Accessory Rail Assembly for Firearms

Abstract

An accessory rail assembly includes an accessory rail and mounting members that can be mounted to the accessory rail in a variety of rotational and axial orientations.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field is related to an accessory rail mounting system for mounting accessories to firearms.

BACKGROUND

Accessory mounting systems for firearms are known. Typical accessory mounting systems are supported on a top surface of the firearm, and are adapted to mount devices such as optical sights. Conventional accessory mounting systems do not, however, provide a mounting platform for various type and size firearm accessories to be mounted at the sides of the firearm.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the accessory rail assembly comprises an elongate accessory rail that can be mounted to a firearm. The accessory rail assembly can include one or more mounting features that allow accessories to be mounted at a top surface of the accessory rail. One or more mounting members also can be releasably attached to one or both sides of the accessory rail to provide additional mounting platforms for firearm accessories.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the mounting members can be mounted to the accessory rail in a variety of axial and rotational orientations. The large number of mounting configurations for the mounting members provides additional flexibility in mounting accessories to the firearm.

Examples of accessories that can be mounted on the accessory rail assembly include optical sights and other optical devices, target illuminators, etc.

Other aspects, features, and details of the embodiments of the present invention can be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the drawings figures and from the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an accessory rail assembly having modular mounting members according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mounting member of the accessory rail assembly illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the accessory rail assembly with the mounting members oriented in a first configuration.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the accessory rail assembly with the mounting members oriented in a second configuration.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the accessory rail assembly mounted to a firearm and with an accessory mounted on a rear portion of the accessory rail.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the accessory rail assembly mounted to a firearm with multiple accessories mounted on the accessory rail assembly.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the accessory rail assembly mounted to a firearm and with an accessory mounted on a rear portion of the accessory rail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The accessory rail assembly according to the present embodiments generally relates to a platform for attaching a variety of accessories at upper and side portions of a firearm. The firearm can be, for example, a rifle, a shotgun or other long gun, and can be gas-actuated, inertia-actuated, semiautomatic, pump action, bolt action, etc. The accessory rail assembly allows mounting of a series of different type and configuration accessories such as, for example, stand alone in-line clip-on night vision systems, optical scopes, target pointer/illuminators (TPIAL) such as Mil Spec AN/PEQ-2 or AN/PEQ-4, white light illumination devices, as well AS other devices. The accessory rail assembly may be used, for example, with Remington 700-based firearms such as, for example, the M24 sniper rifle, the M24A2 sniper rifle, the M24A3 long range sniper system, the Urban Sniper Rifle 700P, and the Light Tactical Rifle (LTR).

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the individual components of a first example embodiment of an accessory rail assembly 100 according to the principles of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a modular mounting member 80 of the accessory rail assembly 100. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the accessory rail assembly 100 generally includes an elongate accessory rail 10 and one or more mounting members 80 that are attachable to the sides of the accessory rail 10 in a variety of axial and rotational orientations. Examples of the accessory rail assembly 100 with various accessories mounted thereto are illustrated in FIGS. 5-7.

Referring to FIG. 1, the accessory rail 10 generally is divided into a front portion 12, a medial portion 14, and a rear portion 16. The front portion 12 comprises a front multi-slot mounting portion 20 having a plurality of spaced, transversely or laterally extending rails 22 separated by slots 23 at an upper surface of the rail 10. The alternating rails 22 and slots 23 may have the configuration of a Picatinny rail mounting system (MIL-STD-1913) and provide a platform for firearm accessories to be mounted at a front end of the accessory rail 10. The front portion 12 of the accessory rail 10 further can have a first contoured undersurface 54 that may be designed to generally conform to the exterior contour of an upper surface of a firearm to which the assembly 100 is to be mounted. For example, if the upper surface of the firearm is generally cylindrical, such as at the surface of a firearm barrel, the undersurface 54 can be concave cylindrical in shape.

The medial portion 14 includes modular mounting recesses 30 located on each side of the medial portion 14. The mounting recesses 30 are elongate recesses extending longitudinally or axially through each side of the accessory rail 10. A plurality of axially spaced transverse mounting apertures 32 extend through the accessory rail 10 and terminate at the mounting recesses 30 on either side of the accessory rail 10. Each mounting aperture 32 can be, for example, formed from a single bore extending through the accessory rail 10, or as a blind bore extending from a mounting recess 30 into and partly through the sides of the accessory rail 10. The mounting recesses 30 serve as seats for accommodating the mounting members 80. The side mounting recesses 30 may be, for example, longitudinally extending stepped depressions milled into the sides of the accessory rail 10. The medial portion 14 of the accessory rail 10 may have a generally flat or planar upper surface 15. The first contoured undersurface 54 of the front portion 12 may extend to a second contoured undersurface 56 (shown in FIG. 3) of the medial portion 14.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the mounting members 80 can have mounting projections 88 sized and shaped to be accommodated within and to slide longitudinally or axially within the mounting recesses 30. Each mounting member 80 includes a pair of spaced mounting apertures 82 that are spaced a distance selected to correspond to the spacing between associated pairs of the mounting apertures 32 in the mounting recesses 30. The series of spaced mounting apertures 32 in the accessory rail 10 allow the mounting members 80 to be mounted at several axial positions in the mounting recesses 30 along the length of the rail 10. The mounting members 80 may be secured in the mounting recesses 30 by attachment members 94 threaded through the mounting apertures 82 and into the apertures 32 extending through the accessory rail 10.

Each mounting member 80 includes a multi-slot mounting portion 81 comprising spaced transversely or laterally extending rails 84 separated by slots 85. The alternating rails 84 and slots 85 may have the configuration of a Picatinny rail mounting system (MIL-STD-1913) and provide a platform for firearm accessories to be mounted at the sides of a firearm. Each mounting member 80 includes a base portion 90 and an extension portion 92, with a curved relief surface 86 extending between the base portion 90 and the extension portion 92. As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting members 80 can be rotated so that the extension portions 92 point toward either end of the accessory rail 10.

The rear portion 16 (FIG. 3) of the accessory rail 10 includes a rear multi-slot mounting portion 40 having a plurality of axially spaced, transversely or laterally extending rails 42 separated by slots 43 at an upper surface of the rail 10. The alternating rails 42 and slots 43 may have the configuration of a Picatinny rail mounting system (MIL-STD-1913) and provide a platform for firearm accessories to be mounted at a rear end of the accessory rail 10. Pairs of mounting apertures 44, 46 may extend vertically through the rear portion 16 of the accessory rail 10. Threaded attachment members 50 can be advanced through the mounting apertures 44, 46 and secured to an upper surface of a firearm to secure the accessory rail 10 to the firearm. A recoil pin 58 may be mounted at the underside of the rear portion 16, and may be positioned to bear against the inside of a forward portion of a firearm receiver. The recoil pin 58 minimizes the firing recoil impulse transmitted to accessories mounted on the accessory rail assembly 100.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the mounting members 80 mounted in differing orientations in the side modular mounting recesses 30. According to one aspect of the invention, the mounting members 80 can be rotated such that the extension portions 92 face toward either the front or the rear of the firearm to which the accessory rail 10 is mounted. The plurality of spaced mounting apertures 32 also allow the mounting members 80 to assume differing axial locations along the length of the accessory rail 10. The large number of possible rotational and axial orientations of the mounting members 80 allows accessories to be attached to the firearm via the mounting members 80 in a large number of orientations, which increases the versatility and utility of the firearm to which the accessory rail assembly 100 is attached. If desired, the mounting members 80 may be identical, so that the members 80 can be made interchangeable. The mounting members 80 may also be wholly or partially asymmetric with respect to a bisecting plane extending through a center of the mounting members 80 (e.g., a plane extending through and bisecting both mounting apertures 82). This feature allows the mounting members 80 to assume a larger number of configurations on the accessory rail 10.

As also shown in FIG. 3, a clearance recess 62 can be milled or otherwise formed in the lower surface of the rear portion 16 of the accessory rail 10. The clearance recess 62 may be formed to allow for access to the chamber of a firearm or to other firearm components, to allow for cartridge ejection from the firearm firing chamber, and for other purposes.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the accessory rail assembly 100 mounted to a firearm F and with an accessory A1 mounted on the rear multi-slot mounting portion 40 of the accessory rail 10. Two mounting members 80 are mounted to sides of the accessory rail 10. The exemplary accessory A1 is a rifle scope having a mounting device M1 that mates with or otherwise engages the transverse rails 42 and slots 43 of the rear multi-slot mounting portion 40. The mounting device M1 may be of a known configuration, such as, for example, a mounting device used in a 1913 Picatinny rail mounting system (MIL-STD-1913), and may be designed to mate securely with the rails 42 and slots 43. The axial position of the accessory A1 along the accessory rail 10 may therefore be determined by engagement of the mounting device M1 with selected ones of the axially spaced, transverse rails 42 and slots 43. One or both of the mounting members 80 may be mounted in respective mounting recesses 30 in any desired axial position along the recesses 30, with the extension portions 92 facing either toward the barrel B or the receiver R.

An exemplary method of mounting the accessory rail assembly 100 to a firearm F will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-5. The accessory rail assembly 100 may be mounted to the firearm F by first cleaning upper mounting surfaces on the firearm F. The undersurfaces 56, 60 (FIG. 3) of the accessory rail 10 may also be cleaned. An alcohol or acetone-based solvent, for example, can be used for cleaning the contacting surfaces. An adhesive material, such as LOCTITE®, for example, additionally can be applied to the undersurfaces 56, 60 of the accessory rail 10. The rear portion 16 of the accessory rail 10 is then placed on an upper surface of the firearm F, such as at the upper surface of the firearm receiver R, so that the undersurfaces 56, 60 of the accessory rail 10 are adhered thereto. Attachment members 50 are then threaded downwardly through the mounting apertures 44, 46 in the accessory rail 10 and further advanced into corresponding threaded mounting apertures (not shown) in the firearm F. The recoil pin 58 may be mounted to bear against the inside of the forward portion of the firearm receiver R. When the accessory rail assembly 100 is mounted as shown in FIG. 5, the clearance recess 62 is located above an ejection port P in the receiver R to provide clearance for ejected shell casings during firing.

After securing the accessory rail 10 to the firearm F, the mounting members 80 may be secured to the accessory rail 10 by threading the attachment members 94 (FIG. 1) through the mounting apertures 82 in the members 80 and into the mounting apertures 32 in the accessory rail 10. The mounting members 80 can be mounted to the accessory rail 10 in a large number of axial and rotational orientations and therefore provide versatile mounting platforms by which accessories can be mounted at the sides of the firearm F. Aiming light accessories such as, for example, AN-PEQ-2A, white light illuminators such as weapons flashlights, and visible laser systems can be mounted to the mounting members 80 before or after the mounting members are attached to the accessory rail 10.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the accessory rail assembly 100 mounted to a firearm F, with the rifle scope A1 mounted in the rear multi-slot mounting portion 40, and a second accessory A2 mounted at the front of the accessory rail assembly 100. The exemplary second accessory A2 includes a mounting device M2 that engages the rails 22 and slots 23 of the front multi-slot mounting portion 20. The mounting device M2 may be of a known configuration, such as a mounting device used in a 1913 Picatinny rail mounting system (MIL-STD-1913). One exemplary accessory A2, as shown in FIG. 6, is a Universal Night Sight® (UNS®) (Mil Spec AN/PVS-22, available from Optical Systems Technology) mounted for use in conjunction with the scope A1.

FIG. 7 illustrates the accessory rail assembly 100 mounted to a firearm F and with an exemplary third accessory A3 mounted in the rear multi-slot mounting portion 40 of the accessory rail assembly 100. The exemplary accessory A3, shown in FIG. 7, is a Leupold and Stevens Mark 4 M3 LR/T 3.5-10X variable power day optic, although other accessories also can be used.

According to the above-described embodiments, accessories can be mounted to firearms in a large number of configurations. For example, the accessory rail assembly 100 allows accessories to be mounted at an upper surface and along the sides of a firearm. The mounting members 80 can be mounted to the accessory rail 10 in a variety of rotational and axial orientations, allowing for a variety of custom accessory arrangements. Examples of firearm accessories that may be attached to the mounting members 80 include laser illuminators, white light illuminators, sling mounts, and other items.

The attachment members 50, 94 used for assembling and mounting the accessory rail assembly 100 can be of any type or form suitable for attaching individual members together. For example, the attachment members 50, 94 can be threaded screws. The screws can be, for example, hex head screws or other types of screws. A threaded insert may be included in any of the mounting apertures disclosed in this specification.

The exemplary multi-slot mounting portions 20, 40, 81 illustrated in the specification may correspond to the 1913 Picatinny rail mounting system. Other rail/slot mounting arrangements may also be incorporated in the mounting portions 20, 40, 81.

The firearm F may be, for example, a gas actuated or semiautomatic long gun, a pump action shotgun, a gas actuated rifle, an inertia action firearm, a bolt action firearm, or other type of firearm. The accessory rail assembly 100 can be configured to work with either long and short action models and may be adapted as degreed models for long range systems.

The components of the accessory rail assembly 100 can be made from, for example, conventional durable, high strength materials including metals, such as aluminum, hardened steel, composites, and other materials.

The foregoing description of the invention illustrates and describes the present invention. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only selected embodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings, and/or within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art.

Claims

1. An accessory rail assembly, comprising:

an elongated accessory rail having at least one side mounting feature and at least one multi-slot mounting portion on a top surface of the accessory rail, the at least one multi-slot mounting portion being adapted to mount a firearm accessory; and

at least one mounting member, the at least one mounting member being adapted for removable attachment to the at least one side mounting feature and having a multi-slot mounting portion, the multi-slot mounting portion being adapted to mount a firearm accessory along a side of the accessory rail when the at least one mounting member is mounted in the at least one side mounting feature.

2. The accessory rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one side mounting feature comprises at least one mounting aperture formed in a side surface of the accessory rail.

3. The accessory rail assembly of claim 2, wherein each mounting member comprises at least one mounting aperture.

4. The accessory rail assembly of claim 3, further comprising at least one attachment member sized to be received in the at least one mounting aperture in the accessory rail and the at least one mounting aperture in the at least one mounting member.

5. The accessory rail assembly of claim 3, wherein each mounting aperture in the at least one mounting member extends substantially through the mounting member in which it is formed.

6. The accessory rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one mounting member comprises a plurality of mounting members.

7. The accessory rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one side mounting feature comprises a first side mounting feature formed in a first side of the accessory rail and a second side mounting feature formed in a second side of the accessory rail.

8. The accessory rail assembly of claim 7, wherein the at least one multi-slot mounting portion on a top surface of the accessory rail comprises a front multi-slot mounting portion at a front of the accessory rail and a rear multi-slot mounting portion at a rear of the accessory rail.

9. The accessory rail assembly of claim 7, wherein the at least one mounting member comprises a plurality of mounting members each comprising a base portion and an extension portion extending away from the base portion.

10. An accessory rail assembly, comprising:

an elongated accessory rail, comprising: a first side mounting feature on a first side of the accessory rail; a second side mounting feature on a second side of the accessory rail; and at least one multi-slot mounting portion on a top surface of the accessory rail, the multi-slot mounting portion being adapted to mount a firearm accessory; and

a first mounting member adapted for removable attachment to the side mounting features and having a first multi-slot mounting portion, the first multi-slot mounting portion being adapted to mount a firearm accessory at either side of the accessory rail when the first mounting member is mounted in one of the side mounting features.

11. The accessory rail assembly of claim 10, wherein the first mounting feature comprises a plurality of first side mounting apertures in the first side of the accessory rail.

12. The accessory rail assembly of claim 11, wherein the second mounting feature comprises a plurality of second side mounting apertures in the second side of the accessory rail.

13. The accessory rail assembly of claim 10, wherein the at least one multi-slot mounting portion on a top surface of the accessory rail comprises a front multi-slot mounting portion at a front of the accessory rail and a rear multi-slot mounting portion at a rear of the accessory rail.

14. The accessory rail assembly of claim 10, wherein each mounting member includes at least one mounting aperture.

15. The accessory rail assembly of claim 14, wherein each mounting member comprises a base portion and an extension portion extending away from the base portion.

16. A method of mounting accessories to a firearm, comprising:

providing a firearm comprising a receiver and a barrel;

mounting an accessory rail to an upper surface of the firearm, the accessory rail comprising: a first side mounting feature along a first side of the accessory rail; a second side mounting feature at a second side of the accessory rail; and at least one multi-slot mounting portion at a top surface of the accessory rail, the multi-slot mounting portion being adapted to mount a firearm accessory;

providing a plurality of mounting members;

mounting one of the mounting members at the first side mounting feature;

mounting one of the mounting members at the second side mounting feature; and

mounting a firearm accessory to each mounting member.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising mounting an optical device to the at least one multi-slot mounting portion on a top surface of the accessory rail.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one multi-slot mounting portion on a top surface of the accessory rail comprises a front multi-slot mounting portion at a front of the accessory rail and a rear multi-slot mounting portion at a rear of the accessory rail.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising mounting an optical device to the at least one multi-slot mounting portion on a top surface of the accessory rail.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein each mounting member comprises a side multi-slot mounting portion.

21. A method of mounting accessories to a firearm, comprising:

providing a firearm comprising a receiver and a barrel;

mounting an accessory rail to an upper surface of the firearm, the accessory rail comprising: a first side mounting feature at a first side of the accessory rail; and at least one mounting portion at a top surface of the accessory rail, the mounting portion being adapted to mount a firearm accessory;

providing at least one mounting member;

mounting the at least one mounting member at the first side mounting feature of the accessory rail; and

mounting a firearm accessory to the at least one mounting member.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one mounting portion at the top surface of the accessory rail comprises a front multi-slot mounting portion at a front of the accessory rail and a rear multi-slot mounting portion at a rear of the accessory rail.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising mounting a first optical device to the front multi-slot mounting portion.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising mounting a second optical device to the rear multi-slot mounting portion.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein mounting the at least one mounting member at the first side mounting feature comprises securing the at least one mounting member to the accessory rail using at least one threaded attachment device.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one mounting member comprises a multi-slot mounting portion.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one mounting member occupies a first axial position at the first side mounting feature of the accessory rail.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

removing the at least one mounting member from the first side mounting feature of the accessory rail; and

mounting the at least one mounting member at the first side mounting feature of the accessory rail in a second axial position.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one mounting member occupies a first rotational orientation with respect to the accessory rail.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

removing the at least one mounting member from the first side mounting feature of the accessory rail; and

mounting the at least one mounting member at the first side mounting feature of the accessory rail in a second rotational orientation with respect to the accessory rail.