Alternate Armor Piercing Bullet Configuration

Abstract

The alternate armor-piercing bullet is a firearm projectile that is designed to provide high accuracy and improved armor penetration. To accomplish this, the firearm projectile comprises a penetrator, a jacket, and a temperature-resistant metallic paste. The penetrator has an exterior tip with a full-length shaft positioned inside of the jacket. The outer surfaces of the shaft and the inner surfaces of the jacket are coated with the metallic paste. When the projectile is fired from a gun, the metallic paste holds the jacket and the penetrator together until impacting the armor. Once the armor is pierced, the penetrator's full-length shaft assists in directional stability, allowing the penetrator to maintain its trajectory and reach the intended target.

Claims

1. A firearm projectile comprising: a penetrator; a jacket; a metallic paste; the penetrator comprising a tip, a base, and a shaft; the shaft extending axially away from the base to a shaft end; the tip extending axially away from the base, opposite to the shaft; the jacket comprising a jacket body and a bore hole; the bore hole being axially disposed on a top surface of the jacket; the bore hole traversing into the jacket body; the bore hole forming an interior surface of the jacket; the bore hole having a bore hole diameter larger than a shaft diameter; the shaft being inserted into the bore hole; the base of the penetrator being seated on the top surface of the jacket; the metallic paste being disposed in a gap formed between the interior surface and the shaft; and the metallic paste fixedly attaching the penetrator to the jacket.

2. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 1 comprising: the jacket comprising a bottom opening; the bottom opening being axially disposed on a bottom surface of the jacket; the bottom opening traversing into the jacket body; the shaft end extending into the bottom opening; and the metallic paste being disposed in a cavity formed between the shaft and the bottom opening.

3. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 1 comprising: the tip comprising a point and an annular leading lip; and the tip tapering outward from the point to the annular leading lip.

4. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 3 comprising: the tip comprising an annular recess; the annular recess being disposed perimetrically about the annular leading lip; the tip traversing inward from the annular recess to intersect the shaft; and the base being formed between the annular recess and the shaft.

5. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 3 comprising: the tip having a predefined tip angle; the jacket comprising a tapered portion; the tapered portion being disposed at the top surface; and the tip angle matching the tapered portion.

6. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 1 comprising: the jacket having a jacket length; and the shaft having a shaft length.

7. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 6, wherein the jacket length being longer than the shaft length.

8. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 6, wherein the jacket length being equal to the shaft length.

9. A firearm projectile comprising: a penetrator; a jacket; a metallic paste; the penetrator comprising a tip, a base, and a shaft; the shaft extending axially away from the base to a shaft end; the tip extending axially away from the base, opposite to the shaft; the jacket comprising a jacket body, a bore hole, and a bottom opening; the bore hole being axially disposed on a top surface of the jacket; the bore hole traversing into the jacket body; the bore hole forming an interior surface of the jacket; the bore hole having a bore hole diameter larger than a shaft diameter; the bottom opening being axially disposed on a bottom surface of the jacket; the bottom opening traversing into the jacket body; the shaft being inserted into the bore hole; the base of the penetrator being seated on the top surface of the jacket; the shaft end extending into the bottom opening; the metallic paste being disposed in a gap formed between the interior surface and the shaft; the metallic paste being disposed in a cavity formed between the shaft and the bottom opening; and the metallic paste fixedly attaching the penetrator to the jacket.

10. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 9 comprising: the tip comprising a point and an annular leading lip; and the tip tapering outward from the point to the annular leading lip.

11. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 10 comprising: the tip comprising an annular recess; the annular recess being disposed perimetrically about the annular leading lip; the tip traversing inward from the annular recess to intersect the shaft; and the base being formed between the annular recess and the shaft.

12. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 10 comprising: the tip having a predefined tip angle; the jacket comprising a tapered portion; the tapered portion being disposed at the top surface; and the tip angle matching the tapered portion.

13. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 9 comprising: the jacket having a jacket length; and the shaft having a shaft length.

14. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 13, wherein the jacket length being longer than the shaft length.

15. The firearm projectile as claimed in claim 13, wherein the jacket length being equal to the shaft length.

16. A method for producing a firearm projectile, the method comprising: providing a penetrator, a jacket, and a metallic paste; the penetrator further comprising a tip, a base, and a shaft; the shaft extending axially away from the base to a shaft end; the tip extending axially away from the base, opposite to the shaft; the jacket comprising a jacket body, a bore hole, and a bottom opening; the bore hole being axially disposed on a top surface of the jacket; the bore hole traversing into the jacket body; the bore hole forming an interior surface of the jacket; the bore hole having a bore hole diameter larger than a shaft diameter; the bottom opening being axially disposed on a bottom surface of the jacket; and the bottom opening traversing into the jacket body; applying the metallic paste to the shaft of the penetrator; inserting the shaft into the bore hole of the jacket; joining the base of the penetrator to the top surface of the jacket; rotating the shaft about the interior surface of the jacket; and applying the metallic paste to a cavity formed in the bottom opening.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 comprising: the tip comprising a point and an annular leading lip; and the tip tapering outward from the point to the annular leading lip.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 comprising: the tip comprising an annular recess; the annular recess being disposed perimetrically about the annular leading lip; the tip traversing inward from the annular recess to intersect the shaft; and the base being formed between the annular recess and the shaft.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17 comprising: the tip having a predefined tip angle; the jacket comprising a tapered portion; the tapered portion being disposed at the top surface; and the tip angle matching the tapered portion.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16 comprising: the jacket having a jacket length; the shaft having a shaft length; and the jacket length being longer than the shaft length.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a top-front perspective exploded view of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a bottom-front perspective exploded view of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a bottom-front perspective view of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the present invention.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4.

[0016] FIG. 7 is a front elevational cutaway view of the present invention, showing the arrangement of internal components.

[0017] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view taken from FIG. 7, showing the upper portion detail.

[0018] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view taken from FIG. 7, showing the lower portion detail.

[0019] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for producing an alternate armor-piercing bullet.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

[0020] All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0021] In reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 10, the present invention is an alternate armor-piercing (AP) bullet 1. A key distinction between the present invention and other AP bullets is (1) the tip of the penetrator is exposed, (2) the shaft of the penetrator extends nearly the entire length of the jacket, and (3) the penetrator and the jacket are bonded together using a temperature-resistant metallic paste. As will be explained in further detail below, these distinct features enable the present invention to have higher accuracy and improved armor penetration over other AP bullets.

[0022] As can be seen in FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, the alternate AP bullet 1 further comprises a penetrator 2, a jacket 3, and a metallic paste 4. The metallic paste 4 can be any type of repair paste that is designed to be effective in high-temperature environments. More specifically, the metallic paste 4 can be any temperature-resistant substance capable of forming a permanent bond between two adjoining metals or alloys, thereby connecting the two metals or alloys together after the metallic paste has cured.

[0023] The penetrator 2 functions as the primary structural component of the present invention, as the remaining components of the present invention are configured upon the penetrator 2. As best seen in FIG. 7 through FIG. 9, the penetrator 2 comprises an exterior tip 21, a base 22, and a cylindrical shaft 23. The shaft 23 extends axially away from the base 22 to a shaft end 27. The tip 21 extends axially away from the base 22, opposite to the shaft 23. Thus, the tip 21 and the shaft 23 are concentrically aligned, facing opposite of each other. Moreover, the tip 21 and the shaft 23 are terminally connected to the base 22, such that the penetrator 2 is formed from a single unitary piece. The shaft 23 has a predefined shaft diameter D1 and a predefined shaft length L1. The shaft length L1 extends from the base 22 to the shaft end 27. Preferably, the penetrator 2 is constructed from hardened steel. However, the material of the penetrator 2 is not limited to hardened steel and can be made of any other material based on design, user, and/or manufacturing requirements.

[0024] As best seen in FIG. 4 through FIG. 6, the jacket 3 comprises a jacket body 31, a bore hole 35, and a bottom opening 36. The jacket body 31 is cylindrical in shape, extending longitudinally from a top surface 33 to a bottom surface 34. The bore hole 35 is axially disposed on the top surface 33, traversing longitudinally through the entire length of the jacket body 31, thereby forming an interior surface 32. The bore hole 35 has a predefined bore hole diameter D2. The bottom opening 36 is axially disposed on the bottom surface 34. Preferably, the jacket 3 is constructed from copper. However, the material of the jacket 3 is not limited to copper and can be made of any other material based on design, user, and/or manufacturing requirements.

[0025] To attach the penetrator 2 to the jacket 3, the bore hole diameter D2 is slightly larger than the shaft diameter D1, as seen in FIG. 7. This arrangement creates a gap L3 between the interior surface 32 of the jacket 3 and the shaft 23, as seen in FIG. 8. The shaft 23 is fully inserted into the bore hole 35, such that the base 22 of the penetrator 2 is seated on the top surface 33 of the jacket 3, and the shaft end 27 extends into the bottom opening 36, as seen in FIG. 9. The penetrator 2 is then bonded (i.e., fixedly attached) to the jacket 3 via the metallic paste 4. In particular, the shaft 23 of the penetrator 2 is coated with the metallic paste 4 prior to insertion. After insertion, the metallic paste 4 is subsequently disposed within the gap L3. The metallic paste 4 is also disposed within a remaining cavity C formed between the shaft 23 and the bottom opening 36, thereby sealing off the bottom surface 34 of the jacket 3. When the alternate AP bullet 1 is fired from a gun, the metallic paste 4 holds the jacket 3 and the penetrator 2 together until impacting the armor. Once the armor is pierced, the penetrator's long shaft length L1 assists in directional stability, allowing the penetrator 2 to maintain its trajectory and reach the intended target.

[0026] As best seen in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the tip 21 of the penetrator 2 has a conical shape that tapers outwardly from a point 24 to an annular leading lip 25, at a predefined tip angle ?. As best seen in FIG. 8, an annular recess 26 is disposed perimetrically about the annular leading lip 25. After which, the tip 21 traverses inward to intersect with the shaft 23, thereby forming the base 22 that surrounds the shaft 23.

[0027] As best seen in FIG. 4, the jacket body 31 has a substantially constant diameter, which is configured to engage the interior surface of a barrel of a gun of a specific caliber. In a preferred embodiment, the top surface 33 is tapered to match the conical shape of the tip 21 of the penetrator 2. More specifically, the tip angle ? of the penetrator 2 matches a tapered portion 37 at the top surface 33 of the jacket 3, such that the shape of the tip 21 is extended onto the top surface 33 of the jacket 3. This arrangement provides a smooth aerodynamic shape in the tip-to-jacket transition. Preferably, the bottom surface 34 of the jacket 3 is tapered as well, as is commonly formed in the projectile industry, otherwise known as a boat tail.

[0028] To seal off the bottom surface 34 of the jacket 3, the bottom opening 36 traverses longitudinally in the direction of the top surface 33 at a predefined bottom opening length L4, as seen in FIG. 9. The bottom opening 36 has a predefined bottom opening diameter D3 that is larger than the bore hole diameter D2, thereby delineating the cavity C formed between the shaft 23 and the bottom opening 36. In this arrangement, the bottom opening 36 increases the amount of available space occupied by the metallic paste 4, which in turn, increases the adhesion force that secures the penetrator 2 to the jacket 3.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the jacket 3 has a jacket length L2 that is slightly longer than the shaft length L1 of the penetrator 2, as seen in FIG. 7. This allows the user to coat all surrounding surfaces of the shaft 23 with the metallic paste 4, including the shaft end 27, thereby increasing the adhesion force between the penetrator 2 and the jacket 3. In another embodiment, the jacket length L2 is equal to the shaft length L1, such that the shaft end 27 is flush with the bottom surface 34 of the jacket 3.

[0030] FIG. 10 illustrates the steps of a method 100 for producing the alternate AP bullet 1 described above. At 102, the method 100 may include applying the metallic paste to the shaft of the penetrator, thereby coating all surfaces of the shaft. Further, at 104, the method 100 may include inserting the shaft into the bore hole of the jacket from the top surface. Further, at 106, the method 100 may include joining the base of the penetrator to the top surface of the jacket. Further, at 108, the method 100 may include rotating the shaft about the interior surface of the jacket, thereby distributing the metallic paste evenly within the gap formed between the interior surface and the shaft. Further, at 110, the method 100 may include applying the metallic paste to the remaining cavity formed in the bottom opening.

[0031] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.