Firearm Recoil Protection System

This invention relates to an improved recoil protection system to be positioned against the shoulder of a user such that the recoil pad is interposed between the shoulder of the user and the stock of a firearm held by the user.

Firearm recoil can be a significant problem, particularly in connection with high caliber and high velocity firearms. Such firearms can deliver a significant impact against the shoulder of a user, impact which can lead to shoulder bruising and damage and to reduced aiming accuracy due to anticipatory flinching. Thus, a need exists for an improved firearm recoil protection device to protect the shoulder of a user from firearm recoil.

The present invention is directed to an improved firearm recoil protection device which is comfortable to wear and which provides excellent recoil protection.

According to one feature of this invention, a recoil protection device is provided which includes a pad of a shock absorbing material having an unusually high Loss Factor. It has been found in laboratory measurements that such high Loss Factor materials provide excellent shock attenuation so as to reduce materially the peak shock per unit area delivered to the shoulder of the user.

The high Loss Factor pad of this invention functions particularly well when it is used in a recoil protection device which confines the pad in an envelope having a volume less than the rest volume of the pad. In this case, shocks delivered to the pad are spread to an area significantly larger than the area of the firearm stock delivering the shock. This is because local deformation of the pad directly under the firearm stock causes deformation of the envelope, which in turn tends to compress adjacent regions of the pad. Of course, such spreading serves to reduce the peak loading per unit area delivered to the shoulder of the user. Envelopes of the type described above function particularly well when provided with a roughened surface against the pad so as to create an effective frictional engagement between the panel of the envelope adjacent the firearm stock and the pad. Such frictional engagement serves to reduce sliding action between the envelope and the pad, and therefore further to increase the spreading of the shock.

According to a third feature of this invention, the envelope described above is provided with a mounting yoke which conveniently holds the envelope in place between the firearm stock and the shoulder of the user. This mounting yoke includes a flexible yoke which extends over the top of the user's shoulder such that the envelope is positioned adjacent the front of the shoulder, and the back of the yoke extends across the top of the shoulder to the back of the user. Two straps are provided extending between the two ends of the yoke. One strap is a short strap which extends under the arm of the user adjacent to the envelope. The other strap is somewhat longer, and it extends across the chest, under the other arm, and across the back of the user. It has been found that this mounting yoke is particularly convenient to use and that it minimizes interference with normal movement of the arms and torso of the user. Furthermore, this mounting yoke is comfortable to wear, and it provides a minimum of bulk.

The invention itself, together with further objects and attendant advantages, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first preferred embodiment of the firearm recoil protection system of this invention positioned on a shoulder of a user.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in which the outline of the user is shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2.

Turning now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a preferred embodiment of the recoil protection system of this invention, as it appears when worn by a user. This protection device 10 includes a yoke 20, which is provided with a first end section 22, an opposed second end section 24, and a mid-section 26 positioned between the two end sections 22, 24. In this preferred embodiment, the yoke 20 is formed of a fabric such as 60-40 Raymar, for example, and a metal ring 28 is secured to the yoke 20 at the first end section 22.

A flexible, energy absorbing pad 30 is positioned adjacent the first end section 22 of the yoke 20. This pad 30 is preferably in the range of one-quarter to one-half inch in thickness and is shaped to be large enough to cover the area of the shoulder which will serve to support the stock of the firearm, without being unduly cumbersome. Preferably, the pad 30 is formed of a material having a high Loss Factor. As used herein, the term "Loss Factor" is used as defined at page 439 of the text Noise and Vibration Control, by Leo L. Beranek (McGraw Hill, 1971). Preferably, the pad is formed of the foam described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,487, which is supplied by the Cabot Company of Boston, Mass. under part numbers C-3001-25 and C-3001-50. This foam has a Loss Factor not less than 0.5 at 100 Hz. and not less than 1.0 at 10 Hz., and a Dynamic Youngs Modulus of 1.2.times.10.sup.7 newtons/meter.sup.2. The density of this foam is about 13 pounds per cubic foot.

The pad 30 is held in position on the yoke 20 by means of a leather panel 40. In this preferred embodiment, the leather panel 40 is secured directly to the yoke 20 by means of stitching 42. The stitching 42 is positioned on the leather panel 40 such that the contour of the stitching 42 on the leather panel 40 conforms to the shape of the pad 30 and is positioned about 1/8 of an inch beyond the perimeter of the pad 30. In view of the thickness of the pad 30, this location of the stitching 42 insures that the leather panel 40 cooperates with the yoke 20 to form an envelope having an interior volume less than the rest volume of the pad 30. This means that the leather panel 40 cooperates with the yoke 20 to compress the pad 30, even prior to the time the stock of a firearm is positioned against the leather panel 40. In this preferred embodiment, the leather panel 40 is formed of a 21/2 oz per square foot, finished, top-grain, split cow hide. The interior surface of the leather panel 40 is a roughened leather surface which provides a high coefficient of friction between the leather panel 40 and the pad 30.

The protection device 10 also includes two straps 50, 60. The first strap 50 is positioned to extend between the first and second end sections 22, 24. The first strap 50 is relatively short, and is formed of an elastic material.

A second strap 60 also extends between the first and second end sections 22, 24, and is opposed to the first strap 50. This second strap 60 is considerably longer than the first strap 50 and it includes a free end 62. This free end 62 is sized to fit within the ring 28. The free end 62 is provided with a section 64 defining multiple hooks. The strap 60 also defines a somewhat longer region 66 which defines a multiplicity of fabric type loops. The two regions 64, 66 cooperate to form a conventional hook and loop fastener. Thus, by passing the free end 62 of the second strap 60 through the ring 28 and then pressing the hook section 64 against a selected portion of the loop section 66, the effective length of the second strap 60 can be adjusted readily. In this embodiment, the strap 60 is formed of a nylon webbing.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view which shows the manner in which the pad 30 is confined between the leather panel 40 and a portion of the yoke 20. It should be noted that the pad 30 substantially fills the interior volume defined between the leather panel 40 and the yoke 20.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the manner in which the protection system 10 is used. The yoke 20 is positioned such that the first strap 60 extends under an arm 82 of the user and the yoke 20 extends from the front to the back of the shoulder 80, passing over the top 90 of the shoulder of the user. The second strap 60 extends across the chest 86 and the back 88, under the other arm 84 of the user. It has been found that this mounting harness provides a particularly comfortable protection device which is securely held in place and yet does not interfere with the freedom of movement of the user. In use, the user holds a firearm such as a high caliber rifle (not shown) with the stock of the firearm resting directly on the leather panel 40. When the firearm is fired, recoil is passed from the stock of the firearm via the leather panel 40 and the pad 30 to the shoulder 80 of the user. However, because of the excellent shock absorbing characteristics of the pad 30 as confined in the envelope defined by the leather panel 40 and the yoke 20, peak shock as well as peak loading per unit area applied to the shoulder 80 are markedly reduced by the protection system 10.

The excellent shock absorbing characteristics of the pad 30 contribute to the effectiveness of the protection system 10. In addition, the manner in which the pad 30 is confined within the envelope to produce a confined pad system significantly enhances the effectiveness of this system 10, because it ensures that shocks applied to the pad 30 by the stock of the firearms are spread to adjacent portions of the pad 30. Thus, the leather panel 40 cooperates with the pad 30 to provide a particularly effective recoil protection device. The roughened rear surface of the leather panel 40 provides excellent frictional engagement between the leather panel 40 and the pad 30 in order further to increase the volume of the pad 30 which is distorted by the stock of the firearm.

From the foregoing, it should be apparent that an improved recoil protection system has been described which is conveniently used and which provides excellent recoil protection. Of course, it should be understood that many changes and modifications to the preferred embodiment described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, other materials having suitable physical characteristics may be substituted for the material shown. Filled or plasticized or polymerized cellulose derivatives and filled or plasticized petroleum derivatives with Loss Factor as low as 0.1 can be used as shock absorbing pads, and the thickness of these pads may be adjusted to provide the degree of protection needed for any particular application. In addition, the novel confined pad system of this invention can be employed in recoil protection devices having other types of means for mounting the envelope adjacent the body of the user. For example, the confined pad system can be sewn, pinned, or held in a pocket in a conventional garment, such as a shirt, vest or jacket. Alternately, the confined pad system can be secured to the stock of a firearm, as by rubber or synthetic polymer enclosures, for example, so as to come between the stock and the shoulder of the user. Moreover, buckles or snaps can be substituted for the hook and loop fastener disclosed above.

It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than as limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, which are intended to define the scope of this invention.