Patent ID: 6070532
Filing Date: 2000-06-06
Classification: F42B

Abstract:
A projectile to be fired from a weapon having a rifled barrel, said rifled barrel having an interior bore of a first diameter and a barrel groove surface of a second diameter greater than said first diameter, said projectile comprising:a monolithic copper alloy of generally circular exterior latitudinal cross-section having a fore portion and an aft portion with a mid-portion disposed therebetween;said fore portion extending from a nose thereof to a first transition plane and having arcuate sidewalls when viewed in longitudinal cross-section, that constantly increase in latitudinal exterior cross-sectional diameter from said nose to said first transition plane, a hollow cylindrical bore extending from an open end of said nose to a closed end proximate to said first transition plane;said mid-portion having a body portion of generally constant latitudinal cross-section extending from said first transition plane to a second transition plane and a drive band portion of generally constant latitudinal cross-section extending from said second transition plane to a third transition plane, said body portion having a latitudinal diameter slightly greater than said first diameter but less than said second diameter and effective to minimally contact said rifling of said rifled barrel and said drive band having a latitudinal diameter greater than said body portion latitudinal diameter and effective to seal propellant gases behind a heel of said projectile; andsaid aft portion having a latitudinal diameter that constantly decreases from said third transition plane to said heel.