Abstract:
A magazine-protecting, ambidextrous device for carrying a loaded spare magazine attached to a firearm buttstock in position for rapid removal and insertion into the firing position of the firearm. The loaded spare magazine is restrained within a well formed in the buttstock by a retractable latch pivotably mounted such that when the spare magazine is removed, the latch retracts below the exterior surface of the firearm buttstock, protecting the latch from damage and reducing the profile of the weapon. The spare magazine is carried in such a way as to protect the open end of the magazine and the ammunition carried therein from dirt and/or damage.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention claims the benefit of the provisional patent application filed on Apr. 27, 2002, assigned application No. 60/375,893 and entitled Ambidextrous Reserve Magazine Holder. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention is directed generally to reserve magazine holders for a firearm, and specifically to an ambidextrous reserve ammunition magazine holder.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Many firearms use detachable ammunition cartridge magazines that can be quickly removed when empty and replaced with a full magazine. This is desirable not only to rapidly reload the firearm when the active magazine is depleted, but also to change to a different ammunition type by replacing the magazine cartridge as the target requires (armor piercing, tracer, etc). Although detachable magazine firearms are employed in a wide variety of applications, it is generally beneficial to minimize the time required to remove the empty magazine and replace it with the full magazine. Advantageously, certain firearms allow magazine replacement without releasing the grip of the firing hand, while the free hand simultaneously reaches for the replacement magazine. Ideally, the spare or reserve magazine should be readily available and easily inserted into the firearm.  
           [0004]    Spare magazines can be carried in one or more pouches on the firearm operator&#39;s body, as is the practice of military personnel who carry these firearms full time as part of their mission. In other situations, such as police work or home defense, the firearm is stored in a secure location, the police cruiser for example, and retrieved only in emergency situations. However, during such emergency conditions, the need to grab both the firearm and a spare magazine significantly increases response time, and belting or slinging on a spare magazine carrier while holding and controlling a firearm is clumsy, time consuming, and possibly dangerous.  
           [0005]    Firearms for use in law enforcement are often stored in close fitting, lockable weapons cases that lack sufficient space for bulky add-on magazines carriers or other firearm accessories. Home defense firearms are also stored in compact locations to avoid notice by the casual observer. Storage of spare magazines in such enclosures is not ideal and in some situations may not be practical.  
           [0006]    Certain firearm designs provide for the storage of a spare magazine on the firearm. The advantages of a spare magazine carrier that is attached to the firearm, but does not increase that firearm bulk, are apparent. See for example the following patents issued to Johnson (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,484,404; 4,628,627 and 5,636,465) and Musgrave (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,100,694 and 4,115,943). In the Johnson and Musgrave patents, the spare magazine is carried in an add-on well affixed to the firearm, increasing the bulk of the firearm, even when the spare magazine is absent from the well. Note further that the magazine carrier add-on well disclosed by Johnson, and also utilized in commercial products, is positioned on one side of the firearm, limiting its utility for left handed shooters. Claridge (U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,613) discloses a spare magazine carried in a low profile orientation relative to the firearm, but removal of the magazine latch is a very slow and awkward process.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    A firearm having a buttstock constructed according to the teachings of the present invention includes a well within the buttstock for storing a spare magazine. A rotatable latch affixed to opposing surfaces of the buttstock releasably holds the spare magazine within the well. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    The foregoing and other features of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different figures. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary firearm constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIGS. 2A, 2B,  3  and  4  illustrate the spare magazine latch of the firearm of FIG. 1;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 illustrates the firearm of FIG. 1 with the spare magazine removed;  
         [0012]    FIGS.  6 A- 6 F are a succession of illustration depicting removal of the spare magazine from the well of the present invention; and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the teachings of the present invention as applied to a second exemplary firearm. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]    Before describing in detail the reserve ammunition magazine holder in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel combination of hardware elements related to a magazine holder. Accordingly, the hardware elements have been represented by conventional elements in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to the present invention, so as not to obscure the disclosure with structural details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 illustrates a firearm  10  constructed according to the teachings of the present invention, comprising a barrel  12  and a sight bracket  14 . A considerable length of the barrel  12  is concealed by a hand guard  24 . The barrel  12  and the hand guard  24  are affixed to an anterior end of a receiver  30  as shown. A pistol grip  32  and a buttstock  34  are affixed to a posterior end of the receiver  30 . A magazine receiver  36 , located forward of the firing grip  32 , carries a primary magazine  38 . A magazine release button  40  when depressed, releases the primary magazine  38  from the firearm  10 .  
         [0016]    Solely for illustrative purposes, FIG. 1 illustrates a mini- 14  firearm. However, the teachings of the present invention can be applied to other firearm types, with suitable modifications in dimensions and geometry without departing from the essential scope of the invention.  
         [0017]    The invention comprises a protective well  50  formed in the buttstock  34  for removably holding a spare magazine  52  for the firearm  10 . A rotatable latch  54  restrains the spare magazine  52  within the well  50 . The spare magazine  52  is positioned relative to the shooter such that either a left-handed or a right-handed shooter can conveniently and easily remove the spare magazine  50  for insertion into the magazine receiver  36 . By disposing the spare magazine  52  longitudinally within the well  50  (i.e., the longitudinal axis of the spare magazine  52  is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the firearm  10 ), the weight of the spare magazine  52  is distributed along the buttstock  34 , creating a firearm weight distribution that is easier for the shooter to manage, when compared with the prior art magazine storage techniques that result in a forward-heavy firearm. That is, in the prior art designs the weight of the spare magazine tends to impart a rotational torque about the firearm&#39;s longitudinal center of gravity, making the firearm clumsy to carry and requiring the shooter to exert an opposing force when aiming and shooting the firearm. Note that according to the teachings of the present invention, the protective well  50  encloses the upper portion of the spare magazine  52 , protecting the spare magazine  52  from damage to its feed lips (not shown) from which the ammunition is injected into the firearm, and also protecting the ammunition carried within the spare magazine  52  from damage and dirt. Since the protective well  50  is formed within the firearm buttstock  34 , there is no substantial change to the firearm profile or bulk when the spare magazine  52  is stored within the well  50  or absent from the well  50 .  
         [0018]    A biased latch  60 , a generally L-shaped structure comprising an arm  62  and a tab  64  disposed at one end thereof, and pivotable about an axis  66 , removably retains the spare magazine  52  in the protective well  50 . See the FIG. 2A side view and the FIG. 2B close-up view. A front view of the latch  60  is illustrated in FIG. 3, showing a sleeve  70  frictionally engaged within a hole  72  in each of two arms  74  and  76  extending from the arm  62 . In a preferred embodiment, a biasing spiral spring  80  encircles the sleeve  70 . The latch  60  is rotatably affixed to the buttstock  34  by two opposing machine screws  82  and  84  that pass through opposing sides of the buttstock  34  for threadably engaging opposing ends of the sleeve  70 .  
         [0019]    When stored within the protective well  50 , the spare magazine  52  exerts an opening force against the latch  60 , opposing the bias force exerted by the spiral spring  80  and retaining the spare magazine  52  within the well  50 . Specifically, the forward-facing and bottom-facing ends of the spare magazine  52  are captured by the arm  62  and the tab  64 . When the spare magazine  52  is removed, the bias force of the spring  80  retracts the latch  60  into the protective well  50 . From FIG. 2B, it can be seen that the bias force is applied by contact between the spring  80  and an adjacent surface  88  of the buttstock  34 . With the latch retracted, the profile and bulk of the firearm  10  are essentially identical to that of a firearm lacking any magazine storage capabilities. Retraction of the latch  60  also protects the latch  60  from damage during firearm use.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 illustrates the firearm  10  absent the spare magazine  52 , with the latch  60  in a retracted position.  
         [0021]    Operation  
         [0022]    The spare magazine  52  is inserted into the protective well  50  by first rotating the latch  60  to the fully open position. The spare magazine  52  is then inserted, open end first, (i.e., the end from which the ammunition is discharged into the firearm  10 ) into the well  50 , with the bottom surface of the magazine  52  facing in the direction of the barrel  12 . The bottom surface is rotated upwardly and forward while the operator simultaneously exerts a force to slide the top surface back into the protective well  50 . The operator continues this motion until the spare magazine  52  is sufficiently disposed within the protective well  50  to permit the latch  60  to engage the bottom corner of the spare magazine  52 , removably securing the spare magazine  52  within the well  50 .  
         [0023]    When the shooter wishes to change from the primary magazine  38  to the spare magazine  52 , he depress the magazine release button  40  with the first finger of his shooting hand, releasing the primary magazine  38  from the magazine well  36  of the firearm  10 .  
         [0024]    The process of removing a spare magazine  52  from the firearm  10  is illustrated in a series of operational illustrations in FIGS.  6 A- 6 F. FIG. 6A illustrates the spare magazine  52  within the well  50 . Simultaneous with the depression of the magazine release button  40 , the shooter&#39;s free hand grasps the spare magazine  52  between thumb and fingers (see FIG. 6B) and pushes the latch  60  forward by moving his hand forward. As the latch  60  is pushed forward against the bias force, the spare magazine  52  is pulled forward and downward. See FIGS. 6C and 6D. As this motion continues, the spare magazine  52  is removed from the well  36  (See FIG. 6E.) and rotated into an upright position. The rotation places the spare magazine  52  in the correct orientation for insertion into the magazine well  36  of the firearm  10 . With the force of the spare magazine now absent, the latch  60  retracts into the protective well  50  as shown in FIG. 6F.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 7 illustrates the application of the teachings of the present invention to an AR-15 or M-16 firearm, referred to by reference character  100 , including the protective well  50  and associated components of the present invention. FIG. 8 illustrates the firearm  100  with the spare magazine  52  removed.  
         [0026]    An apparatus has been described as useful for storing a spare ammunition magazine for a firearm. While specific applications and examples of the invention have been illustrated and discussed, the principals disclosed herein provide a basis for practicing the invention in a variety of ways and in a variety of firearm. Numerous variations are possible within the scope of the invention. The invention is limited only by the claims that follow.