Bullet with spherical nose portion

• US 6,837,165 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Issued: 01/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OLIN Corporation
• Original Assignee: OLIN Corporation
• Inventors: Hayes, Richard A., Eberhart, Gerald T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Behrend, Harvey E.
• Application Number:
  US10/288,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20030089264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 102507-510, 102514-519
• US Class Current: 102/510
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/34 expanding before or on impact, i.e. of dumdum or mushroom type
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/74 of the core or solid body

Abstract

A bullet includes a frontward facing aperture. Contained within the aperture is a relatively hard bullet frontal element that provides advantageous bullet impact performance. In one embodiment, the frontal element is a steel sphere that provides advantageous penetration and weight retention when the bullet impacts laminated glass, such as an automobile windshield.

Claims

1. A bullet comprising:

a body having a generally cylindrical rear portion and an ogival front portion that terminates at a forward rim, said ogival front portion having a coaxial front compartment extending inwardly from said forward rim and terminating at a near hemispherical rear surface and having a continually forwardly diverging surface portion that terminates at a forwardly convergent portion that engages a frontal element; and

said frontal element extending partially into said front compartment and protruding from the front compartment, said frontal element and having a specific gravity of at least 2.5 and a hardness in excess of 60 DPH.

2. The bullet of claim 1 having an overall length and a maximum diameter and wherein a ratio of said overall length to said maximum diameter is 1.5:

2.5.

3. The bullet of claim 2 wherein said maximum diameter of said bullet is between 0.35 and 0.46 inch (0.89 and 1.17 cm).

4. The bullet of claim 1 wherein the body consists essentially of a unitarily formed single continuous piece of brass.

5. The bullet of claim 1 further including a coating at least on a major lateral portion of the body.

6. The bullet of claim 5 further including a plating on said frontal element.

7. The bullet of claim 1 wherein the frontal element has a mass between 6.0 and 10.0 grains (0.39 and 0.65 g).

8. A bullet comprising:

a body having a generally cylindrical rear portion and an ogival front portion that terminates at a forward rim, said ogival front portion having a coaxial front compartment extending inwardly from said forward rim and terminating at a near hemispherical rear surface and having a continually forwardly diverging surface portion that terminates at a forwardly convergent portion that engages a spherical frontal element; and

said spherical frontal element partially accommodated within the front compartment.

9. The bullet of claim 8 wherein the frontal element consists essentially of steel and the body includes a plurality of longitudinal notches along the front compartment.

10. A bullet consisting essentially of:

an impact-extruded copper alloy body having a generally cylindrical rear portion and an ogival front portion that terminates at a forward rim, said ogival front portion having a frontal, forwardly open blind compartment that terminates at a near hemispherical rear surface; and

a frontal element partially within the compartment, said frontal element having a specific gravity of at least 5.0 and a hardness in excess of 80 DPH.

11. A bullet comprising:

an impact-extruded copper alloy body having a generally cylindrical rear portion and an ogival front portion that terminates at a forward rim, said ogival front portion having at least a frontal, forwardly open blind compartment; and

a steel sphere partially accommodated within the compartment.

12. A bullet comprising:

a body having a generally cylindrical rear portion and an ogival front portion that terminates at a forward rim, said ogival front portion having a coaxial front compartment extending inwardly from said forward rim and terminating at a near hemispherical rear surface and having a continually forwardly diverging surface portion that terminates at a forwardly convergent portion that engages a frontal element; and

said frontal element partially accommodated within the front compartment, wherein said bullet is effective to impact against 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) thick laminated automobile glass at a velocity of 1100 fps (335 mps) and an angle relative to normal of 45°

with at least 90 weight percent of the bullet penetrating the glass, yet when normally impacted directly against ballistic gelatin at said velocity there is a penetration of no more than 20 inches (50.8 cm).

13. The bullet of claim 12, wherein a ratio of overall length to maximum diameter of said bullet is 1.8:

2.1.

14. A bullet comprising:

a body having a generally cylindrical rear portion with a diameter of between 0.22 and 0.50 inch (0.56 and 1.27 cm) and an ogival front portion that terminates at a forward rim, said ogival front portion having a coaxial front compartment extending inwardly from said forward rim; and

a spherical frontal element partially accommodated within the front compartment of the bullet, said spherical front element having a hardness, a mass and a specific gravity of at least 2.5, such that said bullet is effective to impact against 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) thick laminated automobile glass at a velocity of 1100 fps (335 mps) and an angle relative to normal of 45°

, with at least 90 weight percent of the bullet penetrating the glass, yet when normally impacted directly against ballistic gelatin at said velocity there is a penetration of no more than 20 inches (50.8 cm).