Fn Manufacturing, LLC

Fn Herstal S.a.

Fn America, LLC

Charles A Moore

Thomas Mooty

John Michael Beville

Harold L Miller

A flash and sound suppressor for a firearm includes a housing with an inlet nozzle, and an end cap, with plural baffles between them, each having a central hole and a radial gap between the baffle and the housing. Between the flared inlet nozzle and the baffles is a first expansion chamber; between the baffles and the end cap is a second, smaller expansion chamber. The baffles are formed to divide and direct combustion gases between those that follow the bullet through the central hole and those that flow through the radial gap where they are re-directed by the next baffle back across the axis of the housing. The changing orientation of the baffles controls that re-direction. The end cap has an inner, toroidal surface formed to improve mixing in the second expansion chamber, and an outer surface that improves radial gas dispersion and separation.

Flash and sound suppressor for a firearm

A muzzle brake includes a muzzle brake mount, a muzzle brake cone and a muzzle brake end cap welded to form a first nozzle, a larger first expansion chamber, a second nozzle and a smaller second expansion chamber. The first and second expansion chambers have pairs of lateral windows for venting combustion gases without net lateral forces on the rifle to which the muzzle brake is attached. The muzzle brake end cap has a toroidal interior surface to recirculate combustion gases within the second expansion chamber. An alignment pin attaches to the top center of the outside of muzzle brake mount as an aid to the user to align the lateral windows in a horizontal orientation.

Muzzle brake for a combat rifle

A reversible modification to the gas block of a machine gun reduces the rate of fire to the machine gun's design rate for use when a suppressor has been added to the barrel and which suppressor would, without the present modification, elevate the firing rate from the machine gun's design rate. The modification is the use of a stem inserted into the bore of the gas block nozzle to further limit the combustion gas being delivered to the machine gun's operating group. A hole formed in the stem restricts gas flow. The stem seats against the gas block nozzle and is held in place by the cap covering the gas block but may alternatively be held in place in several alternative ways described. Removal of the cap allows the stem to be removed from the gas block when the suppressor has been removed from the machine gun barrel.

Gas block valve stem for modifying the firing rate of a machine gun

A sound suppressor for a firearm with a high rate of fire, such as a machine gun, conceals the location of the firearm during heavy use by rapidly dissipating heat through a foamed carbon core. A sound suppressing baffle core is coaxially located within a tubular housing, having flared ends extending beyond the core. An inlet nozzle and exit place close the ends of the suppressor and are held in place with threaded collars. The terminal portions of the collars are beveled, as are the corresponding terminal portions of the nozzle and end plate, and are used to capture the flared portions of the ends of the tubular housing. Diagonally opposing recesses in the collars enable their removal with a spanner wrench, along with the other components for maintenance and replacement. The suppressor lasts longer and has a less visible heat signature used in sustained fire on a machine gun.

Sound suppressor for a firearm

A coupling system attaches a device such as a blank adaptor or a sound suppressor to the flash hider of a firearm. The device is slid over the flash hider until a set of flat surfaces on it are aligned with a set of holes in the device. Camming latches are held in the holes in the device. The collar carried by the device is then threadably advanced to a locking position with respect to the device where it presses the camming latches into secure engagement with the flat surfaces on the flash hider. Unthreading the collar to the unlocked position allows the camming latches to be moved radially when the device is to be removed or rotated. A spring lock prevents the collar from rotating during use, particularly during firing of the firearm but may be released to rotate the collar between locked and unlocked positions.

Coupler system for attaching blank adaptor and the like to a flash hider

A flash hider, a sound suppressor and a quick-disconnect coupler that holds the sound suppressor to a flash hider is disclosed. The quick-disconnect coupler enables the suppressor to be attached to the flash hider so that the hider forms a nozzle at the entrance to the sound suppressor to facilitate the operation of the suppressor. The coupler includes a collar that threads to the first part of the suppressor over plural holes formed therein. Camming latches set in these holes are held firmly against flat surfaces on the exterior of the flash hider by the collar. A spring lock holds the collar against rotation until it is released.

A flash hider has a central bore for receiving the barrel of a firearm at one end and three tapered tines at the opposing end with a gap formed between each pair of adjacent tines. Just past the muzzle-seat in the central bore is a flared entrance leading to the gaps thereby allowing hot air and combustion gases to expand radially through the gaps between the tines, thereby cooling the hot air and gases. The lateral faces of the tines are stepped to cause turbulent mixing of the cooler air surrounding the flash hider with the exiting gases so as to further expand and cool in order to prevent re-ignition and thereby reduce secondary flash. Long tines help to hide all but direct viewing of primary flash.

Flash hider

A sound suppressor suppresses sound and flash by creating interacting paths of gas. While a first portion of the gas follows a first path through the suppressor, a second portion of the gas is diverted radially from the first path to a second path and then repeatedly made to cross the first path by a series of baffles with alternating radial passages so that the two portions of gas interfere and interact with each other, and therefore quickly give up much of their kinetic energy before they exit the suppressor. Preferably, the baffles defining the second path impart a swirl to the second portion of gas to cause the present suppressor to flush itself of carbon and metal particles. The interaction of the two portions also accelerates completion of combustion of the gas to thereby reduce flash.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, SC, United States of America

Charles A Moore