US-12618626-B2 - Charging handle and upper receiver assembly for a firearm

US12618626B2US 12618626 B2US12618626 B2US 12618626B2US-12618626-B2

Abstract

A charging handle assembly for a firearm may include a charging handle body including a handle portion and a shaft portion, a first actuation wing rotatably coupled to the handle portion and configured to rotate about a first rotational axis between a first position and a second position, and a biasing mechanism engaging the first actuation wing and biasing the first actuation wing to the first position. The first actuation wing may include a latch configured to selectively engage an upper receiver assembly of the firearm, and the first actuation wing may have a center of mass disposed along the first rotational axis.

Inventors

Mitch Brusie
Ethan Lessard
Nicholas Schafer

Assignees

Q, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240119

Claims (19)

1 . A charging handle assembly for a firearm, the charging handle assembly comprising: a charging handle body comprising a handle portion and a shaft portion; a first actuation wing rotatably coupled to the handle portion and configured to rotate about a first rotational axis between a first position and a second position, the first actuation wing comprising a latch configured to selectively engage an upper receiver assembly of the firearm, and the first actuation wing having a center of mass disposed along the first rotational axis; and a biasing mechanism engaging the first actuation wing and biasing the first actuation wing to the first position.
2 . The charging handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first actuation wing is rotatably coupled to the handle portion by a first pin extending through a pin hole of the first actuation wing, and wherein the center of mass of the first actuation wing is disposed within the pin hole.
3 . The charging handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first actuation wing comprises a plurality of recesses defined such that the center of mass of the first actuation wing is disposed along the first rotational axis.
4 . The charging handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the handle portion comprises a recessed area, and wherein the first actuation wing and the biasing mechanism are disposed at least partially within the recessed area.
5 . The charging handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the biasing mechanism comprises: a first plunger engaging the first actuation wing; and a first spring engaging the first plunger and biasing the first plunger toward the first actuation wing.
6 . The charging handle assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first plunger and the first spring extend in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the charging handle body.
7 . The charging handle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the latch comprises a latch engagement surface configured to engage an upper receiver assembly, and wherein the latch engagement surface defines a negative angle relative to a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the charging handle body.
8 . The charging handle assembly of claim 7 , wherein the negative angle of the latch engagement surface is within a range of 1 degree to 30 degrees.
9 . The charging handle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a bumper coupled to the handle portion and configured to bias the handle portion rearward relative to an upper receiver assembly when the latch engages the upper receiver assembly.
10 . The charging handle assembly of claim 9 , wherein the bumper is formed of a resiliently compressible material and configured to be resiliently compressed between the handle portion and the upper receiver assembly when the latch engages the upper receiver assembly.
11 . The charging handle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a second actuation wing rotatably coupled to the handle portion and configured to rotate about a second rotational axis between a third position and a fourth position.
12 . The charging handle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the second rotational axis extends parallel to the first rotational axis, wherein the second actuation wing has a center of mass disposed along the second rotational axis, and wherein the biasing mechanism engages the second actuation wing and biases the second actuation wing to the third position.
13 . The charging handle assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first actuation wing is rotatably coupled to the handle portion by a first pin extending through a first pin hole of the first actuation wing, wherein the center of mass of the first actuation wing is disposed within the first pin hole, wherein the second actuation wing is rotatably coupled to the handle portion by a second pin extending through a second pin hole of the second actuation wing, and wherein the center of mass of the second actuation wing is disposed within the second pin hole.
14 . The charging handle assembly of claim 12 , wherein the first actuation wing comprises a plurality of recesses defined such that the center of mass of the first actuation wing is disposed along the first rotational axis, and wherein the second actuation wing comprises a plurality of recesses defined such that the center of mass of the second actuation wing is disposed along the second rotational axis.
15 . The charging handle assembly of claim 11 , wherein the handle portion comprises a recessed area, and wherein the first actuation wing, the second actuation wing, and the biasing mechanism are disposed at least partially within the recessed area.
16 . The charging handle assembly of claim 11 , wherein: the first actuation wing further comprises a first cooperating engagement portion; the second actuation wing comprises a second cooperating engagement portion; and rotation of the second actuation wing from the third position to the fourth position causes the second cooperating engagement portion to engage the first cooperating engagement portion and rotate the first actuation wing from the first position to the second position.
17 . The charging handle assembly of claim 16 , wherein the biasing mechanism comprises: a first plunger engaging the first actuation wing; a second plunger engaging the second actuation wing; a first spring engaging the first plunger and biasing the first plunger toward the first actuation wing; and a second spring engaging the second plunger and biasing the second plunger toward the second actuation wing.
18 . The charging handle assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first plunger, the second plunger, the first spring, and the second spring extend in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the charging handle body.
19 . A charging handle assembly for a firearm, the charging handle assembly comprising: a charging handle body comprising a handle portion and a shaft portion; a first actuation wing rotatably coupled to the handle portion and configured to rotate about a first rotational axis between a first position and a second position, the first actuation wing comprising a latch configured to selectively engage an upper receiver assembly of the firearm, and the first actuation wing having a center of mass disposed along the first rotational axis; a second actuation wing rotatably coupled to the handle portion and configured to rotate about a second rotational axis between a third position and a fourth position, the second actuation wing having a center of mass disposed along the second rotational axis; and a biasing mechanism engaging the first actuation wing and the second actuation wing and biasing the first actuation wing to the first position and the second actuation wing to the third position.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to charging handles for a firearm and, more particularly, to a charging handle and upper receiver assembly of a firearm for inhibiting inadvertent disengagement of the charging handle assembly from an upper receiver and related methods of manufacturing and using the same. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Certain semi-automatic or automatic firearms, such as AR-10, AR-15, M16, and M4 type rifles, generally may include a bolt carrier group that moves rearward into a buffer tube and then forward back into an upper receiver during cycling of the action of the firearm. When a cartridge is discharged using the firearm, the rearward movement of the bolt carrier group may cause a casing of the spent cartridge to be removed from the firing chamber and ejected from the firearm, and the forward movement of the bolt carrier group may cause a new cartridge to be pulled from the top of an attached magazine and advanced into the firing chamber for subsequent use. According to various configurations, cycling of the action may be automatic, with the rearward movement of the bolt carrier group being caused by recoil of the firearm and/or high-pressure gas from the discharged cartridge, and with the forward movement of the bolt carrier group being driven by a spring that is compressed during the rearward movement. In certain instances, an operator of a firearm may desire to manually cycle the action of the firearm. For example, upon loading a new magazine into the firearm, the operator may manually cycle the action to load a new cartridge from the magazine into the firing chamber. Additionally, upon occurrence of a jammed cartridge, the operator may need to manually cycle the action to clear the jam. As other examples, in some instances, the operator may manually cycle the action to clear an undischarged cartridge from the firing chamber or to inspect the action of the firearm. To facilitate manual cycling of the action, certain firearms, such as AR-10, AR-15, M16, and M4 type rifles, typically may include a charging handle that is configured to be actuated by an operator to cycle the action. The charging handle may be received partially within an upper receiver of the firearm and movable, such as translatable, relative to the upper receiver between a forward position and a rearward position, with the charging handle being spring-biased, via the bolt carrier group, to the forward position. During manual cycling of the action, the charging handle may be pulled rearward from the forward position by an operator to open the action and then released such that the charging handle advances back into the upper receiver to the forward position, via force provided by the compressed spring, to close the action. Various configurations of charging handles have been developed. Typically, a charging handle may include a main body having a shaft portion and a handle portion disposed at a rearward end of the shaft portion. The shaft portion may include a hook or other feature for engaging and facilitating rearward movement of the bolt carrier group during rearward movement of the charging handle. The handle portion may be configured for being grasped by an operator to facilitate pulling the charging handle rearward. The charging handle also may include a latch member movably coupled, such as rotatably coupled, to the handle portion and configured to move between a first position and a second position, and the latch member may be biased, such as spring-biased, to the first position. The latch member may include a latch, such as a hook-shaped latch, that is configured to selectively engage a recess defined in a lateral wall of the upper receiver when the charging handle is in the forward position and the latch member is in the first position and to disengage the recess when the latch member is moved from the first position to the second position and allow rearward movement of the charging handle. Movement of the latch member from the first position to the second position may be caused by the operator engaging and moving the latch member or another cooperating component of the charging handle, which may occur naturally when the operator grasps the handle portion of the main body for pulling the charging handle rearward. Because the latch engages the recess defined in the lateral wall of the upper receiver, the latch member typically may be positioned along a corresponding lateral side of the charging handle. In some configurations, the charging handle may have an ambidextrous configuration, such that the latch member may be actuated from either of the lateral sides of the charging handle. For example, the charging handle may include a cooperating member positioned along the lateral side of the charging handle opposite the latch member, with the cooperating member being movably coupled, such as rotatably coupled, to the handle portion and configured to move between a first position and