Plug Capture Device for 1911 Barrel Bushing Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic and semiautomatic firearms, such as the Model 1911 handgun, pose a risk during maintenance due to the high-tension recoil spring that can inadvertently eject the recoil plug during disassembly or assembly, leading to potential injuries.
Innovation Solution
A plug capture device with an elongated body featuring a recessed region and ramp section that allows for safe operation by retaining the barrel plug under tension, preventing ejection and facilitating controlled release and reinsertion, utilizing a silhouette design that matches the barrel bushing for snug fit and torque application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional tools are used to remove the recoil plug, then the plug can be removed, but the high-tension spring may inadvertently eject the plug causing injury
Solution Approach 1:
The plug capture device serves as an intermediary tool between the user and the high-tension spring/plug system. The device's recessed region captures and contains the recoil plug during removal, while the elongated body provides leverage to operate the barrel bushing. This intermediary structure prevents direct exposure to the ejection hazard while enabling safe plug removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed region of the plug capture device is designed to preemptively counteract the outward force exerted by the high-tension spring. By positioning the recessed region to engage the plug before ejection can occur, the device applies preliminary counter-force to neutralize the harmful ejection effect, allowing controlled removal without injury risk.
2Ease of operation
If the device has a snug fit design to operate as a bushing wrench, then it can effectively turn the barrel bushing, but it may not accommodate plugs under tension
Solution Approach 1:
The plug capture device is segmented into distinct functional regions: the elongated body for operating the barrel bushing, and the recessed region for capturing the tensioned plug. This segmentation allows each part to specialize in its function - the elongated body provides leverage for turning, while the recessed region provides containment for the plug under spring tension.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the device have different structural qualities suited to their specific functions. The elongated body is designed for mechanical advantage and leverage, while the recessed region is designed with sufficient depth and dimensions to accommodate and contain the plug under spring tension. This local differentiation of structural properties resolves the contradiction between snug fit for wrenching and accommodation for tensioned plugs.
Data Source
AI summary
A device comprising an elongated body having at least one aperture through the body, said aperture silhouetting a barrel bushing for a model 1911 handgun. The device fits snugly and allows the device to operate as a bushing wrench. The aperture may have a longer dimension, said longer dimension substantially perpendicular to the long axis of the elongated body so that the aperture is operable to mate with and operate a barrel bushing. Certain embodiments may include additional openings that silhouette barrel bushings for the same or other firearms or recessed regions on the elongated body adjacent to an aperture that further guide and receive the barrel plug when it is released. The recessed regions may include a ramp section and a plug retention section that act to better hold and guide the barrel plug during removal and insertion operations.