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Enhanced life barrel

a barrel and life technology, applied in the field of barrels, can solve the problems of increasing friction with the barrel, reducing the life of the barrel, increasing the wear of the barrel, etc., and achieve the effect of improving li

Inactive Publication Date: 2012-05-31
SMITH & WESSON
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention provides a barrel with a longer life through the use of a tapered parabolic or 5R rifled barrel, a lapped and polished bore, groove, chamber, and throat, and a relatively \"thick\" ferritic nitrocarburizing finish. The combination of these features enhances the performance and durability of the barrel."

Problems solved by technology

This ammunition also utilizes harder bullet jackets, which increases friction with the barrel.
One potential issue resulting from the combination of high pressure, high temperatures, and increased bullet friction is an increase in the wear of the barrel.
As a result, the barrel life is reduced, which causes reduced muzzle velocity and an increase in repeatable group size.

Method used

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Embodiment Construction

[0015]As stated, many service firearms employ ammunition that generate high bullet energies and velocities, such as the M855 cartridge. A potential problem resulting from the combination of high pressure and temperature generated by these cartridges is an increase in the wear of the barrel, and as a result, a reduced barrel life. As will be appreciated, it is generally desirable to increase barrel life of such firearms as much as practicable and, in particular, to increase the barrel life of an M4 rifle shooting M855 ammunition to 15,000 rounds or greater.

[0016]An embodiment of the present invention increases barrel life through the use of a combination of barrel features, each of which contribute to enhanced barrel life. These features are discussed below.

[0017]An embodiment of the present invention employs a barrel 10 having a tapered bore 18 that includes either parabolic or 5R rifling 20. The bore may taper, for example, from an initial diameter D1 at a breech end of the barrel,...

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Abstract

A firearm having a stock and an enhanced life barrel attached to the stock. The enhanced life barrel has a tapered bore and either parabolic or 5R rifling. The barrel includes a chamber and a throat. Each of the tapered bore, the chamber, and the throat are lapped and polished to a finish of about 15Ra of better. The enhanced life barrel includes a ferritic nitrocarburizing finish of greater than about 0.0003 inches thick.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]Noon This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 378,453, filed Aug. 31, 2010, entitled “ENHANCED LIFE BARREL”, the aforementioned application being hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a barrel and more particularly to a rifle barrel having an enhanced life.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Many service firearms, such as the M4 rifle, employ ammunition that generate high bullet velocities and high temperatures than commercial ammunition. This ammunition also utilizes harder bullet jackets, which increases friction with the barrel. An example of such ammunition is the 5.56×45 mm NATO or “M855” cartridge.[0004]One potential issue resulting from the combination of high pressure, high temperatures, and increased bullet friction is an increase in the wear of the barrel. As a result, the barrel life is reduced, which causes reduced muzzle velo...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): F41A21/22F41A21/18
CPCF41A21/22F41A21/18
Inventor FINDLAY, DAVID S.
Owner SMITH & WESSON