MUNITION FOR SUBCALIBER FIREARM

Abstract

The present provides a munition comprising a projectile (7) and an at least two-segment sabot (1) having an ogive (2) incorporated on the sabot.

Claims

1. A munition comprising a projectile (7) and a sabot-ogive (1 and 2) of at least two segments.

2. A munition of claim 1, wherein the sabot-ogive (1 and 2) comprises a sabot (1) and an ogive (2) produced as a single piece made of an at least two joined segments encasing the projectile (7).

3. A munition of claim 2, wherein the segments are produced as a single part.

4. A munition of claim 2, wherein the segments are produced as individual parts to be joined.

5. The munition of claim 1, wherein the projectile (7) is a part of a cartridge (3) for an about 0.50 sub caliber firearm.

6. The munition of claim 1, wherein the ogive of the sabot-ogive, radius range is about 0.3 caliber to about 30 caliber.

7. The munition of claim 1, wherein the sabot of the sabot-ogive, has about a minimum diameter equivalent to the lands and a maximum diameter equivalent to a diameter of the rifling in the barrel of a firearm.

8. The munition of claim 2, wherein the ogive of the sabot-ogive, length is about a difference between the cartridge length from the front end of the cartridge to the base end of the cartridge and a case length from the mouth of the case to the base of the case.

9. The munition of claim 1, wherein the projectile comprises a single piece.

10. The munition of claim 4, wherein the projectile has zero to at least 2 fins (4).

11. The munition of claim 4, wherein the sabot-ogive has zero to at least 2 internal grooves (5).

12. The munition of claim 4, wherein the sabot-ogive segments are joined to encase the projectile by a wire, a band or a snap-fit (6).

13. The munition of claim 1, wherein the projectile has an at least 1 external gas ring (6).

14. The munition of claim 1, wherein the projectile has a weight of about <100 grams and discharges at a velocity of about 2500 feet per second to about 7000 feet per second.

15. A process of producing a cartridge (3) comprising a sabot-ogive (1 and 2) comprises a sabot (1) and an ogive (2) produced as a single piece made of an at least two joined segments encasing the projectile (7).

16. A process of producing a cartridge comprising a sabot-ogive by: a. producing the sabot using a material inert to a combustible gas; b. Joining the two-segments of the sabot around a projectile; c. Joining the adjoined sabots and projectile with gas rings or a snap-fit; and d. Loading a cartridge.

17. The process of claim 15, wherein the sabot is produced by a 3D printer, an injection mold, or a loading press.

18. The process of claim 15, wherein the joining is done by a wire, a band, or a snap-fit.

19. A munition comprising a two-segment sabot having an ogive with a radius of about 0.3 caliber to about 30 caliber incorporated on the sabot made of an at least two joined segments encasing the projectile.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 shows a cutaway model of a munition with a single piece projectile (7) with fins (4) and internal grooves (5) encased in a sabot (1) with an incorporated ogive (2) and gas rings (6) all contained in a cartridge (3).

[0010] FIG. 2 shows a cutaway of the projectile (7) having fins (4) and internal grooves (5) encased in a sabot (1)-ogive (2) with gas rings (6).

[0011] FIG. 3 shows a cutaway of the sabot (1) ogive (2) with gas rings (6) and internal grooves (5).

[0012] FIG. 4 shows a cutaway of the projectile (7) with internal grooves (5) and fins (4).

[0013] FIG. 5 shows a cutaway of the sabot (1) ogive (2) mold in 2 pieces that will be joined around the projectile.

[0014] FIG. 6 shows a 2-piece sabot-ogive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the invention, and in the specific context where each term is used. Certain terms are discussed below, or elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to the practitioner in describing the compounds, compositions, and methods of the invention and how to make and use them. Moreover, it will be appreciated that the same thing can be said in more than one way. Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. The use of examples anywhere in this specification, including examples of any terms discussed herein, is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the invention or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the invention is not limited to the examples presented.

[0016] An objective of the presented innovation is to provide a munition comprising a projectile and a sabot-ogive. The projectile is a single piece and is encased in a sabot having the ogive incorporated on the sabot (sabot-ogive), wherein the sabot-ogive is produced as a single piece made of at least two segments joined by a wire, a band, a snap-fit, or gas rings to encase the projectile.

[0017] The current inventor has produced and tested numerous models and discovered an improved munition for use in a firearm.

[0018] ABOUTAs used herein, about or approximately shall generally mean within 20 percent, preferably within 10 percent, and more preferably within 5 percent of a given value or range. Other than in the operating examples, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term about.

[0019] AT LEASTAs used herein, the expression at least means zero, one or more and thus includes individual components as well as combinations that still enable a working invention.

[0020] BARRELThe tube that contains and directs the projectile toward the target.

[0021] BOREThe inside diameter of a gun barrel.

[0022] CALIBERDescribes the projectile diameter or the diameter of the interior of the barrel, usually measured where the barrel has not been touched by a rifling tool. The caliber is designated in decimal fractions of English inches or in metric terms. A non-limiting example is 0.260 caliber or 6.5 mm.

[0023] COMBUSTIBLE GASCombustible gases are any type of gas that can potentially ignite when mixed with oxygen or an oxidizing agent. An oxidizing agent is a material that can cause or enhance the combustion of another material, usually by yielding oxygen.

[0024] CARTRIDGEA self-contained round of ammunition. A typical modern cartridge consists of: the case, the projectile, the propellant, and the primer.

[0025] CASEThe external portion of the cartridge, it holds the projectile, the propellant, and the primer. The case has a top known as the mouth and a bottom known as the base. The case length is shorter than the cartridge length.

[0026] ENCASEEnclose or cover in a case or close-fitting surround. As used herein, the close-fitting surround is the sabot.

[0027] FINSA fin adds stability to the projectile, reducing the need for spin stabilization. A non-limiting example, fins are similar to the fletching on the base of an arrow.

[0028] FIREARMAny type of gun designed to be easily carried and used by an individual.

[0029] GAS RINGS (external)The sabot component in projectile design is the relatively thin, durable and deformable seal known as a driving band or obturation ring needed to trap combustible gases behind a projectile, and also keep the projectile centered in the barrel, when the outer shell of the projectile is only slightly smaller in diameter than the caliber of the barrel. Driving bands and obturators are used to seal these full-bore projectiles in the barrel because of manufacturing tolerances; there always exists some gap between the projectile outer diameter and the barrel inner diameter, usually a few thousandths of an inch; enough of a gap for combustible gasses to slip by during firing. Driving bands and obturator rings are made from material that will deform and seal the barrel as the projectile is forced from the chamber into the barrel.

[0030] INCORPORATEDTo unite with something else to form a whole. As used herein, the sabot and ogive are incorporated to form a single piece on the projectile.

[0031] INERT MATERIALA substance that is not chemically reactive and stable under specified conditions. From a thermodynamic perspective, a substance is inert, or nonlabile, if it is thermodynamically unstable (positive standard Gibbs free energy of formation) yet decomposes at a slow, or negligible rate.

[0032] INJECTION MOLDINGIs a manufacturing process for producing parts by injecting molten material into a mold. Injection molding can be performed with a host of materials including metals (for which the process is called die-casting), glasses, elastomers, confections, thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers. Material for the part is fed into a heated barrel, mixed (using a helical screw), and injected into a mold cavity, where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity.

[0033] JOINED OR JOININGConnecting two or more pieces of things together. As used herein, the sabot is joined by a wire, a band, snap-fit, or gas rings.

[0034] LANDSThe smooth part of the barrel that has not been touched by the tool that creates the grooves or rifling in the interior of the barrel.

[0035] LOADINGAssembling all the parts of a cartridge.

[0036] LOADING PRESSA term designating the machine used to handload or automation-load the cartridge.

[0037] OGIVEA term used to describe curves or curved shape. In a bullet it is the front form defined by the arcs of 2 circles that assists in guiding the bullet into the barrel. As used herein, the ogive is part of the sabot.

[0038] PROJECTILEA kinetic energy penetrator (KEP), is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate an object, person, mammal, or bird.

[0039] PROPELLANTA name for smokeless powder. Propellants burn at a controlled and predictable rate and generally all the propellant is burned by the time the cartridge exits the barrel. The burn rate determines the pressure according to the application and the firearm.

[0040] RIFLINGThe cutting of the inside surface of the barrel with grooves of a specific rate of twist. A tool cuts grooves into the smooth barrel. The grooves appear as a series of channels in the barrel which imparts a spin on the projectile for increased accuracy and stability.

[0041] SMOOTH BOREA barrel that has not but cut by a tool to introduce grooves on the inside surface of the barrel. The internal surface of the barrel keeps a single smooth surface down the length which does not impart spin on the projectile.

[0042] SABOTSabot is a French term that means shoe. Sabot ammunition is ammunition in which a smaller sub-caliber projectile is encased by a hollow segmented wrapper that is the size of the bore of the weapon (cannon or rifle). The full term is discarding sabot which means that after the projectile leaves the barrel, the sabot pieces peel away.

[0043] SNAP FITinterlocking components pushed together without the need for external fasteners to hold the components together. In this embodiment the snap-fit can be the only piece on the sabot

[0044] SUB CALIBERNoting or pertaining to ammunition of smaller caliber than the gun in which it is used.

[0045] 3D PRINTING3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. [1] It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control, [2] with material being added together (such as plastics, liquids or powder grains being fused), typically layer by layer.

[0046] Experimental ProcedureThe projectile and powder were measured using a Hornady CS-1500. A 20% Ballistics Gel was the target shot at 10 yards. Velocity was measured 5 yards away from the muzzle with penetration being measured on the ballistics gel using a standard tape measure, however if ballistics gel was completely penetrated 16 was input for the penetration.

[0047] A 308 rifle was loaded with a variety of munitions to test the Cartridge Overall Length (C.O.A.L), the case length, the bullet weight, the velocity of the cartridge when fired and the penetration of the projectile in a target (Table 1).