ANGLED ACCESS ADJUSTABLE GAS BLOCK FOR A FIREARM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and hereby incorporates by reference in its entirety U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/658,927 entitled “ANGLED ACCESS ADJUSTABLE GAS BLOCK FOR A FIREARM” filed Jun. 12, 2024. This application hereby incorporates by reference in its entirety U.S. Pat. No. 12,163,755 entitled “GAS BLOCK FOR A FIREARM” issued on Dec. 10, 2024.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to gas operated automatic and semiautomatic firearms. More particularly, this invention pertains to adjustable gas blocks for automatic and semiautomatic firearms.

An adjustable gas block includes a screw plug which can be turned to increase or decrease the volume of gas used to cycle a firearm. Most firearms with a gas block include a handguard or rail system over the gas block and gas tube. Thus, the problem with an adjustable gas block utilizing a screw plug is accessing the screw plug to make adjustments. Typically, the handguard or rail system needs to be removed from the receiver to adjust the screw plug. Removing the handguard or rail is typically detailed and time consuming, and any optics, sights, or lasers mounted to the handguard or rail will need to be re-zeroed when the handguard is remounted on the receiver.

One solution to avoiding have to remove the handguard is to use a specialty extended tool (e.g., an allen key with over 12 inches of length) to reach straight in along the barrel from past the muzzle to the gas block and screw plug. This only works for open ended handguards or rail systems and with firearms having a muzzle device that allows such access along the barrel. That is, oversized muzzle devices such as suppressors prevent access to the gas block in this fashion. In this solution, the screw plug extends longitudinally along the barrel.

In an alternative solution, the screw plug extends transverse to the longitudinal axis of the barrel, and the handguard includes a special access hole for the screw plug. In this solution, the handguard, adjustable gas block, and barrel are a matched set. That is, the parts must all be used together for the system to work. The parts are not interchangeable with other standard parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention provide a gas block for a firearm. The gas block has a main body and includes an adjustment screw. The adjustment screw in the gas block extends askew the longitudinal axis of the firearm when the gas block and adjustment screw are installed on the firearm. That is, a plane through the adjustment screw is neither coplanar with the longitudinal axis (i.e., bore axis) of the firearm nor perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the firearm. In this manner, the adjustment screw is accessible through multiple vents or mounting holes through the handguard, and screwing the adjustment screw into or out of the main body adjusts an amount of pressurized gas allowed to flow from a barrel of the firearm back to a receiver of the firearm.

In another aspect, a gas block for a firearm includes a main body. The main body includes a barrel hole, a gas passage, and an adjustment hole. The barrel hole is configured to receive a barrel of the firearm therethrough when the firearm is assembled. The barrel extends along a longitudinal axis. The gas passage is configured to align with a gas port of the barrel when the firearm is assembled, receive pressurized gas from the barrel via the gas port of the barrel, and provide the pressured gas to a gas tube of the firearm when the firearm is assembled and fired. The adjustment hole intersects the gas passage such that the adjustment hole is fluidly connected to the gas passage. The adjustment hole extends askew the longitudinal axis of the barrel when the firearm is assembled.

In another aspect, a firearm includes a barrel, a gas block, and a handguard. The barrel has a gas port. The handguard at least partially surrounds the barrel and the gas block. The gas block includes a main body. The main body includes a barrel hole, a gas passage, and an adjustment hole. The barrel hole is configured to receive the barrel of the firearm therethrough when the firearm is assembled. The barrel extends along a longitudinal axis. The gas passage is configured to align with the gas port of the barrel when the firearm is assembled, receive pressurized gas from the barrel via the gas port of the barrel, and provide the pressured gas to a gas tube of the firearm when the firearm is assembled and fired. The adjustment hole intersects the gas passage such that the adjustment hole is fluidly connected to the gas passage. The adjustment hole extends askew the longitudinal axis of the barrel when the firearm is assembled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a firearm including an adjustable gas block according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front isometric view of the gas block of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3. is an overhead perspective view of the gas block of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an overhead see through view of the firearm of FIG. 1 with an adjustment tool accessing the adjustable gas block.

FIG. 5 is an overhead see through view of the firearm of FIG. 4 with the adjustment tool accessing the adjustable gas block at a different angle than in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a front isometric view of the firearm of FIG. 1 with an adjustment tool accessing the adjustable gas block through a vent or locking hole in a first handguard.

FIG. 7 is a front isometric view of the firearm of FIG. 1 with an adjustment tool accessing the adjustable gas block through a vent or locking hole in a second handguard, different from the first handguard of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an isometric exploded view of a gas block and gas tube according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a side cutaway exploded view of the gas tube and gas block of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a rear isometric view of a barrel and gas tube of the firearm of FIG. 1.

Reference will now be made in detail to optional embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawing and in the description referring to the same or like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention.

To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments described herein, a number of terms are defined below. The terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as “a,” “an,” and “the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but rather include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit the invention, except as set forth in the claims.

As described herein, an upright position is considered to be the position of apparatus components while in proper operation or in a natural resting position as described herein. As used herein, the upright or vertical position of a gun or firearm is when assembled and held by a shooter, ready to shoot (i.e., fire or discharge or cycle), with the bore of the barrel of the gun extending generally horizontally or level along a longitudinal axis and the trigger extending generally downward. Vertical, horizontal, above, below, side, top, bottom and other orientation terms are described with respect to this upright position during operation unless otherwise specified. The term “when” is used to specify orientation for relative positions of components, not as a temporal limitation of the claims or apparatus described and claimed herein unless otherwise specified. The terms “above”, “below”, “over”, and “under” mean “having an elevation or vertical height greater or lesser than” and are not intended to imply that one object or component is directly over or under another object or component.

The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without operator input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

The terms “coupled” and “connected” mean at least either a direct electrical or mechanical connection between the connected items or an indirect connection through one or more passive or active intermediary devices.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-10, a firearm 100 includes a gas block 300. The firearm 101 further includes a barrel 20 and a handguard 17. The barrel 20 includes gas port 311. The handguard 17 at least partially surrounds the barrel 20 and the gas block 300. The handguard 17 includes vents such as M-LOCK or KeyMod holes and extends longitudinally toward a muzzle 301 of the barrel 20 beyond the gas block 300. The barrel 20 is not supported by the handguard 17 (i.e., the barrel 20 is floating). In one embodiment, the firearm 101 further includes a receiver 120 (e.g., lower receiver 120 and upper receiver 160), trigger group 701, gas tube 32, and bolt carrier group 140. The receiver 120 is configured to support the handguard 17 and barrel 20. The trigger group 701 is configured to receive input from a user and fire a round of ammunition from the barrel 20 in response to the input received from the user. The gas tube 32 is configured to convey pressurized gas from the gas block 300 to the receiver 120 when the firearm 101 is assembled and the round of ammunition is fired from the barrel 20. The bolt carrier group 140 is supported by the receiver 120 when the firearm 101 is assembled. The bolt carrier group 140 is configured to receive the pressured gas from the gas tube 32 and remove the round of ammunition from the barrel 20 in response to receiving the pressurized gas from the gas tube 32. In one embodiment, the firearm 101 further includes a magazine 15 configured to engage the receiver 120 when the firearm 101 is assembled. In one embodiment, the firearm 101 further includes a stock or buttstock 13 supported by the receiver 120.

The gas block 300 includes a main body 303 including a barrel hole 305, a gas passage 307, and an adjustment hole 309. The barrel hole 305 is configured to receive the barrel 20 of the firearm 101 when the firearm 101 is assembled. The barrel 20 extends along a longitudinal axis 14.

The gas passage 307 of the main body 303 is configured to align with a gas port 311 of the barrel 20 when the firearm 101 is assembled. The gas passage 307 is also configured to receive pressurized gas from the barrel 20 via the gas port 311 of the barrel 20 when the firearm 101 is fired or discharged. The gas passage 307 is further configured to provide the pressurized gas to a gas tube 32. When the firearm 101 is fired or discharged (e.g., cycled). In one embodiment, the gas passage 307 includes a takeoff portion 501 and a gas tube portion 503. The takeoff portion 501 is configured to engage the gas port 311 of the barrel 20 when the firearm 101 is assembled. The gas tube portion 503 is configured to receive the gas tube 32 when the firearm 101 is assembled. The takeoff portion 501 and the gas tube portion 503 are fluidly connected. The gas tube portion 503 extends longitudinally (i.e., parallel to the longitudinal axis 14) when the firearm 101 is assembled. The takeoff portion 501 extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis 14 when the firearm 101 is assembled.

The adjustment hole 309 intersects the gas passage 307 such that the adjustment hole 309 is fluidly connected to the gas passage 307. The adjustment hole 309 extends askew the longitudinal axis 14 when the firearm 101 is assembled. That is, the adjustment hole 309 is neither parallel to the longitudinal axis 14, nor is a plane in which the adjustment hole 309 extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 14. The adjustment hole 309 intersects the takeoff portion 501 of the gas passage 307. In one embodiment, the adjustment hole 309 extends forward (e.g., toward the muzzle 301) at between 15 and 60 degrees (e.g., about 30 degrees) from a vertical plane along the longitudinal axis 14 when the firearm is assembled and in the upright position. In one embodiment, the adjustment hole 309 extends generally horizontally when the firearm 101 is assembled and in the upright position. In another embodiment, the adjustment hole 309 extends upwardly at between about 5 and 30 degrees from the horizontal plane when the firearm 101 is assembled and in the upright position.

In one embodiment, the gas block 300 further includes an adjustment screw 331. The adjustment hole 309 is threaded, and the adjustment screw 331 is configured to engage (e.g., thread into) the adjustment hole 309 when the gas block 300 is assembled. The adjustment screw 331 is configured to selectively, partially restrict the gas passage 307 of the gas block 300 when the gas block 300 is assembled. That is, the adjustment screw 331 may be further threaded into the gas passage 307 (e.g., the takeoff portion 501) to obstruct and constrict the gas passage 307, or the adjustment screw 331 may be backed out of the adjustment hole 309 to reduce its obstruction or constriction of the gas passage 307. In this way, the amount of pressurized gas able to pass through the gas passage 307 when the firearm 101 is fired is selectively adjustable by a user via the adjustment screw 331. In one embodiment, the adjustment screw 331 has a hex head, and the gas block 300 further includes an adjustment tool 505. The adjustment tool 505, in one embodiment, is a ball head hex key.

In one embodiment, the main body 303 of the gas block 300 further includes a locking screw hole 507. The locking screw hole 507 intersects the adjustment hole 309. The locking screw hole 507 is threaded and configured to receive a locking screw. The locking screw is configured to engage the adjustment screw 331 in the adjustment screw hole 309 and prevent rotation of the adjustment screw 331 by pressing against the adjustment screw 331 when tightened down on the adjustment screw 331.

In one embodiment, the gas block 300 further includes a set screw hole 74 extending generally vertically when the firearm 101 is assemble and in the upright position. The gas block 300 may further include a set screw 107 configured to thread into the set screw hole 74, align the gas port 311 of the barrel 20 with the gas passage 307 of the gas block 300 and secure the gas block 300 onto the barrel 20 of the firearm 101 when the firearm 101 is assembled.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

It will be understood that the particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principal features of this invention may be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims.

All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein may be made and/or executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of the embodiments included herein, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.