Inventors:
Aurelius A. Mooney - late of Columbia SC
by Virginia R. Mooney - Columbia SC
Edward P. Schmitter - Blythewood SC
Richard Baker - Tampa FL
International Classification:
F41G 146
Abstract:
A universal mount for a rifle comprises an upper rail having a plurality of traverse ribs running from the back of the upper receiver to the gas block, and a hand guard surrounding the barrel. The hand guard has side mounts allowing the addition of accessory devices such as flashlights and laser sights. A lower rail, designed to accept a grenade launcher and a bayonet, resides between the barrel and the hand guard. A heat shield is attached to the hand guard to protect the marksman from injury. A semicircular retaining ring locks the hand guard to the gas block by means of a throughhole which matingly engages a pin located in the muzzle end of the hand guard. When in place, the present invention provides a weapons' platform which achieves and maintains continuous alignment between the sight line of any optical attachments and the direction of a barrel that has become deformed due to thermal stress. The present invention can be used alone or in conjunction with a ballistic optimization system and can be backfitted onto an existing rifle without altering its basic components.