Cancellation muzzle brake assembly

Abstract

A muzzle brake assembly for a firearm provides several benefits including an ability to reduce firearm recoil by redirecting the propellant gases and reshaping the pressure wave in a new manner, reduction or substantial elimination of muzzle movement upon discharge, lessening the acoustic signature of the firearm closer to non-braked levels and relatively easy and low cost to manufacture by current machining practices thereby minimizing cost of manufacturing. Ports in the muzzle brake assembly are arranged opposing one another about a circumference of the muzzle brake assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A brake assembly for a firearm, comprising:
 a body having a bore extending therethrough to permit passage of a round of ammunition through the body; and   a set of gas exhaust ports formed in spaced series about the body, comprising:
 a first plurality of ports in communication with the bore, the first plurality of ports extending through the body in a first direction; and 
 a second plurality of ports in communication with the bore and each having an outlet located in an opposing relationship with an outlet of a corresponding one of the first plurality of ports; 
   wherein upon firing, an intermixing of pressurized gases exiting from the first and second plurality of ports is created, providing at least one of: a reduction in muzzle movement, reduction in sound and reduction in recoil effect.   
     
     
         2 . The brake assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the body further comprises at least one circumferential groove having a plurality of facets arranged therealong. 
     
     
         3 . The brake assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of facets are arranged in pairs with each facet of each pair of facets oriented in a diverging direction from an opposed facet of the pair of facets. 
     
     
         4 . The brake assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the outlets of each of the opposing first and second pluralities of ports are located within opposed ones of the plurality of facets. 
     
     
         5 . The brake assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of ports in fluid communication with the bore are located at an end of the body where the pressuring gases are received into the body, each of the first plurality of ports having a first diameter, and wherein the second plurality of ports is located downstream from the first plurality of ports and each of the second plurality of ports has a second diameter that is equal to or greater than the first diameter. 
     
     
         6 . The brake assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the first plurality of ports and the second plurality of ports are each oriented at a non-ninety-degree angle. 
     
     
         7 . The brake assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the angles at which the first and second plurality of ports are oriented range from approximately 30° to less than approximately 90°. 
     
     
         8 . The brake assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the body further comprises an attaching mechanism configured to detachably connect the body to an end of a firearm barrel. 
     
     
         9 . The brake assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second pluralities of ports are arranged in corresponding pairs of opposed ports spaced about the body, and wherein the intermixing of pressurized gases exiting from each pair of opposed ports creates a pressure wave having a substantially convex shape moving toward a forward end of the body. 
     
     
         10 . The brake assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising an additional set of gas exhaust ports arranged in opposed pairs of ports about the body, with an outlet of each port of each pair of ports facing toward the outlet of the other port of the pair of ports, and with the additional set of gas exhaust ports offset from the first and second pluralities of ports. 
     
     
         11 . A firearm adapted to receive and fire a round of ammunition with a reduced recoil and muzzle movement, comprising:
 a receiver;   a barrel having a chamber and a muzzle end;   a muzzle brake assembly mountable to the muzzle end of the barrel and comprising
 a body having a bore defined therethrough; and 
 a series of ports arranged in opposed pairs spread about the body, each of the ports having an inlet in communication with the bore of the body and an outlet, enabling pressurized gas flows generated upon firing of the round of ammunition to be vented from the bore; 
   wherein the outlets of the bores of each pair of bores are oriented in opposing directions so as to cause the pressurized gas flows passing through the ports of each pair of ports to substantially cross.   
     
     
         12 . The firearm of  claim 11 , further comprising at least a first and second annular ring formed along the body of the muzzle brake assembly, wherein the pairs of ports are formed in spaced series along the first and second annual rings. 
     
     
         13 . The firearm of  claim 12 , wherein the pairs of ports formed along the first annular ring are offset from the pairs of ports formed along the second annular ring. 
     
     
         14 . The firearm of  claim 11 , wherein the ports are located within faceted areas formed along the body, and wherein as the pressurized gas flows passing through the ports engage the facets, additional intermixing and turbulence of the gas flows is created for redirecting the gas flows in a forward direction with respect to the barrel of the firearm. 
     
     
         15 . The brake assembly of  claim 14 , wherein each port is oriented at an angle of less than 90° in relation to the bore, with the outlet of each port at least partially facing and opposing the outlet of the other port of its pair of ports. 
     
     
         16 . The firearm of  claim 11 , wherein an achieved reduction in recoil effect for the firearm is between 5% and 40% in terms of peak force, as compared with using no muzzle brake assembly. 
     
     
         17 . The firearm of  claim 11 , wherein a first port of each pair of ports comprises a diameter equal to or smaller than a diameter of a second, opposite port of each pair of ports. 
     
     
         18 . The brake assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the body is configured as part of the firearm barrel. 
     
     
         19 . A method for forming a muzzle brake assembly for a firearm, comprising:
 forming a brake body having a bore defined along an approximately centrally aligned axis,   creating a plurality of ports arranged around a circumference of the brake body and in fluid communication with the bore, at least a subset of the ports arranged in opposed pairs oriented to cause intermixing of pressurized gases exhausted from the bore sufficient to provide at least one of: a reduction in muzzle movement, reduction in sound and reduction in recoil effect, when a fired round traverses along the bore.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein creating a plurality of ports comprises forming a first port of each pair of ports of the at least a subset of adjacent ports with a diameter equal to or greater than a diameter of a corresponding second port of the pair of ports. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising forming at least one annular ring along the body along which the plurality of ports is formed. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising forming a series of facets at spaced locations along the length of the body, the facets being oriented at angles with respect to the centrally aligned axis of the body, and each including a substantially flat face oriented perpendicular to an outlet of an associated port extending through the body from the bore to the facets. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the facets define redirecting surfaces adapted to assist in redirecting the pressurized gases exiting from the ports in a forward direction with respect to a muzzle and of a barrel of the firearm to which the muzzle brake assembly is mounted. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein creating the plurality of ports comprises drilling a series of first ports through the faces of the facets to the bore, rearwardly and at an angle of less than 90°, wherein the outlets of the first and second ports are oriented in different directions and are arranged opposite each other to cause the intermixing of the pressurized gases exiting therefrom, and to facilitate redirection of the gases in a forward direction with respect to the axis of the bore. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein creating a plurality of ports around a circumference of the body comprises forming pairs of ports arranged at opposing angles such that the pressurized gases exiting the ports of each of the pairs of ports redirect a pressure wave created by the exiting of the gases in a forward direction with respect to the brake body. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein creating a plurality of ports around a circumference of the body comprises forming pairs of opposed ports facing in opposite directions and arranged at a spacing sufficient to cause formation of a forwardly projecting pressure wave of the pressurized gases exiting the opposed ports.