초록 ▼

A muzzle loading firearm projectile is disclosed that is composed of a multi diameter, hollow base solid copper bullet, the rear cavity filled with a material of low-density, and a gas pressure seal that separates the bullet from the powder charge. The majority of the bullet shank has a diameter les

A muzzle loading firearm projectile is disclosed that is composed of a multi diameter, hollow base solid copper bullet, the rear cavity filled with a material of low-density, and a gas pressure seal that separates the bullet from the powder charge. The majority of the bullet shank has a diameter less than the bore diameter of the firearm barrel to allow for ease of loading and alignment of the barrel and bullet axis; a narrow ring of material larger than the barrel bore diameter but less than the groove diameter is located at the junction of the bullet shank and nose profile that centers the bullet in the barrel and positively positions the bullet over the powder charge regardless of orientation of the firearm. The low-density material filling the rear cavity of the bullet acts as an expansion medium when impacted by the rear gas seal during the firing process causing the hollow shank of the bullet to expand and lock into the barrel rifling.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A muzzleloading firearm projectile for use with a firearm having a barrel with longitudinally extending rifling on an inside surface thereof, said projectile comprising: a projectile body having at one end a tapered nose portion and at an opposite end a cylindrical shank, sai

What is claimed is: 1. A muzzleloading firearm projectile for use with a firearm having a barrel with longitudinally extending rifling on an inside surface thereof, said projectile comprising: a projectile body having at one end a tapered nose portion and at an opposite end a cylindrical shank, said projectile body being made of a copper or a copper alloy; a cylindrical skirt integral with said projectile body and oriented at an end of said cylindrical shank remote from said tapered nose portion coextensive with and extending longitudinally from said shank a finite distance to define a cavity having finite dimensions of depth and diameter, said skirt having a wall thickness configured to enable said cylindrical skirt to expand in diameter in response to an explosive discharge of powder used to propel said projectile body nose first from a barrel of the firearm from which said projectile body is being fired; an expansion plug filling said cavity and having its diameter dimension conforming to the diameter dimension of said cavity when received in said cavity and a length dimension that is at least one of equal to and greater than the depth dimension of said cavity, said expansion plug being made of a malleable material consisting of one of the group of wool felt, rubber, plastic, cork and paper and being configured to be compacted into said cavity in response to the explosive discharge of powder used to propel said projectile body nose first from the barrel of the firearm from which said projectile body is being fired to effect the expansion in diameter of said cylindrical skirt and an engagement of an outer surface of said cylindrical skirt with the rifling on the barrel; and a guidance ring provided on said cylindrical shank of said projectile body and extending radially outwardly of said projectile body at a location adjacent a juncture between said tapered nose portion and said cylindrical shank, said guidance ring being configured to have an outer diameter greater than a diameter of said cylindrical shank and a diameter of a rifling bore diameter of the firearm from which said projectile body is to be fired but less than a diameter of a groove diameter of the aforesaid rifling of the barrel, said guidance ring having a malleable characteristic to enable it to conform to the rifling on the barrel in response to being inserted into the barrel during a muzzleloading procedure. 2. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said guidance ring has an annual beveled surface facing toward said end of said projectile body whereat said skirt is located. 3. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said guidance ring is integral with said projectile body. 4. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said projectile body includes an annual cavity at said juncture and into which is received a separate guidance ring component. 5. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 4, wherein said separate guidance ring component is made of a polymer. 6. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 4, wherein said guidance ring is circumferentially continuous. 7. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 4, wherein said guidance ring is a split ring. 8. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said expansion plug has a length that is greater than the depth of said cavity. 9. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said projectile body is made of a free machining brass. 10. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 9, wherein said free machining brass is a UNS 36000 brass that has been heat treated to an annealed condition with a hardness of Rockwell F of 95 or less. 11. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said projectile body is made of a copper or copper alloys having minor quantities of one or more non-copper components. 12. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said projectile body is made of a 99.9% oxygen free copper, namely, one of CDA#C10200 or C101 copper. 13. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said expansion plug is made of a wool felt having a wool fiber content greater than 90%, a hardness durometer ranging from 35 to 80 shore A, a specific gravity ranging between 16 and 32 and a tensile strength ranging between 300 and 600 psi. 14. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 13, wherein said expansion plug is made of a wool felt having a wool fiber content of 95%, a hardness durometer of 55 shore A, a specific gravity of 24 and a tensile strength of 500 psi. 15. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said expansion plug has a diameter, prior to insertion into said cavity, that is in the range of 0.005 to 0.025 inches larger than the diameter of said cavity. 16. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said expansion plug has a length that is in the range of 0.005 to 0.075 inches longer than the depth of said cavity. 17. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 16, wherein said expansion plug has a length that is 0.050 inches longer than the depth of said cavity. 18. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical shank has on an outer surface thereof plural longitudinally spaced annular grooves therein oriented in planes that are perpendicular to said longitudinal axis. 19. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 1, wherein said expansion plug includes a separate gas check member whose diameter is conformed to the diameter of the end of said projectile remote from the nose and the rifling of the barrel from which the projectile body is to be fired. 20. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 19, wherein said gas check member is made of a felt. 21. The muzzleloading firearm projectile according to claim 19, wherein said gas check member is made of a polymer.