PRACTICE AMMUNITION

• US 3,785,293 A
• Filed: 01/19/1973
• Issued: 01/15/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Irwin R. Barr, Nicholas J. La Costa, William O. Davis
• Original Assignee: Irwin R. Barr, Nicholas J. La Costa, William O. Davis
• Inventors: Barr, Irwin R., La Costa, Nicholas J., Davis, William O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stahl, Robert F.
• Application Number:
  US05/324,910
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: 102/41,92.7,38
• US Class Current: 102/529
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 8/16 containing an inert filler in powder or granular form

Abstract

Practice ammunition including a projectile formed by a thin walled frangible plastic body casing or shell having a spin-weld interconnected rear closure element and being filled with a loose mass of finely divided particulate material of substantially higher density, and preferably of relatively low animal toxicity. The plastic body casing or shell is smooth walled and formed without longitudinal grooving, and if fragmented on exit from a rifled barrel through the combined lateral forces of set-back and centrifugal force operating to radially expand the mass of particulate filler. The particulate material is partially dispersed by these same forces and further dispersed and retarded by wind resistance after leaving the barrel so as to fall to the ground within a relatively short distance from the barrel. A key slot is formed in a rear closure element for rotational locking during spin welding assembly of the body casing or shell, and a rearwardly facing annular obturator encompasses the key slot.

Claims

1. Disintegrating practice ammunition, comprising a projectile having a frangible body shell of moldable and spinweldable material, said body shell forming a tapered nose section and a generally cylindrical mid and rear section, said body shell being hollow and forming a cavity for containing a mass of loose particulate filler material, a closure element closing the rear of said body shell whereby said cavity is a closed cavity, an exterior rifling band on said body shell and protruding radially beyond the remainder of said generally cylindrical mid and rear section, a mass of finely divided particulate relatively high density filler material container within and generally filling the effective volume of said cavity, a circumferential spin weld interconnection formed between and joining said body shell and said closure element, said closure element having a key slot formed in its rear surface for rotational locking to assist in enabling spinwelding assembly of said body shell and said closure element.

2. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 1, further comprising an annular rearwardly extending obturator extension formed at the rear of said body shell and encompassing said key slot.

3. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 2, said obturator extension being an integral part of said closure element and being rearwardly and outwardly tapered.

4. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 3, said key slot being a laterally extending recess.

5. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 2, said key slot being a laterally extending recess.

6. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 1, said closure element closing the rear of said body shell being a plug having an outer cylindrical diameter corresponding to the adjoining rear section of said body shell.

7. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 6, said plug having a reduced diameter shouldered forward end and a cup-shaped rear end, said cup-shaped rear end of said plug having a tapered annular wall forming said obturator extension, said body shell seating and being secured in peripheral sealing relation on said shouldered forward end of said plug.

8. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 1, said mass of particulate material being compactible and said body shell being radially effectively expandable under set-back forces to effect A compacted and reduced length volume of said mass during passage of said projectile along a rifled barrel bore and having a forward surface lying approximately in the zone of or behind the effective zone of intersection between the tapered nose section and said generally cylindrical mid section of said body shell.

9. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 1, a cartridge case having an ignitable propellant charge therein, and means releasably securing said projectile at the forward end of said cartridge case.

10. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 9, said body shell having an annular groove formed therein rearwardly of said rifling band, and said cartridge case being secured to said projectile by an annular crimp of said case into said groove, the forward end of said case abutting and being of substantially the same diameter as said rifling band, said rifling band being integrally unitary with said body shell.

11. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 10, said mass of finely divided particulate filler being of multiple size predominantly within a relatively narrow range of approximately 0.012 to 0.033 inch in diameter.

12. Disintegrating practice ammunition, comprising a projectile having a frangible body shell, said body shell forming a tapered nose section and a generally cylindrical mid and rear section, said body shell being hollow and forming a cavity for containing a mass of loose particulate filler material, and means closing the rear of said body shell whereby said cavity is a closed cavity, and an exterior rifling band on said body shell and protruding radially beyond the remainder of said generally cylindrical mid and rear section, said cavity being devoid of lateral bracing therewithin, and a mass of finely divided loose particulate relatively high density malleable filler material contained within and generally filling the effective volume of said cavity, said mass of particulate material being compactible and said body shell being radially effectively expandable under set-back forces to effect a compacted and reduced length volume of said mass during passage of said projectile along a rifled barrel bore and having a forward surface lying approximately in the zone of or behind the effective zone of intersection between the tapered nose section and said generally cylindrical mid section of said body shell.

13. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 12, said mass of finely divided particulate malleable filler being minute individually discrete metal shot, and said body shell being formed of plastic material.

14. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 13, said metal filler shot being selected from materials which are generally of low animal toxicity.

15. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 12, said mass of finely divided particulate malleable filler being of multiple size discrete metal shot predominantly within an approximate size range of approximately 3 to 1.

16. Disintegrating practice ammunition according to claim 12, said mass of finely divided particulate filler being multiple size predominantly within a range of approximately 0.012 to 0.033 inch in diameter.