Patent Publication Number: US-10760867-B2

Title: Actuatable muzzle brake for a firearm

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     A muzzle brake is a device (e.g., an attachment) that attaches to a muzzle of a firearm. Typically, muzzle brakes are designed to reduce felt recoil that occurs when firing the firearm. Muzzle brakes reduce the felt recoil by venting expanding propellant gases in a direction transverse to the direction of extension of a barrel of the firearm through vents in the muzzle brake attachment located at the end of the barrel of the firearm. This results in the reduction of the felt recoil and consequently improves muzzle control. 
     However, muzzle brakes generally increase the volume of gas directed to the sides and rearward towards the shooter, resulting in a significant concussion affect. For this reason, a user may not desire to use the muzzle brake at a range, for example, when the user may be around other people who may have adverse reactions to the increased volume of gas directed toward the side and rear of the firearm. Therefore, the user may have to remove the muzzle brake while shooting at a range or around other people. On the other hand, the user may desire to use the same firearm for precise target shooting (e.g., shooting competition, hunting, etc.) and, having removed it for the range, would have to reinstall the muzzle brake. This may be undesirable because adding or removing a muzzle brake may significantly change the point of impact. 
     Thus, a solution is desired for a single muzzle brake device that may be implemented in a variety of different scenarios. Additionally, it is desired that such a solution would allow users to easily configure the muzzle brake device between different operating functions to accommodate the specific need. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items or features. Furthermore, the drawings may be considered as providing an approximate depiction of the relative sizes of the individual components within individual figures. However, the drawings are not to scale, and the relative sizes of the individual components, both within individual figures and between the different figures, may vary from what is depicted. In particular, some of the figures may depict components as a certain size or shape, while other figures may depict the components on a larger scale or differently shaped for the sake of clarity. 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates a perspective view of an actuatable muzzle brake having a sleeve in a first position. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the actuatable muzzle brake taken across line A-A in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the actuatable muzzle brake having a sleeve in a second position. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded view of the actuatable muzzle brake. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As described previously, muzzle brakes benefit a user due to the reduced felt recoil the user may experience when firing a firearm with a muzzle brake. At the same time, muzzle brakes may increase the volume of gas redirected towards the shooter when the firearm is fired. This disclosure is directed to an actuatable muzzle brake (also referred to herein below as a “muzzle brake”). More specifically, the actuatable muzzle brake described herein may be actuated between multiple operating positions (or “modes”). For example, the muzzle brake may be operated in a first position, in which the muzzle brake vents combustion gas out a side of the muzzle brake when a firearm is fired, and a second position, in which the muzzle brake may prevent combustion gas from escaping out the side of the muzzle brake. In such an embodiment, the muzzle brake may be actuated between the first position and the second position while remaining installed on a firearm, thereby eliminating the need to remove and/or install the muzzle brake depending on the intended use. 
       FIG. 1A  depicts a perspective view of an actuatable side-discharge muzzle brake  100  (referred to herein as a “muzzle brake”). In an embodiment, the muzzle brake  100  includes a body  102 . The body  102  includes a hole  104  that extends through the body  102  along a length of the muzzle brake. The body  102  is described further with respect to  FIGS. 1A and 1B .  FIG. 1B  depicts a cross-sectional view of the muzzle brake  100  taken along line A-A in  FIG. 1 . The muzzle brake  100  may also include a mounting portion  106  (also referred to herein as an “attachment portion”). In an embodiment, the mounting portion  106  may include internal threading  108  located in the hole  104  on a first end of the mounting portion  106  coinciding with a first end of the body  102 . As shown in  FIG. 1B , the mounting portion  106  may include internal threading  108  along a portion of the length of the mounting portion  106 . However, in an alternative embodiment, the mounting portion  106  may include internal threading along the entire length of the mounting portion  106 . The body  102  may also include multiple notches  110  located on a second end of the mounting portion  106  that is opposite the first end of the mounting portion  106 . In an embodiment, the multiple notches  110  may include four notches located at 90 degree intervals. However, in an alternative embodiment, the muzzle brake  100  may include any number of notches located at any degree interval. In such an embodiment, the particular number and interval may be determined based at least in part on the type and/or size of vents (described further herein below). 
     The body  102  may further include a venting portion  112  that extends from the second end of the mounting portion  106 . The vent portion  112  may include at least a pair of vents  114 , and in an embodiment may include multiple vents  114  (referred to herein as “ports” or “vent apertures”), as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . In an embodiment, a first vent is disposed through a wall of the vent portion  112  into the hole  104  of the body  102  and a second vent (which cannot be seen as the second vent may be located on a far side of the muzzle brake in  FIG. 1A ) is disposed directly opposite the first vent through the wall of the vent portion  112  into the hole  104  in the body  102 . The multiple vents  114  oriented in the wall of the vent portion  112  such that, when the muzzle brake  100  is attached to a firearm (not pictured), the multiple vents  114  are oriented on a horizontal plane to vent combustion gas substantially parallel to the horizontal plane. 
     The body  102  of the muzzle brake  100  may also include a threaded portion  116 . The threaded portion  116  may extend from the vent portion  112  of the body  102 . In an embodiment, the threaded portion  116  may include external threading  118  on a surface of the body  102  outside of the hole  104 . In an embodiment, the body  102  may include a shoulder  120  located between the vent portion  112  and the threaded portion  118 . 
     The muzzle brake  100  may also include a sleeve  122 . The sleeve  122  may be sized to slide over the vent portion  112  of the body  102 . In an embodiment, the sleeve  122  may include multiple detents  124  located at an end of the sleeve  122 . In such an embodiment, the multiple detents  124  may be sized to engage the multiple notches  110 , respectively, such that the multiple detents  124  maintain a position of the sleeve  122 . In such an embodiment, the multiple detents  124  may be located so as to correspond with the multiple notches  110 . For example, if the body  102  includes four notches disposed at 90 degree intervals, then the sleeve may also include four detents disposed at 90 degree intervals. In an embodiment, both the multiple notches  110  and the multiple detents  124  may be substantially rounded such that the sleeve  122  may be rotatable when a rotational force is exerted on the sleeve  122 . In such an embodiment, the multiple detents  124  may slide out of the multiple notches  110 , thus pushing the sleeve  122  laterally away from the mounting portion  106  of the body  102 . 
     The sleeve  122  may also include at least a pair of exit apertures  126  (referred to herein as “apertures” or “openings”), and, in an embodiment, may include multiple apertures  126 . The multiple apertures  126  may be disposed such that a first aperture  126  is disposed through a wall of the sleeve and a second aperture (which cannot be seen as the second vent may be located on a far side of the muzzle brake in  FIG. 1A ) is disposed opposite the first aperture through the wall of the sleeve  122 . The multiple apertures  126  may be oriented in the wall of the sleeve  122  such that, when the sleeve  122  is rotated into a first position (as shown in  FIG. 1A ), the multiple apertures  126  are oriented to align with the multiple vents  114 . The multiple apertures  126  may further be disposed in the wall of the sleeve  122  such that, when the sleeve is rotated into a second position (as shown in  FIG. 2 ), the multiple apertures  126  are oriented to not align with the multiple vents  114  (described further herein below). Rather, the multiple vents  114  align with a continuous portion (i.e., unbroken, solid surface) of the sleeve  122 , thus blocking combustion gas from escaping/venting out of the muzzle brake  100 . 
     The muzzle brake  100  may further include a nut  128  that is removably attachable to the threaded portion  116  portion of the body  102  such that the nut maintains the sleeve  122  on the body  102 . In an embodiment, the nut  128  may maintain the sleeve  122  on the body  102  such that the sleeve  122  is rotatable around the vent portion  112  of the body in two directions for a full 360 degrees of rotation (in both rotational directions) between the first position and the second position described above. 
     The muzzle brake  100  may further include a cover  130  that is sized to slide over the shoulder  120  and cover the threaded portion  116  of the body  102 , such that the cover  130  is disposed adjacent to the second end of the sleeve  122 . In such an embodiment, a first side of the cover  130  may abut a surface of the shoulder  120  of the body  102  and the sleeve  122 . The muzzle brake  100  may also include at least one spring  132  disposed adjacent to a second side of the cover  130 . In an embodiment, the spring  132  may be sized such that the spring  132  fits within the cover  130 . The spring  132  may be positioned such that, when the nut is attached to the threaded portion  116  of the body  102 , the nut  128  exerts a force on the spring  132  and the spring  132  exerts a compressive force on the cover  130  and the sleeve  122 . In an embodiment, the spring  132  may include a compression spring. Such a spring may include a wave spring, the wave spring including any one of the following: single-turn wave spring, multi-turn wave spring, nested wave spring, a wave spring with shims, etc. In an embodiment, the compressive force exerted on the sleeve  122  by the spring  132  may maintain a position of the sleeve when the multiple detents  124  are engaged with the multiple notches  110 . As mentioned previously, the multiple detents  124  and the multiple notches  110  may be substantially rounded such that the sleeve  122  is rotatable when a rotational force is exerted on the sleeve  122 . For example, a rotational force may be applied to the sleeve  122  that exceeds a threshold force such that the rotational force overcomes the compressive force maintaining the position of the sleeve  122 . In such an example, the sleeve  122  may move laterally, away from the mounting portion  106  of the body  102 , such that the sleeve  122  pushes against the spring  132 . The sleeve  122  may rotate around the vent portion  112  of the body  102  until the multiple detents  124  are forced into another set of respective multiple notches  110  by the compressive force of the spring. 
     In an embodiment, the cover  130  may include sidewalls that cover the spring  132  and the nut  128 , as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . Because of this, the nut  128  may include multiple holes  134 , as seen in  FIG. 1A . The multiple holes  134  may correspond to a wrench (not shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B ), having multiple posts that correspond with the multiple holes  134 . The wrench having the multiple posts enables a user to assemble and disassemble the muzzle brake for cleaning, maintenance, and/or other purposes. The nut  128 , cover  130 , and the spring  132  may be referred to herein as a “securing assembly.” 
       FIG. 2  depicts a perspective view of the muzzle brake  100  having the sleeve  122  in a second position. As mentioned previously, when the sleeve  122  of the muzzle brake  100  is in the second position, the multiple apertures  126  in the sleeve  122  are oriented to not align with the multiple vents (not seen in  FIG. 2  since they are covered by the sleeve  122 ) such that a continuous portion of the sleeve  122  covers the multiple vents, thus blocking combustion gas from escaping/venting out of the muzzle brake  100 . It is to be noted that in  FIG. 2 , the orientation of the body  102  has not changed, rather, the sleeve  122  has been rotated relative to the body  102 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts an exploded view of a muzzle brake  300 , as shown and described in  FIGS. 1-2 .  FIG. 3  depicts possible locations and orientations of each of each of the components previously described.  FIG. 3  further depicts a wrench  302  as previously described. The wrench  302  may include multiple posts  304  that correspond with the multiple holes  134  of the nut  128 . The wrench  302  having the multiple posts  304  enables a user to assemble and disassemble the muzzle brake for cleaning, maintenance, and/or other purposes.  FIG. 3  also depicts a side profile  306  view of the wrench  302  and the multiple posts  304 . 
     CONCLUSION 
     Although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed herein as illustrative forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.