US2008571A - Wad cutting bullet and method of making same - Google Patents

Description

D. B. wEs soN 2,008,571

WAD CUTTING BULLET AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME July 16, 1935.

Filed. April 5, 1934 INVENTOR fiawms ,5. 11 2600 6Z A-M ATTORNEYS Patented July 16, 1935 UNIT- vian rides,

WAD CUTTING BULLET AND ivm 'rnon or v f MAKING SAME Douglas B. Wesson, Longmeadow, Mass, assignor A 'to Smith & Wesson, Inc, Springfield, Mass, a. V eorporation of Massachusetts l ApplicationApril 5, 1934, SeriallNo. 719,151

4 Claims: (c1. Sis-2.4)

, This invention relatest o improvements in what through. The usual form of bullet removes little or no material from the target, particularlyfin the smallercalibers, merely bending the major portion of the material outwardly to form a ragged hole.. Generally cylindrical bullets with a right angled flange at their maximum diameter and a button-like head, have previously been proposed as a remedy, and have proved compara tively! satisfactory n the larger ,calibers. In small calibers', however, While these priorwad cutting bullets have madef clean holes in the tar.- get,.they'have beensoerratic in their acc'uracy that they have not been suitablelfor target'shootingh gw I havefound-that if the bullet is maintained in its normal 'shapeand anannular cutting fin is ,formed on the ogfivekat a point where the diameter of the fin will lie within the maximum diameter of the bullet, a clean cutting of the target will be. obtained with-no effect upon the acprising, and I-believe that the explanationis found in the distortion undergone by the bullet injits travel thr'ough' the "barrel. Due to the reail) action of: the bullet s inertia to the force of the explosion thebullet'is compressed in length, and the ogive is shortened and its larger'portion made more nearly the same size' as the cylindrical portion of the bullet. Thisof course bringsthe fin out more nearly to the full diameter of the bullet, andtthus ,in correct position'to cut the target.

Werethe fin to be made initially of too largea diameter, it would be brought forciblyinto contact with the barrel by the compression of the bullet, and its cuttingedge destroyed or blunted. .On the other hand, if the cutting fin is formed too far down on the ogive, the compression of theticular nature of the ammunition to which'the' cutting fin. I

given to the bullet, and hence upon theultiinate position of. the cutting fin. No dimensionalrules canbe given, therefore, without knowing the parinvention is to be applied.

The cutting fin' can if desired be formed upon the bullet during its manufacture; For several reasons, however, it is preferable toform the cutting fin immediately beforefiring. Each marksman has his own favorite brand of ammunition, l0

and it isthereio're desirable to provide some method and apparatus by which he'may adapt that particular ammunition for'wad cutting. The

cutting fin employed in accordance with this 'beforethe timeof its use; and have provided for this purpose a portable apparatus which" can be employed at the target range if desired, and

whichcan be adjusted to give the size'of fin best suited to the preferences of the user. The invention will now be described in accord ance with the accompanying drawing, in which curacy of fiightof the bullet. The fact that such 1 Fig. 1 is a side .elevation of aholding or chucking apparatus for the cartridge;

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the fin cutting part of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1;; Fig. 4 is an end view, looking from the left in Fig.2; I a V Fig. 5'isa side view of acartridge the bullet of which has been provided with a cutting fin in accordance with this-invention;

Fig. 6 is a detail of the bullet removed from the a case; and

Fig. 7 is-adetail of the bullet-illustrating the 40 action of the bullet compression inshifting the In'Figst5 and 6 the bullet ll] has areduced por tion 50 by which it maybe fixed in the case i l in the usual way. The cutting fin iris formed as an annular projection or burr upon an intermediate portion of the ogive l3. As has been :stated above, the location of the cutting fin is preferably Within the maximum diameter of the bullet, here projected for reference as a dotted line Hi. When the bullet passesthrough the barrel it will have been somewhat compressed 1ongitudinally, as shown in Fig. 7 by the elimination of the shoulder 50 and the presence of rifiing marks throughout the length of the bullet; and

this will bring the burr l2 out nearlyjto the line H, as shown in Fig. 7, without substantially changing its form. In the latter condition it strikes the target,; the burr'cutting off the torn edges produced by the puncturing action of the head it of the bullet. The action is noticeably greater with increased velocity, probably on ac count of the greater effect of the inertia of the paper edges in resisting a high speed blow.

The apparatus provided for forming the cut-.7 ting fins or burrs on the bullets is illustrated in It consists'of two parts, one for Figs. 1 to4. I holding the cartridge and the other for forming the fin. The cartridge holding parts l6 has a hole 5! in one end of the same diameter as the cartridge. At the other end of the holding member I6 is a hole It of larger diameter, extending deeply enough into the body of the'member Hi to expose a portion of the ogive of the bullet A lateral slot .5 9 is formed in the member at the point where the case'ends, and'in this is a clamping slide 26"having a hole 2| slightly lar'ger'tl'ianthe hole IT. .A screw 22 is threaded into the slide and straddles the walls of the slot, southat by tightening it the slide can be drawn laterally to clamp the case-and'bullet simultaneously in .the member H3. The member IE5 is preferably knurled on its outer surface to facilitate its being. held firmly.

, The cutting tool shown in Figs. 3 and 4 has a body portion 25, also knurled on its outer surface,

- provided with a through hole 26; Into one end'of this holeslidesjthe cuttingtool proper 2'l, held against rotation by a set 'screw 28 extending into a keyway 29. A threaded shank30 extends from the cutting tool, and is screwed'into'a nut 3| having a threaded hole 32. The 'nut is provided with ahead 33, preferably. graduated for cooperation with an index mark on the body 25, and is held against longitudinal movement by a set screw 34 fitting into anannular groove 35 in the nut. The nut canbeturned to regulate the extent to which the cutting tool projects beyond'the end 35 of the body, after whichi-tcan be clamped in adjusted position by tightening the set screw 34 so that it bears against the bottomof its groove. The end of the cutting tool .is preferably made conical, and is formed with a, central depression at which fits over the end of theogive of the bullet. If de sired teeth 4i may be formed in the conical portion of the tool. to assist the actionof the cutting edge43.

'In use a cartridge'is clamped in the holder it by turning the screw 22, the slide 253 engaging the bullet, and preferably both the, bulletfand the case so as to prevent relative turning during the cutting. The shank 21 of the cutting tool is then introduced into the hole 18 of ,the hold'eiyand as soon as the cutting edge 43 contacts with the bullet the'tool is 'manually rotated to cause a circular furrowto be cut in the ogive offthe bullet. Due tothe shape of the cutting tool a sharp burr will be turned up at theouter side of thefurrow.

The depth of the furrow, and consequently the size of the burr, can be regulated by changing the amount which the cutting tool projects beyond "the shoulder 36.

cutting tool will sink into it readily until its- The bullet being soft, the

progress is arrested by contact of the shoulder 36 with the end ofthe holder IS. The rim M of the case limits the position of the cartridge, and the shoulder 36 limits the ultimate positionjof the cutting tool, so that an accurate control of the size of the fin l2 can be obtained by varying the setting of head '33.

Instead of using a rotating cutting tool it is of course possible to strike up the burr by direct pressure.

with for striking up an outstanding cutting fin on the ogive of the bullet.

. 12. A-devicefor' formingwad cutting bullets which comprises clamping means for holding a previously assembled cartridge, a 'cutting' tool coacting therewith for striking up an outstanding cutting fin on the ogive of the bullet, and means for adjusting positively the depth of cut given by said'tool.

,3, A device for forming wad cutting bullets which comprises clamping means for holding a previously'assernbled cartridge, said means being formed with a recess into which the bullet-projects, a cutting tool fitting into said recess and formed to strike up an outstandingcutting fin on theogive of the bullet, and a member'adjusta'ble on said cutting tool and adapted to strike against the clamping means" to limit the depth of cut given to the bullet. r

4; A device for forming wad cutting bullets which comprises clamping'means for a previously assembled cartridge, said means being formed with a recess into-which the bullet projects, a

cutting device having a bodyg'a tool slidable in the body and adapted to enter the recess in the clamping member; the end of the tool being formed with. a bullet receiving recess and a circular cuttingedge, an adjusting member secured in thebody against longitudinal movement'and having screw threaded engagement with the tool to change its degree of projection from the end of the body and thereby the depth of its penetration into the recess in the clamping member, and means for securing the adjusting member in adjusted position. 7

' DOUGLAS B. WESSON.

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