Firearm barrel pre-loading devices, connection assemblies, and firearms

1. A firearm barrel preloading device, comprising:

an outwardly facing barrel-contact surface;

an outwardly facing receiver-contact surface; and

a plurality of surfaces between the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface, the surfaces cooperate to spread apart the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface to preload a barrel-receiver connection, wherein pairs of the surfaces slidably contact one another and have complementary configurations, and wherein the surfaces are non-planar axisymmetric surfaces or sloped surfaces.

2. The preloading device of claim 1 , wherein the surfaces are axisymmetric surfaces that axisymmetric relative to a longitudinal axis of the firearm barrel preloading device and include one or more partially spherical surfaces and/or partially conical surfaces.

3. A firearm barrel preloading device, comprising

an outwardly facing barrel-contact surface;

an outwardly facing receiver-contact surface;

a plurality of surfaces between the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface, the surfaces cooperate to spread apart the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface to preload a barrel-receiver connection, and wherein the surfaces are non-planar axisymmetric surfaces or sloped surfaces;

a first interface element with the barrel-contact surface;

a second interface element with the receiver-contact surface; and

a split collar with a wedged-shaped arcuate body positionable between the first and second interface elements, and wedge-shaped arcuate body spreads apart the first and second interface elements when the split collar is at least partially collapsed.

4. The preloading device of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first interface element and the second interface element is a recoil lug or a washer.

5. The preloading device of claim 3 , wherein the axisymmetric surfaces slidably contact the first and second interface elements to maintain (a) face-to-face contact between the barrel-contact surface and a face of a shoulder of a barrel and (b) face-to-face contact between the receiver-contact surface and a face of a receiver.

6. The preloading device of claim 3 , wherein the preloading device imparts preloading forces in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of a barrel without damaging to either the barrel or receiver.

7. The preloading device of claim 1 , wherein the preloading device expands without clamping onto the receiver and/or barrel.

8. The preloading device of claim 1 , wherein each of the barrel-contact surface, the receiver-contact surface, and the surfaces surrounds the barrel, and the preloading device preloads the barrel-receiver connection without being mechanically connected to the receiver.

9. A firearm barrel preloading device, comprising:

an outwardly facing barrel-contact surface;

an outwardly facing receiver-contact surface;

a plurality of surfaces between the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface, the surfaces cooperate to spread apart the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface to preload a barrel-receiver connection, and wherein the surfaces are non-planar axisymmetric surfaces or sloped surfaces;

a barrel washer including the barrel-contact surface and an axisymmetric barrel washer surface;

a receiver washer including the receiver-contact surface and an axisymmetric receiver washer surface; and

a split collar including a first axisymmetric surface and a second axisymmetric surface, the first axisymmetric surface slidably contacts the axisymmetric barrel washer surface, and the second axisymmetric surface slidably contacts the receiver washer surface.

10. A firearm barrel preloading device, comprising:

an outwardly facing barrel-contact surface;

an outwardly facing receiver-contact surface;

a plurality of surfaces between the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface, the surfaces cooperate to spread apart the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface to preload a barrel-receiver connection, and wherein the surfaces are non-planar axisymmetric surfaces or sloped surfaces; and

a split collar that contracts radially inward towards a longitudinal axis of the preloading device to drive apart the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface.

11. The preloading device of claim 1 , wherein the preloading device is movable between an installation configuration for allowing a barrel to be installed in an action and an expanded loading configuration for pushing apart the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface.

12. The preloading device of claim 1 , wherein the preloading device is configured to gradually expand along a longitudinal axis of the preloading device.

13. A firearm barrel preloading device, comprising:

a barrel-contact surface;

a receiver-contact surface; and

a plurality of non-planar axisymmetric or sloped surfaces located between the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface, wherein pairs of the surfaces slidably contact one another to drive apart the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface to preload a barrel-receiver connection when the barrel-contact surface contacts a barrel surface and the receiver-contact surface contacts a receiver.

14. The firearm barrel preloading device of claim 13 , further comprising a split collar that contracts radially inward towards a long axis of the firearm barrel preloading device to drive apart the barrel-contact surface and the receiver-contact surface.