Expanding subsonic projectile and cartridge utilizing same

• US 9,341,455 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lehigh Defense, LLC (Wilson's Gun Shop, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lehigh Defense, LLC (Wilson's Gun Shop, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fricke, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eldred, J. Woodrow
• Application Number:
  US14/298,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20150354930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 102/510, 102/517, 102/518, 102/439
• 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 12/74 of the core or solid body
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 5/16 characterised by composition or physical dimensions or form of propellant charge, with or without projectile, or powder chemical composition C06B; F42B5/24 takes precedence

Abstract

An expanding subsonic projectile has a body that has a meplat and at least partially defines a hollow bore having a bore diameter. An insert is disposed at least partially in the bore. The insert includes an insert axis; a tip disposed on the insert axis; a leading section extending from the tip towards the meplat, wherein the leading section has an expanding section diameter along the insert axis from the tip towards the meplat; and a waist extending from the leading section towards the meplat. The waist has a contracting waist diameter along the insert axis from the leading section towards the meplat.

Claims

1. An expanding subsonic projectile comprising:

a body comprising a meplat, a body ogive radius, and a reference curve comprising a reference curve radius identical to the body ogive radius, the body at least partially defining a hollow bore having a bore diameter; and

an insert disposed at least partially in the bore, wherein the insert comprises;

an insert axis, wherein the reference curve extends from the meplat to the insert axis;

a tip disposed on the insert axis;

a leading section extending from the tip towards the meplat, wherein the leading section comprises an expanding section diameter along the insert axis from the tip towards the meplat, and wherein the tip and leading section are contained within the reference curve; and

a waist extending from the leading section towards the meplat, wherein the waist comprises a contracting waist diameter along the insert axis from the leading section towards the meplat.

2. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 1, wherein the body defines a maximum body diameter and a meplat body diameter of greater than about 30% of the maximum body diameter.

3. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 1, wherein the body defines a maximum body diameter and a meplat body diameter of about 70% of the maximum body diameter.

4. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 1, wherein the insert and bore form a friction fit.

5. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a plurality of discrete petals, wherein each petal is separated from an adjacent petal by a slot defined by the body.

6. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 5, wherein the body comprises three petals.

7. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 1, wherein the leading section comprises a maximum section diameter between about 60% and about 65% of the bore diameter.

8. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 7, wherein the waist comprises a waist diameter at the meplat, wherein the waist diameter at the meplat is between about 35% and about 40% of the maximum section diameter.

9. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 8, wherein the waist diameter at the meplat is between about 45% and about 50% of the bore diameter.

10. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 1, further comprising a meplat distance from the tip to the meplat and a leading section distance from the tip to the waist, wherein the leading section distance is between about 95% and about 100% of the meplat distance.

11. The expanding subsonic projectile of claim 5, wherein the insert is adapted to direct a fluid flow within the bore towards the plurality of discrete petals when the projectile is discharged from a firearm at a subsonic speed into a wet target.

12. A cartridge comprising:

a casing;

a primer disposed at a first end of the casing;

a body at least partially defining a hollow bore and comprising a meplat;

an insert disposed at least partially in the bore, wherein the insert comprises an insert axis, a tip, and a leading section, and wherein the body comprises a body ogive radius and defines a reference curve extending from the meplat to the insert axis, wherein the reference curve comprises a reference curve radius identical to the body ogive radius, and wherein the tip and leading section are contained within the reference curve.

13. The cartridge of claim 12, wherein the leading section extends from the tip towards the meplat, wherein the leading section comprises an expanding section diameter along the insert axis from the tip towards the meplat.

14. The cartridge of claim 13, further comprising a waist extending from the leading section towards the meplat, wherein the waist comprises a contracting waist diameter along the insert axis from the leading section towards the meplat.

15. The cartridge of claim 12, wherein the leading section comprises a maximum section diameter between about 60% and about 65% of the bore diameter.

16. The cartridge of claim 15, wherein the waist comprises a waist diameter at the meplat, wherein the waist diameter at the meplat is between about 35% and about 40% of the maximum section diameter.

17. The cartridge of claim 16, wherein the waist diameter at the meplat is between about 45% and about 50% of the bore diameter.

18. The cartridge of claim 12, further comprising a meplat distance from the tip to the meplat and a leading section distance from the tip to the waist, wherein the leading section distance is between about 95% and about 100% of the meplat distance.

19. The cartridge of claim 12, wherein the body comprises a plurality of discrete petals, wherein each petal is separated from an adjacent petal by a slot defined by the body, and wherein the insert is adapted to direct a fluid flow within the bore towards the plurality of discrete petals when the projectile is discharged from a firearm at a subsonic speed into a wet target.