Ammunition for pistols and carbines

Abstract

The invention relates to improved ammunition for pistols and carbines to provide a cartridge that may be used within the restricted dimensions of these weapons while increasing the effective range normally associated with such ammunition. Additionally, the velocity increase creates sufficient projectile cross-sectional energy to allow the perforation of certain body armor types. The invention provides a cartridge which by means of diameter reduction of the case in the area of the front and the application of a sabot or bore carrier assembly allows a small diameter projectile, typically 5.56 millimeters, to be fired from a short compact ammunition that may be employed in a pistol size weapon. A weapon chamber is dimensioned to accept the cartridge as described at a tolerance between approximately 3 and 9 one thousandths of an inch.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to devices, systems, and processes related to improved ammunition for pistols and carbines, and more particularly that for small arms. [0003] 2. Brief Description of the Related Art [0004] Many ammunition types are known in the prior art, especially those designed to fit larger weapons firing a projectile, such as rifles. These larger weapons typically seek to increase the velocity of the projectile by using a reduced case diameter at the front of the case where the projectile is fitted. This technique leads to a case that is usually described as “necked”. For compact cartridges in pistols, this technique has been employed and to some degree achieves the required velocities with small projectiles, where small projectiles typically have a diameter of between 5 and 6 millimeters. However, current designs of a necked pistol cartridge which achieve the required velocities with small project...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] The invention relates to improved ammunition for pistols and carbines to provide a cartridge that may be used within the restricted dimensions of these weapons while increasing the effective range normally associated with such ammunition. Additionally, the invention may provide an increase in projectile velocity to impart sufficient projectile cross-sectional energy to allow the perforation of certain body armor types. The invention further provides a cartridge which, by means of diameter reduction of the case in the area of the front, and the application of a sabot or bore carrier assembly, allows a small diameter projectile, typically 5.56 millimeters, to be fired from a short compact ammunition that may be employed in a pistol size weapon. A weapon chamber is dimensioned to accept the cartridge as described at a tolerance that is preferably between approximately 3 and 9 one thousandths of an inch.

Problems solved by technology

However, current designs of a necked pistol cartridge which achieve the required velocities with small projectiles typically have a short, large diameter case with a very large change in diameter between the case and the neck.

In such a cartridge design, two inefficiencies occur that actually prevent the cartridge from achieving the desired effect.

First, as the volume within the cartridge is limited by the requirement for compact dimensions it is necessary to employ an energetic propellant which by its nature will release combustion products quickly.

However the large ratio of cartridge diameter to neck diameter will only allow combustion products to pass into the barrel and hence propel the projectile at a certain rate, the cartridge being effectively choked.

For the small cartridge these two constraints oppose one another and it becomes very difficult to provide a propellant that will release energy sufficiently slowly to not burst the weapon but still have enough energy within the given volume to achieve the required velocity.

This problem generally becomes unsolvable with normally available propellants for cartridges intended to operate in a variety of environmental conditions, such as those typical for a military application.

In particular, many military weapons must be able to operate in temperatures ranging from minus forty to one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit, and currently known cartridge designs have generally not achieved a sufficient release of energy within a small cartridge volume in such a wide range of temperatures using available propellants.

The second inefficiency resulting from having a necked cartridge is again related to the large changes in diameter required in the cartridge case.

Because this transition area is large the force generated is now typical of that generated within a rifle cartridge and is generally much too great for the small mechanisms associated with a pistol.

However, this negates the benefits of a small compact firearm.

Although improved materials and tolerances may be used to withstand the higher pressures, such measures typically result in uneconomical manufacturing and provide a weapon that generally has a low reliability.

However, using a carrier or a sabot within a smaller weapon, such as a sidearm or pistol, where a conventional cartridge case has essentially a uniform diameter, has not been successful.

Particularly, in sidearms, the ratio of sabot mass to projectile mass is large and much of the propellant energy is wasted on moving the sabot.

Further, while such a design may increase the projectile's velocity, it has previously not been found to suitably accommodate small projectile diameters needed for armor penetration.

Additionally, simply decreasing the diameter of the case to meet that of the projectile does not solve the problem because the ammunition will not reach sufficient exit velocity to penetrate armor.

Moreover, using the uniform diameter case resulting in either the larger projectile mass or the slower exit velocities produces increased recoil in existing small firearms during firing.

Although current ammunition cartridges for larger weapons, such as rifles and machine guns, and for sidearms generally function well, conventional ammunition for such devices did not provide users of small arms with significantly increased projectile velocity while decreasing recoil felt by the firer.

Prior devices also did not provide small arms ammunition firing a small diameter projectile that penetrates armor.

Prior devices and methods further do not produce a compact ammunition with acceptable internal pressures that can be used in a variety of operational conditions and environments including large temperature fluctuations.

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