Projectile for use with a tapered bore gun

• US 9,581,402 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Minnicino, Michael A. II
• Primary Examiner(s): FREEMAN, JOSHUA E
• Application Number:
  US14/295,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20150354929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 102501-508, 102511-528
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 21/16 Barrels or gun tubes characterised by the shape of the bore
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 30/02 Bullets

Abstract

A projectile for use with a tapered gun bore having a tapered bore section between the breech and the muzzle. The projectile includes an elongated body having a cylindrical bulkhead with a diameter substantially equal to the large caliber section of the gun bore. A tapered ogive extends from the bulkhead to a front end of the projectile while a tapered tail extends from a rear end of the projectile to the cylindrical bulkhead. A plurality of circumferentially spaced forward grooves extend forwardly from the bulkhead and to a point short of the front end while a plurality of circumferentially spaced rearward grooves extend rearwardly from said midsection and to a point short of a rear end of the body.

Claims

1. A projectile for use with a tapered gun bore having a large caliber section, a small caliber section and a tapered section connecting said large and small caliber sections together, the projectile comprising:

an elongated body having a cylindrical bulkhead with a diameter substantially equal to the large caliber section of the gun bore,

a cylindrical midsection located proximate to said cylindrical bulkhead,

said body having a tapered nose extending from said cylindrical bulkhead to a front end of said projectile and a tapered tail extending from a rear end of the projectile to said cylindrical midsection,

a plurality of axially oriented and circumferentially spaced forward grooves extending forwardly from said bulkhead and to a point short of said front end comprising the forward grooves,

a plurality of axially oriented and circumferentially spaced rearward grooves extending rearwardly from said bulkhead comprising the rearward grooves,

said body being formed of a compressible material including but not limited to, copper, lead, aluminum, and steel,

whereby when the projectile is fired through a tapered bore gun the body of the projectile is uniformly compressed in a controlled uniform radial pattern that affects the entire the projectile equally thus allowing for extreme velocities while maintaining accuracy.

2. The projectile as defined in claim 1 wherein said rearward grooves taper in both surface angle and depth before terminating in a single point near said rear end of said body.

3. The projectile as defined in claim 2 wherein said rearward grooves are at least twice as long axially as they are wide radially.

4. The projectile as defined in claim 1 wherein said body includes a cavity which extends from said rear end of said body at least three quarters the length of said body and said cavity having a diameter and that diameter being at least half that of the overall diameter of said body.