Projectile having leading surface standoffs

• US 10,345,085 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Black Hills Ammunition Incorporated, Lehigh Defense, LLC (Wilson's Gun Shop, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lehigh Defense, LLC (Wilson's Gun Shop, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fricke, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gomberg, Benjamin S
• Application Number:
  US15/713,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20180209770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 102436, 102439, 102508-510
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 10/22 Projectiles of cannelured type
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/02 characterised by the warhead or the intended effect
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 30/02 Bullets
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/02 Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile

Abstract

A projectile has a base, a tip, and a body axis intersecting the base at a trailing axis point and the tip at a leading axis point. The projectile includes a meplat that is substantially orthogonal to the body axis and a plurality of standoffs that extend away from both the trailing axis point and the leading axis point.

Claims

1. A projectile comprising:

a body comprising a base and a tip forward of the base;

a body axis intersecting the base at a trailing axis point and the tip at a leading axis point;

wherein the body comprises a plurality of fins, the fins defining a meplat and a plurality of flutes alternatingly arranged with the fins, the meplat being substantially orthogonal to the body axis, and each flute comprising a concave outer surface and extending rearward of the leading axis point; and

a plurality of standoffs extending away from both the trailing axis point and the leading axis point, wherein the plurality of standoffs defines a cavity.

2. The projectile of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of standoffs extends from the leading axis point to the meplat.

3. The projectile of claim 2, wherein the meplat comprises a plurality of discrete surfaces separated by the plurality of standoffs.

4. The projectile of claim 3, wherein the plurality of discrete surfaces prevents the leading axis point from touching a primer of an adjacent projectile.

5. The projectile of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of fins comprises a sloping surface extending from a side surface of the body to the meplat.

6. The projectile of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of standoffs extends from the meplat.

7. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the plurality of standoffs prevents the leading axis point from touching a primer of an adjacent projectile.

8. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the leading axis point is defined on the meplat.

9. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the meplat is a continuous surface shaped by an intersection of the plurality of fins.

10. The projectile of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of standoffs is an extension of a one of the plurality of fins.

11. A cartridge comprising the projectile of claim 1.

12. The projectile of claim 1, wherein the cavity extends from the leading axis point to the meplat.