Patent Publication Number: US-11041688-B2

Title: Tunable muzzle brake for a firearm

Description:
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 reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 16/533,730, entitled “TUNABLE MUZZLE BRAKE FOR A FIREARM” filed on Aug. 6, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/726,361 entitled “TUNABLE MUZZLE BRAKE FOR A FIREARM” filed on Sep. 20, 2018, the entirety of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates generally to firearms accessories. More particularly, this invention pertains to muzzle brakes for mounting on the muzzle of a firearm (including airguns). 
     Muzzle brakes or recoil compensators (“compensators”) are devices connected to the muzzle of a firearm that direct propellant gases to counter recoil, hide muzzle flash, reduce noise, and/or reduce muzzle rise during operation. Brakes have been used in various forms on rifles, pistols and revolvers. Generally, brakes use a variety of slots, vents, holes, and/or baffles to redirect and control the burst of gases that follows the departure of a projectile from the muzzle of a firearm to affect the movement of the firearm immediately after the projectile leaves the muzzle. For durability and ease of machining, the slots, vents, and/or holes in traditional brakes are static and thus the direction(s) in which propellant gases are vented from such compensators (i.e., brakes) is fixed. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Aspects of the present invention provide a muzzle brake (i.e., muzzle brake, suppressor, or compensator) that directs air through ports in a top of the muzzle brake. Each pair of ports, left and right, has a corresponding baffle to which they are adjacent and form a recess in the rear face of. Each port is between 15 and 30 degrees from top center, and each port angles forward between 15 and 30 degrees. Each port is threaded such that a user may shut the port off with a set screw. Each baffle has a top tooth and a bottom tooth which direct gases from the muzzle of the firearm laterally and into the pair of ports associated with the baffle. The brake may also have lateral vents to disperse the excess gases received from the muzzle. 
     In one embodiment, a tunable muzzle brake for a firearm allows a user to select which of one or more directions propellant gases are vented during discharge of a firearm (e.g., airgun, rifle, or pistol) and further to select the relative amounts of propellant gases vented in each direction by opening or closing one or more closable vents or ports defined through the body of the muzzle brake. As such, a tunable muzzle brake of the present disclosure can help a user better control and directionally tune the recoil experienced upon discharge of a round of a ammunition from a firearm to which the muzzle brake is attached. 
     In one embodiment, muzzle brake extends along a longitudinal axis. The muzzle brake includes a brake body, baffle, and a port. The brake body extends longitudinally. The brake body is configured to engage a muzzle of a firearm such that the longitudinal axis of the brake body is generally coaxial with a bore axis of the firearm. The brake body is configured to engage the muzzle at a rear end of the brake body when the muzzle brake is installed on the firearm. The baffle extends inwardly from the brake body toward the longitudinal axis. The port is longitudinally between the rear end of the brake body and the baffle. The port extends from an interior space (e.g., a main bore axis through which a projectile of the firearm passes) of the brake through the brake body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an isometric view of a tunable muzzle brake for a firearm. 
         FIG. 2  shows a right side perspective view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows a left side perspective view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  shows a top perspective view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  shows a bottom perspective view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  shows a front perspective view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1  centered about a longitudinal axis of the muzzle brake. 
         FIG. 7  shows a rear perspective view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1  centered about a longitudinal axis of the muzzle brake. 
         FIG. 8  is a rear elevation view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1  looking downward to view the top exterior surface and the bottom interior surface of the muzzle brake. 
         FIG. 9  is a rear depressed view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1  looking upward to view the bottom exterior surface and the top interior surface of the muzzle brake. 
         FIG. 10  is an elevated front cutaway view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1  showing the angle of the ports formed in the brake body relative to the longitudinal axis of the brake. 
         FIG. 11  is a cutaway isometric view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 12  is side cutaway view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 13  is a rear isometric cutaway view of the muzzle brake of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     Reference will now be made in detail to optional embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawing and in the description referring to the same or like parts. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention. 
     To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments described herein, a number of terms are defined below. The terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as “a,” “an,” and “the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but rather include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit the invention, except as set forth in the claims. 
     As described herein, an upright position is considered to be the position of apparatus components while in proper operation or in a natural resting position as described herein. The upright position of a muzzle brake is the position it would be in properly attached to a firearm muzzle when the firearm is being held by a shooter in a generally level or horizontal shooting position (e.g., aimed at a target of slightly less elevation than the muzzle of the firearm). A rear end of the muzzle brake engages the barrel of the firearm, and a front end of the muzzle brake is opposite the rear end of the muzzle brake. Vertical, horizontal, above, below, side, top, bottom and other orientation terms are described with respect to this upright position during operation unless otherwise specified. The term “when” is used to specify orientation for relative positions of components, not as a temporal limitation of the claims or apparatus described and claimed herein unless otherwise specified. The terms “above”, “below”, “over”, and “under” mean “having an elevation or vertical height greater or lesser than” and are not intended to imply that one object or component is directly over or under another object or component. 
     The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without operator input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-13 , in one embodiment, a tunable muzzle brake  10  includes a brake body  12 . The brake body  12  includes a threaded portion configured to engage a barrel of firearm (i.e., the muzzle of the firearm). In one embodiment, the muzzle brake  10  includes a jam nut  14  configured to thread onto a portion of the rear end of the brake body  12  in the manner described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 9,709,355, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In one embodiment, brake body  12  includes a plurality of lateral side vents  16  defined therein. The plurality of vents  16  can be formed in two rows extending along the length of each of the left and right side of the brake body  12  as best shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     In operation, the brake body  12  attaches to the barrel of a firearm (i.e., the muzzle) in a predetermined orientation (i.e., upright), and the jam nut  14  is tightened down against the end of the barrel in order to ensure that the brake body  12  maintains the predetermined orientation with respect to the firearm during use (i.e., discharge of the firearm). 
     In one embodiment, brake body  12  also includes a plurality of holes or ports  18  defined therethrough, which, like vents  16 , extend along the length of brake body  12  in columns or rows (e.g., a left column and a right column) from a portion of the forward end of the brake toward the rearward end of the brake  10 . In one embodiment, the ports  18  are defined in two rows through a top portion of the brake body  12 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . In one embodiment, as best shown in  FIGS. 10-12 , ports  18  are formed in brake body  12  at an angle such that ports  18  extend through brake body  12  radially from an origin located on a longitudinal axis extending through muzzle brake  10 . 
     In one embodiment, the brake  10  includes set screws. The ports  18  can be provided with screw threads (e.g., internal female screw threads, not shown) and be sized and shaped to threadingly receive one of the set screws (e.g., any of the similarly sized set screws) therein. As such, the plurality of screws are receivable in ports  18  to seal or selectively close ports  18 . In use, a user may selectively seal or close one or more ports  18  in brake body  12  by threading a screw into such port or ports. By sealing or closing one or more ports  18  in brake body  12 , a user may selectably control the direction(s) in which the brake  10  vents propellant gases, as well as the volume or magnitude of propellant gases vented in each direction through any open ports  18  or vents  16 , during discharge of a round of ammunition (or projectile in the case of an airgun). This allows a user to directionally control or tune the recoil experienced during shooting of a firearm to which the brake  10  is attached. 
     For example, by threading screws into each port of the row of ports  18  defined in the upper left side of the brake  10 , the user may seal or close off those ports  18  and thereby prevent propellant gases from being vented through them. This will result in a greater volume of propellant gases being vented through the opposite row of ports defined in the upper right side of the brake  10 . The greater volume of gas vented through the upper right row of ports  18  will in turn exert greater down and leftward force on the muzzle of an attached firearm than if both rows of ports were open and unobstructed (which would provide equal downward force). Ports  18  may be sealed or closed in any uniform or non-uniform pattern or order that may be desired by a user. 
     By selectively sealing or closing one or more ports on one or both sides of the brake  10 , a user may modulate the direction and volume of propellant gases discharged during firing of a firearm to which the brake is attached in order to directionally tune experienced recoil to account for differences in cartridge pressure and user trigger control, among other factors. 
     In one embodiment, the muzzle brake  10  extends along a longitudinal. The muzzle brake  10  includes a brake body  12 , a baffle  105 , and a port  18 . The brake body  12  extends longitudinally along the longitudinal. The brake body  12  is configured to engage in muzzle of a firearm such that the longitudinal of the brake body is generally coaxial with a bore axis of the firearm. The bore axis of the firearm is the centerline along which the projectile exiting the muzzle of the firearm travels. The brake body  12  is configured to engage the muzzle at a rear end  107  of the brake body  12  when the muzzle brake  10  is installed on the firearm. A front end  109  of the muzzle brake  10  is longitudinally opposite the rear end  107  of the muzzle brake  10 . The brake body  12  defines an interior space  111  through which a projectile from the firearm passes. 
     The baffle  105  extends inwardly toward the longitudinal from the brake body  12  into the interior space  111  defined by the brake body  12 . In one embodiment, the baffle  105  is 1 of a plurality of baffle space longitudinally from one another along the longitudinal axis  103  of the brake  10 . In one embodiment, each baffle  105  defines a plane generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis  103 . 
     In one embodiment, at least one baffle  105  of the plurality of baffles includes a tooth  301  or diverter extending longitudinally rearward from the baffle  105 . In one embodiment, the baffle  105  further includes a second tooth  302 . In one embodiment, the first tooth  301  is located in a 12 o&#39;clock position, and the second tooth  302  is located in a 6 o&#39;clock position w when the brake  10  is viewed from the rear along the longitudinal axis  103 . In one embodiment, the first tooth  301  and the second tooth  302  narrow as they extend rearward from the baffle  105  such that the first tooth  301  and second tooth  302  are configured to direct gases exiting the muzzle of the firearm laterally (e.g, through corresponding vents  116 ). In one embodiment, a pair of ports  18  correspond to one or more of the baffles  105  of the plurality of baffles. The top tooth  301  is positioned between the left port and the right port of the pair of ports  18 . In one embodiment, the left port in the right port each form a recess  314 ,  312  in a rear face  320  of the corresponding baffle  105 . 
     The port  18  extends through the brake body  12  into the interior space  111  defined by the brake body  12 . In one embodiment, port  18  is a generally cylindrical hole through the brake body  12 . In one embodiment, the port  18  is closer to the rear end  107  of the brake body  12  where the port  18  enters the interior space  111  of the muzzle brake  10  then where the court penetrates an outer surface  113  of the brake body  12 . In one embodiment, the port  18  is at least partially in a top half of the muzzle brake  10 , wherein the top half is determined when the brake  10  is in the upright position. In one embodiment, the port  18  extends radially outward from the longitudinal and away from the rear end  107  of the brake  10 . The port  18  also extends through the outer surface  113  of the brake body  12  from the interior space  111  of the brake body  12 . In one embodiment, the brake includes additional ports between 2 baffles of the longitudinally space plurality of baffles  105 . In one embodiment, each port  18  extends along a radius intersecting the longitudinal axis  103 . In one embodiment, each port leans forward with respect to the longitudinal axis  103  at between 15 and 45°. In one embodiment, each port  18  is offset from a 12 o&#39;clock position of the brake  10  by between 15 and 45°. 
     In one embodiment, the muzzle brake  10  further includes a jam nut  14 . The jam nut  14  is configured to threadedly engage the brake body  12  adjacent the rear end  107  of the brake body  12 . The jam nut  14  is configured to contact an end of the barrel forming the muzzle of the firearm when the muzzle brake  10  is attached to the firearm. As used herein, firearm may mean a black powder weapon, a smoothbore shotgun, a rifled shotgun, a rifle, a pistol, and/or an airgun. 
     In one embodiment, the muzzle brake  10  further includes a vent  16  extending laterally (i.e., at least partially horizontally when in the upright position) from the longitudinal axis  103  through the outside surface  113  of the brake body  12 . In one embodiment, the vent  16  is a first vent extending left from the longitudinal axis  103  when the muzzle brake  10  is viewed from the rear along the longitudinal axis  103 , and the brake  10  is in the upright position. In one embodiment, the brake  10  further includes a second vent corresponding to (e.g., mirroring) the first vent extending right from the longitudinal axis  103  when the muzzle brake  10  is viewed from the rear along the longitudinal axis  103  and the brake is in the upright position. In one embodiment, the first vent and the second vent  16  or longitudinally between the rear end  107  of the brake  10  and the baffle  105 . 
     This written description uses examples to disclose the invention and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims. 
     It will be understood that the particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principal features of this invention may be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims. 
     All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein may be made and/or executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of the embodiments included herein, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful TUNABLE MUZZLE BRAKE FOR A FIREAM it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims