Patent ID: 7658137
Filing Date: 2010-02-09
Classification: F42B

Abstract:
1. A method of manufacturing a frangible firearm slug, comprising: holding a firearm slug container with an open end, a closed end, and a payload cavity having a circumferential rib therein in a tooling device that includes a top surface so the open end of the container is even with the top surface of the tooling device; overfilling the payload cavity with a liquid mixture of powdered particles and a binder at a temperature above a melt point of the binder; vibrating the tooling device holding the slug container to settle the powdered particles in the liquid mixture toward a bottom of the payload cavity; cooling the liquid mixture to form a solidified mixture, using the circumferential rib within the payload cavity to retain the solidified mixture inside the payload cavity until impact with a solid object after firing, wherein during impact the frangible payload substantially disintegrates reducing ricochet, wherein a portion of the solidified mixture is outside the payload cavity and above the top surface of the tooling device; and removing the portion of the solidified mixture that is outside the payload cavity and above the top surface of the tooling device.