Accessory mount for firearms
A mount is provided for removably rigidly mounting accessories to a firearm, such as a C9 machine gun, without having to modify the basic components of the firearm. The mount comprises first and second complementary parts adapted to be drawn one towards the other against the opposite sides of the firearm. The first and second complementary parts are provided with localization aids adapted to engage corresponding reference points on the firearms, thereby ensuring proper positioning of the mount on the body of the firearm.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to firearms and, more particularly, to systems for mounting various accessories to firearms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known to mount various accessories, such as infrared and night vision scopes, laser spotters and the like, to firearms. Such accessories are typically mounted to an accessory mount securable to the firearms.
It is highly desirable that the accessory mount be rigidly mounted to the firearm so as to withstand vibrations and repeated firing shock during use. It is further desirable that the accessory mount be easily and quickly securable to and removable from the firearm without requiring any modification of the firearm, i.e. without need for providing extra attachment points, such as holes or grooves in the body of the firearms.
It has also been found that there is a need for a new accessory mount, which is specifically designed to releasably secure various accessories to a C9 machine gun.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a new firearm accessory mount which fits existing firearm configurations.
It is also an aim of the present invention to provide an accessory mount which is sturdy and reliable.
It is still further aim of the present invention to provide an accessory mount for removably mounting accessories to a C9 type machine gun.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an accessory mount for releasbly securing at least one accessory to a firearm, the mount comprising first and second opposed facing pieces adapted to be mounted on opposed sides of the firearm, said first and second opposed facing pieces being provided with localization aids adapted to engage existing reference points on the firearm for appropriately positioning the first and second opposed facing pieces on the firearm, a fastener for drawing said first and second opposed pieces towards one another against the opposed sides of the firearm once said first and second arms have been appropriately positioned thereon, and at least one rail mounted to one of said first and second opposed facing pieces for receiving an accessory to be mounted to the firearm.
In accordance with a further general aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accessory mount for mounting at least one accessory to a firearm of the type having a body defining a hole extending in a direction transversal to a longitudinal axis of the firearm, and a firearm attachment point by which the firearm can be removably mounted to a firearm mount; the accessory mount comprising first and second opposed facing pieces adapted to be positioned on opposed sides of the firearm, each of said first and second opposed facing pieces being provided with first and second positioning members adapted to be respectively engaged with the hole and the firearm attachment point from opposite sides of the body of the firearm, a fastener for securing the first and second opposed facing pieces together about the body of the firearm, and at least one rail mounted to one of said first and second opposed facing pieces for removable engagement with an accessory to be mounted to the firearm.
In accordance with a still further general aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accessory mount for mounting at least one accessory to a C9 machine gun, comprising a body having localization aids adapted to be engaged with corresponding existing reference points at the front end portion of the C9 machine gun, a securing member for releasably mounting said body to the C9 machine gun, and a rail provided on said body for receiving an accessory to be mounted to the C9 machine gun.
In accordance with a still further general aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accessory for mounting at least one accessory to a firearm having a barrel, the accessory mount comprising a body having localization aids adapted to be engaged with corresponding existing reference points on the firearm, a rail mounted to said body for carrying the at least one accessory, said rail being substantially aligned in parallel with said barrel and at a same elevation with respect thereto when said localization aids are engaged with the existing reference points on the firearm.
Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSHaving thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:
As shown in
The housing 12 is further provided with a point of attachment 20 at a relatively short distance rearwardly of the lugs 16 for allowing the C9 machine gun to be removably mounted to a firearm support of the type installed on motor vehicles for supporting rifles and the like in a shooting position while the vehicle is moving. The attachment point 20 comprises a pair of cylindrical projections 22 extending laterally outwardly from opposed sides of the housing 12. The cylindrical projections 22 define a pair of transversally aligned bores 24 adapted to receive a transversally extending pivot pin (not shown) forming part of the vehicle mounted firearm support.
The preferred embodiment of the accessory mount 10 comprises left and right side pieces 26a and 26b adapted to be positioned on opposed sides of the housing 12. The left side piece 26a is a mirror image of the right side piece 26b. Each side piece 26a and 26b is provided with a base portion 27 having first and second localization aids 28 and 30 adapted to be respectively engaged with the cylindrical projection 22 and the transversal bore 18. The first localization aid 28 is provided in the form of a circular hole 32 sized to tightly receive the cylindrical projection 22 extending from the side of the housing 12 on which the piece 26a, 26b is to be installed. The second localization aid 30 is provided in the form of a cylindrical peg 34 extending integrally at right angles from the inner side of the piece 26a, 26b. The peg 34 is sized and configured to tightly fit into the transversal bore 18. Accordingly, the left and right side pieces 26a and 26b can be readily and precisely positioned in a single predetermined position on the housing 12 by engaging the first and second localization aids 28 and 30 of the left and right side pieces 26a and 26b with the corresponding existing reference points, namely the cylindrical projections 22 and the transversal bore 18, from opposed sides of the housing 12.
After the left and right side pieces 26a and 26b have been positioned on the opposed sides of the housing 12, the left and right side pieces 26a and 26b are drawn towards one another against the housing 12 by tightening a pair of transversal screws 36 in two pairs of transversally aligned holes 38 defined in the rectangular bridging portions 40 extending integrally from the inner side of the left and right pieces 26a, 26b between the first and second localization aids 28 and 30 thereof. This permits to securely mount the left and right pieces 26a and 26b on the housing 12 without any possibility for the first and second localization aids 28 and 30 from sliding off the corresponding mounting structures on the housing 12. The bridging portions 40 are configured to extend underneath the housing 12 between the transversal bore 18 and the cylindrical projections 22.
As shown in
The rails for firearms accessories are well known in the firearms art. The rails 50 used in connection with the present invention are known as Picatinny rails and each comprises a series of longitudinally spaced-apart ribs 54, such as specified in MIL-STD-1913. Such rails 50 are generally used for securing various Weaver style accessories.
When only one accessory has to be side-mounted to the C9 machine gun, one of the side pieces 26a and 26b can take the form of a cap member 56, as shown in
The accessory mount can be sold has a kit comprising left and right side pieces 26a and 26b and a pair of mirror image left and right cap members 56. In this way, the end user can installed a pair of side rails on the right and left sides of his/her firearm by using both side pieces 26a and 26b or, alternatively, he/she can use one of the side pieces 26a and 26b in combination with the corresponding opposed cap member 56 in order to install a single rail on a desired side on the firearm.
The side pieces 26a and 26b and the cap members 56 are preferably machined in a block of aluminum or magnesium. Alternatively, they could be molded by injection.
According to the second embodiment of the present invention, it is the air circulation holes 14 defined in the housing 12 which are used to precisely localize the accessory mount 10′ on the C9 machine gun. Like the accessory mount 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the accessory mount 10′ comprises a pair of left and right side pieces 26a′ and 26b′ adapted to be locked together against opposed sides of the front end portion of the machine gun. A set of three screws 36′ (
As shown in
The left and right side pieces 26a′ and 26b′ each carry along an upper end portion thereof a side rail 50′ for mounting accessories along the sides of the machine gun. The side rails 50′ are preferably removably mounted to the side pieces 26a′ and 26b′ by means of screws 52′. Each side rail 50′ defines a channel 48′ for receiving a corresponding longitudinally extending rail guide 46′ provided on the outer side of the left and right side pieces 26a′ and 26b′.
Air circulation holes 70′ are defined in the side pieces 26a′ and 26b′. Finger indentations 72′ are also provided on the handguard 60′ and the side pieces 26a′ and 26b′ to provide a better grip of the firearm when the accessory mount 10′ is installed thereon.
The above-described accessory mounts are thus advantageous in that they provide accurate and stable positioning of the accessories on the firearm. Also the accessory mounts of the present invention can be quickly firmly secured to the firearms without modification to the basic parts thereof. A further advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that the longitudinal central axes of the rails 50 and 50′ of the accessory mounts 10 and 10′ are substantially aligned (i.e., at the same elevation) with the central axis of the band of the machine gun once the mounts are mounted thereto. Other embodiments of the present invention, and variations of the embodiment described herein, may be developed without departing from the essential characteristics thereof.
Claims
1. An accessory mount for releasably securing at least one accessory to a firearm, the mount comprising first and second opposed facing pieces adapted to be mounted on opposed sides of the firearm, said first and second opposed facing pieces being provided with localization aids adapted to engage existing reference points on the firearm for appropriately positioning the first and second opposed facing pieces on the firearm, a fastener for drawing said first and second opposed pieces towards one another against the opposed sides of the firearm once said first and second arms have been appropriately positioned thereon, and at least one rail mounted to one of said first and second opposed facing pieces for receiving an accessory to be mounted to the firearm.
2. An accessory mount as defined in claim 1, wherein said localization aids comprise first and second spaced-apart localization aids on each of said first and second opposed facing pieces.
3. An accessory mount as defined in claim 1, wherein said localization aids comprise at least one localization peg on each of said first and second opposed facing pieces.
4. An accessory mount as defined in claim 3, wherein said localization aids further comprise at least one female portion adapted to receive a corresponding male portion on the firearm.
5. An accessory mount as defined in claim 1, wherein said fastener comprises at least one screw extending through first and second transversally aligned holes respectively defined in said first and second opposed facing pieces.
6. An accessory mount as defined in claim 1, wherein said first facing piece has a firearm engaging portion on which said localization aids thereof are provided and an upstanding rail support projecting from said firearm engaging portion, said at least one rail being provided at a distal end portion of said upstanding rail support.
7. An accessory mount as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second opposed facing pieces are selected from a group consisting of: left and right side carrying rail members and left and right side cap members.
8. An accessory mount as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one rail is removably mounted to said first piece.
9. An accessory mount as defined in claim 8, wherein said at least one rail and said first piece are provided with complementary male and female mounting portions for ensuring proper positioning of the rail on said first piece.
10. An accessory mount as defined in claim 1, wherein one of said first and second opposed facing pieces has a side portion and a bottom portion which are respectively adapted to extend along a side of the firearm and underneath thereto, wherein said at least one rail includes a bottom rail extending longitudinally along said bottom portion, and wherein said accessory mount further includes a handguard adapted to be removably mounted to said bottom rail.
11. An accessory mount as defined in claim 10, wherein said first and second opposed facing pieces are provided with pegs adapted to be engaged in existing holes defined in the firearm.
12. An accessory mount for mounting at least one accessory to a firearm of the type having a body defining a hole extending in a direction transversal to a longitudinal axis of the firearm, and a firearm attachment point by which the firearm can be removably mounted to a firearm mount; the accessory mount comprising first and second opposed facing pieces adapted to be positioned on opposed sides of the firearm, each of said first and second opposed facing pieces being provided with first and second positioning members adapted to be respectively engaged with the hole and the firearm attachment point from opposite sides of the body of the firearm, a fastener for securing the first and second opposed facing pieces together about the body of the firearm, and at least one rail mounted to one of said first and second opposed facing pieces for removable engagement with an accessory to be mounted to the firearm.
13. An accessory mount as defined in claim 12, wherein said first and second positioning members respectively include a male member and a female member.
14. An accessory mount as defined in claim 13, wherein said male member is provided in the form of a peg, and wherein said female member is provided in the form of a circular receiving hole.
15. An accessory mount as defined in claim 12, wherein said fastener includes a screw engaged in a pair of transversally aligned holes defined in said first and second opposed facing pieces.
16. An accessory mount for mounting at least one accessory to a C9 machine gun, comprising a body having localization aids adapted to be engaged with corresponding existing reference points at the front end portion of the C9 machine gun, a securing member for releasably mounting said body to the C9 machine gun, and a rail provided on said body for receiving an accessory to be mounted to the C9 machine gun.
17. An accessory mount as defined in claim 16, wherein said body includes first and second separate side pieces adapted to be drawn towards each other against opposite sides of the C9 machine gun by means of said securing member.
18. An accessory mount as defined in claim 16, wherein said localization aids include at least first and second longitudinally spaced-apart positioning members, and wherein at least one of said first and second longitudinally spaced-apart positioning members includes a male member adapted to be fitted in an existing hole defined in the C9 machine gun.
19. An accessory mount as defined in claim 17, wherein said localization aids include longitudinally spaced-apart pegs extending laterally inwardly from each of said first and second separate side pieces, said pegs being adapted to be engaged in existing air cooling holes defined in the sides of the C9 machine gun.
20. An accessory mount as defined in claim 19, wherein one of said side pieces has a bottom portion carrying a bottom rail for allowing an accessory to be mounted to an under surface of the C9 machine gun, and wherein a handguard is adapted to be removably mounted to said bottom rail when no article are to be mounted thereto.
21. An accessory for mounting at least one accessory to a firearm having a barrel, the accessory mount comprising a body having localization aids adapted to be engaged with corresponding existing reference points on the firearm, a rail mounted to said body for carrying the at least one accessory, said rail being substantially aligned in parallel with said barrel and at a same elevation with respect thereto when said localization aids are engaged with the existing reference points on the firearm.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 16, 2004
Publication Date: Oct 20, 2005
Inventor: Serge Dextraze (St-Jean-sur Richelieu)
Application Number: 10/825,140