US3422762A

US3422762A - Unitary wad column and shot container

Info

Publication number: US3422762A
Application number: US646928A
Authority: US
Inventors: Homer E Clark Jr
Original assignee: Alcan Co Inc
Current assignee: Alcan Co Inc
Priority date: 1967-06-19
Filing date: 1967-06-19
Publication date: 1969-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 1986-01-21

Description

1969 H. E. CLARK, JR

UNITARY WAD COLUMN AND SHOT CONTAINER Filed June 19, 1967 FIG! FIGA

HOMER E. CLARK,JR. BY (2 w. KM

FIG 5 ATTORN EY 3,422,762 UNITARY WAD COLUMN AND SHOT CONTAINER Homer E. Clark, Jr., Alton, Ill., assignor to Alcan Company, Incorporated, Alton, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed June 19, 1967, Ser. No. 646,928 US. Cl. 102-42 11 Claims Int. Cl. F42b 7/08 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A unitary wad column and shot container comprising in an integrated structure an obturating wad portion, a conical shot receptacle being continuous at its upper end with a cylindrical shot compartment, the wall sections of which are adapted for mutual separation upon firing, there being support ribs integral with the outer wall surface of the conical portion and with the obturating wad portion.

Background of the invention Although many etforts have been heretofore made in developing wad column incorporating shot containers, the same have consistently provided only a cylindrical chamber for the shot and incorporated relatively extensive filler wad portions. Such shot container sections have not provided the desired shot concentration at relatively long ranges and additionally such structures have been relatively costly in production. By the present invention a unitary wad column and shot container is presented having a two-portion shot container, the inner one of which is conical in shape, while the outer is of an expansible character so that upon firing a proper shot dispersal will be eflected but yet with relatively increased concentration at long ranges. Furthermore, the problem of providing appropriate gas sealing action, as well as requisite lateral stability of the shot container, has been another problem existing in this field and by the present invention such have been overcome.

Summary of the invention It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a unitary wad column and shot container for shotgun cartridges which may be fabricated in a low-cost, high-volume manner from relatively lightweight, but yet highly durable, materials.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a unitary wad column and shot container which embodies a shot receptacle of conical character for conducing to eifective shot concentration at relatively long ranges.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a unitary wad column and shot container wherein the shot container comprises a relatively rigid inner conical portion and an outer expansible portion for desired shot dispersal.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a unitary wad column and shot container of the type stated incorporating stabilizing means for assuring proper concentration of the shot receptacle as well as conducing to requisite gas sealing action.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a side view of a shotgun cartridge, a portion of the body wall being broken away, having a wad column, shown partially in section, constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the wad column illustrated in FIGURE 1.

nited States Patent 3,422,762 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 Brief description of the preferred embodiment sectional View sectional view Referring now by reference characters to the drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a shotgun shell or cartridge having a base 1 and the usual tubular body 2 fabricated as of paper, plastic, metal, or the like. A primer assembly (not shown) is provided within base 1 and thereabove, within body 2, is disposed a propellant charge 3. Immediately overlying and in confining relationship to charge 3 is a unitary member 4 combining a wad column and shot container.

Said member 4 integrally incorporates at its lower end an obturating wad defining portion 5 having a peripheral depending skirt 6 for effective sealing engagement on its outer face with the confronting wall portion of tubular body 2. Obturating wad portion upwardly of skirt 6 comprises a body section 7 and centrally of the upper face thereof, and integrally formed therewith, is the base 8 of an upwardly opening shot receptacle, indicated generally at 9, and being of conical form with the upper lateral edge of the cone being contiguous with the inner face of tubular member 2 as at 10. Said conical receptacle 9 is thus adapted to receive a shot charge 11 as of multimissile character. Continuous with the upper edge of conical receptacle 9 is an upwardly extending cylindrical sleeve 12, the outer face of which abuts against inner face of tubular member 2; said sleeve 12 internally providing an extension of conical receptacle 9 for containing a portion of shot charge 11; the wall of said sleeve 12 being relatively thin, though fabricated of relatively tough material, such as polyethylene. Said sleeve 12 may be provided with vertically extending slits, as at 13, and there may be any number of such slits although four have been found preferable in usage, so that upon firing of cartridge A, the thus divided wall portions of sleeve 12 will move away from each other, as by a folding back, so as to prevent any impedance of the shot discharged. Said sleeve portions, however, will remain integral with wad column 4. Thus, it is to be specially observed that sleeve 12 and conical receptacle 9 are integral.

Conical receptacle 9 is supported by a series of vertically extending ribs, indicated generally at R, the bottom portions of which are integral with the upper surface of obturating wad body portion 7 and which terminate at their upper ends by merging into the upper end of conical receptacle 9, as at 14. On their inner vertical mar-gins each rib R is integral with the outer face of conical receptacle 9, as at 15, and their outer vertical side margins are suitably contoured for abutment against the confronting portion of the inner face of tubular member 2. Thus, clue to the upward and outward diverging character of conical receptacle 9, each rib R will have its side margins upwardly converging so that the said ribs are wider at their base or lower ends than at their upper ends. As thus shown, conical receptacle 9 with ribs R and obturating wad section 5 provide an integrated structure for assured presentation of shot receptacle 9 in centered relationship to tubular body 2 and with balanced support so that upon firing of cartridge A effective dispersal of shot 11 will be brought about. As may best be seen in FIGURES 4 and 5, ribs R are so disposed about receptacle 9 as to provide balanced support, there being 3 thus diametrally aligned ribs 16, 16', and preferably three pair of aligned

ribs

17, 17, 18, 18, 19, 19', which are mutually parallel and are axially normal to ribs 16, 16'.

With the use of unitary member 4 there is thus obviated the heretofore accepted necessity of providing a plurality of individual wads such as an obturating wad and filler wads with loading of the cartridge thereabove by the shot since the present invention incorporates a combination wad column and shot container which may easily be placed within the tubular casing and which facilitates the shot-loading operation.

It will be seen that ribs R also serve to provide a wad function assisting in completing the spacing between the propellent charge 3 and the upper end of cartridge A and which ribs R may be of suitable compressibility so that upon firing the same may appropriately give under impact of the forces of explosion and thereby cushion the explosive effect on the shot and further by such action tend to promote effective sealing in cooperation with skirt 6 to prevent undesired gas leakage. The novel character of shot receptacle 9 has been found to conduce to the concentration of shot patterns at relatively long ranges. Due to the provision of slits 13 in sleeve 12, the said sleeve will act as an extension of the cone of receptacle 9 upon firing since while in the cartridge the walls of tubular body 2 serve to retain the slit portions of sleeve 12 against parting. Additionally, it has been found that member 4 is adapted for use with shot of varying sizes so that the same would have wide application. It is evident that the combination wad column and shot container of the present invention may be made in a high-volume, low-cost manner as by molding from suitable plastics, such as polyethylene and the like, and which, as indicated above, is particularly suitable for use by the individual reloaders as it assures of relative centering of shell components.

Having thus defined my invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is:

1. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container comprising an obturating wad portion, means defining an upwardly opening shot container having a continuous side wall of upwardly increasing cross-section, said shot container being presented upwardly of said obturating wad portion, and a plurality of vertically presented rib members disposed laterally outwardly of said shot container and having an inner side margin, an outer side margin, and a base margin, each rib member being integral on its base margin with the upper surface of said obturating wad portion and with its inner margin being integral with the confronting portion of said shot container wall.

2. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said shot container being of inverted conical configuration with its narrow end adjacent the obturating wad portion, the outer margin of each of said ribs being free for disposition against the confronting portion of the shotgun cartridge tubular casing.

3. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by means defining a shot receiving extension projecting from the wider or upper end of said shot container.

4. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 3 and further characterized by said shot receiving extension being of cylindrical form and constituted of a plurality of arcuate segments jointly serving to provide a completed receptacle when within the cartridge and adapted to separate upon explosion.

5. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 3 and further characterized by said shot receiving extension being of relatively thin walled construction with respect to said shot container.

6. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said shot container being coaxial with the body of said wad column and shot container having at least two sets of parallel ribs.

7. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing as defined in claim 8 and further characterized by the upper end of said shot container having an outside diameter substantially the same as the inside diameter of said tubular casing.

8. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said inner and outer margins of said rib members converging toward their ends remote from said obturating wad portion.

9. For use with a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by at least two of said ribs being co-planar.

10. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said rib members being spaced circumferentially about said shot container.

11. For use in a shotgun cartridge having a tubular casing, an over-powder unitary wad column and shot container as defined in claim 1 and being integrally fabricated of molded construction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 157,793 12/1874 Cochran 102-42 1,470,655 10/ 1923 Sweeley 10'242 3,233,546 2/ 1966 Foote et al 102-42 3,262,392 7/1966 Becker et al. 102-42 3,269,311 8/1966 Comerford 102-42 3,289,586 12/1966 Horn et al. 10242 3,299,813 1/1967 Rickey 102-42 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,390,151 1/1965 France.

OTHER REFERENCES Trap & Field Magazine, April 1966, p. 19, Verelite Wads.

ROBERT F. STAHL, Primary Examiner.