Detachable Carrying Handle For Firearm WIth Increased Range

Abstract

A detachable carrying handle for a firearm, such as a semi-automatic or automatic firearm, having increased range. The detachable carrying handle includes a carrying handle body that defines a window to receive a rear sight base of a rear sight. The carrying handle body further includes a pin opening positioned below the window that is configured to secure the rear sight base of the rear sight to the carrying handle body through the use of a pin. The rear sight base further defines a sight opening and a threaded end that is configured to mate with a threaded opening of an elevation knob positioned in the window. The elevation knob may be used, in operation, to adjust the height of the rear sight. The threaded end of the rear sight base further includes at least one elongated slot that are configured to receive the pin that is used to secure the rear sight base to the carrying handle body. The detachable carrying handle of the present invention provides a solution to the problems of limited range of known firearms using a rear sight mounted to the carrying handle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional Application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/703,949 filed Jul. 29, 2005, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to firearms and more specifically to a detachable carrying handle for use with firearms, including without limitation for use with semi-automatic and automatic firearms.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Semi-automatic and automatic firearms are known, having been used extensively for recreational and military purposes. While such firearms have numerous objectives, several important objectives include reliability, range and accuracy.

To provide increased accuracy, firearms can be equipped with a front sight system 10 and a rear sight system 50, as illustrated by the partial depiction of a firearm 5 in FIG. 1. By aligning front and rear sights, the direction of a fired bullet can be more accurately predicted. As is known, however, a particular setting of the sighting system is only accurate for a particular range of distances because a bullet drops as it travels forward due to the effects of gravity. Therefore, mechanical sighting systems are basically a prediction of the expected bullet trajectory and match the actual bullet trajectory for a certain range of distances. When the sights are non-adjustable, they must be aimed further and further above the intended target as the distance to the target increases, making the firearm more difficult to accurately aim. This is especially problematic when attempt to aim at distant targets if the sights accurately predict the bullets trajectory at shorter distances, for a user may have to aim far enough above the target so as to make it difficult to determine if the sights are actually aligned with the target. To compensate for this, certain designs have allowed for a limited amount of adjustment in the position of the sights. For example, by raising or lowering the rear sight, the distance at which the predicted bullet trajectory matches the actual bullet trajectory increases or decreases, respectfully. Conversely, by raising or lowering the front sight, the distance that the predicted trajectory will match the actual bullet trajectory decreases or increases, respectfully.

While sights can be mounted as stand alone units, conventional automatic or semiautomatic firearms can be configured to include a carrying handle that includes a rear sight. The carrying handle allows the firearm to be readily carried with one hand while the rear sight may be used, along with the front sight, to align the firearm's barrel with the target, as discussed above. In certain configurations, the rear sight that was mounted to the carrying handle could provide a limited amount of adjustment. Therefore, a user may adjust the position of the rear sight (i.e., “sight in” the firearm) so that a bullet fired from the firearm hits the target at the desired location (i.e., the sight's predicted trajectory matches the bullet's actual trajectory). For example, it is known that a rear sight mounted to a carrying handle could be adjusted, in combination with a front sight adjustment, to allow the firearm to hit a target accurately from 50 yards (or less) up to 600 yards. However, current combination handle and sight systems do not allow, for example, a user to accurately aim at a target that is 200 yards away and, with only adjustments to the rear sight, still be able to accurately aim the firearm at a target that is a distance of 600 yards away. This is because the range of vertical travel that is allowed for the rear sight is insufficient to predict a bullet trajectory at shorter as well as longer distances. Therefore, the theoretical effective range of the firearm can exceed the sighting system's ability to predict the bullet's trajectory for a given setting of the front sight.

Consequently, there exists a need in the art for a carrying handle for a firearm that includes a rear sight that allows the predicted trajectory of a fired bullet to match the actual trajectory of a fired bullet over a greater range. The present invention addresses these and other known drawbacks with existing firearms and the limited range provided when using a rear sight mounted to the carrying handle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore can provide a solution to the problems of limited range of known carrying handle/rear sight combinations. An embodiment of the invention includes a detachable carrying handle for a firearm, such as a semi-automatic and automatic firearm, having an attached rear sight that allows the predicted trajectory to match the actual trajectory over an increased range of distances.

More specifically, in an exemplary embodiment a firearm that includes a detachable carrying handle that further comprises a carrying handle body that defines a window to receive a rear sight base of a rear sight. The carrying handle body further includes a pin opening positioned below the window that is configured to mount the rear sight base of the rear sight to the carrying handle body through the use of a pin. The rear sight base further defines a sight opening and a threaded end that is configured to mate with a threaded opening of an elevation knob positioned in the window. The elevation knob may be used to adjust the height of the rear sight. The threaded end of the rear sight base further includes at least one elongated slot that is configured to receive the pin that is used to secure the rear sight base to the carrying handle body.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings in which like numerals are used to designate like features.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial isometric view of an upper half of a firearm.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a handle carrying assembly.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a rear sighting system.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of a rear sighting system.

FIG. 5a is a front view of an embodiment of a carrying handle body

FIG. 5b is a top view of an embodiment of a carrying handle body

FIG. 5c is an isometric view of an embodiment of a carrying handle body.

FIGS. 6a-6b are front and side views, respectively, of an embodiment of a rear sight base.

FIGS. 7a-7d are various views of an embodiment of an elevation knob.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention may be embodied in many forms as illustrated by the Figures. As can be appreciated, the depicted embodiments allow for a greater range of adjustment if just a position of the rear sight is modified. For example, if a firearm is sighted in at 200 yards with a rear sight in the full down position, by rotating the elevation knob alone a user can adjust the aim of the firearm so that the predicted trajectory of the sight system matches the actual trajectory of a bullet fired at a target that is 600 yards away.

As can be appreciated, an embodiment having this range of adjustment has certain benefits. For example, having to adjust the front sight in order to obtain the desired range of accuracy forces the user to cease to hold the firearm in a ready position, possibly causing the user to become ineffective for a period of time while the adjustments is made. Furthermore, the front sight typically requires a special tool to adjust and the need to carry an additional tool makes it less likely that a user will have the desired tool when the adjustment is needed, not to mention the undesirable nature of doing such an adjustment during a pressure situation. Therefore, the ability to adjust the predicted trajectory so that it matches the actual trajectory of the bullet over a range of 400 or more yards by only adjusting the position of the rear sight can be helpful.

To provide this desirable adjustability in predictive range of the sighting system, locating the front and rear sight closer to the centerline of barrel has the effect of making the same adjustment in the vertical position of the rear site provide more of an effect on the orientation of the firearm for a given range of motion. Thus, all other things being equal, a first configuration of a rear sight and a front sight that are both positioned farther away for the centerline of the firearm barrel will be able to provide less of a range of a predictive bullet trajectory matching the actual bullet trajectory when compared to a second rear sight and front sight that are positioned closer to a centerline of the firearm barrel.

It should be noted that firearms have an inherent accuracy and, therefore, when discussing accuracy it is assumed that the firearm will only be as accurate as the components and tolerances allow. For example, depending on the configuration of the firearm and a cartridge, the normal tolerance may be plus or minus about one inch at 100 yards. It is further noted that the tolerance will increase as the distances to the target increases.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of an assembled carrying handle system 200 that may be mounted to a known firearm. The carrying handle system 200 includes, among other features, a carrying handle body 210 that includes a handle portion 212 and a sight portion 215 that support a rear sight system 250. The handle portion 212 may include two fasteners 220 that are mounted in two handle body apertures 221 and are configured to secure the carrying handle system 200 to a firearm. The sight portion 215 includes an upper member 216 and a lower member 217 that define a window 265 that is sized and shaped to receive an elevation knob 270 that, in operation, adjusts the position of the rear sight with respect to a sight portion 215. Positioned below the window 265 is a pin opening 280 for receiving a pin 281 used to secure the rear sight system 250 to the sight portion 215 of the carrying handle body 210.

Looking at FIGS. 3 and 4, a rear aiming point 290 is supported by a sight base 251. The position of the rear aiming feature 290 is supported by a member 276 and the rear aiming feature 290 can be adjusted left and right by rotating wind adjustment knob 275 (to compensate for the wind) and up or down by the elevation knob 270 (to compensate for the distance to the target). Member 276 may be mounted, in turn, to a pair of sight base windage screw holes 253. Looking at FIGS. 7a-7d, the elevation knob 270 includes a threaded opening 272 that is configured to engage a threaded end 255 of the rear sight system 250 (FIGS. 6a-6b). Therefore, by rotating the elevation knob 270, the height of the rear aiming point 290 can be adjusted and the firearm can be sighted in for the desired range because the adjustment of the rear sight affects the orientation of the firearm with respect to the target, and therefore modifies the trajectory of the bullet relative to the sighting system. In an embodiment, holes 273 and 274 may be configured to engage a detent, not shown, that holds the elevation knob in the desired location until the user rotates it. In an embodiment, the holes 273 can be about 30 degrees apart and the holes 274 can be about 15 degrees apart, although other ranges can also be used, depending on the configuration of the handle and rear sight.

The dimensions of the sight portion 215, which includes the upper member 216 and the lower member 217, as well as the size and location of the window 265, is limited by the size of the carrying handle body 210. Applicants have found, however, that a pin opening 280 in the lower member 217 with a diameter of about 0.079 inches allows the use of an smaller sized pin so that elevation in the full up position can be increased by 0.029 inches. In an embodiment, the pin opening 280 may be positioned approximately 0.029 inches from a bottom surface 265a of the window 265 (e.g. the center of the pin opening 280 may be located approximately 0.0685 inches from the bottom surface 265a).

The rear sight base 251 defines a sight opening 252 and the threaded end 255 is sized to mate with a threaded opening 272 of an elevation knob 270 that will be positioned in the window 265 and used to adjust the height of the rear sight. To install the threaded end 255, the elevation knob 270 is placed in the window 265 (which may be 0.385 inches tall) and the threaded end 255 is inserted into the sight portion aperture 218. Once the threaded end 255 engages the threaded opening 272 of the elevation knob 270, the elevation knob 270 may be rotated so as to allow the threaded end 255 to be installed. To provide a desired degree of adjustability per 15 degree rotation of the elevation knob 270, the threads of the threaded end 255 and the threaded opening 272 can be configured as 1/2-28 UNEF-2A MOD and 1/2-28 UNEF-2B MOD. Such a thread configuration allows for a fifteen degree turn to provide the desired change in angle of the sights. The threaded end 255 includes an elongated slot 256 (which may be a pair of elongated slots 256) that is sized and shaped to receive a pin 281 (FIG. 4) that is inserted in the pin opening 280 and is used to secure the rear sight base 251 to the sight portion 215 of the carrying handle body 210. The elongated slot 265, which includes a top 265a and a bottom 265b, defines a slot length of approximately 0.260 inches where the top 265a of the slot 260 may be approximately 0.749 inches from centers 253a of sight base windage screw holes 253. The length of the slots 256 combined with the location and size of the pin opening 280 (and the pin 281) as well as the distance between the center 253a of the sight base windage screw holes 253 and a center 221a of the two handle body apertures 221 has shown to result in an improved firearm. In particular, the combination allows the handle/rear sight system to accurately predict the trajectory of a fired bullet at a greater range of distances than was previously possible when only the rear sight was adjusted.

For example, in an embodiment the distance between a center 253a of the sight base windage screw holes 253 and a line defined by centers 221a of the two handle body apertures 221 is about 0.959 inches when then rear sight in the full down position. The firearm can then be sighted in for 200 yards by adjusting the front sight while the rear sight is in the full down position. If the rear sight can translate a total of about 0.260 inches, then the predicted trajectory of a fired bullet can be set to accurately match the actual trajectory of a bullet fired from the firearm over distances ranging from about 200 to about 600 yards by translating only the rear sight through the range of 0.260 inches.

Consequently, with the principles and teachings of the present invention, as described, the known problems of limited range of existing firearms using a rear sight mounted to the carrying handle are overcome.

Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention. The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A detachable carrying handle for a firearm comprising:

a detachable carrying handle body including a handle portion and a sight portion, the handle portion defining an aperture configured to receive a hand, the sight portion defining a window, and the sight portion further including a pin opening;

a rear sight base mounted on the sight portion, the rear sight portion including a sight opening and a sight base windage screw hole for supporting a sight, the rear sight base further including a threaded end that includes an elongated slot;

a pin mounted in the pin opening and extending through the elongated slot; and

an elevation knob with a threaded opening mounted in the window, the threaded opening of an elevation knob engaging the threaded end, wherein the elevation knob is configured to translate the rear sight based from a down position to an up position, wherein the range of adjustment provided by translating the rear sight only between the down and up position allows for accurate prediction of a bullet's trajectory at a range of between 200 and 600 yards.

2. The detachable carrying handle of claim 1, wherein the pin opening defines a diameter of approximately 0.079 inches.

3. The detachable carrying handle of claim 2, wherein the pin opening is positioned approximately 0.029 inches from a bottom surface of the window.

4. The detachable carrying handle of claim 1, wherein the sight portion includes an upper member and a lower member and the distance from the top of the upper member to the bottom of the lower member is approximately 0.813 inches.

5. The detachable carrying handle of claim 4, wherein the elongated slot defines a slot length of approximately 0.260 inches.

6. The detachable carrying handle of claim 1, wherein the carrying handle body further includes two handle body mounting apertures that define a line extending through their respective centers, wherein a center of the sight base windage screw hole is less than 1.0 inches from the line.

7. The detachable carrying handle of claim 6, wherein the center of the sight base windage screw hole is approximately 0.959 inches from the line.

8. A firearm including a detachable carrying handle comprising:

a front sight;

a rear sight including a rear sight base, the rear sight base defining a sight opening and a threaded end, the threaded end including an elongated slot;

a detachable carrying handle body that supports the rear sight base and includes a handle portion and a window, the handle portion defining an aperture configured to receive a hand, and the detachable carrying handle body further including a pin opening positioned below the window;

a pin positioned in the pin opening and extending through the slot in the threaded end; and

an elevation knob positioned in the window, the elevation knob including a threaded opening mated with the threaded end of the rear sight base, wherein the elevation knob is configured to translate the rear sight based from a down position to an up position, wherein the range of adjustment provided by translating the rear sight only between the down and up position allows for accurate prediction of a bullet's trajectory at a range between 200 and 600 yards.

9. The firearm of claim 8, wherein the pin opening defines a diameter of approximately 0.079 inches.

10. The firearm of claim 9, wherein the carrying handle body includes two handle body mounting apertures that define a line passing through the center of the two handle body mounting apertures and a center of the pin opening is positioned approximately 0.017 inches from the line.

11. The firearm of claim 10, wherein the elevation knob is used to adjust the height of the rear sight base over a range of 0.260 inches.

12. The firearm of claim 8, wherein the sight portion includes an upper member and a lower member and the distance from the top of the upper member to the bottom of the lower member is approximately 0.813 inches.

13. A system for detachably supporting and aiming a firearm, comprising:

a detachable carrying handle body configured to mount to a firearm, the detachable carrying handle body comprising a handle portion, the handle portion defining an aperture configured to receive a hand, a sight portion that includes a sight portion aperture, and a lower member that includes a pin opening and a window with a bottom surface;

an elevation knob with a threaded opening positioned in the window;

a rear sight including a rear sight base with two sight base windage screw holes and a member extending between the two sight base windage screw holes, the member supporting a rear aiming point, the rear sight further including a threaded end with an elongated slot, the threaded end positioned in the sight portion aperture and engaging the threaded opening of the elevation knob; and

a pin extending through the pin opening and through the slot so as to secure the rear sight to the sight portion, wherein the system, when in operation, allows for accurate prediction of a bullet's trajectory at a range of between 200 and 600 yards by adjustment of only the rear sight.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the pin opening is about 0.079 inches in diameter and wherein a top of the elongated slot is positioned approximately 0.749 inches from a center of the two sight based apertures.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the threaded end and the threaded opening have 1/2-28 threads.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the two sight base windage screw holes include centers that are less than 1.0 inches away from a line defined by two handle body mounting aperture centers and the rear sight is configured to translate approximately 0.260 inches.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the centers of the two sight base windage screw holes are approximately 0.959 inches above the line defined by the two handle body mounting aperture centers when the rear sight is in a full down position.