U.S. patent application number 15/170546 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-08 for expanding bullets.
The applicant listed for this patent is Olin Corporation. Invention is credited to Jonathan Ryan Monroe, Michael Eugene Stock.
Application Number | 20160356584 15/170546 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57452403 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160356584 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Monroe; Jonathan Ryan ; et
al. |
December 8, 2016 |
EXPANDING BULLETS
Abstract
An expanding bullet has a core having a proximal end, a distal
end, and a sidewall therebetween. A tip is positioned at the distal
end of the core, and has a generally conical distal section, and a
generally cylindrical proximal section defining a proximally facing
shoulder at their juncture. A jacket having a generally cylindrical
proximal portion surrounding at least a portion of the core
adjacent its proximal end, and a distal portion that tapers to an
open end, the distal portion surrounding the distal portion of the
core and the proximal section of the tip, with the distal end of
the jacking abutting the shoulder on the tip to form a smooth
tapering ogival surface with the tip. The maximum diameter of the
tip preferably comprises a substantial portion (preferably at least
about 65%) of the diameter of the bullet.
Inventors: |
Monroe; Jonathan Ryan;
(Bethalto, IL) ; Stock; Michael Eugene;
(Maryville, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Olin Corporation |
St. Louis |
MO |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57452403 |
Appl. No.: |
15/170546 |
Filed: |
June 1, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62170118 |
Jun 2, 2015 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B 12/78 20130101;
F42B 12/745 20130101; F42B 12/34 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F42B 12/34 20060101
F42B012/34; F42B 12/78 20060101 F42B012/78; F42B 12/74 20060101
F42B012/74 |
Claims
1. An expanding rifle bullet, comprising: a core having a proximal
end, a distal end, and a sidewall therebetween; a tip having a
generally conical distal section, and a generally cylindrical
proximal section defining a proximally facing shoulder at their
juncture; a jacket having a generally cylindrical proximal portion
surrounding at least a portion of the core adjacent its proximal
end, and a distal portion that tapers to an open end, the distal
portion surrounding the distal portion of the core, and the
proximal section of the tip, with the distal end of the jacking
abutting the shoulder on the tip to form a smooth tapering ogival
surface with the tip, the maximum diameter of the tip is at least
about 65% of the diameter of the bullet, the bullet weighing
between about 85 grains and about 185 grains.
2. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
bullet weighs between about 95 grains and about 150 grains.
3. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
maximum diameter of the tip is at least about 67% of the diameter
of the bullet.
4. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
maximum cross-sectional area of the tip is at least about 45% of
the cross-sectional area of the bullet.
5. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
maximum cross-sectional area of the tip is at least about 50% of
the cross-sectional area of the bullet.
6. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 40% of the
length of the ogive.
7. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 6 wherein the
exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 42% of the
length of the ogive.
8. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 20% of the
length of the bullet.
9. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 8 wherein the
exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 25% of the
length of the bullet.
10. The expanding bullet according to claim 1 wherein the core is
made of a malleable metal or metal alloy.
11. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 10 wherein the
core is made of lead of a lead alloy.
12. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
jacket is made of a harder material than the core.
13. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 12 wherein the
jacket is made of copper or copper alloy.
14. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
jacket is made of copper or copper alloy.
15. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the tip
is made of a polymeric material.
16. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
outside diameter of the jacket at the distal end of the core is
substantially same as the inside diameter of the jacket at the
cylindrical section.
17. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
proximal end of the tip abuts the distal end of the core.
18. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the
thickness of the jacket tapers from the proximal end of the distal
section to the distal end of the jacket.
19. An expanding rifle bullet, comprising: a malleable metallic
core having a proximal end, a distal end, and a generally
cylindrical sidewall therebetween; a tip having a generally conical
distal section, and a generally cylindrical proximal section
defining a proximally facing shoulder at their juncture; a jacket
having a generally cylindrical proximal portion surrounding at
least a portion of the core adjacent its proximal end, and a distal
portion that tapers to an open end, the distal portion surrounding
the distal portion of the core, and the proximal section of the
tip, with the distal end of the jacking abutting the shoulder on
the tip to form a smooth tapering ogival surface with the tip, the
area of the open distal end of the jacket comprising at least 45%
of the area of cross sectional area of the proximal section of the
jacket, the bullet having a weight of between about 85 grains and
185 grains.
20. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 19 wherein the
bullet has a weight of between about 95 grains and about 150
grains.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional
application Ser. No. 62/170,118 filed on Jun. 2, 2015. The
disclosure of the above-referenced application is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to expanding bullets.
BACKGROUND
[0003] This section provides background information related to the
present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
[0004] This invention relates to bullets, and in particular to
fast-expanding hunting bullets that expand upon impact with a
target, creating a more effective wound channel.
[0005] There is a wide variation in bullet designs to achieve
various desirable attributes, such as stable flight and in-target
performance. One common bullet is the hollow point bullet, which
typically comprises a core of a soft material such as lead or a
lead alloy with a tapering open ended jacket of a harder material,
such as copper or a copper alloy. This configuration allows the
bullet to expand upon entering a target. Rifle bullets of this type
will often also have a tapered polymeric tip to improve the
aerodynamics of the bullet, which can be important for bullets
fired at high velocities or over long distances. Typically, because
the tip is provided solely for aerodynamics, and has no significant
function on in-target performance of the bullet, this tip is made
as small as possible while still providing a smooth, aerodynamic
transition from the jacket ogive to a tip.
SUMMARY
[0006] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure,
and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of
its features.
[0007] Embodiments of the present invention provide expanding
hollow point bullets with improved in-target performance. Bullets
of the preferred embodiments more quickly expand in the target,
providing more destruction and energy transfer than conventional
hollow point bullets. Generally, a preferred embodiment of the
expanding hollow point hunting bullet comprises a core having a
proximal end, a distal end, and a sidewall therebetween, and a tip
having a generally conical distal section, and a generally
cylindrical proximal section defining a proximally facing shoulder
at their juncture. A jacket has a generally cylindrical proximal
portion surrounding at least a portion of the core adjacent its
proximal end. The jacket also has a distal portion that tapers to
an open end. The distal portion surrounds the distal portion of the
core as well as the proximal section of the tip, with the distal
end of the jacket abutting the shoulder on the tip to form a smooth
tapering ogival surface with the tip. The diameter of the tip is
preferably at least about 65% of the diameter of the bullet.
[0008] The core is preferably made of a malleable metal or metal
alloy, such as lead of a lead alloy. The jacket is preferably made
of a harder material than the core, such as copper or copper alloy.
The tip is preferably made from a polymeric material, such as
polycarbonate.
[0009] In some embodiments, the outside diameter of the jacket at
the distal end of the core is substantially same as the inside
diameter of the jacket at the cylindrical section. The proximal end
of the tip abuts the distal end of the core. The jacket tapers from
the proximal end of the distal section to the distal end of the
jacket.
[0010] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the
description provided herein. The description and specific examples
in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and
are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
DRAWINGS
[0011] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes
only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations,
and are not intended to limit the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a preferred
embodiment of 7 mm expandable hollow point bullet in accordance
with a preferred embodiment of this invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a preferred
embodiment of .30 caliber expandable hollow point bullet in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a preferred
embodiment of .277 caliber expandable hollow point bullet in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention; and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a preferred
embodiment of .243 caliber expandable hollow point bullet in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention.
[0016] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0018] Embodiments of the present invention provide expanding
hollow point bullets with improved in-target performance. Preferred
embodiments of a bullet in accordance with the principles of this
invention are indicated generally as 20, 20', 20'' and 20''' in
FIGS. 1-4. Each of the bullets 20, 20', 20'' and 20''' has an
overall length A, an ogival length B, a tip length C, and a maximum
tip diameter D. Preferred dimensions for the bullets 20, 20', 20''
and 20''' are given in Table 1:
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Preferred Dimensions Overall Ogival Tip
Maximum Overall Length Length Length Tip Diam- Tip Bullet A B C
eter D Length E 20 (7 mm) 1.288 0.756 0.323 0.190 0.403 20' (.30
Cal) 1.188 0.692 0.320 0.220 0.400 20'' (.270 Cal) 1.272 0.675
0.323 0.190 0.403 20''' (.243) Cal) 1.143 0.590 0.236 0.170
0.316
[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1-4. the bullets 20, 20', 20'' and 20'''
comprise heel 22 at the proximal end, a generally cylindrical body
24 adjacent the proximal end, a tapering ogival portion 26 adjacent
the distal end, and a tip 28 at the distal end. A cannelure 30 can
be formed on the body generally between the generally cylindrical
body 24 and the tapering ogival portion 26.
[0020] The bullets 20, 20', 20'' and 20''' each comprise a core 32,
having a proximal end 34, a distal end 36, and a sidewall 38
therebetween. The bullets further comprise a tip 40 having a
generally conical distal section 42, and a generally cylindrical
proximal section 44 defining a proximally facing shoulder 46 at the
juncture between the distal and proximal sections. A jacket 48 has
a generally cylindrical proximal portion 50 surrounding at least a
portion of the core 32 adjacent its proximal end 34. The jacket 48
also has a distal portion 52 that tapers to an open end 54. The
distal portion 52 of the jacket 48 surrounds the distal portion of
the core 32 as well as the proximal section 44 of the tip 40, with
the distal end of the jacket abutting the shoulder 46 on the tip to
form a smooth tapering ogival surface with the tip.
[0021] In contrast to conventional bullets, the tip is relatively
larger, i.e., the ratio of the diameter of the tip to the diameter
of the bullet is larger, and the ratio of the tip length to the
ogive length is larger. As a consequence, the bullet expands much
sooner than conventional bullets, beginning almost immediately upon
impact. This results in increased disruption to the target,
particularly in the initial portion of the wound channel.
[0022] Additional dimensions of bullets of the four preferred
embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-4, and three comparative examples are
given in Table 2, it being understood that variations in the
dimensions are still within the scope of the invention:
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 % Ogive % % area length length Bullet Tip
Full Tip covered covered covered Bullet Size OD OD Ogive Ogive %
dia. by tip by tip by tip .30 Cal 0.3075 0.22 0.692 0.32 71.5 51.2
46.2 26.9 7 mm 0.2835 0.19 0.756 0.323 67.0 44.9 42.7 25.3 .270 Cal
0.2765 0.19 0.675 0.323 68.7 47.2 47.9 25.4 .243 Cal 0.2415 0.17
0.59 0.236 70.4 49.6 40.0 20.6 0.223 Cal 0.223 0.09 0.45 0.115 40.4
16.3 25.6 0.020 Cal 0.203 0.11 0.38 0.137 54.2 29.4 36.1 0.017 Cal
0.172 0.1 0.285 0.14 58.1 33.8 49.1
[0023] The maximum diameter of the tip is preferably at least about
65% of the diameter of the bullet, and more preferably at least
about 67% of the diameter of the bullet. The maximum
cross-sectional area of the tip is preferably at least about 45% of
the cross-sectional area of the bullet. Although it depends upon
the shape of the ogival portion, the length of the tip is
preferably at least about 40% of the length of the ogival
portion.
[0024] The core 32 is preferably made of a malleable metal or metal
alloy, such as lead of a lead alloy. The jacket 48 is preferably
made of a harder material than the core 32, such as copper or
copper alloy. The tip 30 is made from a polymeric material, such as
polycarbonate. The tip 30 could include metal or other filler
materials to provide balance or other desirable properties.
[0025] In some embodiments, the outside diameter of the jacket 48
at the distal end of the core 32 is substantially same as the
inside diameter of the jacket at the cylindrical section. The
proximal end of the tip 40 abuts the distal end 36 of the core 32.
The jacket tapers from the proximal end of the distal section to
the distal end of the jacket.
[0026] The action of the bullet with the larger tip is believed
related to the energy of the bullet, which is in part related to
the weight of the bullet. Table 3 shows the energy in ft-lbs at 200
yards for selected bullets, for selected cartridges that have been
found to perform satisfactorily with tip configurations in
accordance with the embodiments of this invention.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Energy (ft-lbs) at Bullet Size 200 yards 300
WSM 2541 300 Win Mag 2541 30-06 SPRG 2012 308 Win 1867 7 mm Rem Mag
2278 270 Win 2015 270 WSM 2333 243 Win 1408
[0027] Table 4 shows the weight ranges and a preferred weight range
for the four calibers of the four preferred embodiment, and for
three comparative bullets. The bullets of the preferred embodiments
preferably have a weight of between about 85 grains and about 185
grains, and more preferably a weight of between about 95 grains and
about 150 grains. The bullets of the preferred embodiment are
preferably loaded into cartridges that provide sufficient energy at
the point of impact so that with the larger tip, the bullet will
begin expanding almost immediately after initial impact. For
example bullets having the 200 yard energies shown in Table 3,
generally will have sufficient energy at the point of impact for
most hunting applications to exhibit enhanced expansion from the
enlarged tip.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Typical Weight Preferred Embodiment Bullet
Size Range (Grains) Weight (Grains) 7 mm 140-160 140 0.30 Cal
120-220 150 0.270 Cal 130-150 130 0.243 Cal 55-95 95 0.223 Cal
35-77 N/A
[0028] It is believed by the inventors that the tip configurations
in accordance with the principles of this invention expand faster
and provide larger wound channels because less of the bullet's
energy is depleated opening the jacket. This is reflected in the
fact that less energy is required to form the jacket in the die
because the jacket does not have to be deformed as much to form an
aerodynamic tip.
[0029] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been
provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual
elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not
limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are
interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if
not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in
many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure
from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be
included within the scope of the disclosure.
[0030] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure
will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are
skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as
examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a
thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It
will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details
need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in
many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit
the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments,
well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known
technologies are not described in detail.
* * * * *