Barrel thimble

Abstract

A barrel thimble for securing a ramrod to a barrel of a muzzle-loading firearm. The thimble includes a hollow tubular sleeve portion and flanges extending from the sleeve portion for engagement within recesses formed in the barrel of the firearm.

1 . In a muzzle-loading firearm having a barrel and a ramrod for loading a projectile into the barrel of the firearm, the improvement comprising: 
 a barrel thimble for securing the ramrod to the barrel of the firearm when the ramrod is not in use, said barrel thimble comprising a sleeve portion and at least one flange extending from the sleeve portion for connection to the barrel of the firearm.    
   
   
       2 . The improvement of  claim 1 , comprising an opposed pair of flanges for engagement within cooperating recesses formed in the barrel of the firearm.  
   
   
       3 . The improvement of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve portion and the at least one flange are a unitary integral component.  
   
   
       4 . The improvement of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve portion comprises a slotted top opening, and the at least one flange comprises an opposed pair of flanges extending from edges of the sleeve portion adjacent the slotted top opening.  
   
   
       5 . A muzzle-loading firearm comprising a barrel, a ramrod for loading a projectile into the barrel, and a barrel thimble for removably securing the ramrod to the barrel when the ramrod is not in use, said barrel thimble comprising a sleeve for receiving the ramrod, and integral attachment means for attaching the sleeve to the barrel without separate connectors.  
   
   
       6 . The muzzle-loading firearm of  claim 5 , wherein the integral attachment means comprises at least one flange for attachment to the barrel.  
   
   
       7 . The muzzle-loading firearm of  claim 6 , wherein the barrel comprises a pair of spaced-apart recesses, and wherein the integral attachment means comprises an opposed pair of flanges for engagement within the pair of spaced-apart recesses.  
   
   
       8 . The muzzle-loading firearm of  claim 7 , wherein the sleeve comprises an open end formed by a slot defined between the opposed pair of flanges.  
   
   
       9 . The muzzle-loading firearm of  claim 7 , wherein each of the spaced-apart recesses comprises a slot extending lengthwise along a portion of the barrel.  
   
   
       10 . A barrel thimble for securing a ramrod to a barrel of a muzzle-loading firearm, the barrel thimble comprising a sleeve and an opposed pair of flanges extending from the sleeve.  
   
   
       11 . A barrel thimble as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the sleeve has an open slot along a top portion thereof, and wherein the opposed pair of flanges extend from edges of the sleeve adjacent the open slot.  
   
   
       12 . A barrel thimble as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the sleeve has a generally circular cross-section.  
   
   
       13 . A barrel thimble as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein each flange has a smoothly curved profile with inwardly-recessed and outwardly-curved portions.  
   
   
       14 . A barrel thimble as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein each flange has a portion between the inwardly-recessed and outwardly-curved portions contoured to generally conform to an external profile of a portion of the barrel of the muzzle-loading firearm.  
   
   
       15 . A barrel thimble as claimed in  claim 10 , constructed as an integral component formed of a flexible material to permit the flanges to flex relative to one another and maintain a bias force against the barrel of the muzzle-loading firearm.  
   
   
       16 . A barrel thimble for securing a ramrod to a barrel of a muzzle-loading firearm, the thimble comprising: 
 a sleeve portion comprising a hollow tubular element having a generally circular cross-section extending lengthwise about a longitudinal axis, said sleeve portion comprising an open end; and    a pair of opposed flanges extending from the sleeve portion adjacent the open end, each flange comprising a tip edge extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve.    
   
   
       17 . The barrel thimble of  claim 16 , wherein the tip edges of the flanges are directed inwardly toward one another.  
   
   
       18 . The barrel thimble of  claim 16 , wherein the sleeve portion and the pair of opposed flanges comprise a unitary component.  
   
   
       19 . The barrel thimble of  claim 16 , wherein each flange has a smoothly curved profile with inwardly-recessed and outwardly-curved portions.  
   
   
       20 . A method of attaching a barrel thimble to a barrel of a muzzle-loading firearm, the method comprising flexing an opposed pair of flanges of the barrel thimble against the thimble's internal resilient bias, and releasing the flanges to allow tip portions of the flanges to engage within recesses formed in the barrel of the muzzle-loading firearm.