U.S. patent application number 11/114304 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-26 for hydraulic bolt buffer for firearm.
This patent application is currently assigned to Enidine, Inc.. Invention is credited to Timothy J. Boersching, Brian C. Bucholtz.
Application Number | 20060236853 11/114304 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37185492 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060236853 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boersching; Timothy J. ; et
al. |
October 26, 2006 |
HYDRAULIC BOLT BUFFER FOR FIREARM
Abstract
A hydraulic bolt buffer assembly for an automatic firearm, the
firearm including a receiver having a longitudinal chamber, a bolt
and carrier assembly mounted in the chamber for reciprocating
movement between a recoil position and a battery position, a spring
for urging the buffer into contact with the bolt and carrier
assembly for movement therewith and for biasing said bolt and
carrier assembly toward the battery position. The buffer assembly
includes a housing having an inner cavity, as well as a piston
disposed within the inner cavity of the housing that is movable
between an extended position and a depressed position, the piston
being in contact with the bolt and carrier assembly. The buffer
further includes a spring for biasing the piston in the extended
position, as well as a bearing member in fixed relation in the
housing and permitting a fluid tight seal with the interior of the
buffer housing. The bearing further includes a cavity for retaining
an accumulator disposed in a fluid chamber and in which movement of
the piston based on movement of the bolt and carrier assembly
causes hydraulic fluid contained in a first fluid chamber of said
cavity to be moved to a second fluid chamber of said cavity
containing the accumulator to slow the firing rate of the
firearm.
Inventors: |
Boersching; Timothy J.;
(Amherst, NY) ; Bucholtz; Brian C.; (Lakeview,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WALL MARJAMA & BILINSKI
101 SOUTH SALINA STREET
SUITE 400
SYRACUSE
NY
13202
US
|
Assignee: |
Enidine, Inc.
Orchard Park
NY
|
Family ID: |
37185492 |
Appl. No.: |
11/114304 |
Filed: |
April 26, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
89/198 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A 3/70 20130101; F41A
3/94 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
089/198 |
International
Class: |
F41A 3/78 20060101
F41A003/78 |
Claims
1. A hydraulic bolt buffer assembly for a firearm, said firearm
including a receiver having a longitudinal chamber, a bolt and
carrier assembly mounted in said chamber for reciprocating movement
between a recoil position and a battery position, a spring for
urging the buffer into contact with the bolt and carrier assembly
for movement therewith and for biasing said bolt and carrier
assembly toward the battery position, said buffer assembly
comprising: a housing having an inner cavity; a piston disposed
within the inner cavity of said housing and movable between an
extended position and a depressed position, said piston being in
contact with said bolt and carrier assembly; a spring for biasing
said piston in said extended position; and a stationary bearing
member in fixed relation in said housing, said bearing member
including means for providing a fluid-tight seal with said inner
cavity and further retaining an accumulator in stationary relation
along a primary axis of said buffer assembly wherein movement of
said piston from the extended position to the depressed position
causes hydraulic fluid contained in a first fluid chamber of said
inner cavity to be moved to a second fluid chamber of said cavity
containing said stationary accumulator and in which movement of
said fluid into said second fluid chamber compresses said
accumulator as said piston is moved to said depressed position.
2. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said piston
includes a piston head including at least one orifice through which
hydraulic fluid flows between said first fluid chamber and said
second fluid chamber when said piston head is moved through said
inner cavity of said housing.
3. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 1, including a bumper
configured for contacting an end wall of a said firearm when said
buffer assembly is axially moved to a recoil position therein.
4. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein said bumper is
attached within a cavity of said housing.
5. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 4, including a fill plug
for filling said inner cavity with hydraulic fluid.
6. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the spring is
moved to the depressed position when said buffer assembly and said
bolt and carrier assembly are moved to the recoil position.
7. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the spring is
moved to the extended position when said buffer and said bolt and
carrier assembly are moved toward the battery position.
8. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein said movable
piston head includes at least one exterior seal member in
engagement with the interior wall of said housing.
9. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 1, including a housing
configured to support an action spring for urging said buffer into
contact with said bolt and carrier assembly.
10. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 1, including a piston cap
configured to support an action spring for urging said buffer
assembly into contact with said bolt and carrier assembly.
11. A buffer assembly as recited in claim 1, including a piston cap
for contacting the bolt and carrier assembly.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates in general to firearms capable of
automatic or semi-automatic operation, and in particular to a
buffer for reducing or slowing the cyclic rate of firing for such
firearms.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Firearms that are capable of automatic or semi-automatic
operation, such as the M-16 rifle, are replete and extremely well
known. Accuracy using such firearms is not successful unless the
firearm is fired in short bursts due to the recoil of successive
rounds causing the barrel of the firearm to climb upwardly and to
the right, for the right handed shooter. The M-16 rifle, for
example, fires at a cyclic rate of approximately 750 rounds per
minute (RPM) wherein this rate, as combined with the impulse
produced by a 5.56 mm cartridge makes it difficult for the shooter
of such a firearm to consistently produce a controlled pattern of
shots.
[0003] There have been numerous attempts that have been made to
reduce the cyclic rate of fire of automatic and semi-automatic
firearms, using a buffer assembly, wherein the recoil force is
stored by the action or operating spring of the firearm and the
bolt is returned from the recoil position to the battery position.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,296 describes a typical hydraulic
buffer assembly used for decreasing the cyclic firing rate.
According to the design of the '296 buffer assembly, the bolt
carrier, bolt and the buffer are each accelerated rearward from the
battery position when the automatic firearm is fired. Each of the
bolt, bolt carrier and the buffer are moved in unison toward the
recoil position against the action or operating spring of the
firearm. An elastomeric bumper provided on the end of the buffer
contacts the end wall of the receiver extension. At this point, the
buffer compresses and forces hydraulic fluid contained within the
buffer through an orifice provided in a cylinder, thereby creating
a resisting force. This resisting force decelerates the bolt as
well as the bolt carrier, thus extending the recoil period.
Furthermore and during counter-recoil (e.g., return of the
bolt/bolt carrier assembly and buffer to the firing position),
there is less rebound energy from the end of the recoil stroke such
that the buffer/bolt are returned at a slower rate, which further
delays the return of each of the assemblies back to the battery
position. This delay thereby results in a slower firing rate of the
firearm. Upon return to the battery position, the buffer also
absorbs some of the kinetic energy of the bolt and the bolt carrier
as they stop on the breech end of the barrel, such that these
elements do not "bounce" off the breech end of the barrel.
[0004] There are a number of problems noted with regard to the
above-described buffer design. First, the '296 buffer relies upon
the use of dynamic seals. Dynamic seals, however, are more prone to
leakage than static seals. The design of the above described '296
buffer includes a pair of dynamic seals, each of which create a
potential leakage path. Hydraulic fluid loss can result in degraded
performance. The internal spring of the '296 buffer continually
acts upon the damping fluid, which in turn acts to hydraulically
extend the piston rod. If the buffer unit leaks enough fluid, the
piston will be compressed by the action spring thus reducing or
eliminating the stroke in the buffer. The buffer would then merely
act as a single mass only within the gun recoil system--which may
only marginally reduce the firing rate and perhaps no longer reduce
the condition known colloquially as "bolt bounce" from occurring.
Bolt bounce has the potential for stopping the automatic firing
sequence before the operator has the intention to do so.
[0005] In addition, the seals that are used in the '296 design are
simple O-rings, each sealing dynamically upon an internal diameter
bore, upon which can be difficult to obtain a smooth, hard,
defect-free surface finish. This form of seal is prone to
"weeping", and is also more prone to rolling or twisting within its
groove--the latter also leading to potential leakage. The '296
buffer design further relies upon a spring--loaded accumulator to
provide a force that is sufficiently high enough to exceed the
preload of the action spring of the firearm and thereby maintain
the piston rod in the extended position. This form of accumulator
provides a positive internal pressure within the buffer at all
times. This pressure further acts to force the hydraulic fluid out
of the buffer at all times.
[0006] Furthermore, the above-described '296 hydraulic buffer has
four (4) separate stroke lengths that require size considerations
in the placement of same in the firearm and making application of
this design difficult in guns having shorter stocks. A buffer, such
as the above-described '296 design, further includes the
elastomeric plug or bumper which holds the spring in place, which
in turn loads the sliding seal separator. If this plug or bumper
were to loosen even partially, the function of the buffer would
degrade.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is
described a hydraulic bolt buffer assembly for an automatic
firearm, said automatic firearm including a receiver having a
longitudinal chamber, a bolt and carrier assembly mounted in said
longitudinal chamber for reciprocating movement between a recoil
position and a battery position, a spring for urging the buffer
into contact with the bolt and carrier assembly for movement
therewith and for biasing said bolt and carrier assembly toward the
battery position, said buffer assembly comprising: a housing having
an inner cavity; a piston disposed within the inner cavity of said
housing and movable between an extended position and a depressed
position, said piston being in contact with said bolt and carrier
assembly; a spring disposed within the inner cavity of said
housing, said spring biasing said piston in said extended position;
and a bearing member in fixed relation in said housing cavity, said
bearing including means for providing a fluid-tight seal in said
inner cavity and further including a cavity for retaining a
compressible foam material contained in a variable fluid
chamber.
[0008] According to one version, a hydraulic fluid is contained
within the inner cavity of the housing wherein the piston causes
the fluid to move between a first variable volume fluid chamber and
a second variable volume fluid chamber as the piston is moved
therethrough, the compressible foam material being contained in the
second variable fluid chamber such that hydraulic fluid is caused
to compress the foam material when the firearm reaches the recoil
position. As the piston is extended under the bias of the contained
spring within the buffer and as the bolt and carrier assembly is
moved towards the battery position, the hydraulic fluid is again
moved from the second variable fluid chamber to the first variable
fluid chamber, decompressing the foam material.
[0009] According to one version, an elastomeric bumper is also
disposed on an opposing end of the buffer relative to the piston,
the bumper being configured to engage the operating spring of the
firearm. The bumper is fitted to the end of the buffer housing
covering a fill plug which is used to fill the inner cavity with
hydraulic fluid.
[0010] An advantage of the present invention is that the herein
described buffer assembly only requires a single dynamic seal
provided on the piston rod. Therefore, the number of potential leak
paths is significantly reduced from previously known designs.
[0011] In addition, the herein described buffer design utilizes a
U-cup type seal, sealing upon a hard plated shaft, which can be
easily ground and plated in order to obtain a smooth, hard running
surface for the rod seal lip. The U-cup type seal is also less
prone to twisting, rolling, and weeping due to its geometry.
[0012] Another advantage of the present buffer design is the use of
a closed cell-foam accumulator which provides only a positive
pressure in the buffer assembly when the piston rod is compressed
or when the buffer assembly becomes hot. While the piston assembly
is extended and the buffer is at room temperature, the internal
pressure of the buffer is at atmospheric pressure, thus there is no
pressure that is attempting to force the hydraulic fluid from the
buffer the majority of the time.
[0013] Advantageously, the new buffer design has an elastomeric
plug or bumper which is installed in a blind cavity at the end of
the buffer housing. If the bumper were to dislodge partially, the
buffer will still properly function because the bumper is not
influencing other portions of the damper.
[0014] Another advantage of the present buffer design is that the
herein described assembly is more fail-safe in the event the buffer
should wear out and leak hydraulic fluid. A buffer assembly made in
accordance with the present design having no hydraulic fluid
contained within the inner cavity will still stroke because the
spring acts directly upon the piston rod and is thus independent of
hydraulic damping. Due to this continuation of the stroke action,
the buffer will still continue to function as an inertial
spring-mass buffer (i.e., inertia of internal components) to help
reduce cycle rate and bolt bounce.
[0015] Another advantage of the present design is the buffer can be
designed to fit in firearms having shorter or collapsible stocks
due to the more efficient use of space. The present design
incorporates the buffer's stroke in two areas as opposed to 4 areas
in previous designs.
[0016] These and other features and advantages will be readily
apparent from the following Detailed Description which should be
read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hydraulic bolt buffer
assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a side view of the hydraulic bolt buffer assembly
of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the hydraulic bolt buffer
assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2, taken in a recoil position thereof;
[0020] FIG. 4 is the side sectional view of the buffer assembly of
FIG. 3, taken in a battery position thereof;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a side view of the hydraulic bolt buffer assembly
of FIGS. 1-4, as used in an automatic firearm;
[0022] FIG. 6 is the side view of FIG. 5 depicting the hydraulic
bolt buffer assembly in the recoil position;
[0023] FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial view of the hydraulic bolt
buffer assembly in the firearm of FIGS. 5 and 6; and
[0024] FIG. 8 is a side view of a buffer assembly in accordance
with an alternative design.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The following description relates to a specific embodiment
of a hydraulic bolt buffer assembly as used within a specific
automatic firearm. It will be readily apparent that there are other
variations and modifications to the herein described design that
will become apparent to one of sufficient skill in the field,
including the use of same with other related firearms. In addition,
a number of terms are used throughout the discussion in order to
provide an adequate frame of reference with regard to the
accompanying drawings. These terms, unless indicated otherwise,
however, should not be regarded as overly limiting of the present
invention.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the hydraulic bolt buffer
assembly (hereinafter referred to as the buffer assembly or the
buffer and referred to throughout by reference numeral 20),
includes a substantially cylindrical housing 24 that includes an
exterior annular guide flange 27 adjacent to a proximal open end or
cavity that is sized for retaining a number of components and into
which a piston assembly 30 is attached. The piston assembly 30
includes a piston cap 34, an extending piston rod 38 and a piston
head 42, FIG. 3. The annular guide flange 27 and the piston cap 34
include three (3) circumferentially spaced flats 29, 35,
respectively. The opposite or distal end of the buffer housing 24
includes an elastomeric bumper 46, which as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,
is retained within an end cavity 47 of the housing 24. The piston
head 42 is disposed within the confines of the buffer housing 24,
while the piston cap 34 is spring loaded against the bolt carrier
assembly 215, FIG. 5, of a firearm 200, FIG. 5. The function of
each of the preceding components will be described in greater
detail below.
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, and in terms of the contained
components, the elastomeric bumper 46 is attached to the distal end
of the housing 24 and the end cavity 47 by means of circumferential
grooves formed in the housing. Other forms of connection are
possible, though it is preferred that the bumper 46 be releasably
attached to permit access to the interior of the housing 24.
According to this embodiment, the bumper 46 is made from a urethane
or rubberized material of high durometer rating or other suitable
energy-absorbing material. An intermediate orifice 51 of the
housing 24 extending between the end cavity 47 and an inner cavity
54 of the housing receives a fill plug 50, the fill plug including
means for retaining an O-ring 58 on an annular exterior portion
thereof which engages the interior surface of the orifice to
provide a fluid-tight seal. The inner cavity 54 extends axially
from an end wall 62 to the open opposing end of the housing 24, the
housing cavity receiving a coil spring 60 that is disposed between
the end wall and the distal side of the axially movable piston head
42.
[0028] Still referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the piston head 42
includes a plurality of axial orifices 64 extending therethrough,
two of which are shown, though it will be readily apparent that
this number and the size/diameter can be suitably varied for
purposes of the design. The piston rod 38 extends axially through a
center opening 68 formed in the piston head 42 and terminates
therein, the rod end being fluid sealed within the center opening.
The piston head 42 further includes a radial glide seal member 72
disposed on the exterior thereof for engaging the interior wall of
the housing cavity 54, permitting the piston head to be axially
movable within the housing cavity 54, as described in greater
detail below.
[0029] The opposite end of the piston rod 38 is similarly attached
through a center opening which is formed in the piston cap 34, the
piston cap as noted previously, being disposed outside of the
buffer housing 24. The piston rod 38 is fixedly secured within each
of the center openings of the piston cap 34 and the piston head
42.
[0030] A cylindrical bearing 78 is also situated within the buffer
housing 24 proximally of the piston head 42 through which the
piston rod 38 is also fitted through a center opening 82. The
bearing 78 is fixedly attached within the housing 24, preventing
axial movement thereof such that the piston rod is axially movable
therethrough. An O-ring 86, provided on an exterior annular groove
of the bearing 78, engages the interior wall of the housing and
provides a fluid-tight seal for the interior cavity 54 of the
buffer housing 24. An exterior circumferential recess 90 of the
cylindrical bearing 78 located distally of the O-ring 86 retains an
annular portion of closed cell foam material 94, the foam material
extending radially into contact with the interior wall of the
buffer housing 24.
[0031] A U-cup type rod seal 100 is provided on the interior of the
cylindrical bearing 78 at the proximal end thereof, and a wiper 98
is supported within a wiper retainer 102. A retaining plate 106 is
disposed distally of the wiper retainer 102, each of the plate and
the retainer having a center opening permitting the piston rod 38
to extend therethrough.
[0032] Each of the ends of the piston rod 38 are also sealed with
caps wherein the axial ends of the piston rods are each narrowed in
diameter relative to the remainder of the rod in terms of
engagement within the center openings of the piston head 42 and the
piston cap 34, respectively.
[0033] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a volumetric quantity of a
hydraulic fluid 110 is added to the confines of the inner cavity 54
of the buffer housing 24 that is defined between the bearing 78 and
the end wall 62, the fluid being added into the chamber through the
intermediate orifice 51 defined by the fill plug 50 and is sealed
therewith. The piston cap 34 is aligned with the bolt carrier
assembly wherein the piston cap and the piston head 42 are each
capable of axial movement against the bias of the contained spring
60. In addition, the entire buffer assembly 20, as loaded against
the bolt carrier assembly 215, FIG. 7, is also axially movable
against the bias of the action or operating spring 246 of the
firearm 200.
[0034] Prior to describing the operational details of the buffer
20, additional discussion should first be made of the firing
mechanism of an automatic firearm 200, shown in FIGS. 5-7. The
firearm 200 shown herein includes a receiver 212 for receiving a
bolt and carrier assembly 215. The rear portion of a chamber 214 is
defined by a receiver extension 216 located in the stock 218.
Connected to the forward location of the chamber 214 is a barrel
220 having a cartridge chamber 222 in which a cartridge 224 may be
positioned.
[0035] A trigger mechanism 226 includes a trigger 228, that when
pulled, releases a spring-biased hammer 230 through a slot 232 of a
bolt carrier 234 and eventually strikes a firing pin 236 for firing
the cartridge 224. The firing of the cartridge 224 causes the
bullet to travel outwardly through the bore of the barrel of the
firearm under the impetus of expanding gases. Some of these gases
are diverted through a gas port (not shown) and ultimately reach a
passage 238 in the bolt carrier 234, whereupon automatic recoil of
the bolt carrier 234, and subsequently a bolt carried thereby,
occurs. The automatic recoil of the bolt and carrier assembly 215
results in the ejection of the spent cartridge and subsequent
chambering of a new cartridge 224 positioned in a magazine 242.
[0036] Automatic recoil using this firearm is provided as follows:
A chamber 214, defined by a flange on the bolt 240 and the bolt
carrier 234 fills with high pressure exhaust gas upon the firing of
a cartridge 224, thereby driving the bolt carrier 234 rearwardly
within the chamber 214 against the bias of an action or operating
spring 246. This action initially causes an annular shoulder of the
bolt carrier 234 to contact the flange 250 of the firing pin 236,
while simultaneously, by virtue of the lost motion connection
between the bolt carrier 234 and the bolt 240, causing a bolt cam
pin 252 to travel in a helical slot 254 cut into the bolt carrier
234. Movement of the bolt cam pin 252 within the helical slot 254
produces rotation of the bolt 240 with respect to the nonrotating
bolt carrier 234, the latter being held against rotation by the
engagement of a carrier key 256 on the bolt carrier 234 and a
longitudinal groove 258 in the receiver 212. Rotation of the bolt
240 results in the registration of lugs 260, the lugs being
fashioned on the end of the bolt 240, and the slots between the
inwardly extending lugs 262 on the breech end of the barrel 220,
thereby permitting rearward movement of the entire bolt assembly
215 upon continuing recoil of the bolt carrier 234. The rearward
momentum of the bolt and carrier assembly 215 is stored by the
action spring 246 which, upon dissipation of the rearward momentum
of the bolt carrier 234, forces the bolt and carrier assembly 215
to return to the battery position of FIG. 5. During the recoiling
operation, the spent cartridge 224 is ejected and on the forward
return stroke, a new cartridge 224 is stripped from the magazine
242 by the bolt 240 and thereafter chambered. During the latter
part of the return stroke of the firearm 200, the bolt lugs 260
pass through the slots between the lugs 262, whereupon the bolt 240
is rotated in the locked battery position by the sliding contact
between the walls of the slot 254 and the cam pin 252.
[0037] With the preceding background/description of the firearm
200, the buffer assembly 20 of the present invention moves within
the receiver extension section of the firearm 200, wherein the bolt
carrier assembly 215 is aligned with the piston cap 34 of the
herein described buffer 20, though the latter is not fixedly
attached thereto according to this embodiment. The buffer 20 is
mounted for axial sliding movement in forward and rearward
directions within the receiver extension in such a manner that is
adapted to compress the action spring 246 during rearward movement
and to be propelled by the action spring 246 during forward
movement from the recoil position to the battery position. The
piston cap 34 is aligned with the bolt and carrier assembly 215
such that the buffer is axially movable therewith and the exterior
annular guide flange 27 serves as a seat for the coaxially
positioned action spring 246, in addition to guiding the
reciprocating movement of the buffer 20. The circumferential flats
29, 35 minimize air pressurization within the receiver extension
during recoil and allow for the egress of water and other
contaminants.
[0038] In terms of operation, the firearm 200 is initially in the
battery position, FIG. 5, prior to firing. Upon firing of same, the
entirety of the bolt and carrier assembly 215 and the aligned
buffer 20 are each accelerated axially rearwardly from the depicted
battery position in the manner previously described.
[0039] The bolt and carrier assembly 215 and the buffer 20 are each
driven as a unit until the elastomeric bumper 46 of the buffer 20
contacts the back inner wall of the receiving extension 216 of the
firearm 200 against the biasing force of the action or operating
spring 246.
[0040] The piston assembly continues to be driven rearwardly
against the bias of the contained buffer coil spring 60 moving
toward the depressed position. This movement causes the piston head
42 to displace the volume of hydraulic fluid 110 from a first
chamber 120 occupied by the spring 60 and defined between the
distal side of the piston head 42 and the end wall 62 through the
orifices 64 of the piston head into a second fluid chamber 128
defined between the proximal side of the piston head and the
bearing 78, including the accumulator foam cavity of the bearing.
As the fluid is forced through the orifices 64 into the accumulator
foam cavity, the accumulator foam 94 is compressed due to the rod
volume entering into the cylinder. The force created by the
restricted fluid flowing through the orifices 64 decelerates the
bolt and carrier assembly 215, thereby slowing the firing rate.
[0041] After completion of the recoil position of the cycle, shown
in FIG. 3, the action spring 246 of the firearm 200 accelerates the
buffer 20, as well as the aligned bolt and carrier assembly 215,
proximally toward the battery position. While this movement occurs,
the coil return spring 60 within the buffer 20 forces the piston
head/rod assembly back to the fully extended position. During this
movement, the hydraulic fluid 110 flows from the back of the piston
head 42, through the orifices 64 to the front of the piston head
thereby moving the fluid from the second fluid chamber 128 back
into the first fluid chamber 120. As the hydraulic fluid 110 from
the foam accumulator area flows through the piston head 42, the
foam material 94 contained therein is decompressed.
[0042] Once the bolt carrier 234 hits the breech end of the barrel
220 of the firearm, the inertia of the buffer cylinder compresses
the buffer 20 slightly and provides an extended resisting force
against the bolt carrier 234, thus keeping the bolt carrier 234 and
the bolt 240 from bouncing off the breech end of the barrel. The
buffer assembly 20 then extends completely to the position shown in
FIG. 4 (e.g., the battery position) and is ready for the next
cycle.
[0043] According to an alternate design, shown in FIG. 8, the
piston cap 34A of the hydraulic buffer assembly 20A can be
configured to engage the action spring (not shown) of the firearm.
In this instance, the cylinder of the housing 24A does not include
a shoulder as in the preceding embodiment.
PARTS LIST FOR FIGS. 1-8
[0044] 20A hydraulic buffer assembly [0045] 20 hydraulic buffer
assembly [0046] 24A housing [0047] 24 housing [0048] 27 exterior
annular guide flange [0049] 29 flats [0050] 30 piston assembly
[0051] 34A piston cap [0052] 34 piston cap [0053] 35 flats [0054]
38 piston rod [0055] 42 piston head [0056] 46 elastomeric bumper
[0057] 50 fill plug [0058] 51 intermediate orifice [0059] 54 inner
cavity [0060] 58 O-ring [0061] 60 coil spring [0062] 62 end wall
[0063] 64 axial orifices [0064] 68 center opening [0065] 72 glide
seal member [0066] 78 cylindrical bearing [0067] 82 center opening
[0068] 86 O-ring [0069] 90 recess [0070] 94 foam material [0071] 98
wiper [0072] 100 U-cup seal [0073] 102 retainer, wiper [0074] 106
retainer plate [0075] 110 hydraulic fluid [0076] 120 first fluid
chamber [0077] 128 second fluid chamber [0078] 200 firearm [0079]
212 receiver [0080] 214 chamber [0081] 215 bolt and carrier
assembly [0082] 216 receiver extension [0083] 218 stock [0084] 222
cartridge chamber [0085] 224 cartridge [0086] 226 trigger mechanism
[0087] 228 trigger [0088] 230 spring-biased hammer [0089] 232 slot
[0090] 234 bolt carrier [0091] 236 firing pin [0092] 238 passage
[0093] 240 bolt [0094] 242 magazine [0095] 246 operating or action
spring [0096] 250 flange [0097] 252 bolt cam pin [0098] 254 helical
slot [0099] 256 carrier key [0100] 258 longitudinal groove [0101]
260 lugs [0102] 262 lugs
[0103] While the present invention has been described in terms of
certain embodiments, it will be readily apparent that there are
numerous modifications and variations that can be practiced by one
of sufficient skill in the field which embody the inventive aspects
described herein and as recited in the following claims:
* * * * *