Abstract:
A pellet having an external configuration capable of promoting the aerodynamic and/or terminal (penetration) characteristics of the pellet. The pellet includes a head that defines a projectile tip coinciding with an axis of the pellet, and a raised pattern centered around the projectile tip. The raised pattern comprises a plurality of legs radiating from a center of the raised pattern that coincides with the projectile tip. The raised pattern is defined by at least two tiers that are generally congruent, of different size, and converge at the projectile tip. A smallest of the tiers is superimposed on a largest of the tiers and defines the projectile tip.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/929,167, filed Jan. 20, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to ammunition adapted to be fired from air (gas) operated guns (hereinafter, air guns). More particularly, this invention relates to a pellet having an external configuration capable of promoting the aerodynamic and terminal (penetration) characteristics of the pellet. 
         [0003]    Pellets adapted for use in air guns are typically configured to have a solid head and a hollow skirt. The skirt typically has a frustoconical shape that increases in diameter in the axial direction away from the head, such that the minimum diameter of the skirt is adjacent the head to define a waist between the head and skirt, and the maximum diameter of the skirt is at an end thereof oppositely disposed from the head. The skirt is often intentionally designed to be more malleable than the head to enable the skirt to radially expand when subjected to the high pressure gas used to propel the pellet through the bore of an air gun, such that the outer perimeter of the skirt serves to seal the skirt against the bore to maximize the propulsion effect of the gas as the pellet travels through the bore during firing. 
         [0004]    Aerodynamic and terminal (penetration) characteristics of pellets are of considerable interest, and various pellet designs have been proposed to promote the performance of pellets, including stability, firing accuracy, impact effect, etc. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention provides a pellet having an external configuration capable of promoting the aerodynamic and/or terminal (penetration) characteristics of the pellet. 
         [0006]    The pellet includes a head that defines a projectile tip coinciding with an axis of the pellet, and a raised pattern centered around the projectile tip. The raised pattern comprises a plurality of legs radiating from a center of the raised pattern that coincides with the projectile tip. The raised pattern is defined by at least two tiers that are generally congruent, of different size, and converge at the projectile tip. A smallest tier of the tiers is superimposed on a largest tier of the tiers and defines the projectile tip. 
         [0007]    Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be appreciated from the following detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pellet in accordance with a nonlimiting embodiment of the invention. 
           [0009]      FIGS. 2 and 3  are top and bottom views of the pellet of  FIG. 1   
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the pellet of  FIG. 1  and shows the top of the pellet in more detail. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a more detailed side view of the pellet head of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    As represented in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , a pellet  10  in accordance with a particular but nonlimiting embodiment of the invention has a head  12 , a hollow frustoconical-shaped skirt  14 , and a waist  16  therebetween. The head  12  defines a projectile tip  22  of the pellet  10  that coincides with an axis  34  of the pellet  10 , which in the embodiment shown in the drawings is an axis of symmetry. The skirt  14  defines an internal cavity or chamber  15  ( FIG. 3 ) surrounded by the skirt  14 . The skirt  14  increases in diameter in the axial direction away from the head  12 , such that the minimum exterior diameter of the skirt  14  is adjacent the waist  16 , and the maximum diameter of the skirt  14  is at a distal end  18  thereof oppositely disposed from the head  12 . The head  12  may have a maximum diameter that is less than the maximum diameter at the end  18  of the skirt  14 , such that significant contact does not occur between the head  12  and the surface of an air gun&#39;s bore (not shown) as the pellet  10  travels through the bore during firing. The skirt  14  is preferably designed to be more malleable than the head  12  to enable the skirt  14  to radially expand when its chamber  15  is subjected to a high pressure gas that serves to propel the pellet  10  through a bore, such that the outer perimeter of the skirt  14  at its distal end  18  provides a sealing effect between the skirt  14  and the bore surface to maximize the propulsion effect of the gas. Certain other aspects of the pellet  10  may be generally conventional and therefore will not be discussed in any detail here. 
         [0013]    As represented in  FIG. 1 , the head  12  of the pellet  10  defines two surfaces  13 A and  13 B that adjoin to define a periphery  17  that forms the maximum diameter of the head  12 . The surface  13 A closest to the projectile tip  22  has a generally paraboloid shape that tapers to increase in diameter in the axial direction away from the projectile tip  22  and toward the skirt  14 . The surface  13 B closest to the skirt  14  has a generally frustoconical shape that tapers to increase in diameter in the axial direction away from the skirt  14  and toward the projectile tip  22 . The surface  13 A of the head  12  has defined thereon a raised pattern  20  centered around the projectile tip  22  of the head  12 . The raised pattern  20  seen in the figures is generally star-shaped, with six legs  24  ( FIG. 2 ) equi-angularly radiating from the center of the pattern  20 , which coincides with the projectile tip  22  of the pellet  10 . Though the raised pattern  20  is represented as defining six legs  24 , the pattern  20  could have fewer or more legs  24 , with a preferred range believed to be from three to six legs  24  equi-angularly radiating from the center of the pattern  20 . 
         [0014]    The raised pattern  20  and its legs  24  comprise multiple tiers that are generally congruent, of different size, and converge at the tip  22 . The raised pattern  20  is represented in the drawings as having two tiers  26  and  28 , though it is foreseeable that the pattern  20  could comprise more than two tiers. In the embodiment shown, the larger tier  28  defines the outermost perimeter of the pattern  20  and legs  24  at the surface  13 A of the head  12 . The larger tier  28  defines a surface  28 A that is outwardly offset from the surface  13 A of the head  12  to define a step  28 B therebetween at the outermost perimeter of the pattern  20 . Within each leg  24 , the offset of the step  28 B (corresponding to the thickness of the larger tier  28 ) gradually increases in the axial direction towards the tip  22  of the pellet  10 . In addition, each surface  28 A tapers to a point in the axial direction towards the skirt  14 , which is believed to promote the aerodynamic and/or terminal (penetration) characteristics of the pellet  10 . As more readily apparent from  FIG. 5 , the intersections of the surfaces  28 A and  28 B define offset edges  32 . 
         [0015]    The smaller tier  26  is superimposed on the larger tier  28  and defines the pellet tip  22 . Within each leg  24 , the smaller tier  26  generally has a triangular cross-section defined by two converging side surfaces  26 A, each tapering to a point in the axial direction toward the skirt  14 . As more readily apparent from  FIG. 5 , the intersections of the surfaces  26 A define offset edges  30 , and the distance of each edge  30  from the surface  28 A of the larger tier  28  (corresponding to the thickness of the smaller tier  26 ) gradually increases towards the tip  22  of the pellet  10 . The edges  30  defined by the converging surfaces  26 A are sharp and pointed in the direction of flight, which is believed to enhance the aerodynamic and terminal (penetration) characteristics of the pellet  10 . 
         [0016]    Relative to the contour of the head  12  that would be present in the absence of the raised pattern  20 , the smaller and larger tiers  26  and  28  have roughly the same thickness at the tip  22  of the pellet  10  in the axial direction. The thicknesses of the tiers  26  and  28  are intended to culminate in a sharp point at the tip  22 , which is believed to further enhance aerodynamic and penetration qualities of the pellet  10 . 
         [0017]    The two-tiered, six-legged raised pattern  20  shown in the Figures creates a total of six offset edges  30  defined by the smaller tier  26  (one edge  30  per leg  24 ) and twelve offset edges  32  defined by the larger tier  28  (two edges  32  per leg  24 ). The multiple edges  30  and  32  are believed to be capable of promoting terminal performance at the point of impact with a target. For example, if fired from an air gun having barrel rifling, the spin induced in the pellet  10  about its axis  34  and distortion of the raised tiers  26  and  28  and their cutting edges  30  and  32  upon impact will create a jagged cutting edge that will likely produce a larger entry hole in a target and, if used for hunting, a more destructive wound channel, relative to a pellet that lacks the raised pattern  20  but is otherwise identical to the pellet  10 . As such, the offset edges  30  and  32  may be referred to as cutting edges  30  and  32 . 
         [0018]    The portions of the legs  24  defined by the larger tier  28  are represented as having equal radial lengths and as extending from the tip  22  toward the maximum diameter defined by the periphery  17  of the head  12 . As evident from  FIG. 2 , each portion of the legs  24  defined by the larger tier  28  terminates in close proximity to the periphery  17 , but does not radially project outside the periphery  17 . The portions of the legs  24  defined by the smaller tier  26  also have equal radial lengths and do not radially project outside the periphery  17 . However, the portions of the legs  24  defined by the smaller tier  26  are shorter than the portions of the legs  24  defined by the larger tier  28 . For example, the embodiment shown in the drawings depict the portions of the legs  24  defined by the smaller tier  26  as extending roughly halfway from the tip  22  to the periphery  17  of the head  12 . As such, the raised pattern  20  is entirely defined on the surface  13 A of the head  12  that is closer to the projectile tip  22  than the second surface  13 B, and the entire raised pattern  20  lies within the periphery  17  when viewed as shown in  FIG. 2 . It is foreseeable that the portions of the legs  24  defined by the smaller tier  26  could have unequal radial lengths, or the portions of the legs  24  defined by the larger tier  26  could have unequal radial lengths. In addition, though it is possible that the portions of the legs  24  defined by the smaller tier  26  could extend farther and optionally to the periphery  17  of the head  12 , the relatively shorter radial lengths of the tiers  26  are believed to promote the desired offset cutting effect of the edges  30  defined by the smaller tier  26 . 
         [0019]    While the invention has been described in terms of a specific embodiment, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the pellet  10  could differ in appearance and construction from the embodiment shown in the Figures, and various processes and materials could be used in the fabrication of the pellet  10 . Accordingly, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment illustrated in the Figures. It should also be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed above are for the purpose of disclosing the illustrated embodiment, and do not necessarily serve as limitations to the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.