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EP-4657003-B1 - SHOOTING REST AND USE OF A SHOOTING REST FOR SUPPORTING A FIREARM AT A FORE-END TO A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL EXTERNAL SUPPORT BODY

EP4657003B1EP 4657003 B1EP4657003 B1EP 4657003B1EP-4657003-B1

Inventors

  • SAIKKONEN, Kari
  • LEPPÄNEN, Jani

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250520

Claims (16)

  1. A shooting rest (100) comprising: a body (103) defining a centre line (CL) parallel to a first main direction (101) of the body (103), wherein the first main direction (101) is adapted to be aligned with a direction of a barrel of a firearm (901) when the shooting rest (100) is fastened to a fore-end (902) of the firearm (901), and wherein the body (103), in the lateral direction, defines a second main direction (102A) transverse to the first main direction (101), wherein the first main direction (101) and the second main direction (102A) define a lateral plane; at least one supporting element (105) which is fastened to the body (103) movably at a fastening point (106), wherein said at least one supporting element (105) comprises an arm (107) and a pointed tip (108) at an end of the arm at a distance from said fastening point (106); and wherein each of said at least one supporting element (105) is arrangeable in at least a first position and a second position so that: in the first position, the pointed tip (108) is, in the second main direction (102A), spaced from the centre line (CL) of the body (103) by a distance of at least one half (104) of the width of the body (103) in a direction parallel to the second main direction (102A), and a projection (201) of the pointed tip (108) on said lateral plane forms a first angle (202) to the second main direction (102A), the first angle (202) being greater than zero and opening in the direction of the centre line (CL) of the body (103); the pointed tip (108) of said at least one supporting element (105) arranged in the first position is below said lateral plane; the pointed tip (108) is adapted to stick to an external support body, such as a tree trunk or a wall of a building, by exerting a force on the shooting rest (100) in a direction parallel to the first main direction (101) when said at least one supporting element (105) is arranged in the first position and in contact with the external support body; and each of said at least one supporting element (105) is lockable in at least the first position, characterized in that said at least one supporting element (105) has a length not exceeding the length of the body (103) in the first main direction (101).
  2. The shooting rest (100) according to claim 1, wherein the pointed tip (108) of each of the at least one supporting element (105) is, in the second position, spaced from the centre line (CL) of the body (103) by a distance smaller than one half (104) of the width of the body (103) parallel to the second main direction (102A).
  3. The shooting rest (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of said at least one supporting element (105) is arranged to remain in the second position by spring force.
  4. The shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 1 to 3, comprising at least one locking member (111), wherein each of said at least one locking member (111) locks at least one supporting element (105) in the first position.
  5. The shooting rest (100) according to claim 4, wherein each of said at least one locking member (111) locks at least one supporting element (105) automatically in the first position when the supporting element (105) is arranged in the first position.
  6. The shooting rest (100) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein each of said at least one supporting element (105) is provided with a respective locking member (111).
  7. The shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 4 to 6, wherein each of said at least one locking member (111) comprises a releasing member (112) arranged to release at least one supporting element (105) from locking.
  8. The shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 1 to 7, wherein the arm (107) of at least one supporting element (105) comprises a handling element (109) for changing the position of the supporting element (105), wherein the handling element (109) is a protrusion, a recess, or a hole.
  9. The shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 1 to 8, comprising a fastening part (113) for a sling of the firearm (901).
  10. The shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 1 to 9, comprising a fastening member (110) for fastening the shooting rest in connection to the fore-end (902) of the firearm (901).
  11. The shooting rest (100) according to claim 10, wherein the body (103) is shaped so that the shooting rest (100) is fastenable against the bottom of the fore-end (902) of the firearm (901) by the fastening member (110), to a sling swivel stud (502) at the bottom of the fore-end (902), or to a rail mounting system at the bottom of the fore-end (902), by the fastening member (110).
  12. The shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 1 to 11, wherein the body (103) of the shooting rest comprises a rail part (802) for mounting accessories or auxiliary devices, such as a bipod.
  13. The shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 1 to 12, comprising two supporting elements (105) whose fastening points (106) are arranged in the body (103), on different sides of the centre line (CL), and wherein the pointed tips (108) of the supporting elements (105), when arranged in the first position, are on different sides of the centre line (CL).
  14. The shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 1 to 13, wherein at least a section of the arm (107) of at least one supporting element (105) is sharp-edged, and wherein the sharp-edged section of the arm (107) is adapted to stick at least partly to an external support body, such as a tree trunk or a wall of a building, by exerting a force in a direction parallel to the first main direction (101) on the shooting rest (100) when said at least one supporting element (105) is arranged in the first position and in contact with the external support body.
  15. The shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 1 to 14, wherein at least a section of the arm (107) of at least one supporting element (105) tapers towards the pointed tip (108) in at least one direction.
  16. Use of a shooting rest (100) according to any of the claims 1 to 15 for supporting a firearm (901) at a point of its fore-end (902) to a substantially vertical external support body (1001;1101).

Description

Field of the invention The invention relates to shooting rests in general. In particular, the invention relates to shooting rests adapted, in use, to stick to an external support body, such as a tree trunk or a wall of a building. Background of the invention Publication FI 20187143 A1 discloses a device for supporting a firearm, wherein the firearm comprises a mount rail for a scope on the upper surface of the firearm. The device comprises a body, a gripping element, a fastening arrangement, and a holding arrangement for fastening the body on the rail provided for a scope in the firearm. During use, the gripping element is crosswise to the longitudinal axis of the firearm. In solutions of prior art, the gripping element is designed so that the firearm has to be supported by pressing it against a supporting surface crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the firearm. This restrains the supporting and reusing of the firearm immediately after firing. Moreover, the device according to solutions of prior art can only be mounted on firearms having an upper surface equipped with a mount rail for a scope. Thus, the device is mounted on the top of the firearm, whereby the weight of the firearm is primarily below the gripping element, whereby the stock of the firearm cannot be used as another supporting point for stabilizing the firearm. Further, in solutions of prior art, the recoil of the firearm is exerted on the gripping element and on the supporting point formed by the gripping element together with the supporting surface, whereby material may be detached from the supporting point in the vicinity of the shooter's face upon firing. Publication US 1441285 A1 discloses a two-legged standard for machine guns. The legs comprise pointed tips and are pivotable to a support position in an angle with respect to each other. The legs enable supporting the machine gun on horizontal structures, e.g. against ground, but their length limits usability of the standard in different situations, such as transporting the machine gun and using vertical structures to support the machine gun. Brief summary of the invention The invention relates to a shooting rest according to claim 1. It is an aim of the invention to speed up the use of the shooting rest and its sticking to an external supporting body/surface and to reduce stress on the supporting elements and/or the fastening points of the shooting rest, particularly exerted by the recoil of a firearm. It is also an aim to support the firearm by the shooting rest so that the weight of the firearm is substantially above the supporting point of the shooting rest, enabling the use of the body or fore-end of the firearm as another supporting point by turning the firearm, in the direction of its longitudinal axis, to the side of the supporting point. Yet another aim is to enable the fastening of the shooting rest on various types of firearms, for example various rifles, without modifications in the firearm. According to a first aspect, the invention is a shooting rest. The shooting rest comprises a body defining a centre line parallel to a first main direction, wherein the first main direction is adapted to be aligned with a direction of a barrel of a firearm when the shooting rest is fastened to a fore-end of the firearm. In the lateral direction, the body defines a second main direction transverse to the first main direction, wherein the first main direction and the second main direction define a lateral (imaginary) plane. The shooting rest also comprises at least one supporting element which is movably fastened to the body at the fastening point, wherein said at least one supporting element comprises an arm and a pointed tip at the end of the arm at a distance from said fastening point. Each of said at least one supporting element can be arranged in at least a first position and a second position so that in the first position the pointed tip is, in the second main direction, spaced by a distance of at least one half of the width of the body in the direction of the second main direction from the centre line of the body. A projection of the pointed tip on said lateral plane forms a first angle to the second main direction, the first angle being greater than zero and opening in the direction of the centre line of the body. Furthermore, each of said at least one supporting element can be locked in at least the first position. The projection of the pointed tip of a possible second supporting element such that in the first position it is on the opposite side of the centre line with respect to the pointed tip of the first supporting element, on said lateral plane, forms a first angle to the direction opposite to the second main direction, wherein the first angle is greater than zero and opens in the direction of the centre line of the body. The pointed tip of said at least one supporting element is adapted to stick to an external support body, such as a tree trunk or a wall of a building, b