May 26, 2026

US12638261 - Recoil assembly for a machine gun

A recoil assembly for a rifle includes a barrel assembly, a bolt, bolt actuator, and a buffer assembly. The barrel assembly includes a barrel secured to a barrel extension. The barrel assembly is slidably received in the receiver and the barrel extension is coupled to a hydraulic buffer assembly located below the barrel extension. The hydraulic buffer assembly is configured and arranged to arrest rearward movement of the barrel assembly when the rifle is fired. An op-rod spring is coupled to an op rod extending that can be actuated by a gas piston assembly on the barrel. The op-rod spring is configured and arranged to arrest rearward movement of the bolt assembly.

Assignee: Sig Sauer, Inc.
Inventors: David Luke Steimke, Jeffery John Melochick, Andrew Phillip Loriot, Jacob Thomas Shawley, Lindsay Lee Bunch
Filing date: 2024-08-30

machinegunrecoilassemblyfirearm

The patent describes a recoil assembly for a machine gun that integrates a hydraulic buffer to control the rearward movement of the barrel assembly and a bolt assembly that works in conjunction with a feed assembly for belted ammunition. This innovative design includes a feed tray, pawl, and feed cam mechanism that facilitate the lateral advancement of ammunition during the firing cycle.

Claim 1

1 . A feed assembly for a machine gun, the feed assembly comprising: a rifle housing defining a longitudinal opening; a barrel assembly extending along a bore axis and partly received in the longitudinal opening, the barrel assembly including a barrel attached to a barrel extension; a bolt assembly slidably received in the barrel extension, the bolt assembly including a bolt movably coupled to a bolt actuator and a feed cam guide on the bolt actuator; a feed tray hingedly attached to the rifle housing and configured to receive belted ammunition from a side of the machine gun; a pawl arranged and configured to advance the belted ammunition laterally across the feed tray during a firing cycle of the machine gun; a feed cover hingedly attached to the rifle housing and movable between a closed position and an open position; a slide on an underside of the feed cover, the slide configured to reciprocate laterally across the feed cover during the firing cycle of the machine gun; and a feed cam having a distal end portion adjacent the feed tray and positioned to reciprocate the slide when the feed cover is in the closed position, the feed cam having a proximal end portion operably engaging the feed cam guide; wherein reciprocating axial movement of the bolt actuator causes reciprocating lateral movement of the distal end portion of the feed cam. a rifle housing defining a longitudinal opening; a barrel assembly extending along a bore axis and partly received in the longitudinal opening, the barrel assembly including a barrel attached to a barrel extension; a bolt assembly slidably received in the barrel extension, the bolt assembly including a bolt movably coupled to a bolt actuator and a feed cam guide on the bolt actuator; a feed tray hingedly attached to the rifle housing and configured to receive belted ammunition from a side of the machine gun; a pawl arranged and configured to advance the belted ammunition laterally across the feed tray during a firing cycle of the machine gun; a feed cover hingedly attached to the rifle housing and movable between a closed position and an open position; a slide on an underside of the feed cover, the slide configured to reciprocate laterally across the feed cover during the firing cycle of the machine gun; and a feed cam having a distal end portion adjacent the feed tray and positioned to reciprocate the slide when the feed cover is in the closed position, the feed cam having a proximal end portion operably engaging the feed cam guide; wherein reciprocating axial movement of the bolt actuator causes reciprocating lateral movement of the distal end portion of the feed cam.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12638261

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12638261