Automatic or semi-automatic rifle

• US 9,612,072 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Colt's Manufacturing IP Holding Company LLC
• Original Assignee: Colt's Manufacturing IP Holding Company LLC
• Inventors: Hochstrate, Paul, Robbins, Laurance, Daigle, Arthur F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdosh, Samir
• Application Number:
  US14/886,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20160131447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 11/00 Assembly or disassembly features; Modular concepts; Articulated or collapsible guns F41A3/64, F41A19/10 - F41A19/15, F41A21/48, F41A25/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 11/02 Modular concepts, e.g. weapon-family concepts
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 13/12 Systems for cooling the outer surface of the barrel F41A13/10, F41A21/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 15/00 Cartridge extractors, i.e. devices for pulling cartridges or cartridge cases at least partially out of the cartridge chamber; Cartridge ejectors, i.e. devices for throwing the extracted cartridges or cartridge cases free of the gun F41A9/54, F41C9/08 take precedence; Means for removing duds or misfires in rocket throwers F41F3/058
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 21/482 using continuous threads on the barrel
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 3/66 Breech housings or frames; Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 35/02 Dust- or weather-protection caps or covers protecting-caps for trigger guards F41A17/54
• 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: F41A 5/28 Adjustable systems
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 23/16 Forestocks; Handgrips; Hand guards pump-action guns F41C7/02
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 27/00 Accessories; Details or attachments not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/00 Sighting devices for indirect laying of fire F41G3/16; bombsights F41G3/24 ; structurally associated with laser telemeters F41G3/065; mounting tubular or beam shaped aiming devices on firearms F41G11/001
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/02 Foresights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 11/003 Mountings with a dove tail element, e.g. "Picatinny rail systems"

Abstract

An upper receiver for a firearm, the upper receiver having: a hand guard section removably connected to the upper receiver via a locking mechanism pivotally mounted to the hand guard section for movement between a locking position and an unlocking position, wherein the locking mechanism requires only a single movement in one direction to move from the locking position to the unlocking position, wherein the hand guard section has peripheral device mounting rails located at a six o'"'"'clock position with respect to a centerline of the barrel and wherein the hand guard section is capable of being completely detached and removed from the upper receiver after the locking mechanism has been moved into the unlocking position; and a plurality of integrally formed rails located above the hand guard section and at three, nine and twelve o'"'"'clock positions with respect to the centerline of the barrel.

Claims

1. An upper receiver for a firearm automatic or semi-automatic rifle having a lower receiver and a barrel, the upper receiver comprising:

a hand guard section removably connected to the upper receiver via a locking mechanism pivotally mounted to the hand guard section and configured for movement between a locking position and an unlocking position wherein the locking mechanism is a lever mounted on a bottom of the hand guard and requires only a single movement in one direction to move from the locking position to the unlocking position, wherein the hand guard section has peripheral device mounting rails located at a six o'"'"'clock position with respect to a centerline of the barrel wherein the hand guard section is capable of being completely detached and removed from the upper receiver after the locking mechanism has been moved into the unlocking position; and

a plurality of integrally formed rails located at three, nine and twelve o'"'"'clock positions with respect to the centerline of the barrel, the plurality of integrally formed rails being located above the hand guard section.

2. The hand guard of claim 1, further comprising a heat shield mounted within the hand guard section.

3. The hand guard of claim 1, wherein the hand guard section has venting holes for cooling air to pass therethrough.

4. An automatic or semi-automatic rifle, comprising:

a hand guard section removably connected to an upper receiver via a locking mechanism pivotally mounted to the hand guard section and configured for movement between a locking position and an unlocking position wherein the locking mechanism requires only a single movement in one direction to move from the locking position to the unlocking position, the hand guard section having at least one peripheral device mounting rail located thereon wherein the hand guard section is capable of being completely detached and removed from the upper receiver after the locking mechanism has been moved into the unlocking position;

a plurality of integrally formed rails located at three, nine and twelve o'"'"'clock positions with respect to a centerline of the barrel, the plurality of integrally formed rails being located above the hand guard section;

a firing mechanism located within the upper receiver;

a barrel connected to the receiver;

a barrel extension cooperating with the barrel, wherein the barrel extension has a pin configured to provide a limit of movement of an extractor of the rifle; and

a gas piston operating system assembly connecting the barrel to the receiver for cycling the firing mechanism in automatic or semi-automatic operation;

wherein the gas piston operating system is removable as a unit from the barrel and receiver.

5. The rifle of claim 4, wherein the gas piston operating system assembly has a cylinder sleeve, and the barrel has a gas block with a bore adapted to removably receive the cylinder sleeve therein.

6. The rifle of claim 5, wherein the gas block has a gas passage communicating with a barrel bore, and the cylinder sleeve has a gas inlet port, and wherein the gas block and cylinder sleeve are indexed with respect to each other so that when the cylinder sleeve is installed in the gas block, the gas passage and gas inlet port are communicably connected.

7. The rifle of claim 5, wherein the gas piston operating system assembly has a piston and rod assembly comprising a piston, an operating rod and return spring attached to each other to form an integral unit so that the piston and rod assembly is removably mated to the cylinder sleeve as a unit.

8. The rifle of claim 7, wherein the firing mechanism has a bolt carriage assembly with an impingement surface engaged by the operating rod.

9. The rifle of claim 6, wherein the cylinder sleeve is removably coupled to the gas block with a lock pin, wherein the lock pin defines a camming surface camming the cylinder sleeve to seal the gas inlet port to the gas passage in the gas block.

10. The rifle of claim 5, wherein the cylinder sleeve comprises an index pin, and wherein the gas block comprises a camming surface and wherein the cylinder sleeve is positioned in gas block with the index pin engaging the camming surface, and wherein engagement between the index pin and camming surface cams the cylinder sleeve out from the gas block.

11. An automatic or semi-automatic rifle, comprising:

an upper receiver;

a lower receiver;

a barrel;

a hand guard section removably connected to the upper receiver via a locking mechanism pivotally mounted to the hand guard section and configured for movement between a locking position and an unlocking position wherein the locking mechanism requires only a single action to move from the locking position to the unlocking position, the hand guard section having at least one peripheral device mounting rail located thereon, wherein the hand guard section is capable of being completely detached and removed from the upper receiver after the locking mechanism has been moved into the unlocking position;

a plurality of integrally formed rails located at three, nine and twelve o'"'"'clock positions with respect to a centerline of the barrel, the plurality of integrally formed rails being located above the hand guard section;

a support fixedly coupled to the firearm;

a movable sight pivotally coupled to the support and movable relative to the support between raised and stowed position; and

a spring loaded detent adapted to position and stably hold the movable sight in the raised position substantially without play.

12. The automatic or semi-automatic rifle as in claim 11, wherein the support comprises a gas block.

13. The automatic or semi-automatic rifle as in claim 11, wherein the sight is located without play by the detent relative to the support when in the raised position and in the stowed position.

14. The automatic or semi-automatic rifle as in claim 11, wherein the support comprises a flat, and wherein the sight comprises a locating step, and wherein the locating step is preloaded against the flat by the detent when in the raised position.

15. The automatic or semi-automatic rifle as in claim 11, wherein the sight is pivotally coupled to the support via a pin and the spring loaded detent is a plurality of spring biased balls located within a plurality of holes in the support, wherein the plurality of holes in the support are positioned about the pin.

16. The automatic or semi-automatic rifle as in claim 15, wherein the sight further comprises a plurality of holes configured to partially receive the plurality of balls as the sight moves between the stowed and raised positions.

17. The automatic or semi-automatic rifle as in claim 16, wherein the plurality of holes of the sight are offset from the plurality of holes in the support.

18. The automatic or semi-automatic rifle as in claim 11, further comprising:

a barrel extension cooperating with the barrel, wherein the barrel extension has a pin configured to provide a limit of movement of an extractor of the rifle.