Shotgun Shell Wad

Abstract

A wad for use in shotgun shells or the like presenting a container for carrying shot pellets and having a plurality of inclined, twisted collapsible supports providing only non-central support for the container. Upon firing, the supports collapse in a manner imparting spinning motion to the container and pellets therein, and raised beads on the outer surface of the container cooperate with the barrel of the gun to impart further spinning motion to the wad and pellets, the collapsible supports and raised beads being relatively oppositely inclined so as to compound these spinning motions.

Description

This invention relates to shot holder and wad units for use in shotgun shells or the like and relates more particularly to wads having collapsible supports for minimizing recoil.

It is known within the art to provide collapsible support structure for a wad for the class described in order to minimize recoil effects. However, previous collapsible wad designs induce a certain amount of unwanted tilting or listing of the wad as it collapses, thereby misdirecting the shot pellets into a relatively uneven spread pattern.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a wad of the class described which collapses in a manner imparting spinning motion to the wad in conjunction with absorbing the recoil forces created upon firing.

It is another important object of the present invention to provide a wad for use in shotgun shells or the like which includes a pair of spaced, transverse walls and a plurality of inclined, collapsible supports between the walls that are spaced from an axis common to the centers of the walls, the supports being adapted to collapse in a manner imparting spinning motion to the wad and the shot pellets carried thereby so as to produce a dispersed, pancake-like shot pattern of the pellets rather than a thin, string pattern.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wad having support structure which is collapsible so as to minimize gun recoil in a manner to prevent listing or tilting of the wad relative to the shell and gun barrel to create a consistent, well distributed pellet pattern.

Another object of the present invention is to provide collapsible supports of the class described which are spirally disposed between the walls and symmetrically, angularly spaced about the centers of the walls so as to impart spinning motion to the wad when the supports collapse.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wad of the class described which includes a cup-shaped container at one of the walls for carrying shot pellets, said container having raised, inclined beads on the outer surface thereof adapted to cooperate with the barrel of a gun during travel of the wad along the barrel so as to impart spinning motion to the wad and pellets carried in the container, the beads being oppositely inclined relative to the collapsible supports so that the spinning motions imparted by the supports and beads to the wad are compounded.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are specifically set forth in or will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred form of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial, longitudinal, cross-sectional view of a shotgun shell employing a wad constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal plan view of the wad;

FIG. 3 is a right-hand plan end view of the wad;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal, cross-sectional view of the wad taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the container wall.

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical shotgun shell 10 which has a charge powder-filled chamber 12 at the left end thereof. The right end of the shell is crimped to provide a transverse closing wall 14. Intermediate the powder chamber 12 and closing wall 14 is a wad structure generally referred to by the numeral 16 which presents a chamber 18 filled with shot pellets 20.

Wad structure 16 includes first and second spaced, circular, transverse walls 22 and 24 defining a central axis 26 common to the centers of the walls. The outer surface of wall 24 presents a rearwardly extending skirt 28 which cooperates with the inner surface of the shotgun shell so as to seal and define the limits of the powder-carrying chamber 12. At the other wall 22 there is provided a forwardly extending, cup-shaped container 30 that defines the pellet-carrying chamber 18. Container 30 is slotted as at 32 to present a plurality of petals 34 on the outer surfaces of which are provided a plurality of inclined, raised beads 36.

Extending between the walls 22 and 24 are a plurality of collapsible, inclined, spirally or helically disposed, symmetrically and angularly spaced supports or legs 38, each support 38 being of a constant-sized, rectangular, cross-sectional configuration. The opposite ends 40 and 42 of each support 38 are secured upon the adjacent wall 22, 24 respectively, with the major cross-sectional dimension of each end 40, 42 extending radially relative to the adjacent end wall 22, 24.

The form of the invention illustrated includes four such supports 38 that are spaced at right angles from one another. The opposite ends 40, 42 of each support 38 are relatively twisted through a 45.degree. angle or approximately one-half of the 90.degree. angle defined between adjacent supports 38. The supports 38 and raised beads 36 are obliquely inclined relative to the central axis 26 of the walls, and are oppositely inclined relative to one another.

Upon firing of the shotgun shell by igniting the powder in chamber 12, the wad 16 and pellets 20 carried therewithin are impelled through closing wall 14 to travel along and out of the shotgun barrel. The supports 38 will begin to collapse immediately upon firing, causing end wall 24 to move relatively toward end wall 22. Because the supports are symmetrically arranged and disposed radially away from the centers of end walls 22 and 24 to provide only non-central support therebetween, the supports 38 collapse consistently, evenly and simultaneously so as to obviate any tendency of the wad to tilt or list as it travels out of the shell 10 and shotgun barrel. As a result, the wad impels the pellets 20 in an extremely consistent spread pattern. Tests have shown that between 66 percent and 86 percent of the pellets will be within a standard 30 inch pattern testing circle. The velocity characteristics of the shot are highly consistent and there is a minimum recoil.

The inclined, spiral disposition of the supports 38 induces a certain amount of twisting or spinning of wall 24 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 5 when the shell is fired. At this point of firing, the supports 38 still maintain sufficient rigidity so as to impart the clockwise spinning to the entire wad 16 and accordingly, the pellets 20 carried within chamber 18. Thus, the wad 16 leaves the shotgun shell traveling along a spiral path.

The several petals 34 of container 30 expand slightly after leaving shell 10 so that the raised beads 36 thereof engage the interior wall of the gun barrel. The inclined attitude of raised beads 36 induces rotary spinning motion of the wad, again in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 5, to further increase the spinning action of the wad and pellets as they travel along and out of the gun barrel. The resulting compounded spinning motions imparted to the wad effect a controlled, angular dispersion of the pellets as they subsequently leave chamber 18 so as to create a somewhat pancake-like pattern of flight of the pellets 20. This minimizes stringing of the pellets along a thin, narrow line of flight and presents a broader, larger shot pattern.

In the preferred form, the wad 16 is formed of flexible, relatively deformable polyethylene, though the wad may be made of other suitable material as desired in keeping with the collapsible nature of the support legs 38. Rather than experiencing complete yielding during firing, the supports are sufficiently resilient in nature so as to tend to springback to their original uncollapsed state approximately at the time the wad passes through the gun muzzle. This "springing-back" action tends to induce yet further spinning motion to the wad.

It is important to note that the legs 38 are disposed radially away from the centers of end walls 22 and 24 so as to permit the support legs to twist as they collapse in order to create the desired spinning motion as well as to prevent tilting or listing of the wad. The spirally twisted disposition of the supports 38 further enhances the twisting thereof and consequent spinning motion imparted to the wad and pellets.

Claims

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A wad for use is shotgun shells or the like, said wad including:

a pair of spaced, circular, transverse walls defining an axis common to the centers thereof; and

a plurality of collapsible supports connecting said walls, said supports being symmetrically, angularly spaced about the centers of the walls, each of said supports being radially spaced from said centers of the walls to provide only non-central support between said walls, said each support being inclined relative to said axis whereby to impart spinning motion to said wad upon collapse of said supports when compressive pressure is applied to said walls, said each support being spirally disposed between said walls and having first and second ends respectively secured to first and second ones of said walls, said first and second ends of each support being relatively twisted through an angle substantially equal to one-half of the angle defined between adjacent ones of said symmetrically, angularly spaced supports.

2. A wad as set forth in claim 1, wherein said each support is of a substantially rectangular, cross-sectional configuration and is disposed with the major dimensions of said first and second ends thereof extending radially relative to said first and second walls respectively.

3. A wad as set forth in claim 2, wherein is provided a cup-shaped container at said first wall extending oppositely from said supports, said container being adapted to carry shot pellets therewithin whereby to impart spinning motion to said pellets upon collapse of said supports.

4. A wad as set forth in claim 3, wherein are provided a plurality of raised beads on the exterior surface of said container adapted to cooperate with the barrel of a gun whereby to impart spinning motion to said wad during travel of the shotgun shell along said barrel, said beads being inclined relative to said axis and to said supports.

5. A wad as set forth in claim 4, wherein said beads and said supports are oppositely inclined relative to said axis, whereby to compound said spinning motions imparted to said wad by said beads and said supports.

6. A wad as set forth in claim 4 wherein said container is slotted.

7. A wad as set forth in claim 2, wherein is provided an external surface at said second wall adapted to sealingly engage the shotgun shell to define a closed chamber for carrying a powder charge.

8. A wad for use in shotgun shells or the like, said wad including:

a pair of spaced, circular, transverse walls defining an axis common to the centers thereof; and

a plurality of separate, uninterrupted, circumferentially spaced, symmetrically arranged, commonly inclined, collapsible supports spanning the distance between and connecting said walls in radially spaced relationship from said centers of the walls to provide only non-central support therebetween, each of said supports being individually twisted, rendering the same spirally shaped longitudinally thereof.