1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure generally relates to a less-lethal projectile device. More particularly, the following relates to an ammunition round capable of lethality as a function of distance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Less-lethal weapons are those that are capable of impeding an attacker without killing them. Less-lethal weapon systems are well known in the art. Examples include some type of blunt force ammunition round. The round is designed to cause pain but not penetrate the skin. It transfers and disperses its kinetic energy into its target. The most common less-lethal ammunition rounds are those fired from a shotgun. The projectiles themselves are contained in a bean-bag form or may be one or more rubberized bullets. A common problem with a bean-bag projectile is short range and limited accuracy. Both the bean-bag projectile and the rubberized bullets are also capable of causing great harm or death if they strike the attacker's body in more vulnerable areas. A further problem associated with any less-lethal round designed to be fired from a shotgun is the lack of portability and maneuverability of the weapon. For example, a typical 12 gauge shotgun has a barrel bore diameter of about 18.5 mm (0.729 in.), a barrel length of 457 mm (18 in.) to 762 mm (30 in.), and an overall weight which may often exceed 3.63 kg (8 lbs.). These large weapons are not practical to carry in many situations.
Smaller weapons, such as handguns, are more portable but limited in less-lethal projectile options due to the smaller bore diameter. For example a .45 caliber projectile, having a bore diameter of about 11.43 mm (0.450 in.), is the largest caliber pistol generally accepted for practical carry. Another example includes a 9 mm projectile, having a bore diameter of 9 mm (0.354 in.). These smaller diameters are too small for practical bean-bag projectiles, although single projectile rubberized bullets are available.
Yet another challenge with weapons equipped with less-lethal ammunition are the occasions when less-lethal ammunition is not adequate to effectively impede an attacker. That is, there are occasions when deadly force is the only practical solution. Attempts to provide both less-lethal and lethal ammunition have been made. In one example for weapons having magazines which hold multiple rounds to be fired in series, the first rounds may be less-lethal, followed by lethal rounds. This may be dangerous for the shooter, however, if the first rounds are required to be lethal. Additionally, if the shooter fires warning shots, then prefers a less-lethal round, he may now be limited to lethal rounds. Alternately, if the shooter becomes confused on which type of round is next to be fired, he may be hesitant to fire the weapon.
Traditional shotguns, such as the aforementioned 12 gauge shotgun, normally are designed for ammunition having multiple projectiles. These are normally spherical pellets sizes to be lethal at an average distance based on kinetic energy of the pellets. For example, a shotgun having “8 shot” ammunition will have a large number of spherical pellets of about 2.29 mm (0.090 in.). Given their low mass (due to low volume), the kinetic energy will be low, resulting in a lethal distance of only a few meters for human attackers, although the large number of pellets will increase the opportunity of striking an attacker. In contrast, a shotgun having “number 2 buckshot” ammunition will have fewer spherical pellets of about 6.86 mm (0.270 in.), resulting in much higher kinetic energy and therefore an increased lethal distance, but less likely to strike an attacker. Due to the limited accuracy of spherical pellets, it is customary to use larger bore shotguns for personal defense to ensure a minimum number of pellets within each ammunition round, thereby increasing the likelihood of striking the attacker.
Smaller weapons such as handguns are more portable but limited in the number of large pellets which may be contained in each round of ammunition. If the pellet size is reduced, the number of pellets will be increased, but with less kinetic energy capable of impeding an attacker. For example, pellets commonly used in a 9 mm cartridge are “12 shot”, having a spherical pellet of a mere 1.27 mm (0.040 in.) in diameter. The kinetic energy is so low that such ammunition is not even seriously considered for impeding an attacker.
What is needed is ammunition capable of being less lethal to an attacker at far distance, lethal to an attacker at a controlled distance, and capable of a minimum number of projectiles in smaller weapons.
An aspect of the present disclosure provides for an ammunition round having a stack of projectiles wherein at least one of the projectiles has an offset center of mass. Upon discharge from a weapon, the projectiles having an offset center of mass will be subject to a complex flight path and increased drag, resulting in reduced target penetration at a distance.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is an ammunition round having a stack of projectiles capable of carrying a marking powder, providing advantages in crime scene investigation.
This, and other aspects of the present disclosure will be described in greater detail below and should not be taken as limiting other portions of the present disclosure.
Features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more understood through the detailed description and in reference to the figures which follow.
It is to be understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited in its application to [the invention] set forth in the following description. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being used in various applications. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Further, the terms and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
It should be noted that a “round” of ammunition may also be called a “cartridge” or “shell”, which refers to a complete package including at least a primer, gunpowder, which is also called propellant, and projectile. For most standard ammunition including the .38 caliber, the tip is the projectile.
Lines shown through each projectile 150 are artifacts of the Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) program, and do not depict particular features.
Now, having described the center of mass in a two-dimensional plane, three-dimensional center of mass, defined as CM 200, will be described by way of
The examples described in
With precision casting, machining, or forming, a projectile 150 having a CM 200 may be made to have an offset R of less than 15% of the diameter, and up to 70% of the diameter. There is greater mass variation with larger diameters (say, up to 0.50 in. or even up to 0.72 in.), but 15% of the large diameter results in a greater tolerance. With dimensions smaller than 0.33 in. (say, 0.22 in.), there is less mass variation, therefore is also capable of achieving as little as 15% CM 200 radial offset from the geometric centerline. Thus, controlled design parameters of 15% to 70% CM 200 radial offset may be achieved for the above referenced materials over a range of at least 0.22 in. (5.59 mm) to 0.72 in. (18.3 mm) diameter projectiles 150. There are no fundamental reasons currently known that would prevent an outer diameter outside this lower or upper range.
In
Projectiles may be common in a single round of ammunition 100, or may use any combination of projectiles 150a-e. For example, in one instance of testing, a .38 Special, having a case length of about 1.16 in. used a stack of nine projectiles of a given thickness, taper, and CM 200. It has been contemplated that in this example, nine different projectiles may be used. There may be one each of projectiles 150a, b, c, one of projectile 150d at a first offset CM 200, one of projectile 150d at a second offset CM 200, and four of projectile 150e at varying offsets CM 200. In a larger round such as a .500 S&W Magnum, which may have a case length of 1.6 inches, twenty or more projectiles may be used in a round. All projectiles may be the same, or may have any combination of thicknesses, tapers, or center of mass (CM) 200.
Projectiles 150 are shown with each having a taper. To form a stack, it is preferred that projectiles 150 be oriented such that a substantially cylindrical column result with the gap between projectiles minimized, as shown in
The tip 170 shown in
The tip bottom 177 may also include a tip texture 178, as illustrated by the grid line shown. This provides engagement of the tip 170 with the top most projectile 150. Upon discharge from the weapon, projectiles 150 are compressed into tip 170. The diameter of tip 170 is dimensioned to slide against the surface of the weapon's bore, causing a controlled exit from the barrel. If the barrel is rifled (not shown), the tip 170 will engage with the rifling. Further details to follow.
The tip 170 shown in
Now with further reference to
At some distance from the muzzle end of the barrel, the individual projectiles 150 will separate from the stack, and take on a flight path dictated in part by their shape, CM 200, adjacent projectiles, and environmental factors which affect wind drag. As previously noted with reference to
The motion of individual projectiles 150 are capable of spinning, wobbling, tumbling end-over-end, or all of these over the complete travel distance from muzzle to contact with a target. The kinetic energy of each projectile 150 remaining when finally reaching the target will depend in part on the cumulative effects of wind drag, and the motion experienced during flight.
Upon impact with a target, each projectile 150 may impact at an edge, a flat surface, a thin portion of the taper, a thick portion of the taper, or a combination of these. This will occur randomly based on target distance, for example, but the kinetic energy and the overall pattern of impact (such as an area measured by diameter or horizontal and vertical dimensions) at a distance are controlled by the variables described in this text.
If marking powder 160 is used, the high pressure at discharge may cause at least some of the marking powder 160 to penetrate the surface of the projectiles 150, ensuring the marking powder 160 is transferred to a target. This is similar to metallurgical methods for explosive cladding, but in this instance dissimilar materials are bonded (projectiles 150 and marking powder 160) which is in contrast to the traditional metallurgical method. Pre-coating individual projectiles 150 prior to assembly into the case 120 will increase the amount of marking powder 160 available to penetrate the surface of projectiles 150. This is particularly useful for forensic studies to trace the origins of the ammunition 100, or to positively identify a target which has been marked.
The present invention will be more readily appreciated with reference to the examples which follows.
Testing has shown that the aforementioned design variables may be optimized to be more lethal to a human target at a near distance, and less lethal to a human target at a greater distance. A description of tests performed is shown in
Also shown in
Test 2A shows results comparing the stack of projectiles 150 having holes formed on the geometric centerline verses Test 2B (shown in
In Test 2A the projectiles 150 averaged 995.3 feet per second versus 932.8 feet per second for test 2B. This is considered within the limits of normal variation due to the hand assembly used in testing. The pattern at 10 ft. showed 27.5 in. sq. for Test 2A versus 21.0 in. sq. for Test 2B. This is also believed to be within the limits of normal variation due to hand assembly. The pattern at 20 ft. shows 299.0 in. sq. for Test 2A versus 673.8 in. sq. It is clear in this case that holes offset from the geometric centerline increased the CM 200 substantially over the CM 200 of Test 2A, resulting in a wider range of flight paths.
Test 3 provides a comparison of projectiles 150 having a greater thickness than those of Test 2B, which is used in this comparison. The velocity of projectile 150 was measured at 923.8 fps in Test 2B versus 897.4 fps in Test 3. This is within the limits of normal variation. The pattern at 10 ft. showed Test 2B to have a pattern of 22.5 in. sq. versus 18.2 in. sq. with test 3. It is believed that the smaller area pattern of Test 3 is due to the heavier projectiles being more capable of resisting wind drag. The pattern at 20 ft. was 818.5 in. sq. for Test 2B versus 195.4 in. sq. for Test 3. It is believed that the thicker projectiles 150 are more capable of resisting wind drag, perhaps resulting in less tumbling of projectiles 150 in flight, thereby creating a smaller pattern area. It is also believed that projectile 150 mass is a key variable in tine-tuning the distance at which a stack of projectiles 150 break apart to begin individual flight.
Test 4 shows the effect of gunpowder 130 charge on pattern formation in comparison to Test 2B. Test 2B showed a velocity of 923.8 fps versus 911.6 feet per second for Test 4, which is within the limits of normal variation. The pattern at 10 ft. was 21.0 in. sq. for Test 2B, versus 22.6 in. sq. for Test 4. This is also believed to be within the limits of normal variation. At 20 ft., the pattern for Test 2B was at 818.5 in. sq. versus 231.4 in. sq. for Test 4. It was originally anticipated that there would be a slower velocity with the lower gunpowder 130 charge, resulting in a smaller area pattern at 20 ft. However, the velocity of the stack of projectiles is within normal variation for Test 2B and Test 4. Upon analysis of the test, the inventors believe the reduced charge of gunpowder 130 resulted in less volume to fill the case 120, creating more “head space”. This may have resulted in a “cushioned acceleration” of the stack of projectiles 150 which, in turn, formed a more cohesive stack prior to the projectiles breaking apart to take on individual flight. This is a surprising result.
It should be noted that one sample from Test 2A, and one sample from Test 2B were selected to test depth of penetration (in inches) at a range of 5 ft. in 10% gelatin. Test 2A had one round of ammunition 100 fired into 10% gelatin at 5′. The pattern area was approximately 1 in. sq. with the furthest penetrating projectile 150 achieving a depth of 4 inches. In Test 2B, the depth of penetration at 20′ was measured. Two projectiles 150 penetrated equally at a depth of about 2 inches. These results indicate that the projectiles 150 can be made to decelerate based on the geometry of the projectile 150 and other associated variables.
These data demonstrate the ability to control design parameters which are capable of tight patterns and deep target penetration at a closer distance, and a substantially larger pattern and substantially less deep target penetration at a greater distance.
It is contemplated, and will be clear to those skilled in the art that modifications and/or changes may be made to the embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are intended to be illustrative of the example embodiments only and not limiting thereto, in which the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure is determined by reference to the appended claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3680485 | Zaid | Aug 1972 | A |
20120234198 | Carmel | Sep 2012 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160258728 A1 | Sep 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61870260 | Aug 2013 | US |