Firearm adapter rail system

• US 6,792,711 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2002
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Colt's Manufacturing IP Holding Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC (Colt Defense Holding LLC)
• Inventors: Battaglia, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): JOHNSON, STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US10/174,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20030230022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 421/12, 421/14, 421/15, 421/17, 421/42, 421/46, 42/90
• US Class Current: 42/114
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 11/003 Mountings with a dove tail element, e.g. "Picatinny rail systems"

Abstract

A firearm rail adapter system for mounting accessories on a firearm. The system comprises a first mount, a second mount, and an adapter rail. The first mount is adapted to be mounted to the firearm and has rail attachment sections thereon. The second mount is adapted to be mounted to the firearm and has other rail attachment sections thereon. The adapter rail is adapted to be removably mounted to at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount, and to at least one of the other rail attachment sections of the second mount. The rail attachment sections and the other rail attachment sections are disposed respectively on the first mount and second mount so that when the first mount and second mount are mounted to the firearm, the first mount and second mount provide a number of different selectable mounting stations for mounting the adapter rail to the firearm.

Claims

1. A firearm rail adapter system for mounting accessories on a firearm, the system comprising:

a first mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm, and having rail attachment sections thereon;

a second mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm and having other rail attachment sections thereon; and

an adapter rail adapted to be removably mounted to at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount and to at least one of the other rail attachment sections of the second mount, the rail attachment sections and the other rail attachment sections being disposed respectively on the first mount and second mount so that when the first mount and second mount are mounted to the firearm, the first mount and second mount each provide a number of different selectable mounting stations for mounting the adapter rail to the firearm with the adapter rail positioned in different selectable positions around the firearm.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the different selectable mounting stations are in different positions with respect to a reference datum of the firearm.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first mount and second mount are mounted to a barrel of the firearm, the first mount and second mount being spaced apart longitudinally along the barrel.

4. The system as in claim 2, wherein the first mount has a frame which is a one-piece member, and the second mount has a frame which is a one-piece member.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein when the first mount and second mount are mounted on the firearm, the first mount and second mount bracket a handguard on a barrel of the firearm.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first mount and second mount support the adapter rail off a handguard on a barrel of the firearm.

7. The system as in claim 2, wherein the first mount has a frame that has a general ring shape, and the second mount has a frame that has a general ring shape.

8. The system as in claim 7, wherein the frame of the first mount has at least one projecting member projecting radially outwards from the frame, the at least one projecting section forming at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount.

9. The system as in claim 8, wherein the at least one projecting member has a seating section at a distal end of the projecting member for seating a mounting surface of the adapter rail when the adapter rail is mounted on the first mount.

10. The system as in claim 9, wherein the seating section has generally opposed outer and inner seating surfaces which are generally curved to effect contact between the mounting surface of the adapter rail and the seating section at least at opposing ends of the outer seating surface and opposing ends of the inner seating surface for stably holding the adapter rail on the first mount.

11. The system as in claim 7, wherein the frame of the first mount has an inner surface adapted to be seated on a front handguard cap of the firearm.

12. The system as in claim 7, wherein when the first mount is mounted to the firearm, the frame of the first mount is interlocked with a predetermined fixture of the firearm, said predetermined fixture being aligned with a firearm barrel centerline and sight plane to a predetermined accuracy, and wherein the interlock between the first mount and predetermined fixture aligns the first mount and the adapter rail mounted to the first mount to the barrel centerline and sight plane.

13. The system as in claim 1, wherein, the at least one rail is an elongated member having an accessory mounting section in accordance with MIL-STD-1913 for mounting firearm accessories, and wherein the rail is an extrusion.

14. A firearm rail adapter system for mounting accessories on a firearm, the system comprising:

a first mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm, and having rail attachment sections thereon;

a second mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm and having other rail attachment sections thereon; and

an adapter rail adapted to be removably mounted to at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount and to at least one of the other rail attachment sections of the second mount, the rail attachment sections and the other rail attachment sections being disposed respectively on the first mount and second mount so that when the first mount and second mount are mounted to the firearm, the first mount and second mount provide a number of different selectable mounting stations for mounting the adapter rail to the firearm,

wherein the first mount has a frame that has a general ring shape, and the second mount has a frame that has a general ring shape, and

wherein the first mount has eight rail attachment sections disposed around a circumference of the frame of the first mount.

15. A firearm rail adapter system for mounting accessories on a firearm, the system comprising:

a first mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm, and having rail attachment sections thereon;

a second mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm and having other rail attachment sections thereon; and

an adapter rail adapted to be removably mounted to at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount and to at least one of the other rail attachment sections of the second mount, the rail attachment sections and the other rail attachment sections being disposed respectively on the first mount and second mount so that when the first mount and second mount are mounted to the firearm, the first mount and second mount provide a number of different selectable mounting stations for mounting the adapter rail to the firearm,

wherein the first mount has a frame that has a general ring shape, and the second mount has a frame that has a general ring shape, and

wherein the second mount has eight rail attachment section disposed around a circumference of the frame of the second mount.

16. A firearm rail adapter system for mounting accessories on a firearm, the system comprising:

a first mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm, and having rail attachment sections thereon;

a second mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm and having other rail attachment sections thereon; and

an adapter rail adapted to be removably mounted to at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount and to at least one of the other rail attachment sections of the second mount, the rail attachment sections and the other rail attachment sections being disposed respectively on the first mount and second mount so that when the first mount and second mount are mounted to the firearm, the first mount and second mount each provide a number of different selectable mounting stations for mounting the adapter rail to the firearm, wherein when the first mount is mounted to the firearm, the frame of the first mount is interlocked with a predetermined fixture of the firearm, said predetermined fixture being aligned with a firearm barrel centerline and sight plane to a predetermined accuracy, and wherein the interlock between the first mount and predetermined fixture aligns the first mount and the adapter rail mounted to the first mount to the barrel centerline and sight plane, and

wherein the predetermined fixture is a front sight piece of the firearm, and wherein the frame has a keyway formed therein, the keyway being engaged to a portion of the front sight piece to interlock the first mount to the front sight piece.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein the portion of the front sight piece is a key formed on the front sight piece.

18. A firearm rail adapter system for mounting accessories on a firearm, the system comprising:

a first mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm, and having rail attachment sections thereon;

a second mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm and having other rail attachment sections thereon; and

an adapter rail adapted to be removably mounted to at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount and to at least one of the other rail attachment sections of the second mount, the rail attachment sections and the other rail attachment sections being disposed respectively on the first mount and second mount so that when the first mount and second mount are mounted to the firearm, the first mount and second mount provide a number of different selectable mounting stations for mounting the adapter rail to the firearm,

wherein when the second mount is mounted to the firearm, the second mount is spring biased against a handguard of the firearm to hold the handguard on the firearm.

19. The system as in claim 18, wherein the second mount has a frame with an annular recess for receiving therein an end of the handguard.

20. A firearm rail adapter system for mounting accessories on a firearm, the system comprising:

a first mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm, and having rail attachment sections thereon;

a second mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm and having other rail attachment sections thereon; and

an adapter rail adapted to be removably mounted to at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount and to at least one of the other rail attachment sections of the second mount, the rail attachment sections and the other rail attachment sections being disposed respectively on the first mount and second mount so that the adapter rail can be mounted in a position on the firearm selected from a number of different selectable positions around the firearm, said selectable positions being different relative to a predetermined reference datum of the firearm.

21. A firearm rail adapter system for mounting accessories on a firearm, the system comprising:

a first mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm, and having rail attachment sections thereon;

a second mount adapted to be mounted to the firearm and having other rail attachment sections thereon; and

an adapter rail adapted to be removably mounted to at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount and to at least one of the other rail attachment sections of the second mount, the rail attachment sections and the other rail attachment sections being disposed respectively on the first mount and second mount to allow the adapter rail to be mounted on the firearm with the adapter rail selectably positioned in one from a number of different selectable positions, the different selectable positions being located around a predetermined reference datum of the firearm.

22. The system as in claim 21, wherein the first mount has locating surfaces for interlocking the first mount when mounted to the firearm with a predetermined fixture of the firearm, the interlock between the first mount and predetermined fixture aligning at least one of the rail attachment sections of the first mount with a predetermined reference datum of the firearm to which the predetermined fixture is aligned.

23. The system as in claim 21, wherein the second mount has a receptacle formed therein for conjugally receiving therein an end of a handguard of the firearm.

24. The system as in claim 22, wherein the adapter rail has an accessory mounting section in accordance with MIL-STD-1913, and includes mounts adapted to affix to rail attachment sections of the first mount and second mount, and wherein at least one of the mounts of the adapter rail is relative to the accessory mounting section so that when the at least one of the mounts is affixed to the at least one rail attachment section the accessory mounting section is substantially aligned to the predetermined reference datum.

25. A firearm rail adapter system for mounting accessories on a firearm, the system comprising:

at least one adapter rail adapted for removably mounting firearm accessories thereon, the at least one rail having front and rear rail attachment sections for attaching the rail to the firearm;

a front mount disposed proximal to a front end of a barrel of the firearm; and

a rear mount disposed proximal to a rear end of the barrel;

wherein the front and rear mounts mount the at least one rail to the barrel of the firearm, the front mount being adapted to removably mate with the front rail attachment section and the rear mount being adapted to removably mate with the rear rail attachment section, the at least one rail being removably mountable, in a number of different selectable positions around the barrel, on the front and rear mounts.

26. The system as in claim 25, wherein the at least one adapter rail is an elongated member having a mounting section in accordance with MIL-STD-1913 for mounting firearm accessories.

27. The system as in claim 25, wherein the front mount has attachment members at different positions on the front mount, a number of the attachment members being removably mateable to the front rail attachment section so that the at least one adapter rail can be mounted in different selectable positions on the front mount.

28. The system as in claim 25, wherein the rear mount has attachment members at different positions on the front mount, a number of the attachment members being removably mateable to the rear rail attachment section so that the at least one rail can be mounted in different selectable positions on the rear mount.

29. A firearm comprising:

a receiver;

a barrel connected to the receiver;

a handguard connected to the barrel; and

an adapter rail mounting system for mounting accessories to the firearm, the system comprising mounts with a number of different adapter rail attachment sections for attaching an adapter rail to the firearm, the different attachment sections allowing the adapter rail to be mounted to the firearm with the adapter rail placed in a number of different selectable positions around the barrel of the firearm.

30. A kit comprising:

an adapter rail adapted for mounting accessories to a firearm;

a first mount element for connecting the adapter rail to the firearm; and

a second mount element for connecting the adapter rail to the firearm, wherein the adapter rail can be selectably mounted in a number of different positions around the first mount element.

31. The kit as in claim 30, wherein the adapter rail has an accessory mounting portion conforming to MIL-STD-1913.

32. The kit as in claim 30, further comprising a locking bracket adapted to be connected to the first mount element and lock the first mount element to a predetermined portion of a firearm when the first mount element is mounted on the firearm.

33. The kit as in claim 30, wherein the first mount element has a frame which is a one-piece member, and the second mount element has a frame which is a one-piece member.

34. The kit as in claim 33, wherein the frame of the first mount element is an extrusion made of metal.

35. The kit as in claim 33, wherein the frame of the first mount element has multiple rail attachment areas for attaching the adapter rail to the first mount element, the multiple rail attachment areas allowing the rail to be mounted in a number of different positions on the first mount element.

36. The kit as in claim 33, wherein the frame of the second mount element has multiple rail attachment areas for attaching the adapter rail to the second mount element, the multiple rail attachment areas allowing the rail to be mounted in a number of different positions on the second mount element.