US-12618625-B2 - Compact stock for AR-style firearms

Abstract

A compact stock for an AR-style firearm includes a receiver extension configured to attach to a lower receiver, a buffer assembly receivable in the receiver extension, a buffer biasing member receivable in the receiver extension, and a buffer locking mechanism. The buffer assembly is configured to reciprocate between a retracted position wherein the buffer assembly is contained within the receiver extension, and an extended position wherein the buffer assembly is in-battery within an upper receiver. The buffer biasing member is configured to bias the buffer assembly toward the extended position. The buffer locking mechanism is configured to selectably retain the buffer assembly and the buffer biasing member within the receiver extension when the buffer assembly is in the retracted position such that the upper receiver is rotatable relative to the lower receiver about a forward take down pin of the firearm unimpeded by the buffer assembly and buffer biasing member.

Inventors

• Teodor Puha

Assignees

• Eight Holdings LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20250103

Claims (2)

1. 1 . A compact stock for an AR firearm, comprising: a housing configured to be engaged with a lower receiver of the firearm, the housing comprising a longitudinal through hole that comprises an angled side wall, at least a portion of which angled sidewall defines a first mating surface; and a receiver extension configured to be received through the through hole of the housing and to threadingly engage the lower receiver, the receiver extension comprising an annular protrusion that forms a conical frustrum having a flat front face, a flat rear face, and an angled side wall, at least a portion of which angled sidewall defines a second mating surface; wherein the second mating surface matingly engages the first mating surface to axially secure the housing to the lower receiver when the receiver extension is received in the through hole of the housing and threadingly engaged with the lower receiver.
2. 2 . A compact stock for an AR firearm, comprising: a housing configured to be engaged with a lower receiver of the firearm, the housing comprising a longitudinal through hole defining a first mating surface which is annular and tapered; and a receiver extension configured to be received through the through hole of the housing and to threadingly engage the lower receiver, the receiver extension comprising an annular protrusion defining a second mating surface which is tapered; wherein the taper of the first mating surface substantially matches the taper of the second mating surface; and wherein the second mating surface matingly engages the first mating surface to axially secure the housing to the lower receiver when the receiver extension is received in the through hole of the housing and threadingly engaged with the lower receiver.

Description

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This non-provisional patent application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 18/120,381, filed Mar. 11, 2023 and titled “COMPACT STOCK FOR AR-STYLE FIREARMS,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/319,896, filed Mar. 15, 2022 and titled “PDW STOCK,” the entire disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT Not Applicable. REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX Not Applicable. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of AR-style firearms, and more particularly, to compact stocks for AR-style firearms. AR-style (i.e., AR-pattern) firearms are well-known. AR-style firearms, such as the AR-15® and AR-10®, are the most popular and widely owned firearms currently in use in the United States. These firearms are famous for their reliability, modularity, and ease of use. AR-style firearms have been chambered to function with a wide variety of ammunition, ranging from .17 to .500 caliber cartridges, as well as 12-gauge, 20-gauge, and .410 bore shotshell cartridges. AR-style firearms generally include a barrel, upper and lower receivers, a bolt assembly, a direct impingement or gas piston operating system to cycle the bolt assembly, a receiver extension (also commonly known as a “buffer tube”) connected to the lower receiver, an elongated stock connected to the receiver extension, and a reciprocating buffer disposed in the receiver extension that assists with cycling the bolt assembly. For example, when an AR-style firearm is fired, propellant gasses generated upon discharge of a cartridge travel through the barrel, into a gas block, back through a gas tube, and directly (in the case of a direct impingement system) or indirectly (in the case of a gas piston system) push the bolt assembly rearward. This causes the bolt assembly to contact the buffer, compressing a buffer spring housed inside the receiver extension and sliding the bolt assembly rearward and partially into the receiver extension. The compressed buffer spring eventually decompresses and pushes the buffer and the bolt assembly forward towards the muzzle end of the firearm. Forward movement of the bolt assembly chambers the next round and makes the gun ready to fire again by returning it to an in-battery position. Compact or Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) firearms are a class of firearms that are typically lighter and have a smaller profile than a traditional firearm such as an AR style rifle. Compact AR-style firearms are generally used for home defense and personal security applications due to the inherent need to navigate tight quarters. Compact AR-style firearms are typically limited to firing handgun or other relatively low-pressure ammunition, such as 9 mm cartridges or 12-gauge shotshells, due to their size constraints. Compact AR-style firearms capable of firing rifle caliber ammunition exist, but such firearms are generally considered unreliable and insufficiently compact due the extra length required to safely handle relatively higher-pressure rifle caliber ammunition. Often, to reduce the weight and size of the firearm, the overall length of the barrel is shortened, which can negatively impact performance. Further, the decreased dwell time and increased gas pressure caused by the shortened barrel may cause “bolt bounce,” which may lead to a misfire or otherwise damage the bolt assembly. A PDW stock (i.e., a compact stock) is typically a collapsing or telescoping stock that attaches to the lower receiver of an AR-style firearm to form a PDW firearm. PDW stocks are typically used in conjunction with shorter barrels (i.e., barrels shorter than 10.3 inches or approximately 26 cm). Because a standard AR-style receiver extension (i.e., “buffer tube”) adds a considerable amount of overall length to the firearm, currently available PDW stock generally include a housing, a shortened atypical receiver extension connected to the housing, a buffer and a buffer spring each partially disposed in the receiver extension and partially disposed in the upper receiver, and a buttstock adjustably mounted to the housing. However, currently available PDW stocks are insufficiently compact, unreliable, and make the firearm to which they are attached notoriously cumbersome to manipulate, especially during assembly or disassembly of the firearm. Accordingly, what is needed are improvements in compact stocks for AR-style firearms. BRIEF SUMMARY This Brief Summary is provided to i