Muzzle Brake
A muzzle brake for a firearm having an outer body with a sidewall that defines at least one aperture and an inner tube that fits inside the outer body. The inner tube includes at least one aperture that corresponds to the at least one aperture of the outer body. The inner tube is rotatably mounted to the outer body. The muzzle brake may adopt an open position in which the apertures of the outer body are in communication with the apertures of the inner tube and a closed position in which the apertures of the outer body are not in communication with the apertures of the inner tube. When in the closed position, propellant and projectiles may be easily loaded into the barrel and when in the open position, gases and heat may easily escape, which minimizes or counteracts recoil.
This patent application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/051,612 filed Jul. 14, 2020. This patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure relates to a brake for a muzzleloader firearm, more particularly, to a brake configured to easily transition between an open and a closed position.
BACKGROUNDA muzzleloader is a firearm that requires a projectile and usually a propellant charge to be loaded from the muzzle (i.e., the open end of the gun's barrel). In general, a muzzleloader firearm is loaded by first inserting gunpowder or other propellant (either in pellet or loose form) and then inserting a projectile and forcing it into the breech, sometimes with the assistance of a ramrod.
Muzzleloaders and other types of firearms are sometimes outfitted with a muzzle brake. Muzzle brakes contain vents designed to disperse gas generated during firing. By efficiently diverting the gas produced when the firearm is discharged, muzzle brakes may act to compensate for recoil and limit upward movement of the barrel after firing.
SUMMARYLoading of a projectile and propellant charge can be challenging if a muzzleloader is outfitted with a brake that includes vents. Specifically, the open vents of a conventional muzzle brake may make loading the propellant (especially if loose propellant is being used) challenging since some propellant may be lost through the brake vents. Given the precise nature of calculating the appropriate amount of propellant to use for a particular shot and projectile, losing propellant to vents in a muzzle brake is not ideal.
The presently disclosed muzzle brake addresses these and other drawbacks of previously known vented brakes. As described in detail below, muzzle brakes configured in accordance with the subject disclosure are configured to easily transition between a closed position in which all vents are covered (intended to be used when the firearm is loaded with propellant and projectile) and an open position in which the vents are exposed (intended to be used when the firearm is operational).
The disclosed muzzle brakes may include an outer body with at least one sidewall that defines at least one aperture, and an inner tube that fits inside the outer body. The inner tube may include at least one aperture that corresponds to the aperture(s) in the outer body. The inner tube may be rotatably mounted to the outer body. The muzzle brake may adopt an open position in which the apertures of the outer body are in communication with the apertures of the inner tube, and a closed position in which the apertures of the outer body are not in communication with the apertures of the inner tube. When in the closed position, propellant and projectiles may be easily loaded into the barrel, and when in the open position, gases and heat may easily escape, which minimizes and/or counteracts recoil.
The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings and disclosure. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in this disclosure has been selected principally for readability and instructional purposes and not to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter.
These and other features of the present disclosure will be understood better by reading the following detailed description, taken together with the figures herein described. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. Furthermore, as will be appreciated in light of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale or to limit the described embodiments to the specific configurations shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONVarious types of muzzle brakes are disclosed herein. In addition to other benefits and functionality, the disclosed muzzle brakes may redirect propellant gases to oppose recoil and minimize rise of the firearm barrel. The disclosed muzzle brakes may be integrated into pre-existing firearms or may be separate components that are attachable to the end of a firearm barrel. The devices of the present disclosure allow a user to load their firearm while the muzzle brake is attached.
The outer body 10 may be hollow and shaped to include one or more sidewalls 12 with apertures 11 that completely extend through the sidewall(s), as shown in
The inner tube 20 may also be outfitted with a plurality of apertures 21, as shown in
As will be appreciated upon consideration of the subject disclosure and examination of
The outer body 10 and the inner tube 20 may be rotatably mounted to one another such that the muzzle brake 100 may easily transition between a closed position and an open position. In some embodiments, inner tube 20 may include a track 23 (shown in
In some embodiments, the outer body 10 may be secured to the inner tube 20 with a snap ring or other type of fastener. In these and other embodiments, an O-ring (not shown) is used to ensure a secure fit between the inner tube 20 and the outer body 10. In some embodiments, the outer body 10 may rotate relative to a fixed inner tube 20. In other embodiments, the inner tube 20 may be slidably mounted to the outer body 10.
The inner tube 20 may, in some embodiments, include features that extend beyond the outer body 10. For example, as shown in
Any desired materials may be used to construct the muzzle brake 100. For example, in some embodiments, the muzzle brake 100 may be constructed from steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys, titanium, composite, and/or any other sufficiently suited material. In some embodiments, the muzzle brake 100 may be constructed from the same material as the barrel of the firearm. However, in other embodiments, the muzzle brake 100 may be constructed from a different material than the barrel of the firearm.
The muzzle brake 100 may be attachable to any suitable type of firearm. For example, in some embodiments, the muzzle brake 100 may be attached to a muzzleloader or to a rifle. As previously discussed, using the presently disclosed muzzle brake 100 in connection with a muzzleloader firearm may advantageously prevent propellant loss during loading. When used with a rifle, the muzzle brake 100 may easily allow a user to switch between firing with or without brake engagement (e.g., with or without decreased recoil provided by the brake).
Any suitable attachment mechanism may be used to secure the presently disclosed muzzle brake 100 to a firearm. For example, in some embodiments the outer body 10 may be directly attached to the firearm barrel. Numerous attachment mechanisms are possible and contemplated herein. For example, the muzzle brake 100 may be attached via threading on an interior surface of the outer body 10 that corresponds to threading on an exterior surface of an end of the firearm barrel. Alternatively, the muzzle brake 100 may be attached by friction fit (sliding the muzzle brake 100 over the end of the firearm barrel such that the outer body 10 fits snugly over the barrel) or through the use of retaining pins that secure the muzzle brake 100 to the firearm barrel. In other embodiments, the muzzle brake 100 may be formed integrally with the firearm during its construction such that the muzzle brake 100 and firearm (particularly the outer body 10 and the firearm barrel) are a single component.
The foregoing description of example embodiments has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of this disclosure. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be limited not by this detailed description. Future-filed applications claiming priority to this application may claim the disclosed subject matter in a different manner and generally may include any set of one or more limitations as variously disclosed or otherwise demonstrated herein.
Claims
1. A muzzle brake for a firearm, the muzzle brake comprising:
- an outer body having at least one sidewall with at least one aperture extending therethrough; and
- an inner tube positioned inside the outer body and rotatably mounted within the outer body, wherein the inner tube comprises at least one aperture that corresponds to the at least one aperture in the outer body,
- wherein the muzzle brake defines at least two positions, an open position in which the outer body and inner tube are positioned such that the at least one aperture in both the outer body and the inner tube are in direct communication, and a closed position in which the outer body and inner tube are positioned such that the at least one aperture in the outer body is not in communication with the at least one aperture in the inner tube.
2. The muzzle brake of claim 1, wherein the inner tube further comprises a track and the outer body further comprises a corresponding protrusion configured to travel within the track to allow the inner tube to rotate within the outer body.
3. The muzzle brake of claim 2, wherein the corresponding protrusion is a retaining screw secured within a threaded screw hole formed in the outer body.
4. The muzzle brake of claim 1, wherein the inner tube further comprises a grip that extends beyond the outer body.
5. The muzzle brake of claim 4, wherein the grip facilitates rotation of the inner tube within the outer body.
6. The muzzle brake of claim 1, wherein the muzzle brake assembly is constructed from the group consisting of steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, titanium, and composite.
7. The muzzle brake of claim 1, wherein the muzzle brake assembly is formed integrally with the firearm.
8. The muzzle brake of claim 1, wherein the muzzle brake assembly is configured to be attached to an end of an existing firearm.
9. A method of using a muzzle brake for a firearm, the method comprising:
- loading the firearm while the muzzle brake is in a closed position, wherein the muzzle brake comprises; an outer body having one or more sidewalls with at least one aperture extending therethrough; and an inner tube positioned inside the outer body and rotatably mounted within the outer body, wherein the inner tube comprises at least one aperture that corresponds to the at least one aperture in the outer body, wherein the outer body and inner tube are positioned such that the at least one aperture in the outer body is not in communication with the at least one aperture in the inner tube, and
- rotating the inner tube to an open position, wherein the outer body and inner tube are positioned such that the at least one aperture in both the outer body and the inner tube are in direct communication.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein rotating the inner tube to an open position further comprises grasping a grip which extends beyond the outer body.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein a user rotates the inner tube 45 degrees from a starting position.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein a user rotates the inner tube 90 degrees from a starting position.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein a user rotates the inner tube 180 degrees from a starting position.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 16, 2021
Publication Date: Feb 3, 2022
Inventor: Mark W. Woodman (Strafford, NH)
Application Number: 17/349,391