Firearm sound and flash suppressor having low pressure discharge

A noise suppressor and flash hider device for mounting to the externally threaded end of a firearm barrel, comprising:

• an elongate tubular housing defining front and rear extremities and having a generally cylindrical internal housing surface;
• a suppressor mount being located at said rear extremity of said elongate tubular housing and having an internally threaded section receiving the externally threaded section of a firearm barrel;
• a plurality of gas handling members being located within said elongate tubular housing and defining a primary flow path for propellant gas and defining a plurality of serially arranged internal propellant gas chambers, said baffle members each having an aligned projectile port through which projectiles move and through which propellant gas also flows, said baffle members each having an outer generally cylindrical wall disposed in circumferentially spaced relation with said internal housing surface and defining a generally cylindrical secondary flow path for propellant gas;
• a front wall being mounted to said elongate tubular housing and defining a projectile and propellant gas exit port centrally thereof, said front wall defining a generally annular array of propellant gas exhaust ports surrounding said projectile and propellant gas exit port and being in communication with said secondary flow path and exhausting propellant gas from said secondary flow path through said front wall;
• said front wall defining a front wall surface and having a plurality of propellant gas exhaust passes of angulated orientation each being in communication with said secondary propellant flow path and having propellant gas exhaust openings at said front wall surface;
• a generally circular contoured depression being defined by said front wall and being located about said projectile and primary exhaust gas port;
• and
• said plurality of propellant gas exhaust passages being of angulated orientation and having exhaust ports arranged in a substantially circular array within said generally circular contoured depression and directing propellant gas exhaust from said secondary flow path to converge with propellant gas being discharged from said projectile and propellant gas exit port.

A method for handling movement of a projectile and propellant gas within a noise and flash hider device mounted to the barrel of a firearm, comprising:

• providing a tubular suppressor housing being supported and aligned with a bore of a rifle barrel by a suppressor mount and having a plurality of generally tubular propellant gas handling members located in longitudinally stacked relation within said tubular suppressor housing and having a plurality of aligned projectile ports defining parts of a primary flow path within said propellant gas handling members;
• maintaining said generally tubular propellant gas handling members in spaced and centralized relation within tubular suppressor housing and defining a secondary flow path between said tubular suppressor housing and said plurality of generally tubular propellant gas handling members;
• providing a gas transfer path in communication with said primary and secondary flow paths;
• permitting passage of a projectile discharged from the barrel of the firearm through said aligned projectile ports;
• receiving propellant gas from said firearm barrel into said primary flow path;
• transferring a portion of said propellant gas from said primary flow path to said secondary flow path;
• discharging propellant gas from said primary and secondary flow paths via primary and secondary propellant gas discharge openings of said suppressor housing;
• containing propellant gas flow within said primary and secondary flow paths by means of a front wall member having a front wall surface having a primary projectile and propellant gas discharge port centrally thereof in communication with said primary flow path and a plurality of secondary propellant gas discharge ports of said front wall surface in communication with said secondary flow path;
• and
• orienting said plurality of propellant gas exhaust passages at an angle and arranging exhaust ports in a substantially circular array and directing propellant gas exhaust from said secondary flow path to converge with propellant gas being discharged from said projectile and propellant gas exit port.