Butt stock with angled rear face

Abstract

A gun stock for a shoulder mounted firearm has a rear face with an upper portion extending downward from the heel of the stock at a first angle from about 0° to 10°, and a lower portion extending downward from the upper portion to the toe of the stock and forming a second angle greater than the first angle, preferably about 35° from vertical. The rear face may be part of a butt plate arranged as a door to cover a storage compartment in the stock, attached to the stock with a hinge at the toe and a latch at the heel. This configuration reduces the likelihood that the toe of the stock will catch on the shooter's armor or uniform, and places the hinge forward of the toe such that the butt plate may swing under the stock and out of the way when the storage compartment is opened.

1 . A firearm butt stock having a body, a heel, a toe, and a rear face, the rear face comprising an upper generally straight portion extending downward from the heel and forming a first angle in the range of 0 degrees to 10 degrees from a vertical plane at the heel, and a lower generally straight portion extending from the upper portion downward to the toe and forming a second angle that is greater than the first angle 
     
     
         2 . The stock of  claim 1 , wherein the upper portion of the rear face comprises from 60% to 80% of the vertical distance from the heel to the toe. 
     
     
         3 . The stock of  claim 2 , wherein the first angle is about 4 degrees, and the second angle is about 35 degrees, and the upper portion comprises about 70% of the distance from the heel to the toe. 
     
     
         4 . The stock of  claim 1  wherein at least a portion of the rear face comprises an elastomeric surface. 
     
     
         5 . The stock of  claim 1  wherein the rear face comprises a surface material having a high coefficient of friction when pressed against clothing or body armor. 
     
     
         6 . The stock of  claim 1  wherein at least a portion of the rear face includes a plurality of transverse ridges. 
     
     
         7 . The stock of  claim 1 , wherein the rear face is part of a butt plate attached to the stock. 
     
     
         8 . The stock of  claim 7  wherein the butt plate is configured to form a door covering at least one interior cavity formed in the body of the stock as a storage compartment, the stock further comprising:
 a hinge adjacent the bottom of the butt plate pivotally coupling the butt plate to the stock body thereby enabling the butt plate to pivot away from the stock body to expose the storage compartment; and 
 a latch adjacent the top of the butt plate to secure the butt plate to the top of the stock thereby covering the storage compartment. 
 
     
     
         9 . The stock of  claim 8  wherein the hinge comprises a pivot pin on the bottom of the butt plate, and the latch comprises a spring-loaded bolt disposed on the top of the butt plate and a strike plate disposed on the stock body. 
     
     
         10 . The stock of  claim 9 , further comprising a button actuator recessed into the butt plate for depressing the spring loaded bolt to open the latch. 
     
     
         11 . The stock of  claim 8 , further comprising a gasket along an inside edge of the butt plate to create a watertight seal when the butt plate is closed and latched. 
     
     
         12 . The stock of  claim 8 , further comprising a foam block disposed within the storage compartment having at least one cutout for receiving at least one item for storage, and at least one quick access tab for removing the stored item. 
     
     
         13 . The stock of  claim 7 , further comprising a slot in the stock body, wherein the butt plate is configured to form a door covering an open end of the slot on the side of the stock body, with the opposite end of the slot being disposed away from the butt plate. 
     
     
         14 . The stock of  claim 13 , wherein the slot is adapted to receive an accessory support bracket whereby, when the butt plate is pivoted away from the stock body to expose the open end of the slot, a bracket with at least one flange can be installed onto the stock body by sliding the flange through the open end of the slot. 
     
     
         15 . The stock of  claim 14 , wherein there are two such slots, one on each side of the stock body, and the support bracket has a first flange adapted to engage in the slot on one side of the stock body, and a second flange adapted to engage in the slot on the opposite side of the stock body. 
     
     
         16 . The stock of  claim 15 , wherein accessory support bracket includes at least one mounting tab arranged to receive an accessory such as a handheld electronic device. 
     
     
         17 . The stock of  claim 14 , wherein accessory support bracket includes at least one mounting tab arranged to receive an accessory such as a handheld electronic device.