Improvement in Projectiles for Small Arms (Sporting and Military).
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvement in Projectiles for Small Arms (Sporting and
Military).
I, DANIEL FRASER, of 4 Leith Street Terrace, Edinburgh, in the County of
Midlothian, N.B., Gun and Rifle Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:--
The object of the Invention is to improve and render more regular and invariable
the Expansion, on impact with any penetrable substance, of any Small Arm Projectile
having its leaden or other Core covered wholly or partially by a Metallic Envelope or
Mantlet of harder material than the Core, such as Nickel, Steel, Copper, or any
Alloy; which said Envelope as presently used in such projectiles prevents or retards
the free expansion of the soft Core on impact with any penetrable substance.
The means by which I effect the said improvement are-In a projectile covered
throughout its entire length by its Envelope, the tip or front extremity of the Envelope
is removed to a greater or less extent according to the thickness or hardness of its
material, but not to such an extent as to endanger the coherence of the Envelope
and the Core during the passage of the projectile through a grooved rifle-barrel (in a
projectile whose Envelope does not cover the tip, the aforesaid removal of parts thereof
is obviously unnecessary). Diagonal Slots are made through or partly through the
material of the Envelope in a contrary direction to the angle of the grooves or rifling
in the barrel of the rifle in which the projectile is intended to be used, as shown in
Figs. 1 and 2 herewith: and the said Slots are also made inclining in a direction so
as to form a ratchet on the surface of the Envelope, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4
herewith. The said Slots may vary in length, depth, number, and longitudinal and
vertical direction. In the case of a Projectile in which greater penetration and
slower expansion are desirable, I may make the said Slots in a direction similar to or
coinciding with the angle of the grooving in the barrel in which it is to be used; or
I may make the said Slots bent or zig-zag as shown in Figs. 5 and 6; or I may omit
the splaying of the Slots to form a ratchet-shaped surface as aforesaid.
The effect of the diagonal Slots herein before described is to cause the Envelope,
on the impact of the Projectile with any substance penetrable to it, to strip off with
great rapidity; the point of the projectile being first forced backwards by the impact
sufficiently to expand or bulge the Envelope where slotted, upon which the spin or
revolution of the Projectile will cause the Envelope to he shed at once, releasing the
soft Core for the purpose of free expansion to any desired extent according to the
length of the Slots. The Projectile then assumes a mushroom shape, making a
wound much larger than its original area of impart.
Dated this Twenty-third day of February, Eighteen hundred and ninety-seven
years A.D.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Projectiles for Small Arms (Sporting
and Military).
I, DANIEL FRASER, of 4 Leith Street Terrace Edinburgh, in the County of
Midlothian, N.B., Gun and Rifle Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this Invention is to improve and render more regular and invariable
the Expansion, on impact with any penetrable substance, of any Small Arm Projectile
having its leaden or other Core covered wholly or partially by a metallic Envelope or
Mantlet of harder material than the Core, such as Nickel, Steel, Copper, or any
Alloy; which said Envelope as presently used in such Projectiles prevents or retards
the free expansion of the soft Core on impact with any substance penetrable to the
Projectile.
The means by which I effect the said improvement are,-In a Projectile covered
throughout its entire length by its Envelope, the tip or front extremity of the
Envelope is removed to a greater or less extent according to the thickness or hardness
of its material, but not to such an extent as to endanger the coherence of the
Envelope and the Core during the passage of the Protectile through a grooved rifle-
barrel. (In a Projectile whose Envelope does not cover the tip, the aforesaid removal
of part thereof is obviously unnecessary). Diagonal Slots are made through or partly
through the material of the Envelope in a contrary direction to the angle of the
grooves or rifling in the barrel of the rifle in which the Projectile is intended to be
used; and the said Slots are also made inclining in a direction so as to form a ratchet
on the surface of the Envelope. The said Slots may vary in length, depth, number,
and vertical and longitudinal direction. In the case of a Projectile in which greater
penetration, and slower expansion. a
are desirable, I may make the said Slots in a
direction similar to or coinciding with the angle of the grooving in the barrel in
which it is to be used; or I may make the said Slots bent, curved, or zig-zag; or I
may omit the splaying of the Slots to form a ratchet shaped surface as aforesaid.
In the Drawings filed with Provisional Specification-
Fig. 1 represents a Projectile covered by its Envelope throughout its entire length,
and shows the method of exposing the Core by removing the tip of the Envelope,
and the oblique direction of the Slots considered longitudinally to the axis of the
Projectile:
Fig. 2 represents a Projectile not wholly covered by it's Envelope, and shows the
direction of the Slots as in Fig. 1:
Fig. 3 represents an enlarged Section at right angles to the axis of either class of
Projectile, and shows the direction of the Slots considered vertically to the said axis
and with reference to the Projectile's rotation on the same:
Fig. 4 represents a similar section to that in Fig. 3, and shows the method of
splaying the sides of the Slots to form a ratchet-shaped surface on the Envelope also
with reference to the Projectile's axial rotation :
Fig. 5 represents a Projectile showing the alternative zig-zag direction of the
Slots: and
Fig. 6 represents a Projectile showing the alternative bent. or curved direction of
the Slots.
The effect of the diagonal or oblique Slots hereinbefore described is to cause the
Envelope, on the impact of the Projectile with any substance penetrable to it, to
strip off with great rapidity; the point of the Projectile being first forced backwards
by the impact sufficiently to expand or bulge the Envelope at the part slotted, upon
which the spin or revolution of the Projectile will cause the Envelope to be shed at

page_text: once, releasing the soft Core for the purpose of free expansion to any desired extent
according to the length and direction of the said Slots. The Projectile then assumes
a mushroom shape, making a wound much larger than its original area of impact.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
First. The direction of the Slots in the Envelope of the Proj ectile oblique to the
axis of the Projectile at any angle either towards or away from the direction of the
grooves in the barrel of the rifle in which the Projectile is intended to be used:
Second. The zig-zag, curved, or bent direction of the said Slots, alternatively:
Third. The direction and shaping of the said Slots to form a ratchet on the
Envelope of the Projectile.