US3262392A

US3262392A - Shot shell wad

Info

Publication number: US3262392A
Application number: US357529A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence J Becker; John J Faber
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-04-06
Filing date: 1964-04-06
Publication date: 1966-07-26
Anticipated expiration: 1983-07-26

Description

July 26, 1966 c BECKER ET AL SHOT SHELL WAD Filed April 6, 1964 INVENTOR CLARENCE J.BECKER JOHN J. FABER BY m ATTORNEY 3,262,392 SHOT SHELL WAD Clarence J. Becker, Chalbourn Road, Vestal, N.Y., and

John J. Faber, 705 Irving Ave., Endicott, N.Y. Filed Apr. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 357,529 3 Claims. (Cl. 102-95) This invention relates to shotgun cartridges, and more particularly, to improvements in wad columns therefor.

Wad columns, which in a shell separate the propellent powder from the shot mass, have been used in various forms. The purpose of the wad is twofold. First it must provide a gas seal, preventing leakage through it as well as around it, as it is being propelled by the gas pressure behind it. It must also have elastic properties in order to produce a cushioning effect against the sudden impact of the enormous force generated by the explosive charge, thus allowing a gradual acceleration of the shot from the shell. Unless the wad column has' adequate compressibility to enable expansion of the gas prior to and during the movement of the shot charge, the pressure produced by the sudden generation of gas would produce undesirable effects, manifested in particular by the strong recoil of the gun.

The above dual functions of the wad appear incompat'ible. To prevent gas leakage requires a solid barrel sealing substance, whereas to prevent excessive peak pressure necessitates a highly compressible medium. Various attempts have been made, heretofore, to provide wad columns consisting of portions made up of different materials having the desired properties which had to be assembled in the body of the shell. Wad columns made of plastic materials such as polyethylene and molded in such manner as to have some elastic portion have been used in order to obtain the desired sealing strength and also the cushioning effect.

The drawback of composite wads and resilient member structures is manifested in uneven distribution of the gas pressure, resulting a Wobbling of the shot, as well as gas leakage due to the deforming of the cushioning material.

It is a particular object of this invention to provide a wad column which is firm enough to hold its shape at the pressure to which it is subjected and thus prevent gas leakage.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a plastic wad column which when compressed by the explosive charge maintains axial alignment.

A particular feature of the invention resides in the structural configuration of the wad column which may easily be produced from plastic materials such as polyethylene, by simple molding operation requiring no further assembling.

Other objects and features will be apparent from the following description of the invention, pointed out in particularity in the appended claims and taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, in perspective, of a loaded shell, partially cut away, showing the disposition of the wad column.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the wad column.

FIG. 3 is a partial view thereof as it appears in a compressed state, and

FIG. 4 is a front view of the wad column.

Referring to the drawing, the wad column 5 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 comprises an upper, shot-supporting portion or section 6 and a lower overpowder portion or section 7, separated by an elastic cushion member 8. The latter may be shaped, in the manner shown, as a foldable, accordion-like body, the walls of which define a centrally located opening 9 extending transverse to the axis of the wad column 5. Cushion member 8 will be I United States Patent 0 seen to comprise a pair of re-entrant or partially-folded members which fold in opposite directions on opposite sides of the cylindrical axis of the wad. An important feature of the wad is that the sidewise forces caused by compression of the. two portions of cushion member 8 oppose and cancel each other, so that axial compression of the wad does not cause a relative sidewise force between the upper and lower wad portions.

Both, the upper and the

lower wad portions

6 and 7, are of a cylindrical configuration having the required diameter to fit snugly in the shell 11, as seen in FIG. 1. The upper portion 6 supports the shot load 12 and may have an axially extending wall 14 forming a cup or container for the shot load. .This is generally slotted as at 15 so as to loosely envelop the shot pellets, its purpose being the convenience of loading the shell and also aiding in the formation of the shot pattern. It is to be noted that the shot cup is not a material portion of the wad column 5 and may be omitted if desired without in any way losing the advantages of the wad column structure per se.

The upper wad portion 6 has downwardly extending lips 17 and 17' the inner faces 18 and 18' of which form a cup or dished out recess for the mass of the elastic cushioning member 8 when the wad is compressed as will be described later. Lips 17 and 17' also form a secondary upper or outer gas seal. Any pressure which escapes past the first seal formed by the lips of lower wad portion 7 will be seen to tend to expand

lips

17, 17.

The lips 17 and 17' have another important function, namely, to engage a portion of the side of the lower wad section 7 upon compression of the wad column. This is illustrated in FIG. 3,- which is an explanatory view, showing also the infolding of the elastic member 8. It is to be noted that, in effect, the overpowder wad portion 7 telescopes between the projections or

lips

17 and 17. For this purpose the body of the wad portion 7 is slightly tapered to allow for the clamping between the projections 17 and 17'. By this action, axial alignment of the wad portions is assured and maintained as the wad is propelled from the shell and passes through the bore of the gun barrel. Wobbling and sidewise deformation of the wad is thus prevented which, in composite wad structures, has been a serious drawback, resulting in gas leakage as well as unreliable shot pattern formation.

It is important also that the force of the explosive charge be uniformly distributed at the surface of impact, namely at the inner face of the overpowder wad portion 7. In accordance with the present invention there is provided on the under side of the base of the wad portion 7 an annular downward extension 20, in the form of a cup,

having a conical inner surface 21 the apex of which is directly at the center line or axis of the wad column 5. Moreover, the inner side of the wad portion 7 is of concave configuration having a tapered wall to allow radial expansion upon pressure of the explosive charge and thus increase the sealing function. A further gas seal is provided by transverse grooves 22 and 22' placed in the wall of the wad column at the junction of the attachment of elastic member 8.

When the powder charge, placed at the bottom shell 11, as seen in FIG. 1, is ignited, the expanding gas'exerts the propellent force against the under face of the wad portion 7 tending to expand the side wall thereof which further insures the sealing action. The conical surface 21 of the cup shaped extension 20 contributes materially in centering the impact in the axial direction. Due to the enormous force the wad column 5 collapses as it leaves the shell 11, thus cushioning the impact and lessening the recoil of the gun. The telescoped

portions

6 and 7 of the wad column are locked by the lips 17 and 17' as seen in FIG. 3. maintaining thereby axial alignment 3 of the .Wad column as it passes through the gun barrel so that the propellent force is evenly distributed at the seat of the shot pellets. The shot pattern obtained is thus uniform at every discharge of the gun.

What is claimed is:

1. A one piece cylindrical wad column for shotgun shells comprising a lower generally cylindrical overpowder section and an upper generally cylindrical shot supporting section spaced therefrom, said shot supporting section comprising a generally tubular portion having a disk shaped closure closing one end thereof, said closure 4 2. A wad column in accordance with claim 1 wherein the inner members each have a re-entrant folded shape so as to bend outwardly during expulsion.

3. A wad column in accordance with claim 1 wherein said outer lip members being tapered to have base portions adjacent said upper section which are thicker and less flexible than said inner members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,217,648 11/1965 Foote et al. 102-42 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,116,967 2/ 1956 France. 1,141,540 3/1957 France. 1,274,483 9/ 1961 France.

OTHER REFERENCES Trap and Field, vol. 139, No. 5, May 1963, pp. 3638.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

' R. F. STAHL, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A ONE PIECE CYLINDRICAL WAD COLUMN FOR SHOTGUN SHELLS COMPRISING A LOWER GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL OVERPOWDER SECTION AND AN UPPER GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SHOT SUPPORTING SECTION SPACED THEREFROM, SAID SHOT SUPPORTING SECTION COMPRISING A GENERALLY TUBULAR PORTION HAVING A DISK SHAPED CLOSURE CLOSING ONE END THEREOF, SAID CLOSURE HAVING A PAIR OF OUTER LIP MEMBERS EXTENDING FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CLOSURE TOWARD SAID LOWER SECTION AND BEING SPACED THEREFROM, AN ELASTIC INTERMEDIATE PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF RESILIENT INNER MEMBERS, SPACED RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM SAID LIPS AND EXTENDING BETWEEN AND CONNECTING SAID CLOSURE WITH SAID LOWER SECTION, SAID LOWER SECTION HAVING PORTIONS THEREOF BEING LESSER AND GREATER IN DIAMETER THAN THE TRANSVERSE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID LIP MEMBERS, SAID LOWER SECTION UPON BEING EXPELLED FROM A CARTRIDGE CASING COMPRESSING SAID RESILIENT MEMBERS AND PARTIALLY TELESCOPING AND EXPANDING SAID OUTER LIP MEMBERS.