Target marking bullet

A projectile has a hollow casing (1, 2) with a perforated nose portion (11), a piston (3) disposed within the casing, and a marking substance (4) disposed forwardly of the piston. The piston (3) is movable forwardly under force applied to it by gas used to discharge the projectile. The marking substance (4) is thereby compressed and expelled through the nose portion for contact with a target.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention is generally directed to marking bullets or projectiles 
which contain a dye substance used for marking a target upon impact. 
2. History of the Related Art 
It is known to issue security forces with marking bullets which may be 
fired at selected persons in a crowd of rioters, for example, in order to 
mark them with an indelible dye. Such bullets may also be used for 
training purposes, when they may be fired at persons taking part in 
training exercises, or at targets. 
The known marking bullets are so formed as to burst when they strike a 
medium hard surface at an impact force of less than 3 ft/lbs. Because of 
their nature, the known marking bullets must be handled carefully and are 
not suited for use in weapons which re-load automatically. 
The marking bullet proposed herein overcomes this problem and is capable of 
accepting a degree of rough handling and, in particular, of being used in 
automatic weapons.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings, the proposed marking bullet comprises a hollow 
case formed from an outer shell 1 and insert 2. The shell 1 has a dome 
shaped nose portion 11 from which a cylindrical sleeve 12 extends 
rearwardly. The insert has a mid-portion 21 which is fitted tightly within 
the sleeve 12, a shoulder portion 22 which abuts against the rearward edge 
of the sleeve 12, and a smaller diameter spigot 23 projecting forwardly 
from the mid-portion. Slidably fitted onto the spigot is a piston 3 which 
has a domed head generally complementary in shape to the inner side of the 
dome shaped nose portion 11. 
The nose portion 11 has an array of slots 5 extending radially from a 
central hub portion 6 and contains a dye formed by a mass 4 of spreadable, 
semi-solid material, which may have a gelatinous, greasy or pasty 
consistency, and be in the nature of the material used to form 
conventional lipstick. 
Extending through the insert 2 is an axial bore 7 to enable the bullet to 
be mounted on a spigot projecting from a suitably adapted cartridge. 
Alternatively the bullet may be held in place by the rim of the cartridge 
in the conventional way, but will nevertheless be provided with a bore 
connecting the rear face of the piston to atmosphere at the trailing end 
of the bullet. Upon firing, the gas serving to propel the bullet from the 
barrel of a weapon penetrates through the bore 7 and drives the piston 3 
forwards to nest within the nose 11. The piston thereby expels the dye 
through the slots 5. The exterior of the nose 11 is thereby covered in a 
layer or film of dye which applies itself to the target when the latter is 
struck by the bullet. 
The case of the bullet is formed from a light weight material such as hard 
plastic, aluminum or magnesium alloy. The material which is used should 
allow a bullet to be manufactured which is strong enough to withstand 
rough handling and automatic cycling but light enough to impact on the 
target at below 3 ft/lbs impact force. The dye carried by the bullet does 
not come into contact with the hands of personnel or with gun mechanisms 
during handling and loading, but is made to coat the exterior of the nose 
11 by the time the bullet has been ejected from the weapon. Because the 
nose 11 has a smooth outer surface on which the dye may form a thin, 
easily removable greasy coating, the bullet will mark anything that it 
touches, even at low impact forces or with a glancing blow. 
The nose 11 may be formed with a single slot, or with one or more openings 
other than slots, or may have a mesh-like structure. 
It falls within the scope of the invention for the insert 2 to he omitted, 
provided that the piston is retained within the case in such a way that it 
will not part from the case during flight. The bullet may be used in 
conjunction with conventional pyrotechnic or gas cartridges. It is, 
however, within the scope of the invention for the bullet to be propelled 
from guns in which a projectile is discharged by air or gas pressure 
without the use of a cartridge.