Firearm projectile apparatus, method, and product by process

• US 7,360,491 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2004
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Craig M. Sanborn
• Original Assignee: Craig M. Sanborn
• Inventors: Sanborn, Craig M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bergin; James S
• Application Number:
  US10/709,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20050034626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 102/510, 102/509, 102/508, 102/507, 102/517, 102/518, 102/503
• US Class Current: 102/510
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/34 expanding before or on impact, i.e. of dumdum or mushroom type

Abstract

A firearm projectile assembly apparatus disclosed herein comprises: a bullet; a hollow core running completely through the bullet from a front of the bullet subassembly to a rear of the bullet; a core material within at least part of the hollow core; and an expansion-inducing tip integral with the core material, and protruding forward of the front of the bullet; wherein: when the projectile assembly impacts with a target, the expansion-inducing tip drives the core material rearward relative to the hollow core, forcing the bullet to expand radially outwardly. Also disclosed for firearm projectile assembly apparatus is a pressure shield; and a non-discarding attachment of the pressure shield to the bullet, such that after the projectile assembly is fired from a firearm, the pressure shield does not discard from the bullet during the bullet'"'"'s flight to a target. Also disclosed is a pressure shield comprising: a gas check; and various controlled air spaces. Also disclosed are related methods of use and production for the firearm projectile assembly apparatus, and various subassemblies thereof.

Claims

1. A firearm projectile assembly apparatus, comprising:

a bullet;

a hollow core running completely through said bullet from a front of said bullet to a rear of said bullet;

a core material within at least part of said hollow core;

an expansion-inducing tip integral with said core material, and protruding forward of said front of said bullet;

a pressure shield; and

a connection between said expansion-inducing tip and said pressure shield through said hollow core, via said core material;

wherein;

when said projectile assembly impacts with a target, said expansion-inducing tip drives said core material rearward relative to said hollow core, forcing said bullet to expand radially outwardly; and

said connection securely holds said expansion-inducing tip in place during said bullet'"'"'s flight to a target.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said hollow core further comprising:

a rear core diameter thereof proximate a rear of said bullet; and

a front core diameter thereof proximate a front of said bullet;

wherein;

said front core diameter is greater than said rear core diameter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, said hollow core further comprising:

cross-sectional core diameters thereof increasing progressively from said rear of said bullet to said front of said bullet.

4. The apparatus of claim 3;

wherein;

said front core diameter is greater than said rear core diameter by at least fifty percent.

5. The apparatus of claim 2;

wherein;

said front core diameter is greater than said rear core diameter by at least fifty percent.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one circumferential belt circumscribing part of said bullet.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, said at least one circumferential belt further comprising:

a protective lubricant.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a bullet engraving surface thereof toward a front of said bullet; and

a primary bullet diameter thereof toward a middle and rear of said bullet;

wherein;

a diameter of said bullet engraving surface is greater than said primary bullet diameter.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

said diameter of said bullet engraving surface is approximately equal to a diameter of rifling grooves of a firearm barrel in which said bullet is intended to be used; and

said primary bullet diameter is approximately equal to a bore land diameter of the firearm barrel in which said bullet is intended to be used.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, said pressure shield further comprising:

a pressure shield front diameter approximately equal to the bore land diameter; and

a pressure shield maximum diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the rifling grooves.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

said pressure shield maximum diameter exceeds said diameter of said bullet engraving surface by at least 0.2%; and

said pressure shield maximum diameter exceeds said diameter of said bullet engraving surface by at most 0.7%.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, said pressure shield further comprising:

a pressure shield rear diameter less than the bore land diameter.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, said pressure shield further comprising:

a pressure shield front diameter approximately equal to a bore land diameter of a firearm barrel in which said bullet is intended to be used; and

a pressure shield maximum diameter approximately equal to a diameter of rifling grooves of the firearm barrel.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, said pressure shield further comprising:

a pressure shield rear diameter less than the bore land diameter.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a non-discarding attachment of said pressure shield to said bullet, such that after said projectile assembly is fired from a firearm, said pressure shield does not discard from said bullet during said bullet'"'"'s flight to the target.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, said pressure shield further comprising:

a controlled air space comprising;

powder-excluding protrusions; and

air recesses amidst said powder-excluding protrusions.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, said powder exclusions comprising a configuration selected from the configuration group consisting of:

a honeycomb;

an “

x”

;

circles;

lattices; and

a grid.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, said pressure shield further comprising:

said powder-excluding protrusions structurally connecting together a plurality of locations on an inner wall of said gas check.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, said pressure shield further comprising:

a porous material;

an air space comprising pores of said porous material; and

said porous material substantially excluding powder from said air space.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

said core material substantially filling only part of said hollow core; and

said hollow core comprising an unfilled chamber cavity unfilled by said core material.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

said core material substantially filling all of said hollow core.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, said expansion-inducing tip comprising:

a driving wedge proximate a rear of said expansion-inducing tip, for driving into and expanding said hollow, responsive to said expansion-inducing tip striking a target.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pressure shield subassembly comprising:

a pressure shield mating extension inserted into said hollow core proximate said rear of a bullet; and

said pressure shield integrally attached proximate a rear of said pressure shield mating extension, said pressure shield comprising a rearward-oriented gas check.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

an expansion tip subassembly comprising;

an expansion tip mating extension comprising said core material, inserted into said hollow core proximate said front of said bullet; and

said expansion-inducing tip, integrally attached proximate a front of said expansion tip mating extension; and

said pressure shield mating extension mated with said expansion tip mating extension.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

said pressure shield mating extension mated with said expansion tip mating extension such that after said projectile assembly is fired from a firearm, said pressure shield does not discard from said bullet during said bullet'"'"'s flight to the target.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, said pressure shield comprising:

a porous material;

an air space comprising pores of said porous material; and

said porous material substantially excluding powder from said air space.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an expansion tip subassembly comprising:

an expansion tip mating extension comprising said core material, inserted into said hollow core proximate said front of said bullet; and

said expansion-inducing tip, integrally attached proximate a front of said expansion tip mating extension.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

said core material substantially filling only part of said hollow core; and

said hollow core comprising an unfilled chamber cavity unfilled by said core material.

29. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

said expansion tip subassembly substantially filling all of said hollow core.

30. A bullet assembly comprising:

a hollow core running completely through a bullet from a front of said bullet to a rear of said bullet;

an expansion-inducing tip integral with a core material within at least part of said hollow core, and protruding forward of said front of said bullet;

a pressure shield; and

a connection between said expansion-inducing tip and said pressure shield through said hollow core, via said core material;

wherein;

said connection securely holds said expansion-inducing tip to remain in place during said bullet'"'"'s flight to a target; and

said core material is capable, when said bullet assembly impacts with a target, of being driven rearward relative to said hollow core by said expansion-inducing tip, forcing said bullet to expand radially outwardly.

31. The bullet subassembly of claim 30, said hollow core comprising:

a rear core diameter thereof proximate a rear of said bullet subassembly; and

a front core diameter thereof proximate a front of said bullet subassembly;

wherein;

said front core diameter is greater than said rear core diameter.

32. The bullet subassembly of claim 31, said hollow core further comprising

cross-sectional core diameters thereof increasing progressively from said rear of said bullet subassembly to said front of said bullet subassembly.

33. The bullet subassembly of claim 32;

wherein;

said front core diameter is greater than said rear core diameter by at least fifty percent.

34. The bullet subassembly of claim 31, wherein:

said front core diameter is greater than said rear core diameter by at least fifty percent.

35. The bullet subassembly of claim 30, further comprising:

a bullet engraving surface thereof toward a front of said bullet subassembly; and

a primary bullet diameter thereof toward a middle and rear of said bullet subassembly;

wherein;

a diameter of said bullet engraving surface is greater than said primary bullet diameter.

36. The bullet subassembly of claim 35, wherein:

said diameter of said bullet engraving surface is approximately equal to a diameter of rifling grooves of a firearm barrel in which said bullet subassembly is intended to be used; and

said primary bullet diameter is approximately equal to a bore land diameter of the firearm barrel in which said bullet subassembly is intended to be used.

37. A firearm projectile assembly apparatus, comprising:

a bullet comprising a hollow core running completely through said bullet from a front of said bullet to a rear of said bullet;

a pressure shield subassembly comprising an elongated pressure shield mating extension, and a pressure shield integrally attached proximate a rear of said pressure shield mating extension, said pressure shield comprising a rearward-oriented gas check;

an expansion tip subassembly comprising an expansion-inducing tip integral with a core material, said core material comprising an expansion tip mating extension and residing within at least part of said hollow core, and said expansion-inducing tip protruding forward of said front of said bullet and integrally attached proximate a front of said expansion tip mating extension;

said pressure shield mating extension inserted into the rear of said hollow core;

said expansion tip mating extension inserted into the front of said hollow core; and

said pressure shield mating extension mated with said expansion tip mating extension.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising:

said pressure shield mating extension mated with said expansion tip mating extension such that after said projectile assembly is fired from a firearm, said pressure shield does not discard from said bullet during said bullet'"'"'s flight to a target.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, said hollow core comprising:

a rear core diameter thereof proximate a rear of said bullet subassembly; and

a front core diameter thereof proximate a front of said bullet subassembly;

wherein;

said front core diameter is greater than said rear core diameter.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, said hollow core further comprising

cross-sectional core diameters thereof increasing progressively from said rear of said bullet subassembly to said front of said bullet subassembly.

41. The apparatus of claim 40;

wherein;

said front core diameter is greater than said rear core diameter by at least fifty percent.

42. The apparatus of claim 39;

wherein;

said front core diameter is greater than said rear core diameter by at least fifty percent.

43. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising:

at least one circumferential belt circumscribing part of said bullet subassembly.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, said at least one circumferential belt further comprising:

a protective lubricant.

45. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising:

a bullet engraving surface thereof toward a front of said bullet subassembly; and

a primary bullet diameter thereof toward a middle and rear of said bullet subassembly;

wherein;

a diameter of said bullet engraving surface is greater than said primary bullet diameter.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:

said diameter of said bullet engraving surface is approximately equal to a diameter of rifling grooves of a firearm barrel in which said bullet subassembly is intended to be used; and

said primary bullet diameter is approximately equal to a bore land diameter of the firearm barrel in which said bullet subassembly is intended to be used.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, said pressure shield further comprising:

a pressure shield front diameter approximately equal to a bore land diameter of a firearm barrel in which said bullet subassembly is intended to be used; and

a pressure shield maximum diameter approximately equal to a diameter of rifling grooves of the firearm barrel in which said bullet subassembly is intended to be used.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein:

said pressure shield maximum diameter exceeds said diameter of said bullet engraving surface by at least 0.2%; and

said pressure shield maximum diameter exceeds said diameter of said bullet engraving surface by at most 0.7%.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, said pressure shield further comprising:

a pressure shield rear diameter less than the bore land diameter.

50. The apparatus of claim 37, said pressure shield further comprising:

a pressure shield front diameter approximately equal to a bore land diameter of a firearm barrel in which said bullet subassembly is intended to be used; and

a pressure shield maximum diameter approximately equal to a diameter of rifling grooves of the firearm barrel in which said bullet subassembly is intended to be used.

51. The apparatus of claim 37, said pressure shield further comprising:

a pressure shield rear diameter less than the bore land diameter.

52. The apparatus of claim 37, said pressure shield further comprising:

a controlled air space comprising;

powder-excluding protrusions; and

air recesses amidst said powder-excluding protrusions.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, said powder exclusions comprising a configuration selected from the configuration group consisting of:

a honeycomb;

an “

x”

;

circles;

lattices; and

a grid.

54. The apparatus of claim 52, said pressure shield further comprising:

said powder-excluding protrusions structurally connecting together a plurality of locations on an inner wall of said gas check.

55. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising a pressure shield, said pressure shield further comprising:

a solid, porous material;

an air space comprising pores of said solid, porous material; and

the solid nature of said solid, porous material substantially excluding powder from said air space.

56. The apparatus of claim 37, said expansion tip subassembly further comprising:

a driving wedge proximate a rear of said expansion-inducing tip, for driving into and expanding said hollow, responsive to said expansion-inducing tip striking a target.