U.S. patent number 3,677,132 [Application Number 04/849,276] was granted by the patent office on 1972-07-18 for waterproof sound, flash and recoil suppressor for firearms.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy. Invention is credited to Richard D. Plenge.
United States Patent |
3,677,132 |
Plenge |
July 18, 1972 |
WATERPROOF SOUND, FLASH AND RECOIL SUPPRESSOR FOR FIREARMS
Abstract
A muzzle attachment for the barrel of a firearm having O-ring
seals around front cap, a rear cap and the barrel of the firearm
when engaged therewith and including a device therein for sealing
the muzzle attachment behind a bullet passing therethrough to
prevent escape of expanding gases therein propelling the bullet and
an expansion chamber about the device. A chamber plug positionable
in the firearm chamber makes the weapon waterproof from the chamber
to the front cap of the muzzle attachment.
Inventors: |
Plenge; Richard D. (Silver
Spring, MD) |
Assignee: |
The United States of America as
represented by the Secretary of the Navy (N/A)
|
Family
ID: |
25305461 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/849,276 |
Filed: |
August 5, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
89/14.2; 42/1.14;
89/14.4; 89/31; 89/14.3; 89/30 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A
35/02 (20130101); F41A 21/30 (20130101); F41A
21/34 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F41A
21/00 (20060101); F41A 21/30 (20060101); F41A
35/00 (20060101); F41A 35/02 (20060101); F41c
021/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;42/1L,1N
;89/14R,14B,14C,14D,30,31 ;102/93 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
278,457 |
|
Jan 1913 |
|
DT |
|
30,240 |
|
1909 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Bentley; Stephen C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A waterproof muzzle attachment for a firearm comprising:
a tubular housing;
a cylindrical cap member sealedly secured to one end of said
tubular housing and having an axial bore therethrough;
means for sealedly securing said cylindrical cap to the barrel of a
firearm with said barrel extending into said housing through said
axial bore in said cap;
a second cylindrical cap member sealedly secured to the other end
of said tubular housing and having an axial bore therethrough;
elongate cylindrical means axially aligned in said tubular housing
with the path of a projectile fired from said firearm
including,
a tubular sleeve;
a plurality of resilient discs disposed in said sleeve;
a metallic washer element disposed against each face of each of
said discs;
spacer means between each adjacent pair of said washer elements;
and
means for securing said discs, said washers and said spacers within
said tubular sleeve; and
an expendible plug sealedly secured to said second cap member and
normally closing said axial bore therein.
2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising
means disposed between said elongate cylindrical means and said cap
member secured to said barrel for biasing said elongate cylindrical
means toward said second cylindrical cap member.
3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said discs are
polyurethane discs.
4. A waterproof recoil, flash and sound reducer assembly for a
firearm comprising:
a tubular housing;
a cylindrical cap member threadably secured to one end of said
tubular housing and having a threaded axial bore therethrough for
receiving the threaded barrel of a firearm;
an O-ring on said cap member and compressible between said cap
member and said tubular housing upon engagement therebetween;
a second O-ring disposed within said axial bore of said cap member
for sealably securing said housing to said barrel when said cap
member is threadably engaged therewith;
a second cylindrical cap member threadably secured to the other end
of said tubular housing and having an axial bore therethrough;
a third O-ring on said second cap member and compressible between
said second cap member and said tubular housing upon engagement
therebetween;
an expendable plug member for sealably closing said axial bore in
said second cap member; and
elongate cylindrical means disposed in said tubular housing in
axial alignment with the path of a projectile fired from said
firearm including,
a tubular sleeve,
a plurality of resilient discs disposed in said sleeve,
a metallic washer disposed against each face of each of said
discs,
spacer means between each adjacent pair of said washers, and
means for securing said discs, said washers and said spacers within
said tubular sleeve.
5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said expendable plug
is a disc-like polyurethane plug having an annular ridge integrally
formed on the peripheral edge thereof for being press-fitted into
said second cap member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to firearms and more particularly
to a waterproof muzzle attachment for gun barrels for reducing the
audible noise, recoil and flash normally produced by the firing of
a gun.
Various devices suitably designed for attachment to weapons and
satisfying the purpose of preventing the escape of the expanding
gases generated during firing of the weapon and thus substantially
eliminating the sound and flash emitted during the firing of the
weapon and the usual recoil effected by the discharge of the weapon
are well known in the art. In certain operations, however, such as,
for example, where it is desirable to arm a swimmer with a weapon
equipped with such a recoil, flash and sound reducer assembly, the
devices heretofore provided for this purpose are not adequate
inasmuch as the weapon equipped with such devices becomes
ineffective when it is wet. In order to overcome this problem and
to maintain the usefulness of such weapons under these
circumstances, the weapons have been placed in plastic bags and
sealed. This method has not been found to be entirely satisfactory,
however, since the plastic bags adhere closely about the weapon
upon being subjected to moderate external pressure, such as that
encountered by an underwater swimmer, making it a difficult and
time-consuming task to remove the weapon from the bag such that the
weapon is not readily available for immediate use upon emergence
from the water. The effectiveness of the sealed bag approach
suffers also from the fact that sharp corners on the weapons often
tear the plastic bags. Still another problem of this method is the
difficulty of returning the weapon to the plastic bag and
effectively resealing the bag under field conditions after it has
been opened and the weapon removed therefrom, whereby the swimmer
may, if necessary, return to the water and yet retain a weapon that
is useful upon subsequent emergence therefrom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
waterproof gun recoil, flash and sound reducer assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a weapon
having reduced recoil, flash and sound characteristics and capable
of being fired immediately after being subjected to moderate
external water pressures.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a waterproof
recoil, flash and sound suppressor device sealably attachable to
the barrel of a firearm which is easily and effectively resealable
after discharging such firearm.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a waterproof
muzzle attachment for gun barrels for reducing recoil, flash and
sound that is simple and practical in construction, strong and
reliable in use, small and compact in structure, and relatively
inexpensive to manufacture.
Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention, the foregoing and other objects are attained by a weapon
provided with a muzzle attachment having O-ring sealing elements
around a front cap, a rear cap and an expendable front cap plug
thereof, and another O-ring disposed within the rear cap for
sealably engaging the barrel of the weapon when the muzzle
attachment is secured thereon. A dummy cartridge or a modified
bullet having an O-ring sealing element thereon is also provided
such that, in its waterproof configuration, the weapon is
completely sealed from the chamber thereof to the front cap of the
muzzle attachment. The weapon may be fired in this configuration,
in which case the expendable muzzle plug is merely popped out as
the bullet passes therethrough, and it is readily resealed simply
by replacing the expendable muzzle plug and the chamber plug.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Still other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this
invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better
understood by reference to the following detailed description when
considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which
like reference numerals are used for designating like or
corresponding parts throughout the several figures thereof and
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a weapon constructed according
to the present invention with the muzzle attachment therefor shown
in section;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view in side elevation of the several
components comprising the muzzle attachment;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view in perspective of the several components
comprising a silencer insert normally disposed within the muzzle
attachment;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the chamber plug;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a cap specially designed for
use with the barrel of the weapon shown in FIG. 1 whenever the
muzzle attachment and the weapon are not attached to each other
during the carrying thereof by a swimmer;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the barrel cap shown in FIG. 5 taken
along the line 6--6 thereof; and
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a plug specially designed for
use with the muzzle attachment shown in FIG. 2 whenever the muzzle
attachment and the weapon are not attached to each other while
being conveyed by a swimmer.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and
2 thereof, the barrel 10 of a firearm 12 such as, for example, a
modified small caliber automatic pistol, is threaded for securably
receiving thereon a muzzle attachment generally indicated by the
reference numeral 14.
The muzzle attachment 14 comprises a tubular shell or muzzle can 16
constructed of a suitable lightweight metallic material such as
aluminum or the like, in which are disposed in axial alignment
therein a substantially cylindrical-shaped gun silencer insert or
housing 18, a spring retainer clip 20 and a coil spring 22. The
ends of the tubular shell 16 are interiorly threaded for securably
receiving at the forward end thereof a substantially
ring-configured, exteriorly threaded front cap 24 and at the rear
or gun end thereof a similar ring-shaped, exteriorly threaded back
cap 26, both of which may be constructed of aluminum, stainless
steel or some other material suitable for the purpose.
In assembling the muzzle attachment 14, one end of the coil spring
22 is inserted into a circular well 28 formed in the forwardly
disposed end of the back cap 26. An integrally formed, axially
disposed annular extension 30 is provided on the rear face of the
centrally apertured spring retainer disc 20 for being positioned
within the other or forward end of the coil spring 22, the inside
diameter of which is selected for providing a snug fit about the
annular extension 30. The disc 20 has a slightly larger diameter
than the annular extension 30 thereof such that a shoulder 32 is
formed therebetween on the rearwardly disposed face of the disc 20
against which the end of the coil spring 22 is disposed. The
forwardly disposed face of the disc 20 is provided with a ring of
integral, forwardly protruding fingers or finger-like elements 34
circumferentially spaced thereabout and having an outside diameter
substantially the same as the inside diameter of the tubular shield
or muzzle can 16. A shallow cylindrical-shaped cavity is formed
within the ring of finger-like elements 34 for snugly receiving one
end of the cylindrical insert 18. By slipping the muzzle can 16
over the aligned silencer insert 18, the spring retainer clip 20
and the coil spring 22, the muzzle can 16 may be secured to the
back cap 26 by threadably engaging one to the other, whereupon an
O-ring 36 predisposed upon the back cap 26 is compressed between
the annular rearwardly disposed end portion of the muzzle can 16
and a shoulder 38 on the back cap. Another O-ring 40 is positioned
on the threaded surface of the front cap 24 and the front cap 24 is
threadably attached to the forward end of the tubular muzzle can
16, the forward end of the cylindrical insert 18 being received in
a cylindrical well bored into the rearwardly facing surface of the
front cap 24. As the front cap 24 is tightly screwed into the
tubular muzzle can 16, the spring 22 is placed under a load and
becomes slightly compressed, and the O-ring 40 is compressed
between a shoulder 42 on the front cap 24 and the forwardly
disposed annular end surface of the tubular muzzle can 16. If
desired, a small flange, not shown, may be provided on the front
and back caps 24 and 26, respectively, between the threaded
surfaces and the shoulders thereof for retaining the O-rings and
thereby protecting and keeping the O-rings 26 and 40 from getting
mixed up in the threads during assembly of the muzzle attachment
14.
An expendable muzzle plug 44 of a polyurethane or another suitable
plastic material is provided for sealingly closing the forward end
of the muzzle attachment 14. The plug 44 is disc-shaped and
includes an integral ridge 46 about the annular surface thereof for
permitting the plug 44 to be press-fitted into a cylindrical cavity
or well 48 bored into the forwardly disposed face of the front cap
24. Watertight closure of the rear end of the muzzle attachment 14
is effected by an O-ring 50 disposed between the outer surface of
the gun barrel 10 and the inner threaded surface of the ring-shaped
back cap 26, which is tightly compressed therebetween upon
threadable attachment of the muzzle assembly 14 and the gun barrel
10.
Turning now to FIG. 3, it may be seen that the cylindrical insert
18 comprises a plurality of polyurethane discs or plugs 52
sandwiched between flat metallic washers 54 and spaced apart by
ring members 56. The plugs 52 are x-slotted on both faces thereof
for permitting a bullet to pass therethrough without fragmenting or
rupturing the element, whereby the disc or plug 52 automatically
closes and reseals itself after a bullet has been fired. Each
spacer element 56 is of a different width, providing in the
illustrated embodiment a progressively shorter path between
adjacently disposed plugs or discs 52 as one moves from the rear or
gun end of the insert 18 to the forward end thereof. The component
discs 52, washers 54 and spacers 56 are aligned within a tubular
sleeve 58 which is crimped or folded over at its ends for tightly
retaining the components therein, yet preserving the open end
characteristic thereof for permitting free passage therethrough of
a bullet.
When the muzzle attachment 14 is threadably engaged with the gun
barrel 10 the weapon is waterproof from the barrel end thereof, but
the silencer assembly 14 is still subject to being filled with
water from the gun end if the weapon is submerged, as in the case
of being carried by an underwater swimmer. Accordingly, as shown in
FIG. 4, a chamber plug 60 configured like a bullet for use with the
weapon is provided with an O-ring 62 disposed in a shallow annular
depression in the periphery thereof. When the plug 60 is inserted
into the chamber of the gun, the weapon becomes waterproof from the
chamber to the front cap of the muzzle attachment 14. Thus, merely
by removing or ejecting the plug 60, the weapon is made ready for
firing, removal of the muzzle plug 44 not even being required
inasmuch as it is an expendable item and is readily popped out as
the bullet passes through. It is further contemplated that an
actual modified live round of ammunition may be employed as a
chamber waterproofing plug by fitting the shell thereof with an
O-ring.
In FIGS. 5 and 6 there is shown a barrel cap 64 substantially
cylindrical in configuration and having a cylindrical cavity 66
formed in one end thereof for receiving in tight-fitting engagement
therewith the end of the gun barrel 10. The cap 64 is molded from a
rubber material or the like and is designed for maintaining a dry
chamber in conjunction with the chamber plug 60 whenever the weapon
is carried independently of the special muzzle attachment 14.
To permit similar independent conveyance of the muzzle assembly 14
in a waterproof configuration, a special back cap plug 68 of a
rubber or similar material is provided. As shown in FIG. 7, the
plug 68 is molded in a substantially cylindrical configuration for
insertion in tight fitting engagement therewith into the aperture
in the rear face of the back cap 26 wherein the gun barrel 10 is
normally threadably received. A shoulder 70 defined by an enlarged
cylindrical portion thereon further aids the plug 68 in its
waterproofing function.
Thus a waterproof muzzle attachment for reducing the sound, recoil
and flash of a gun is provided which may be carried underwater
either independently or attached to the gun, as desired. Moreover,
it will be readily apparent from the foregoing that when a bullet
is fired through the barrel 10, it will pass axially within the
muzzle assembly 14, through the central aperture in the ring-shaped
spring retainer clip 20 and into the cylindrical insert 18. The
bullet thereafter passes through the penetrable, x-slotted discs or
plugs 52, which due to the resiliency thereof will substantially
seal or close behind the bullet to prevent escape of the expanding,
propelling gases. The tubular shell or muzzle can 16 behind and
around the insert 18 is of sufficient size to allow for expansion
of the propelling gases so that they do not follow the bullet
therethrough. Such expansion through the spring retainer 20 is
permitted readily by the openings therein between the fingers 34.
The gases will escape ultimately back through the barrel 10 and out
through the breech of the weapon. Although an automatic weapon is
illustrated, such weapon may be modified for single shot action
whereby shell ejection after firing will not automatically occur
and further silencing is afforded by preventing sound escape
through the open chamber. In practical use, therefore, the
reduction of the volume pressure of the gases in the manner
indicated acts to reduce the sound, recoil and flash produced in
firing the weapon.
Obviously many modifications and variations of the present
invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is
therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended
claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as
specifically described.
* * * * *