Hydraulic dampened high mass rotary barrel recoil system for handgun

Abstract

A hydraulically dampened rotary barrel locking system for a handgun is provided which preferably includes a receiver, a barrel and a spring-loaded moveable slide. The barrel comprises one or more axially aligned locking lugs configured to allow the slide to travel down the barrel axis when the lugs align with a keyway slot in an extended lug boss at the discharge end of the slide. Felt recoil is reduced and accuracy is improved due to a more balanced slide-to-barrel mass ratio than prior art and hydraulic dampening between the barrel and slide due to improved journal bearing action.

Claims

1. A rotary-locking firearm comprising: a frame; a slide removably mounted to the frame and configured to move from a forward position to a rearward position along the axial length of a barrel, comprising a rear end and a discharge end, a barrel bore operable to receive a barrel, and an extended lug boss with a front face and a rear face disposed outside said barrel bore and at said discharge end; wherein expanding propellant gases from a fired cartridge force said slide rearward, and wherein said extended lug boss comprises a keyway slot configured to guide the barrel after the firearm unlocks; a rotary locking barrel comprising an external surface, an inner bore, a discharge end, a rear end, a control rail lug of defined length which rests against the rear face of said extended lug boss when the firearm is in the full battery position; and a cam assembly operable to facilitate the axial rotation and disengagement of said rotary locking barrel from said slide as the rotary locking barrel and slide move rearward under recoil from a fired cartridge.

2. The firearm of claim 1, wherein said cam assembly comprises a frame cam block and a barrel cam lug, said frame cam block operable to receive said barrel cam lug.

3. The firearm of claim 1, wherein said cam assembly comprises a frame cam block with a frame cam lug and a barrel cam slot, said barrel cam slot operable to receive said frame cam lug.

4. The firearm of claim 1, wherein said barrel further comprises a barrel locking lug proximal to the discharge end of said barrel, and said slide further comprises a slide locking slot within said extended lug boss, said slide locking slot operable to receive said barrel locking lug.

5. The firearm of claim 4, wherein said barrel locking lug is axially disposed in line with said control rail lug.

6. The firearm of claim 1, wherein said barrel further comprises at least one barrel locking luge proximal to the discharge end of said barrel, and said slide further comprises at least one slide locking slots within said extended lug boss, said at least one slide locking slots operable to receive said at least one barrel locking lugs.

7. The firearm of claim 6, wherein said barrel locking lugs are axially disposed in line with said control rail lug.

8. The firearm of claim 1, wherein the said defined length of said control rail lug is at least 0.25 inches and no longer than 4.0 inches.

9. The firearm of claim 8, wherein said barrel is coated with a hydraulic lubricant operable to create a hydraulic resistance dampening force in the direction of the discharge end of said barrel as said slide moves rearward.

10. A rotary-locking firearm comprising: a frame; a rotary-locking barrel comprising an external surface, an inner bore, a discharge end, a rear end, and a control rail lug of a defined length, wherein said barrel further comprises a barrel locking lug proximal to the discharge end of said barrel; a spring-loaded mobile slide comprising a slide bore operable to receive said barrel, a rear end, a discharge end, and an extended lug boss disposed at said discharge end, wherein said slide is operable to move along the axial length of said barrel, and wherein said extended lug boss further comprises a slide locking slot proximal to the discharge end of said slide, said slide locking slot operable to receive said barrel locking lug, and wherein said extended lug boss further comprises a keyway slot operable to receive said control rail lug and said barrel locking lug, and wherein expanding propellant gases from a fired cartridge force said slide rearward along said barrel when said firearm is fired; and a cam assembly operable to facilitate axial barrel rotation as said slide and said barrel move rearward under recoil from a fired cartridge.

11. The firearm of claim 10, wherein said cam assembly comprises a frame cam block and a barrel cam lug, said frame cam block operable to receive said barrel cam lug.

12. The firearm of claim 10, wherein said cam assembly comprises a frame cam block with a frame cam lug and a barrel cam slot, said barrel cam slot operable to receive said frame cam lug.

13. The firearm of claim 10, wherein said barrel locking lug is axially disposed in line with said control rail lug and is operable to travel through said keyway slot when said slide moves rearward.

14. The firearm of claim 10, wherein said barrel further comprises two barrel locking lugs proximal to the discharge end of said barrel, and said extended lug boss further comprises two slide locking slots operable to receive said barrel locking lugs.

15. The firearm of claim 14, wherein said barrel locking lugs are axially disposed in line with said control rail lug.

16. The firearm of claim 10, wherein the said defined length of said control rail lug is at least 0.25 inches and no longer than 4.0 inches.

17. The firearm of claim 16, wherein said barrel is coated with a hydraulic lubricant operable to create a hydraulic resistance dampening force in the direction of the discharge end of said barrel as said slide moves rearward.

18. A method for delaying unlocking and buffering of recoil forces in an autoloading firearm, the method comprising the steps of: providing a firearm with a receiver for chambering an ammunition cartridge, a trigger mechanism configured to ignite said ammunition cartridge, a barrel with a rear end and a discharge end, a control rail lug attached to said barrel, a barrel locking lug attached to said barrel and axially aligned with said control rail lug, a spring-loaded mobile slide operable to move along the axial length of said barrel, and a cam assembly operable to facilitate axial barrel rotation as said slide and said barrel move rearward under recoil from a fired cartridge, said slide further comprising an extended lug boss comprising a locking lug slot operable to receive said barrel locking lug, and said extended lug boss further comprising a keyway slot operable to receive said control rail lug and said barrel locking lug, and producing expanding propellant gases having a pressure within said cartridge chamber upon igniting said ammunition cartridge; rotating said barrel to unlock said slide by aligning said control rail lug and said barrel locking lug with said keyway slot; sliding said slide toward the rear end of said barrel; and opening a breech and discharging the ammunition cartridge casing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the invention's primary components.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the barrel viewed from the side.

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the discharge end of the slide.

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the upper assembly of the invention in the full battery position.

(5) FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the upper assembly of the invention.

(6) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the frame of the invention.

(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the frame of the invention and the barrel.

(8) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the discharge end of one embodiment of the invention in the full battery position.

(9) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the discharge end of one embodiment of the invention immediately after the invention is fired.

(10) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the discharge end of one embodiment of the upper assembly of the invention.

(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the discharge end of one embodiment of the invention out of battery.

(12) FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the discharge end of one embodiment of the invention out of battery.

(13) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the discharge end of one embodiment of the invention out of battery.

(14) FIG. 13 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the barrel and the cam block of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(15) FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of an exploded view of firearm 100. For this embodiment, firearm 100 includes a pistol frame 110 with cross pin holes 111, a barrel 120, a slide 130, a cam block 140 with cam slot 141 and cross pin bore 142, a guide rod 150, and a recoil spring 160. Barrel 120 further comprises external surface 121, inner bore 122, barrel discharge end 123, barrel chamber end 124, and control rail lug 125. In another embodiment, barrel 120 may further comprise at least one barrel locking lug 126 and a cam lug 127. In such an embodiment, cam lug 127, control rail lug 125, and barrel locking lug 126 are configured such that they are axially aligned as depicted in FIG. 2. In alternate embodiments, the length of control rail lug is at least 0.25 inches and no longer than 4.0 inches.

(16) As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 (magnified view), slide 130 further comprises slide bore 131, slide discharge end 132, slide rear end 133, extended lug boss 134, keyway slot 135, rod bore 136, and extended lug boss rear face 138 (the latter also shown in FIG. 11). In one embodiment, slide 130 may also comprise at least one slide locking slot 137 configured to receive barrel locking lug 126 when barrel 120 is inserted into slide bore 131 and rotated such that barrel locking lug 126 is aligned with slide locking slot 137. The operation of this feature is described more fully below.

(17) FIG. 4 shows the upper assembly of firearm 100 in the full battery position. Barrel 120 is inserted into slide bore 131. Cam block 140 is attached to barrel 120 and configured such that cam lug 127 fits into cam slot 141. FIG. 5 shows an underside view of barrel 120 within slide 130 just before cam block 140 is removably attached to barrel 120 via cam lug 127.

(18) As further shown in FIG. 4, recoil spring 160 enwraps guide rod 150, which is removably inserted into cam block 140 on one end and inserted into rod bore 136 on the other end. The free-floating upper assembly shown in FIG. 4 allows slide 130 to move rearward along the longitudinal axis of barrel 120 and guide rod 150 as rearward force is applied to slide 130, thereby compressing recoil spring 160. The upper assembly then returns to the full battery position upon release of slide 130 due to the opposite force supplied when recoil spring 160 expands to its resting position.

(19) As shown in FIG. 6, cam block 140 (typically configured to barrel 120 as explained above) is placed into pistol frame 110 such that cross pin bore 142 lines up with cross pin holes 111. Cross pin 112 of suitable size is inserted through cross pin holes 111 and cross pin bore 142 to removably hold cam block 140 in place. FIG. 7 shows one view of cam lug 127 being inserted into cam slot 141 while cam block 140 is removably pinned to pistol frame 110.

(20) FIG. 8 shows a close-up view of the discharge end of the upper assembly of firearm 100 in the full battery position. Note that barrel locking lug 126 is seated within slide locking slot 137. The configuration of cam lug 127 within cam slot 141 is such that in the full battery position, barrel 120 is rotated such that barrel locking lug 126 slides into slide locking slot 137, outside of the barrel chamber. Barrel chamber end 124 is fixed to the breech in such locked position as it is known in the industry. In one embodiment, barrel locking lug 126 keeps barrel 120 from separating from the breech while it is in the fully battery locked position. In another embodiment as described more fully below, control rail lug 125 and one or more barrel locking lugs 126 keep barrel 120 from separating from the breech while they are in their respective locked positions, as control rail lug 125 rests against extended lug boss rear face 138. Consequently, in each embodiment slide 130 and barrel 120 will initially slide rearward together when a cartridge is fired, and propellant gases force slide 130 and barrel 120 rearward.

(21) The cam-and-lug configuration described in the foregoing embodiment operates to rotate barrel 120 as it initially moves rearward with slide 130. As shown in FIG. 9, barrel 120 rotates as it slides rearward due to the cam action, which operates to disengage barrel locking lug 126 from slide locking slot 137. Barrel locking lug 126 rotates into keyway slot 135. The rotation of barrel 120 also aligns control rail lug 125 with keyway slot 135 because control rail lug 125 and barrel locking lug 126 are axially aligned. As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the alignment of control rail lug 125 and barrel locking lug 126 allows slide 130 to travel rearward along the longitudinal axis of barrel 120 while barrel 120 discontinues its rearward travel. As shown in FIG. 12, the cartridge case may be ejected from the chamber through the breech as slide 130 travels rearward. Recoil spring 160 then forces slide 130 back to the full battery position.

(22) In another embodiment, barrel 120 may comprise more than one barrel locking lug 126. Naturally, slide 130 would have a sufficient number of slide locking slots 137 to accommodate each barrel locking lug 126.

(23) In another embodiment, barrel 120 comprises at least one barrel locking lug 126 and control rail lug 125. Slide 130 comprises an equal number of slide locking slots 137 as barrel locking lug(s) 126. Control rail lug 125 does not rest against extended lug boss rear face 138 when firearm 100 is in the full battery position because barrel locking lug(s) 126 lock firearm 100 due to their displacement within slide locking slot(s) 137.

(24) In yet another embodiment, barrel 120 may not comprise barrel locking lug 126. In such embodiment, control rail lug 125 is configured such that in the full battery position, it rests against extended lug boss rear face 138 which keeps barrel 120 and slide 130 locked. As a result, extended lug boss 134 exerts a rearward force on the discharge end of control rail lug 125 as slide 130 begins to move rearward. Control rail lug 125 would allow limited rearward travel of barrel 120 with slide 130 until control rail lug 125 aligns with keyway slot 135 due to the rotation of barrel 120 facilitated by the cam action discussed above. Barrel 120 would significantly slow or terminate reward travel when control rail lug 125 aligns with keyway slot 135, which would allow slide 130 to travel rearward along the longitudinal axis of barrel 120 as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12.

(25) In another embodiment, the cam-and-lug configuration may be reversed. Cam block 140 may comprise cam lug 143 instead of cam slot 141. Barrel 120 may comprise barrel cam slot 128 instead of barrel cam lug 127. Such configuration should be operable to rotate barrel 120 during rearward travel as explained above.

(26) The configuration of the present invention allows for slide 130 to comprise less mass than prior art because control rail lug 125 and barrel cam lug 127 are aligned and not radially displaced around the external surface of barrel 120. The relatively smaller mass of slide 130 allows for barrel 120 to comprise more mass than prior art within the same overall size firearm. As a result, slide-to-barrel mass ratio is more balanced than prior art, which lowers the barrel bore axis, mitigates felt recoil and improves accuracy. Extended lug boss 134 facilitates the novel configuration by providing keyway slot 135, which allows for rearward travel of slide 130 along barrel 120.

(27) Another benefit of the present invention is the barrel tunnel of slide 130 becomes a bearing journal. Current prior art calls for misaligned radial placement of locking lugs. Such misaligned radial placement, in turn, requires the barrel shaft to comprise slots at different radial positions, which eliminates the possibility of a bearing journal-to-shaft configuration. The current invention eliminates radially misaligned placement of the locking lugs, which is a novel design that reduces the mass of slide 130, thereby reducing the slide-to-barrel mass ratio and decreasing felt recoil.

(28) In contrast, alignment of control rail lug 125 and barrel locking lug 126, configured to travel through keyway slot 135, allows for barrel 120 to become a bearing shaft with a smooth external surface. Barrel 120 may be sized, fitted, and mated to the barrel tunnel of slide 130, which then becomes a journal because the need for radially placed slots is eliminated as compared with prior art. In alternate embodiments, the tolerance between the barrel tunnel of slide 130 and external surface 121 of barrel 120 is between 0.0005 inches and 0.005 inches.

(29) An appropriate weight of lubricant coating the exterior surface of barrel 120 will form a film which allows barrel 120 to float and center within the tunnel of slide 130. The seal created by the lubricant film and viscosity loss or shear as slide 130 moves rearward creates a hydraulic dampening effect and, therefore, promotes resistance to rearward travel of slide 130. In one embodiment, the lubricant may comprise an off-the-shelf automotive motor oil or gear oil with a winter weight ranging from 5 W to 75 W. Other lubricants known in the industry may also be used. As a result, felt recoil is reduced and accuracy is improved.

(30) As with typical firearms, propellant gases from a fired cartridge force slide 130 rearward as they continue to expand. Barrel 120 initially slides rearward with slide 130 because they are locked, as extended lug boss rear face 138 exerts a rearward force on the discharge end of control rail lug 125 and barrel locking lug 126 rests within slide locking slot 137. Barrel cam lug 127 slides within cam slot 141 to facilitate rotation of barrel 120. As barrel 120 rotates, control rail lug 125 and barrel locking lug 126 align with keyway slot 135, thereby unlocking barrel 120 from slide 130 so that slide 130 may travel rearward down the longitudinal axis of barrel 120.

(31) The propellant gases from the fired cartridge force the bullet toward discharge end 123 of barrel 120 while barrel 120 rotates. All components of barrel 120 and cam block 140 are configured such that by the time control rail lug 125 and barrel locking lug 126 (in one embodiment) are aligned with keyway slot 135, the bullet has exited barrel 120. Slide 130, being unlocked from barrel 120, freely travels down barrel 120 until the empty cartridge case is ejected. Recoil spring 160 then forces slide 130 forward, and firearm 100 is returned to the full battery position.

(32) In another embodiment, barrel 120 does not comprise a barrel locking lug 126; rather, slide 130 unlocks from barrel 120 when control rail lug 125 aligns with and begins to travel down keyway slot 135.