Muzzleloader ammunition

• US 7,726,245 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal Cartridge Company (Vista Outdoor Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alliant Techsystems Incorporated (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Bandel, Jeffrey, Worrell, William J., Quesenberry, Richard, Goodlin, Drew Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): HAYES, BRET C
• Application Number:
  US12/109,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20090266263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 102/431, 102/432, 102/433, 102/502, 42/51
• US Class Current: 102/432
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 14/064 Sabots enclosing the rear end of a kinetic energy projectile, i.e. having a closed disk shaped obturator base and petals extending forward from said base
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 30/02 Bullets
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/067 Mounting or locking missiles in cartridge cases F42B5/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/182 Caseless cartridges characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/192 Cartridge cases characterised by the material of the casing wall cartridge bags F42B5/38

Abstract

A fixed round of ammunition for a muzzle loader firearm. The round has a bullet within a sabot that is engaged to a consumable cartridge case. The case is filled with propellant that is precisely calibrated to provide optimal ballistic properties with the particular bullet it is engaged to. The consumable cartridge case can be more tailored to respectively increase or decrease the burn rate of the consumable cartridge case. The consumable cartridge case can be constructed out of nitrocellulose or other energetic materials. A wide range of propellant formulas can be used that are safe because the burn rate is precisely calibrated for the bullet used. The propellant can contain pyrotechnic material and/or other ingredients to reduce the burn rate of a smokeless propellant and can contain a stabilizer to increase the shelf life of the ammunition round.

Claims

1. A muzzle loaded ammunition round in combination with a firearm, comprising:

a fixed round comprising a bullet and a cartridge case;

the cartridge case is hollow and is filled with at least one propellant composition, the cartridge case being constructed out of an energetic consumable material, and having a burn rate which can be selected by selecting the density of the consumable material of the cartridge case;

the bullet is commonly engaged to the propellant composition at least via the cartridge case, the propellant composition having a charge weight;

an igniter which extends into the propellant composition inside the case at the time of ignition;

when the bullet is fired, an energy with which the bullet exits the firearm is a ratio proportional at least to the burn rate of the consumable cartridge case, the charge weight of the propellant composition, and at least one physical property of the bullet, the burn rate being proportional to the combustibility of both the propellant and the consumable cartridge case;

the burn rate and the at least one physical property of the bullet are precisely calibrated to each other so as to yield ballistic properties in which the bullet is fired with a desired amount of kinetic energy and within the design constraints of the firearm.

2. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 in which the cartridge case is constructed out of a consumable material.

3. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 in which a calibrated physical property of the bullet is one selected from the group consisting of:

size, mass, density, caliber, shape, and any combination thereof.

4. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 in which the cartridge case is at least in part constructed out of nitrocellulose.

5. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 4 in which the sabot is constructed at least in part out of a thermoplastic material.

6. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 4 in which at least one of the calibrated physical properties of the bullet is separability from the sabot.

7. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 in which the bullet is positioned within a sabot and the sabot is engaged to the cartridge case.

8. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 constructed and arranged to be penetrated by a breech block.

9. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 further comprising an electrically conductive probe extending through the end of the cartridge case not facing the bullet.

10. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 in which the propellant composition is one selected from the list consisting of:

smokeless propellant, single base nitrocellulose, nitrocellulose propellant, black powder propellant, pyrotechnic propellant, non-pyrotechnic propellant, and any combination thereof.

11. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 in which the propellant composition occupies a volume substantially equal to at least 90% of the volume of the cartridge case.

12. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 in which the propellant composition includes at least one energy modifying material.

13. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 12 in which the at least one energy modifying material is an energy reducing material.

14. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 in which the propellant composition includes a pyrotechnic material.

15. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 1 in which the propellant composition includes a stabilizer compound.

16. The muzzle loaded ammunition round of claim 15 in which the stabilizer compound is no greater than 1% by volume of the propellant composition.