Low Backpressure Rifle Silencer

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/724,441 filed Nov. 25, 2024 titled “Low Backpressure Rifle Silencer” which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to silencers or suppressors for rifles.

2. Background Information

Silencers, also called suppressors, noise suppression devices, sound moderators or the like, are devices fixed to the end of a firearm intended to muffle the sound of a shot being fired, not to silence the sound. The sound of a gunshot from a gun with a suppressor is still loud, but is generally safe enough for the operator to avoid having to wear hearing protection (with the exception of some large calibers firearms). Essentially, suppressors make guns just quiet enough to reduce most, or all, of the downsides associated with extremely loud gunshots. The suppressors, generally, have minimal impact on a bullet's velocity and accuracy.

Noise associated with the use of a firearm is, in general, attributed to two factors. The first factor is associated with the velocity of the bullet. If the bullet is traveling hypersonically (i.e., faster than the speed of sound), the bullet will pass through the slower moving sound wave preceding it, thus creating a relatively small sonic boom, similar to the sonic boom of a supersonic aircraft passing through its sound wave. The second factor is associated with the rapid expansion of propellant gas produced when the powder inside the bullet cartridge ignites. When the propellant gas rapidly expands and collides with cooler air, in and around the muzzle of the firearm, a loud bang sound occurs. Firearm suppressors, or silencers, are employed to reduce noise attributable to the second factor identified above. Noise suppression devices have been in use at least since the late nineteenth century.

Hunters using centerfire rifles have found silencers bring various important benefits that outweigh the extra weight and resulting change in the firearm's center of gravity. The most important advantage of a suppressor is the hearing protection for the shooter, as well as their companions. Many hunters have suffered permanent hearing damage due to someone else firing a high-caliber gun too closely without warning. Additionally, The reduction of noise, recoil and muzzle-blast enables the firer to follow through calmly on their first shot and fire a further carefully aimed shot without delay, if necessary.

Apart from silencers that are integrated as a part of the firearm's barrel, most suppressors have a female threaded end, which attaches to male threads cut into the exterior of the barrel. These types of silencers are mostly used on handguns and rifles chambered in .22LR. Military rifles such as the M16 or M14 often use quick-detach suppressors that use coarser than normal threads and are installed over an existing muzzle device such as a flash suppressor and can include a secondary locking mechanism to allow the shooter to quickly and safely add or remove a sound suppressor based on individual needs.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,470,466 and 9,982,959 disclose a monolithic noise suppression device formed by additive manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing) with an integral tubular baffle housing module with no welded joints or seams between the various components that make up the core of the module and no welded joints or seams between the core, or any structures that make up the core, and the various interior surfaces and/or structures that make up the body of the module.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,500,427 discloses a firearm noise suppressor having a tubular housing with a number of propellant gas handling members within the housing defining aligned projectile ports and baffle chambers to permit projectile movement and slow the progress of propellant gas as it traverses the internal chamber. These gas handling members define primary and secondary flow paths within the housing to divide the propellant gas discharge from the barrel and minimize gas pressure and volume of flow, resulting in lower propellant pressure, minimized noise and propellant flash. The primary and secondary flow paths each have separate discharge openings at the forward end of the suppressor.

U.S. Pat. No. 11,662,172 discloses an “Integrated Barrel and Muzzle Device System (IBMDS)” which is a firearm suppressor having an interchangeable projectile tube attached to a muzzle endcap and to a gas block endcap proximal the firearm muzzle. A suppressor tube body is configured to receive the muzzle endcap and the gas block front endcap. A suppressor element is received into the suppressor tube body proximal the muzzle endcap, wherein the suppressor element channels propellant gases from openings defined in the interchangeable projectile tube through an array of open cells.

U.S. Patent Publication 2021-0116199 discloses a firearm suppressor which includes a baffle stack having a plurality of baffle disks where a first portion of the disks include a first set of gas ports and a second portion of the disks include a second set of gas ports. The baffle stack is configured to act as a compressing piston. When a bullet leaves a muzzle of a firearm and enters the firearm suppressor, the baffle stack acts as a compressing piston and moves forward with the gas pressure caused by the firing of the bullet. As the bullet begins to enter each baffle disk, the pressure starts to subside until there is a point where there is equalization between gas pressure and, for example, tension on a piston spring within the baffle stack. After this point, the piston is driven back into place by the releasing of the spring tension.

U.S. Patent Publication 2023-296342 discloses a firearm suppressor which includes a body; a core seamlessly connected to the internal portion of the body and including a plurality of baffles; and a bore extending completely through and along a longitudinal axis of the noise suppression device, wherein the porosity of a portion of the core including one of the plurality of baffles is different than the porosity of a portion of the body.

WO2024-189260 discloses a firearm suppressor which has a substantially rotationally symmetrical cylindrical form and comprises a suppressor housing, a rear end cap, a plurality of chambers for expansion of propellant gases arranged inside the suppressor housing, a barrel opening, an outlet opening for a projectile and a continuous channel along an imaginary center axis of the rotationally symmetrical cylindrical form of the suppressor from the barrel opening to the outlet opening for the projectile configured to be fired by the firearm.

U.S. Patent Publication 2024-0288241 discloses a suppressor comprising a cylindrical housing and a core with radially located disk partitions arranged along it, wherein the thickness of the disk partitions decreases in the direction from the rear to the front of the suppressor, a number of gas openings are provided along the core, a sound-absorbing material is placed in working chambers between two adjacent disk partitions, and clamping grooves, offset from each other, are provided in the core yielding a torque to the core when gas escapes there through, the sound-absorbing material being a cooling mesh formed in a structured package with an annular shape, consisting of two folded accordion-like strips, one of said strips being folded radially and the other being folded axially in relation to the axis of the compressor.

See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,658,010; 10,119,779; 10,234,228; 10,337,819; 10,458,737; 10,502,513; 11,662,172; 11,435,156; 11,280,571; 11,268,776; and 11,092,399; and U.S. Published Patent Application Nos. 2021-0207916; 2023-0288163; 2022-0057160; 2022-0049919; 2021-0333061; 2020-0240736; 2019-0128632; 2019-0017767; 2018-0321008; 2018-0202744; and 2017-0102202. The above identified patents and publications are incorporated herein by reference.

There remains a need in the industry for efficient and effective low backpressure rifle silencer designs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The various embodiments and examples of the present invention as presented herein are understood to be illustrative of the present invention and not restrictive thereof and are non-limiting with respect to the scope of the invention.

One aspect of the present invention provides an efficient and effective low backpressure rifle silencer which comprises a cylindrical outer housing with a rifle coupling end, a cylindrical inner housing positioned within a portion of the cylindrical outer housing, a deflector within the cylindrical inner housing and with a semispherical surface with a central opening forming a hollow bore to allow a fired projectile to exit normally and wherein some of the expanding gas ejecta behind the fired projectile is retained by deflector and directed through a longer and convoluted escape path prolonging the release time, and at least one series of stacked cone shaped baffles within the cylindrical inner housing, wherein each stacked cone shaped baffle includes a frusto-conical baffle body with a central opening forming a hollow bore to allow the fired projectile to exit normally and wherein some of the expanding gas ejecta behind the fired projectile is retained by baffles body and directed through a longer and convoluted escape path, and wherein the structure of the silencer slows down the gas ejecta behind the fired projectile and dissipates its kinetic energy.

One aspect of the present invention provides a silencer comprising: cylindrical outer housing with a rifle coupling end; a cylindrical inner housing positioned within a portion of the cylindrical outer housing and defining an annular space between al least a portion of the cylindrical outer housing and a portion of the cylindrical inner housing, wherein the cylindrical inner housing includes a constant diameter first inner housing portion spaced radially inwardly of the cylindrical outer housing with the annular space therebetween, and wherein the first inner housing portion includes at least one annular array of radial openings with each opening leading to the annular space between the cylindrical inner housing and the cylindrical outer housing, wherein the cylindrical inner housing includes a constant diameter second inner housing portion spaced radially inwardly of the cylindrical outer housing with the annular space therebetween and a gap between the second inner housing portion and the first inner housing portion, and wherein the first second housing portion includes at least one annular array of radial openings with each opening leading to the annular space between the cylindrical inner housing and the cylindrical outer housing; a stacked series of baffles within the first inner housing portion of the cylindrical inner housing, wherein each stacked baffle includes a central opening forming a hollow bore to allow the fired projectile to exit normally; and a stacked series of baffles within the second inner housing portion of the cylindrical inner housing, wherein each stacked baffle includes a central opening forming a hollow bore to allow the fired projectile to exit normally.

One aspect of the present invention provides a silencer comprising: a cylindrical outer housing with a rifle coupling end; a cylindrical inner housing positioned within a portion of the cylindrical outer housing and defining an annular space between al least a portion of the cylindrical outer housing and a portion of the cylindrical inner housing, wherein the cylindrical inner housing includes a constant diameter first inner housing portion spaced radially inwardly of the cylindrical outer housing with the annular space therebetween, and wherein the first inner housing portion includes at least one annular array of radial openings with each opening leading to the annular space between the cylindrical inner housing and the cylindrical outer housing; and at least one series of stacked cone shaped baffles within the cylindrical inner housing, wherein each stacked cone shaped baffle includes a central opening forming a hollow bore to allow the fired projectile to exit normally.

These and other advantages of the present invention are described below in connection with the attached figures in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation section view of a low backpressure rifle silencer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation view of the low backpressure rifle silencer according to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic front perspective view of the low backpressure rifle silencer according to FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevation view of the low backpressure rifle silencer according to FIG. 1 with a portion of the cylindrical outer housing removed for clarity.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevation view of the low backpressure rifle silencer according to FIG. 1 with a portion of the cylindrical outer and inner housings removed for clarity.

FIG. 6 is a schematic top plan view of the low backpressure rifle silencer according to FIG. 1 with a portion of the cylindrical outer and inner housings removed for clarity.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective front view of a leading portion of the low backpressure rifle silencer according to FIG. 1 with a portion of the cylindrical outer and inner housings removed for clarity.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective front view of a leading portion of the low backpressure rifle silencer according to FIG. 1 with the cylindrical outer and inner housings removed for clarity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides a low backpressure rifle silencer 10 with one embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-8. The low backpressure rifle silencer 10, which may also be named as a suppressor, noise suppression device, or sound moderator (which terms may be used interchangeably herein) is fixed to the end of a rifle intended to muffle the sound of a shot being fired, and not to silence this sound. The rifle silencer 10 reduces the acoustic intensity of the muzzle report (i.e., sound of a gunshot) when a gun is discharged, by modulating the speed and pressure of the propellant gas from the muzzle and hence suppressing the muzzle blast. The sound of a gunshot from a rifle equipped with the rifle silencer 10 is still loud, but is generally safe enough to avoid the operator from having to wear hearing protection.

The rifle silencer 10 may be generally formed as a metallic device, preferably stainless steel or titanium. The structure of the rifle silencer 10 outlined below forms internal sound baffles, with a hollow bore to allow the projectile (bullet) to exit normally. During firing, the bullet flies through the bore with little hindrance, but most of the expanding gas ejecta behind it is retained through a longer and convoluted escape path created by the baffle forming structures, prolonging the release time. This slows down the gas and dissipates its kinetic energy into a larger surface area, reducing the blast intensity, thus lowering the loudness. The rifle silencer 10 is a detachable accessory and is mounted to a rifle in a generally conventional fashion, such as threaded, or twist and lock couplings, not detailed herein.

The silencer 10 includes a cylindrical outer housing 20 formed of a reduced diameter coupling portion 22 having a first constant diameter at a proximal end and a cylindrical main body portion 24 of a second constant diameter extending to the distal end of the silencer 10. The coupling portion 22 can include any conventional rifle coupling mechanism (not shown in detail), such as threads, bayonet type coupling, twist and lock coupling or other known attachment system. The type of coupling mechanism is generally defined by the associated rifle. The cylindrical main body portion 24 extending to the distal end of the silencer 10 can include surfacing 26 for grip enhancement and aesthetics. Knurling or other surfacing could also be utilized on the exterior of the silencer 10.

The silencer 10 includes a cylindrical inner housing 30 positioned within the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the cylindrical outer housing 20. The cylindrical inner housing 30 includes a leading trumpet portion 32 with an annular array of radial openings 34. The cylindrical inner housing 30 includes a constant diameter first inner housing portion 36 with the trumpet portion 32 extending to the constant diameter first inner housing portion 36. The cylindrical inner housing includes a constant diameter second inner housing portion 46 adjacent the constant diameter first inner housing portion 36. The leading trumpet portion 32 spaces the cylindrical inner housing 30 from the cylindrical main body portion 24 with the plurality radial openings 34 leading to the annular space between the cylindrical inner housing 30 and the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20.

The first inner housing portion 36 includes a plurality of annular arrays of radial openings 38 with each opening 38 leading to the annular space between the cylindrical inner housing 30 and the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20. The cylindrical inner housing 30 includes the constant diameter second inner housing portion 46 with a gap 42 that spaces the constant diameter first inner housing portion 36 from the constant diameter second inner housing portion 46. The first inner housing portion 36 includes a plurality of annular arrays of radial openings 38 with each opening 38 leading to the annular space between the cylindrical inner housing 30 and the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20.

The silencer 10 includes a series of U-channel members 52 extending across the annular space between the cylindrical inner housing 30 and the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20. Each of the U-channel members 52 is positioned to surround one opening 38 at a leading end of the first inner housing portion 36. During firing some of the expanding gas will be directed through the openings 38 and then along the U-channel members 52. The open end of the U-channel members 52 faces or opens toward the distal end of the silencer 10. Further the open end of the U-channel members 52 includes bent ends acting as deflectors deflecting gas in a counter-clockwise direction thereby creating a longer dissipating path. Having the U-channel members 52 includes bent ends acting as deflectors deflecting gas in a clockwise direction is equally effective.

The silencer 10 includes a series of inverted C-shaped members 54 extending across the annular space between first inner housing portion 36 and the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20. Each inverted C-shaped member 54 is positioned to surround one opening 38 on the first inner housing portion 36. During firing some of the expanding gas will be directed through these openings 38 and then along the inverted C-shaped members 54. The open end of the inverted C-shaped members 54 faces or opens toward the distal end of the silencer 10. Further, the open end of the inverted C-shaped members 54 includes bent ends acting as deflectors deflecting gas in a counter-clockwise direction (the same direction as the U channel members 52) thereby creating a longer dissipating path. Having the inverted C-shaped members 52 includes bent ends acting as deflectors deflecting gas in a clockwise direction (preferably the same direction as the members 52) is equally effective. There are three offset rows of inverted C-shaped members 54 along the first inner housing portion 36, matching the offset in the last three rows of openings 38 in the first inner housing portion 36. There is one row of openings 38 (the second from the leading end) with neither a surrounding U channel member 52 nor C-shaped member 54.

The silencer 10 includes a series of inverted C-shaped members 56 extending across the annular space between the second inner housing portion 46 of the cylindrical inner housing 30 and the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20. Each inverted C-shaped member 56 is positioned to surround one opening 48 on the second inner housing portion 46. During firing some of the expanding gas will be directed through these openings 48 and then along the inverted C-shaped members 56. The open end of the inverted C-shaped members 56 faces or opens toward the distal end of the silencer 10. Further, the open end of the inverted C-shaped members 56 includes bent ends acting as deflectors deflecting gas in a counter-clockwise direction (the same direction as the members 52 and 54) thereby creating a longer dissipating path. Having the inverted C-shaped members 56 includes bent ends acting as deflectors deflecting gas in a clockwise direction (preferably the same direction as the members 52 and 54) is equally effective. There are two offset rows of inverted C-shaped members 56 along the second inner housing portion 36, matching the offset in the last three rows of openings 38 in the first inner housing portion 36.

The silencer 10 includes a pair of angled annular support plates 62 and 64 extending across the annular space between the cylindrical inner housing 30 and the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20. The silencer 10 includes and end cap 66 at a distal end of the silencer 10 also extending between the cylindrical inner housing 30 and the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20. Axial openings 68 are in each of the annular support plates 62 and 64 and the end cap 66 allowing gas to flow generally along the direction of the silencer 10 through a convoluted path. The end cap 66 includes a reduced diameter portion with central opening 69 at the distal end of the central bore of the silencer 10.

Annular support plate 62 extends from the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20 to the first inner housing portion 36 of the cylindrical inner housing 30. Annular support plate 64 extends from the cylindrical main body portion 24 of the outer housing 20 to the second inner housing portion 46 of the cylindrical inner housing 30. The angled annular support plates 62 and 64 are on opposite sides of the gap 42 creating a chamber receiving gas exiting the gap 42 as it is directed through a longer and convoluted escape path than the projectile which slows down the gas and dissipates its kinetic energy into a larger surface area, reducing the blast intensity, thus lowering the loudness.

The silencer 10 includes a central golf-ball deflector 70, a first series of stacked cone shaped baffles 80 and a second series of stacked cone shaped baffles 90 within the cylindrical inner housing 30.

The golf-ball deflector 70 has a semispherical surface with a central opening 72 and a plurality of depressions or dimples 74 and with a plurality of axial extending through-openings 78. The semispherical surface and dimples 74 gives the deflector 70 its name as it resembles a golf ball. The golf-ball deflector 70 forms a first internal sound baffle, with the central opening 72 forming a hollow bore to allow the projectile (bullet) to exit normally. During firing, the bullet flies through the opening 72 with little hindrance, but much of the expanding gas ejecta behind it is retained by deflector 70 and directed through a longer and convoluted escape path such as through openings 34 and 78, prolonging the release time. The structure of the deflector 70 slows down the gas and dissipates its kinetic energy into a larger surface area, reducing the blast intensity, thus lowering the loudness.

The silencer 10 includes the first series of stacked cone shaped baffles 80 within the first inner housing portion 36. Each stacked cone shaped baffle 80 includes a frusto-conical baffle body 82 with a central opening 84 forming a hollow bore to allow the projectile (bullet) to exit normally. The baffle body 82 includes side openings 86 and supports 88. During firing, the bullet flies through the openings 84 in the stack of baffles 80 with little hindrance, but some of the expanding gas ejecta behind it is retained by baffles body 82 and directed through a longer and convoluted escape path such as through openings 86 and 38, prolonging the release time. The structure of the stack of baffles 80 slows down the gas and dissipates its kinetic energy into a larger surface area, reducing the blast intensity, thus lowering the loudness.

The silencer 10 includes the second series of stacked cone shaped baffles 90 within the second inner housing portion 46. The stacked cone shaped baffles 90 are substantially the same as the stacked cone shaped baffles 80 whereby each stacked cone shaped baffle 90 includes a frusto-conical baffle body 92 with a central opening forming a hollow bore to allow the projectile (bullet) to exit normally. The baffle body 92 includes side openings 96 and supports 98. During firing, the bullet flies through the openings in the stack of baffles 90 with little hindrance, but some of the expanding gas ejecta behind it is retained by baffles body 92 and directed through a longer and convoluted escape path such as through openings 96 and 48, prolonging the release time. The structure of the stack of baffles 90 slows down the gas and dissipates its kinetic energy into a larger surface area, reducing the blast intensity, thus lowering the loudness.

The above description is representative of the present invention but not restrictive thereof. The full scope of the present invention is set forth in the appended claims and equivalents thereto.