Patent Grant
9222761
The present disclosure relates to shotshell type ammunition for shotgun type firearms, to shotgun type firearms configured for firing shotshell type ammunition, and to methods of manufacturing such shotshell type ammunition.
Conventional shotshell ammunition for firing from a shotgun has a hull that includes a metal cup-shaped structure defining a closed firing end of the ammunition, and a cylindrical portion that extends from the metal-cup shaped structure. A primer is provided at the firing end of the ammunition in an aperture extending through the cup-shaped structure. Gun powder is disposed within the hull within the metal cup-shaped structure and adjacent the primer. One or more projectiles are disposed within a sabot, and the sabot is disposed within the hull adjacent the gun powder such that the gun powder is disposed in a space between the metal cup-shaped structure of the hull and the sabot with the projectile(s) therein. As used herein, the term “sabot” means a structure in which a projectile is carried through a barrel of a firearm and which separates from the projectile upon exiting the barrel of the firearm. The projectile may include a plurality of generally spherical rounded pellets, which are often referred to as the “shot” of the ammunition. The cylindrical portion of the hull is typically formed of plastic, and an end of the plastic cylindrical portion of the hull opposite the metal cup-shaped structure is mechanically deformed (by rolling, folding, etc.) and crimped to close the end of the ammunition (opposite the firing end of the ammunition) from which the sabot (and the one or more projectiles carried therein) exits the hull upon firing of the ammunition.
In conventional shotshell ammunition, the cylindrical portion of the hull has a maximum outer diameter that is smaller than a maximum outer diameter of the metal cup-shaped structure defining the closed firing end of the ammunition. Thus, the cup-shaped structure includes or defines a rim that projects outwardly in the radial direction beyond the outer surface of the cylindrical portion of the hull, and, in some previously known ammunition, a portion of the metal-cup-shaped structure having a reduced outer diameter. Conventional shotguns include a seat surface that is configured to abut against the metal rim at the firing end of the ammunition so as to prevent longitudinal forward movement of the hull within the shotgun when the shotshell type ammunition is loaded into and fired from the shotgun.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are described in further detail in the detailed description of example embodiments of the disclosure below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure includes shotshell type ammunition. The shotshell type ammunition includes a hull, a wad member disposed within the hull, and at least one projectile disposed at least partially within the hull. The hull has a rimless proximal end that includes a primer for firing the ammunition, an opposing distal end from which the at least one projectile may be ejected out from the hull upon firing the ammunition, a proximal end surface at the rimless proximal end, and a seat surface for seating the hull against a complementary seat surface in a firing chamber of a firearm. The seat surface is located a distance from the outer proximal end surface of the hull, and an outer side surface of the hull extends from the rimless proximal end of the hull to the seat surface of the hull. At least a portion of the wad member is disposed longitudinally between the seat surface of the hull and the outer proximal end surface of the hull.
In additional embodiments, the present disclosure includes a shotshell type ammunition having a hull, a wad member disposed within the hull, and at least one projectile disposed at least partially within the hull. The hull has a rimless proximal end that includes a primer for firing the ammunition, an opposing distal end from which the at least one projectile may be ejected out from the hull upon firing the ammunition, a proximal end surface at the rimless proximal end, and a seat surface for seating the hull against a complementary seat surface in a firing chamber of a firearm. The seat surface is located at least about 0.635 centimeters (about ¼ of an inch) from the outer proximal end surface of the hull. An outer side surface of the hull extends from the rimless proximal end of the hull to the seat surface of the hull. The wad member and at least a portion of the at least one projectile are disposed longitudinally between the seat surface of the hull and the outer proximal end surface of the hull.
In some embodiments, the ammunition may further include a hollow nose member that extends at least partially into the hull. The at least one projectile may be disposed within the hollow nose member and within the hull.
In yet further embodiments, the present disclosure includes a method of manufacturing a shotshell type ammunition. A hull is provided that has a rimless proximal end, an opposing distal end from which a projectile may be ejected out from the hull upon firing the ammunition, a seat surface for seating the hull against a complementary seat surface in a firing chamber of a firearm, the seat surface located a distance from an outer proximal end surface of the hull at the rimless proximal end, and an outer side surface extending from the rimless proximal end of the hull to the seat surface of the hull. A primer is provided at the rimless proximal end of the hull for firing the ammunition, and gun powder is provided within the hull. A wad member is provided within the hull at a location at which at least a portion of the wad member is disposed longitudinally between the seat surface of the hull and the outer proximal end surface of the hull. At least one projectile is provided within the hull.
If the ammunition includes a hollow nose member, the at least one projectile may be inserted into the hollow nose member, and the hollow nose member may be at least partially inserted into the hull.
The illustrations presented herein are not meant to be actual views of any particular ammunition round, firearm, or component thereof, but are merely idealized representations that are used to describe embodiments of the disclosure.
As used herein, the term “proximal,” when used in relation to an ammunition or a component of an ammunition, means proximate or nearer to a firing pin of a firearm when the ammunition is loaded within a firearm. As used herein, the term “distal,” when used in relation to an ammunition or a component of an ammunition, means remote or father from a firing pin of a firearm when the ammunition is loaded within a firearm.
The hull 102 has a rimless proximal end 104, an opposing distal end 110, and a seat surface 112 for seating the hull 102 against a complementary seat surface in a firing chamber of a firearm. The seat surface 112 may be located a distance from an outer proximal end surface 114 of the hull 102 at the rimless proximal end 104. The hull 102 may include a cylindrical portion 105 having an outer side surface 106, which may extend from the rimless proximal end 104 of the hull 102 to the seat surface 112 of the hull 102. The outer side surface 106, the outer proximal end surface 114, and the seat surface 112 may define what is referred to in the art as the “head space” of the shotshell type ammunition 100. The seat surface 112 may be sized and configured to abut against a complementary seat surface in a firing chamber of a firearm, as described in further detail herein below, and may be used for ensuring precise and accurate positioning of the shotshell type ammunition 100 within the firing chamber of a firearm when the ammunition 100 is loaded into and fired within the firing chamber.
The hull 102 may comprise, for example, a metal (e.g., brass, etc.) or a polymer. As non-limiting examples, such a polymer material may comprise a polycarbonate material, a nylon material, or another type of thermoplastic polymer material. Further, the polymer material may include a discontinuous filler material, such as glass particles (e.g., fibers). In some embodiments, a portion of the hull 102 may comprise a metal, and another portion of the hull 102 may comprise a polymer, such as a plastic. For example, the rimless proximal end 104 of the hull 102 may comprise a metal, and at least a portion of the cylindrical portion 105 of the hull 102 between the seat surface 112 and the distal end 110 may comprise a polymer, such as a plastic material.
The shotshell type ammunition 100 may include a groove 113 extending into the hull 102 on a lateral side of the hull 102 proximate the rimless proximal end 104 of the hull 102. The groove 113 may be located and configured for use by a mechanism of a firearm to eject the shotshell type ammunition 100 out from the firearm after firing the shotshell type ammunition 100.
As shown in
The at least one projectile 120 disposed at least partially within the hull 102 may be any of a number of different types of projectiles. Further, the at least one projectile 120 may comprise one projectile, or more than one projectile. Thus, as a non-limiting example, the at least one projectile 120 may comprise a plurality of rounded pellets, which are often referred to in the art as “shot.” In other embodiments, however, at least one projectile 120 may comprise a metal slug, for example. In yet further embodiments, the at least one projectile 120 may comprise a non-lethal or less-lethal projectile, such as one or more rubber masses, a bean bag, etc. In yet further embodiments, the at least one projectile 120 may include an electronic device that is operational after it has been fired from a firearm, such as an electronic audio transmitter device configured to detect audible sound in the vicinity of the device and to wirelessly transmit electronic signals carrying the detected audible sounds to a remote receiver.
As shown in
The seat surface 112 may be located a distance L from the outer proximal end surface 114 of the hull 102. In some embodiments, the distance L may be at least about 0.318 centimeters (about ⅛ of an inch), at least about 0.635 centimeters (about ¼ of an inch), at least about 1.270 centimeters (about ½ of an inch), or even at least about 2.540 centimeters (about 1 inch).
The outer side surface 106 of the hull 102 defines a maximum diameter of the shotshell type ammunition 100. Thus, the proximal end 104 of the hull 102 is referred to herein as a “rimless” proximal end 104 because the proximal end 104 does not project laterally outward from the hull radially beyond the outer side surface 106. In other words, the diameter of the hull 102 at the proximal end 104 is equal to or less than the diameter of the outer side surface 106 of the hull 102, which extends to the seat surface 112 and may have a length as previously described. Stated another way, the outer side surface 106 may have a first diameter D1, and the outer proximal end surface 114 of the hull 102 at the rimless proximal end 104 may have a second diameter D2 at least substantially equal to or smaller than the first diameter D1.
In contrast, previously known standard shotshell type ammunition has a rimmed proximal end, wherein the proximal end of the hull projects laterally outward radially beyond the cylindrical portion of the hull, so as to define a rim at the proximal end of the ammunition which is used to seat the ammunition within the firearm (the function performed by the seat surface 112 in embodiments of the present disclosure). In other words, the diameter D2 is greater than the diameter D1 in previously known standard shotshell type ammunition.
The hull 102 includes a cylindrical portion 105 that extends from the rimless proximal end 104 of the hull 102 to the open distal end 110 of the hull 102. A longitudinal end surface of the cylindrical portion 105 defines the seat surface 112 of the hull 102. An outer side surface 106 of the cylindrical portion 105 of the hull 102 may extend from at least proximate the rimless proximal end 104 of the hull 102 to the seat surface 112 of the hull 102. The diameter of the outer side surface 106 of the cylindrical portion 105 defines a maximum diameter of the hull 102.
As previously mentioned, the ammunition 100 may include a nose member 126 disposed at least partially within the hull 102 at the distal end 110 of the hull 102. The nose member 126 may project longitudinally beyond the seat surface 112 prior to firing of the shotshell type ammunition 100. As shown in
The nose member 126 may have a distal rounded end surface 128 that projects longitudinally beyond the seat surface 112. The rounded end surface 128 may project beyond the seat surface 112 at the open end 110 of the cylindrical portion 105 of the hull 102 prior to firing of the shotshell type ammunition 100. The rounded end surface 128 may have, for example, a cone shape or a dome shape. In other embodiments, the nose member 126 may not have a rounded end surface 128, but may instead may have a polygonal end surface, or may be flat, for example.
In some embodiments, the nose member 126 may be configured to break apart into two or more portions as the upon firing the shotshell type ammunition 100 such that, after the nose member 126 leaves the barrel of the firearm, the portions will at least partially separate from one another so as to allow the one or more projectiles 120 to pass by the nose member 126 and continue their trajectory from the barrel, as described below with reference to
In other embodiments, the nose member 126 may include two, three, or more separable portions that, when assembled together, form the nose member 126. In some embodiments, the two, three, or more separable portions may be lightly bonded to one another to facilitate assembly and insertion of the nose member 126 into the hull 102, while allowing the separable portions to separate from one another upon exiting the barrel of a firearm after firing the ammunition 100, as described below with reference to
The nose member 126 may be retained within the hull 102 using, for example, an interference fit between the nose member 126 and the hull 102. For example, the nose member 126 may have a cylindrical outer side surface having a maximum diameter, and the hull 102 may have a cylindrical inner surface having a minimum diameter equal to or smaller than the maximum diameter of the cylindrical outer side surface of the nose member 126. In such a configuration, the nose member 126 may be inserted into the hull 102 using a press-fitting process and/or a shrink-fitting process, for example. The mechanical interference between the cylindrical outer side surface of the nose member 126 and the cylindrical inner surface of the hull 102 may retain the nose member 126 within the hull 102 until the ammunition 100 is fired from a firearm. In other embodiments, an adhesive may be used to bond the nose member 126 within the hull instead of, or in addition to, using a press-fitting process and/or a shrink-fitting process.
The distal end of the shotshell type ammunition 100 is not crimped, as is conventional shotshell type ammunition. As a result, the interior surface of the barrel of a firearm used to fire the shotshell type ammunition 100 does not need to include a forcing cone (a frustoconical shaped portion of the interior surface), as do the barrels of conventional shotgun type firearms used to fire conventional shotshell type ammunition. Thus, the interior surface of the barrel of a shotgun type firearm configured to fire the shotshell type ammunition 100 may have an at least substantially uniform diameter extending from a location of the seat surface 112 when the ammunition 100 is fully seated within the barrel to a location proximate the distal end of the barrel (but for any variation provided by a so-called “choke tube,” which is commonly employed at the distal end of the barrel of shotgun type firearms). The lack of such a forcing cone in embodiments of firearms of the present disclosure may reduce recoil felt by users of such firearms.
With continued reference to
The ranges provided in Table 1 are provided as examples only, and the maximum diameter D1 of the outer side surface 106 of the hull 102 may be outside the ranges set forth in Table 1 for the corresponding firearm bore size in additional embodiments of the disclosure.
Upon firing the shotshell type ammunition 100″, the wad member 118 and nose member 126′ is propelled through the barrel of the firearm while the one or more projectiles 120 are carried within the substantially hollow interior 132 of the nose member 126′. Thus, the substantially hollow interior 132 of the nose member 126′ may protect surfaces of the barrel within the bore from the projectile or projectiles 120 as they travel through the barrel. In some embodiments, the nose member 126′ may be configured to fracture and separate into two, three, or more portions, which may spread apart from one another upon exit from a barrel of a firearm in such a manner as to allow the one or more projectiles 120 within the substantially hollow interior 132 of the nose member 126′ to pass the separated portions of the nose member 126′ and continue their trajectory.
Additional embodiments of the present disclosure include shotgun type firearms that are configured for firing shotshell type ammunition as described herein.
The generally cylindrical inner surface 187 extending through the headspace 148 within the firing chamber 146 may have any appropriate length that is at least as long as the length L of the outer side surface 106 of the hull 102 of the ammunition 100. As non-limiting examples, the generally cylindrical inner surface 187 extending through the headspace 148 may have a length of at least about 0.318 centimeters (about ⅛ of an inch), at least about 0.635 centimeters (about ¼ of an inch), at least about 1.270 centimeters (about ½ of an inch), and at least about 2.540 centimeters (about 1 inch).
As shown in
Referring to
The shotshell type ammunition 100′ of
The embodiments of shotshell type ammunition described herein with reference to
For example, ammunition rounds in a stack of previously known standard shotshell type ammunition, which have rimmed first firing ends, may not be oriented substantially parallel to one another when they are stacked one upon another due to the shape and configuration of the ammunition. As a result, when such ammunition is stacked one upon another in a magazine, the ammunition may not be capable of feeding from the magazine into a firing chamber of a firearm in a reliable and consistent manner without jamming.
In contrast, a stack of shotshell type ammunition 100 as described herein may be oriented substantially parallel to one another when stacked one upon another, such as within a magazine 142 as described herein. The outer side surfaces 106 of the ammunition 100 abut against one another in such a manner as to cause the ammunition 100 to align at least substantially parallel to one another in the stack. The lack of a rimmed end on the ammunition 100 further enables the ammunition 100 to be stacked in an at least substantially parallel configuration. As a result, the ammunition 100 may be capable of feeding from the magazine 142 and into a firing chamber of a firearm 140 in a relatively more reliable and consistent manner without jamming, as compared to previously known standard shotshell ammunition.
Another advantage of the various embodiments of shotshell type ammunition described herein is that the ammunition (and corresponding shotgun type firearms) may be configured differently for use with lethal and less-lethal ammunition, so as to prevent lethal ammunition from being fired from firearms intended for use only with less-lethal ammunition. For example, referring again to
The example embodiments of the disclosure described above do not limit the scope of the invention, since these embodiments are merely examples of embodiments of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Any equivalent embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this invention. Indeed, various modifications of the disclosure, in addition to those shown and described herein, such as alternate useful combinations of the elements described, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Such modifications and embodiments are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
This application is continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/675,895, filed Nov. 13, 2012, in the name of DeJong, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. The subject matter of this application is also related to the subject matter of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/592,798, filed Aug. 23, 2012, in the name of DeJong, which is also hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140130697 A1 | May 2014 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13675895 | Nov 2012 | US |
| Child | 13966061 | US |
