Adjustable Firearm Butt Assembly

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/617,039, filed 26 Mar. 2024, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/456,433, filed 31 Mar. 2023, the subject matter of each is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

This disclosure generally relates to an adjustable firearm butt assembly. This disclosure also generally relates to a method for customizing a firearm butt assembly for a user of a firearm.

Firearm butt assemblies that are adjustable relative to their corresponding buttstocks are known. Adjustment of a typical firearm butt assembly includes loosening a single adjustment screw, adjusting a portion of the firearm butt assembly to a desired relative to the buttstock, and then tightening the single adjustment screw to maintain the firearm butt assembly in the desired orientation. The firearm butt assembly thus is maintained in its desired orientation only via the tightened single adjustment screw. Having only one mechanism/element for substantially preventing an unwanted adjustment of the firearm butt assembly may be undesirable in certain use conditions.

In an aspect, alone or in combination with any other aspect, an adjustable firearm butt assembly comprises a base plate selectively attached to a buttstock of a firearm. The base plate has a transversely extending base slot. An adjustment nut is aligned with, and is transversely movable relative to, the base slot. A pad plate is selectively attached to the base plate with the base plate being interposed longitudinally between the pad plate and the adjustment nut. The pad plate has a laterally extending plate slot. The plate slot is aligned with both the adjustment nut and the base slot. An attachment fastener selectively extends through the plate slot and into engagement with the adjustment nut to selectively attach the pad plate to the base plate. The attachment fastener is laterally movable with respect to the plate slot. The attachment fastener is selectively movable between unclamped and clamped conditions via engagement with the adjustment nut. The pad plate is selectively movable relative to the base plate when the attachment fastener is in the unclamped condition and substantially prevented from moving relative to the base plate when the attachment fastener is in the clamped condition.

In an aspect, alone or in combination with any other aspect, an adjustable firearm butt assembly comprises a base plate selectively attached to a buttstock of a firearm. The base plate has a base slot. An adjustment nut is aligned with, and movable relative to, the base slot. A pad plate is selectively attached to the base plate with the base plate being interposed longitudinally between the pad plate and the adjustment nut. The pad plate has a plate slot and a guide track. A guide pin has a portion selectively received in the guide track. An attachment fastener selectively extends through the plate slot and into engagement with the adjustment nut to selectively attach the pad plate to the base plate. The attachment fastener is movable with respect to the plate slot. The pad plate is selectively movable relative to the base plate and the guide pin. The guide pin slides along the guide track responsive to movement of the pad plate relative to the base plate and the guide pin.

In an aspect, alone or in combination with any other aspect, an adjustable firearm butt assembly comprises a pad plate selectively joined to a buttstock of a firearm. The pad plate has a guide track that includes at least one lateral guide track portion and a plurality of transverse guide track portions extending transversely from the at least one lateral guide track portion such that the transverse guide track portions are in mutual fluid communication via the at least one lateral guide track portion. The transverse guide track portions are separated from one another in a lateral direction. A guide pin is interposed longitudinally between the pad plate and the buttstock of the firearm and has a portion selectively received in the guide track. The pad plate is selectively movable relative to the buttstock and the guide pin. The guide pin slides along the guide track responsive to movement of the pad plate relative to the buttstock and the guide pin. The guide pin is selectively moved laterally from one transverse guide portion to another transverse guide portion via the at least one lateral guide track portion.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

As used herein, the term “user” can be used interchangeably to refer to an individual who prepares for, assists with, and/or performs the operation of a tool.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” can include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” as used herein, can specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term “and/or” can include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” can be interpreted to include X and Y.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of X and Y” can be interpreted to include X, Y, or a combination of X and Y. For example, if an element is described as having at least one of X and Y, the element may, at a particular time, include X, Y, or a combination of X and Y, the selection of which could vary from time to time. In contrast, the phrase “at least one of X” can be interpreted to include one or more Xs.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on,” “attached” to, “coupled” with, “contacting,” etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may not have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. Thus, a “first” element discussed below could also be termed a “second” element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or Figures unless specifically indicated otherwise.

The invention comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the following features, in any combination.

depicts an example adjustable firearm butt assemblyselectively attached to a buttstockof a firearmon or adjacent to a longitudinal end surfaceof the buttstock. The term “longitudinal” is used herein to indicate a substantially horizontal direction, in the orientation of, and is indicated as “LO” in the Figures. As shown in, the assemblyincludes a base plate, a spring plate, a pad plate, and a pad, all of which may correspond to each other and/or to the buttstockin one or more of size, footprint, cross-sectional profile, and shape. Furthermore, at least one of the base plate, the spring plate, the pad plate, the pad, and any other component of the assemblymay optionally be a similar color to, or otherwise have colors/materials chosen for aesthetic reasons based at least partially on, finish colors/materials of the buttstockand/or the firearmas a whole.

The assemblyalso includes a plurality of attachment fasteners-for coupling portions of the assemblyto one another and for mounting the assemblyto the buttstock. Furthermore, the assemblyincludes a guide pin, an adjustment nut, and an adjustment fastener. The guide pin, the adjustment nut, and the adjustment fastenerallow a user to selectively adjust and customize the location and orientation of the pad plateand the padrelative to the base plate, the spring plate, and the buttstock, thereby increasing the surface area of the padin contact with the user and improving the flushness of the padagainst the user. This allows the user to select a custom and comfortable interface (e.g., of the user's shoulder) with the firearm.

As shown in, the base platehas a front face(shown in) and a longitudinally opposite rear face(shown in). The base platealso has transversely spaced first and second base ends,. The term “transverse” is used herein to indicate a direction substantially perpendicular to the “longitudinal” direction, is shown as a substantially vertical direction, in the orientation of, and is indicated as “TR” in the Figures. A first footof the base plateis located at the second base endand extends longitudinally from the front faceto a first free foot end.

The base plateincludes first and second attachment holes,of the base plateextending longitudinally through the entirety of the base plate. The first and second attachment holes,are spaced transversely from one another on the base plate, with the first attachment holebeing located at the first base endand the second attachment holebeing located at the second base end. The second attachment holeis positioned such that it extends longitudinally from the rear faceto the first free foot end, and thus the second attachment holeextends through the entirety of the first foottoo. However, the base platemay be configured such that the second attachment holeis spaced transversely from the first foot.

The base platealso includes a base slotextending entirely longitudinally therethrough. The base slotmay be located transversely between the first and second attachment holes,and the first and second base ends,. The base slotis elongate and has a longest dimension oriented in the transverse direction. The base slotmay have parallel, substantially straight lateral sides,that are flanked by two semi-circular transverse ends,, though the base slotmay have any other desired shape. The term “lateral” is used herein to indicate a direction substantially perpendicular to both the “longitudinal” and “transverse” directions, and is indicated as “LA” in the Figures.

As shown in, the base platemay include a base depressionformed into the front faceof the base platearound the base slot. Unlike the base slot, the base depression is a blind recess extending slightly into the front faceonly. The base depressionsurrounds the base slotand, like the base slot, has a longest dimension oriented in the transverse direction. The base depressionmay correspond to the shape of the base slot. Therefore, as depicted in, the base depressionmay be defined by parallel, substantially straight lateral sides,that are flanked by two semi-circular transverse ends,. Although the shape of the base depression is depictedas corresponding to that of the base slot, the base depression may have any other desired shape.

As shown in, the base platehas a plurality of projection apertures-extending longitudinally through the entirety of the base plate, though the base platemay be configured to have only one projection aperture extending therethrough.

Referring to, the spring plateis securable to the front faceof the base plate. The spring platehas a front face(shown in) and an opposed rear face(shown in). The shape of the spring platemay at least partially correspond to the shape of the base plateso that the spring platemay, in certain orientations, comprise a contiguous extension of the base platewhen secured thereto. The spring plateand/or the base platemay be at least partially formed from an elastically deformable material or combination of materials, such as metal and/or high-density plastic.

The spring platehas transversely spaced first and second spring ends,. A second footof the spring plateis located at the first spring endand extends longitudinally from the front faceto a second free foot end. First and second securing holes,extend longitudinally through the entirety of the spring plate(including the second foot) at the first spring end. Therefore, the first and second securing holes,extend from the rear faceof the spring plateto the second free foot end. The spring plate, however, may be configured such that the first and second securing holes,are spaced transversely from the second foot.

The spring platemay be selectively secured to the front faceof the base plate(e.g., at the first base end) via the attachment fasteners,that extend through the first and second securing holes,and into corresponding first and second securing bores,in the front faceof the base plate. The attachment fasteners,may be, for example, threaded bolts or screws and the first and second securing bores,may be threaded so that the attachment fasteners,may be threadably engaged with the first and second securing bores,. The first and second securing holes,may be countersunk on the front faceto accept the enlarged heads of the attachment fasteners,so as to lie substantially flush with, or recessed slightly into, the front facewhen the attachment fasteners,are fully engaged in the first and second securing holes,

Although the assemblyis depicted in the Figures as having two securing holes,and two securing bores,, the assemblymay include any desired number of securing holes and bores,,,, and need not include the same number of both. Furthermore, although the securing bores,are depicted as being “blind” bores that extend only partially into the front faceof the base plate, it is contemplated that the securing bores,may instead be configured to extend entirely longitudinally through the base plate.

It should be appreciated that the second spring endis not secured directly to the base plate. In this configuration, e.g., only the first spring endof the spring plateis secured to the base plate. Such an arrangement permits the second spring endto selectively pivot in the longitudinal direction relative to the first spring endand the base platewhen the spring plateis secured to the base plate. Furthermore, as shown in, although the spring plateat least partially corresponds to the shape of the base plate, a transverse height of the spring plateis less than that of the base plate. Therefore, when the spring plateis joined to the base plate, the second spring endis transversely adjacent to the first foot, but does not longitudinally overlie the first free foot end. Such an arrangement helps achieve a relatively longitudinally compact footprint for the combined base and spring plates,. The second spring endof the spring plate, although transversely adjacent to the first foot, is at least partially spaced from the first footin the transverse direction. Such transverse spacing further promotes the spring plate'sability to pivot. However, in certain configurations of the assembly, the second spring endmay be configured to loosely contact the first footin the transverse direction without significantly hindering the ability of the spring plateto be pivoted.

Returning to, the spring plateincludes a plurality of pin projections-extending longitudinally from the rear faceof the spring plate. Although the spring plateis shown as having three pin projections-, the spring platemay have any desired number of pin projections-(i.e., one or more pin projections-). Each pin projection-includes a pin aperture-formed therein. Each pin aperture-is a blind recess extending slightly longitudinally into a respective pin projection-only. However, it is contemplated that at least one of the pin apertures-may instead be configured to extend entirely longitudinally through its respective pin projection-and the spring plate.

The pin projections-extend longitudinally into corresponding projection apertures-of the base platewhen the spring plateis secured to the base plate. The number of pin projections-and projection apertures-thus may directly correspond to one another, in some use environments. The pin projections-fit in the projection apertures-is configured to permit the selective pivoting of the spring platerelative to the base plate. Therefore, the pin projections-move longitudinally in the projection apertures-relative to the base platewith the longitudinally pivoting second spring end

The spring platealso includes an attachment holeextending longitudinally through the entirety of the spring plateat the first spring end. The attachment holeis positioned to extend longitudinally from the rear faceto the second free foot end, and thus the attachment holeof the spring plateextends through the entirety of the second foottoo. However, the spring platemay be configured with the attachment holespaced transversely from the second foot. The attachment hole, however, is located coaxially with the first attachment holeof the base platewhen the spring plateis secured to the base plate.

As shown in, once the spring platehas been secured to the base plate, the combined base and spring plates,may be selectively fixed to the buttstockadjacent the longitudinal end surfacethereof. In particular, the spring plateand the base platemay be inserted at least partially into a correspondingly shaped buttstock depression. The buttstock depressionmay be formed in the longitudinal end surfaceof the buttstockand may extend longitudinally inward into the buttstockfrom the longitudinal end surface.

The inserted base and spring plates,may be selectively fixed to the buttstockvia the attachment fastenerextending through the first attachment holeof the base plateand the attachment holeof the spring plateand into a corresponding first borein a longitudinally facing depression end surfaceof the buttstock. Similarly, an attachment fastenerextends through the second attachment holeof the base plateand into a corresponding second borein the depression end surface. The attachment fasteners,may be, for example, threaded bolts or screws and the first and second bores,may be threaded so that the attachment fasteners,may be threadably engaged with the first and second bores,. The first and second attachment holes,of the base platemay be countersunk on the rear faceto accept the enlarged heads of the attachment fasteners,so that the attachment fasteners,lie substantially flush with, or recessed slightly into, the rear facewhen the attachment fasteners,are fully engaged in the first and second attachment holes,

When inserted, the spring plateis interposed longitudinally between the base plateand the depression end surfaceand the first and second free foot ends,each directly contact the depression end surface. A longitudinal length of the combined base and spring plates,transversely between the first and second feet,(i.e., interposed transversely between, but not including, the first and second feet,) is less than a longitudinal length of the combined base and spring plates,at each of the first and second feet,when the spring plateis in an unflexed condition. As used herein an “unflexed” condition is a condition in which the spring plateextends substantially straightly in the transverse direction without significant bends in the spring platebetween the first and second spring ends,. This arrangement results in at least the second spring endof the unflexed spring plate(i.e., the front faceof the unflexed spring platelocated at least at the second spring end) being spaced from the depression end surface. The spacing (i.e., the longitudinal distance) between the second spring endof the unflexed spring plateand the depression end surfacenot only permits the second spring endto be pivoted longitudinally, this spacing also defines the maximum extent at which the second spring endmay be pivoted longitudinally toward the depression end surfacesince the second spring endcan be pivoted longitudinally toward the depression end surfaceuntil the second spring end(e.g., the front faceat the second spring end) makes contact with the depression end surface.

As shown in, the rear faceof the inserted base platemay form a single continuous surfacein conjunction with the longitudinal end surfaceof the buttstock, though at least the insert base platemay be configured to extend longitudinally outward beyond the longitudinal end surfaceand/or to at least partially cover a portion of the longitudinal end surface. As another alternative, the longitudinal end surfacemay include a separate buttstock cover(e.g., a plastic, metal, and/or rubber cover) attached thereto, such as in the arrangement shown by way of example in. When a buttstock coveris provided, the rear faceof the inserted base platemay form the single continuous surfacewith the buttstock coverand/or the longitudinal end faceof the buttstock.

Although the base plateand the spring plateare depicted as being selectively inserted into the buttstock depression, at least one of the base and spring plates,may be external to the buttstock depression, such as by being located on or adjacent to the longitudinal end surface. Furthermore, although the base and spring plates,have been shown as being selectively maintained in engagement with the buttstock depressionvia the attachment fasteners,, the base and spring plates,may instead, or additionally, be selectively or substantially permanently maintained within the buttstock depressionvia a press-fit or frictional engagement or any other suitable engagement mechanism.

Returning to, the guide pinmay be selectively inserted into a selected one of the pin apertures-. The guide pinis shown as being substantially circular in cross-section, though the guide pinmay have any other desired cross-sectional shape, such as, e.g., curvilinear, rectilinear, curved, triangular, square, and/or ovoid. For example, the shape of the guide pinmay be selected to correspond to the shape of the pin apertures-. It is contemplated that the guide pinmay exhibit differing cross-sectional shapes along a length thereof.

As shown in, the guide pinmay a guide headand a guide shankextending longitudinally from the guide head. The guide headincludes a head groove(e.g., an annular head groove) interposed between and defining first and second head projecting portions,, though it is contemplated that the guide headmay include only the first head projecting portion(i.e., the head projecting portion longitudinally opposite the guide shank). The first and second head projecting portions,thus extend further outward from a longitudinally extending central guide axisof the guide pinthan the head groove.

The guide shankand pin apertures-may be threaded so that the guide shankmay be threadably engaged with a selected one of the pin apertures-. Such a threaded engagement may help prevent the guide pinfrom being undesirably removed from the pin aperture-in which the guide pinis inserted. Furthermore, as shown in, the guide pinand/or the pin apertures-are configured such that when the guide shankis inserted into a selected one of the pin apertures-, at least the guide headextends longitudinally outward from the selected pin aperture-. The guide pinmay be at least partially formed from a strong, rugged, durable material or combination of materials, such as metal and/or high-density plastic.

Although the guide shankis shown in the Figures as being threadably engaged to a selected one of the pin apertures-, the guide shankand/or the pin apertures-may be configured to provide any other type of suitable engagement therebetween, such as, e.g., a press-fit or frictional-fit engagement.

Referring now to, the pad plateis mountable to the base plate. The pad platehas a front face(shown in) and a longitudinally opposed front face(shown in). The shape of the pad platemay correspond to the shape of the base plateso that the pad platemay, in certain orientations, comprise a contiguous extension of the base platewhen mounted thereto. The pad platemay be at least partially formed from a strong, rugged, durable material or combination of materials, such as metal and/or high-density plastic.

The pad plateincludes first and second attachment holes,extending longitudinally through the entirety of the pad plate. The first and second attachment holes,are spaced transversely from one another on the pad plate.

The pad plateincludes a plate slotextending entirely longitudinally therethrough. The plate slotmay be located transversely between the first and second attachment holes,of the pad plate. The plate slotis elongate and has a longest dimension oriented along the lateral dimension. The plate slotmay have parallel, substantially straight transverse sides,that are flanked by two semi-circular lateral ends,, though the plate slotmay have any other desired shape for a particular use environment of the assembly.

As shown in, a guide trackis recessed into the front faceof the pad plateso that the guide trackis at least partially defined by a longitudinally extending track wall. The guide trackmay extend transversely between the plate slotand the second attachment hole. In the example configuration shown in, the guide trackincludes a lateral guide track portionand a plurality of transverse guide track portions-extending transversely from the lateral guide track portionsuch that all the transverse guide track portions-are in mutual fluid communication via the lateral guide track portion. The transverse guide track portions-are at least partially defined by guide ribs-. These guide ribsalso separate the transverse guide track portions-from one another in the lateral direction. Although the guide trackis shown as having four transverse guide track portions-, the guiding trackmay have only one or any other desired number of transverse guide track portions-. Furthermore, instead of having only a single lateral guide track portion, the guide trackmay be configured to have no lateral guide track portion(when the guide trackincludes only one transverse guide track portion-) or a plurality of lateral guide track portions.

As shown in, the track wallmay include a track groovealong the entirety of the track wallfor receiving the first head projecting portionof the guide pin. A track projecting portion, which is at least partially defined by the track grooveand longitudinally adjacent to the front face, may be configured to be at least partially received in the head grooveof the guide pin.

Referring now to, the padmay be a resilient pad which at least partially absorbs and mitigates recoil forces of the firearmduring use. The padincludes a front face(shown in) and a longitudinally opposed rear face(shown in). The padmay be wholly or at least partially formed from an elastomeric or other material or combination of materials having desired properties of resiliency, durability, softness, and shape memory. For example, the padmay have an elastomeric portionfor absorbing and mitigating recoil forces, and an at least partially rigid portionfor interfacing with the pad plate. The at least partially rigid portion, when present, may be at least partially formed from rubber, plastic, metal, any other at least partially rigid material, or any combination thereof. The rear facemay be on the elastomeric portion, while the front facemay be on the at least partially rigid portion

The pad platemay be selectively fixed to padadjacent the front faceof the pad. In particular, the pad platemay be inserted at least partially into a correspondingly shaped pad depression. The pad depressionmay be formed in the front faceof the padand may extend longitudinally inward into the padfrom the front face. The pad depressionthus may be formed in the at least partially rigid portionof the padand may extend longitudinally toward the rear end faceof the pad.

The pad platemay be selectively fixed to the padvia the attachment fasteners,that extend through first and second attachment holes,of the padand into corresponding first and second attachment holes,of the pad plate. In this configuration, the first and second attachment holes,of the padextend longitudinally through the entirety of the padand are spaced transversely from one another on the pad. The attachment fasteners,may be, for example, threaded bolts or screws and the first and second attachment holes,of the pad platemay be threaded so that the attachment fasteners,may be threadably engaged with the first and second attachment holes,

In an alternate configuration, the first and second attachment holes,of the padmay be configured as “blind” bores that extend only partially into the front faceof the pad. In such a configuration, the attachment fasteners,may extend through first and second attachment holes,of the pad plateand into the corresponding first and second attachment holes,of the pad. Furthermore, the first and second attachment holes,of the padmay be threaded so that the attachment fasteners,may be threadably engaged with the first and second attachment holes,. Lastly, the first and second attachment holes,of the pad platemay be countersunk on the front faceto accept the enlarged heads of the attachment fasteners,so as to lie substantially flush with, or recessed slightly into, the front facewhen the attachment fasteners,fully engaged in the first and second attachment holes,

As shown in, the front faceof the inserted pad platemay form a single continuous surfacewith the front faceof the pad, though the pad platemay be configured to extend longitudinally outward beyond the front faceof the padand/or to at least partially cover a portion of the front faceof the pad.

As shown in, the pad depressionmay be shaped to not only selectively receive the pad plate, but also to selectively receive a portion of the adjustment fastener(e.g., an enlarged head of the adjustment fastener). In particular, the pad depressionmay include a fastener receiving portionlocated along the transverse length of the padsuch that the fastener receiving portionis at least partially aligned with the plate slotwhen the padis fixed to the pad plate. The longitudinal length of the pad depressionmay be at a maximum extent at the fastener receiving portionsuch that the portion of the adjustment fastenerreceived in the fastener receiving portionmay be positioned between the padand the rear faceof the inserted pad platewithout disrupting the continuity between the front faces,of the inserted pad plateand the pad. Although the fastener receiving portionis shown being elongate and having a longest dimension oriented along the lateral dimension, the fastener receiving portionmay have any desired shape and/or may directly correspond to (while being at least the same size as) the portion of the adjustment fastenerconfigured to be received in the fastener receiving portion.