Firearm slide with sloped bottom surface

Abstract

Improvements to firearms that load cartridges from a magazine and/or a clip are disclosed. Specifically, improvements to slide assemblies and bolt assemblies to depress a cartridge in a magazine and/or a clip are provided. Such improvements include a sloped bottom-facing surface of the slide assembly and/or bolt assembly. The sloped bottom-facing surface is sloped along the length of the portion that contacts a cartridge in the magazine and/or clip when the slide assembly and/or bolt assembly reciprocates.

Claims

1. An improvement for a slide for a hammer-fired firearm, the slide having a forward-facing breech face, a rearward-facing hammer face, and a downward-facing surface that contacts a cartridge in a magazine received within the firearm when the slide forms part of the firearm, the downward-facing surface having a length extending from the forward-facing breech face to the rearward-facing hammer face and having a portion along which the cartridge in the magazine slides during operation of the firearm, wherein the improvement comprises: the downward-facing surface is sloped along the entire length of the downward-facing surface, from a lower end adjacent the breech face to an upper end positioned rearward of the breech face; wherein the downward-facing surface is free of an inside corner along the length; and wherein the rearward-facing hammer face and the forward-facing breach face define ends of a firing pin bore of the slide.

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein: the downward-facing surface slopes continuously along the length.

3. The improvement of claim 1, wherein: the downward-facing surface is sloped gradually along the length.

4. The improvement of claim 1, wherein: the downward-facing surface is planar.

5. The improvement of claim 1, wherein: the downward-facing surface is free of a protrusion along the length.

6. The improvement of claim 1, wherein: the downward-facing surface is transverse relative to a longitudinal axis of the slide.

7. The improvement of claim 6, wherein: the longitudinal axis is co-axial with a firing pin bore of the slide.

8. The improvement of claim 1, wherein: an angle measured between the downward-facing surface and the breech face is between 80 degrees and 90 degrees.

9. The improvement of claim 8, wherein: the angle is between 85 degrees and 89 degrees.

10. The improvement of claim 9, wherein: the angle is approximately 88 degrees.

11. A firearm comprising a slide having the improvement described in claim 1.

12. The improvement of claim 1, wherein a rearward hammer face of the slide extends above and below an opening for a firing pin bore of the slide.

13. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the downward-facing surface is bounded on a first lateral side by a first groove and on an opposing, second lateral side by a second groove.

14. The improvement of claim 13, wherein an opening for a firing pin safety extends through the first groove.

15. An improvement for a slide for a hammer-fired firearm, the slide having a forward-facing breech face and a downward-facing surface that contacts a cartridge in a magazine received within the firearm when the slide forms part of the firearm, the downward-facing surface having a length along which the cartridge in the magazine slides during operation of the firearm, wherein the improvement comprises: the downward-facing surface is sloped along the length the cartridge in the magazine slides, from a lower end adjacent the breech face to an upper end positioned rearward of the breech face; wherein the downward-facing surface is bounded on a first lateral side by a first groove and on an opposing, second lateral side by a second groove; and wherein an opening for an extractor pin extends through the second groove.

16. The improvement of claim 15, wherein the downward-facing surface extends from the breech face to a rearward-facing hammer face and is sloped along its entirety.

17. The improvement of claim 15, wherein the downward-facing surface is free of an inside corner along the length.

18. The improvement of claim 15, wherein: an angle measured between the downward-facing surface and the breech face is between 80 degrees and 90 degrees.

19. The improvement of claim 18, wherein: the angle is between 85 degrees and 89 degrees.

20. The improvement of claim 19, wherein: the angle is approximately 88 degrees.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is perspective view of an exemplary firearm of the present disclosure.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the slide of the firearm of FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the slide of the firearm of FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the slide of the firearm of FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the slide of the firearm of FIG. 1.

(6) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of portions of the firearm of FIG. 1 in a first configuration.

(7) FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of portions of the firearm of FIG. 1 in a second configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SELECTED EMBODIMENTS

(8) For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications in the described embodiments, and any further applications of the principles of the invention as described herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. One embodiment of the invention is shown in great detail, although it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that some features that are not relevant to the present invention may not be shown for the sake of clarity.

(9) With respect to the specification and claims, it should be noted that the singular forms a, an, the, and the like include plural referents unless expressly discussed otherwise. As an illustration, references to a device or the device include one or more of such devices and equivalents thereof. It also should be noted that directional terms, such as up, down, top, bottom, and the like, are used herein solely for the convenience of the reader in order to aid in the reader's understanding of the illustrated embodiments, and it is not the intent that the use of these directional terms in any manner limit the described, illustrated, and/or claimed features to a specific direction and/or orientation.

(10) Turning to the illustrated embodiment, FIG. 1 illustrates a handgun 50. The handgun has, among other components, a frame assembly 60 and a slide assembly 70. The frame assembly defines an opening 64 for receiving a magazine containing cartridges. During operation of the handgun, the slide assembly reciprocates relative to the frame. When reciprocating forward relative to the frame, the slide 100 of the slide assembly strips a cartridge from a magazine positioned within the frame and loads the cartridge into a chamber of the barrel 80. When reciprocating reward relative to the frame, portions of the slide assembly extract the cartridge, or what is left thereof (e.g., the casing), from the barrel.

(11) FIGS. 2-5 illustrate a slide 100 from the slide assembly. The slide has a forward end 102 and a rearward end 104. The forward end defines a barrel opening 110 arranged to receive the barrel. Facing the barrel opening is a breech face 120. The breech face is arranged to contact the base of a cartridge when the cartridge is inserted in the chamber of the barrel. The breech face defines a firing pin opening 124.

(12) Extending rearward of the breech face on the bottom of the slide is a downward-facing surface 130. The downward-facing surface faces the magazine positioned within the frame assembly when the handgun is assembled. During operation, a cartridge-contacting portion 134 of the downward-facing surface contacts a cartridge positioned within the magazine. As the slide actuates rearwardly relative to the frame assembly of the handgun (i.e., rearwardly from the position illustrated in FIG. 1), the point of contact between the cartridge in the magazine and the cartridge-contacting surface slides from a first location 136 to a second location 138 on the cartridge-contacting surface.

(13) The cartridge-contacting surface slopes upwards (i.e., toward a top surface of the slide) from a lower forward portion 142 to a higher rearward portion 144. The sloped surface, however, can extend beyond the cartridge-contacting surface. For example, a rearward portion 148 of the downward-facing surface can be sloped. In some instances, the downward-facing surface can be sloped along its length. The length of the downward-facing surface can extend from the breech face to a hammer face 150.

(14) The slide includes longitudinal grooves 180 on both sides of the frame and lying in a horizontal plane relative to the firearm. The longitudinal grooves are arranged to slidingly engage with rails of the frame. The slope(s) of the downward-facing surface, described herein, can be transverse relative to the plane of the longitudinal grooves.

(15) As illustrated in FIG. 4, the slide may have a longitudinal axis 190. The longitudinal axis may be coaxial with a firing pin bore 194. The slope(s) of the downward-facing surface, described herein, can be transverse to the longitudinal axis.

(16) Also as illustrated in FIG. 4, the angle 200 between the breech face and the downward-facing surface can be between 80 degrees and 90 degrees. Preferably, the angle is between 85 degrees and 89 degrees. For example, the angle can be approximately 88 degrees.

(17) As shown in FIG. 5, the downward-facing surface can be bounded on a first side by a first groove 210 and bounded on a second side by a second groove 220. An opening 230 for the firing pin safety can extend through the first groove. An opening 240 for an extractor pin can extend through the second groove. The first and/or second grooves can provide clearance for the ejector and/or safety components of the firearm.

(18) FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a cross-sectional view of portions of the firearm during different stages of a firing sequence. In FIG. 6, a first cartridge 1002 comprising a casing 1004 and a projectile 1008 are positioned within the chamber of the barrel with the breech face of the slide in contact with the base 1012 of the cartridge. A second cartridge 1030 is positioned in the magazine (not shown) and is in contact with a sloped portion of the downward-facing surface of the slide. In FIG. 7, the slide is shown returning to a forward position from the rearward position and is now beginning to load the second cartridge into the chamber after having successfully extracted and ejected the casing of the first cartridge.

(19) If the firearm in the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is discharged, the slide will move in a rearward direction relative to the frame assembly (i.e., to the left as shown in the figures). While moving rearwardly, the extractor of the slide assembly retains the casing of the first cartridge in association with the slide so that the casing is removed from the chamber as the slide moves rearwardly relative to the barrel. When the slides moves rearwardly from the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the downward-facing surface 130 of the slide moves the second cartridge (i.e., one in the magazine) downwardly and away from the casing of the first cartridge so that the second cartridge does not contact the casing of the first cartridge.

(20) Advantageously, the disclosed arrangements can also provide greater overlap of the breech face of the slide and the second cartridge. Applicant has found this improved overlap (as shown in FIG. 7) to provide a more reliable loading of cartridges from the magazine and into the chamber when the slide moves in a forward direction. Accordingly, the disclosed arrangements can decrease the possibility of Type 1 malfunctions.

(21) Another benefit of the sloped downward-facing surface is greater space for hammer components at the rearward end of the firearm. As the downward-facing surface slopes upward toward the rear end of the firearm, components of the hammer assembly do not need to be repositioned lower.

(22) While the above description has referred to a bottom-facing surface of a slide, the improvements and arrangements disclosed herein may also be made to bolt assemblies. For example a bottom-facing surface of a bolt assembly, such as a bolt assembly (e.g., bolt carrier group) of an AR style firearm (e.g., AR-15 or M-16), may be sloped. For example, a bottom-facing surface of a bolt carrier may be sloped along the length of a cartridge contacting portion.

(23) While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes, equivalents, and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventions defined by following claims are desired to be protected. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference and set forth in its entirety herein.

(24) The following numbered clauses set out specific embodiments that may be useful in understanding the present invention: 1. An improvement for a slide for a firearm, the slide having a forward-facing breech face and a downward-facing surface that contacts a cartridge in a magazine received within the firearm when the slide forms part of the firearm, the downward-facing surface having a length along which the cartridge in the magazine slides during operation of the firearm, wherein the improvement comprises:

(25) the downward-facing surface is sloped along the length the cartridge in the magazine slides, from a lower end adjacent the breech face to an upper end positioned rearward of the breech face. 2. The slide of clause 1, wherein: the downward-facing surface is sloped along a distance at least as long as a cartridge the firearm is arranged to receive. 3. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(26) the downward-facing surface slopes continuously along the length. 4. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(27) the downward-facing surface is sloped gradually along the length. 5. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(28) the downward-facing surface is planar. 6. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(29) the downward-facing surface slopes continuously along a length from the breech face to a rearward hammer face of the slide. 7. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(30) the downward-facing surface is free of a protrusion along the length. 8. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(31) the downward-facing surface is free of an inside corner along the length. 9. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(32) the downward-facing surface is transverse relative to a longitudinal axis of the slide. 10. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(33) the longitudinal axis is co-axial with the firing pin bore. 11. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(34) an angle measured between the downward-facing surface and the breech face is between 80 degrees and 90 degrees. 12. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(35) the angle is between 85 degrees and 89 degrees. 13. The slide of any preceding clause, wherein:

(36) the angle is approximately 88 degrees. 14. A firearm comprising a slide having the improvement described in any preceding clause.