FIREARM RECEIVER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE

• Main Author: KING, JR. WILLIAM CARR
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.02.2014
• Subjects: ALLOYS; BLASTING; CASTING; CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES; CHEMISTRY; COMBINED OPERATIONS; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS ANDORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINE TOOLS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE; OTHER WORKING OF METAL; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS; WEAPONS

A firearm receiver taking the form of a thixotropically molded magnesium alloy body. The receiver can be a lower receiver adapted for use in a modular rifle having both an upper receiver securable to a barrel and a lower receiver housing a trigger assembly. The receiver may also be nickel plated. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing a firearm receiver that includes thixotropically molding the receiver out of a magnesium alloy. In some embodiments, the molded receiver defines substantially all openings and slots in the firearm receiver before conducting any post-molding processing steps on the receiver. The receiver may be nickel plated using an electroless nickel plating process. In some embodiments, the receiver has a surface roughness, Ra, that is between approximately 35 microinches and approximately 60 microinches. The receiver may be molded out of an AZ91D magnesium alloy.