EP4298397A1

EP4298397A1 - Deformation bullet for ammunition for police and other ruling bodies

Info

Publication number: EP4298397A1
Application number: EP22708143.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Michael MUSTER; Donald Meyer; Paul Howald; Markus Grünig
Original assignee: RUAG Ammotec AG
Current assignee: RUAG Ammotec AG
Priority date: 2021-02-26
Filing date: 2022-02-25
Publication date: 2024-01-03
Also published as: AU2022227940A1; CA3209935A1; CN116997766A; KR20230149841A; US20240142206A1; DE102021104760A1; WO2022180245A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hollow point bullet (1), for example for ammunition for police and/or other ruling bodies, having a caliber of not more than 13 millimeters and being made of iron, more particularly soft iron.

Description

Deformation projectile for police and authority ammunition

The present invention relates to deformation projectiles and in particular hollow point projectiles, for example for police and/or authority ammunition with a caliber of at most 13 mm. Furthermore, the present invention relates to police and/or authority ammunition with a maximum caliber of 13 mm. Police and/or authority ammunition is characterized, among other things, by the fact that the firing range is generally less than 150 m. Generic deformation projectiles are characterized by a defined wound ballistic behavior, namely a predetermined deformation, in particular mushrooming, after hitting the target.

For ecological and health reasons, especially on practice shooting ranges, the use of lead as a material for projectiles is becoming increasingly unsuitable. When it comes to the choice of material for projectiles, there is therefore a conflict of interest, in particular between good precision and flight range and environmental compatibility. Alternative materials to lead, such as tin, zinc and copper, have proven to be less suitable because of their low density, which would ensure better environmental compatibility, but could result in significant losses in terms of precision and flight range. Furthermore, alternative solutions using brass projectiles also have decisive disadvantages in terms of barrel life and resistance to being pressed through by the gun barrel. The pressure during powder burn is too high, while the resulting muzzle velocity is too low. Another disadvantage is that a major component of brass is copper. Copper itself is also hazardous to health or bactericidal. The use of copper is therefore undesirable with regard to future environmental requirements. Hollow-point projectiles are known in the prior art, in which an axially protruding ballistic insert, for example in the form of a bullet, is introduced in the central cavity on the bow side. Such a projectile is known for example from EP 0636853 Ai. The projectile according to EP 0636853 Ai is made of brass, which has the advantage of good deformation properties and simple machining. The central blind hole is made by machining and a plastic ball is pressed into it, which causes the ball to be pushed axially inwards into the blind hole when the bullet hits the target, and the surrounding wall of the bullet body follows widens outside. In order to axially secure the plastic ball within the blind hole, the jacket surrounding the plastic ball is compressed or squeezed around it in a form-complementary manner, so that the plastic ball is held in a non-positive and positive manner. The main disadvantage of the projectile according to EP 0636853 Ai was the complex production process, namely the machining of the central blind hole and the connection between the plastic ball and the projectile body. In addition, the material brass has the disadvantages described above. A particular disadvantage of brass has been found to be that the bullets are machined, resulting in a large amount of waste, which affects costs. Furthermore, it has been found that the nose-side plastic bullet to support the desired deformation can under certain circumstances have an adverse effect on the accuracy of the bullet.

A hollow-point bullet without a bow-side insert is known, for example, from US 2008/0216700 Ai. The hollow point bullet is lead-free and is made of copper or a copper alloy, for example, which is why its accuracy is unsatisfactory. It has also been found that the projectile according to US 2008/0216700 Ai does not always expand as desired.

It is the object of the present invention to improve the disadvantages of the known prior art, in particular to produce a deformation bullet with improved precision and/or environmental compatibility, the production of which is simplified and/or more economical, in particular without impairing the mushrooming behavior. This object is solved by the features of the independent claims.

A hollow point projectile for ammunition, for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a caliber of less than 13 mm, is then provided. The hollow point projectile is defined by the hollow point at the front or the hollow space in the area of the projectile tip. Projectiles according to the invention can also be referred to as solid projectiles, since they are formed in one piece, in particular from a homogeneous material. The hollow point bullet is intended for use in handguns, ie revolvers, submachine guns and/or pistols. A metallic hollow point bullet can also be provided for rifles. The hollow point projectile is preferably provided up to a caliber of 20 mm, in particular up to a caliber of 12 mm. Cartridges usually consist of a projectile, a cartridge case, propellant powder and a primer. The projectile is the object fired from the weapon. With a cartridge caliber of 9 mm x 19 (Luger or Para caliber), the weight of a projectile can be between 3 g and 20 g, in particular between 5 g and 15 g, preferably between 5.5 g and 9 g, particularly preferably between 6.0 g and 6.3 g , e.g. 6.1g, which means that it cannot penetrate a protective vest when it is used. Due to their weight and shape, the projectiles used by the authorities in 9 mm caliber Luger cartridges reach muzzle velocities of 340 m/s. or more. The material of the hollow point bullet is preferably lead-free and/or lead-alloy-free. Caliber is commonly referred to as a measure of the outside diameter of projectiles or bullets and the inside diameter of a firearm barrel. For example, hollow point projectiles according to the invention are also used for ammunition with a caliber of less than 9 mm, less than 7 mm or at most 5.6 mm. In contrast to full jacket bullets, which usually consist of a jacket made of a deformable material such as tombac, and a bullet core arranged therein, in particular pressed, which is produced separately from the jacket, hollow point bullets often have no separate jacket. In particular, the hollow point bullet is made in one piece.

The projectile can have an in particular ogive-shaped projectile nose with a central cavity and a projectile rear. The rear floor can in Substantially be made of solid material and / or at least partially be designed as a solid cylinder. The maximum outer diameter, which determines the caliber of the bullet, can be present in the area of the bullet tail. When the present description refers to front, front, front or front or rear, rear or rear, this is to be understood with reference to a longitudinal axis of the projectile pointing in the direction of flight of the projectile. The tail of the projectile can have, for example, the guide band, which is in particular at least partially cylindrical, for guiding the deformation projectile in the gun barrel. The guide band can for example be designed in such a way that it engages in a Zug-Fel d profile of the gun barrel, which serves in particular to impart a twist to the deformation projectile as it slides along within the gun barrel in order to stabilize the projectile trajectory. The projectile nose can have a nose wall delimiting the cavity, which has an ogive-shaped contour at least in sections on its outside.

A phasing section may be located at the tail end of the bullet tail to facilitate insertion of the hollow point bullet into a neck of a cartridge case and/or to form a particularly aerodynamic tail end (commonly referred to as a "boat-tail").

The nose of the projectile, in particular its ogive section, can have an ogive wall and a rotationally symmetrical ogive cavity which is peripherally delimited by the ogive wall. The ogive cavity allows the bullet to undergo compression deformation upon impact with a target or other resistance. When the projectile according to the invention is compressed, its kinetic energy is quickly converted into deformation energy. When the projectile is compressed, the projectile tip is preferably deformed relative to the rear section, which is in particular cylindrical, essentially only in the axial and radial directions. For example, the deformation can be rotationally symmetrical.

The ogive cavity is preferably empty, ie filled only with ambient air. An inner contour encompassing the ogive cavity, which is defined by the ogive wall, is preferably formed without steps and/or without interruptions in the circumferential direction and/or has only rounded edges. An ogive outer side defined by the ogive wall is preferably formed without steps in the circumferential direction and/or has a constant wall thickness circumferentially, in particular over the entire circumference.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the hollow point bullet is made of iron, in particular soft iron. By means of the hollow point projectile according to the invention, an environmentally friendly hollow point projectile is created which has improved ballistics. Furthermore, iron is inexpensive and is characterized by good deformability, which simplifies the production of hollow-point bullets. It has been found that the iron hollow-point bullets according to the invention are particularly suitable for manufacturing by means of solid forming, in particular by cold forming, such as deep-drawing or extrusion, as an alternative to machining. Iron also has the advantage that it can be post-treated better than the projectile materials previously used, in particular thermally post-treated, such as soft annealing.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the hollow point bullet is made of steel. The carbon content can be more than 0.05%. It has been found that increasing the carbon content increases the hardness and tensile strength of the hollow point bullet and/or improves its formability, in particular optimizes it, which has an advantageous effect on the bullet ballistics. Furthermore, it has been found that the carbon content according to the invention protects the hollow-point bullet against corrosion. Furthermore, the increased carbon content also contributes to limiting the diffusion between the firearm barrel and the hollow point bullet when it is fired with a firearm. For example, the carbon content can be in the range from 0.06% to 1.14%, in particular in the range from 0.08% to 0.12%. Such carbon areas have proven to be particularly advantageous in terms of ballistics. In particular, it was found that if the carbon content is too high, the brittleness of the hollow point bullet body is increased too much, which has an adverse effect on the manufacture and formability of the hollow point bullet. In an exemplary embodiment, the hollow point bullet according to the invention is made from a material which, in addition to iron, has at least one other transition metal, for example selected from the group containing manganese and copper, in particular in a mass fraction of 0.01% to 1.2% or 0 .3% to 1%.

In a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the material of the hollow-point bullet can contain at least one further additive selected from the carbon group, the nitrogen group and/or the oxygen group. For example, the at least one additive can be a semimetal. For example, the at least one additive may have a weight percentage of at least 0.01% to at most 0.48%.

In a further exemplary embodiment, the iron of the hollow-point bullet has a manganese content of 0.01% to 0.8%, in particular 0.3% to 0.6%.

According to an exemplary development, the iron has a silicon content of less than 3.5%, in particular less than 0.4% or less than 0.3%.

In a further exemplary embodiment, the iron has a phosphorus content in the range from 0.01% to 0.04%, in particular in the range from 0.02% to 0.03%.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the iron has a sulfur content in the range from 0.01% to 0.04%, in particular in the range from 0.02% to 0.03%.

In a further exemplary embodiment, the iron has a copper content of less than 0.4%, in particular less than 0.3% or less than 0.25%.

For example, the hollow point bullet can be made from Saar steel C10C.

In an exemplary development of the hollow point projectile according to the invention, the hollow point projectile contains no lead.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a deformation bullet, in particular a hollow point bullet, for example for police and/or official ammunition, in particular with a maximum caliber of 13 mm. The deformation projectile can be designed according to one of the aspects described above or exemplary embodiments.

The deformation projectile comprises an in particular ogive-shaped projectile nose with a central cavity and a projectile rear. The rear end of the projectile can essentially be made of solid material and/or can be configured as a solid cylinder at least in sections. The maximum outer diameter, which determines the caliber of the bullet, can be present in the area of the bullet tail. When the present description refers to front, front, front or front or rear, rear or rear, this is to be understood with reference to a longitudinal axis of the projectile pointing in the direction of flight of the projectile. The tail of the projectile can have, for example, the guide band, which is in particular at least partially cylindrical, for guiding the deformation projectile in the gun barrel. The guide band can for example be designed in such a way that it engages in a Zug-Fel d profile of the gun barrel, which serves in particular to impart a twist to the deformation projectile as it slides along within the gun barrel in order to stabilize the projectile trajectory. The projectile nose can have a nose wall delimiting the cavity, which has an ogive-shaped contour at least in sections on its outside.

The nose of the projectile, in particular its ogive section, can have an ogive wall and a rotationally symmetrical ogive cavity which is peripherally delimited by the ogive wall. The ogive cavity allows the bullet to undergo compression deformation upon impact with a target or other resistance. When the projectile according to the invention is compressed, its kinetic energy is quickly converted into deformation energy. When the projectile is compressed, it deforms Projectile tip preferably relative to the particularly cylindrical rear section essentially only in the axial and radial directions.

The ogive cavity is preferably empty, i.e. filled only with ambient air. An inner contour encompassing the ogive cavity, which is defined by the ogive wall, is preferably formed without steps and/or without interruptions in the circumferential direction and/or has exclusively rounded edges. An ogive outer side defined by the ogive wall is preferably formed without steps in the circumferential direction and/or has a constant wall thickness circumferentially, in particular over the entire circumference.

The deformation bullet can, for example, be manufactured without machining. The deformation projectile can also have an intermediate production state, in which the projectile is present as an intermediate, in which the jacket wall forming the projectile nose on the finished projectile extends essentially constantly in a straight line, in particular having a constant inside and/or outside diameter.

According to the further aspect of the present invention, the cavity extends from a front opening without forming an undercut in the direction of a rear cavity base. The base of the cavity can be concave in shape, for example, and/or have different radii of concavity. The undercut-free cavity has proven to be advantageous, especially with regard to the mushrooming behavior in the target ballistics. The undercut can be designed, for example, at least in sections in the longitudinal direction of the projectile, in the shape of a truncated cone, cylinder or part of a circle. For example, the cavity can be produced by massive forming in a die-stamp arrangement, with the stamp in particular, in particular its external shape, being responsible for the internal geometry of the cavity.

In an exemplary embodiment, a front wall delimiting the cavity has an essentially constant inner diameter at least in sections. For example, the constant inner diameter can form over at least 30%, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90% of a total length of the cavity. For example, the inner diameter of the cavity is constant up to the base of the cavity, which is in particular concave in shape at least in sections.

The inventors of the present invention have found that the previously used manufacturing step of bending the front wall surrounding the cavity radially inwards can be omitted without having to accept losses in precision and/or end ballistics.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a deformation projectile, in particular a hollow point projectile, is provided, for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a caliber of at most 13 mm. The deformation projectile can be designed according to one of the aspects described above or exemplary embodiments.

A phasing section may be located at the rear end of the bullet tail to facilitate insertion of the hollow point bullet into a neck of a cartridge case simplify and/or to form a particularly aerodynamic tail end (commonly referred to as a "boat-tail").

The nose of the projectile, in particular its ogive section, can have an ogive wall and a rotationally symmetrical ogive cavity which is peripherally delimited by the ogive wall. The ogive cavity allows the bullet to undergo compression deformation upon impact with a target or other resistance. When the projectile according to the invention is compressed, its kinetic energy is quickly converted into deformation energy. When the projectile is compressed, the projectile tip is preferably deformed relative to the rear section, which is in particular cylindrical, essentially only in the axial and radial directions.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the diameter of a front opening of the cavity is greater than 50% of the caliber of the projectile. This is associated in particular with two advantages: on the one hand, the wall thickness of the front wall surrounding the cavity in the projectile nose is reduced due to the large cavity dimension in the radial direction. On the other hand, the large dimension of the cavity when the bullet hits a target allows as much material of the target as possible to penetrate the cavity in order to achieve the desired deformation, namely to cause the projectile to expand radially outwards. Both beneficial effects accelerate and improve the desired expansion of the bullet. The faster the deformation takes place, the faster the diameter of the bullet increases and with it its resistance at the target. Penetration of a protective vest, for example, can be avoided more reliably.

In an exemplary embodiment, the orifice diameter prior to impact of the projectile with a target is at least 55%, at least 60%, or at least 65% of the caliber of the projectile. The larger the opening diameter is in relation to the caliber of the bullet, the more the technical effects or advantages mentioned above increase.

According to the further aspect of the present invention, a length of the cavity measured in the longitudinal direction of the projectile is at most 50% of the bullet length. The inventors of the present invention have identified that because of the lower density of iron, particularly steel, compared to the previously used materials for bullets, which included large proportions of lead, it is necessary to recover solid material. The axial limitation of the extent of the cavity results in a larger, more solid part of the projectile, that is to say one consisting of solid material.

In an exemplary embodiment, the cavity length is at most 45%, in particular at most 40%, of the projectile length. Due to the short cavity length, the projectile can also be manufactured particularly cheaply and easily, since large cavity depths, in particular compression depths, can be omitted.

The deformation projectile comprises an in particular ogive-shaped projectile nose with a central cavity and can also have a projectile tail, which can be made essentially from solid material and/or can be configured as a solid cylinder at least in sections. The maximum outer diameter, which determines the caliber of the bullet, can be present in the area of the bullet tail. When the present description refers to front, front, front or front or rear, rear or rear, this is to be understood with reference to a longitudinal axis of the projectile pointing in the direction of flight of the projectile. The tail of the projectile can have, for example, the guide band, which is in particular at least partially cylindrical, for guiding the deformation projectile in the gun barrel. The guide band can be designed, for example, in such a way that it engages in a train-field profile of the gun barrel, which serves in particular to impart a twist to the deformation projectile as it slides along within the gun barrel in order to stabilize the projectile trajectory. The projectile bow can a den Having a cavity-limiting front wall, which at least partially has an ogive-shaped contour on its outside.

According to another aspect of the invention, the wall thickness of a front wall delimiting the cavity at the tip of the projectile is in the range from 0.1 mm to 2 mm, in particular in the range from 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm. For example, it can be provided that the wall thickness at the bullet tip must not be less than 0.5 mm. It was recognized here that the wall thickness at the tip of the bullet should be as thin as possible, but as thick as necessary. The stressed areas represent the optimum in terms of manufacturability, target ballistics (deformation behavior) and stability of the bullet. The smaller the front wall thickness, especially at the bullet tip, the nose wall, the less deformation energy is necessary to achieve a fast, particularly responsive, and/or to achieve reliable expansion of the deformation bullet.

In an exemplary embodiment, the projectile tip is formed by a circumferential, in particular flat or tapering, ring, in particular with a flat annular surface, the wall thickness or radial dimension of which is less than 2 mm, in particular less than 1.5 mm, in particular less than 1 mm than 0.5 mm or even smaller than 0.2 mm.

In a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cavity is open in the direction of the front, in particular not covered with a filling component. The inventors of the present invention have found that the same deformation behavior can be achieved by means of the measures according to the invention, even if no filling or squeezing component is accommodated in the front, central cavity, which has hitherto supported the deformation or the radial expansion behavior of the projectile in the prior art would have. The manufacturing step of axially inserting or pressing the filling component with the projectile wall is thus completely eliminated. In this respect, costs can be saved. Furthermore, fewer components are required, which in turn results in cost potential.

In a further exemplary embodiment, an outer diameter of a front wall which peripherally delimits the cavity increases, in particular continuously, starting from the tip of the projectile in the direction of the rear of the projectile. For example, the outer diameter of the nose wall at the axial height of the cavity base, in particular an axially deepest section of the cavity base, is smaller than the caliber of the projectile, which can be determined, for example, by the guide band. With In other words, the maximum outer diameter of the bullet, namely the caliber, has not yet been reached, starting from the bullet tip at the axial height of the bottom of the cavity.

According to an exemplary development, the central cavity has a point-symmetrical cross-section that deviates from a circular shape and is essentially constant in the longitudinal direction of the projectile. It has been found that the deformation behavior of the projectiles according to the invention can be adjusted or determined via the interior geometry of the cavity. For example, the cavity can have a polygonal, torx-like or other point-symmetrical shape. For example, the outer contour of the cavity cross section can be formed by a sequence of projections and depressions, in particular by a tooth-hub structure. For example, the cavity is massively formed using a stamp, in particular a press stamp, whose outer geometry defines the inner geometry of the cavity. In other words, the inner cross-section of the cavity is pressed into the bullet.

In a further exemplary development, a front wall delimiting the cavity has on its outside at least one weakened section oriented in the circumferential direction, in particular a completely circumferential weakened section. For example, at least 2, 3 or 4 weakened sections, in particular of the same design and/or produced in the same way, are provided at a constant distance from one another on the outside of the front wall and/or are incorporated therein. The weakened section can be introduced, for example, by forming or by machining. For example, the manufacture of the weakened section is the only machining step in the manufacture of the bullets. It has been found that the desired expansion effect of deformation can be reliably achieved by introducing weakened sections. Furthermore, its influence on the deformation behavior can be determined and adjusted as desired via the extent of the weakened section in the axial and/or radial direction. The mushrooming behavior can thus be influenced or set independently of the material and/or independently of post-treatment steps, for example thermal post-treatment steps. In an exemplary development, the weakened section forms a predetermined buckling point, so that when the projectile hits a target, the front wall bends radially outwards at the predetermined buckling point. By bending radially outwards, the diameter of the bullet increases and with it the energy output per centimeter of wound ballistics. Compared to the rest of the front wall, the predetermined buckling point reacts particularly quickly, ie responds quickly, to the deformation energy that results when the projectile hits a target. This accelerates the increase in diameter of the bullet and thus the mushrooming behavior.

In a further exemplary development, the weakened section is implemented as a notch. For example, a notch depth is at most 60% of a wall thickness of the front wall, in particular the front wall at the axial height of the notch depth. The weakened section, in particular the predetermined buckling point or the notch, are designed and dimensioned in such a way that the projectile cannot be torn off or disintegrated in the area of the weakened section.

In an exemplary embodiment, a front wall delimiting the cavity has on its inside at least one edge oriented in the longitudinal direction of the projectile, in particular extending along the entire length of the cavity. The edge can be realized by reducing the wall thickness at which the wall thickness of the front wall changes suddenly. It was found that the deformation behavior of the projectiles when they hit a target can also be adjusted via internal edges oriented in the longitudinal direction of the projectile.

According to an exemplary development of the projectile, the nose wall comprises a plurality of edges arranged at a particularly uniform distance from one another in the circumferential direction. The edges can be of the same shape. For example, the edges result in a polygonal cross-sectional inner geometry of the cavity.

In a further exemplary embodiment of projectiles according to the invention, the metal or iron projectile body is subjected to a heat treatment process, in particular an annealing step. For example, the temperature can be above 600° C., in particular 650° C., and/or the heat treatment process can be carried out for a period of several hours, approximately 4.5 hours. through the Heat treatment process, in particular heat post-treatment step, the deformation behavior of the projectile can be changed or adjusted. In particular, the influence of the heat treatment process on the setting of the deformation behavior can be influenced by the parameter temperature or duration.

According to an alternative embodiment of the bullet, the production does not require a heat treatment process. In particular, the bullet, for example the nose of the bullet, is not annealed.

In a further exemplary embodiment, the projectile is made of iron, in particular soft iron, for example steel. A carbon content can, for example, be more than 0.05% and/or at most 1.14% or 0.12%.

In a further exemplary embodiment, the central cavity of the projectile is produced by solid forming, in particular by cold forming, such as deep drawing or extrusion. For example, the entire projectile is produced by means of solid forming, in particular by cold forming such as deep drawing or extrusion. The production of the projectile makes it possible to produce a projectile based on a metal wire or metal tube blank in a technically simple manner. There is almost no waste.

According to a further exemplary development, a filling component, in particular made of plastic, is introduced, in particular pressed, into the cavity. For example, the filling component can form the projectile tip in the assembled state. Alternatively, the filling component can be dimensioned and/or arranged in the cavity in such a way that it does not protrude from the cavity when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the projectile. Furthermore, the filling component can also be dimensioned and/or housed in such a way that it protrudes axially from the cavity and, upon impact with a target, comes into contact with the target first. For example, the filling component can have a rotationally symmetrical shape, such as a sphere, cone or truncated cone shape. Furthermore, the filling component can also have a plug-like shape.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, is a Deformation projectile, in particular a hollow point projectile, provided for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a maximum caliber of 13 mm. The deformation projectile can be designed according to one of the aspects described above or exemplary embodiments.

The deformation projectile comprises a projectile body with a jacket delimiting a central cavity open to the surroundings. The projectile body can have an in particular ogive-shaped projectile nose, in which the cavity is arranged, and a projectile tail, which can be produced essentially from solid material and/or can be designed as a solid cylinder at least in sections.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the deformation projectile, in particular the cavity, is produced by forging, in particular cold-forming, in such a way that when the deformation projectile impacts a target, the nose jacket is deformed in such a way that it bends by less than 90°, in particular less than 60°, in particular flared less than 45 ^° , or less than 30°, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bullet. The target can be a standard target, which can be, for example, a particularly unveiled gelatinous mass. Furthermore, the deformation projectile can be fired at the target under idealized test conditions in order to be able to inspect the deformed projectile which has struck and been caught in the gelatinous mass.

The wound ballistics or terminal ballistics of deformation bullets are largely determined by the so-called cross-sectional loading, which results from the ratio of the mass of the bullet and its cross-sectional area. In general, as the sectional loading increases, the depth of penetration of the bullet into the target increases. This is fundamentally related to the fact that the cross-sectional loading in the terminal ballistics is determined by the increase in diameter of the projectile resulting from the expanding or mushrooming deformation, particularly in its front or nose area. So far, there has not been a particularly environmentally compatible deformation projectile in the prior art which, with a comparatively high cross-sectional load, reduces the wound ballistic requirements with regard to projectiles that do not expand penetration depth fulfilled. The conflict of interests of cross-sectional loading or desired (mushrooming) deformation behavior and predetermined penetration depth cannot be resolved satisfactorily. In contrast to the ogive jackets of the state-of-the-art bullets, which mushroom and widen very strongly, in which the ^ogive jacket expands and bends significantly more than 90° and sometimes up to 180° in relation to the longitudinal axis of the bullet and in the direction of the shot deformation after the bullet hits a target, the present invention resolves this severe mushrooming deformation. The deformed bullet resembles a trumpet shape in the front area. The projectile according to the invention is characterized by a low penetration depth in the front area when the projectile hits a target, despite the small increase in diameter compared to the prior art. This effect is related in particular to a texturing of the metal body as a result of the massive forming process, which results in a direction-dependent texturing, in particular in the ogive jacket, which leads to the identified trumpet-shaped deformation. In particular, the texturing of the metal is such that the strength in the area of the ogive jacket is increased transversely to the longitudinal direction of the bullet, in particular compared to the strength in the longitudinal direction. Due to the increased strength transversely to the direction of longitudinal extent, when the projectile hits a target, there is less pronounced radial outward deformation, as a result of which the mushrooming is weakened. Another reason for the reduced penetration depth is related to the front cavity of the projectile, which is open to the environment and in which air or air bubbles remain when the projectile penetrates the target, which increases the braking effect in the sense of the «cavitation bubble theory».

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method for producing a deformation projectile according to the invention, in particular a hollow point projectile, for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a caliber of at most 13 mm, is provided.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, which can be combined with the preceding aspects and exemplary embodiments, a tool, in particular a punch and die arrangement, for producing a deformation bullet according to the invention, in particular a hollow point bullet, for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a maximum caliber of 13 mm.

In the following, further properties, features and advantages of the invention are made clear by means of a description of preferred embodiments of the invention using the accompanying exemplary drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a manufacturing step for manufacturing a bullet according to the invention; FIG.

Fig. 2 - 4 schematic sectional views of Fig. 1;

5-9 a schematic stage plan for the production of an exemplary embodiment of a projectile according to the invention starting from a blank; and

10 is a schematic representation of a deformed projectile according to the invention.

Based on the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached figures, advantages according to the invention with regard to the simple and cost-effective production of deformation projectiles according to the invention are illustrated. The deformation projectiles shown in the figures are designed as hollow point projectiles and are used for police and/or authority ammunition. The projectiles are made of metal, preferably iron.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a manufacturing step, namely a solid forming step, in the manufacture of projectiles according to the invention, which are generally identified by the reference numeral 1. Looking at FIGS. 2 to 4 and 1 together, one possibility is shown of producing bullet internal geometries of any desired cross-sectional shape in a manner that is particularly simple in terms of production technology. This is achieved in that by means of a punch tool 3, which is axial to form a central, front-side cavity 5 is pressed into an intermediate forming the projectile l or a blank, the final cavity geometry or its cross section can be generated.

Associated schematic cross-sectional views can be seen in FIGS. The ram 3 and the cavity are point-symmetrical in cross-section, with a circular cross-sectional shape resulting according to FIG. 4 and polygonal cross-sectional shapes in FIGS. Because of the axial compression deformation by means of the compression ram 3, the cavity cross-section 5 is essentially constant when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the projectile. Thus, in the case of the polygonal interior geometry of the cavity, there are axial edges 7 which are formed along the entire longitudinal extension of the cavity 5 on an inside of a front wall 9 surrounding the cavity 5 . A general advantage of the present invention consists in the fact that the projectile geometry can be adapted very flexibly during solid forming. In particular, any inner geometries can be produced in a simple manner by only having to adapt the outer shape or contour of the elongated, essentially cylindrical.

The individual manufacturing steps can be seen with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9, which show a stage plan for manufacturing a projectile 1 according to the invention. First, a blank 11 made of metal, preferably iron, is provided (FIG. 5), which is obtained by cutting off endless raw material such as a wire or tube. The blank 11 consists of a particularly homogeneous material and is constructed in one piece, particularly from solid material.

In a first production step, the blank 11 is cold-formed by setting to form a seedling 13, for example by pressing (FIG. 6). As can be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 5 and 6, when the intermediate product is set, the length thereof expands, with the outer diameter remaining essentially constant. The increase in length results from the central indentation 15 introduced during setting on an end face 17 of the seedling 13, which causes a material displacement that manifests itself in a length expansion. A centering depression 21 is located opposite the depression 15, that is to say on the opposite end face 23. The setting can be carried out using a punch and die arrangement (Not shown) take place, the outer geometry of the stamp determining the inner geometry 15 of the indentation. A jacket wall 25 surrounding the recess 15 is further formed in the following steps to form the future projectile nose 27 .

After setting, the seedling 13 is pre-pressed to form a pre-press 29 (FIG. 7). The seedling 13 is reshaped to form the preform 29 in the area of the casing wall 25, so that the final cavity geometry of the front cavity 31 of the projectile 1 is obtained. The ring-cylindrical jacket wall 25 is formed into a front wall 33 that tapers at least in sections in an ogive shape. Due to the nose wall 33 tapering in the direction of the bullet tip 35, i.e. decreasing in terms of wall thickness, the longitudinal dimension of the bullet or the longitudinal dimension of the section that later forms the bullet nose 27 is extended compared to the jacket wall 25.

The pre-press 29 is then further cold-formed to form a cylinder part 37 shown in FIG. Starting from the preform 29, the cylinder part 37 is compressed in the axial direction, with the interior geometry 31 of the cavity being retained. Due to the axial compression of the pre-pressed part 29, the diameter of the cylinder part 37 increases. The cylinder part 37 has a cylinder section 41, which consists essentially of solid material, is fully cylindrical and is arranged in the area of the future projectile rear end 39, which is formed over a large part of the cylinder part’s longitudinal extent up to the ogive-like taper of the nose jacket 33. To produce the final bullet 1, the nose of the bullet 27 remains essentially unchanged. The tail 39 can be further processed by cold working steps.

For example, a chamfer 43, which is circumferential, can be introduced at the rear (FIG. 9). The final floor 1 has a rear, essentially flat floor 45, in the center of which the centering depression 21 is located. It is also possible that the rear of the bullet is largely no longer fully cylindrical, but largely deviates from a cylindrical shape and only partially, in particular in an area that defines the guide band, which defines the caliber, is cylindrical. In addition, for example, the outer diameter of the rear of the bullet can be reduced slightly starting from the guide band in the direction of the bullet base 45 .

The cavity 31 can, for example, have a cavity base 47 which is flat, at least in sections, viewed transversely to the longitudinal extent of the projectile 1 and which can also be concave in shape. The concave or flat cavity base area 47 opens into an outer cavity base area 49 with greater curvature or inclination relative to the longitudinal axis of the projectile compared to the cavity base section 47. The outer cavity base section 49 merges at a transition 51 into a cavity side wall 53, which is oriented essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the projectile. The cavity side wall 53 thus delimits an essentially hollow-cylindrical cavity section on the front side, which can have a longitudinal extent in the range of 10% to 50% of the longitudinal dimension of the projectile. The constant inner diameter of the cavity sidewall 53 may be present over at least 30%, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, or at least 90% of a total length of the cavity 31 .

The front wall 33 can, for example, in the area of the front opening 35 have a wall thickness in the range of 10% - 50% of the wall thickness in the front wall 33 at the axial height of the cavity base in the area of the transition 51 between the cavity and the side wall 53 and the outer cavity base section 49. The wall thickness a in Figure 9 indicates the wall thickness in the area of the front opening 35 and the reference symbol b indicates the wall thickness in the area of the transition 51 of the front wall 33.

A schematic representation of a projectile 1 deformed in accordance with the present invention is shown in Figure 10 and is generally designated by the reference numeral 55 . The deformed projectile 55 differs from the prior art projectiles in particular by a reduced mushrooming effect upon impact with a target. As can be seen in FIG. 10, the front deformed section 57 of the front wall 33 forming the ogive jacket is widened or mushroomed by significantly less than 90° in relation to the longitudinal axis L of the projectile, resulting in a trumpet-shaped shape in the front area. The trumpet-shaped deformation section 57 of the ogive mantle 33 has substantially the same cross section and deformation in the circumferential direction.

The features disclosed in the above description, the figures and the claims can be important both individually and in any combination for the implementation of the invention in the various configurations.

REFERENCE LIST

bullet

3 press stamps

5 cavity

7 axial edge

9 bow wall

11 blank

13 seedling

15 deepening

17 face

21 centering recess

23 face

25 jacket wall

27 projectile bow

29 pre-press

31 cavity

33 bow wall

35 bullet tip

37 cylinder ling

39 floor rear

41 cylinder section

43 bevel

45 storey floor

47 cavity floor

49 outer cavity base section

51 transition

53 cavity sidewall

55 deformed projectile

57 deformed section of the bow wall a wall thickness a Deformation angle

L Longitudinal axis of the bullet

Claims

EXPECTATIONS

1. Hollow-point projectile (l), for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a maximum caliber of 13 mm, which is made of iron, in particular soft iron.

2. Hollow-point bullet (1) according to claim 1, which is made of steel, in particular with a carbon content of more than 0.05% and/or at most 1.14% or 0.12%.

3. Hollow-point bullet (1) according to claim 1 or 2, which is made of a material which, in addition to iron, has at least one further transition metal, for example selected from the group containing manganese and copper, in particular with a mass fraction of 0.01% to 1 .2% or from 0.3% to 1%.

4. Hollow-point bullet (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the iron of the hollow-point bullet has at least one additive selected from the carbon group, the nitrogen group and/or the oxygen group, wherein in particular the at least one additive is a semimetal, in particular silicon, and/or has a weight percentage of at least 0.01% to at most 0.48%.

5. hollow point bullet (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the iron has a manganese content of 0.01% to 0.8%, in particular from 0.03% to 0.6%.

6. hollow point bullet (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the iron has a silicon content of less than 0.5%, in particular less than 0.4% or less than 0.3%.

7. Hollow-point bullet (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the iron has a phosphorus content in the range from 0.01% to 0.04%, in particular in the range from 0.02% to 0.03%.

8. Hollow-point bullet (I) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the iron has a sulfur content in the range from 0.01% to 0.04%, in particular in the range from 0.02% to 0.03%.

9. hollow point bullet (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the iron has a copper content of less than 0.4%, in particular less than 0.3% or less than 0.25%.

10. Deformation projectile (1), in particular hollow-point projectile (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a caliber of at most 13 mm, comprising an in particular ogive-shaped projectile nose (27) with a central cavity ( 5) and a projectile tail (39), wherein the cavity (5) extends from a front opening towards a tail cavity bottom without forming an undercut.

11. The projectile according to claim 10, wherein a front wall (9) delimiting the cavity (5) at least in sections, in particular over at least 30%, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90% % of a total length of the cavity, has a substantially constant inner diameter.

12. Deformation projectile (1), in particular hollow-point projectile (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a caliber of at most 13 mm, comprising an in particular ogive-shaped projectile nose (27) with a central cavity ( 5) and a projectile tail (39), wherein the diameter of a front opening of the cavity is greater than 50% of the caliber of the projectile.

13. A projectile according to claim 12, wherein the orifice diameter is at least 55%, at least 60% or at least 65% of the caliber of the projectile.

14. Deformation projectile (1), in particular hollow-point projectile (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a caliber of at most 13 mm, comprising an in particular ogive-shaped projectile nose (27) with a central cavity ( 5) and a bullet tail (39), with an in length of the cavity measured in the longitudinal direction of the bullet is at most 50% of the bullet length.

15. Projectile (1) according to claim 14, wherein the cavity length is at most 45%, in particular at most 40%, of the projectile length.

16. Deformation projectile (1), in particular hollow-point projectile (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a caliber of at most 13 mm, comprising an in particular ogive-shaped projectile nose (27) with a central cavity, the wall thickness of a front wall (9) delimiting the cavity (5) at the projectile tip (35) being in the range from 0.1 mm to 2 mm, in particular in the range from 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm.

17. Projectile (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the projectile tip (35) is formed by a circumferential ring whose wall thickness is less than 1 mm or 0.8 mm and/or greater than 0.5 mm.

18. Projectile (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cavity (5) is open towards the front, in particular is not covered with a filling component.

19. Projectile (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an outer diameter of a front wall (9) delimiting the circumference of the cavity (5) increases starting from the projectile nose (35) in the direction of the rear end of the projectile (39), wherein in particular the outer diameter of the front wall (9 ) at the axial height of the bottom of the cavity is smaller than the caliber of the bullet.

20. Projectile (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the central cavity (5) has a point-symmetrical cross-section which deviates from a circular shape and is essentially constant in the longitudinal direction of the projectile.

21. Projectile (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a front wall (9) delimiting the cavity (5) has on its outside at least one weakened section oriented in the circumferential direction, in particular completely circumferential.

22. Projectile (1) according to claim 21, wherein the weakened section forms a predetermined buckling point, so that when the projectile hits a target, the front wall (9) bends radially outwards at the predetermined buckling point.

23 projectile (1) according to one of claims 21 or 22, wherein the weakened section is realized as a notch, wherein in particular a notch depth is at most 60% of a wall thickness of the bow wall (9).

24. Projectile (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a front wall (9) delimiting the cavity (5) has on its inside at least one edge oriented in the longitudinal direction of the projectile, in particular extending along the entire length of the cavity.

25. Projectile (1) according to claim 24, wherein the bow wall (9) has a plurality of edges which are arranged in particular at a uniform distance from one another in the circumferential direction.

26. Projectile (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the metal or iron projectile body is subjected to a heat treatment process, in particular annealing, for example at a temperature of over 600° C., in particular at 650° C., and/or for a period of time of about 4.5 h.

27. Projectile (1) according to one of the preceding claims, which is produced without a heat treatment process, in particular annealing.

28. Projectile (1) according to one of claims 3 to 27, which is made of iron, in particular soft iron, in particular steel, in particular with a carbon content of more than 0.05% and/or at most 1.14% or 0.12% , is made.

29. Projectile (1) according to one of the preceding claims, the central cavity (5) of which is produced by solid forming, in particular by cold forming, such as deep drawing or extrusion, with the projectile being produced in particular by means of solid forming, in particular by cold forming, such as deep drawing or extrusion is.

30. Projectile (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in the cavity (5) forming the projectile nose (35) filling component, in particular made of plastic, is introduced, in particular pressed.

31. Deformation projectile (1), in particular hollow-point projectile (1), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, for example for police and/or authority ammunition, in particular with a caliber of at most 13 mm, comprising a projectile body with one open to the surroundings jacket delimiting the central cavity (5), the deformation projectile (1), in particular the cavity (5), being produced by solid forming, in particular cold working, in such a way that when the deformation projectile impacts a target, the jacket deforms in such a way that it is less than 90°, in particular less than 60°, in particular less than 45 ^° or less than 30°, in relation to the longitudinal axis of the projectile.

32. A method for producing a projectile (1) designed according to one of the preceding claims.

33. Tool for producing a projectile (1) designed according to one of the preceding claims.