MAGAZINE WELL INSERT
A magazine well insert prevents contaminants from entering the magazine well of a pistol or a rifle. The magazine well insert provides a visual indication that the weapon does not have a magazine installed, thereby enhancing weapons safety. The magazine well insert of the present invention protects the weapon's magazine well from becoming contaminated with sand and other debris by sealing the magazine well with a block, for example, a plastic or metal block, that has an o-ring or other sealing device adapted to be positioned at the opening of the magazine well. The magazine well insert may be used in two different configurations, a first configuration that allow normal operation of the weapon's action or a second configuration that blocks the action of the weapon. The magazine well insert may be hollow with a removable sliding base to provide for storage in an interior portion thereof.
The present invention relates to weapon accessories and, more particularly, to a magazine well insert that prevents contaminants from entering the magazine well on semiautomatic and automatic pistols and rifles. The invention can also be rapidly configured into a weapon safety device by physically preventing the weapons firing pin from coming into contact with a chambered round.
Currently, military personnel deployed in a combat zone must carry a weapon at all times. There are times when military and contract personnel operating inside a secure base or forward operating base must carry a weapon in an unloaded condition with the magazine removed for safety concerns. When the weapons magazine is removed, contaminants, such as dust, sand and other debris, may enter the magazine well contaminating the weapons internal components. This contamination will cause the weapon to malfunction or render the weapon unusable until cleaned.
A common solution currently utilized by United States military personnel for keeping the magazine well on a weapon clean is to place a paper towel or rag in the magazine well. This method of placing a paper product or rag in the weapon's magazine well may allow sand and other debris to bypass the rag or paper product and contaminate the weapon. When deployed in a combat environment, a contaminated weapon may not function properly and could place military personnel in a very dangerous situation. This invention will also benefit all facets of law enforcement. Some police departments do not allow the storage of weapons with a magazine installed and like with the military this causes contamination issues.
Currently, there is an extreme need for a magazine well insert that will protect the weapon from sand, dust and other debris when the weapons magazine is removed from the weapon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one aspect of the present invention, a magazine well insert comprises a main housing adapted to fit into a magazine well of a weapon; and a sealing member spanning a periphery of a lower end of the main housing.
In another aspect of the present invention, a magazine well insert comprises a main housing adapted to fit into a magazine well of a weapon; a reversible top cover fitting over a top end of the main housing; a groove disposed about a periphery of a lower end of the main housing; and a sealing member disposed in the groove. The sealing member, spanning a periphery of a lower end of the main housing, may prevent contamination from entering the magazine well.
The top cover may be disposed in two configurations, a first configuration where the weapons firing action is locked forward in the firing position. With the action locked forward, the sealing member seals the weapons firing chamber from debris. The top cover may be disposed in a second configuration, where the invention serves two functions—the first function is to seal the magazine well and prevent contamination, while the second configuration is a safety device that prevents the weapon from being fired in any circumstance.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a weapons magazine well insert that prevents contaminants from entering the magazine well of a pistol or a rifle. The magazine well insert provides a visual indication that the weapon does not have a magazine installed, thereby enhancing weapons safety. If the magazine well insert is installed with the weapon's action hold back safety stop positioned in the up position, it will prevent the weapon from being fired enhancing safety. The magazine well insert of the present invention protects the weapon's magazine well and other internal components from becoming contaminated with sand and other debris by sealing the magazine well with a block, for example, a plastic or metal block, that has an o-ring or similar type seal adapted to be positioned at the opening of the magazine well. The magazine well insert may be used in two different configurations, a first configuration that allow normal operation of the weapon's action or a second configuration that blocks the action of the weapon, the second configuration provides enhanced safety never before offered in a dual function weapons device. The magazine well insert may be hollow with a removable sliding base to provide for storage in an interior portion thereof.
The magazine well insert may engage into the magazine well of a weapon, such as a pistol or a long gun (rifle), in the same manner as an intended magazine. The magazine well insert, however, cannot hold any ammunition, thereby indicating that a magazine is not installed in the weapon, increasing weapons safety. When the magazine well insert is installed, it may seal out sand, dust and other debris by utilizing a sealing member, such as a rubber o-ring or other sealing devices.
Referring to
A top cover 18 may be placed at the top (inserted end) of the main housing 16. In some embodiments (
A groove 26 may be cut about a periphery of the magazine well insert 10. The groove 26 may be cut into, but not through, the main housing 16, allowing an o-ring 24 to be disposed in the groove 26 and protrude out from a plane of the main housing 16. The o-ring 24 may be, for example, made of nitrile black standard 70 durometer. Other o-ring 24 material may include chloroprene 70 durometer, silicone, polyurethane, felt, rubber, neoprene, BUNA-N, NBR, or the like.
Adjacent to the groove 26, a removable bottom plate 20 may be removable and attached to the main housing 16. The removable bottom plate 20 may be removable from the main housing 16 by sliding the bottom plate 20 along a lip formed in the main housing 16. The bottom plate 20 may permit access to the hollow interior 28 of the main housing 16. A fixed bottom plate 22 may be positioned over a portion of the bottom of the main housing 16. The fixed bottom plate 22 may abut against the bottom plate 20 when the magazine well insert is assembled.
The top cover 18 may include a bolt hold back stop 29. When present, the bolt hold back stop 29 may prevent the action of the bolt, providing a further safety feature to the magazine well insert 10. In some embodiments, the top cover 18 may be permanently affixed to the main housing 16 and may or may not include the bolt hold back stop 29 (as shown in
When installed in the long gun (rifle) 12 with the top cover 18 in the first, flat top configuration of
Referring now to
The magazine well insert may be made by conventional methods and from conventional materials. For example, the components may be made from injection molded polymer reinforced plastic, stamped metal, milled metal, fiberglass, plastic, Bakelite or other types of composites, or the like. The magazine well insert, and its components, may be sized and shaped according to the weapon for which it is to be designed. For example, the main housing 16 may be about 3 inches long and 1.25 inches wide.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A magazine well insert designed for a magazine fed weapon, the magazine well insert comprising:
- a main housing adapted to fit into a magazine well of the magazine fed weapon; and
- a sealing member spanning a periphery of a lower end of the main housing.
2. The magazine well insert of claim 1, further comprising a top cover disposed at a top end of the main housing.
3. The magazine well insert of claim 1, further comprising a groove for containing the sealing member.
4. The magazine well insert of claim 1, wherein the sealing member is an o-ring.
5. The magazine well insert of claim 1, further comprising a bottom plate, wherein a rear portion of the bottom plate is fixed on the lower end of the main housing and a front portion of the bottom plate is removable from the main housing.
6. The magazine well insert of claim 2, wherein the top plate is reversible between a first position and a second position, the first position resulting in a flat top plate and the second position resulting in a bolt hold back stop protruding from the top plate.
7. The magazine well insert of claim 6, wherein the top plate has protrusions fitting into detents in the main housing.
8. The magazine well insert of claim 1, wherein the main housing is hollow, wherein access to a hollow interior of the main housing is made by removing a removable bottom plate.
9. A magazine well insert comprising:
- a main housing adapted to fit into a magazine well of a weapon;
- a top cover fitting over a top end of the main housing, the top cover being either fixed to the main housing or being removable and reversible;
- a groove disposed about a periphery of a lower end of the main housing; and
- a sealing member disposed in the groove.
10. The magazine well insert of claim 9, wherein the top plate is reversible between a first position and a second position, the first position resulting in a flat top plate and the second position resulting in a bolt hold back stop protruding from the top plate, the bolt hold back stop blocking a bolt of the weapon when the magazine well insert is inserted in the magazine well.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 14, 2011
Publication Date: Sep 20, 2012
Inventors: MICHAEL KEVIN McCARTHY (Enterprise, AL), John Irwin McCarthy (Waretown, NJ)
Application Number: 13/047,393