Ammunition cartridge comprising a rigid casing including a tubular sleeve and a base closing an end of the casing, a projectile mounted at another end of the casing, a propellant charge contained inside the casing, and an ignition device. The ignition device comprises an ignition charge arranged to ignite the propellant charge at a point of ignition distal from the base and proximal the projectile.

An ammunition cartridge for a gun is optically initiated by a mechanism wholly within the cartridge case itself. The case has as optical primer initiation means producing light fluence to ignite an optical sensitive mix, which ignited optical sensitive mix may in turn ignite into a flashtube, and which ignited flashtube may in turn ignite a bed of propellant in said cartridge. The optical primer initiation means may be an LED, a laser diode, a VCSEL, or some other light emitting device in general. The cartridge optically initiated primer package is so sized and made electrically and mechanically seamlessly physically compatible with current ammunition cartridges such that these new cartridges are completely interchangeable. If the cartridge primer initiation means is of a percussion type, the cartridge is adapted to include an in-line piezoelectric crystal so that electrical power will be generated when the cartridge assembly is struck by a firing pin during percussion type operations; the power is then used to initiate the light emitting device.

Modular cartridges are disclosed that can be initially assembled, disassembled, and reprocessed by hand. The cartridge case is suitable for use with a variety of projectile designs and weights and for use with a range of propellant amounts and primer types. The variety of projectiles and range of propelling forces permits the present invention to provide cartridges for all types of uses, including indoor and outdoor target shooting, training, non-lethal self-protection, and lethal uses. The cartridges include a case, a projectile, a primer, and a selectable amount of propellant (if any), and primer housing insert and which is configured to be releasably attached to the striking end of the case and to contain the primer and the desired amount of propellant.

A propellant in the form of a pellet includes adjoining pellet sections. Each pellet section includes a smokeless powder, a burnable metal, and a polymer. The smokeless powder in each pellet section will in many examples be different from the burn rate of the smokeless powder in other pellet sections. A nonignitable tube passes through the center of the pellet. When the pellet is used within a firearm cartridge, the ignition products from the primer travel through the nonburnable tube, igniting the pellet sections sequentially from the front to the rear of the cartridge. The pressure generated by the propellant within a cartridge casing can be maximized and controlled through the selection of the burn rate for each pellet section.

Modular cartridges are disclosed that can be initially assembled, disassembled, and reprocessed by hand. The cartridge case is suitable for use with a variety of projectile designs and weights and for use with a range of propellant amounts and primer types. The variety of projectiles and range of propelling forces permits the present invention to provide cartridges for all types of uses, including indoor and outdoor target shooting, training, non-lethal self-protection, and lethal uses. The cartridges include a case, a projectile, a primer, and a selectable amount of propellant (if any), and primer housing insert and which is configured to be releasably attached to the striking end of the case and to contain the primer and the desired amount of propellant.

A device for depositing paste patterns on the surface of the channel of a tube, the device comprising a frame supporting a first mechanical assembly for holding, positioning and moving the tube, and a second mechanical assembly for extruding paste for depositing said paste patterns, the assemblies cooperating with one another.

A propellant in the form of a pellet includes adjoining pellet sections. Each pellet section includes a smokeless powder, a burnable metal, and a polymer. The smokeless powder in each pellet section will in many examples be different from the burn rate of the smokeless powder in other pellet sections. A nonignitable tube passes through the center of the pellet. When the pellet is used within a firearm cartridge, the ignition products from the primer travel through the nonburnable tube, igniting the pellet sections sequentially from the front to the rear of the cartridge. The pressure generated by the propellant within a cartridge casing can be maximized and controlled through the selection of the burn rate for each pellet section.

Modular cartridges are disclosed that can be initially assembled, disassembled, and reprocessed by hand. The cartridge case is suitable for use with a variety of projectile designs and weights and for use with a range of propellant amounts and primer types. The variety of projectiles and range of propelling forces permits the present invention to provide cartridges for all types of uses, including indoor and outdoor target shooting, training, non-lethal self-protection, and lethal uses. The cartridges include a case, a projectile, a primer, and a selectable amount of propellant (if any), and primer housing insert and which is configured to be releasably attached to the striking end of the case and to contain the primer and the desired amount of propellant.

Cartridge ammunition (10) including a projectile (12) and a cartridge case (14). The cartridge includes a primer chamber (26) located adjacent a base wall (24) for holding a primer (28), a high pressure chamber (30) for holding a propellant charge (32), an intermediate pressure chamber (34) which surrounds the high pressure chamber, for receiving expanding propellant gases from the high pressure chamber and a low pressure chamber (36) at a rear end of the projectile for receiving expanding propellant gases from the intermediate pressure chamber. The pressure chambers are delimited by walls defining venting hole through which expanding gases can flow. The three pressure chambers provide for controlled release of gas pressure resulting in attenuation of peak gas pressures within the cartridge.

A high strength polymer-based cartridge casing can include an upper polymer component, molded from a polymer. The upper component has a first end having a mouth, at least a wall between the first end and a second end of the upper component opposite the first end, an overlap portion extending from the wall near the second end. An upper insert is included and has a first end and an opposing second end, a molded area disposed approximate the first end, that engages the overlap portion to join the upper polymer component and the upper insert, and an insert engagement area disposed approximate to the second end. Further, a lower insert has a front end and a back end, an upper insert engagement area engaging with the insert engagement area, a rim and groove disposed around an outside of the lower insert, and a primer pocket disposed inside the back end. Lastly, a flash hole is inside the lower insert and communicates between the primer pocket and upper polymer component.