Bullet with spherical nose portion

• US 6,964,232 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Issued: 11/15/2005
• 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:
  US10/872,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20050066844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 102/439, 102507-510, 102/514
• US Class Current: 102/439
• 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 having a specific gravity of at least 2.5 and a hardness in excess of 60 DPH, in combination with;

a case of a dimension effective to support a bullet having a caliber selected from the group consisting of .357, .38, .40, .44, .45, 9 mm, and 10 mm, the bullet being accommodated by a mouth of the case;

a propellant charge within the case; and

a primer held by the case so as to form a cartridge.

4. The bullet of claim 1 wherein the primer includes a metal cup formed as a combination of a sleeve portion and a web portion wherein said web portion spanning said sleeve at a rear end of said sleeve.

5. The bullet of claim 4 wherein the metal cup contains a nontoxic, lead-free, primer charge.

2. An ammunition cartridge, comprising:

a case of a dimension effective to support a bullet having a caliber selected from the group consisting of .357, .40, .45, 9 mm and 10 mm;

a bullet secured partially within a mouth of the case and comprising;

a copper alloy body having a forwardly open compartment with a wall thickness of at least 1.0 mm along a portion of at least 5.0 mm; and

a steel insert partially protruding from the compartment;

a propellant charge within the case; and

a primer held within a head of the case.

3. The ammunition cartridge of claim 2 wherein the bullet includes at least one core having a density greater than a density of the body and wherein the insert is not in contact with any such core.

6. The ammunition cartridge of claim 2 wherein the primer includes a metal cup formed as a combination of a sleeve portion and a web portion wherein said web portion spanning said sleeve at the rear end of said sleeve.

7. The ammunition cartridge of claim 6 wherein the metal cup contains a nontoxic, lead-free, primer charge.

8. The ammunition cartridge of claim 3 wherein the core is formed of lead.