The present invention relates to a silencer for a firearm, such as a rifle or a handgun, where the silencer comprises a substantially cylindrical sleeve and an inner element arranged therein, where the silencer is intended to be releasably connected to a barrel of the firearm or to attachment element(s) arranged on the barrel of the firearm.

Silencers are used with high-pressure firearms in particular, since in many situations the report when the weapon is fired will be too loud. By means of its construction the silencer will be able to reduce the report and the recoil that occur during the firing of a shot, thereby avoiding damage to hearing as well as making the marksman feel safer when firing a shot since the recoil is reduced.

Known silencers are of a tubular design and may employ various principles in order to obtain a reduction of the report and/or recoil. We refer here, for example, to the American patents US 5.029.512 and US 4.907.488.

US 5.029.512 uses the principle of setting exhaust gases following the bullet in a rotational motion, which result in the velocity of the exhaust gases being lowered before they leave the silencer. The silencer comprises an outer cylindrical sleeve, a number of elements being arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the silencer, where the elements interact in order to set the exhaust gases in rotation internally in the outer cylindrical sleeve.

In US 4.907.488 elements inside a sleeve are also used to change the flow direction of the exhaust gases, so as to obtain a muffling of sound.

In GB 191024766 is described a silencer which comprises a number of conical sleeves assembled in an outer sleeve, where the conical sleeves are designed to deflect the exhaust gases laterally.

IS 5.029.512 relates to a silencer, where the silencer comprises a deceleration plate which lead the exhaust gases into a chamber which comprises a plurality of baffles.

Such silencers will be subjected to substantial loads during the firing of a weapon, these loads essentially being due to the high temperature and pressure of the exhaust gases. For this reason, silencers will be made of "special materials", and materials that are relatively heavy. Silencers will also very often be "over-dimensioned" as extra safety against that the silencers actually are to withstand the loads they are subjected to. In addition, several differently shaped elements are used to set the exhaust gases in rotational motion, where the elements have a complex design. This result in such silencers, very often, is expensive, unnecessarily heavy and complex.

The object of the present invention is to provide a silencer that controls the flow direction of the exhaust gases, which is modular, and comprises few parts and at the same time is light in weight. This object is obtained according to the invention by the features disclosed in the following independent claims, with additional features of the invention set forth in the dependent claims and the description below.

The present invention relates to a silencer for a firearm, where the silencer is designed to be detachably connectable to one or more attachment elements arranged on a barrel of the firearm, or to the barrel of the firearm.

In one embodiment of the silencer according to the present invention the silencer comprises a substantially outer cylindrical sleeve and an inner body arranged therein, where the inner body at one end is provided with an attachment portion for being detachably connectable to a barrel of a firearm or to an intermediate attachment element which is connected to the barrel of the firearm, and at an opposite end is provided with a muzzle portion. The inner body is configured with a throughgoing bore, which throughgoing bore extends over the entire length of the inner body. The inner body is further provided with a number of separate groups of radial and through openings around whole or parts of its circumference over at least a part of the length of the inner body, where each of the separate groups of the radial and through openings form a connection with the throughgoing bore. Two adjacent separate groups of the radial and through openings are separated by a rearwardly sloping wall, where each of the rearwardly sloping walls at least partly covers an underlying group of the radial and through openings.

A rearwardly sloping wall according to the present invention it is to be understood as a wall extending around the entire circumference of the inner body, and where the wall is facing backwardly towards the attachment portion of the inner body, so forming an angle relative to a horizontal plane, which angle may be, for instance, 15-50 degrees.

The number of separate groups of radial and through openings which are provided over the length of the inner body may vary from two and upwards, depending on the caliber, charge and/or bullet weight which the silencer is intended to be used with. Furthermore, each separate group can be provided with the same number of radial and through openings, but it is also possible that the separate groups may be formed with a greater or lesser number of radial through openings in relation to each other.

A radial and through opening of the present invention is to be understood as an opening which is drilled or milled in the inner body, from an outer surface of the inner body and into the throughgoing bore extending through the inner body. A group of separate radial and through openings of the present invention is to be understood as a "collection" of a number of radial and through openings, where each radial and through opening in this group will have the same distance, for example, to the attachment portion of the inner body. A subsequent separate group or collection of radial and through openings will then have a different distance to the attachment portion of the inner body.

The number of radial through openings which are provided in each group can be, for example, three, where the radial and through openings will then be disposed 120 degrees offset relative to each other around a circumference of the inner body. If the number of the radial and through openings are four, the radial and through openings will be 90 degrees offset relative to each other around a circumference of the inner body.

A radial and through opening may in one embodiment hold a circular shape, but it is also conceivable that such radial and through opening may hold other forms, such as a square shape, oval shape, polygonal shape, etc. Furthermore, it is also conceivable that the radial and through opening is provided by drilling several partial openings in the inner body, these partial openings together forming the radial and through opening.

The cross-section or area of the radial and through openings in each separate group can be the same, but it is also conceivable that one or more of the separate groups may be formed with radial and through openings having different cross-section or area. In one embodiment, the openings in the group of the radial and through openings provided closest to attachment portion of the inner body may be formed with a largest cross section or area, whereafter the cross-section or area of the openings in each successive group of the radial and through openings declines towards the muzzle portion of the inner body, wherein the group of the radial and through openings arranged closest to the inner body's muzzle portion, will have openings of smallest cross-section or area.

The radial and through openings are further preferably designed to form an angle with the throughgoing bore extending in the longitudinal direction of the inner body and the radial and through openings are further connected to the throughgoing bore. The radial and through openings may, for example, form an angle of 15-45 degrees with a center axis extending through the throughgoing bore. The openings in each separate group of radial and through openings and the rearwardly sloping walls will be formed with an angle relative to a center axis extending through the throughgoing bore of the inner body and in relation to a horizontal plane, so that exhaust gases that follows the projectile and escapes from the throughgoing bore and out through a separate group of radial and through openings, as the projectile passes this group, is guided to hit a lower portion or area of the rearwardly sloping wall, i.e. the part or area of the rearwardly sloping wall which lies closest to the radial and through openings. Through this configuration, most of the exhaust gases energy will be absorbed when the exhaust gases hit the lower region of the rearwardly sloping wall.

For detachably to connect the silencer to a firearm, the inner body may, in its attachment portion, comprise an inner threaded portion, which inner threaded portion is designed to cooperate with a corresponding external threaded portion on the barrel of the firearm, or with an attachment element arranged on the barrel of the firearm. The attachment element will then at one end be provided with a corresponding external threaded portion, so as to be connected to the inner body, and at its opposite end the attachment element will be formed with an inner threaded portion, so as to be connected to the barrel of the firearm.

In one aspect of the present invention, a transition element may be arranged between the silencer and the barrel of the firearm. In this case, the silencer and the firearm will not be directly connected to each other, whereby it will be the transition element which is mainly subjected to the forces which occur when the firearm is fired.

The transition element may be formed with a throughgoing longitudinal bore, and may further be formed, around whole or part of its circumference, with a number of radial channels extending from the throughgoing longitudinal bore and out to an exterior of the transition element.

It is further understood that the transition element can be formed of one piece, or comprise several parts that are suitably connected to form the transition element.

Alternatively, the attachment portion of the silencer can be configured with a rapid coupling or the like, in order to cooperate with a corresponding rapid coupling arranged on the barrel of the firearm. A person of skill in the art will know how this arrangement can be configured, whereby this is not discussed further here.

In one embodiment, the inner body may, within its attachment portion, be configured with an internal, hollow chamber, in which internal, hollow chamber barrel of the firearm or the transition element can extend some way into when the silencer according to the present invention is connected to the firearm. The internal chamber may then be disposed between the attachment portion and the first separate group of the radial and through openings provided in the inner body.

Around the attachment portion of the inner body, i.e. around a circumference of the threaded part of the attachment portion, there may be formed a number of axial through bores which extend in the longitudinal direction of the inner body and into the interior, hollow chamber so that the exhaust gases in the interior, hollow chamber, after the firearm has been fired, can escape from the internal hollow chamber through the axial through bores.

The muzzle portion of the inner body, which is arranged at an opposite end to the attachment portion, may be configured with an abutment shoulder, which abutment shoulder is designed for supporting an end of the cylindrical, outer sleeve when the silencer according to the present invention is assembled. The abutment shoulder may extend around the whole circumference of the inner body. Alternatively, the abutment shoulder may be constituted of four diametrically opposing part shoulders, where these part shoulders are configured to form the support for the cylindrical outer sleeve.

Beyond the abutment shoulder or part shoulders, the inner body may be provided with one or more recesses extending around the circumference of the inner body, in which recesses there can be arranged one or more seal elements, such as an O-ring or the like, to provide a tight connection between the cylindrical outer sleeve and the inner body at this end of the silencer when the silencer is assembled.

The substantially cylindrical outer sleeve may be made of composite materials such as carbon fiber, glass fibre, thermoset plastic, Aramid, Kevlar and the like, where an inside of the outer sleeve may be coated with at least one layer of a liner, a metal foil or the like. This will mean that the cylindrical outer sleeve is to a far lesser degree subjected to the high temperature and pressure of the exhaust gases as these loads will be taken up by the at least one layer of liner, metal foil or the like, whereby the lifetime of the silencer and the safety when using the silencer is increased.

The present invention also relates to a method for providing a silencer for firearms, which silencer comprises a generally cylindrical outer sleeve and an inner body arranged therein, the method comprising the following steps of: drilling out a plurality of radial openings around a circumference of the inner body so forming a separate group of radial and through openings in the inner body, providing a number of such separate groups of radial and through openings over a length of the inner body, machining away an area between each separate group of radial and through openings, so providing a rearwardly sloping wall between each separate group of radial and through openings and a fixed core around a center axis in the inner body, and to drill out a throughgoing, axial bore through the solid core.

According to one embodiment, the radial and through openings are provided in that each of the radial and through openings is provided through a single drilling.

Alternatively, a radial and through opening may be provided by drilling two or more partial openings, which partial openings then together will form a radial and through opening.

The method of the present invention may also comprise the step of drilling out a plurality of axial bores around the attachment portion of the inner body.

Further objects, structural embodiments and advantages of the present invention will be seen clearly from the following detailed description, the attached drawings and the claims below. The invention will now be explained through several not limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures wherein;

Figure 1 A shows an assembled silencer according to the present invention viewed obliquely from the front,

Figure IB shows the silencer according to Figure 1A viewed obliquely from behind

Figure 1C shows the silencer according to Figure 1 A and IB seen from the side, Figure ID shows a longitudinal cross-section E-E through the silencer according to Figure 1C,

Figure IE shows a cross-section F-F through the silencer according to Figure 1C, Figure IF shows a cross-section G-G through the silencer according to Figure 1 C,

Figure 1G shows an inner body and a transition element in the silencer according to the present invention, Figure 2A shows an assembly or disassembly of the silencer according to the present invention;

Figure 2B shows an inner body partially outside the silencer according to the present invention, seen obliquely from behind,

Figure 2C shows the internal body in the silencer,

Figure 2D shows the transition element in the silencer, viewed from the side and the front,

Figure 2E shows a cross-section I-I of the inner body according to Figure 2C Figure 2F shows the internal body according to Figure 2C seen obliquely from the front,

Figure 3 shows an enlarged detail of the inner body according to Figure 2E,

Figure 4A shows an alternative embodiment of the inner body according to the present invention, and

Figure 4B shows a cross-section J-J through the inner body according to Figure 4A.

Figure 1A shows a silencer 1 for firearms according to the present invention seen obliquely from the front, figure IB shows the silencer 1 according to Figure 1A seen obliquely from behind, and Figure 1C shows the silencer 1 according to the present invention seen from the side.

The silencer 1 for firearms according to the present invention comprises a substantially cylindrical outer sleeve 2 in which cylindrical outer sleeve 2 an inner body 3 is arranged. One end of the inner body 3 is forming an attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3, which attachment portion 4 is formed with internal threads 41 , so that the inner body 3, for instance, can be connected with a transition element 5 or with a barrel of a firearm (not shown). An opposite end of the inner body 3 is formed with a muzzle portion 6, which muzzle portion 6 is formed as a flange 61.

The flange 61 forms an abutment shoulder or a support for the cylindrical outer sleeve 2 when the silencer 1 for firearms is assembled.

On one inside of the flange 61 , i.e. closer to the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3, is formed a recess or groove 62, in which recess or groove 62 a sealing device (not shown) such as an O-ring or the like, can be arranged, so as to provide a tight connection between the cylindrical outer sleeve 2 and the inner body 3 when the silencer 1 for firearms is assembled.

In Figure 2D is a transition element 5 is shown, which transition element 5 is connectable with the inner body 3, where it can be seen that the transition element 5 at one end is formed with external threads 51 and at an opposite end is formed with a flange 52. The flange 52 forms an abutment shoulder or a support for the cylindrical outer sleeve 2 when the silencer 1 for firearms is assembled.

When the silencer 1 for firearms is to be assembled, the outer sleeve 2 is guided over the inner body 3, so that one end of the sleeve 2 is to abut against the flange

61. Then, the transition element 5 is connected to the inner body 3, so as to keep the silencer 1 for firearms assembled. This is done by screwing together the external threads 51 of the transition element 5 and the internal threads 41 of the inner body 3.

A side of the flange 52 of the transition element 5 is further formed as a hexagonal nut. On an inside of the flange 52 is formed a recess or groove 53 in which recess or groove 53 a sealing device (not shown) such as an O-ring or the like, can be arranged, so as to provide a tight connection between the cylindrical outer sleeve 2 and the transition element 5 when the silencer 1 for firearm is assembled. The flange 52 is also formed with internal threads 54, so that the transition element 5 can be connected to a barrel of a firearm (not shown).

When the silencer 1 for firearms according to the present invention is to be assembled, the inner body 3 is guided into the cylindrical outer sleeve 2, so that the flange 61 is to abut against one end of the cylindrical outer sleeve 2. The transition element 5 will then, from an opposite end of the cylindrical outer sleeve 2, be guided into the cylindrical outer sleeve 2 and through the external threads 51 be screwed into the internal threads 41 of the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3, so as to assemble the silencer 1 for firearms. The flanges 61 and 52 will then bear against the outer cylindrical sleeve 2, so as to lock the latter.

A suitable tool, such as a wrench or the, like can be used on the hexagonal nut, so as to tighten the transition element 5 sufficiently to the inner body 3. The transition element 5 is further formed with a throughgoing central bore 55, so that a projectile can pass through the transition element 5.

Figure IB shows the silencer 1 for firearms obliquely from behind, where it can be seen that the transition element 5 is formed with internal threads 54.

Figure ID shows a longitudinal cross-section E-E through the silencer 1 for firearms according to Figure 1 C, where it can be seen that the inner body 3 is formed with a number of separate groups of radial and through openings 9 over a longitudinal direction of the inner body 3, which number of separate groups of radial and through openings 9 are arranged between the muzzle portion 6 and the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3.

Figure IE shows a cross-section F-F through the silencer 1 for firearms according to Figure 1C, where in this embodiment can be seen that a separate group of radial and through openings 9 consists of four openings 9, where the radial and through openings 9 are arranged 90 degrees offset relative to each other. The inner body 3 is further formed with a throughgoing bore 10, through which throughgoing bore 10 a projectile passes when the firearm is fired.

A person of skill in the art will understand, however, that the inner body 3 may be formed with fewer openings 9, such as two or three, whereby the openings will then be arranged in 180 degrees respectively 120 degrees offset relative to each other. The same person will further understand that the number of openings 9 in each separate group of radial and through openings 9 may be different between the various separate groups. Each and everyone of the radial and through openings 9 in this embodiment is further formed in that two partial openings are drilled in the inner body 3, where these two partial openings together form a radial and through opening 9.

The radial and through openings 9 are further formed forming an angle with the throughgoing bore 10 or a center axis S extending through the inner body 3. The radial and through openings 9 will then be designed so that they, from an outer side of the inner body 3 slope down towards the throughgoing bore 10, in a direction which the projectile extends through the inner body 3, i.e. from the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3 and towards the muzzle portion 6 of the inner body 3. Through this design of the radial and through openings 9, the exhaust gases generated during the firing of the firearm (not shown) will be able to escape out from the throughgoing bore 10 and be led slopingly backwards by the radial and through openings 9, towards the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3. In Figure IF is seen a cross section G-G of the silencer 1 for firearms according to Figure 1C, where it can be seen that the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3 around its outer circumference is formed with a number of throughgoing, axial bores 16 extending into a chamber 12 which is formed at an inside of the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3.

Figure 2C and 2F show the inner body 3, where it can be seen that there is provided a number of walls 1 1 over the longitudinal direction of the inner body 3, which walls 1 1 are designed sloping backwards, from the muzzle portion 6 of the inner body 3 and towards the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3. Every separate group of radial and through openings 9 is then arranged between two successive walls 1 1 , where one rearwardly sloping wall 1 1 is arranged in front of a separate group of radial and through openings 9 and the other rearwardly sloping wall 1 1 is arranged after the separate group of radial and through openings 9. As explained above, the exhaust gases which are formed after the firearm is fired, will escape through the throughgoing bore 10 and out through the group of radial and through openings 9 as the projectile passes a separate group of the radial and through openings 9. Since the radial and through openings 9 form an angle with the throughgoing bore 10 or a center axis S, the exhaust gases will be led away slopingly backwards from the throughgoing bore 10, and where the exhaust gases will hit a wall 1 1 on an inside of the wall 1 1 , near a foot of the wall 1 1 , i.e. nearby the separate group of radial and through openings 9.

Figure 2E shows a cross-section I-I of the inner body 3 according to Figure 2C, where it can be seen that the inner body 3 is formed with a plurality of successively arranged radial and through openings 9, extending from the muzzle portion 6 of the inner body 3 to the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3, so forming separate groups of radial and through openings 9. Two adjacent groups of radial and through openings 9 will be divided by a wall 1 1 which is directed facing rearwardly toward the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3. Through this design, the exhaust gases which will follow the projectile when it is fired, is allowed to flow out of the throughgoing bore 10 of the inner body 3 and out of a separate group of radial and through openings 9, so as to be directed in towards an inside of a wall 1 1. The exhaust gases will then "hit" the inside of the wall and be directed or deflected backwards toward the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3. The substantially cylindrical outer sleeve 2 is made of composite materials and may on its inner surface be coated with at least one layer of a liner or a metal foil, where this will cause that the outer sleeve 2 to a far lesser extent will be exposed to loads from the exhaust gases when the firearm is fired. Figure 3 shows an enlarged section of the inner body 3 according to Figure 2e, where arrows indicate how the exhaust gases flow out of each separate group of radial and through openings 9 as the projectile passes this group, and then hits the foot of the rearwardly sloping wall 1 1 , because the wall 1 1 forms an angle with a horizontal plane. In a collision with the rearwardly sloping wall 1 1 the exhaust gases will lose most of their energy and they will then be thrown back or deflected from this area.

Figure 4A and 4B show an alternative embodiment of the inner body 3, where each and everyone of the radial and through openings 9 in this embodiment is formed in that two partial openings are drilled or milled in the inner body 3, where these two partial openings together form a radial and through opening 9.

In the production of the silencer for firearms of the present invention it will first be drilled or milled out a plurality of radial openings 9 around a circumference of the inner body 3, and equidistant from, for example, the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3, so forming a first separate group of radial openings 9 in the inner body 3. Then it will be drilled out a new number of radial openings 9 around a circumference of the inner body 3, thus forming a second separate group of radial openings 9 in the inner body 3, where this group will have a different distance to the attachment portion 4 of the inner body 3. When a desired number of such separate groups of radial openings 9 is provided over the length of the inner body 3, it will be machined away an area between two adjacent separate groups of radial openings 9, so as to provide a rearwardly sloping wall 1 1 and a solid core around a center axis S of the inner body 3. Finally it will be drilled out a throughgoing and longitudinal bore 10 through the solid core of the inner body 3.

The present invention has now been explained with reference to embodiments, but a person of skill in the art will understand that changes and modifications could be made in relation to these embodiments within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.