Firearm having slide with cam

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9470465-B2
Application number	US-201615171243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2016
Priority date	Nov 18, 2014
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

A barrel for a semiautomatic firearm operating under the short recoil system has one or more cam followers projecting outwardly to engage one or more cams positioned on an inner surface of a slide surrounding the barrel. Interaction between the cams and the cam followers controls the angle between the longitudinal axis of the barrel and the axis of motion of the slide to prevent the breech end of the barrel from moving too far as the barrel tilts as it unlocks from the slide, ensuring that the extractor will engage the rim of a spent casing and extract it from the chamber during recoil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A firearm comprising:
a frame;
a slide mounted on said frame and reciprocably movable relative thereto along a slide axis, said slide having an inner surface defining a central space;
a first cam positioned on said inner surface of said slide, said first cam comprising a recess in said inner surface of said slide, said first cam further comprising a run surface on said inner surface of said slide, said recess having a floor surface offset from said run surface in a direction transverse to said slide axis;
a barrel mounted on said frame and positioned within said central space, said barrel comprising:
a tube having a breech end and a muzzle end oppositely disposed, said tube defining a longitudinal axis extending lengthwise along and positioned coaxially within said tube;
a chamber comprising said breech end of said tube;
a means for arresting motion of said barrel positioned underlying said chamber;
a first cam follower positioned on said tube between said breech end and said muzzle end, said first cam follower comprising a projection extending outwardly from said tube in a direction angularly offset from said means for arresting motion about said longitudinal axis so as to align with said first cam, said recess facing said first cam follower, said run surface positioned between said recess and said muzzle end; wherein
said first cam follower engages said first cam upon sliding motion of said slide relatively to said barrel, engagement between said first cam follower and said first cam determining an orientation angle between said longitudinal axis of said barrel and said slide axis during operation of said firearm.

2. The firearm according to claim 1 , wherein said run surface is oriented substantially parallel to said slide axis.

3. The firearm according to claim 1 , wherein:
said recess has a ramp surface oriented angularly with respect to said slide axis; and
said run surface is contiguous with said ramp surface.

4. The firearm according to claim 3 , wherein said ramp surface has an orientation angle relative to said slide axis from about 10° to about 20°.

5. The firearm according to claim 3 , wherein said ramp surface has an orientation angle of about 15° relative to said slide axis.

6. The firearm according to claim 3 , wherein said run surface is oriented substantially parallel to said slide axis.

7. The firearm according to claim 1 , wherein said first cam follower is offset about said longitudinal axis about 180° from said means for arresting motion.

8. The firearm according to claim 1 , wherein said first cam follower comprises a first surface of said projection oriented angularly with respect to said longitudinal axis, said first surface facing said muzzle end.

9. The firearm according to claim 8 , wherein said first surface has an orientation angle from about 10° to about 20° relative to said longitudinal axis.

10. The firearm according to claim 8 , wherein said first surface has an orientation angle of about 15° relative to said longitudinal axis.

11. The firearm according to claim 8 , wherein said first cam follower further comprises a second surface of said projection contiguous with said first surface and positioned between said first surface and said breech end, said second surface being substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis.

12. The firearm according to claim 1 , wherein said first cam follower comprises a surface of said projection oriented substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis.

13. The firearm according to claim 1 , wherein said orientation angle between said longitudinal axis of said barrel and said slide axis does not exceed 2° during operation of said firearm.

14. The firearm according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second cam mounted on said inner surface of said slide, said second cam being positioned proximate to said muzzle end of said tube;
a second cam follower positioned on said tube and underlying said muzzle end, said second cam follower comprising a projection extending outwardly from said tube and aligned with said second cam; wherein
upon motion of said slide relative to said barrel said second cam follower engages said second cam, said first and second cams and cam followers cooperating to determine said orientation angle between said longitudinal axis of said barrel and said slide axis during operation of said firearm.

15. The firearm according to claim 14 , wherein said second cam comprises a surface oriented substantially parallel to said slide axis.

16. The firearm according to claim 14 , wherein said second cam follower is substantially aligned with said means for arresting motion.

17. The firearm according to claim 14 , wherein said second cam follower comprises a first surface of said projection oriented angularly relative to said longitudinal axis, said first surface facing said breech end.

18. The firearm according to claim 17 , wherein said first surface has an orientation angle from about 5° to about 15° relative to said longitudinal axis.

19. The firearm according to claim 17 , wherein said first surface has an orientation angle of about 10° relative to said longitudinal axis.

20. The firearm according to claim 17 , wherein said second cam follower further comprises a second surface of said projection contiguous with said first surface and positioned between said first surface and said muzzle end, said second surface being substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis.

21. The firearm according to claim 1 , wherein said means for arresting motion comprises a locking cam.

22. The firearm according to claim 1 , wherein said means for arresting motion comprises a pivoting link.

23. The firearm according to claim 1 , wherein said floor surface is offset from said run surface in a direction perpendicular to said slide axis.

Assignees

• Smith & Wesson Corp

Inventors

• Curry Brett

Classifications

• F41A5/14

  Barrel stops, i.e. devices for holding the recoiling barrel in a predetermined position, e.g. the recoil position · CPC title

• F41A5/04 Primary

  the barrel being tilted during recoil · CPC title

• F41A21/00 Primary

  Barrels; Gun tubes; Muzzle attachments; Barrel mounting means (F41A25/00 takes precedence; barrel attachments for firing grenades or riot-control ammunition from smallarms F41C27/06) · CPC title

• F41A15/18

  for guns with forwardly slidable barrels · CPC title