Firearm Sound Suppressor

The present Application for Patent is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/215,793 by Murray et al., entitled “FIREARM SOUND SUPPRESSOR,” filed Jun. 28, 2023 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/357,876 by Murray et al., entitled “FIREARM SOUND SUPPRESSOR,” filed Jul. 1, 2022, each of which is assigned to the assignee hereof, and each of which is expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

The following relates generally to firearms, including firearm sound suppressors.

A suppressor may be attached to a firearm to reduce the sound of the firearm. The suppressor may have an internal volume to capture exhausting gases emitted from the firearm, where the exhausting gases may be cooled before the exhausted gases are released to the atmosphere. The suppressor may also include baffles that are used to deflect the exhausting gases, slowing down the exhausting gases and dissipating the kinetic energy into the larger surface of the internal volume. Slowing the exhausting gases may reduce the sound caused by firing the firearm.

After a suppressor is attached to a firearm, the suppressor may be positioned in an undesirable orientation. In some examples, an orientation assembly in the suppressor may be used to selectively enable an elongate body (which may be referred to as an exterior housing) of the suppressor to rotate such that the orientation of the suppressor may be moved to a desired orientation while a piston assembly of the suppressor remains fixedly attached to the firearm. In some examples, the orientation assembly may include a cam lever and a brake that interacts with an indexing ring to selectively prevent the elongate body from rotating relative to the piston assembly.

Although the cam lever and brake configuration may be used to selectively prevent the elongate body from rotating relative to the piston assembly, in some examples, urging the brake into contact with and releasing the brake from the outer surface of the indexing ring may require excessive force from a user. Also, in some examples, the brake may unintentionally release from the outer surface of the indexing ring, among other issues. Accordingly, in some examples, the elongate body may undesirably and unexpectedly rotate relative to the piston assembly during use of the suppressor.

To facilitate an ability of a user to selectively lock the rotation of the elongate body while extending the life and performance of the locking action, a novel configuration for the orientation assembly may be used. The novel configuration of the orientation assembly may include one or more pawls that can be selectively engaged with the outer surface of the indexing ring by toggling a selector component, such as a button or selector wheel.

shows an example of a suppressor in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

The suppressormay be configured to attach to the muzzle of a firearm such that a bullet pathway Pthrough the suppressoris substantially co-axially aligned with the trajectory of the bullet as it exits the muzzle of the firearm. When the bullet exits the muzzle, it exits along with high velocity discharge gases that, in normal operation, exit the muzzle rapidly, causing a loud noise. Noise suppressors, such as the one presented, may dissipate the discharge gases that exit the muzzle of a firearm to reduce the level of noise being emitted. In the present suppressor, these discharge gases are dissipated via the adjacent chambers. The adjacent chambersmay be configured to be in fluid communication with each other via a fluid pathway.

In some examples, at least a portion of the suppressoris formed from a metal, such as aluminum. However, other materials are also contemplated, such as, for example and not meant to be limiting, alloy steel, titanium, stainless steel, carbon fiber, other reinforced composite materials, and the like.

A cross-sectional view of the outer surface of the suppressorcan be substantially octagonal, according to one aspect. However, the suppressorcan have other cross-sectional shapes as well, such as substantially circular, substantially rectangular, substantially oval, and the like. In one aspect, the cross-sectional shape can be selected to correspond to the shape of the barrel of at least one firearm and/or firearm holster. In such cases, the suppressormay be holstered in a firearm holster, as a firearm would be, without requiring removal of the suppressorfrom the firearm.

The suppressormay include the elongate body. The elongate bodymay have the bullet entry endand the opposed bullet exit end. The bullet pathway Pmay extend longitudinally through the elongate bodyfrom the bullet entry endto the opposed bullet exit end. The elongate bodymay also define a plurality of adjacent chambersthat are spaced along a longitudinal axis Athat extends from the bullet entry endto the opposed bullet exit endof the elongate body. The bullet pathway Pmay be substantially co-axially aligned with the longitudinal axis A, of the elongate body. Alternatively, the bullet pathway Pmay be offset from the longitudinal axis A—e.g., by about 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm, 14 mm, 16 mm, 18 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, 70 mm, 80 mm, 90 mm, or about 100 mm. Optionally, the bullet pathway Pcan be offset from the longitudinal axis Aby at least 1 mm.

The elongate bodyof the suppressormay include a blast baffleand a plurality of chamber bafflesseparating each of the adjacent chambers. Each of the chamber bafflesmay define a baffle aperturethat is coaxial with the bullet pathway P. In some examples, at least a portion of at least one of the chamber bafflesis positioned to lie in a plane that is substantially transverse to the bullet pathway P. The elongate bodymay include at least two longitudinal wallsthat extend from the bullet entry endto the opposed bullet exit end. In such cases, each of the chamber bafflesmay be connected to and supported by at least one of the longitudinal walls.

In some examples, at least a portion of at least one of the chamber bafflesmay be substantially frustoconical in shape. In some examples, at least a portion of at least one of the chamber bafflescan be positioned at an acute angle relative to the bullet pathway P. In some examples, at least a portion of the chamber bafflescan be arcuate in shape. In some examples, the first baffle downstream (relative to the bullet pathway P) from the blast bafflecan be an arcuate “V” or “M” shape. In some examples, at least one of the chamber bafflesdownstream from the first baffle can be substantially arcuate in shape, having a first connection point at a longitudinal wallthat is upstream of a second connection point relative to the bullet pathway P. It should be noted that many other shapes are contemplated for the chamber baffles, such as, for example and without limitation, a pyramid, a wafer, and the like.

The elongate bodymay also include at least one of an elongate tube, a back cap, a front cap, and an encapsulator. The elongate tube, the back cap, and the front capmay form a housing in which the other components of the suppressorcan be positioned, attached to, or both. In some examples, the back capcan define the borehaving an inner diameter that can be threaded or otherwise configured to matingly engage the outer diameter of the piston spring retainerof the piston assembly.

The elongate tubemay be configured to selectively substantially envelop the elongate bodyand substantially enclose each of the adjacent chambers. The elongate tubecan be formed from one piece; however, it is contemplated that the elongate tubecan be formed from two or more pieces configured to matingly engage each other. If the elongate tubeis formed from two or more pieces, longitudinal edges of the pieces can be keyed to complement each other, or they may just abut one another. It is also contemplated that at least one of the pairs of longitudinal edges can comprise a hinge or similar fastening device. In some examples, the elongate tubeof the elongate bodymay be configured to be easily removed so that that the deposits caused by build-up of carbon and lead from the discharge gases can readily be accessed and removed. Alternatively, the elongate tubemay be configured to be substantially permanently attached to the elongate bodyto prevent a user from easily accessing internal elements of the elongate body.

The suppressormay include the piston assembly. The piston assemblymay be rotatably coupled to the elongate bodyadjacent the bullet entry end. In some examples, the piston assemblyis configured to fixedly, selectively attach to a distal end of a barrel of a firearm. As used herein, the terms “fixed” and “fixedly” mean substantially non-movably. For example, “fixedly attaching” the piston assemblyto the distal end of the barrel of a firearm means that the piston assemblydoes not substantially move relative to the end of the barrel of the firearm after fixed attachment to the barrel of the firearm, unless the operator selectively removes the suppressorfrom the firearm.

The piston assemblymay include the piston, the indexing ring, and the piston spring retainer. The pistonmay include an elongate, substantially cylindrical bodyhaving a piston bullet entry endand a piston bullet exit end. In some examples, a piston bore may be defined in the cylindrical bodyof the pistonand may extend from the piston bullet entry endto the piston bullet exit end. The piston bore may be substantially coaxially aligned with the bullet pathway P. In some examples, the piston bullet entry endof the pistonis selectively, fixedly attachable to a portion of the distal end of the barrel of the firearm. Thus, for example, at least a portion of the piston bore adjacent the piston bullet entry endcan be threaded such that the threads matingly engage complementary threads on the distal end of the barrel of the firearm.

In some examples, the pistonincludes at least one longitudinal indexing grooveformed on an outer surface of the cylindrical bodyof the piston. The at least one longitudinal indexing groovemay extend from the piston bullet entry endtowards the piston bullet exit endlongitudinally along at least a portion of the cylindrical bodyof the piston.

The indexing ringmay be annular and have an inner diameter sized to

correspond to an outer diameter of the piston, such that the indexing ringfits around the pistonwith close tolerance (e.g., within a threshold tolerance). The indexing ringmay be configured for coupling to the piston bullet exit endof the piston. The inner diameter of the indexing ringmay have at least one longitudinal indexing tabformed thereon. The at least one longitudinal indexing tabmay extend longitudinally from a first side of the indexing ringto a second side of the indexing ring. Alternatively, the at least one longitudinal indexing tabmay extend longitudinally for a portion of the distance from the first side of the indexing ringto the second side of the indexing ring.

If the indexing ringis inserted around the pistonsuch that the at least one longitudinal indexing tabof the indexing ringis inserted in the at least one longitudinal indexing grooveof the piston, the indexing ringmay be substantially radially fixed relative to the cylindrical bodyof the piston. Thus, in one aspect, the indexing ringcan be free to move longitudinally along the at least one longitudinal indexing groovea predetermined distance, however, the indexing ringcan be prevented from rotating relative to the piston. In this manner, the indexing ringcan be radially fixed with respect to the piston. It is of course contemplated that other means for radially fixing the indexing ringto the pistoncan be used, such as a rail and slot arrangement.

The outer surfaceof the indexing ringmay include one or more uneven surfaces, such as notches and/or teeth. For example, the outer surfaceof the indexing ringmay be knurled. The outer surfaceof the indexing ringmay be configured to engage with one or more locking ends of the pawlssuch that rotation of the elongate bodymay be prevented when the outer surfaceof the indexing ringis engaged with the locking ends of the pawls(which may be linked with the elongate body).

The piston spring retainercan be an annular spring retainer configured for fixed attachment to the elongate bodyof the suppressor. In some examples, a portion of the outer surfaceof the piston spring retainermay be configured for fixed attachment to the elongate body. In some examples, a portion of the outer surfaceof the piston spring retainercan be threaded such that the threads engage complementary threads formed on an inner diameter of the boreproximate the bullet entry endof the elongate body.

In some examples, the piston spring retainermay have an inner diameter sized to correspond to the outer diameter of the piston, such that the piston spring retainercan fit around the cylindrical bodyof the pistonwith close tolerance. In some examples, the piston spring retainercan define a groove configured for receiving an O-ringtherein. In some examples, the piston spring retainercan be formed without tabs and the like so that the piston spring retainercan be free to rotate relative to the pistonand move longitudinally along the piston. In some examples, the piston spring retainercan be rotatably coupled to the indexing ring. In such cases, the piston spring retainerand the indexing ringcan be coupled to each other so that the piston spring retainercan rotate relative to the indexing ring. Thus, after the indexing ringand piston spring retainerhave been installed on the piston, the piston spring retainermay be able to rotate both radially and move longitudinally relative to the pistonwhile being fixed radially and longitudinally relative to the elongate bodyof the suppressor.

The piston assemblymay include a piston springpositioned between the piston bullet entry endand the piston bullet exit end. In another aspect, the piston springcan be positioned on the exterior surface of the pistontherebetween the piston spring retainerand a piston spring shoulderthat is formed on the piston bullet exit end. In still another aspect, the piston springcan be configured to urge the indexing ringlongitudinally away from the piston bullet exit end. In use, the piston springcan allow the elongate bodyto move slightly independently of the pistonand the firearm, thereby aiding in unlocking of the firearm barrel.

The suppressormay include the orientation assembly. The orientation assemblymay be configured to selectively prevent the elongate bodyfrom rotating relative to the piston assembly. Thus, when the orientation assemblyis configured to prevent the elongate bodyfrom rotating relative to the piston assembly, the piston assemblymay be fixedly attached to a firearm via rotation of the elongate body—e.g., by rotating the elongate bodyso that threads on the inner diameter of the piston bullet entry endof the pistonengage with mating threads of the barrel of the firearm. Based on fixedly attaching the piston assemblyto the firearm, the bullet entry endmay be positioned adjacent to the firing end of a barrel of the firearm.

In some examples, after the suppressoris fixedly attached to the firearm, an orientation of the suppressormay be in an undesirable orientation. Thus, when the orientation assemblyis configured to allow the elongate bodyto rotate relative to the piston assembly, a position of the elongate bodymay be moved to a desired orientation while a position the piston assemblyremains fixed—e.g., by rotating the elongate bodyafter fixedly attaching the piston assemblyto the elongate body.

In some examples, the orientation assemblymay include a cam lever that is used to urge a brake toward (or release a brake from) the outer surfaceof the indexing ring. When the brake is in contact with the outer surfaceof the indexing ring, the elongate bodymay be prevented from rotating relative to the piston assembly. Alternatively, when the brake is separated from the outer surfaceof the indexing ring, the elongate bodymay be allowed to rotate relative to the piston assembly.

Although the cam lever and brake configuration may be successfully used to selectively prevent the elongate bodyfrom rotating relative to the piston assembly, in some examples, urging the brake into contact with and releasing the brake from the outer surfaceof the indexing ringto prevent and allow rotation of the elongate bodymay require excessive force from a user, among other issues. Also, in some examples, the brake may unintentionally release from the outer surfaceof the indexing ring—e.g., as the cam lever wears out/loosens with repeated use, if the cam lever is not closed with sufficient force, etc. Accordingly, in some examples, the elongate bodymay undesirably and unexpectedly rotate relative to the piston assemblyduring use of the suppressor.

To facilitate an ability of a user to selectively lock the rotation of the elongate bodywhile extending the life and performance of the locking action, an alternative configuration for the orientation assemblymay be used. The alternative configuration of the orientation assemblymay include one or more pawls that can be selectively engaged with the outer surfaceof the indexing ringby toggling the selector component(which may be a button, a wheel, or the like).

In some examples, the orientation assemblymay include one or more of the pawls, one or more of the pawl fasteners, and the selector component. One or more of the pawlsmay be configured to engage with the outer surfaceof the indexing ringsuch that rotation of the elongate bodyrelative to the piston assemblymay be prevented when the one or more of the pawlsare engaged with the outer surfaceof the indexing ringand enabled when the one or more of the pawlsare disengaged from the outer surfaceof the indexing ring. The pawls(in combination with the selector component) may provide a link between the elongate bodyand the piston assembly. The pawl fastenersmay be configured to attach the pawlsto the elongate body. For example, the pawl fastenersmay be configured to attach pawlsto an end of the back cap. Examples of the pawl fastenersmay be rivets, screws, nails, dowels, or the like.

The selector componentmay be configured to (e.g., provide a link to) selectively engage the pawlswith the outer surfaceof the indexing ring. In some examples, the selector componentmay be a linear actuator or a rotary actuator that may be used to overcome a force applied to the pawlsthat biases the pawlsin an engaged position with the outer surfaceof the indexing ring. The force applied to the pawlsmay be applied using one or more springs. The selector componentmay be a button, a wheel, a lever, or any combination thereof.

By biasing the one or more pawlsin an engaged position with indexing ring, the one or more pawlsmay be engaged with the indexing ringin a normal state, and thus (relative to the cam lever configuration) a likelihood of the one or more pawlsunintentionally disengaging from the indexing ringmay be reduced as the operating life of the suppressorincreases. Also (relative to the cam lever configuration), by biasing the one or more pawlsin an engaged position with the indexing ring, the force for engaging the one or more pawlswith the indexing ringmay be shifted from the user. Additionally, the force with which the one or more pawlsare engaged with the indexing ringmay be more predictable and consistent during the operating life of the suppressor—e.g., based on the degree to which the one or more pawlsare biased. Moreover (relative to a cam lever configuration), by biasing the one or more pawlsin an engaged position with the indexing ring, the force for the user to disengage the one or more pawlswith the indexing ringmay be based on the degree to which the one or more pawlsare biased and, thus, more predictable and consistent for the user.

In some examples for assembling the suppressor, the piston assemblymay first be assembled by inserting the piston springaround the pistonuntil the piston springis seated on the piston spring shoulderof the piston. The at least one longitudinal indexing tabof the indexing ringmay be aligned with the at least one longitudinal indexing grooveof the piston, and the indexing ring, the piston spring retainer, or both, may be slid onto the piston bullet entry end. This allows the indexing ring, the piston spring retainer, or both, to move longitudinally along the cylindrical bodyof the piston, while preventing radial movement of the indexing ring.

The elongate bodymay be formed from at least one of the elongate tube, the back cap, the front cap, the encapsulator, the blast baffle, and the chamber baffles. The piston assemblycan be inserted into the boreof the elongate body, and the indexing ringcan be selectively fixedly attached to the elongate bodyby, for example, engaging the threads on the outer diameter of the piston spring retainerwith the mating threads of the boreof the elongate body.

The orientation assemblymay be assembled by attaching (using the pawl fasteners) the pawlsto a face of the back cap. The orientation assemblymay be further assembled by inserting the selector componentinto an area for the selector componentsuch that the selector componentis coupled with the face of the back capand the pawls. In some examples the area for the selector componentis defined at least in part by an outer surface of the pawls, an orientation spring retainer, or both. In some examples, inserting the selector componentmay include installing one or more springs for biasing the pawlsinto an engaged position with the outer surfaceof the indexing ring. In some examples, a cover for the components of the orientation assemblymay be attached to the back capto encapsulate and secure in position the components of the orientation assembly. After the orientation assemblyis attached to the elongate body, the pawlsmay be biased into contact with the indexing ring, establishing a selective link between the elongate bodyand the piston assembly.

shows a view of a suppressor in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

The component view-shows a subset of the components of the suppressorof. Particularly, the component view-shows components of the suppressorused to support the operation of the orientation assembly, including the back cap, the indexing ring, the piston spring retainer, and the components of the orientation assembly. The orientation assemblymay include the pawls, the pawl fasteners, the orientation spring retainer, the orientation assembly cover, the orientation assembly cover fasteners, the orientation springs, and the linear actuator.

The pawlsmay be configured to be selectively engaged with the outer surfaceof the indexing ring. When the pawlsare engaged with the outer surfaceof the indexing ring, the elongate body may be prevented from rotating in either direction (clockwise or counterclockwise). When the pawlsare disengaged with the outer surfaceof the indexing ring, the elongate body may be capable of rotating in either direction. The pawl fastenersmay be configured to attach the pawlsto the back cap. The pawl fastenersmay be rivets, screws, nails, dowels, or the like.

The linear actuatormay be configured to move in a linear direction toward and away from a longitudinal axis that extends from one end of the back capto the other end of the back cap. The linear actuatormay provide a link for selectively engaging the pawlswith the indexing ring. In some examples, the linear actuatormay be referred to as a button.

The orientation springsmay be configured to bias the pawlsinto a position of engagement with the indexing ring. In some examples, the orientation springsmay be configured to bias the pawlsinto a position of engagement with the indexing ringseparate from or in combination with the linear actuatorand the orientation spring retainer. That is, the orientation springsmay be positioned between a top surface of a base of the linear actuatorand a bottom surface the orientation spring retainersuch that the linear actuatoris biased away from the orientation spring retainer. As a result of the linear actuatorbeing biased away from the orientation spring retainer, a portion of the linear actuatormay engage with a portion of the pawlsthat causes the pawlsto be engaged with the indexing ring, preventing the indexing ringfrom rotating. When the linear actuatoris depressed with a force that overcomes the force of the orientation springs, the linear actuatormay be moved toward the orientation spring retainer. As a result of the linear actuatorbeing moved toward the orientation spring retainer, a second portion of the linear actuatormay engage with a second portion of the pawlsthat causes the pawlsto disengage with the indexing ring, allowing the elongate bodyto disengage from the indexing ringand to rotate freely.

In some examples, one orientation springis used to bias the pawls. In other examples, more than one orientation springis used to bias the pawls—e.g., two, three, or four orientation springs may be used. Including orientation springsat the four corners of the linear actuatormay maintain the base of the linear actuatorin a level orientation. In some examples, the selector componentincludes one or more of the linear actuators, the orientation springs, and the orientation spring retainer.

The orientation assembly covermay be used to cover the components of the orientation assemblyand to secure the components of the orientation assemblyin place—e.g., may prevent movement of the components of the orientation assemblyin undesired directions. The orientation assembly cover fastenersmay be used to attach the orientation assembly coverto the back cap. The orientation assembly cover fastenersmay be rivets, screws, nails, dowels, or the like. In some examples, the orientation springsmay be positioned between the pawlsand the orientation assembly cover fastenersto bias the pawlsto be engaged with the indexing ring. In some examples, the orientation springsmay be torsion springs.

shows a view of a suppressor in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

The component view-shows a subset of the components of the suppressorof. Particularly, the component view-shows (in increased detail) components of the suppressorused to support the operation of the orientation assembly, including the indexing ring, the piston spring retainer, and the components of the orientation assembly. The orientation assemblymay include the pawls, the pawl fasteners, the orientation spring retainer, the orientation assembly cover, the orientation assembly cover fasteners, the orientation springs, and the linear actuator, as described with reference to.

As shown in, the linear actuatormay include a linear actuator baseand a linear actuator shaft. The linear actuator basemay provide a surface for compressing the orientation springsagainst the surface of the orientation spring retainer. In some examples, the linear actuator basemay include depressions for housing at least a portion of an orientation spring. In some examples, the linear actuator basemay support the placement of four orientation springs.

Additionally, the linear actuatormay include a linear actuator shaft. The linear actuator shaftmay be configured to interact with the pawlssuch that linear motion of the linear actuator shaftcauses rotational movement of the pawls toward or away from the indexing ring. Particularly, the linear actuator shaftmay include the indented surfacesthat are configured to interact with the outdented surfacesof the pawlssuch that when the linear actuatoris biased away from the orientation spring retainer, the locking endsof the pawls are moved toward the outer surfaceof the indexing ring. And when the linear actuatoris moved toward from the orientation spring retainer, the locking endsof the pawls are moved away from the outer surfaceof the indexing ring.

In some examples, the indexing ringmay be fastened to the piston spring retainerusing one or more pins. The one or more pins may be driven through one or more holes in the end of the indexing ringthat coupled with the end of the piston spring retainer. In some examples, the pins may be driven through the holes in the indexing ringinto a channel that extends around the end of the piston spring retainer, which may fix the indexing ringto the spring retainerwhile allowing the indexing ringand the piston spring retainerto rotate relative to one another.

shows a view of a suppressor in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

The component view-shows a subset of the components of the suppressorof. Particularly, the component view-shows an alternative (relative to) implementation of the indexing ringand the piston spring retainer, which are used to support the operation of the orientation assembly. As depicted in, the indexing ring-may be fastened to the piston spring retainer-via the snap ring-In some examples, the indexing ring-and the piston spring retainer-may be implemented within the suppressordepicted in—e.g., the indexing ring-and the piston spring retainer-may be used in place of the indexing ringand the piston spring retainerdepicted in.