Post Barrel Plenum Operated Gas Cycling System for Automatic Firearms

Abstract

A gas buffer plenum positioned at the end of the barrel of an automatic firearm. A barrel side end cap connects the system to the barrel. A plenum tube holds one or more chamber walls and retains gas pressure within the enclosure. A target side end cap creates the final pressure chamber enclosure and is attached to the plenum tube to lock the system together. This gas buffer plenum allows a bullet to leave the barrel of the firearm before the bolt of the firearm starts to open. As the gas buffer plenum is filled with the exploding gas behind the bullet, the gas chambers build and maintain pressure that is then forced back through a hole in the plenum. The gas is forced down a gas tube or into a piston system. Depending on the configuration of the firearm, either the gas force, or the piston, strikes the bolt and cycles the firearm. The system may also be used to retrofit a gas operated firearm that uses a traditional gas block design.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit under Title 35 United States Code §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application 61 / 975,987, filed Apr. 7, 2014, the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates generally to firearms and more specifically to automatic gas operated firearms. The present invention provides a gas buffer plenum at the end of a firearm barrel that stores and directs high pressure gas through a gas tube to the receiver of the firearm in order to cycle the bolt after the bullet has left contact with the barrel rifling.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Most currently available automatic gas operated firearms have a barrel with a small hole drilled vertically into the barrel to allow gas to escape up into a gas block. This vertical hole and gas block are typically located midway down the barrel. As a round is fired...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a system for gas operated firearms that improves accuracy and reduces fouling. It includes a gas port hole located in the buffer plenum, which eliminates inconsistency in the barrel and reduces bullet vibration. The gas port hole is located past the end of the barrel rifling, ensuring consistent gas pressure on the bullet as it passes through the gun. The buffer plenum has multiple chambers that act like a capacitor, storing pressure consistently as the bullet passes through. The system also includes a target side end cap designed to retain as much gas pressure as possible without contacting the bullet. The components of the system can be reconfigured by changing the number of chamber walls and the length of the plenum tube. The end of barrel gas buffer plenum can also be modified with additional baffles and materials to form an integrated suppressor. The system can be used in any gas operated firearm to increase accuracy, clean operation, and improve cycling.

Problems solved by technology

Current gas operated repeating firearms do not offer the same accuracy and velocity as do bolt action firearms.

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