HANDGUN-DISCHARGE SUPPRESSOR FOR SHOT-CONTAINMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

A handgun-shot suppressor has a housing with an outer shell with a rear end adapted to fit with a shot-containment device and an opposite front end. A mass of sound-deadening material within the housing forms a passage and is formed at the front end with a front cavity fittable with a muzzle of a handgun so that a shot fired by a handgun fitted to the front cavity passes through the passage. A gas-permeable cover lining the passage and the cavity lies against the mass of sound-deadening material. A rear wall penetrable by the projectile closes the rear end of the housing.

Claims

1. A handgun-shot suppressor comprising: a housing having an outer shell extending along an axis and with a rear end adapted to fit with a shot-containment device and an opposite front end; a mass of sound-deadening material within the housing, forming a passage, and formed at the front end with a front cavity fittable with a muzzle of a handgun, whereby a shot fired by a handgun fitted to the front cavity passes through the passage; a gas-permeable cover lining the passage and the cavity and lying against the mass of sound-deadening material; and a rear wall penetrable by the projectile and closing the rear end of the housing.

2. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 1, wherein the cavity is frustoconical and tapers away from the front end into the passage.

3. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 1 wherein the cover is a net, mesh, woven fabric, or knitted fabric.

4. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 1, wherein the cover is flame retardant and self-extinguishing.

5. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 1, wherein the cover externally fully surrounds the mass.

6. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 1, wherein the outer shell of the housing is externally cylindrical.

7. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 6, wherein the rear end of the housing fittable in the shot-containment device is also cylindrical.

8. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 1, wherein the passage has a closed rear end wall transverse to the axis.

9. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 8, wherein the rear wall is made of plastic or rubber.

10. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 1, wherein the sound-deadening mass is formed by a strip of sound-deadening material wound around the passage.

11. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 1, further comprising: a guide for a muzzle of the firearm at the front end.

12. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 1, wherein the passage is formed with a constriction reducing a cross-sectional area of the passage.

13. The handgun-shot suppressor defined in claim 12 wherein the constriction is at or rearward toward the rear end of a center of the passage.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0018] The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing whose sole FIGURE is an axial section through the discharge suppressor of this invention.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] As seen the drawing, a discharge suppressor 1 is typically mounted in front of a standard shot-containment device or system here indicated schematically at 11. The suppressor 1 has a cup-shaped or pot-shaped housing 2 with a cylindrical outer wall made of sheet-metal or plastic tubing and having a closed rear wall 9 and an open opposite front end forming a cavity 7 for receiving the muzzle end of a firearm, typically a handgun. The outer shell or wall 2 can also have a non-cylindrical shape, in particular a polygon. The front edge of the outer shell 2 is preferably covered by an annular or circumferential edge-protecting trim 10 that may form a muzzle guide.

[0020] Inside the outer shell 2 is a mass 4 of sound-deadening material that both absorbs and deadens sound, and preferably is made of plastic foam. This sound-deadening mass 4 forms a central passage 3 that is coaxial to a center axis A of the outer shell 2. This passage 3 can be designed to be very narrow, i.e. it may have a diameter smaller than the caliber of a round, so that the round has to squeeze through the passage. Alternatively, the passage 3 can be off-center and/or angled relative to the outer shell 2.

[0021] The sound-deadening mass 4 is especially simple to produce when it is formed from a strip and is wound around the passage 3. In this way precompression of the core material is simply controlled by the strip length.

[0022] The passage 3 is lined by a supporting, in particular perforated cover 8 lying lies against the sound-deadening mass 4, so that the support cover 8 forms a tube in turn forming the passage 3. Preferably the cover 8 here is a net, mesh, woven material, or knitted material made of plastic filaments or wires. The cover 8 supporting the sound-deadening mass 4 preferably also wraps around the outer cylindrical surface of the sound-deadening mass 4 and further, also lines the front and rear ends of the sound-deadening mass 4, so that the sound-deadening mass 4 both is wholly externally and internally lined by the cover 8.

[0023] At the front end of the device, the cavity 7 forms an upstream inlet end 5 of the passage 3. Here the sound-deadening mass 4 in the cavity 7 forms a frustoconical surface and thus a funnel to the inlet end 5, so that the muzzle of a firearm can be placed on or attached simply in a positive and/or frictionally tight manner to the suppressor 1. Such a frustoconical inlet cavity 7 makes handling much easier. Here the suppressor 1 can be used in a manner such that the muzzle of the firearm is actually inserted partially into the passage 3. For muzzle diameters larger than the maximal funnel diameter, the muzzle can be fitted flatly against the deadening core mass 5 axially aligned with the passage 3 or the funnel surface 7. In this case the entire funnel region or volumes serve as a gas and projectile guide.

[0024] The support cover 8 also covers the frustoconical cavity 7 so that the sound-deadening mass is protected from damage. In addition, an unillustrated guide can be provided in front of the inlet opening 5 of the passage 3 so as to facilitate insertion of the muzzle of the firearm or, for a noncoaxial or rotation symmetrical position of the passage 3 and the funnel connecting to the longitudinal axis of the housing 1, to define the off-center firearm muzzle position for the intended use.

[0025] The outer shell 2 in the rear end forms a connecting region 6 of the suppressor 1 that can fit a complementary cylindrical seat of the shot-containment device 11. In this case the insertion opening of the shot-containment device 11 has the same or slightly larger diameter as the outside diameter of the outer shell 2 in the connecting region 6. In this way there is a positive releasable connection between the suppressor 1 according to the invention and the shot-containment device 11. In the case when the outer shell is not cylindrical but oval or polygonal in cross section, the seat of the shot-containment device 11 has a complementary cross section.

[0026] The passage 3 has a constriction 13 that reduces its cross-sectional area and that is in the center or rear of the passage in order to resist gas flow and/or to keep the firearm from being inserted too far into the suppressor 1 according to the invention.

[0027] The cover 8 can also be formed by a screen-like material. In addition, the outer shell 2 can have two or more lateral openings 12 for releasing gas. Also, the rear end wall 9 can be made of a material, in particular a plastic or rubber material that can be penetrated by the projectile of the firearm, so as to show that the suppressor 1 according to the invention was penetrated at least once by a projectile. Thus, the rear wall 9 shows whether the suppressor 1 is still intact.

[0028] The sound-deadening mass 4 is preferably a plastic form made of open-cell polyurethane foam on a polyether base with a crude specific gravity (before fitting) according to ISO 845 of around 21.5 kg/m.sup.3.

[0029] Alternatively, of course other materials with comparable absorption or deadening properties may also be used.