RIMFIRE ACTION PLATFORM CONVERSION
A rifle conversion platform assembly comprised of components to fit around an existing action such that attachment locations such as a hand guard, pistol grip, and butt stock attachment locations are provided to have conventional rifle components, which in one form may be components of a high caliber semiautomatic rifle such as an AR-15, attached thereto.
Firearms training, and more specifically rifle training, is a key element for supreme rifle craft. Training is an essential element for proficiency in performance with any firearm, and in particular a long gun such as a rifle.
Many shooters, whether in law-enforcement, military or a competition, train with a rifle to be supremely proficient therewith and maximize the shooter's personal performance. Although dry firing with a rifle is an essential component, actual live fire, which incorporates manipulation of a trigger (“breaking the trigger” in common firearm parlance), the actual operation of an action and the feedback of a projectile, namely a bullet impacting a target is an important element of training. However, high-power rifles and particular semi-automatic rifles generally use calibers, which are expensive to shoot. Most high-power rifles utilize centerfire cartridges such as .223, 7.62×39, .308, and .270 to name a few of the more popular centerfire cartridges. However, the cost per round fired for a shooter can be very prohibitive when the shooter is conducting a high volume of training or ammunition expenditure is high in general.
Dry firing (firing a long gun without a live round in the chamber or in the magazine) is a popular option to train many elements of rifle craft, such as transitions, engagement, reloads, trigger mechanics, and a plethora of other elements of high-performance shooting. However, there still remains a need for actual live fire for the shooter.
For certain training elements such as shooting on the move, trigger mechanics work, target transitions and other training aspects, live fire is a critical element of productive training. For example, for training such as shooting on the move, the shooter must undergo a high volume of training to coordinate their steps with breaking the trigger. Mastering this skill can take a large amount of ammunition expenditure to become proficient. Of course, this is one example of why it is important for live fire practice.
At the time of preparation of this application, ammunition prices are rather cost-prohibitive. A common round as noted above is the Winchester .223 and its close derivative, the 5.56 NATO round. Although with economies of scale this particular cartridge used to be relatively reasonable to purchase in volume, through various present factors ammunition prices have nearly doubled and almost tripled. An average cost for a single .223 round can be anywhere between $0.35-0.60. Of course with a heavy practice regimen of for example 1000 rounds, the cost of a training session for the ammunition alone can be $350-$600.
However, the tried-and-true rimfire .22 long rifle has remained at a relatively steady predictable price. This extremely popular and tried-and-true round has been available in the marketplace for decades and has a solid reputation for dependability and general utility. Although other rimfire cartridges are on the market and of course can be utilized in the broader scope of the teachings of the disclosure below (along with other centerfire rounds), by far and away the .22 long rifle round remains an economical form of firing a round. At the time of this preparation, .22 long rifle is available in bricks of 550 from a cost range anywhere between $13 to $26 US. This of course provides a cost per round of about $0.02-0.04 per round (where of course the marketplace provides more costly ammunition with balance bullets, precision measured powder loads, and other features which provide more expensive .22 ammunition for precision shooting).
With regard to high-power rifles, a very common rifle utilized by law-enforcement, military and competitive shooting is the AR-15 platform. The AR-15 rifle system has many derivatives, such as the AR-10 which is provided in .308 caliber, the M-4, and a plethora of other variants. In general, the AR-15 rifle platform is somewhat modular and generally comprises a lower receiver, a trigger group in the lower receiver, an upper receiver, a hand guard, a pistol grip and a butt stock. The upper and lower receiver elements are at the central foundational structural components where the external components including the hand guard, pistol grip and the butt stock are attached thereto (namely, the pistol grip and butt stock attached to the lower receiver and the hand guard attached to the upper receiver surrounding the barrel itself). The trigger group or trigger assembly is housed within the lower receiver, where various aftermarket triggers such as triggers from JP Enterprises™ can be placed therein. Therefore, it can be appreciated that most shooters have become accustomed to the hand guard, pistol grip and butt stock. Further, a necessary attachment to their rifle is some form of an optic or sighting system. Although iron sights are still utilized in some degree, generally the trend in the firearms industry is to utilize an optic such as an Acog, EO-Tech, Elcan, and a variety of magnified objects to maximize performance of the rifle. For example, a common training system is providing an Acog attached to the upper receiver and further providing a red dot system such as a J-Point provided by JP Enterprises™ attached thereto. This specific setup allows for quick acquisition of a target with the J-Point reflect optic, and further allows better accuracy through the Acog at, for example, longer distances over 50 yards. The fundamental point is that it is very important that shooters train with the same or very similar platform as to the platform that will be used in performance.
A common .22 long rifle action is the Ruger® 10-22 . This tried-and-true rifle system has been utilized in various derivatives for decades. The .22 long rifle system is relatively inexpensive and can be purchased for between $200-$350 for a complete rifle. Further, the Ruger® 10-22 has various aftermarket magazines and certain reloading components, such as the Butler Creek reloader providing quick and convenient reloading of magazines, in particular when a shooter is conducting a higher round count volume training session, say of 300 to 500 rounds.
Therefore, there is a need in marketplace for a platform conversion for a long gun with all of the external components of a high-power rifle but yet utilize an inexpensive cartridge which in one form is a rimfire .22 long rifle. A further element to be considered is the accuracy of a converted rifle. Therefore, provided in one is form a system where the elements that engage the shooter, such as the butt stock, pistol grip, and hand guard and all the forces upon these components are directly transmitted to (for example) a main stock which can be attached to a Ruger® 10-22 action. As described in detail herein, having an optic mount separate from a main stock and directly attached to the Ruger® 10-22 can provide better accuracy, whereby the relationship between the optic or otherwise the sighting system and the action and barrel is a direct connection and is not to be interfered with by any forces applied to the gun by the shooter. In other words, the fewer connections between the optic and the chamber provides for a more direct desirable arrangement to enhance accuracy.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREDisclosed herein is a housing assembly configured to be fitted to an action of a rifle. The housing assembly in one form has a main stock, a hand guard mount and an optic mount. The optic mount is configured to be attached to an upper portion of the action. The hand guard mount has an attachment portion which is operatively configured to be attached to the main stock. The hand guard mount further has a hand guard interface region configured to have a hand guard mounted thereto.
The main stock has a pistol grip mount region and a butt stock mount region configured to have a pistol grip and a butt stock mounted respectively thereto wherein any force applied to a hand guard attached to the hand guard mount and further any force applied to a pistol grip mounted to the pistol grip mount is transferred to the main stock, which in turn transfers force directly to the action, and the optic mount is operatively connected to the main stock by way of having the action interposed therebetween.
The housing assembly has an adjustment system in one form configured to be longitudinally adjusted with respect to the stock before being attached to the action. The hand guard mount emulates a threaded attachment of an AR-15 upper assembly.
In one form the hand guard configured to be mounted to an AR-15 upper assembly can be mounted to the hand guard mount and the optic mount has a picatinny rail in the upper portion thereof. In this form the orientation of the optic mount, the pistol grip mount region, and the butt stock mount region are of a similar orientation with respect to a trigger of the action as an AR-15 and preferred base action is a Ruger® 10-22.
The hand guard attached to the hand guard mount is a tubular hand guard in one form. The main stock is configured further in one from to be first fixedly and removably attached to the action, and thereafter the hand guard mount having a surface defining a barrel passage is repositioned from a forward muzzle end of the barrel so as to have the barrel pass through the barrel passageway of the hand guard mount and the hand guard mount is thereby operatively configured to be attached to the forward attachment location of the main stock. In this form the hand guard mount is not directly attached to the optic mount.
The hand guard, pistol grip and butt stock are all only attached to the main stock in one form and the main stock is attached to the action whereby any actual force applied to the hand guard, pistol grip or butt stock is not directly transferred to the optic mount.
Further disclosed herein is a method of converting a rimfire action and barrel assembly to a different rifle platform. The method includes retrieving the barrel and action assembly comprising an action having a lower and upper region and a barrel rigidly attached thereto. The method further includes positioning a main stock to the lower region of the action and rigidly attaching the main stock to the action. Then the method includes rigidly attaching an optic mount to the action at the upper region thereof. Thereafter a hand guard mount is attached to the main stock, thereby passing the hand guard mount through the barrel where the barrel passes through a surface defining a barrel passageway in the hand guard mount. The hand guard mount further comprises a hand guard interface region.
Thereafter the method includes rigidly attaching a pistol grip to a pistol grip mount region of the main stock and further attaching a butt stock to a butt stock mount region of the main stock. Finally, the method includes attaching a hand guard to the hand guard mount at the hand guard interface region. Of course the above steps can be executed in different orders of operation. This method converts the action to an AR-15 type platform where the position of the hand guard interface region of the hand guard mount, the pistol grip mount region of the main stock, and the butt stock mount region of the main stock are all orientated with respect to one another in a position of similar dimensions to an AR-15. In one form of attaching the main stock to the action, an adjustment system is provided where the action is longitudinally positioned with respect to the main stock prior to rigidly fastening the main stock to the action. The main stock can be rigidly attached to the action by way of a threaded member extending through a first action attachment location of the main stock and engaging a female threaded portion and a first attachment location of an action. Further the main stock is not directly attached to the optic mount and is only effectively attached thereto via the action interposed therebetween. Other variations and aspects of the disclosure are enclosed herein.
As shown in
Referring ahead now to
Referring back to
The rifle conversion platform assembly 44 could, for example, be sold as a kit to individuals who own an existing action and barrel, such as the Ruger® 10-22 action. In general, the main stock 46 comprises a pistol grip mount region 50 and a butt stock mount region 52. The pistol grip mount region 50 is operatively configured to have the same profile as the rearward surface 54 having a threaded attachment member therein so as to fit a pistol grip 56 as shown in
As further shown in
The action 30 as shown in
Referring now back to
It can be appreciated that the hand guard mount having the attachment locations 78 have a threaded member such as a hex bolt (not shown) that is configured to pass through to rigidly mount the hand guard mount to the main stock 46 in the manner described further below. It should he further noted that the hand guard mount has a hand guard interface region 84 which in one form is a threaded member having a similar dimension in one form to an upper receiver of an AR-15. By way of background, in general with an AR-15 platform this threaded portion is utilized and a barrel mount mounts the barrel rigidly to the upper receiver. The hand guard is mounted to this nut. However, to allow an interface with custom hand guards 61, the hand guard interface region is provided upon the hand guard mount 48. Further, the interior surface 86 defines a barrel passageway to allow the barrel 34 of the action 30 to extend therethrough (see
Now referring back to
With the foregoing description in place, there will now be a detailed description of one form and method of converting an action 33 to a different platform. Initial reference is made to
Thereafter, the main stock 46 is rotated so the action fits within the action receiving chamber 72 (see
In general, there are numerous models of Ruger® 10-22 s in the marketplace. The dimensions of each model which extends back through decades, and further includes many aftermarket dealers making some of the components, provides a challenge to have a retrofit-type device to this particular action. Therefore, in order to position the action 30 with respect to the main stock 46, one technique is to utilize the threaded receiving locations 34 (see
Now referring to
It therefore can be appreciated that with the proper spacing of the main stock 46, the optic mount 50 would not directly touch the main stock 46 or at least significantly touch the main stock so as to have force applied to the optic mount. As described above, by utilizing the set screws to position the action with the main stock 46, it can be appreciated that the main stock 46 is only connected to the optic mount via the intermediate and interposed action. In one form, after the optic mount 50 is mounted, the installer will tighten and fasten the screw passing through the first action attachment location 74 of the main stock 46 so as to securely fasten the main stock to the action 30. As shown in
Now referring to
With regard to a best mode of carrying out a method of converting an action and barrel assembly there will now be a detailed discussion of one way of such a converting. The first step is to retrieve the following components:
Main Stock Body
Scope Rail Shroud
Fore Arm Adapter
(1) ¼-28×1″ SHCS—for hand grip
(1) #12-24×1″ CS
(2) #10-32×0.87″ SHCS
(4) #6-48×0.210 THCS
(2) #10-32 nylon set screw
(1) ¼-28 nylon set screw
The assembly can be as follows. First removing the barreled action from the factory stock and if there is a factory sporter barrel, removing the rear sight from the barrel. Installing the ¼-28 nylon set screw into the rear of the main stock body and the (2) #10-32 nylon set screws into the front of the main stock body. These screws are designed to take up any play between the barrel action and AR22 main stock body.
Inserting the barreled action into the main stock body. In one form the installer will have to click the safety to the ‘1/2 way position’ to clear the sides of the stock body. In one form the installer place the rear of the barreled action in to the rear of the main stock body, then rotate the rest of the receiver down into place. In one form the receiver can be bedded into the stock. The #12-24×1″ CS will be used to secure the front end of the barreled action, but it should not be tighten at this phase. The installer then attachs the Scope Rail Shroud to the top of the barrel action, using the (4) #6-48×0.210 THCS. A threaded adhesive can be utilized. The installer can then mount and adjust the ¼-28 nylon set screw so that there is approx 0.010/0.020 gap between the back of the scope rail and main stock body. Thereafter the installer can tighten the (2) #10-32 set screws to keep the barreled action from moving back and forth with respect to the Main Body. The #12-24×1″ CS are then tightened and the receiver should be locked in place. Finally the Fore Arm Adaptor is attached to the front of the main stock body using the remaining (2) #10-32×0.87 SHCS. Thereafter AR-15 accessories at this time can be added at this time whereby typically following the instructions included with those parts. With regard to free float tubes, because the tube is notn holding a barrel in with the Tube's nut, there is no need to torque the nut on tightly. Instead, apply a thread locking compound such as a serviceable type and align the nut properly and let set up.
While the present invention is illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments are described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the scope of the appended claims will readily appear to those sufficed in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicants' general concept.
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. The housing assembly as recited in claim 3 where the main stock has an adjustment system comprising a plurality of threaded receiving locations; configured to be longitudinally adjusted with respect to the stock before being attached to the action.
3. A housing assembly operatively configured to be fitted to an action where by the housing assembly is configured to have a butt stock, a pistol grip and a hand guard effectively mounted thereto, the housing assembly comprising:
- a) a main stock having a pistol grip mount region and a butt stock mount region and the main stock operatively configured to be attached to the action,
- b) wherein the action comprises a threaded first attachment location near the longitudinal front of the action, and the action comprises a second attachment region near the longitudinal rear of the action,
- c) wherein the main stock comprises a first action attachment location which is aligned with the first attachment location of the action such that a threaded member passes through the first action attachment region of the main stock and threaded into the first attachment location of the action,
- d) wherein the main stock comprises a longitudinally projecting interior extension which fits within the second attachment region of the action to secure the longitudinally rearward portion of the action within the main stock,
- e) an optic mount configured to be attached to an upper portion of the action,
- f) a hand guard mount having an attachment portion which is operatively configured to be attached to the main stock, the hand guard mount further having a threaded hand guard interface region configured to have the hand guard mounted thereto,
- g) wherein the pistol grip mount region and the butt stock mount region of the main stock are configured to have the pistol grip and the butt stock mounted respectively thereto wherein force applied to the hand guard attached to the hand guard mount at the hand guard interface region and force applied to the pistol grip mounted to the pistol grip mount region is transferred to the main stock which in turn transfers force to the action, and
- h) the optic mount is operatively connected to the main stock by way of having the action interposed therebetween
- i) where the hand guard interface region is a threaded member and the hand guard comprises a female threaded barrel nut and a forward hand guard portion attached to the female threaded barrel nut.
4. (canceled)
5. The housing assembly as recited in claim 3 where the optic mount has a picatinny rail in the upper portion thereof.
6. (canceled)
7. The housing assembly as recited in claim 3 where the action is a 10-22 action.
8. The housing assembly as recited in claim 4 wherein the hand guard attached to the hand guard mount is a tubular hand guard.
9. (canceled)
10. The rifle as recited in claim 11 where the action is an action of a 10-22.
11. A rifle comprising:
- an action;
- b) an optic mount comprising an upper ejection surface and a main stock comprising a lower ejection surface, the upper ejection surface and lower ejection surface overlay and provide unrestricted access to an ejection port of an action;
- c) the action furthermore comprising a trigger assembly which in turn comprises a trigger,
- d) a barrel mounted to the action at a longitudinally forward location;
- e) the main stock fixedly and removably attached to the action, the main stock having an interior surface defining an action-receiving chamber, the main stock further having a forward attachment location, a pistol grip mount region and a butt stock mount region,
- f) the optic mount attached to the upper region of the action,
- g) a hand guard mount attached to the forward attachment location of the main stock, the hand guard mount having a hand guard interface attached to a hand guard,
- h) a pistol grip attached to the main stock at the pistol grip mount region, and
- i) a butt stock attached to the butt stock mount region of the main stock; and
- j) where the hand guard interface is a threaded member and the hand guard comprises a female threaded barrel nut and a forward hand guard portion attached to the female threaded barrel nut.
12. The rifle as recited in claim 11 where the hand guard interface is a male threaded member of the same outer diameter as the inner diameter of a barrel mount.
13. The rifle as recited in claim 11 where the main stock and the optic mount are fastened to one-another only through the action.
14. The rifle as recited in claim 13 where the main stock is configured to be first fixedly and removably attached to the action, and thereafter the hand guard mount having a surface defining a barrel passage is repositioned from a forward muzzle end of the barrel so as to have the barrel pass through the barrel passageway of the hand guard mount and the hand guard mount is thereby operatively configured to be attached to the forward attachment location of the main stock.
15. The rifle as recited in claim 14 where the hand guard mount is not directly attached to the optic mount.
16. The rifle as recited in claim 14 where the hand guard, pistol grip and butt stock are all attached to the main stock and the main stock is attached to the action whereby any actual force applied to the hand guard, pistol grip or butt stock is not directly transferred to the optic mount.
17. (canceled)
18. (canceled)
19. (canceled)
20. (canceled)
21. (canceled)
22. (canceled)
23. (canceled)
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 8, 2008
Publication Date: Jun 7, 2012
Inventors: Timothy R. Ubl (Hutchinson, MN), Jarmo Kumpula (Minnetrista, MN)
Application Number: 12/330,409
International Classification: F41A 21/48 (20060101); F41C 23/16 (20060101); F41C 27/00 (20060101);