Single piece non-lethal projectile

• US 8,316,769 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Defense Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Safariland LLC
• Inventors: Wilson, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Bergin, James
• Application Number:
  US12/496,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20120210903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 102/444, 102/469, 102/470, 102/498, 102/502, 102/529, 102/439, 102/447
• US Class Current: 102/444
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/64 the submissiles being of shot- or flechette-type
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/03 containing more than one missile
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/10 Air gun pellets ; Ammunition for air guns, e.g. propellant-gas containers
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 8/02 Cartridges F41A33/02, F42B7/12 take precedence

Abstract

A reloadable training munition having a reusable shell base having a propulsion system reload inserted into a hollow cavity of the shell base and a reusable single piece projectile inserted into the shell base, the projectile having a hollow body portion, a driving band adjacent the body portion, and a nose portion adjacent the driving band having void spaces for controlling both density and mass properties of the nose portion.

Claims

1. A reloadable munition comprising:

a reusable shell base having a hollow cavity on a bottom face;

a reusable projectile that can be inserted into an end of the reusable shell base opposite from the hollow cavity, the projectile having a nose portion that is made from a high impact material that will withstand repeated firings and impacts without shattering, the projectile having at least one void space on a surface of the nose portion or extending into the nose portion of the projectile;

a propulsion system reload inserted into the hollow cavity of the shell base; and

means for mechanically retaining the propulsion system reload in the shell base for loading and firing of the munition.

2. The munition of claim 1 wherein the propulsion system reload is a high/low pressure propulsion system having a propellant charge, a primer, a rupture disk and a vent hole separating a high pressure chamber from a low pressure chamber in the shell base.

3. The munition of claim 1 wherein the mechanical means of retaining the propulsion system reload is a set screw that is threaded into a hole and a side of the shell base running perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the shell base.

4. The munition of claim 1 wherein the projectile has a plurality of void spaces on a surface of the projectile around a nose portion of the projectile.

5. The munition of claim 4 wherein the void spaces extend parallel to a longitudinal axis of rotation of the projectile.

6. The munition of claim 4 wherein the void spaces are perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of rotation.

7. The munition of claim 1 wherein the projectile has a plurality of void spaces extending into the projectile in a nose portion of the projectile.

8. The munition of claim 7 wherein the void spaces extend into the nose portion at an angle to a longitudinal axis of rotation.

9. The munition of claim 1 wherein the projectile has a driving band positioned between a nose portion and a body portion.

10. The munition of claim 1 wherein the projectile has a body portion having a hollow cavity extending from an end surface and an angled exterior surface adjacent the end surface to increase stability of the projectile.