Side Charging Handle for Semi-Automatic Firearm

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/598,927 filed Mar. 7, 2024, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/491,325 filed Mar. 21, 2023. Both of the foregoing applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The present invention generally relates to semi-automatic firearms, and more particularly to a side-mounted charging handle for such firearms such as rifles or carbines which may be used to manually cycle the action.

Typically, a charging handle is used to “charge” or “cycle” (i.e. actuate) the action of an AR-type firearm such as a rifle or carbine. For example, conventional charging handles for such AR-type firearms generally comprise elongated rods which are mounted on top of the upper receiver. The rear ends of these hands are T-shaped and protrude rearwardly from the upper receiver for grasping and manual actuation by the user. The forward end of these type charging handles extends forward through a top portion of the receiver in order to locate and “grab” the bolt carrier group which comprises the bolt carrier which holds the bolt configured to form a locked breech. The “action” (bolt carrier group) may be manually withdrawn rearward or cycled to open the breech and provide access to the chamber at the rear of the barrel which holds an ammunition cartridge.

Such conventional T-shaped top and rear mounted charging handles for AR-type firearms may not be easy to grasp and can be cumbersome for some users to operate.

Improvements in charging handles for AR-type or other conventional firearms are desired which can also provide ambidextrous operation for both right and left handed users.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved side-mounted ambidextrous charging handle for a firearm, including without limitation an AR-type semi-automatic firearm. The firearm may be an AR-type long gun such as a rifle or carbine in some non-limiting examples; however, the present side-mounted charging handle may also be used for other type conventional long guns.

The side-mounted charging handle is mountable to either side of the bolt carrier assembly of the firearm via a commonly configured charging handle mounting interface provided on the right and left lateral sides of the bolt carrier. The bolt carrier assembly collectively includes the bolt carrier which supports a bolt therein configured to form a closed and locked breech. The bolt carrier assembly is manually retractable from a forward closed breech position to a rearward open breech position via the charging handle.

The charging handle may be coupled to the bolt carrier assembly via a transversely oriented mounting pin member of the charging handle and a self-retrained retention clip engageable therewith. The clip may be slideably mounted to one of the lateral sides of the bolt carrier and is movable between locked and unlocked positions, as further described herein. This prevents the retention clip from getting lost when the charging handle is dismounted from the bolt carrier assembly.

The charging handle is further configured to also retain the firing pin in the bolt carrier assembly so as to block its removal while the charging handle is mounted to the bolt carrier assembly. The charging handle therefore serves dual purposes, thereby providing an efficient design with minimal parts.

In one aspect, a firearm with side-mounted charging handle comprises: a longitudinal axis; a receiver defining a longitudinal cavity; a barrel coupled to the receiver, the barrel comprising a front muzzle end, a rear breech end, and an internal bore extending axially between the ends to define a projectile passageway; a bolt carrier assembly movably disposed in the longitudinal cavity of the receiver, the bolt carrier assembly collectively comprising a bolt carrier and a bolt disposed at least partially inside a forwardly open bolt cavity in the bolt carrier; the bolt carrier assembly being axially moveable between a forward closed breech position in battery with the barrel and a rearward open breech position; a firing pin disposed in a firing pin passage formed longitudinally in the bolt, the firing pin axially movable between a forward striking position for contacting a chambered cartridge in the barrel and a rearward ready-to-fire position; a charging handle detachably mounted to the bolt carrier assembly, the charging handle comprising a mounting pin member passing transversely through the bolt carrier between first and second lateral sides thereof, and a grasping member projecting transversely outwards from the first lateral side of the bolt carrier; the charging handle operable to manually cycle the bolt carrier assembly from the forward closed breech position to the rearward open breech position via the grasping member; wherein the mounting pin member of the charging handle is configured and positioned to retain the firing pin in the bolt carrier by blocking withdrawal of the firing pin from the bolt carrier assembly. In one embodiment, the mounting pin member of the charging handle is engageable with a diametrically enlarged annular retention flange on the firing pin, the mounting pin member operable to block rearward withdrawal of the firing pin from the firing pin passage of the bolt. The firearm further comprises a retention clip detachably engaged with a free terminal end of the mounting pin member of the charging handle which projects transversely outwards into an elongated lateral opening formed in the second lateral side of the bolt carrier.

According to another aspect, a method for coupling a charging handle to a side of a bolt carrier assembly of a firearm comprises: providing a bolt carrier assembly defining a longitudinal axis and including a bolt carrier and a bolt supported by the bolt carrier, and the charging handle including a mounting pin member and a grasping member for manually actuating the charging handle; placing the charging handle against a first lateral side of the bolt carrier; inserting the mounting pin member of the charging handle laterally through a through passage formed in the bolt carrier in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis; projecting a terminal end of the mounting pin member outwards from a second lateral side of the bolt carrier; detachably coupling a retention clip to the terminal end of mounting pin member; wherein the retention clip fixedly couples the charging handle to the first lateral side of the bolt carrier. In one embodiment, the detachably coupling step includes sliding the retention clip parallel to the longitudinal axis from an unlocked position to a locked position engaged with the mounting pin member.

According to another aspect, a bolt carrier assembly of a firearm with side-mounted charging handle comprises: a longitudinal axis; a bolt carrier; a bolt disposed at least partially inside a forwardly open bolt cavity in the bolt carrier; a firing pin disposed in a firing pin passage formed longitudinally in the bolt, the firing pin axially movable between a forward striking position for contacting a chambered cartridge in the barrel and a rearward ready-to-fire position; a charging handle detachably mounted to the bolt carrier, the charging handle comprising a mounting pin member passing transversely through the bolt carrier between first and second lateral sides thereof, and a grasping member projecting transversely outwards from the first lateral side of the bolt carrier for manually operating the bolt carrier assembly; wherein the mounting pin member of the charging handle is configured to cooperate with and retain the firing pin in the bolt carrier to block withdrawal of the firing pin from the bolt carrier assembly.

All drawings are schematic and not necessarily to scale. Parts and features shown and given a reference numerical designation in one figure may be considered to be the same parts where they appear in other figures without a numerical designation for brevity unless specifically labeled with a different part number and described herein.

The features and benefits of the invention are illustrated and described herein by reference to preferred but non-limiting exemplary (“example”) embodiments. This description of the embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. Accordingly, the invention expressly should not be limited to such embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the invention being defined by the claims appended hereto.

In the description of embodiments disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structures may be secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.

As may be recited in the present disclosure, any ranges disclosed herein are used as shorthand for describing each and every value that is within the range. Any value within the range can be selected as the terminus of the range. In addition, any references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. In the event of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and that of a cited reference, the present disclosure controls.

depict various aspects of a magazine-fed auto-loading semi-automatic firearmincluding a side-mounted charging handle according to the present disclosure. In one non-limiting embodiment, the firearm as illustrated may be an AR-type rifle. However, the firearm could be any other type of long gun such as a AR-type carbine with shorter barrel, or non AR-type rifles and carbines. Accordingly, the barrel mounting system is not limited in its applicability to any particular firearm format alone in which it is desirable to provide a side-mounted charging handle.

Referring generally to, as applicable, firearmincludes a longitudinal axis LA, receiver, barrelcoupled thereto, bolt carrier assembly, and a trigger-actuated firing mechanismwhich may be supported by the receiver. The firearm may also include a buttstockcoupled to the rear of the receiverand a handguardmounted to and extending from the front of the receiver which covers and surrounds at least a portion of the length of the barrel.

A downwardly open magazine wellis formed by the receiverwhich holds an ammunition magazine(represented schematically by dashed lines in) detachably mounted in the well and comprising a plurality of cartridges. Such magazines may a straight or curved box-style which contains a spring-biased stack of ammunition cartridges which are uploaded into the breech area of the receiver by a magazine spring and follower mechanism well known in the art for chambering into the rearwardly open chamberof barrelby the bolt carrier assemblyin a conventional manner when cycling the action. In one embodiment for an AR-type firearm, the cartridges may be centerfire cartridges with a centrally located percussion cap in the rear exposed end of the base of the cartridge which are struck by the firing pin to discharge the firearm. Such cartridge and magazines are well known to those skilled in the art without further undue elaboration.

The magazineis removably retained in the magazine wellby a movable magazine catch or latch. Latchmay be mounted proximate to the rear of the magazine welland is configured to engage and retain magazinein the firearm. To release the magazinefrom the firearm, the user presses the latch.

Barrelhas an elongated tubular body including an axial boreextending longitudinally and axially from a rear breech endto a front muzzle endfrom which a bullet or slug is discharged from the firearm. The centerline of boreis coaxial with and defines the longitudinal axis LA of the firearm. Because the boltof the bolt carrier assemblyis coaxial with boreof barrelfor forming a closed and locked breech, it bears noting that the longitudinal axis LA extends through the bolt and bolt carrier which share the same longitudinal axis applicable for reference with respect to the bolt carrier assembly. A vertical reference plane VR intersects and extends along the longitudinal axis LA for convenience of description (see, e.g.,). The rear breech endof the barreldefines a rearwardly open diametrically enlarged chamberconfigured for holding an ammunition cartridge. Chambercommunicates with borewhich forms the projectile passageway for the bullet or slug.

Receiverdefines an axially elongated internal longitudinal cavitywhich slidably carries and supports the bolt assembly(see, e.g.,). Cavityextends along the longitudinal axis LA between open front endof the receiver in communication with the barrel chamberfor loading cartridges therein, and open rear endof the receiver in communication with the buffer tube(see, e.g.,). Barrelis coupled to the front endof the receiver, such as without limitation forwardly and axially projecting external threaded nippleto form a rotary threaded coupling in one embodiment. Other coupling methods may be used. In one non-limiting embodiment, the right and left lateral sides of the receivereach includes an axially elongated operating slotwhich communicates with internal longitudinal cavityof receiverwhich movably carries the barrel carrier assemblytherein. A rear portion-of slotprovides a space through which charging handlemay be coupled to bolt carrier assemblyfor rearward and forward movement when cycling the action (e.g., bolt carrier assembly) manually or automatically via firing the firearm. An enlarged front portion-of slotprovides an ejection port through which spent cartridge casings are ejected from the firearm after firing by cycling the action. As shown in, front portion-may have a greater height for this purpose than rear portion-used to couple the charging handle to the bolt carrier assembly. Sloton both the right and left lateral sides of the firearm may be identical in configuration (including dimensions). The slotmay be formed in an upper receiver-of the receiverin one embodiment of an AR-type firearm, as described below.

In one non-limiting embodiment, firearmmay be an AR-type auto-loading semi-automatic firearm as previously noted. In such a firearm, with reference to, and-, the receiver comprises an upper receiver-detachably coupled to a lower receiver-which is a well known construction in the art for AR-type rifles or carbines without further elaboration necessary. The bolt carrier assemblyis movably mounted in the upper receiver (see, e.g.,). Upper receiver-in this embodiment defines the internal longitudinal cavityfor housing the bolt carrier assembly, an open rear end, and open front end; both which are in communication with the cavity. Bolt carrier assemblyis insertable forward in the longitudinal/axial direction into cavitywhen assembling the firearm (see, e.g.,). Barrelis detachably coupled to the front endof upper receiver-via any conventional means, such as for example without limitation an internally threaded barrel nutwhich threadably engages an external threaded nippleon the front end of the upper receiver-(see, e.g.,). Other coupling methods may be used.

The trigger-actuated firing mechanismis mounted in the lower receiver (see, e.g.,), which in one embodiment may include a detachably coupled pistol grip-as shown. In other embodiments, a one-piece receiver may be provided for other type long guns (e.g., rifles or carbines).

The firing mechanismmay generally include the following components mounted in the lower receiver-: a movable triggerfor actuating the firing mechanism; a pivotable and cockable spring-biased hammer; and a pivotable disconnectoroperably interfaced between the trigger and hammer. Hammeris biased forward towards the firing position by hammer spring-, which may be any suitable type torsion or helical compression spring. Triggermay be configured and operable to hold the hammer in a rear cocked position (see, e.g.) and release the hammer forward to strike the firing pin in response to a trigger pull. In the illustrated embodiment, triggerincludes a sear hook-engageable with a mating sear catch-formed on a portion of the hammer. Pulling the triggerrearward operates to disengages sear hook-from catch-on the hammer, thereby releasing spring-biased hammerforward which strikes the rear end of firing pinslidably carried by the boltof the bolt carrier assembly. This drives the firing pin forward to strike a chambered cartridge held in the chamberof the barrelfor discharging the firearm. The disconnectoris configured to temporarily engage and retain the hammer in the rear cocked position (which is automatically reset by the bolt carrier assemblymoving rearward after firing) until the user releases the triggerto re-engage the hammer.

Referring initially now to, bolt carrier assemblyis collectively comprised of and generally includes outer bolt carrierand boltrotatably disposed inside the carrier. Bolt carrier assembly is axially moveable between a forward closed breech position in battery with the barreland a rearward open breech position spaced longitudinally apart and disengaged from the barrel for extracting and ejecting a fired or spent cartridge from the chamber in a conventional manner after firing the firearm.

Bolt carrierhas an axially elongated generally tubular body extending along longitudinal axis LA of the firearm an defining an open front end, rear end, and an internal forwardly and rearwardly open bolt cavityextending longitudinally/axially between the ends. Rear endmay be open in one embodiment to facilitate removal of firing pinfrom bolt carrier assembly. The front portion of bolt carriercomprises a forwardly open bolt cavity. Cavitymay be configured to house and carry the boltat least partially therein as shown such that at least the bolt headat front endof the boltprojects forward from the bolt carrier and is exposed to selectively lockingly engage the rear breech end of the barrelfor forming a locked breech during firing, as further described herein. The rear part of bolt cavitymay be open and leads into a diametrically enlarged firing pin retention chamberformed in the bolt carrierrearward of the bolt. Retention chamber is laterally open through the right lateral sideand left lateral sideof the bolt carrierand rearwardly open into a hammer slotformed in the rear portion of the bolt carrier. Hammer slotis upwardly and downwardly open to allow hammerof firing mechanismto pivots forward therein to strike the rear endof firing pinto discharge the firearm. The rear portion of bolt carriermay include a longitudinally-extending passagewhich communicates with the hammer slot and allows removal of the firing pin therethrough and the open rear endof the bolt carrier.

Bolthas an axially elongated body of generally cylindrical shape (albeit with varying diameter portions) and may have a monolithic unitary structure in some embodiments. Boltdefines a longitudinal firing pin passagetherein extending from front endto rear end; the rear end being open to insert firing pinat least partially therein. Front endof boltdefines forward facing vertical breech facethat is insertable into rear breech endof the barrelin battery therewith to abut the rear cartridge chamberand rear of the chambered cartridge for forming a closed breech during firing (see, e.g.,). Breech faceincludes a firing pin aperture-through which narrowed front endof firing pincan be projected therethrough via a hammer strike (actuated by a trigger pull) to strike a chambered cartridge and discharge the firearm in a conventional manner. The breech facemay be recessed into the front endof boltas shown in some embodiments.show boltin isolation.

During assembly of the bolt carrier assembly, the boltis inserted rearward through the open front end of bolt cavityformed in bolt carrier.

Bolt headat front endof boltinclude a plurality of radial bolt lugswhich are engageable with a plurality of mating radial bolt locking lugsformed at rear breech end of barrel(see, e.g.,). Bolt lugsare insertable forward between bolt locking lugswhen the bolt carrier assemblyis in battery with rear breech endof barrel. Once forward of the bolt locking lugs, boltis then rotated which in turn rotates bolt lugsin front of the bolt locking lugs to an interference position, thereby forming an interlock therebetween and locked breech during firing in a conventional manner. For AR-type firearms, boltis automatically rotated via a cam pinfixedly coupled to the bolt when slideably engages a corresponding curved cam slotformed in bolt carrier(see, e.g.,). After firing the firearm, as the bolt carriertravels rearward to open the breech, interaction between cam pinand cam slotoperates to rotate the bolt to unlock the breech, thereby allowing the bolt to be withdrawn axially rearward from the barrel and barrel bolt locking lugstherein. This manner of operation is well known in the art.

In one embodiment, firearmmay be a gas-operated AR-type firearm which uses combustion gas from firing to cycle the action (i.e. bolt carrier assembly) between the forward closed breech and rearward open breech positions. Firearmmay be configured as a direct impingement gas operating system as shown. Referring to, highly pressured combustion gas is bled off of the barrel borevia gas extraction port. A longitudinally-extending gas tubeconveys the extracted gas rearward to gas keydetachably mounted to bolt carriervia threaded fasteners(see directional gas flow arrowsin). Gas keydefines an internal gas passage-which fluidly couples gas tubeto gas chamber. The pressurized gas stream enters gas chamberformed inside bolt cavityin the bolt carrier around an intermediate portion of bolt. Boltincludes a gas seal ringslocated in the forward portion of gas chamberto prevent the high pressure gas from leaking forward out of the bolt carrier (see, e.g.,). The pressurized gas fills gas chamberand drives the entire bolt carrier assemblyrearward after firing, thereby unlocking and opening the breech to allow the used or spent cartridge to be extracted from chamberand ejected from the firearm.

The bolt carrier assembly(bolt carrierand bolttherein) travels fully rearward to the open breech position. This drives cylindrical buffer memberlocated inside axially elongated buffer tubecoupled to buttstockrearward in turn, thereby compressing buffer or recoil spring(see also). Buffer tubeis coaxially aligned with longitudinal axis LA of the firearm defined by the barrelpreviously described herein. Recoil springmay conventionally be a helical compression spring in one embodiment. The compressed recoil spring then converts the stored mechanical potential energy back to kinetic energy as the spring re-expands. This drives the bolt carrier assemblyback forward to the closed breech position. This mechanism and operation is known in the art.

It bears noting that in other embodiments, an indirect gas piston operating system also used and known in the art for AR-type firearms ay be provided instead for firearm. In this type system, the high pressure combustion gas is used to drive a piston and rod assembly rearward which interacts with the bolt carrier assembly to drive it rearward to open the breech after firing. The gas does not enter the bolt carrier in such a design. The present side-mounted charging handle may be used with equal benefit for either direct impingement or indirect gas operating systems. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to either type gas operating system.

Referring to, firing pinis carried in longitudinal firing pin passageof bolt. The firing pin retention chamberformed in the bolt carrierrearward of the boltreceives diametrically enlarged annular retention flangeon the firing pin. Retention chamberis rearwardly open and dimensioned to allow the retention flangeand firing pinto be withdrawn in an axial rearward direction from the boltand bolt carrierfor removal. The opening in rear endof boltpositioned forward of retention chamberconversely is dimensioned smaller than the diameter of retention flangeto prevent the firing pinfrom advancing any farther forward. It bears noting thatshows the bolt carrier assemblyin an open breech position. When the breech is closed and bolt carrieris in battery with the barrel, boltwould retract farther rearward inside the bolt carrier, thereby placing the narrowed front endof firing pincloser to firing pin aperture-in breech facein the bolt headat front so that the firing pin can be projected forward when struck by the hammer to contact the chambered cartridge and discharge the firearm. It is also worth noting that the retention chamberalso prevents the firing pin from traveling forward when the firearm is out of battery. When the firearm is out of battery, as shown in, the large retention flangeon the firing pincontacts the front of the “retention chamber” to limit it forward motion and prevent the firing pin from firing the firearm when not in battery. When the firearm is in-battery, the entrance to the small diameter firing pin passageat the rear endof bolttravels/shifts axially rearward, and then acts as the firing pin stop to limit forward motion and prevent excess cartridge primer indent by engaging the retention flange.

The side-mounted charging handle, which is shown in top view inand in isolation and greater detail in, will now be further described.

Referring to the foregoing figures and in general toas applicable, charging handlegenerally includes a multi-membered body including a longitudinal central base member, mounting pin member, grasping member, and locating protrusion. Central base memberis longitudinally/axially elongated and oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis LA of the firearm when charging handleis coupled to the bolt carrier mounted in turn to the receiver(e.g., upper receiver-). Base membermay be substantially straight and linear in one embodiment as shown. The central base member serves as hub to which the other parts of the charging handle are fixedly connected and/or integrally formed. Mounting pin memberand grasping membereach are oriented and extend perpendicularly to central base member.

The mounting pin memberof the charging handle defines a first pin axis AXwhich is parallel to but longitudinally offset from a second handle axis AXdefined by the grasping memberof the charging handle (see, e.g.,). The axes AXand AXare oriented transverse (e.g., perpendicular) to the longitudinal axis LA of the firearmwhen the handle is mounted to the bolt carrier assembly. Central base memberdefines a third base axis AXwhich is perpendicular to axes AXand AXas shown. Mounting pin membermay be disposed on a rear portion of central base memberwhereas grasping membermay be disposed on a front portion of the central base member.

The mounting pin memberof the charging handleis configured and operable to both mount the charging handle to the bolt carrier assemblyand further functions in the non-limiting illustrated embodiment to retain the firing pinin the bolt carrier assembly. Mounting pin memberprojects inwards from the charging handle (e.g., central base member) towards and through the bolt carrier assemblybetween the lateral sides,of bolt carrierwhen mounted thereto. Specifically, lateral windows or openings-and-formed and recessed into the right and left lateral sides,of the bolt carrierintersect and are in communication with by the laterally, rearwardly, and forwardly open firing pin retention chamberin the bolt carrier, thereby collectively forming a transversely oriented through passagethrough the bolt carrier from side to side. The charging handle mounting pin memberis insertable through the transverse through passagebetween the lateral sides of the bolt carrier as shown for example in.

The lateral openings-,-of bolt carriermay have any suitable shape for the intended function, including longitudinally/axially elongated slots as shown. The portion of the lateral openings which defines parts of the transverse through passageextending laterally through bolt carrierdefines circular apertures-,-complementary configured to and dimensioned close to but slightly larger than the cylindrical engagement section-of mounting pin memberof charging handle. This provides a close yet slideable fit between the mounting pin member and circular apertures to prevent excessive looseness and wobbling of the charging handle when manually actuated by the user. The cylindrical engagement section-of the charging handle mounting pin memberpasses through and is positioned within the laterally open firing pin retention chamberformed in the bolt carrier rearward of the bolt.

Mounting pin memberof charging handleis configured to prevent axial withdrawal of the firing pinrearward from the bolt carrier assembly(i.e. boltand bolt carrier). The firing pin is normally insertable into the bolt carrier and bolt in a forward axial direction (parallel to longitudinal axis LA) from the rear of the bolt carrier. To accomplish the firing pin retention function, the mounting pin memberof the charging handle is engageable and cooperates with a diametrically enlarged annular retention flangedisposed on the firing pin. The mounting pin member, when inserted transversely/laterally through the transverse through passageof the bolt carrier, blocks rearward withdrawal of the firing pin from the bolt carrier assembly. The retention flange of the firing pin is positioned in the retention chamberforward of the cylindrical engagement section-of charging handle mounting pin member(see, e.g.,). In other words, retention flangeengages the charging handle mounting pin memberwhen drawn rearward in the bolt carrierwhich limits axial movement and prevents complete withdrawal of the retention firing pin any farther rearward than the mounting pin member of the charging handle.

When the mounting pin memberof charging handleis laterally withdrawn from the bolt carrier(e.g., mounting pin member), the firing pin can be axially withdrawn rearward from the boltand bolt carrierand completely removed.

Advantageously, the present charging handletherefore provides a dual function of both retaining the firing pinin the firearm (bolt carrier assembly) and manually cycling/moving the bolt carrier assembly rearward by a user to open the breech of the firearm. This minimizes the number of parts of necessary for the bolt carrier assembly, thereby providing a mechanically simple design of a side-mounted charging handle which reduces the possibility of miscellaneous parts getting lost during disassembly and maintenance (e.g., cleaning) of the firearm. Particularly for direct impingement gas operated autoloading firearms explained above, combustion gas enters the bolt carrier assembly thereby requiring more frequent cleaning of the assembly to remove carbon and soot deposits to maintain a properly functioning firearm in contrast to gas piston operated firearms.

To positively retain and mount the charging handleto the bolt carrier, a retention clipdetachably engages a free terminal end-of the charging handle mounting pin memberwhich projects transversely/laterally outwards from the right lateral sideof the bolt carrieropposite the left lateral side. Terminal end-may include at least one retention groove-complementary configured to receive and lockingly engage a pair of spaced apart and resiliently deflectable jawsof retention clip(see, e.g.,). Groove-may be a circumferentially continuous groove, or in some embodiments as shown in, may alternatively be discontinuous being comprised of a pair of separate grooves. Locking end portionof the retention clipmay be C-shaped and defines a pair of resiliently deformable jawsseparated at their free ends by a gap which allows insertion of charging handle mounting pin membertherethrough into circular central openingformed between jaws. The jawsare operable to selectively engage retention groove-of mounting pin memberto lock the charging handle mounting pin memberin the bolt carrier. Accordingly, central openingformed between jawsreceives the free terminal end-of charging handle mounting pin membertherein when the clipis installed and mounted on one of the two lateral sides,(e.g., right sideas illustrated) of the bolt carrier(see, e.g.,).

The retention clipis configured and operable to selectively engage mounting pin memberof charging handlewhen manually actuated by the user via moving the clip in the axial longitudinal direction. Sliding the retention cliplongitudinally against the transversely mounted charging handle mounting pin memberdeflects and spreads the jaws temporarily apart as the pin member is received into the central openingbetween the jaws. Once the jaws reach the at least one retention groove-on the free terminal end of mounting pin member, the jaws resiliently snap back towards each other and positively engage the retention groove, thereby locking the charging handleto the bolt carrier. Charging handle mounting pin membercan no longer be transversely/laterally withdrawn from the bolt carrier. Retention clipis preferably formed of a suitable deformable metal having an elastic memory such as spring metal and is operable to form a resilient snap lock engagement with the mounting pin memberof charging handleto retain the handle to the bolt carrier assembly.

In one embodiment, retention clipmay be a detachably mounted self-retained clip which remains slideably coupled to the lateral side of the bolt carriereven when the side-mounted charging handleand its mounting pin memberare completely removed from bolt carrier assembly. This advantageously eliminates the chance that this relatively small part might be lost when disassembling the bolt carrier assemblyfor maintenance, particularly in the field if necessary.

With continuing reference to, retention clipmay have a generally flat body in which the locking end portionmay be generally circular and diametrically enlarged having a greater height than the adjoining rectilinear (e.g., rectangular) front operating end portionof the clip. The arcuately curved top and bottom of the jawsslideably engage and ride forward and rearward in guide grooveson lateral sideof the bolt carrierwhen retention clipis moved between its locked and unlocked positions. The locked and unlocked positions are each axial positions such that the retention clip moves therebetween parallel to and along the longitudinal axis LA of the firearm. In one embodiment, as shown, the locked position may be a rearward axial position and the unlocked position may be a forward axial position. In other possible embodiments, these positions may be reversed such that the locked position is a forward axial position and the unlocked position is a rearward axial position.

Axially elongated operating end portionof the retention clipextending from and lying in the same vertical plane as the locking end portionhas a height less than the vertical distance between the top and bottom guide groovesand concomitantly the forward rectangular-shaped portion of lateral opening-in the bolt carrierin which the guide grooves are formed. Accordingly, the rectangular operating end portion of retention clipdoes not engage the guide grooves (see, e.g.,), but remains slideably movable forward and rearward in the lateral opening between the grooves.

Operating end portionof retention clip defines an operating tabbent perpendicularly (e.g., 90 degrees) outwards with respect to the flat main body of the retention clip as shown for grasping by user. The pair of vertically spaced apart longitudinal guide groovesformed in the body of bolt carriermay be formed within the lateral opening-on lateral sideof the carrier (see, e.g.,). One guide groove is formed at each of the top and bottom of lateral opening-and may be identical in configuration in one embodiment.

Retention clipis longitudinally/axially slideable in lateral opening-of bolt carrierbetween a forward unlocked position and rearward locked position positively engaging mounting pin memberof charging handleto detachably couple and retain the handle to the bolt carrier assembly. The longitudinally elongated slot shape of lateral opening-provides sufficient room for the retention clipto travel axially within the lateral opening between the forward and rearward positions. The longitudinally elongated top and bottom guide groovescontrol and guide movement of the retention clip and keep the clip engaged with the bolt carrier. It bears noting that the clipcannot be laterally/transversely withdrawn from the bolt carrierso long as the diametrically enlarged locking end portionof the clip remains slideably engaged with and is positioned in the guide groovescut into the bolt carrier during the clip's forward and rearward travel.

When the charging handleis not mounted to the bolt carrierso that the mounting pin memberis not positioned in the through passage(including firing pin retention chamber) of the bolt carrier, moving the retention clipto its locked position disengages the locking end portionof the clip from the mating guide grooveswithin the lateral opening-of the bolt carrier, thereby allowing the clip to be completely removed laterally from the bolt carrier. To facilitate the removal (and installation) of the retention clip, lateral opening-includes a circular diametrically enlarged removal opening-configured to receive the diametrically enlarged locking end portionof the retention clip (with jaws), as shown in. The retention clip guide groovesmay at least partially intersect the removal opening-(see, e.g.,). Lateral opening-on the opposite lateral sideof the bolt carriersimilarly includes a diametrically enlarged circular removal opening-for the same purpose and ambidextrous mounting of the charging handle, as further described herein.