Bullet

• US 9,316,468 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sme Engineering (Pty)., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sme Engineering (Pty)., Ltd.
• Inventors: Rall, Adriaan, Van Rooyen, Como
• Primary Examiner(s): JOHNSON, STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US14/077,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20140318406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 102/507, 102/508, 102/509, 102/510
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/34 expanding before or on impact, i.e. of dumdum or mushroom type
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 33/001 Devices or processes for assembling ammunition, cartridges or cartridge elements from parts

Abstract

The invention provides a bullet. The bullet comprises a bullet-shaped body of a first metal composition, which body has a hollow cavity defined therein along the axis of the bullet with an opening at the point of the bullet shaped body. The bullet further comprises a plunger of a second composition, preferably metal, which metal is harder than the first metal, and shaped generally complementary to the hollow cavity. Hollow empty cavities may preferably be provided between the plunger and the hollow.

Claims

1. A bullet, which comprises:

a bullet-shaped body of a first metal composition, which body has a hollow cavity defined therein along the axis of the bullet with an opening at the point of the bullet shaped body;

a plunger of a second metal composition, which is harder than the first metal, and shaped generally complementary to the hollow cavity;

wherein the hollow cavity and the plunger have a generally complementary conical shape widening towards the point of the bullet;

wherein the inner surface of the hollow cavity is generally conical or cylindrical or combinations thereof and provided with one or more shoulder formations, which taper outward towards the opening at the point of the bullet;

wherein the plunger is dimensioned in such a way that when it is inserted into the hollow cavity, the plunger will not reach the far end of the hollow to define an empty cavity;

wherein each shoulder formation of the plunger does not reach its complementary bearing formation on the inside surface of the hollow to also define one or more further circular empty cavities; and

wherein a number of successive cavities are defined of which the volume decreases towards the point of the bullet.

2. A bullet as claimed in claim 1, wherein multiple cavities are incorporated with the shoulder and bearing formation being at an angle of between 20 and 40 degrees of the axis.

3. A bullet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plunger is shaped to protrude past the rim of the opening in the bullet body and continues and complete the shape of the bullet body into a typical spitzer type bullet point.

4. A bullet as claimed in claim 3, wherein one circular cavity is defined between the plunder and a first shoulder of the hollow and a second cavity at the end of the hollow is preferable.

5. A bullet as claimed in claim 4, wherein one cavity is defined at the end of the hollow with no cavity formed between the shoulder of the hollow and corresponding shoulder formation of the plunger, which is at an angle of between 10 and 20 degrees.

6. A bullet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plunger is from a brass-alloy and the bullet body is of copper in a half-hard condition.

7. A bullet as claimed in claim 6, wherein the copper bullet body is annealed.

8. A bullet as claimed in claim 1, which comprises three or more cannelure bands axially spaced along the bearing surface of the bullet, which extends radially past the bore diameter of the bullet into the rifling groove diameter to engage the rifling of a rifle barrel.

9. A bullet as claimed in claim 8, wherein the leading edge of the cannelure band is angled at between 9 to 13 degrees of the axis and the trailing edge of the band is perpendicular to the axis or undercut.