US-20260126256-A1 - INTEGRALLY SUPPRESSED BARREL SYSTEM FOR VELOCITY REDUCTION OF LOADS

US20260126256A1US 20260126256 A1US20260126256 A1US 20260126256A1US-20260126256-A1

Abstract

An integrally suppressed barrel system for a firearm, the system comprises a barrel having a series of transverse holes and a spiral groove forming machine-type threads of some dimension or specification, a gas block assembly configured to provide integration with the gas cycling system inherent to a firearm, a gas tube configured to protrude back into an upper receiver of the firearm, and a suppressor having a main housing. The main housing of the suppressor includes an inner wall, an outer wall, a series of holes and a base attached to the barrel through machine threads. The suppressor is fixed in a concentric pattern about the bore of the barrel.

Inventors

Nicolas Joseph Casadio

Assignees

Nicolas Joseph Casadio

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251230

Claims (16)

1 . A method of forming a firearm suppressor system, the method comprising: providing a barrel having an outer surface, a connecting end, a muzzle end and a bore that extends between the connecting end and the muzzle end, wherein the barrel is configured to be attached to an upper receiver of the firearm at the connecting end; providing a circular shoulder on the barrel; forming a plurality of transverse holes along the bore; attaching a gas block assembly to the outer surface of the barrel proximate to the connecting end, wherein the gas block assembly comprises a removable base cup and a gas block cap; resting the removable base cup on the circular shoulder of the barrel; securing the removable base cup to the barrel with the gas block cap; forming a pressure chamber between the removable base cup and the gas block cap; attaching a pressure retainer to the barrel proximate the muzzle end; enveloping the barrel with a suppressor housing to form an enclosed chamber between the barrel, the gas block assembly, the pressure retainer and the suppressor housing; and attaching a gas tube to the gas block assembly so that the gas tube protrudes into the upper receiver of the firearm.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the removable base cup slip-fits on the circular shoulder on the base of the barrel.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas block cap comprises internal threads and wherein the method further comprises fastening the gas block cap to a complementarily threaded portion of the barrel.
4 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising affixing the suppressor housing to the barrel in a concentric pattern about the bore of the barrel using a suppressor mount assembly, wherein the suppressor mount assembly is configured to attach to the barrel of the firearm.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the series of transverse holes operably connect the pressure chamber parallel to the bore of the barrel and wherein the gas block assembly is integrated into the suppressor mount assembly via the removable base cup.
6 . The method of claim 1 , where the bore has an axis, wherein the suppressor housing is a double-walled housing comprising an inner housing wall and an outer housing wall and wherein the method further comprises concentrically attaching the inner housing wall and the outer housing wall along the bore axis.
7 . The method of claim 6 , and further comprising forming a gap between the suppressor outer housing wall and the suppressor inner housing wall, wherein the gap contains air, gas or a combination of insulating materials.
8 . The method of claim 6 , and further comprising mechanically affixing the gas block cap to suppressor inner housing wall and the suppressor outer housing wall as a structurally supportive feature.
9 . The method of claim 6 , and further comprising: forming the gas block cap with an outermost diameter that is substantially equal to an outer diameter of the removable base cup; forming a first concentric shoulder that is substantially equal to an internal diameter of the suppressor outer housing wall; forming a second concentric shoulder that is substantially equal to an internal diameter of the suppressor inner housing wall; and connecting the suppressor inner housing wall and the suppressor outer housing wall to the gas block cap using a slip fit mating into the first concentric shoulder and the second concentric shoulder, respectively.
10 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising retaining the removable base cup with respect to the barrel using a locating pin and a notch feature formed into the outer surface of the barrel.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the barrel has a barrel chamber formed therein proximate the connecting end and wherein the removable base cup is retained opposite the gas tube and forward of the barrel chamber.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas block cap is a pressure transfer cap.
13 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising locating the pressure retainer towards the muzzle end of the barrel and concentric to an inner housing wall of the suppressor housing.
14 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising attaching a monocore baffle to the muzzle end of the barrel.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the circular shoulder is a smaller diameter concentric circular portion and wherein the circular shoulder is slightly fore and substantially coplanar to a barrel nut and offset from a muzzle of the barrel.
16 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising forming a series of holes in the gas block cap, wherein the series of holes are radially arrayed about a bore axis of the barrel and substantially equidistant from each other.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/893,559, filed on Sep. 23, 2024, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 63/586,995 filed on Sep. 29, 2023, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of firearm suppressors and in particular relates to an integrally suppressed barrel system for velocity reduction of supersonic to subsonic loads and suppression of report of muzzle blast to below OSHA (The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration) hearing safe levels. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A firearm suppressor is a well-known device used to reduce the sound produced when a projectile, such as a bullet, is fired through the barrel of a firearm. Sound is produced by firearms typically for three reasons: (i) the rapid expansion of gasses as the projectile leaves the barrel; (ii) the supersonic crack that the projectile makes as it accelerates past the speed of sound; and (iii) the energy dissipation as hot propellant gasses meet ambient-temperature air. Most suppressors work by regulating the flow of the propellant gases that follow the projectile as it exits from the muzzle end of the firearm. By dissipating the pressure exerted by the propellant gas on the surrounding atmosphere, the amount of sound produced is significantly reduced. One way to dissipate the gases generated by a firearm is by using a baffle-based suppressor having multiple chambers that allow the partial expansion of gasses for the purpose of noise cancellation. The baffle system can have different designs, such as a stacked baffle, monocores and more. Additionally, the suppressors can be integrally connected to the firearm's barrel through methods such as screws or welding. Alternatively, they can be made detachable via a threaded connection or other mechanical means. Integrating a suppressor with the barrel mitigates several adverse effects that impact the firearm's operability, such as muzzle blast/flash. The gases released from a fired cartridge may also cause discomfort for the user of the firearm; for example, the muzzle blast can also cause hearing impairment while muzzle flash can affect vision. Thermal insulation of the muzzle is a persistent issue in suppressor design that affects its performance as seen in conventional integral designs. Muzzle flashes, for example, can produce temperatures nearing 5000 degrees Fahrenheit, which necessitates effective heat control to avoid “suppressor meltdown” in certain firearms, such as a machine gun. Muzzle heating is also a significant issue for the average firearm user, who can sustain serious burn injuries upon contacting an outer housing of a heated suppressor. To address this issue, some suppressor designs include an insulated pad or “oven mitt” with their product, while others provide insulated sleeves that wrap around the suppressor. However, there is a need for more effective ways of heat insulation. Certain pistol caliber automatic firearm designs, such as the Heckler & Koch MP5-SD, utilize an integral suppression technology, but with a delayed blowback system for pistol caliber ammunition. This type is relatively low velocity, yet still supersonic. Conversely, conventional integrally suppressed rifle caliber systems focus solely on sound suppression without velocity reduction and are generally designed as a specific pairing of a rifle and suppressor. Additionally, existing firearms often require extra components to overcome the drawbacks of conventional firearm and suppressor designs resulting in heavy and bulky overall handling. Other conventional art discloses locking devices that comprise a rotatable sleeve for hand-held firearms, which selectively block the path of the expanding gas from projectile fire. The disclosed locking device provides a user with a choice between the use of a high degree of silencing (elimination of muzzle blast and sonic boom from bullet velocity) and a low degree of silencing (elimination of only the muzzle blast) in a single hand-held firearm. Further, such devices can introduce additional complexity to the operation of a firearm. Further, their engaging and disengaging could be time-consuming and reliability is also a major concern in addition to their weight, compatibility and cost issues. Thus, there remains an unmet need to provide an integrally suppressed barrel system for not only the suppression of muzzle blast report but also the conversion of normally supersonic ammunition to perform subsonically, i.e., having a velocity <1125 ft/sec, which would reduce or eliminate the sounds produced by the supersonic wave of the bullet as it travels through the air. There is a further need to improve the form factor of the overall suppressor system in a direct-impingement gas-cycling, automatic firearm, which may reduce the weight and space required by the firearm. There is an even fu