Firearm with gas operating system

• US 8,505,433 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Colt's Manufacturing IP Holding Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Colt Defense LLC (Colt Defense Holding LLC)
• Inventors: Hochstrate, Paul, Robbins, Laurance, Daigle, Arthur F.
• Primary Examiner(s): DAVID, MICHAEL D
• Application Number:
  US13/398,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 8919101-194, 89/42, 89/45, 42/710.1, 42/72, 42/750.1, 42/85, 421/27
• US Class Current: 89/193
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 11/02 Modular concepts, e.g. weapon-family concepts
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 3/66 Breech housings or frames; Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 5/18 gas-operated
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 5/26 Arrangements or systems for bleeding the gas from the barrel F41A5/20 - F41A5/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 23/16 Forestocks; Handgrips; Hand guards pump-action guns F41C7/02
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/02 Foresights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 11/003 Mountings with a dove tail element, e.g. "Picatinny rail systems"
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An indirect gas operating system for a semi-automatic or automatic rifle is provided, the indirect gas operating system having: a sleeve removably secured to a forward end of a gas block of the rifle; a piston slidably received within the gas block, wherein the gas block and the sleeve fluidly couple the piston to a bore of a barrel of the rifle; wherein an increase in pressure in the bore of the rifle causes the piston to move away from the sleeve; and wherein the sleeve and the piston are each capable of being removed from the rifle through the forward end of the gas block.

Claims

1. An indirect gas operating system for a semi-automatic or automatic rifle, the indirect gas operating system comprising:

a sleeve removably secured to a forward end of a gas block of the rifle;

a piston slidably received within the gas block, wherein the gas block and the sleeve fluidly couple the piston to a bore of a barrel of the rifle;

wherein an increase in pressure in the bore of the rifle causes the piston to move away from the sleeve; and

wherein the sleeve and the piston are each capable of being removed from the rifle through the forward end of the gas block.

2. The indirect gas operating system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve and the piston are each capable of being removed from the rifle without removing the gas block from the rifle.

3. The indirect gas operating system as in claim 1, wherein the rifle further comprises:

a receiver having a hand guard portion, wherein the hand guard is integral with the receiver.

4. The indirect gas operating system as in claim 3, further comprising:

a bolt carrier slidably received within the receiver, wherein movement of the piston away from the sleeve causes a corresponding movement of the bolt carrier.

5. The indirect gas operating system as in claim 4, wherein the increase in pressure in the bore of the barrel is caused by a cartridge being fired by the rifle.

6. The indirect gas operating system of claim 5, wherein the sleeve and the piston are each capable of being removed from the rifle without removing the gas block from the rifle.

7. The indirect gas operating system as claim 5, wherein at least a portion of the piston is configured to be received within the sleeve.

8. The indirect gas operating system as claim 1, wherein the piston is fluidly coupled to the bore of the barrel such that a variable gas pressure may be provided between the bore of the barrel and the piston.

9. The indirect gas operating system as claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the piston is configured to be received within the sleeve.

10. The indirect gas operating system of claim 1, wherein the sleeve and the piston are each capable of being removed from the rifle without removing the gas block from the rifle.

11. The indirect gas operating system as claim 1, wherein the piston is configured to have a plurality of annular grooves.

12. The indirect gas operating system as claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the piston is configured to be received within the sleeve.

13. The indirect gas operating system as claim 1, wherein the gas block has a bore extending from the forward end of the gas block to the rearward end of the gas block and wherein the sleeve has a head portion that does not pass into the bore of the gas block when the sleeve is secured to the gas block.

14. A rifle having the indirect gas operating system of claim 1.

15. A method of indirectly coupling a barrel of a semi-automatic or automatic rifle to a bolt carrier of the rifle, comprising:

fluidly coupling a piston to a bore of a barrel of the rifle, the piston being slidably received within a gas block of the rifle;

removably securing a sleeve to a forward end of the gas block of the rifle, wherein the gas block and the sleeve fluidly couple the piston to the bore of the barrel of the rifle; and

coupling an operating rod to the piston, wherein an increase in pressure in the bore of the rifle causes the piston to move away from the sleeve and movement of the piston away from the sleeve causes movement of the operating rod and wherein the sleeve and the piston are each capable of being removed from the rifle through the forward end of the gas block.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein the sleeve and the piston are each capable of being removed from the rifle without removing the gas block from the rifle.

17. The method as in claim 15, wherein the rifle further comprises:

a receiver having a hand guard portion, wherein the hand guard is integral with the receiver; and

a bolt carrier slidably received within the receiver, wherein movement of the piston away from the sleeve causes a corresponding movement of the bolt carrier.

18. The method as in claim 15, wherein the increase in pressure in the bore of the rifle is caused by a cartridge being fired by the rifle.

19. The method as in claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the piston is configured to be received within the sleeve.

20. The method as in claim 15, wherein the piston is fluidly coupled to the bore such that a variable gas pressure may be provided between the bore and the piston.