Bullet trap
First Claim
1. A bullet trap for catching and deenergizing bullets fired along a substantially horizontal path of flight into the trap from manual firearms, which trap includes:
- a first pair of spaced flat plates located, respectively, above and below said path of flight and oriented at respective opposite angles of inclination of between 0° and
about 15°
to the horizontal, and a second pair of spaced flat plates arranged transverse to said first plates on opposite sides of said path of flight, with said first and second pairs of plates defining, respectively, upper and lower walls and right and left side walls of a passageway having at its front end an entrance opening and at its rear end a throat through which the bullets can pass, and with said upper and lower walls of said passageway converging toward one another in the direction from said entrance opening of said passageway to said throat;
a spent bullet decelerating and energy-dissipating chamber which has a substantially horizontal axis and a circumferential boundary wall of generally spiral configuration, with the opposite end walls of said chamber being constituted by portions of said second plates, and with said passageway communicating with said chamber substantially tangentially of said chamber through said throat;
means for directing a liquid lubricating fluid into said chamber for enabling said lubricating fluid to be applied to at least a portion of said circumferential boundary wall of said chamber; and
means defining a collecting vessel located at a discharge region of the trap for receiving therefrom spent bullets, bullet fragments, shells, casings and lead dust;
wherein the improvement comprises;
(a) said upper and lower walls of said passageway at said rear end of said passageway are connected to said decelerating chamber at a top region of said chamber, with said throat of said passageway located at said circumferential boundary wall of said chamber;
(b) said decelerating chamber is provided in said circumferential boundary wall thereof at said top region of said chamber with an inlet opening extending substantially parallel to said horizontal axis of said chamber and in direct communication with said throat of said passageway; and
(c) said decelerating chamber is provided in said circumferential boundary wall thereof at a bottom region of said chamber with a discharge opening for enabling liquid lubricating fluid, bullets, bullet fragments, shells, casings and lead dust to pass therethrough for movement to said collecting vessel;
(d) whereby bullets fired into said passageway through said entrance opening of said passageway first enter into said decelerating chamber through said throat and said inlet opening without undergoing a sudden high angle change of direction between said through and said inlet opening and without impacting against any wall surface at a high angle to that surface and then circumnavigate said chamber with gradually decreasing speed, while in contact with said circumferential boundary wall of said chamber and lubricated by said liquid lubricating fluid directed into said chamber, until the energy of the bullets has been substantially dissipated, and the bullets along with any bullet fragments, shells, casings and lead dust ultimately fall through said discharge opening of said chamber and move to said collecting vessel.
15 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A bullet trap with a passageway defined between flat upper and lower boundary walls extending convergingly, at opposite angles of inclination of between 0° and about 15° to the horizontal, from an entrance opening to an exit opening or throat, and a deceleration chamber having a generally spirally curved circumferential boundary wall and provided in its upper region with an inlet opening and in its lower region with a discharge opening leading to a collecting vessel. The circumferential boundary wall of the chamber is constituted by two oppositely concave channel-shaped members the respective upper end regions of which are spaced from each other to define the inlet opening, and the respective lower end regions of which are spaced from each other to define the discharge opening. The chamber communicates at its upper region with the passageway substantially tangentially of the chamber via the directly adjacent inlet opening and throat, and a liquid lubricating fluid can be directed into the chamber from the collecting vessel either in a forced flow mode (pump-activated) through the inlet opening or in a passive mode (bullet-activated) through the discharge opening. For the special purpose of enabling a previously fired firearm to be checked for whether a bullet remains in the firing chamber of the firearm, the trap may have the same basic construction but without the liquid lubricating fluid feature.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A bullet trap for catching and deenergizing bullets fired along a substantially horizontal path of flight into the trap from manual firearms, which trap includes:
- a first pair of spaced flat plates located, respectively, above and below said path of flight and oriented at respective opposite angles of inclination of between 0° and
about 15°
to the horizontal, and a second pair of spaced flat plates arranged transverse to said first plates on opposite sides of said path of flight, with said first and second pairs of plates defining, respectively, upper and lower walls and right and left side walls of a passageway having at its front end an entrance opening and at its rear end a throat through which the bullets can pass, and with said upper and lower walls of said passageway converging toward one another in the direction from said entrance opening of said passageway to said throat;
a spent bullet decelerating and energy-dissipating chamber which has a substantially horizontal axis and a circumferential boundary wall of generally spiral configuration, with the opposite end walls of said chamber being constituted by portions of said second plates, and with said passageway communicating with said chamber substantially tangentially of said chamber through said throat;
means for directing a liquid lubricating fluid into said chamber for enabling said lubricating fluid to be applied to at least a portion of said circumferential boundary wall of said chamber; and
means defining a collecting vessel located at a discharge region of the trap for receiving therefrom spent bullets, bullet fragments, shells, casings and lead dust;
wherein the improvement comprises;(a) said upper and lower walls of said passageway at said rear end of said passageway are connected to said decelerating chamber at a top region of said chamber, with said throat of said passageway located at said circumferential boundary wall of said chamber; (b) said decelerating chamber is provided in said circumferential boundary wall thereof at said top region of said chamber with an inlet opening extending substantially parallel to said horizontal axis of said chamber and in direct communication with said throat of said passageway; and (c) said decelerating chamber is provided in said circumferential boundary wall thereof at a bottom region of said chamber with a discharge opening for enabling liquid lubricating fluid, bullets, bullet fragments, shells, casings and lead dust to pass therethrough for movement to said collecting vessel; (d) whereby bullets fired into said passageway through said entrance opening of said passageway first enter into said decelerating chamber through said throat and said inlet opening without undergoing a sudden high angle change of direction between said through and said inlet opening and without impacting against any wall surface at a high angle to that surface and then circumnavigate said chamber with gradually decreasing speed, while in contact with said circumferential boundary wall of said chamber and lubricated by said liquid lubricating fluid directed into said chamber, until the energy of the bullets has been substantially dissipated, and the bullets along with any bullet fragments, shells, casings and lead dust ultimately fall through said discharge opening of said chamber and move to said collecting vessel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
- a first pair of spaced flat plates located, respectively, above and below said path of flight and oriented at respective opposite angles of inclination of between 0° and
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18. A bullet trap for catching and de-energizing bullets fired along a substantially horizontal path of flight into the trap from manual firearms, which trap includes:
- a first pair of spaced flat plates located, respectively, above and below said path of flight and oriented at respective opposite angles of inclination of between 0° and
about 15°
to the horizontal, and a second pair of spaced flat plates arranged transverse to said first plates on opposite sides of said path of flight, with said first and second pairs of plates defining, respectively, upper and lower walls and right and left side walls of a passageway having at its front end an entrance opening and at its rear end a throat through which the bullets can pass, and with said upper and lower walls of said passageway converging toward one another in the direction from said entrance opening of said passageway to said throat;
a spent bullet decelerating and energy-dissipating chamber which has a substantially horizontal axis and a circumferential boundary wall of generally spiral configuration, with the opposite end walls of said chamber being constituted by portions of said second plates, and with said passageway communicating with said chamber substantially tangentially of said chamber through said throat; and
means defining a collecting vessel located at a discharge region of the trap for receiving therefrom spent bullets, bullet fragments, shells, casings and lead dust;
wherein the improvement comprises;(a) said upper and lower walls of said passageway at said rear end of said passageway are connected to said decelerating chamber at a top region of said chamber, with said throat of said passageway located at said circumferential boundary wall of said chamber; (b) said decelerating chamber is provided in said circumferential boundary wall thereof at said top region of said chamber with an inlet opening extending substantially parallel to said horizontal axis of said chamber and in direct communication with said throat of said passageway; and (c) said decelerating chamber is provided in said circumferential boundary wall thereof at a bottom region of said chamber with a discharge opening for enabling bullets, bullet fragments, shells, casings and lead dust to pass therethrough for movement to said collecting vessel; (d) whereby bullets fired into said passageway through said entrance opening of said passageway first enter into said decelerating chamber through said throat and said inlet opening without undergoing a sudden high angle change of direction between said throat and said inlet opening and without impacting against any wall surface at a high angle to that surface and then circumnavigate said chamber with gradually decreasing speed, while in contact with said circumferential boundary wall of said chamber, until the energy of the bullets has been substantially dissipated, and the bullets along with any bullet fragments, shells, casings and lead dust ultimately fall through said discharge opening of said chamber and move to said collecting vessel. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- a first pair of spaced flat plates located, respectively, above and below said path of flight and oriented at respective opposite angles of inclination of between 0° and
Specification