FIREARM CASING DEFLECTOR

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/618,370 filed on Jan. 7, 2024, entitled “Firearm Casing Deflector,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all that is taught and disclosed therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to firearms and more particularly to bullpup rifles. A bullpup is a type of rifle which locates its feeding mechanism behind the firing grip.

In modern rifle use, it is preferable if the user is able to fire from both the right and left shoulder. For example, if the user were firing from the right-hand edge of a barricade, the user would hold the rifle with the stock against the right shoulder and the right cheek on the left-hand side of the stock. If the user is firing from the left-hand edge of a barricade, the user would hold the rifle with the stock against the left shoulder and the left cheek on the right-hand side of the stock.

Bullpups place the ejection port of the firearm close the user's face. For a bullpup that is configured for a right-handed user, the ejection port is on the right side of the rifle. If the user fires from the right shoulder, the casings are ejected to the right and rear, away from the user. If the user were to swap the bullpup to the left shoulder, the casings would be ejected directly into the user's face, potentially causing injury. Some bullpup manufacturers have addressed this issue by adding casing deflectors to their bullpup designs or moving the ejection port location. Others still have done nothing to allow for ambidextrous use. My invention mitigates the shortcomings of those bullpup designs which do not allow for ambidextrous use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

My invention is a casing deflector that is integrated into a cheek rest that can be easily affixed to the stock of a bullpup rifle. It has been successfully tested on Steyr AUG and MSAR bullpup rifles. The design is applicable to any bullpup that ejects casings from the left or right side of the firearm. The casing deflector redirects ejected casings away from the user, enabling ambidextrous use of the firearm and preventing injury to the user. It can be installed without any tools, requires no permanent modification to the host firearm, attaches securely to the host firearm, and can easily be removed or adjusted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the front, side, top, bottom, and isometric views of the casing deflector body (1). The deflecting boss (1A) can be seen protruding from the casing deflector body (1).

FIG. 2 shows an isometric expanded view of the casing deflector assembly (5). The casing deflector assembly is comprised of the casing deflector body (1) and hook fasteners (2).

FIG. 3 shows isometric views of the casing deflector assembly (5).

FIG. 4 shows an isometric expanded view of the host firearm assembly (6). The host firearm assembly (6) is comprised of the host firearm (4) and loop fasteners (3).

FIG. 5 shows an isometric view of the host firearm assembly (6).

FIG. 6 shows an isometric expanded view of the host firearm assembly (6) ready to accept the casing deflector assembly (5).

FIG. 7 shows an isometric view of the host firearm assembly (6) with the casing deflector assembly (5) attached and ready for use.

FIG. 8 shows a rear view of the casing deflector assembly (5) attached to the host firearm assembly (6), illustrating how the casing deflector body (1) conforms to the shape of the host firearm.

FIG. 9 shows an isometric view of the host firearm assembly (6) with the casing deflector assembly (5) attached and ready for use.

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the host firearm assembly (6) with the casing deflector assembly (5) attached and ready for use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

My invention is an article of manufacture that can attach to a bullpup rifle to redirect ejected casings away from the user. It consists of two components: the casing deflector body and the fasteners. The casing deflector body is a saddle-shaped component which has a boss protruding from one side. The front surface of the boss is located at the front of the case deflector body. The boss is shaped such that the front surface intercepts the path of ejected casings and redirects them in the desired direction. The front surface may be planar or non-planar. It may be normal to the axis of the host firearm's barrel or oblique. The exact profile of the optimal front surface will vary depending on the characteristics of the host firearm. The rear surface of the boss is shaped ergonomically to interface with the user's cheek, such that there are no sharp edges. The rear surface is located a distance rearward from the front surface such that it controls the position of the user's face in relation to the front surface. This differs from prior art, which may use a deflecting boss with no significant distance between the front surface and the rear surface.

The casing deflector body is manufactured by molding one sheet of heat-formable plastic over a form, then trimming the formed piece to the final shape. It can also be made using an injection molding process, additive manufacturing, or a fabric-resin process.

The fasteners are hook-and-loop type with weather-resistant adhesive backing.

Hook fasteners are adhered to the concave inner surface of the casing deflector body. The casing deflector body and the installed hook fasteners comprise the casing deflector assembly. Corresponding loop fasteners are adhered to the convex exterior surface of the host firearm. The host firearm and installed loop fasteners comprise the host firearm assembly.

The casing deflector assembly is installed onto the host firearm assembly by flexing the two sides of the casing deflector away from each other and placing the casing deflector over the stock of the host firearm such that the hook fasteners on the casing deflector assembly interface with the loop fasteners on the host firearm assembly. The casing deflector body closely conforms to the stock of the host firearm to provide ample surface contact, maximizing the holding strength of the fasteners.

The adhesive of the fasteners is semi-permanent in that it will not yield during regular use, but it can be removed without damage to the surface on which it is applied.

Prior art for bullpup casing deflectors exists as three different categories.

The first category of prior art, which I refer to as “bolt-on”, requires holes to be drilled in the host firearm's stock so that the casing deflector can be affixed with screws. This inherently creates weak points in the stock. With this type of installation, the casing deflector also acts as a lever, and should the host firearm fall on the casing deflector, the casing deflector will amplify the stress in the weakened areas. This can cause catastrophic damage to the host firearm. For my invention, installation requires no permanent modification to the host firearm. Should the host firearm fall on the casing deflector, the casing deflector will absorb the shock and protect the host firearm from damage, acting as a sacrificial component.

The second category of prior art, which I refer to as “clamp-on”, uses metal contact points and set screws to affix the casing deflector to the stock. This concentrates stress on small areas of the stock, which can damage to the host firearm. My invention does not concentrate stress anywhere on the host firearm.

The third category of prior art, which I refer to as “clip-on”, uses the elastic properties of the casing deflector to latch over the top of the stock. This type of casing deflector does not securely attach to the host firearm, and can be inadvertently detached if the assembly is not handled gently. My invention can withstand reasonable impacts from all directions without detaching from the host firearm. For all three aforementioned categories of prior art, the casing deflectors do not control the position of the user's face along the axis of the barrel of the host firearm. My invention uses a deflecting boss of such size and shape that it prevents the user from placing their face too close to the host firearm's ejection port.

The target market for the casing deflector is commercial, military, law enforcement, and private security. My invention is especially valuable for left-handed users because it allows for ambidextrous use of the host firearm.

The casing deflector can be removed from the firearm for cleaning or adjustment. To remove the casing deflector, spread the sides apart to disengage the side hook-and-loop fasteners, then lift up to disengage the top hook-and-loop fasteners. Reinstall in reverse order. The trajectory of ejected casings can be adjusted by repositioning the casing deflector forward or rearward.