the 
interior of the recoil pad. Once again, in the preferred embodiment a 
layer of material is placed on top of the grommet or rivet to prevent 
scratching of the wood butt stock. 
Accordingly, the present invention can be summarized in a variety of ways, 
one of which is the following: a slip on recoil pad comprising: a cushion; 
a flexible sleeve extending from the cushion and having an interior 
surface; and means for accommodating a sling swivel. 
The means for accommodating the sling swivel may be an attachment stud 
mechanism having a post and an eyelet through which a sling swivel can be 
attached. The means for accommodating a sling swivel is preferably 
associated with the flexible sleeve which includes an aperture through 
which an attachment stud mechanism may extend. 
The reinforcing means is designed to prevent the means for accommodating 
the sling swivel from tearing away from the sleeve. The reinforcing means 
may be, for example, a rivet device, a grommet, or at least one layer of 
material to prevent marring or scratching of a surface with which the 
reinforcing means comes into contact. The reinforcing means may be a 
reinforcing strip that overlies the interior surface of the sleeve. 
The present invention may also be summarized as follows: a slip on recoil 
pad comprising: a cushion; a flexible sleeve extending from the cushion; a 
sling attachment mechanism attached to the sleeve. The sling attachment 
mechanism may include a swivel attachment stud. 
The sling attachment mechanism may include a post and an eyelet through 
which a sling swivel can be attached. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a slip on recoil pad 
having a rifle sling attachment stud. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a slip on recoil pad 
with a means for enabling the attachment of a rifle sling. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a slip on recoil pad 
with a rifle sling attachment mechanism with reinforcement to prevent the 
rifle sling attachment mechanism from pulling through the slip on recoil 
pad material. 
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a reinforcing 
material on the inside of a slip on recoil pad having a rifle sling 
attachment stud extending from the exterior to the interior of the recoil 
pad so as to prevent inadvertent extraction or pulling through of the 
rifle sling attachment stud. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a slip on recoil pad 
having a lined interior surface which overlies the rifle sling attachment 
stud which extends from the exterior surface of the slip on recoil pad for 
attachment of a rifle sling. 
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a slip on 
recoil pad having a neoprene lining capable of stretching yet providing a 
snug fit to the butt stock of the rifle. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a neoprene slip on 
recoil pad capable of being removed, washed and reinstalled. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a slip on recoil 
pad manufactured of a neoprene material for easy application, sturdy 
installation, and comfort.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
With reference to FIGS. 1-3, an embodiment of the present invention is 
designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The embodiment 10 
includes a slip on recoil pad component 12, a rifle sling attachment stud 
or eyelet 14, a cushion section 16, and a sleeve portion 18 extending 
therefrom. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rifle 
sling attachment stud 14 includes an eyelet 20 and a post 22. The eyelet 
includes a rifle sling swivel receiving bore 24 and a rivet or grommet 
component 26 (see FIG. 4). A reinforcing strip or liner 28 is provided to 
underline the grommet 26 for additional reinforcement and prevention of 
the inadvertent extraction of the grommet from the sleeve component 18. 
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5A-C, a protective layer 30 overlies the 
rivet or grommet 26 to prevent marring or scratching of the rifle stock 
when the sleeve 18 is slipped over the stock portion of the rifle. In use, 
the user slips the sleeve portion 18 of the recoil pad 12 over the butt 
stock (not shown) of a rifle. The protective layer 30 and/or the 
reinforcing strip or liner 28 prevent scratching or marring of the stock 
when the recoil pad is installed. Of course it is contemplated that the 
reinforcing strip may be a rigid stay of a metallic or non-marring 
material. With respect to a metallic stay, however, it is preferable to 
include a liner 28 of the type described above to prevent marring of the 
stock to which the recoil pad invention is applied. 
The user then simply attaches a rifle sling swivel (not shown) to the 
eyelet 20 by inserting a post (not shown) of the rifle sling swivel 
through the post receiving bore 24 and fastening the swivel in a closed 
position. The rifle sling swivel can be of any conventionally or 
commercially available design and such is not critical to the functional 
operation of the present invention. 
With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, a recoil pad 50 is constructed of 
neoprene. The neoprene recoil pad 50 includes a sleeve portion 52 and a 
cushion portion 54. In the preferred embodiment, the cushion portion 54 is 
contained inside the neoprene sleeve 52 and may be formed integral 
therewith or attached thereto by way of an adhesive between the interface 
56 of the sleeve 52 and cushion 54. The neoprene recoil pad is preferred 
because it provides an inherent layer of protection and cushion to the 
rifle stock and shooter, a degree of warmth, and variation and ability to 
have printed inscriptions on the recoil pad for aesthetics, all of which 
are not found and associated with conventional commercially available 
recoil pads. 
With reference to FIG. 8, a rifle stock 60 is shown with a recoil pad 62 
attached thereto. The sling stud 64 may be attached to the rifle stock in 
a conventional manner, or it may be part of the recoil pad in the manner 
described above. If the stud 64 is attached to the stock, the embodiment 
of the recoil pad shown in FIG. 5B and 5C is preferred, because the 
grommet 26 of those figures includes an aperture 66 enabling the stud 64 
to pass therethrough. 
These and other embodiments of the present invention shall become apparent 
after consideration of the specification and drawings whose only 
limitation is the scope of the appended claims.