Intermediate charging handle engagement with carrier of firearm

Abstract

Firearms with improved systems and methods of pulling back a carrier within the firearm and charging handles for such firearms. In some embodiments, the charging handle engages the carrier at an engagement face located between a rearward first end and a forward second end of the charging handle and the engagement face is at least ten percent of the length of the charging handle from the second end. In some embodiments, the charging handle has a stem having a top wall, a left wall, and a right wall, and the engagement face extends from the left wall to the right wall. In various embodiments, walls are perpendicular or parallel or are one piece, the bottom is open, the carrier has a protrusion contacting the charging handle, the engagement face is concave, the firearm is a rifle that selectably fires in fully-automatic and semi-automatic modes, or a combination thereof.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.