Firearm Barrel Tenon Alignment via Guiding Surfaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Barrel/receiver attachments in 10/22 rifles suffer from loose fit, misalignment, improper indexing, and barrel droop due to short barrel tenon length, off-axis clamping, and interference fitting, leading to increased force requirements for removal and visual indexing challenges.
Innovation Solution
A system with a longer barrel tenon and multiple anchor points, combined with a receiver bore accommodating the tenon and indexing flats for secure alignment and support, eliminates the need for interference fitting by using securing screws to press the barrel into guiding surfaces, ensuring accurate rotational indexing and attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a short barrel tenon with interference fitting is used, then the barrel can be attached to the receiver, but it causes loose fit, misalignment, and barrel droop
Solution Approach 1:
The barrel attachment system is segmented into multiple functional elements: a longer tenon providing structural support, multiple guiding surfaces (three or more) providing alignment references, and indexing flats providing rotational positioning. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function, collectively achieving both stability and precision that a simple interference fit cannot provide.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes critical parameters of the attachment system: increasing the tenon length from short to extended, changing the bore geometry to include three or more guiding surfaces instead of a simple cylindrical hole, and adding indexing flats with specific angular orientations. These parameter changes transform the attachment from an imprecise interference fit to a precision-aligned, stable connection.
2Ease of manufacture
If off-axis clamping is used to secure the barrel, then attachment can be achieved, but it increases force requirements and causes misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric features in the attachment system: the indexing flats have specific angular orientations relative to the barrel axis, the guiding surfaces are positioned at specific locations around the bore, and the tenon has an asymmetric profile. This asymmetry provides inherent alignment cues and mechanical constraints that guide proper assembly without requiring excessive forcing or complex off-axis clamping procedures.
3Ease of operation
If visual indexing is used for barrel alignment, then attachment can be performed, but it is challenging to achieve accurate rotational positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The indexing flats and guiding surfaces are designed to self-align the barrel to the receiver during assembly. The geometry of these features creates natural mechanical constraints that guide the barrel into the correct rotational position without requiring external alignment tools, visual estimation, or complex adjustment procedures. The system essentially indexes itself through the interaction of its geometric features.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses for securing a barrel to a receiver are disclosed, including inserting the barrel into the receiver, wherein the receiver comprises a bore with three or more guiding surfaces, one or more threaded securing holes, and a receiver indexing flat and wherein the barrel comprises: a tenon, one or more anchor points, and a barrel indexing flat; making contact between the tenon and the three or more guiding surfaces of the bore; indexing the barrel indexing flat with the receiver indexing flat; threading one or more securing screws into the one or more threaded securing holes; and tightening the one or more securing screws onto the one or more anchor points in order to secure the tenon of the barrel against two of the three or more guiding surfaces. Other embodiments are described and claimed.