FIREARM BUFFER SYSTEM AND BUTTSTOCK ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A buttstock assembly configured to work in conjunction with a compact buffer assembly consisting of a buffer tube, spring and bolt carrier with an integral buffer is provided. The buttstock assembly, buffer tube and bolt carrier are configured to work with AR15/M16 type firearms and their derivatives. By incorporating the buffer onto the bolt carrier, which is used in conjunction with a buffer tube of reduced length, the overall length of the host firearm is reduced by approximately 3.2 inches. No permanent modification need be made to the host firearm in order to utilize the compact buffer assembly and buttstock assembly disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A bolt carrier assembly for a gas-operated firearm comprising a bolt carrier having a forward end and a rearward end as said bolt carrier is positioned in said gas-operated rifle, said rearward end defining an enclosed longitudinally extending opening, said enclosed longitudinally extending opening receiving at least a portion of a weighted buffer therein, said weighted buffer having a back end which is larger in diameter than said enclosed longitudinally extending opening.

2. The bolt carrier assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said weighted buffer has a front end which is larger in diameter than said enclosed longitudinally extending opening, a body portion of said weighted buffer extends between said front end and said back end, said body portion is configured to be housed within said enclosed longitudinally extending opening thereby facilitating limited longitudinal movement of said buffer therein.

3. The bolt carrier assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said weighted buffer has the general shape of a barbell, the back end of said buffer is integrally attached to said body portion, said front end has an opening configured to receive a portion of said body portion therein, a means is provided to secure said front end to said body portion.

4. The bolt carrier assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said opening of said front end of said buffer is threaded, a forward end of said body portion is threaded to receive and thereby secure thereto said front end of said buffer.

5. The bolt carrier assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said front end is welded to said body portion of said buffer.

6. The bolt carrier assembly as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a return spring, said rearward end of said bolt carrier being provided with a boss having an outer diameter that is in contact with an interior of a receiver of the gas-operated firearm, said boss defining an annular surface along its back side that defines a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said bolt carrier, said return spring biases against said annular surface.

7. The bolt carrier assembly as set forth in claim 6, in combination with a buffer tube which is secured to the back end of a receiver of the gas-operated firearm, said buffer tube defining an interior opening configured to receive said return spring and a portion of said bolt carrier therein, and said buffer tube having a generally circular exterior defining a plurality of circumferential bands thereon.

8. The bolt carrier assembly as set forth in claim 7, further comprised of a buttstock assembly, said buttstock assembly having a housing and a shoulder stock, said housing defines a longitudinally extending opening which is configured to receive at least a portion of said buffer tube therein, the forward end of said longitudinally extending opening is smaller in diameter than the interior and rearward portions of said longitudinally extending opening thereby creating an internal shoulder against which the forward edge of a circumferential band of said buffer tube comes to rest when said housing and said buffer tube are secured to the receiver of a gas-operated firearm.

9. A gas-operated firearm comprising: a receiver; a barrel coupled to said receiver; a bolt carrier configured to be received within said receiver having weighted buffer assembly secured thereto; a bolt; a return spring for resisting the rearward movement of said bolt carrier and for biasing said bolt carrier into battery; said bolt carrier including a front end where said bolt is rotatably mounted, a rear end defining an internal longitudinal opening where said weighted buffer is housed, and a body portion extending therebetween, said buffer having a front portion, a rear portion and a connecting member extending therebetween, said rear portion of said buffer extends past the rear end of said bolt carrier, said connecting member is received within said internal longitudinal opening of said bolt carrier; said rear end of said bolt carrier defines a boss thereon having an outer diameter that is in contact with an interior portion of said receiver, the area extending between the back side of said boss and the rear end of said bolt carrier is smaller in diameter that an interior opening of said return spring, a portion of which is received thereon.

10. The gas-operated firearm of claim 9, wherein said buffer has limited longitudinal movement in relationship to said bolt carrier.

11. The gas operated firearm of claim 9, further comprised of a buffer tube, said buffer tube defining a longitudinally extending interior opening and a generally cylindrical exterior having at least two circumferential ridges thereon, when secured to the gas-operated firearm said longitudinally extending interior opening is in operational alignment with said receiver.

12. The gas operated firearm of claim 11, further comprised of a buttstock assembly, said buttstock assembly is comprised of shoulder stock that is slidably connected to a housing, said housing constructed with an internal opening extending there through which is configured to receive at least a portion of said buffer tube, said at least two circumferential ridges of said buffer tube each have an outer diameter that is in contact with the interior of said internal opening of said housing when assembled therewith.

13. The gas operated firearm of claim 12, said internal opening of said housing has a front opening, a back opening and a bore extending therebetween, said front opening is smaller in diameter than said bore defining a shoulder therebetween, when said buffer tube is secured to said gas-operated firearm the forward most circumferential ridge bears against said shoulder thereby securing said stock to said gas-operated firearm.

14. A buttstock assembly for use with an autoloading firearm comprising: a housing having a longitudinally extending interior bore constructed with a front opening and a rear opening, said front opening is smaller in diameter than said interior bore, between said front opening and said interior bore there is defined an annular shoulder, said housing defining a comb about its exterior surface; a shoulder stock having a front side and back side with a opening extending therebetween, said shoulder stock has a means to slidably connect with said housing; a receiver extension which is generally cylindrical in shape defining a longitudinally extending interior bore extending between a front end of said receiver extension to an interior back end wall, defined about the exterior are at least two circumferential bands having an outer diameter that is in contact with said interior bore of said housing when coupled therewith; when said receiver extension is coupled to said housing, the forward most circumferential band bears against said annular shoulder of said housing thereby securing both said receiver extension and said housing to the autoloading firearm;

15. The buttstock assembly of claim 14, further comprised of two guide rods which are secured to the front side of said shoulder stock, said housing defines two openings about its exterior which run parallel to said interior bore, said two openings are constructed to receive said guide rods, said housing provides a means to control the longitudinal movement of said shoulder stock when coupled to said housing.

16. The buttstock assembly of claim 15, at least one of said guide rods has at least two notches spaced along its length, said housing has at least one spring biased catch mechanism in operational communication with at least one guide rod, said catch mechanism engages with one notch at a time of said at least one guide rod, thereby selectively restricting the longitudinal movement of said shoulder stock.

17. The buttstock assembly of claim 14, further comprised of a bolt carrier having a front end and a back end as said bolt carrier is positioned in a receiver of the autoloading firearm, said back end defining an enclosed longitudinally extending bore, a buffer having a generally cylindrical shaped front end and rear end with a connecting member extending therebetween, said front end and said rear end of said buffer are larger in diameter than said connecting member, said connecting member of said buffer is housed within said enclosed longitudinally extending bore of said bolt carrier, said rear end of said buffer protrudes from said back end of said bolt carrier.

18. The buttstock assembly of claim 17, wherein said back end of said bolt carrier defines a boss thereon having an outer diameter that is in contact with an interior portion of a receiver of the autoloading firearm.

19. The buttstock assembly of claim 17, wherein said back end of said bolt carrier is configured to receive a portion of a return spring thereon, said return spring bearing against an annular structure of said bolt carrier thereby biasing said bolt carrier into battery.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The novel features believed to be characteristic of the invention, together with further advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended to define the limits of the invention.

[0030] FIG. 1A is a perspective side view of the prior art buffer assembly which is comprised of a buffer tube, spring, and buffer shown with an AR15/M16/M4 type bolt and bolt carrier.

[0031] FIG. 1B is a side perspective view of a buffer assembly including a bolt carrier with attached buffer, buffer tube and spring in accordance with the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a bolt carrier assembly including a bolt, a bolt carrier, and a buffer in accordance with the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of one side of the bolt carrier with attached buffer included in the buffer assembly shown in FIG. 1B.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of another side of the bolt carrier with attached buffer included in the buffer assembly shown in FIG. 1B.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a perspective cutaway view of the bolt carrier shown in FIG. 3.

[0036] FIG. 6A is a perspective side view of a personal defense weapon equipped with a buffer assembly and buttstock in accordance with the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 6B is a side view of the firearm shown in FIG. 6A.

[0038] FIG. 6C is another side view of the firearm shown in FIG. 6A.

[0039] FIG. 6D is a front view of the firearm shown in FIG. 6A.

[0040] FIG. 6E is a back view of the firearm shown in FIG. 6A.

[0041] FIG. 6F is a top view of the firearm shown in FIG. 6A.

[0042] FIG. 6G is a bottom view of the firearm shown in FIG. 6A.

[0043] FIG. 7 is a partial cutaway view of the firearm shown in FIG. 6B showing the bolt carrier with attached buffer as it sits in relationship to the buffer tube prior to firing the rifle.

[0044] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the buffer shown in FIG. 1B.

[0045] FIG. 9 is a perspective side view of the buffer tube shown in FIG. 1B, showing the opening into the interior bore 52 located on its front end.

[0046] FIG. 10 is a perspective side view of the buttstock shown in FIGS. 6A-C and 6E-G, including a housing, guide rods, and a shoulder piece in accordance with the present invention.

[0047] FIG. 11 is a perspective cutaway view of buttstock assembly while secured about the buffer tube.

[0048] FIG. 12 is an exploded rear perspective view of the buttstock housing and catch mechanism in accordance with the present invention.

[0049] FIG. 13 is a perspective side view of a guide rod of the buttstock assembly as shown in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0050] In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

[0051] The present invention is directed towards a compact buffer assembly for use with AR15/M16 type firearms to include, for example, the M4, AR10, SR25 and piston operated designs such as LWRC International's M6 series of rifles. As used herein, the phrase bolt carrier group and bolt carrier assembly are used interchangeably.

[0052] Unless otherwise specified, the various components which make up the trigger mechanism, upper receiver assembly, lower receiver assembly, bolt and bolt carrier assembly are those found on prior art AR15/M16 type firearms.

[0053] As used herein, the word front or forward corresponds to the end of the bolt carrier 20 where the bolt 11 is located (i.e., to the left as shown in FIGS. 1B-3, & 5); rear or rearward or back corresponds to the direction opposite the end of the bolt carrier 20 where the bolt 11 is located (i.e., to the right as shown in FIGS. 1B-3, & 5). The phrase in battery or battery refers to the position of readiness of a firearm for firing.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 1B, the present invention is directed to a compact buffer assembly, generally designated by reference numeral 10, including a generally cylindrical bolt carrier 20 with an attached buffer 40, a bolt 11, a buffer spring 12 and a buffer tube 50 (e.g., approximately 3.9 long) having an interior configured to receive a portion of the bolt carrier 20 therein. It will be understood that the buffer assembly 10 is intended to be employed with any of the various AR15/M16 type firearms; however with minor modifications, some of its features could be more widely used for other firearms as well. It will also be understood that the bolt carrier 20 with attached buffer 40 is housed within an upper receiver 81 of an AR15/M16 type rifle 80 (see FIGS. 6A-6G and 7).

[0055] In FIGS. 1B-4, an embodiment of the bolt carrier 20 is shown. The bolt carrier 20 is generally cylindrical in shape and includes a bore 30 which extends between its front end 31 and back end 32, varying in dimension based on a specific region's function and the structure defined thereon. The bolt carrier 20 also includes a hammer clearance slot 26 which permits the hammer to extend into the bolt carrier 20 and strike a firing pin 13 positioned in a portion of the bore 30. The firing pin 13 is retained in place through the use of a cotter pin 15, also commonly referred to as a firing pin retaining pin.

[0056] The exterior of the bolt carrier 20 includes an ejection port cover opener 28 which provides room for the ejection port cover to close and a cam slot 27 which provides a contained area for the cam pin 14 to rotate and thereby facilitate limited rotational and longitudinal movement of an attached bolt 11 (see FIGS. 1B, 2, 3 and 4).

[0057] Located on the top surface of the bolt carrier 20 is an integral carrier key 29. The general features and advantages of the integral carrier key 29 are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,387,513, filed on May 14, 2010, entitled Self Loading Firearm Bolt Carrier With Integral Carrier Key And Angled Strike Face, by Jesus S. Gomez, Jason Miller, Robert S. Schilling, and Michael R. Llewellyn (hereinafter, the Gomez et al application), which is also owned by the assignee of the present application and is hereby expressly incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

[0058] As shown in the exploded view of the bolt carrier 20 and buffer 40 provided in FIG. 2, and the isolated views of the same shown in FIGS. 3-4, the buffer 40 is attached to the back end of the bolt carrier 20. The bolt carrier 20 has a bore 21 through the interior of its back end which receives a portion of the buffer 40. The buffer 40 consist of two parts, a bumper 41 with integral shaft 42 and a cylindrical weight 43 attached thereto. The method of attaching the weight 43 to the shaft 42 of the bumper 41 will be described more fully hereinafter.

[0059] Horizontal side views of the bolt carrier 20 with attached buffer 40 are provided in FIGS. 3 and 4. The rear of the bolt carrier 20 has a boss 22 for contacting an interior portion 86 of the upper receiver 81 (see FIG. 7), thereby providing support during its longitudinal movement therein. The boss 22 is generally cylindrical in shape having an outside diameter larger than the body portion of the bolt carrier 20. The boss is also of sufficient diameter to make contact with the cylindrical interior of the buffer tube 50 (FIGS. 1B and 7) to ensure that the bolt carrier 20 remains centered therein. The boss 22 defines a circular side wall 33 (FIGS. 3-5) on its backside which occupies a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bolt carrier. The general features and advantages of the boss 22 are described in a U.S. Pat. No. 8,375,616 filed on Dec. 10, 2008, entitled Automatic Rifle Bolt Carrier with Fluted Boss, by Jesus S. Gomez and Jason Miller (hereinafter, the Gomez and Miller application), which is also owned by the assignee of the present application and is hereby expressly incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Also present on the rearward end of the bolt carrier is a guide rod portion 23 (FIGS. 2-5) which is configured to engage with and support the buffer spring 12 (shown in FIG. 1B) as will also be described more fully hereinafter.

[0060] FIG. 5 shows a cutaway view of an embodiment bolt carrier 20 with attached bolt 11, firing pin 13, and cam pin 14. The bolt carrier 20 has an interior thru bore 21 extending between its rear end and the hammer clearance slot 26 (FIGS. 2-4) of sufficient diameter to facilitate the passage of the buffer's 40 shaft 42 portion. Further, the interior diameter of the thru bore 21 is smaller than the exterior diameter of either the bumper 41 or cylindrical weight 43 portions of the buffer 40. There is a countersunk bore 24 about the front end of the thru bore 21 configured to receive a portion of the cylindrical weight 43 and resist its rearward movement. Located on the back end 32 of the bolt carrier 20 is an annular side wall 25 which a portion of the bumper 41 contacts during the buffer's 40 rearward movements.

[0061] Views of a AR15/M16 type personal defense weapon (PDW), generally designated by reference numeral 80, used with one embodiment of the buffer assembly 10 and buttstock assembly 90 are shown in FIGS. 6A-6C, 6E-6G, and 7. FIG. 6A-6G show various views of the personal defense weapon 80, also referred to herein as a firearm, and the major components from which it is comprised. Specifically, the upper receiver assembly 81, lower receiver assembly 83, handguard 82, flash hider 84 and buttstock assembly 90 are shown. FIG. 7 shows a cutaway of the view illustrated in FIG. 6B. This view shows the linear relationship between the barrel 85, bolt carrier 20 with attached buffer 40, buffer spring 12 (see FIGS. 1B and 7), and the buffer tube 50. When the bolt carrier 20 is in battery a majority of the bolt carrier 20 and buffer 40 are present within the interior portion 86 of the upper receiver 81. A small portion of the buffer 40 extends into the buffer tube 50 (see FIG. 7). The PDW illustrated is equipped with an 8 barrel 85, giving the firearm an overall length of approximately 20.

[0062] Shown in FIG. 8 is the buffer 40 which generally consists of a cylindrically shaped weight 43 having an interior opening 44 there through and a bumper 41 portion having an integral shaft 42. The distil end 45 of the shaft 42 is smaller in diameter than the rest of the shaft 42 and is constructed to be received within the interior opening 44 of the cylindrical weight 43. The components which make up the buffer 40 are manufactured from tungsten steel, but other, metals, iron and steel alloys of sufficient weight/density would suffice. All components of the buffer 40 are weighted to reduce the occurrence of bolt bounce, to provide for proper dwell time and, in general, to facilitate the proper operation of the host firearm. The bumper 41 portion could have a softer material attached thereto to further buffer the firearms recoil cycle without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.

[0063] The buffer spring 12 shown in FIGS. 1B and 7 is a compression type spring having coils with a rectangular cross section. Alternatively, a traditional compression type spring with round coils could be substituted. In one embodiment, buffer spring 12 is manufactured from stainless steel but any material, such as chrome-silica, appropriate for use as a compression spring, is suitable.

[0064] As noted earlier, the bolt carrier 20 is received within a buffer tube 50, sometimes referred to as a receiver extension, which is shown in FIGS. 1B, 7, 9 and 11. The buffer tube 50 has an opening 51 on its front end which leads to a circular interior bore 52 sized to contain a portion of the buffer spring 12 and receive a portion of the bolt carrier 20 when it is rearwardly displaced during operation of the host firearm 80. The forward exterior of the buffer tube 50 body 54 is threaded 53 and constructed to be threadedly received within an interior opening present on the lower receiver 83. The back end 55 (FIG. 9) of the buffer tube 50 is closed on in the embodiment shown, alternate embodiments may have a small liquid drain hole (not shown). Located between the threads 53 on the front of the buffer tube 50 and the back end 55 of the buffer tube are two circumferential ridges 56A and 56B (FIG. 9). The circumferential ridges have a larger outer diameter than the body 54 of the buffer tube 50 and are used to support the housing 91 portion of buttstock assembly 90 as shown in FIG. 11.

[0065] The buttstock assembly 90 as shown in FIGS. 6A-6C, 6E-6, 7 and 10-11 is comprised of three main components, a housing 91, shoulder stock 93 and two guide rods 92A and 92B (see FIGS. 10 and 13). The exterior surface of the housing 91 is contoured and shaped to act as a cheek piece 97 or comb. The interior of the housing 91 defines a longitudinally extending circular bore 99 sized to receive the buffer tube 50 (FIG. 10). The interior bore 99 is specifically sized such that the circumferential ridges 56A and 56B of the buffer tube make contact with the interior bore of the housing 91 (see FIG. 11). On the housing's 91 forward face 98 is a protrusion 94 (FIG. 10) which engages with an opening present on AR15/M16 type lower receivers 83 to prevent the unintentional rotation of the buttstock assembly 90 when assembled therewith. The housing 91 also defines thereon three openings, an opening 95 which allows the threaded portion 53 of the buffer tube 50 to pass through and two smaller openings 96A and 96B, which receive and support a portion of each guide rod 92A and 92B respectively. The opening 95 is smaller in diameter than the interior bore 99 thereby creating an internal shoulder 100 between the two.

[0066] Located along the bottom side of the housing 91 is a placement 114 with an opening 116 that houses a spring 118 biased catch 115 used to operate the buttstock assembly 90 (FIG. 12). The opening 116 runs traverse to the longitudinal axis of the housing's 91 interior bore 99 and is in communication with an opening 119 configured to receive a roll pin 113 (FIG. 12). The catch 115 consists of two openings 124 with a cylindrical body 123 portion extending therebetween (FIG. 12). The cylindrical body 123 portion has a pressure pad 132 on the end opposite its distal end 134. The pressure pad 132 is the portion of the catch 115 to which the user applies force in order to operate the mechanism. One side of each opening 124 defines a detent 117 portion which is configured to engage with the notches 120 and 121 found on each guide rod, 92A and 92B (see FIGS. 12 and 13). The cylindrical body 123 of the catch 115 has a slot 125 therein constructed to receive a portion of the roll pin 113. Located at one end of the catch 115 is a bore 133 configured to receive a roll pin 131 (FIG. 12). Also provided is a spring 118, and a head piece 127. The head piece 127 has a generally cylindrical shape with a centrally placed, longitudinally extending aperture 128 through its center (FIG. 12). There is also a gap 129 through a side body portion of the head piece 127. Located at one end is a bore 130 configured to receive a roll pin 131.

[0067] To assemble the catch mechanism, the body portion 123 of the catch 115 is inserted through the central opening of the spring 118. The distil end 134 of the catch 115 is then inserted into the aperture 128 of the head piece 127, effectively capturing the spring 118 therebetween. Next, the bore 130 of the head piece 127 is aligned with the bore 133 of the body portion 123 then a roll pin 131 is pushed through both bores 130 and 133, thereby securing the two pieces together. The catch 115, with attached spring 118, is then inserted into the opening 116 of the housing 91. The catch 115 is oriented so that the bottom of each opening 124 is facing up (see FIG. 12), thereby placing the slot 125 in alignment with opening 119. A roll pin 113 is inserted through opening 119 into slot 125 in order to secure the catch 115 to the housing 91.

[0068] When the catch 115 is secured within the opening 116 provided on the housing 91, the spring 118 is captured between the roll pin 113 and a lip 135 formed between the body 123 and detent portion 117 of the catch 115. The spring 118 biases against the roll pin 113 when the pressure pad 132 of the catch 115 is actuated. In one embodiment, the housing 91 is constructed from aluminum. Alternatively, polymers or other suitable metals or metal alloys may be used.

[0069] The shoulder stock 93 defines a front side 105 and a back side 106 with a bore 107 extended therebetween (FIG. 10). The bore 107 defines a circular opening configured to receive the portion of the buffer tube 50 located between the back side 55 and the back face of circumferential ridge 56B (FIG. 11). There is a circumferential chamfer 108 located about the front side of the bore 107. Also found on the front side 105 are two openings 110A and 110B each configured to receive the back end of a guide rod 92A and 92B, respectively (FIG. 10). In one embodiment, shoulder stock 93 is manufactured from aluminum, but alternate embodiment configurations may be manufactured from polymers or other suitable metals without departing from the scope of this invention.

[0070] The back side 106, or butt, of the shoulder stock 93 is textured so as to provide a nonslip surface. Two side walls 113A and 113B are defined by the shoulder stock 93 (FIG. 10). There is a rectangular shaped opening 126 through each of the side walls 113A and 113B which provide mounting points for a rifle sling (FIG. 10).

[0071] The guide rods 92A and 92B are elongated, generally circular shaped rods each having two approximately semi-circular notches 120 and 121 along one side (see FIGS. 11 and 13). Also present is a bore 122 (see FIG. 13) that runs transverse to the longitudinal axis of each guide rod 92A and 92B. This bore 122 is located near each guide rod's back end and is configured to receive a roll pin 109 (see FIGS. 11 and 13).

[0072] A portion of each guide rods 92A and 92B rearward end is received within a bore 110A and 110B found in the front side 105 of the shoulder stock 93 (FIG. 10). The shoulder stock 93 has two openings 112, one opening 112 in communication with each bore 110A and 110B (FIG. 10). The guide rods 92A and 92B are inserted into their respective bores 110A and 110B and are rotated until the bore 122 found on each guide rod 92A and 92B is aligned with the appropriate opening 112 of the shoulder stock 93 (FIGS. 10 and 13). A roll pin 109 is inserted through the aligned bore 122 and opening 112 of each guide rod 92A and 92B thereby securing them in place (FIGS. 10 and 11). In one embodiment, guide rods are manufactured from aluminum, but alternate embodiments could be manufactured from other light-weight and durable metal alloys.

[0073] The shoulder stock 93, with attached guide rods 92A and 92B, is slidably secured to the housing 91 as follows. Guide rod 92A and 92B are inserted within the longitudinally extending openings 96A and 96B of the housing respectively (FIG. 10). The guide rods 92A and 92B will slide freely forward until the forward notch 120 of each guide rods is engage by the detent 117 portion of the spring 118 biased catch 115, preventing further movement. This is referred to as the first position (see FIG. 10) of the shoulder stock 93 and is typically used when firing the attached firearm. To further collapse the shoulder stock 93 and move between the first and second positions, the catch 115 is depressed thereby disengaging the detents 117 from the forward notch 120 of each guide rod 92A and 92B. With the detents 117 disengaged, the shoulder stock 93 and guide rods 92A and 92B may be pushed forward until the detents 117 of the catch 115 engages with the rearward notch 121. This is referred to as the second position of the shoulder piece (see FIG. 6B). When the detents 117 engage with the rearward notches 121 of the guide rods, the bore 107 of the shoulder stock 93 also receives a portion of the buffer tube 50 therein. The second position of the shoulder stock 93 is typically selected when the host firearm is to be transported or stored. But, it is important to note that the second position of the shoulder stock 93 in no way inhibits the firearm from being used. To move the shoulder stock 93 back to the first position, simply pull on the shoulder stock and the detents 117 will slip out of the rear notch 121 of each guide rod 92A and 92B, allowing the shoulder stock 93 to extend until the detents 115 reengage with the forward notch 120 on each guide rod.

[0074] The gap between the guide rods 92A and 92B, and by extension the openings 96A and 96B which receive them, has to be large enough for the guide rods to clear the back end portion of the lower receiver 83 as shown in FIGS. 6A-6C, 6F and 6G.

[0075] To attach the buffer 40 to the bolt carrier 20, the shaft portion 42 of the bumper 41 is pushed through the enclosed thru bore 21 located on the back end 32 of the bolt carrier 20. The bumper 41 will come to rest against the annular side wall 25 located about the back end 32 of the bolt carrier 20 while the distil end 45 of the shaft 42 protrudes into the hammer clearance slot 26. The distil end 45 of the shaft 42 is received by the interior opening 44 of the cylindrical weight 43. The cylindrical weight 43 is then welded to the shaft 42, thereby making the buffer 40 an integral part of the bolt carrier 20. The cylindrical weight 43 is larger in diameter than the thru bore 21 housing the shaft 42, but smaller in diameter than the countersunk bore 24 where it is partially received during, at least, the forward movement of the bolt carrier 20. Once welded in place, the buffer 40 still has a limited range of longitudinal movement within the thru bore 21 of the bolt carrier 20.

[0076] On the back end 32 of the bolt carrier 20, extending between the boss 22 and the annular side wall 25 is the guide rod 23. The guide rod is a portion of the bolt carrier 20 that is smaller in diameter than the boss 22. The boss 22 defines a circular side wall 33 on its back side. The guide rod portion 23 of the bolt carrier 20 is constructed to be received within an interior portion of the buffer spring 12, with the forward most portion of the buffer spring 12 abutting the circular side wall 33 defined by the boss 22. The structure of the guide rod portion 23 prevents the buffer spring 12 from binding during operation.

[0077] The exterior diameter of the buffer spring 12 is no larger in diameter than the major diameter of the boss 22. This allows the boss 22 to be in direct contact with an interior portion 86 of the upper receiver 81 and the interior bore 52 of the buffer tube 50, without the spring 12 generating additional undesirable friction. The buffer spring 12 is able to bias the bolt carrier 20 into battery by placing its force against the circular side wall 33 of the boss 22. In addition, the guide rod portion 23 of the bolt carrier 20 helps to orient and keep the buffer spring 12 from binding up during the rearward movement of the bolt carrier 20.

[0078] To use the buffer assembly 10 with a firearm such as the PDW 80 shown in FIGS. 6A-6G and 7, the following steps must be taken. Initially, the housing 91 of the buttstock assembly 90 is placed against the back end of the lower receiver 83 so that the protrusion 94 on its forward face 98 engages therewith. The buffer tube 50 is inserted through the interior bore 52 of the housing 91 and threadedly secured to the lower receiver 83. The buffer tube 50 is rotated until the forward face of the circumferential ridge 56A (see FIG. 11) comes to rest against the shoulder 100 of the housing 91 thereby securing both the buffer tube and the housing of the buttstock assembly 90 to the lower receiver 83. The circumferential ridges 56A and 56B support the housing of the buttstock. The shoulder stock 93 with attached guide rods 92A and 92B may then be secured to the housing 91 as described above.

[0079] After the buffer 40 is secured to the bolt carrier 20 as described above, the buffer spring 12 is attached about the guide rod 23 portion of the bolt carrier 20. When properly seated in place, the forward edge of the spring 12 will rest against the circular side wall 33 defined by the boss 22. The guide rod portion 23 of the bolt carrier 20, the bumper 41 and a portion of the buffer 40 shaft 42 will be contained within an interior opening defined by the spring's 12 coils.

[0080] The bolt carrier 20 with attached buffer 40 and spring 12 are inserted into an interior portion 86 opening of the upper receiver 81 as follows. The interior portion 86 opening is a longitudinally extending bore configured to receive and facilitate the reciprocating movements of the bolt carrier 20 during the operation of the firearm 80. With the bolt carrier 20 seated in place, the spring 12 and a portion of the bumper 41 will be protruding from the rearward end of the upper receiver 81. The upper receiver 81 is then oriented such than the protruding spring 12 is in alignment with the interior bore 52 of the buffer tube 50 attached to the lower receiver 83. The rearward end of the spring 12 followed by a portion of the bumper 41 slide into the buffer tube 50. With the upper receiver 81 and lower receiver 83 now in operational orientation, the front take down pin 16A and rear take down pin 16B (FIG. 6B) are used to removably secure the two receivers together.

[0081] Thus the assembly of a firearm 80 using the new buffer assembly 10 and buttstock assembly 90 has been described. By reversing the steps outlined above, the bolt carrier 20, buffer 40, spring 12, and buttstock assembly 90 may be removed for routine maintenance and repair.

[0082] In one embodiment, buffer assembly 10 provided herein reduces the overall length of the AR15/M16 firearm by approximately 3.29. In alternate embodiments, the buffer assembly (and its individual components) could be dimensionally scaled up to work with AR15/M16/AR10 type firearms that rely on bolt carriers and buffer tubes of larger dimensions than those discussed herein in regards to the prior art. In doing so a proportionally smaller buffer assembly will be provided for such a firearm than is found in the prior art.

[0083] While one embodiment of the bolt carrier 20 shown is configured for use with a piston operated AR15/M16 type rifle, a bolt carrier modified to work with a more traditional direct impingent gas operating system which relies on a gas tube could be substituted without losing the benefits of the invention described and claimed herein.

[0084] A buffer retaining pin and a spring which biases it into place are common throughout the art as it relates to AR15/M16 type rifles. The buffer retaining pin is used to secure the separate buffer 320 within the buffer tube 330 (see FIG. 1A) and facilitate the assembly of so equipped firearms. The buffer assembly 10 described herein does not need a buffer retaining pin. By incorporating the buffer 40 onto the rear of the bolt carrier 20, a buffer retaining pin would serve no purpose. When assembling an AR15/M16 type rifle originally constructed to use a buffer retaining pin, the part should be omitted during the installation of the buffer assembly 10 described herein.

[0085] In an alternate embodiment, the buffer 40 could be secured to the bolt carrier 20 by threadedly securing the cylindrical weight 43 to the shaft 42.

[0086] In still another alternate embodiment, the bolt carrier 20 could be machined with the buffer 40, or a similarly weighted structure, as an integral part of its back end 32.

[0087] In still yet another alternate embodiment, a modified buffer having a body portion configured to be received within the thru bore 21 formed on the back end of a bolt carrier 20 could be manufactured. The modified buffer could be retained in place by sandwiching it between the back end 32 of the bolt carrier and the front end of the buffer spring 12.

[0088] In a further embodiment, the catch 115 could omit one of the openings 124 and detents 117 found along its length to simplify the mechanism.

[0089] In a still further embodiment, additional notches may be placed along the length of the guide rods 92A and 92B to provide for additional positions of adjustment, possibly making the stock more ergonomic for the user.

[0090] The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention may be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by the dimensions of the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.