U.S. patent application number 10/912466 was filed with the patent office on 2006-02-09 for muzzle loading bullet with gas seal.
Invention is credited to Bobby Jack Parker.
Application Number | 20060027130 10/912466 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35756155 |
Filed Date | 2006-02-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060027130 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Parker; Bobby Jack |
February 9, 2006 |
Muzzle loading bullet with gas seal
Abstract
A projectile or bullet for a muzzle loading firearm that has a
fixedly attached skirt as a gas seal. The projectile is a full-bore
bullet that has high velocity and high accuracy and is easy to
load. The bullet includes a rear body portion covered with skirt
made of a different material than the body to form a gas seal when
the projectile is fired. In a preferred embodiment, the skirt
material is plastic, paper or nylon. The body portion of the
projectile may be covered by a jacket. The nose portion of the
bullet may incorporate a ballistic tip. In some embodiments, the
rear of the bullet body is indented to allow the expanding gases at
ignition to expand the rear of the bullet to further seal the
combustion behind the bullet and to further seal the skirt to the
bullet.
Inventors: |
Parker; Bobby Jack; (Spring
Creek, NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARTIN & ASSOCIATES, LLC
P O BOX 548
CARTHAGE
MO
64836-0548
US
|
Family ID: |
35756155 |
Appl. No.: |
10/912466 |
Filed: |
August 5, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
102/517 ;
102/524 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B 14/02 20130101;
F42B 30/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
102/517 ;
102/524 |
International
Class: |
F42B 30/00 20060101
F42B030/00 |
Claims
1. A projectile comprising: a body with at least a portion having a
diameter at least as large as a bore size of an intended firearm;
and a skirt made of a different material than the body and fixedly
attached to a rear portion of the body.
2. The projectile of claim 1 wherein the body comprises metal and
the skirt comprises a non-metal material.
3. The projectile of claim 1 wherein the skirt covers at least a
portion of a rear portion of the body and at least a portion of the
skirt has a diameter at least as large as a bore size of the
intended firearm.
4. The projectile of claim 1 wherein the skirt is a cylindrical
sleeve surrounding a reduced diameter portion of a cylindrical rear
portion of the body.
5. The projectile of claim 1 wherein the body further comprises a
rear portion having an indented surface.
6. The projectile of claim 5 wherein the indented surface is
concave.
7. The projectile of claim 5 wherein the indented surface is
conical.
8. The projectile of claim 1 wherein a nose portion of the body
includes a ballistic tip.
9. The projectile of claim 1 wherein the diameter of the body steps
down from a fill-bore diameter to a smaller diameter near a nose
portion of the body.
10. A projectile comprising: a body with at least a portion having
a diameter at least as large as a bore size of an intended firearm
and a stepped down portion having a reduced-diameter portion that
is substantially smaller than the bore size; and a skirt-cup made
of a different material than the body and fixedly attached to a
rear portion of the body, the skirt-cup substantially covering the
reduced-diameter portion.
11. The projectile of claim 10 wherein the body comprises metal and
the skirt-cup comprises a non-metal material.
12. The projectile of claim 10 wherein the rear portion comprises
an indented surface.
13. The projectile of claim 12 wherein the indented surface is
concave.
14. The projectile of claim 12 wherein the indented surface is
conical.
15. The projectile of claim 10 wherein a nose portion of the body
comprises a ballistic tip.
16. The projectile of claim 10 wherein the diameter of the body
steps down from a full-bore diameter to a smaller diameter near a
nose portion of the body.
17. A projectile comprising: a body with a rear portion, a middle
portion and a point portion, wherein at least part of the middle
portion of the body has a diameter at least as large as a bore size
of an intended firearm and the rear portion has a diameter less
than the bore size; and a skirt made of a different material than
the body and fixedly attached to the rear portion of the body,
wherein the skirt covers at least some of a rear portion of the
body and at least a portion of the skirt has a diameter at least as
large as a bore size of the intended firearm.
18. The projectile of claim 17 wherein the body further comprises a
stepped diameter at a point between the middle portion and the
point portion.
19. The projectile of claim 17 wherein the part of the middle body
portion that has a diameter at least as large as a bore size is
less than 25 percent of the portion of the skirt that has a
diameter at least as large as the bore size.
20. The projectile of claim 17 wherein the part of the middle body
portion that has a diameter at least as large as a bore size is
less than 25 percent of the portion of the skirt that has a
diameter at least as large as the bore size.
21. The projectile of claim 17 wherein the body further comprises a
rear portion having an indented surface.
22. The projectile of claim 21 wherein the indented surface is
concave.
23. The projectile of claim 17 wherein the skirt further comprises
a plurality of annular channels in an outer surface of the
skirt.
24. The projectile of claim 17 wherein a nose portion of the body
comprises a ballistic tip.
25. The projectile of claim 24 wherein the ballistic tip is
hydraulic.
26. The projectile of claim 17 wherein the body of the bullet
comprises a metal jacket made of a material harder than the
material of the body.
27. A projectile comprising: a body with a cylindrical rear
portion, a middle portion, and a point portion, wherein at least
part of the middle portion of the body has a diameter at least as
large as a bore size of an intended firearm, and the length of the
middle portion of at least bore size diameter is less than about 25
percent of the overall length of the projectile that is at least
full bore; a cylindrical sleeve skirt surrounding a reduced
diameter portion of the cylindrical rear portion of the body made
of different material than the body and fixedly attached to the
rear portion of the body, wherein the skirt covers at least some of
a rear portion of the body and wherein at least a portion of the
skirt has a diameter at least as large as a bore size of the
intended firearm; a metal jacket made of a material harder than the
material of the body covering a substantial portion of the body;
and a ballistic tip in the nose portion of the body.
28. A method for manufacturing a bullet comprising the steps of:
forming a bullet body with at least a portion having a diameter at
least as large as a bore size of an intended firearm; and fixedly
attaching a skirt made of a different material than the body to a
rear portion of the body.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein the body comprises metal and the
skirt comprises a non-metal material.
30. The method of claim 28 wherein the skirt covers at least a
portion of a rear portion of the body and at least a portion of the
skirt has a diameter at least as large as a bore size of the
intended firearm.
31. The method of claim 28 wherein the skirt is a cylindrical
sleeve surrounding a reduced diameter portion of a cylindrical rear
portion of the body.
32. The method of claim 28 wherein the body further comprises a
rear portion having an indented surface.
33. The method of claim 32 wherein the indented surface is
concave.
34. The method of claim 32 wherein the indented surface is
conical.
35. The method of claim 28 wherein a nose portion of the bullet
body includes a hydraulic ballistic tip.
36. The method of claim 28 wherein the diameter of the body steps
down from a full-bore diameter to a smaller diameter near a nose
portion of the body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] This invention generally relates to the field of projectiles
for firearms, and more specifically relates to projectiles for
muzzle loading firearms.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Muzzle loading firearms have a long history. Modem muzzle
loading firearms continue to find favor today with hobbyists and
purists who use them for hunting and sport shooting. Although the
principle of muzzle loading has remained relatively constant,
various improvements have been made in an attempt to alleviate past
problems and improve the speed, distance and accuracy of the
bullet. For example, some modern muzzle loading bullets have copper
jacketing or hydraulic tips. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,718 issued to
Parker (the inventor of the present case), which is incorporated
herein by reference.
[0005] To alleviate some of the previous problems with loading a
bullet into a muzzle-loading firearm, a sabot was designed to
replace the conventional wad. A sabot is typically a plastic sleeve
that holds the bullet during loading and discharge, and then falls
away after leaving the barrel of the gun. Sabots typically provide
a gas seal that improves the muzzle velocity of the bullet.
However, the sabot suffers from some disadvantages. For example,
the sabot may split upon firing or ignition, causing increased
inaccuracy in the flight characteristics of the bullet. In
addition, a bullet is typically placed within a cylindrical portion
of the sabot, between the bullet and the barrel. As a result,
full-bore bullets cannot be loaded or shot using traditional
sabots. Sabots are also more cumbersome during loading since they
require two pieces to be handled.
[0006] Some of the modern muzzle loading bullets are no longer
full-bore to eliminate the difficulty of loading the bullet. An
example of a modern bullet is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,064
issued to R. M. Kearns. This bullet has a gas check member that
frictionally and resiliently engages the base of the bullet. The
gas check member is manually attached prior to loading and detaches
upon exiting the barrel after firing. Bullets of this type are
popular, and work well where shooting of bullets that are not
full-bore is allowed. However, many states within the United States
require the use of muzzle loading bullets that have full-bore
diameter for certain hunting seasons. Bullets such as those
described in Kearns that are less than full-bore are not fully
compliant with state law in some states that require hunting with
full-bore bullets. Thus a more accurate and high velocity bullet is
needed that is full-bore and yet still easy to load.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0007] According to a preferred embodiment, a full-bore projectile
or bullet includes a rear body portion having a reduced diameter
that is covered with a skirt made of a different material than the
body to form a gas seal when the projectile is fired. In a
preferred embodiment, the skirt material is plastic, paper or
nylon. The body portion of the projectile is preferably covered by
a jacket. The nose portion of the bullet preferably incorporates a
ballistic tip.
[0008] In some embodiments, the base or rear of the bullet body is
indented to allow the expanding gases at ignition to expand the
rear of the bullet to further seal the combustion behind the bullet
and to further seal the skirt to the bullet. The shape of the
indention may be concave, triangular, slotted, or another suitable
shape.
[0009] An advantage of some embodiments of the present invention is
increased terminal energy which gives higher knockdown energy and
provides for a more sure kill when hunting.
[0010] Another advantage of the present invention is that it can be
used in conjunction with jacketing and ballistic tips to obtain a
wide range of performance characteristics to be optimized for the
desired use and/or type of game to be hunted.
[0011] The foregoing and other features and advantages of the
invention will be apparent from the following more particular
description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0012] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will
hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings,
where like designations denote like elements, and:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile in
accordance with a first embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a left end view of the projectile shown in FIG.
1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile in
accordance with a second embodiment;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a left end view of the projectile shown in FIG.
3;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile in
accordance with a third embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a left end view of the projectile shown in FIG.
5;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile in
accordance with a fourth embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a left end view of the projectile shown in FIG.
7;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile in
accordance with a fifth embodiment;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a left end view of the projectile shown in FIG.
9;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile in
accordance with a sixth embodiment;
[0024] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile in
accordance with a seventh embodiment;
[0025] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile in
accordance with an eighth embodiment; and
[0026] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a projectile in
accordance with a ninth embodiment.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0027] Referring now to FIG. 1, a bullet 100 is one suitable
configuration for a projectile in accordance with a first
embodiment. Bullet 100 is preferably configured for use in muzzle
loading firearms. The bullet is generally cylindrically shaped with
a tapered nose 102 as is common practice in the art. Bullet 100
includes a body 110 and a skirt 120. Body 110 includes a rear
portion 112 of reduced diameter. The body 110 is made of a suitable
material such as lead. In some embodiments, the body 110 is
jacketed with a suitable metal such as copper that provides more
rigidity to the bullet than lead alone. The skirt 120 is made of a
different material than the body 110. The skirt material and
dimensions are preferably chosen to: a) ensure a proper gas seal;
b) enhance ease of loading; c) establish bore to bullet fit to
insure the bullet does not move after being positioned on the
powder; and d) establish sufficient engaging of the rifling as to
ensure stabilization and accuracy. The skirt is preferably made
from plastic, nylon, paper or a soft metal. The length and
thickness of the skirt will be dictated by: a) the overall bullet
length and rifle twist; b) the caliber of the bullet; c) state or
other government legal bullet length requirements; and d) the
desired application or use of the bullet. The skirt 120 is fixedly
attached to the body 110 and provides a gas seal for the bullet
when fired. The skirt when installed on the body and a portion of
the body 110 has a diameter equal to or slightly greater than the
bore diameter of the intended firearm.
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates a left end view of the bullet 100 in FIG.
1. A rear surface 130 of the bullet 100 includes a reduced diameter
portion 112 of the bullet body 110 surrounded by the skirt 120, as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0029] Referring now to FIG. 3, a bullet 100 is shown in accordance
with a second embodiment. Bullet 100 includes a body 110 and a
skirt 120. The bullet has a concave surface 140 on the left end of
the bullet shown in FIG. 3. The rear edge of the skirt 150 is also
preferably indented in a concave shape to form part of the concave
surface 140 of the bullet 100. The concave surface 140 allows the
expanding gases at ignition to expand or "upset" the concave
surface 140 of the bullet to further seal the combustion behind the
bullet and to further seal the skirt 120 to the bullet body 110.
The remaining details of bullet 100 in FIG. 3 are similar to those
corresponding features in accordance with the first embodiment
described above.
[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates a left side view of the bullet 100 in
FIG. 3. The rear edge 150 of the skirt 120 and the reduced diameter
portion 112 form the concave surface 140.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 5, a bullet 100 is shown in accordance
with a third embodiment. Bullet 100 includes a body 110 and a skirt
120. The bullet 100 has an indented surface 142 on the rear portion
112 of the body 110. The indention 142 is a cone shaped opening in
the reduced diameter portion 112. The indention 142 appears as two
beveled faces forming a triangular shape cut out of the rear
portion when viewed in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 5. The rear
edges of the skirt 150 are preferably not indented. Similar to the
previous embodiment, the indented rear portion allows the expanding
gases at ignition to expand the rear of the bullet at ignition. The
remaining details of bullet 100 in FIG. 5 are similar to those
corresponding features in accordance with the first and second
embodiments described above.
[0032] FIG. 6 illustrates a left side view of the bullet 100
described above with reference to FIG. 5. The rear edge 150 of the
skirt 120 and the reduced diameter portion 112 with its conical
indentation 142 are visible.
[0033] Referring now to FIG. 7, a bullet 100 is shown in accordance
with a fourth embodiment. Bullet 100 includes a body 110 and a
skirt 120. The bullet 100 has a indented surface 144 on the reduced
diameter portion 112 of the body 110. The indention is a
cylindrical opening in the rear portion of the body. The indention
appears as a slot in the base when viewed in the cross-sectional
view of FIG. 7. The rear edges 150 of the skirt 120 are preferably
not indented. Similar to the previous embodiments, the indented
rear portion 144 of the reduced diameter portion 112 of body 110
allows the expanding gases at ignition to expand the rear of the
bullet at ignition.
[0034] The skirt in FIG. 7 further illustrates an additional
feature in accordance with the preferred embodiments. The skirt 120
includes ring slots 164. The ring slots 164 are annular channels in
the outer surface of the skirt. The ring slots 164 are an example
of a skirt not being full-bore across the entire length of the
skirt. The ring slots could be filled with a lubricant or another
material 166 (such as grease or wax) to affect the sealing,
lubricating or loading characteristics. The remaining details of
bullet 100 in FIG. 7 are similar to those corresponding features in
accordance with the other three embodiments described above.
[0035] FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of the bullet 100 described
above with reference to FIG. 7. The rear edges 150 of the skirt 120
and the reduced diameter portion 112 with its indented surface 144
are visible.
[0036] Referring now to FIG. 9, a bullet 100 is shown in accordance
with a fifth embodiment. Bullet 100 includes a body 110 that
includes a reduced-diameter portion 112, and a skirt-cup 122. The
skirt-cup 122 is fixed to the base of the bullet 100 and performs
the same function of the skirt 120 in the previous embodiments. The
skirt-cup preferably completely surrounds the reduced diameter
portion 112 of the bullet body 110 such that no part of the reduced
diameter portion 112 is exposed, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. This
embodiment could more securely attach the skirt-cup 122 to the
reduced diameter portion 112 and would give further assurance the
bullet body 110 would not shoot out of the skirt-cup 122. The
skirt-cup 122 may have an indented surface 160 on the rear portion
of the skirt-cup, as shown in FIG. 9. Similar to the previous
embodiments, the indented rear portion of the skirt-cup allows the
expanding gases at ignition to expand the rear of the skirt-cup and
bullet at ignition. The remaining details of bullet 100 in FIG. 7
are similar to those corresponding features in accordance with the
other embodiments described above.
[0037] FIG. 10 illustrates a left end view of the bullet 100 in
FIG. 7. The rear surface 160 of the skirt-cup 122 is visible. Note
that the reduced diameter portion 112 of bullet body 110 is shown
in phantom in FIG. 10 because the skirt-cup 122 completely covers
the end of the reduced-diameter portion 112, as shown in FIG.
9.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 11, a bullet 100 in accordance with a
fifth embodiment is shown further incorporating a hydraulic
ballistic tip 170 in combination with the preferred embodiments
shown in FIG. 1 above. One suitable configuration for the hydraulic
ballistic tip 170 is shown and described in the inventor's
previously-issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,7118. The hydraulic ballistic
tip can be advantageously combined with each of the embodiments
described above to obtain a wide range of performance
characteristics to be optimized for the desired use and type of
game to be hunted.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 12, a bullet 100 is shown having a stepped
body. The step is a change in the diameter of the bullet body 110
in a middle portion of the body between the reduced diameter
portion 112 and a reduced point portion 190. The step determines
how much of the bullet 110 has a full-bore diameter. In FIG. 12,
portion 180 of the bullet 100 represents the portion of the bullet
body 110 that is full-bore. In a preferred embodiment, the
full-bore portion 180 of the body 110 is less than about 25 percent
of the overall length of the bullet that is full bore, which
includes the length of the skirt 120 that is full bore. This allows
the bullet to be easily loaded due to the relatively small portion
180 of the bullet body 110 that is full-bore. Thus, in a preferred
embodiment, a portion of the bullet body is full-bore in addition
to at least a portion of the skirt that is full-bore. The features
of a stepped body and the hydraulic ballistic tip can be
advantageously combined with each of the embodiments described
above. Further, the bullet 100 in each embodiment described herein
may be jacketed, preferably with copper. The jacketing may vary in
thickness over the various parts of the bullet body to accomplish
the intended bullet use and game to be taken. The bullet 100 in
FIG. 12 is shown jacketed, as indicated by the thick line at the
border of the bullet body 110 indicating the presence of the
jacket. Jacketing of the bullet also reduces the user's exposure to
lead. Known jacketed full-bore bullets are difficult to load.
However, by using a jacketed body 110 with a skirt 120 or skirt-cup
122 that is permanently attached to the bullet body 110, the result
is a full-jacketed bullet that is full-bore, but still easy to
load.
[0040] Skirt 120 and skirt-cup 122 are permanently attached to the
reduced-diameter portion 112 of the bullet body 110. This permanent
attachment assures that the skirt flies with the bullet, rather
than separating from the bullet upon exiting the barrel of a gun.
This permanent attachment is in contrast to known sabots, which
detach from the bullet and fall away once the sabot leaves the
barrel, and is also in contrast to the bullet disclosed in the
Kearns patent (discussed in the Background Art section above),
which includes a gas check member that temporarily attaches to the
bullet when loading, but also falls off the bullet once the bullet
leaves the barrel.
[0041] Skirt 120 and skirt-cup 122 may be attached to the
reduced-diameter portion 112 of the bullet using any suitable means
of permanent attachment, including friction-fit, adhesives,
fasteners, and other mechanical retention mechanisms that hold the
skirt 120 and skirt cup 122 in place. One suitable example of
mechanical retention mechanisms that help to hold a skirt 120 or
skirt cup 122 in place is shown in FIG. 13. The reduced diameter
portion 112 of body 110 includes one or more barbs 300 that engage
the skirt 120 when the skirt 120 is slid onto the reduced-diameter
portion 112. Such barbs 300 could be formed, for example, by
forcing a sharp knife-edged tool into the side cylindrical wall of
the reduced diameter portion 112 at an angle. In addition, one or
more recesses could be formed in the reduced-diameter portion 112
with corresponding raised portions in the skirt 120 or skirt-cup
122 that allow the skirt 120 to snap permanently to place. The
preferred embodiments expressly extend to any and all methods for
attaching the skirt 120 and skirt cup 122 to a reduced-diameter
portion 112 of a bullet body 110, including the use of one or more
suitable mechanical retention mechanisms.
[0042] The preferred embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-13 all show
a cylindrically-shaped reduced-diameter portion 112, and a
corresponding cylindrically-shaped skirt 120 and skirt-cup 122.
This configuration makes for ease of manufacturing, because the
bullet body 110 may be cast, swaged, mechanically stamped or turned
to provide the reduce-diameter portion 112 in this cylindrical
shape, and plastic tubing could then be used to fabricate the skirt
120 or skirt-cup 122. Note, however, that the preferred embodiments
expressly extend to non-cylindrical configurations as well. For
example, the reduced-diameter portion 112 could have tapered side
walls, as shown in FIG. 14, with the skirt 120 having a
corresponding taper to fit on the tapered sidewalls. This tapered
configuration is shown as one example of a non-cylindrical
configuration. The preferred embodiments expressly extend to any
and all configurations for permanently attaching a skirt or
skirt-cup that is made of a first material to a bullet body that is
made of a second, different material.
[0043] The combination of features shown herein results in a
projectile that is relatively easy to manufacture and assemble and
a reasonable cost. There are no pivot pins, set screws, or other
things that are mechanically complex and prone to failure. A bullet
in accordance with the preferred embodiments provides significantly
greater damage when hunting with muzzle loaders, and provides a
more humane kill by reducing the chance of an injured animal
running off after being shot.
[0044] One skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations
are possible within the scope of the present invention. For
example, each of the rear portions of the bullet illustrated in
FIGS. 1-7 could include a ballistic tip, as shown in FIGS. 11 and
12, and each could include the ring slots and other seal materials
shown in FIG. 7. Thus, while the invention has been particularly
shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments
thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
these and other changes in form and details may be made therein
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *