US-12624909-B2 - Firearm buffer systems

Abstract

A buffer system for a firearm includes a buffer body with an internal passage, a guide rod at least partially disposed in the internal passage such that the guide rod includes a slot, a buffer bumper, an end cap, a magnet attached to the guide rod, and at least one spring. The buffer bumper and the end cap are disposed near a rear end of the guide rod. The magnet creates a force acting on the buffer body.

Inventors

• Kyle Jeffrey Litzie
• Zachary Grey Smith

Assignees

• Kyle Jeffrey Litzie
• Zachary Grey Smith

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20240628

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A buffer system for a firearm, the buffer system comprising: a buffer body comprising an internal passage; a guide rod at least partially disposed in the internal passage, the guide rod comprising a slot; a buffer bumper; an end cap; at least one magnet; and at least one spring, wherein: the buffer bumper and the end cap are disposed near a rear end of the guide rod; the at least one magnet creates a force acting on the buffer body; and the guide rod comprises a forward cavity such that the at least one magnet fits at least partially in the forward cavity.
2. 2 . The buffer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spring comprises a primary spring that is trapped between a flange of the buffer body and a flange of the end cap.
3. 3 . The buffer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one spring comprises a primary spring and a secondary spring.
4. 4 . The buffer system of claim 3 , wherein the primary spring has at least one selected from the group of a larger diameter than the secondary spring and a longer length than the secondary spring.
5. 5 . The buffer system of claim 3 , further comprising a rear pin attached to the guide rod, wherein the guide rod comprises a spring interface such that the secondary spring is trapped between the rear pin and the spring interface.
6. 6 . The buffer system of claim 3 , wherein the primary spring and the secondary spring at least partially overlap one another.
7. 7 . The buffer system of claim 1 , further comprising a forward pin that attaches the buffer body to the slot of the guide rod such that slot defines the length of travel of the buffer body relative to the guide rod.
8. 8 . The buffer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet comprises a first magnet attached to the guide rod and a second magnet disposed in the buffer body.
9. 9 . The buffer system of claim 1 , further comprising a buffer sleeve disposed in the internal passage of the buffer body, wherein: the buffer body comprises a nonferrous material; and the buffer sleeve comprises a ferrous material.
10. 10 . A buffer system for a firearm, the buffer system comprising: a buffer body comprising an internal passage; a guide rod at least partially disposed in the internal passage, the guide rod comprising a slot; a rear pin attached to the guide rod; a buffer bumper; an end cap; a primary spring; and a secondary spring, wherein the buffer bumper and the end cap are disposed near a rear end of the guide rod, wherein the guide rod comprises a spring interface such that the secondary spring is trapped between the rear pin and the spring interface.
11. 11 . The buffer system of claim 10 , wherein the primary spring is trapped between a flange of the buffer body and a flange of the end cap.
12. 12 . The buffer system of claim 10 , wherein the primary spring and the secondary spring at least partially overlap one another.
13. 13 . The buffer system of claim 10 , wherein the primary spring has at least one selected from the group of (i) a larger diameter than the secondary spring and (ii) a longer length than the secondary spring.
14. 14 . The buffer system of claim 10 , further comprising a forward pin that attaches the buffer body to the slot of the guide rod such that slot defines the length of travel of the buffer body relative to the guide rod.
15. 15 . The buffer system of claim 10 , wherein the buffer bumper comprises an elastic material such that the buffer body compresses the buffer bumper when the buffer body travels to the rear.
16. 16 . The buffer system of claim 10 , further comprising a buffer sleeve disposed in the internal passage of the buffer body, wherein: the buffer body comprises a nonferrous material; and the buffer sleeve comprises at least one selected from the group of a ferrous material and a magnet.
17. 17 . The buffer system of claim 10 , further comprising a magnet attached to the guide rod.
18. 18 . The buffer system of claim 17 , wherein the buffer body comprises a second magnet such that the two magnet create a force that pulls the buffer body to an in-battery configuration.
19. 19 . A buffer system for a firearm, the buffer system comprising: a buffer body comprising an internal passage; a guide rod at least partially disposed in the internal passage, the guide rod comprising a slot; a buffer bumper; an end cap; a first magnet attached to the guide rod and a second magnet disposed in the buffer body; and at least one spring, wherein: the buffer bumper and the end cap are disposed near a rear end of the guide rod; and at least one of the first magnet and the second magnet creates a force acting on the buffer body.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 17/575,813 (“the '813 application”), filed on Jan. 14, 2022. The '813 application is hereby incorporated in its entirety by this reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention relates to firearms, particularly firearms with buffer systems that include at least one retained spring. BACKGROUND Many modern firearms (including handguns, rifles, carbines, shotguns, etc.) rely on operating systems using blowback or gas pressure (including direct gas impingement arrangements, gas piston arrangements, direct blowback, delayed blowback, or other appropriate arrangements) to move and cycle a bolt or bolt carrier group. In many cases, these systems rely on a buffer and spring system that provide mass and elastic resistance to push the bolt carrier group back into battery where the buffer and spring are located and move within a buffer tube. However, conventional buffers and buffer springs may result in inappropriate amounts of noise, motion, and/or energy during operation of the firearm. To improve operation of the firearm, to reduce perceived recoil, to increase reliability, to reduce excess noise, and provide appropriate amounts of energy, it may be desirable to design a new buffer system that includes at least one retained spring and at least one magnet. Such a design can allow for modular firearm components to be combined with the new buffer system. SUMMARY The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various aspects of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings and each claim. According to certain embodiments of the present invention, a buffer system for a firearm comprises: a buffer body comprising an internal passage; a guide rod at least partially disposed in the internal passage, the guide rod comprising a slot; a buffer bumper; an end cap; a magnet attached to the guide rod; and at least one spring, wherein: the buffer bumper and the end cap are disposed near a rear end of the guide rod; and the magnet creates a force acting on the buffer body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a buffer system for a firearm according to certain embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the buffer system of FIG. 1 without the primary spring. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the firearm operating system of FIG. 1. FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of a buffer body of the buffer system of FIG. 1. FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of the buffer body of FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a partial exploded perspective view of the buffer system of FIG. 1. FIG. 6A is a front perspective view of a guide rod of the buffer system of FIG. 1. FIG. 6B is a rear perspective view of the guide rod of FIG. 6A. FIG. 7A is a front perspective view of an end cap of the buffer system of FIG. 1. FIG. 7B is a rear perspective view of the end cap of FIG. 7A. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a buffer bumper of the buffer system of FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the buffer system of FIG. 1 in a compressed configuration. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the buffer system in the compressed configuration of FIG. 9 without the primary spring. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the buffer system in the compressed configuration of FIG. 9. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the buffer system of FIG. 1 in a partially compressed configuration. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the buffer system in the partially compressed configuration of FIG. 12 without the primary spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described here with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the orde