Shooting Rest and Use of a Shooting Rest for Supporting a Firearm at a Fore-End to a Substantially Vertical External Support Body

This application claims the benefit of and priority to Finland Patent Application No. 20245705 filed May 31, 2024, the contents of which being incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

The present disclosure relates to shooting rests in general. In particular, the present disclosure relates to shooting rests adapted, in use, to stick to an external support body, such as a tree trunk or a wall of a building.

Publication FI 20187143 A1 discloses a device for supporting a firearm, wherein the firearm comprises a mount rail for a scope on the upper surface of the firearm. The device comprises a body, a gripping element, a fastening arrangement, and a holding arrangement for fastening the body on the rail provided for a scope in the firearm. During use, the gripping element is crosswise to the longitudinal axis of the firearm.

In solutions of the related art, the gripping element is designed so that the firearm has to be supported by pressing it against a supporting surface crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the firearm. This restrains the supporting and re-using of the firearm immediately after firing. Moreover, the device according to solutions of prior art can only be mounted on firearms having an upper surface equipped with a mount rail for a scope. Thus, the device is mounted on the top of the firearm, whereby the weight of the firearm is primarily below the gripping element, whereby the stock of the firearm cannot be used as another supporting point for stabilizing the firearm. Further, in solutions of prior art, the recoil of the firearm is exerted on the gripping element and on the supporting point formed by the gripping element together with the supporting surface, whereby material may be detached from the supporting point in the vicinity of the shooter's face upon firing.

The disclosure relates to a shooting rest according to claim.

It is an aim of the disclosure to speed up the use of the shooting rest and its sticking to an external supporting body/surface and to reduce stress on the supporting elements and/or the fastening points of the shooting rest, particularly exerted by the recoil of a firearm. It is also an aim to support the firearm by the shooting rest so that the weight of the firearm is substantially above the supporting point of the shooting rest, enabling the use of the body or fore-end of the firearm as another supporting point by turning the firearm, in the direction of its longitudinal axis, to the side of the supporting point. Yet another aim is to enable the fastening of the shooting rest on various types of firearms, for example various rifles, without modifications in the firearm.

According to a first aspect, the disclosure is a shooting rest. The shooting rest comprises a body defining a centre line parallel to a first main direction, wherein the first main direction is adapted to be aligned with a direction of a barrel of a firearm when the shooting rest is fastened to a fore-end of the firearm. In the lateral direction, the body defines a second main direction transverse to the first main direction, wherein the first main direction and the second main direction define a lateral (imaginary) plane. The shooting rest also comprises at least one supporting element which is movably fastened to the body at the fastening point, wherein said at least one supporting element comprises an arm and a pointed tip at the end of the arm at a distance from said fastening point.

Each of said at least one supporting element can be arranged in at least a first position and a second position so that in the first position the pointed tip is, in the second main direction, spaced by a distance of at least one half of the width of the body in the direction of the second main direction from the centre line of the body. A projection of the pointed tip on said lateral plane forms a first angle to the second main direction, the first angle being greater than zero and opening in the direction of the centre line of the body. Furthermore, each of said at least one supporting element can be locked in at least the first position.

The projection of the pointed tip of a possible second supporting element such that in the first position it is on the opposite side of the centre line with respect to the pointed tip of the first supporting element, on said lateral plane, forms a first angle to the direction opposite to the second main direction, wherein the first angle is greater than zero and opens in the direction of the centre line of the body.

The pointed tip of said at least one supporting element may be adapted to stick to an external support body, such as a tree trunk or a wall of a building, by exerting a force, optionally a low force, parallel to the first main direction on the shooting rest. The pointed tip may be, but is not necessarily, adapted e.g. to stick to an external support body if the force exerted in the first main direction is lower than 150 newtons and/or higher than 30 newtons.

The pointed tip of at least one supporting element arranged in the first position may be below said lateral plane, in which case the centre of gravity of the firearm supported to the external support body by the shooting rest may remain above the pointed tip.

The pointed tip of at least one supporting element may be, in the second position, spaced from the centre line of the body by a distance smaller than half the width of the body parallel to the second main direction. In an embodiment, the pointed tip and the arm of the supporting element may be in contact with or extremely close to the body, for example spaced by less than one millimetre. In the second position, the pointed tip and the arm of the supporting element may be substantially parallel to the centre line of the body.

At least one supporting element may have a length not exceeding the length of the body in the first main direction. In an embodiment, the supporting element, and thereby the body, may have a length of, for example, 1 to 10 cm, optionally 2 to 7 cm.

At least one supporting element may be arranged to be held in the second position by spring force. In an embodiment, the spring force is generated by a spring fitted between the supporting element and the body.

The shooting rest may comprise at least one locking member, wherein each of said at least one locking member may lock at least one supporting element in the first position. In an embodiment, a locking member is a mechanical locking lever. In an embodiment, the spring generating the spring force is arranged between the body and a locking lever.

Each of said at least one locking member may automatically lock at least one supporting element in the first position when the supporting element is arranged in the first position.

Each of said at least one supporting element may have a respective locking member, which may enable using the supporting elements independently of each other.

At least one locking member may comprise a releasing member which may be arranged to release at least one supporting element from locking. In an embodiment, a supporting element released by a releasing member may be returned to the second position by spring force. In an embodiment, a releasing member is a mechanical release lever.

In at least one supporting element, the arm may comprise a handling element for changing the position of the corresponding supporting element, wherein the handling element may be a protrusion, a recess, or a hole. Optionally, the shooting rest may be arranged in such a way that the handling element can be reached, for example, by a user's fingertip, at least when the supporting element is in the second position.

The shooting rest may comprise a fastening part for a carrying strap or sling of the firearm. Optionally, said fastening part may be arranged in the rear part of the body, with respect to the first main direction.

The shooting rest may comprise a fastening member for fastening the shooting rest to the fore-end of the firearm, for example against the bottom of the fore-end of the firearm. In some embodiments, the fastening member may comprise, for example, a fastening frame, a locking pin, and/or fastening elements, such as screws.

The body of the shooting rest may be shaped so that the shooting rest can be fastened against the bottom of the fore-end of the firearm by the fastening member. In some embodiments, the body may have a curved shape, in which case it may be possible to fasten the body to a sling swivel stud at the bottom of the fore-end, or to a rail mounting system (for example M-LOK) at the fore-end of a military type firearm by the fastening member.

The body of the shooting rest may comprise a rail part for mounting accessories or auxiliary devices, such as a bipod. In some embodiments, the rail part may optionally be arranged in the front section of the body, with respect to the first main direction, in alignment with the first main direction.

In some embodiments, the shooting rest may comprise two supporting elements whose fastening points in the body may be arranged on different sides of the centre line of the body, and whose pointed tips, when arranged in the first position, may be on different sides of the centre line.

At least a section of an arm of at least one supporting element may be sharp-edged. In some embodiments, the sharp-edged section of the arm may be adapted to stick at least partly to an external support body, such as a tree trunk or a wall of a building, by exerting a force parallel to the first main direction and effective on the shooting rest when said at least one supporting element is arranged in the first position and in contact with the external support body.

At least a section of the arm of at least one supporting element may taper towards the pointed tip in at least one direction so that, in some embodiments, the pointed tip of the supporting element arranged in the second position may be substantially shielded by the body.

In a second aspect, the disclosure is the use of a shooting rest according to the first aspect for supporting a firearm at a point of its fore-end to a substantially vertical external support body. Thus, the shooting rest is fastened to the fore-end of the firearm.

Advantages of the disclosure include that supporting the arm to an external support body by means of the shooting rest is quick by exerting a force on the shooting rest in the direction of the barrel. Secondly, the force caused by the recoil of the firearm is substantially parallel to the direction of opening of the supporting elements and tends to detach the supporting element when the firearm is fired, so that the recoil does not excessively wear the supporting elements and/or fastening points of the shooting rest, and the firearm is immediately usable for following the target after firing. The supporting elements of the shooting rest fastened to the fore-end of the firearm can be arranged in different positions by the user's hand holding the fore-end, without a need to remove the grip from the fore-end. In addition, the locking of the supporting element in the first position makes the shooting rest more stable.

Embodiments of the disclosure may also have other advantages which will become clear from the detailed description below.

shows schematically a shooting rest. The shooting restcomprises a bodydefining a first main directionand laterally a second main directionA transverse to the first main direction, and a respective opposite directionB. The first main directionis arranged to be aligned with a direction of a barrel of a firearm when the shooting restis fastened to a fore-end of the firearm. The bodyof the shooting rest also defines a centre line CL parallel to the first main direction, bisecting the bodyin the first main direction. Thus, the distance from the centre line CL to the lateral edges parallel to the first main directionis substantially not greater than a halfof the width of the body in the second main directionA or the respective opposite directionB, on both sides of the centre line CL. The halfof the width of the body is determined from the widest point of the bodyin the direction of the second main directionA or the respective opposite directionB. The first main directionand the second main directionA define a lateral plane.

The shooting restfurther comprises at least one supporting elementconnected to the bodymovably at a fastening point, wherein said at least one supporting elementcomprises an armand a pointed tipat the end of the arm at a distance from said fastening point. The armmay be straight, or the armmay comprise at least one bend. The supporting elementmay consist of one or more parts. The pointed tipand the armof the supporting elementmay be, for example, separate parts, or the pointed tipmay be substantially an extension of the arm.

In an embodiment, each of said at least one supporting elementmay have a length not exceeding the length of the bodyin the first main direction. The supporting element, and thereby the body, may have a length of, for example, 1 to 10 cm, optionally 2 to 7 cm.

The armof the supporting elementmay comprise a handling elementfor changing the position of the corresponding supporting element, wherein the handling elementmay be a protrusion, a recess, or a hole. The handling elementfacilitates the arrangement of the supporting elementin the different positions to be described below, for example by a finger of a user's hand holding the fore-end, without a need to remove the grip from the fore-end.

In an embodiment, the bodyof the shooting restmay comprise a fastening memberfor fastening the shooting restto the fore-end of the firearm. In an embodiment, the bodymay also comprise a fastening partfor a sling of the firearm, the fastening partbeing optionally placed in the rear part of the bodywith respect to the first main direction.

In an embodiment, the bodyis so shaped that the shooting restis fastenable against the bottom of the fore-end of the firearm, to a sling swivel stud at the bottom of the fore-end, or to a rail mounting system on the fore-end, by the fastening member. The upper surface of the bodymay have, for example, a curved cross section so that the bodycan be fitted to the fore-end of a typical firearm, such as a hunting rifle or an assault rifle, particularly against its bottom.

In an embodiment of the shooting rest, at least a section of the armof at least one supporting element tapers towards the pointed tipin at least one direction so that the cross-sectional area of the armof the supporting elementis substantially smaller in the vicinity of the pointed tipthan in the vicinity of the fastening point. In an embodiment, the cross-section of the armof the supporting elementmay be, in a significant section, substantially rectangular, except for such sections of the armthat contain a handling element. The tapered shape makes it possible to arrange the supporting elementbetter shielded in the second position, so that it will not stick so easily, for example, when placing the firearm in a bag. However, the supporting elementcan be implemented to be robust, because the end of the armon the side of the fastening pointmay have a greater cross-sectional area than the pointed tipside of the arm.

Each of said at least one supporting elementcan be arranged in at least a first position and a second position so that, in the first position, the pointed tipis spaced, in the second main directionA or the respective opposite directionB, from the centre line CL, by at least one halfof the width of the bodyin the direction of the second main directionA. The projectionof the pointed tipon said lateral plane forms a first angleto the second main directionas shown in. The projectionis aligned with the pointed tip, but in embodiments where the pointed tipis parallel to the armand the arm is straight, the projectionmay be substantially the projection of the whole supporting elementon said lateral plane. The first angleis greater than zero and opens in the direction of the centre line CL of the body.

Each of said at least one supporting elementcan be locked in at least a first position. In an embodiment, the shooting restmay thus comprise at least one locking memberfor locking at least one supporting elementin the first position, for example by a mechanical locking mechanism. Thanks to the locking, the supporting elementis more firmly held in the first position, for example when the shooting rest is in use and the supporting elementis stuck to an external support body.

In an embodiment, each of said at least one locking memberautomatically locks at least one supporting elementin the first position by, for example, a mechanical locking mechanism when the supporting elementis arranged in the first position. The automatic locking relieves the user of the shooting restof operating the locking membermanually, which may speed up the arrangement of the supporting elementin the first position and thereby the supporting of the firearm to an external support body.

In an embodiment, each of said at least one supporting elementhas a separate locking member, which enables the arrangement of each supporting elementin different positions, irrespective of each other.

Each of said at least one locking membermay also comprise a releasing memberarranged to release at least one supporting elementplaced in the first position. In an embodiment, the shooting restmay comprise a common releasing memberfor all of said at least one locking member. The releasing member may comprise, for example, a switch which is mechanically or electronically connected to the locking mechanism of the locking member, wherein the releasing membermay, upon pressing said switch, release at least one supporting elementlocked in the first position by the locking member. The releasing membermay also be a one-piece mechanical release lever.

At least one supporting elementmay be arranged to be held in the second position by spring force. In an embodiment, the spring force may be generated by, for example, a spring whose first end is connected to the bodyand whose second end is connected to, for example, the armof the supporting element. In an embodiment, the spring generating the spring force is between the bodyand a locking lever. Returning the supporting elementsto the second position by spring force relieves the user of arranging some supporting elementsmanually in different positions and thereby quickens the use of the shooting restand possibly prevents accidental sticking of the supporting elementsto the user or to external support bodies.

The pointed tipof at least one supporting elementarranged in the first position may be below said lateral plane. In an embodiment, at least one supporting element, arranged in the first position, of the shooting restfixed against the bottom of the fore-end of the firearm, particularly the pointed tipof the supporting element, is thus substantially below the fore-end of the firearm as well, which makes it possible for the firearm to stick to, for example, a horizontal external support body, such as the trunk of a fallen tree, or a tree branch. Further, this moves a significant part of the weight of the firearm above the supporting elementand allows, for example, the fore-end of the firearm to be used as a second supporting point against a vertical external support body.

At least a section of the armof at least one supporting elementmay be sharp-edged. In an embodiment, the sharp-edged section of the armmay be arranged to stick at least partly to an external support block, such as a tree trunk or a wall of a building, by exerting a force parallel to the first main directionon the shooting restin the above mentioned way, said at least one supporting elementbeing arranged in the first position and in contact with the external support block. At least one supporting elementof the shooting restaccording to the described embodiment is thus a knife-like member with a pointed tip and sharp edges. In a preferred embodiment, the supporting elementcan thus stick to an external support block, such as a tree trunk or a wall of a building, so that both its pointed tipand at least a section of the sharp-edged armstick to the external support body, for example by penetrating at least partly into the external support body.

In the shooting restshown in, at least one supporting elementis arranged in the first position so that the pointed tipof said supporting elementcan be arranged to stick to an external support body by exerting a force parallel to the first main directionon the supporting restwhen said supporting element is arranged in contact with the external support body. When the shooting restis fastened to the fore-end of the firearm, the user of the firearm can arrange said supporting elementto stick to the external support body, for example, by holding the firearm normally by both hands and by pressing the butt stock of the firearm with a shoulder.

The pointed tipis adapted to be sharp so that it can stick to an external support body, which may be, for example, a living tree, treated wood, or plastic, when a pressing force, optionally a low force, parallel to the first main directionis exerted on the firearm and thereby the shooting rest. The pointed tipmay be, but is not necessarily, adapted to stick to the external support body if the force exerted in the first main directionis lower than 150 newtons and/or higher than 30 newtons. Because the pointed tipof the supporting elementis outside the bodyin the lateral direction, as described above, the supporting elementcan be arranged to stick to a e.g. vertical external support body, such as a vertical tree trunk or a wall of a building.

shows a schematic view of the shooting restaccording to the embodiment shown in. The shooting rest is shown from above so that the curved upper surface of the body, to be fastened to the fore-end of the firearm, is fully visible. Both supporting elementsare arranged in the first position so that the first main directionand the projectionof the pointed tipof the supporting elementon said lateral plane form the above-mentioned first anglewhich may optionally be at least 20° or at least 45°, but which first anglemay be any angle greater than zero.

The shooting restschematically shown inshows a preferred embodiment of the shooting restcomprising two supporting elementswhose fastening points are arranged on different sides of the centre line CL of the bodyand whose pointed tipsare on different sides of the centre line CL when arranged in the first position. On different sides of the centre line CL, the first angleis considered to extend from a line parallel to the second main directionA or the opposite directionB on the respective side.

shows schematically a slanted rear view, from below, of the shooting restaccording to the embodiment shown in, with both of the two supporting elementsarranged in the first position.

shows schematically a rear view of the shooting restaccording to the embodiment shown in, with both of the two supporting elementsarranged in the first position. In a preferred embodiment, the pointed tipsof the supporting elementsare, in the second main directionA or the respective opposite directionB, spaced by a distance of at least one halfof the width of the bodyin the direction of the second main directionA from the centre line CL of the body, and furthermore, the pointed tipsare below said lateral plane. In this embodiment and in this position, the shooting restmay stick to an external support body extending in substantially any direction, for example a horizontal or vertical external support body.