U.S. patent number 3,724,378 [Application Number 04/824,219] was granted by the patent office on 1973-04-03 for shot concentrator.
Invention is credited to Lee Ayers Knight, Randolph Bentley Knight.
United States Patent |
3,724,378 |
Knight , et al. |
April 3, 1973 |
SHOT CONCENTRATOR
Abstract
A shot concentrator adapted to be mounted in the casing of a
shotgun shell having powder and a primer therein. The concentrator
includes a cylindrical hollow tube having a capped forward end and
an elongated stem projecting from its closed rear end. The stem has
a passage therethrough which communicates with the interior and the
exterior of the tube. A charge of powder and a charge of shot are
positioned in the tube. A fuse is located in the stem in
communication at one end with the charge of powder in the tube and
adapted for communication at the other end with the powder in the
casing so that when the primer is detonated, the shot concentrator
will be expelled from the casing by the explosion of the powder in
the casing and the fuse will be simultaneously ignited. The fuse
has a predetermined burning time to facilitate the flight of the
shot concentrator for a desired distance before the charge of
powder in said concentrator is ignited by the fuse and the charge
of shot is thereby separated from the shot concentrator. In this
manner, a more accurate and more concentrated pattern of shot is
provided at a greater greater distance from the point of initial
firing of a shotgun shell. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The most
recent attempts to significantly increase the effective range of
the modern shotgun have been directed principally toward the
shotgun choke which was first developed in approximately the latter
part of the 19th century. Until the choke principle was introduced,
the shotgun was effective to a range of only about 35 yards. The
development of the choke on the shotgun barrel itself increased the
effective range from about 35 to 55 or 60 yards. This is apparently
the limit to which that principle could be applied in order to
increase the range of a concentrated mass of pellets of shot after
they leave the barrel of the gun. Therefore, a means is needed to
retain the pellets for a period of time and distance after they
leave the barrel of the gun before releasing them to form a
dispersing pattern. By concentrating efforts in this area, the
range of the shotgun can be effectively increased. The shot
concentrator concept is directed toward this area and basically can
be described in the following manner. The individual pellets of
shot are contained in a mass as they leave the barrel. This is done
by the use of a container or closed tube which does not allow the
shot to disperse. By retaining the shot in mass, the velocity is
retained to a far greater extent than if they are allowed to
disperse immediately upon leaving the barrel as is the case with
the shot shells on the market today. Then at a predetermined
distance, for instance between 35 and 50 yards from the muzzle, the
shot would be released to fly independently of one another. The
retained velocity of these pellets at 60 to 80 yards, for instance,
will be greater than pellets from a conventional shot shell. Also,
the pattern diameter at the 60 to 80-yard range would be far less
than that of a conventional shot shell whose pellets have been
flying independently since leaving the muzzle of the gun. There
have been previous attempts to develop a shot concentrator which
will retain the shot in a confined mass for a period of time after
the shot leaves the muzzle of the gun, however, the attempts we are
aware of have run into problems of stability in the container or
capsule as it is in flight. An unstable capsule would naturally
have a deleterious effect upon the consistency of release as well
as the effective range of the shot particularly in the area of
maximum range with which we are concerned. For example, a
previously known shot concentrator assumes the form of a capsule
having a sealed forward end and an open rear end as it is fired
from the barrel of the gun. The capsule is designed so as to be
unstable by nature so that during the flight of the capsule it will
invert until the open end of the capsule is forward and the shot
will be released in this manner. The delay factor comes into effect
in that it takes a period of time for the capsule to invert and
reverse its position. As stated above, the use of an unstable
capsule has a very undesirable effect upon the consistency of
release of the shot as well as the accuracy and effective pattern
obtained in the desirable range. Therefore it would be extremely
advantageous in the art to provide a shot concentrator in the form
of a capsule which will be stable in flight, will retain the shot
in a closed and restricted pattern of flight for a predetermined
length of time and then will release the shot thereby achieving a
greater effective range for the shot as well as a more accurate and
concentrated pattern of shot at that greater range. The result
naturally would be a longe range shotgun shell which would be a
considerable improvement in the art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With
the above comments on the state of the art in mind, it is a primary
objective of this invention to provide a shot concentrator which
will be stable in flight, will not allow the shot to disperse for a
predetermined length of time and in doing so retain the velocity to
a far greater extent than previously known for shotgun shells. At a
predetermined distance from the muzzle of the gun, the concentrator
will release the shot to permit the pellets to fly independently of
one another and form their normal pattern thereby greatly
increasing the effective range of the shot shell by maintaining an
accurate and concentrated pattern of shot at a greater distance
from the point of initial firing than other known shotgun shells. A
further objective of the invention is to provide a method of
achieving the above mentioned desirable effects upon the firing of
a shotgun shell as well as to provide a shot concentrator to
achieve these effects which is readily adaptable to be mounted
within conventional shotgun shells known in the art today. In
summary, the shot concentrator is adapted to be mounted in the
casing of a shotgun shell having powder and a primer therein. The
concentrator includes a cylindrical hollow tube having a capped
forward end and an elongated stem projecting from the closed rear
end thereof. The stem has a passage therethrough communicating with
the interior and the exterior of the tube. A charge of powder and a
charge of shot are located in the tube. A fuse is positioned in the
stem so as to communicate at one end with the charge of powder in
the tube and adapted to communicate at the other end with the
powder in the casing of the shell so that when the primer is
detonated, the shot concentrator will be expelled from the casing
by the explosion of the powder in the casing and the fuse will be
simultaneously ignited. The fuse has a predetermined burning time
to facilitate the flight of the shot concentrator for a desired
distance before the charge of powder in said concentrator is
ignited by the fuse and the charge of shot is thereby separated
from the shot concentrator thereby providing a more accurate and
more concentrated pattern of shot at a greater distance from the
point of initial firing of a shotgun shell. With the above
objectives and features of the invention in mind, reference is had
to the attached drawings.
Inventors: |
Knight; Randolph Bentley
(Queenstown, MD), Knight; Lee Ayers (West Springfield,
MA) |
Family
ID: |
25240882 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/824,219 |
Filed: |
May 13, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
102/456;
102/448 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B
12/64 (20130101); F42B 7/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F42B
7/04 (20060101); F42B 7/00 (20060101); F42b
007/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;102/42,42C,85,95
;244/3.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
1864916 |
June 1932 |
Gachassin-Lafite |
3285174 |
November 1966 |
Moehlman et al. |
|
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
789,345 |
|
Oct 1935 |
|
FR |
|
326,639 |
|
Oct 1920 |
|
DD |
|
334,335 |
|
Mar 1921 |
|
DD |
|
1,431 |
|
1915 |
|
GB |
|
282,718 |
|
Feb 1931 |
|
IT |
|
Primary Examiner: Stahl; Robert F.
Claims
We claim:
1. A shot concentrator adapted to be mounted in the casing of a
shotgun shell having powder and a primer therein, said concentrator
comprising:
a cylindrical hollow tube of resilient plastic material having a
capped forward end of lesser diameter than the rear end of the tube
and an elongated stem projecting from the closed rear end
thereof;
an annular skirt extending from the closed rear end of the tube and
concentric with the stem to facilitate stability of the
concentrator in flight;
said stem having a passage therethrough communicating with the
interior and exterior of said tube;
a charge of powder and a charge of shot in said tube;
a fuse in said stem communicating at one end with the charge of
powder in said tube and adapted to communicate at the other end
with the powder in the casing so that when the primer is detonated,
the shot concentrator will be expelled from the casing free of the
casing and all other components therein by the explosion of the
powder in the casing and said fuse will be simultaneously
ignited;
the fuse having a predetermined burning time to facilitate the
flight of said shot concentrator for a desired distance before the
charge of powder in said concentrator is ignited by said fuse and
said charge of shot is separated from said shot concentrator
thereby providing a more accurate and more concentrated pattern of
shot at a greater distance from the point of initial firing of a
shotgun shell;
resilient retention means in the tube to maintain the relative
position of the contents of the tube and consequent distribution of
weight during flight;
spaced longitudinal ribs are on the exterior surface of the tube to
thereby maintain weight distribution and stability of the tube
during flight prior to ignition of the charge of powder
therein;
the resilient retention means including interengaging resilient
surfaces on the cap and the tube in interlocking engagement during
flight and adapted to be easily resiliently disengaged upon
ignition of the powder and forces exerted thereby;
the resilient retention means including resilient sealing means
between the powder and the shot to maintain separation therebetween
during flight and to facilitate uniform distribution of shot upon
separation from the shot concentrator; and
said resilient sealing means including an annular interior shoulder
on the inside of the tube with the charge of powder positioned on
one side of said shoulder and the charge of shot on the other side
of said shoulder and a resilient wad on said shoulder in sealing
engagement therewith and positioned between said powder and said
shot in order to maintain the relative positions of said powder and
said shot prior to ignition of the powder in the concentrator.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a partially sectional side elevation view of a shot
concentrator of the invention shown positioned within a
conventional shotgun shell;
FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevation view thereof with the arrow
showing the direction of flight of the concentrator after it has
been shot from the gun and prior to release of the shot contained
within;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view thereof with the arrows showing the
relative direction of the shot and the concentrator after the
concentrator has released the shot contained within;
FIG. 4 is an end view thereof;
FIGS. 5--7 show similar components and sequence of steps as
illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 above in regard to an alternative
embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 8-10 show a similar sequence of steps and component parts as
illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 above in regard to a second alternative
embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Initially describing the invention in detail, attention will first
be directed toward the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 1-4. The shot
concentrator 20 is composed basically of a hollow tubular portion
21 having a cap 22 sealing its forward end and having a
substantially solid base portion 23 sealing its rear end. Centrally
located with regard to the axis of tube 21 is a stem 24 which
extends rearwardly from the base portion 23 of the concentrator
20.
Stem 24 has an opening 25 at its rear end leading to a continuous
passage 26 which communicates with the interior 27 of tube 21.
Contained within the hollow center of tube 21 is a multiplicity of
individual pellets or shot 28, several of which are shown in the
drawings, which fill up the majority of chamber 27 and, in
particular, all of the forward portion of chamber 27.
Located at the rear end of chamber 27 is a pocket 28' which is open
and in communication with passage 26 in stem 24. The forward side
of pocket 28 is sealed by means of over powder wad 29. It should be
noted that contained within pocket 28' is a charge of powder 30 as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The inner diameter of tube 21 adjacent its rear end is less than
the inner diameter along the remainder of the longitudinal length
of the tube thereby forming an annular shoulder 31 to engage over
powder wad 29. The outer circumference of over powder wad 29 is
substantially the same diameter as the inner surface of tubular
portion 21. Therefore, over powder wad will rest on shoulder 31
prior to explosion of powder charge 30 and will thus provide a
separation means between powder charge 30 and shot charge 28. This
engagement will retain over powder wad 29 intact during the flight
of the shot concentrator 20 after it has been released from the gun
muzzle and until powder charge 30 is detonated.
Turning to the forward end of tube 21 it should be noted that the
forward portion 33 of tube 21 tapers inwardly toward the forward
end. This taper serves to form a choking action on the shot 28 as
it is being ejected from the shot concentrator 20. A lip or rim 34
is positioned at the outer extremity of forward portion 33 and is
adapted to be received within a recess in cap 22 when the cap is
positioned on shot concentrator 20 to form a sealed capsule. Cap 22
consists of a solid cylindrical base portion 35 having a depending
annular skirt 36 extending rearwardly from base 35 and having its
inner surface 37 engaging the outer surface of forward portion 33.
The rearward edge of skirt 36 seats and engages on an annular lip
38 located on the outer surface of tube 21 where forward portion 33
begins to taper inwardly therefrom. Extending rearwardly from the
central portion of base 35 of cap or over shot wad 22 is a
cylindrical projection 39. The annular side wall 40 of cylindrical
projection 39 and the configuration of skirt 36 of cap 22 combined
to form a receiving recess 41 which is deformable to receive rim 34
in a snap fit relationship thereby assisting in the frictional
engagement between cap 22 and tube 21. When cap 22 is properly
positioned in sealing relationship as part of shot concentrator 20,
rim 34 will be located within recess 41 and the bottom edge of
skirt 36 will seat on lip 38. In such a position, shot pellets 28
will be sealed within the forward larger portion of chamber 27 and
will be isolated from powder 30 located in pocket 28' at the rear
portion of chamber 27 by the presence of over powder wad 29. The
above description of cap 22 is surely representative of one of many
workable configurations which the cap may assume as is readily
apparent from the scope of the invention and the state of the art.
Meanwhile, at the rear end of shot concentrator 20 opening 25 will
permit access to fuse 26 in stem 20 with the fuse being in
communication with powder 30 in shot concentrator 20.
On the outer cylindrical tubular surface of tube 21 are a plurality
of spaced longitudinal parallel ribs 42 which are present for
stabilizing purposes which will be discussed in greater detail
below.
Other than the shot 28, the powder 30 and the fuse 26 the remainder
of the shot concentrator is constructed of a polyethylene material
in one type of working embodiment. However, other types of material
such as pressed paper, metal or other types of plastics are readily
adaptable for use in forming the shot concentrator. Similarly, the
fuse may be of a variety of different types of commonly known delay
burning fuses. For example a fuse which is lead enclosed of a
pyrotechnic input and pyrotechnic output type will work
satisfactorily such as that manufactured by The Ensign-Bedford Co.
of Simsbury, Connecticut. Naturally many other delay devices usable
as fuses will work adequately in such environment. The powder and
shot utilized are common powder and shot used in shotgun shells
such as regular black gunpowder and, normally used shotgun pellets.
The concentrator is designed to fit into a standard 12 gauge
shotgun shell case or into a larger 10 gauge case or any other case
which is similar in function to those above.
Reference is now made to FIG. 1 of the drawings where the shot
concentrator 20 is shown positioned within a common type of shotgun
shell 43. Shotgun shell 43 is comprised of an outer casing 44 and a
metallic rear capped portion 45 containing a primer 46. Located
within the rear portion of casing 44 is a charge of black gunpowder
47 commonly used in shotgun shells and positioned so that it is in
engagement both with primer 46 and with opening 25 in stem 24 so
that fuse 26 is also in communication with powder charge 47. The
forward end of shotgun shell 43 is closed at 48 by a crimped outer
end portion 49 of casing 44. Other common type of casing which are
readily known in the art and which may be utilized here include a
cap on the forward end of the shell which may be held in position
by the crimped outer end portion of the casing. The outer dimension
of tube 21 is such that sufficient space is preserved to permit
ribs 42 to fit within casing 44 so that shot concentrator 20 is
snugly positioned within casing 44 prior to firing.
In order to ensure compact and solid engagement between all parts
contained within shot shell 43 a base wad 50 is mounted on stem 24
in engagement with the rear surface of base portion 23 of tube 21.
Similarly, also mounted on stem 24 so that its forward surface
engages the rear surface of base wad 50 is a gas trap means 51
which is utilized in providing a gas seal to ensure maximum
velocity when shell concentrator is exploded from casing 44. Gas
seal means 51 is a plastic device commonly used and marketed in the
field and it basically consists of a forward solid cylindrical
portion and a rearwardly extending outer skirt which expands upon
explosion of the powder behind it in casing 44 so as to lock
against the inner side walls of casing 44 and reduce the chance of
any gas escaping between the inner side walls of casing 44 and shot
concentrator 21. In this manner, maximum velocity is achieved upon
firing of the shotgun shell. The material used for wadding 50 can
be of any common type used in the shell-making art, such as a
common waxed fiber material.
In operation, the shell as shown in FIG. 1 is placed within the
shotgun, the trigger is pulled and primer 46 is detonated so as to
explode powder charge 47 in casing 45. Upon explosion of the powder
charge 47, the gases therefrom will drive shot concentrator 20,
base wad 50 and gas trap means 51 from the forward end of casing
44. In doing so, crimp 49 will be driven open at the closed forward
end of shotgun shell 43 by the force of the shot concentrator as it
exits from the shell. Shot concentrator 20 will then exit from the
muzzle of the gun and at some early point in its path of travel
subsequent to the explosion of shotgun shell 43, base wad 50 and
gas trap means 51 will detach themselves from stem 24 of shell
concentrator 20. Also, at the time of ignition of powder charge 47,
fuse 26 which is in communication with powder charge 47 as
discussed above will be ignited and will begin to burn forwardly
toward powder charge 30 within shell concentrator 20. During a
predetermined length of time in flight, fuse 26 will burn and shot
concentrator 20 will appear as shown in FIG. 2.
In order to assure that the flight of capsule or shot concentrator
20 is stable, various features of the arrangement are present to
aid in this respect. Both base wad 50 and gas trap means 51 add
some assistance during the initial part of the flight and then the
distribution of weight in the capsule itself assists in this regard
as well as the multiplicity of spaced ribs 42 on the outer surface
of tube 21. Naturally the general configuration of the shot
concentrator itself also adds to the stability of flight. In this
manner, the shell concentrator 20 will proceed in the most accurate
and direct path toward the desired target without inverting or
changing direction or turning in any substantial manner.
After a predetermined length of time in flight, fuse 26 will have
burned sufficiently to contact powder charge 30 in pocket 28'
causing powder charge 30 to explode and thereby driving over powder
wad 29, shot charge 28 and cap 22 from the forward end of tube 21.
The natural reactive force of the charge will assist in driving the
tube 21 rearward while driving the above mentioned parts of the
capsule forward so as to more effectively free the shot charge to
assume its normal pattern. The particular design features of cap 22
which were discussed in detail above assist in maintaining a tight
relationship between the cap 22 and tube 21 prior and subsequent to
ignition of powder charge 47 and prior to ignition of powder charge
30 so as to retain capsule or concentrator 20 intact for the
desired length of time. Although the design of the cap 22 is such
as to provide the above features, it may easily and effectively be
removed from the forward end of the tube at the desired time to
smoothly effect discharge of the shot pellets. As previously
discussed, the forward portion 33 of tube 21 is tapered inwardly to
effectively choke the shot charge and add an additional control
over the pattern and distribution of the charge in flight after it
leaves tube 21.
As also discussed above, over powder wad 29 is also engaged with
shoulder 31 in a tight enough relationship to maintain the
relationship of parts within concentrator 20 during the portion of
its flight prior to explosion of powder charge 30 and then upon
explosion of powder charge 30 over powder wad 29 will easily be
displaced and assist in completely driving the shot pellets from
tube 21. The relative position of the portions of shot concentrator
20 a short time after detonation of powder charge 30 is shown in
FIG. 3. The type of cap 22 employed with tube 21 may be varied and
should contain among other features a frictional or other common
type of engagement with tube 21 to retain the capsule intact during
the early portion of the flight and yet be easily removable from
the forward end of the capsule to allow freedom of the charge at
the desired time upon explosion of charge 30.
A second embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIGS. 5-7.
Since many of the elements are similar in design with that of FIG.
1, like parts will be represented by the same numeral with the
addition of a subscript a. As will be noted, FIGS. 5, 6 and 7
respectively designate the same stages of action as represented by
FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 which depict the above discussed embodiment. The
more significant differences in structure between the embodiment
discussed above and this alternative embodiment is in the formation
of the stem portion of the shot concentrator, the chamber for
containing the powder charge within the concentrator and the cap on
the forward end of the shot concentrator. The basic shotgun shell
43a may be identical to the shotgun shell 43 as described in regard
to the first discussed embodiment.
Stem 24' of shot concentrator 20a extends substantially the same
distance rearwardly from the base portion 23' of tube 52. However,
in this embodiment stem 24' extends inwardly almost the entire
length of hollow chamber 53 within tube 52 and is substantially
parallel, concentric with and centrally located in respect to tube
52. Fuse 54 is contained in the rear portion of stem 24' and once
again is in communication with the powder charge 47a within shotgun
shell 43a so as to be ignited upon detonation of primer 46 and the
explosion of powder 47a. The forward portion of stem 24' which is
located within tube 52 contains powder charge 55 which is in
communication with the forward end of fuse 54. After the above
discussed designated predetermined length of time for fuse 54 to
burn down it will ignite powder charge 55 thereby expelling cap 57
forward from concentrator 20a and at the same time driving tube 52
rearwardly from shot charge 56.
FIG. 7 illustrates the position of the relevant parts of shot
concentrator 20a shortly after explosion of powder charge 55 tube
52 has been driven from shot charge 56. Naturally the reactive
force will serve to drive tube 52 rearwardly while driving cap 57
in a forward direction so as to facilitate freeing of the shot so
that it may assume its normal and free pattern of flight. The
structure of cap 57 is also somewhat different in design is best
shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawings. The cap as comprised of a
base disc 58 having an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter
of tube 52, an inner cylindrical extension 59 extending rearwardly
from base disc 58 and having a lesser outer diameter than base disc
58 thereby forming an annular detent 60 adapted to receive the
forward edge 61 of tube 52 in seating engagement. The outer
diameter of base disc 58 is substantially the same as the outer
diameter of tube 52 thereby providing a uniform outer diameter
along the entire length of the capped shot concentrator 20a. A post
62 extends rearwardly from cylindrical extension 59 and is
substantially centrally located with respect thereto so as to be
aligned with the opening in stem 24' when cap 57 is engaged with
tube 52. The rearward end portion of post 62 is tapered from a rear
end of a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of stem 24'
to a intermediate point along the length of post 62 where the outer
diameter of post 62 is slightly greater than the inner diameter of
stem 24'. Therefore, when post 62 is extended within stem 24', stem
24' will be slightly expanded at a point along its length to form a
frictional engagement between post 62 and stem 24' and retain cap
57 in positive engagement with tube 52 during the portion of the
flight prior to explosion of powder charge 55. Naturally, upon
explosion of powder charge 55 once again cap 57 is engaged so that
it may be easily driven from the forward end of tube 52 allowing
the concentrator 20a to be ejected from shot 56. The materials
employed for the embodiment described in FIGS. 5-7 may be the same
as or similar to the materials employed for the embodiment of FIGS.
1-4.
A third embodiment is disclosed in FIGS. 8-10 and like parts will
retain like numbers with the addition of a subscript b being added
to each number. FIGS. 8-10 in sequence of operation are equivalent
to FIGS. 1-3 respectively in regard to the first embodiment and
FIGS. 5-7 respectively in regard to the second embodiment discussed
above. The embodiment of FIGS. 8-10 is substantially the same as
the embodiment of FIGS. 5-7 with the exception that instead of
tubular portion 63 of shot concentrator 20b being integral with
base portion 64 in the same manner as tubular portion 52 and base
portion 23' of embodiment 20a, tube 63 and base 64 are in
frictional engagement of sufficient strength to maintain the closed
position of capsule 20b until explosion of powder charge 55b within
shot concentrator 20b. The remaining portions of shot concentrator
20b are identical with corresponding portions of shot concentrator
20a and the sequence of steps of operation are identical therewith
as shown in the Figures with one exception.
This exception lies in the fact that upon explosion of poweder
charge 55b, base portion 64 will separate from tube 63 as well as
cap 57b. This additional separation point facilitates the freeing
of shot pellets 56b quickly and efficiently in order that the
pellets may assume their normal pattern of flight.
In order to maintain the uniform outer diameter of tube 63 from the
forward edge of cap 57b to the rear edge of base portion 64, a
detent 65 is provided at the rear end of tube 63 facilitated by the
provision of a rear end portion 66 on tube 63 of a smaller inner
diameter than the remainder of tube 63 thereby providing a portion
of greater thickness adjacent the rear end of tube 63 to facilitate
the formation of detent 65 therein. In corresponding fashion, base
portion 64 has a forwardly extending annular rim 67 which seats in
detent 65 in frictional engagement therewith to assist in forming
the closed capsule. It will be noted that the outer diameter of
base portion 64, rim 67, tube 63 and cap 57b are all substantially
the same thereby providing a shot concentrator 20b having a uniform
outer diameter along its entire length from the forward edge of cap
57b to the rear edge of base 64. Once again, the material utilized
to form the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 8-10 can be and generally
are substantially the same materials as employed with the two
previously discussed embodiments.
To briefly summarize the cogent features of this invention, it
should be kept in mind that given a certain size shot, the shot
concentrator will retain the velocity of the shot to the extent
that at say, for example, 85 yards, the pellet velocity will be
equal to the pellet velocity of a conventional shotgun shell at
approximately 60 yards. This feature provides the advantage that
the shot concentrator can be loaded with shot which will retain the
necessary velocity and give a dense pattern effective to
approximately 85 yards whereas the same shot in a conventional
shotgun shell would be effective at approximately only a maximum
distance of 60 yards. The result is that the shot concentrator will
produce an effective pattern at a much greater distance, at least
as much as 30 or 35 percent improvement over a conventional shotgun
shell. As is well known in the art, an effective pattern is one
that has sufficient density and pellet velocity or energy. The shot
concentrator is useful in attaining a greater range than with
shotgun shells presently available. In this manner, a shot shell
can be provided which will complement the popular sporting shot
shells of today. As previously stated, the shot concentrator is
designed to fit in any standard size shotgun gauge shell.
In general consideration of the fuse employed, the length of the
delay device can naturally be varied depending upon the length of
delay required. This naturally gives a great variety of parameters
to work with in designing a shell for the greatest maximum
desirable effective range. For example, a workable design has been
found in one which employs a length in the delay device of 1.1
inches which would provide a delay of about 100 milliseconds or
about one-tenth of a second. As previously discussed, this delay
device or fuse extends up the column or hollow stem or shaft from
the rear or solid wad end of the stem toward the mouth or cap end
of the capsule or concentrator. If used in the second or third
embodiments discussed above, in front of this fuse is approximately
one-half inch of hollow stem which is utilized in containing the
cumbustible element which may be any common shotgun type powder
such as normally used fine black gunpowder. The common type of
black powder fuse or a solid propellant may be substituted for the
fine black gunpowder to accomplish the same purpose as well as any
other common type of explosive material for a shell.
The shot is loaded into the body of the capsule as previously
discussed and the cap is placed over the forward end of the capsule
to retain the shot within the capsule until the cap is removed by
explosion of the powder contained within the shot concentrator.
Upon firing of the shotgun shell, the initial combustion of the
powder contained therein ignites the fuse and the capsule is
projected from the barrel of the gun. As the capsule is thus
projected, the delay device is operating and after a predetermined
time, such as a 100 milliseconds, it ignites the combustible powder
within the shot concentrator which pushes the cap free while at the
same time exerting a backward thrust on the capsule. This
combination of forces frees the shot from the capsule. Depending
upon the velocity of the capsule, the distance from the barrel at
which the shot is freed varies. Due to the various stabilizing
features previously discussed in regard to the embodiments of this
invention, the capsule or concentrator is maintained in a stable
and uniform flight path until explosion of the powder contained
within. This naturally assists in providing an accurate and
effective release of the shot from the concentrator and results in
accurate and effective pattern of shot at a greater firing range.
Furthermore, it has been found that a shot shell containing a shot
concentrator of this type has less recoil than the "magnum"
commercially loaded shot shells.
Several other features disclosed in the above embodiments which add
to the effectiveness of the shot concentrator and which may
naturally be adapted to all of the embodiments disclosed, is first
that a tapered forward end portion of the tube provides a choked
effect on the shot to provide an even greater control over the
pattern of shot for a greater distance and second that the
provision of a ribbed capsule and flexible shot containing
concentrator of the general configuration shown in the drawing in
regard to all of the embodiments allows easy passage of the capsule
through a commonly used choke bored shotgun. In this manner, both
the advantageous effects of a choke bored shotgun and of the shot
concentrator itself are made use of.
A further alternative embodiment of this invention which should be
kept in mind although it is not depicted in the drawings, could
consist of a shot concentrator having the general configuration as
shown in the embodiments in the drawing with the addition of the
provision of at least one channel extending the length of the side
wall of the concentrator with the side wall having a greater than
normal thickness to accommodate the channel. A fuse of the type
discussed in connection with the above embodiments can be located
in the channels and being crimped at their forward ends to hold the
cap of the shot concentrator in position. The rear end of the
channels would be open to the powder charge in a conventional
shotgun shell. Upon explosion of the shell, the one or more fuses
in the concentrator would be ignited and would burn for the
predetermined length of time desired until it reaches the portion
at which it holds the cap in place. At that point, the fuse would
burn through releasing the cap thereby permitting the shell
concentrator to fall away from the charge of shot contained therein
which may then assume a free pattern of flight. With this
particular embodiment, it is readily apparent that there is no
secondary explosion since a second charge of powder is not located
in the concentrator itself. The only explosion would be in the
initial firing of the shell and the concentrator would hold the
shot in a group for the desired length of time until the fuse burns
through at the cap end to release the cap and permit the shot to
disperse.
Thus, the above discussed objectives and advantages of this
invention are most effectively attained.
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