United States Patent [191

[11]
[45]

Brunton
[54]

M-l6 RIFLE, IMPROVED TO MORE SAFELY

[76]

Inventor:

Loren F. Brunton, 363 - 34th Ave.,

East Moline, 111. 61244
_

[ 1
[63]

Filed:

6/1982

42/98

Olsen ............................. .. 42/98

Primary ExaminerStephen C. Bentley

[57]

Related [15- Application Data

Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 505,621, Jun. 20, 1983,
Pat. No. Des. 285,236.

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a new ri?e receiver body for an M-16 ri?e,

incorporating a de?ector Portion adapted to divert
spent cartridge cases away from the person of the user,
away from the face and neck of a left-handed shooter

............................................ .. F41?3
Field of Search .................. .. 1322/1023; 42/16, 98;
89 /33_ 4
_

[56]

7/1920 Mehta .... ..

4,334,375

Card, Jr.; Michael C. Sachs

Mar. 27, 1986

[58]

1,346,329

Attorney, Agent, or FirmAnthony T. Lane; Harold H.

[21] Appl' NO" 845672

22

4,691,615
Sep. 8, 1987

968,139 8/1910 Febiger ................................. .. 42/98

ACCOMODATE LEFT HANDED SHOOTERS

Patent Number:
Date of Patent:

References Clted

for example. While particularly useful for the protec_

on Ola lefthanded shocter 1 1_ no way affects Fe use
of the gun and can be used for right-handed users in the
usual way. The de?ector is a boss located at the rear of

the ejection port, jutting out from the right side of the

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

804,661 11/1905
946,210 1/1910

Johnson ................................ .. 42/98

Febiger ................................. .. 42/98

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures

~ U. S. Patent

Sep.8, 1987

Sheet] of6

4,691,615

U. S. Patent sep. 8, 1987

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ACCOMODATE LEFI HANDED SHOOTERS

Still another object of the invention is to provide a

ri?e which may be used by either left or right handed
operators, without the need of any ?eld adaption for the

GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST

left-hander, to avoid the possibility of his injury.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will

M-16 RIFLE, IMPROVED TO MORE SAFELY

become apparent to those skilled in the art from a read

The invention described herein may be made, used or

ing of the attached speci?cation and drawings, in

licensed by the Government for governmental purposes

which:

without the payment to me of any royalty thereon or

therefor.

LIST OF FIGURES

This application is a continuation-in-part of applica

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the ri?e receiver;

tion Ser. No. 505,621, ?led June 20, 1983, now US Pat.
No. Des. 285,236.
BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF THE
INVENTION

FIG. 2 shows a right side elevational view of the ri?e

receiver;
15

This invention relates to the ?eld of ?rearms, and in

particular to the US Armys standard M-l6 series ri?e,
including but not limited to the M16, M16Al, M16A2,
M16A2El, XM4 Carbine, M231 Firing Port weapon,
XM177 Submachinegun, and commercial variations
thereof.
The conventional M16 Ri?e is designed so the spent

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the ri?e receiver;
FIG. 5 shows a front elevational view thereof;
FIG. 6 shows a rear elevational view thereof; and
FIG. 7 is a sectional view FF of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE

INVENTION
Applicant here assumes that the reader starts with

knowledge of the ordinary spent cartridge ejection

cartridge case strikes a small de?ector rib at the back of

process at it pertains to the M-l6, at what is termed the

what is known as the ejection port and rebounds for

ward at about 45. At the ri?es cyclic rate of tire de
creases, the ejection pattern slowly shifts rearward. At
around 725 rounds per minute, the spent case misses the
current de?ector rib and spins back almost parallel to
the side of the ri?e, on the right side looking from the

said ejection port.

As was mentioned previously, the conventional M-l6
ri?e is designed so the spent cartridge case strikes a

small de?ector rib at the back of the ejection port, 102

area in FIG. 1, and rebounds forward at about 45".
FIGS. 2-6 show more detail of the receiver from vari
ous views. As the ri?es cyclic rate of ?re decreases, the

shooters perspective. For left handed ri?emen, this

condition is dangerous because the hot spent cases strike
them in the face and neck, sometimes causing burns. In

ejection pattern slowly shifts rearward. At around 725

one unfortunate incident for a left handed shooter, a

rounds per minute, the spent case misses the current

burning hot case rolled inside his open shirt neck, even

de?ector rib and spins back almost parallel to the side of

the ri?e, on the right side looking from the shooters
perspective. For left handed ri?emen, this condition is

tually burning his stomach areas; panic shooting led to

accidental death of one soldier and wounding of still
others. For the right handed soldier, such spent cases

dangerous because the hot spent cases strike them in the

face and neck, sometimes causing burns. In this inven

would probably just go over the right shoulder where
the ri?e butt rests, if they missed the back end of the 40 tion, the ri?e receiver includes a boss 101, which is part
of the receiver when the receiver is originally made,
ejection port. For a left-hander, however, the ri?e butt
rests on the left shoulder; the ?red cases which miss the
however it is envisioned, the invention could be added
rib would then likely hit him in the face or neck. Yet
some 18-22% of soldiers statistically are estimated to be

on the standard receiver as an attachment. Now looking

greatly needed, especially with the M-16, given its

to the right on the ri?es receiver would encounter boss

101 as an obstacle. From surface 103, the cases would be

in the shooters perspective in the direction down the

left-handed. Clearly then, any improvement to safe 45 barrel, spent cartridge cases which miss the current rib
guard the left handed shooter against spent cases is
at the back end of the ejection port 102 as by being a bit
widespread use by the Marines and Army as a standard
weapon.

de?ected at a shallow angle to the right of the left

handed shooter. A left-handed shooter, and certainly a

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To remedy this problem, this invention provides for a
de?ector which is made an integral part of the ri?e

right-handed shooter, is protected from hot, spent car

tridge cases ever striking him.

positioned to the rear of the ejection port jutting out

towards the right side. It provides a barrier for ?red
cases, preventing same from coming straight back into
the shooters face, but instead to strike and bounce off
the de?ector and being forced to land considerably
away from the shooters person.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Dimensions shown in the FIGS. are as follows:

60

It is an object of this invention to provide an im

proved ri?e which permits use by left handed shooters

without the possibility of spent cartridge cases being
cast in the dirction of the shooters face and neck areas. 65

Another object of this invention is to adapt an M-l6

rifle particularly to the needs of the left handed shooter,

without affecting its ordinary operation.

AA
AB
Ac
AD
AE
AF
AG
AH
Al
AK
AL
AM
AN

4.12"
4.75"
0.16"
009" R
0.80"
1.31" R
025"
22 30'
0.87"
2"
21"
46
.09 R

A0
AP

(.59 R)
(1.31 R)

AQ

1.38 R TO THEORETICAL SHARP CORNER

4,691,615

rib means at its rear position, said receiver ejecting cases

-continued

whose rearward motion is stopped when striking said

Dimensions shown in the FIGS. are as follows:

back stop rib means and also cases whose rearward

AR

motion is not stopped despite striking, or by completely

4.756 m E]

missing of, said back stop rib means and continue in a

AS

4.1: to El

The concept of this invention is applicable to any

?rearm where the ejection pattern may be rearward.

rearward trajectory towards the person of the shooter,

said receiver comprising a boss thereon to change the
rearward trajectory of those non-stopped cases so they
can never strike the physical body of the shooter, on

However, the shape of the physical embodiment might

account of their changed trajectory.

require some change to adapt it to a particular ?rearm.

In regards to the M16 Series Ri?e, from painstaking

2. A receiver for a ?rearm wherein spent cartridge

cases are ejected in a trajectory of motion rearwardly at

experimentation it was discovered that certain features

a side ejection port thereof, said port having a back stop

are critical. One critical feature is the 46 slant to sur

face 103 looking from the top down on the boss, as
shown in FIG. 7 which is a detail of Section F-F. If

whose rearward motion is stopped when striking said

means at its rear position, said receiver ejecting cases

back stop means and also cases whose rearward motion

less than 46, then at very high cyclic rates of ?re, the
?red cartridge cases will strike surface 103 and spin

is not stopped despite existence of said back stop means

and continue in a rearward trajectory, said receiver
comprising a boss thereon to change the rearward tra
jectory of those cases which are not stopped so those
non-stopped cases which in their rearward motion
reach as far back as the body position of a shooter of

back into the ejection port and cause a malfunction.

Another critical feature is the distance surface 103 ex
tends out from the center line of the receiver, which is

along the 1.31" radius shown in FIG. 5.

While the invention may have been described with

said ?rearm, cannot nonetheless strike the physical

body of the shooter, on account of their changed trajec
tory.

reference to a particular embodiment or embodiments,

it should be understood that various substitutions and

modi?cations thereto are possible, and that all such

changes are also included in this disclosure of the inven

3. A receiver as in claim 2 wherein said ?rearm is a

rifle.

tion, as will occur to one skilled in this art.

4. A receiver as in claim 3 wherein the changed tra

What is claimed is:
30
jectory is to be in a direction going above the head of
1. A receiver for a ?rearm wherein spent cartridge
the shooter.
cases are ejected in a trajectory of motion rearwardly at
*

a side ejection port thereof, said port having a back stop

35

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55

60

65