Vibration damping in rifle construction

• US 20100083551A1
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John R Jamison
• Original Assignee: John R Jamison
• Inventors: Jamison, John R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,397,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 42/75.10
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 21/485 using screws or bolts

Abstract

A rifle construction includes an action and barrel that seat within a stock. Vibration-damping material, such as a foam or gel, is interposed between at least portions of the stock and action that would normally be in contact with each other. The material may be secured to the stock or metal parts as adhesively backed strips or may be sprayed or extruded. The action is fastened to the stock with flexible fasteners that allow the action to seat properly and maintain alignment in the presence of recoil forces or other forces acting on the fasteners.

Claims

1. A rifle construction comprising:

a) an action, a barrel and a stock, the action and the stock having respective surfaces adapted to be matingly joined together;

b) a plurality of fasteners for holding said surfaces of said action and said stock together; and

c) resilient vibration-damping material interposed between at least portions of said respective surfaces of said action and said stock.

2. The rifle construction of claim 1 wherein said vibration-damping material is a polyurethane foam.

3. The rifle construction of claim 1 wherein said vibration-damping material is a visco-elastic gel material.

4. The rifle construction of claim 1 wherein said plurality of fasteners comprise screws and said vibration-damping material is formed into washers surrounding said screws.

5. The rifle construction of claim 1 wherein said fasteners comprise screws or bolts that flex along their respective longitudinal axes.

6. The rifle construction of claim 1 wherein said damping material is formed as a gasket providing an interface between said surfaces.

7. The rifle construction of claim 1 wherein said vibration-damping material is formed as discrete pieces or sections adhesively bonded to an upper surface of said stock.

8. The rifle construction of claim 1 wherein said damping material is interposed between the barrel and at least a portion of the stock supporting the barrel.

9. A retrofit kit for a rifle, said rifle having an action joined to a stock and further including a barrel comprising at least one adhesively-backed strip of vibration-damping material adapted to be affixed to a surface of said stock and a plurality of flexible fastener members for joining said action to said stock.

10. The retrofit kit of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of said adhesively-backed vibration-dampening strips formed to fit selected upper surface portions of said stock where said stock and said action would normally contact each other.

11. The retrofit kit of claim 9 wherein said at least one adhesively-backed strip is formed in the shape of a gasket.