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WO1992010717A1 - Piege a balles - Google Patents

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Publication number
WO1992010717A1
WO1992010717A1 PCT/US1991/008160 US9108160W WO9210717A1 WO 1992010717 A1 WO1992010717 A1 WO 1992010717A1 US 9108160 W US9108160 W US 9108160W WO 9210717 A1 WO9210717 A1 WO 9210717A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
chamber
plates
trap
boundary wall
bullet
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1991/008160
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Ronald Coburn
Original Assignee
Ronald Coburn
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US07/627,705 external-priority patent/US5070763A/en
Priority claimed from US07/760,750 external-priority patent/US5113700A/en
Priority claimed from US07/760,714 external-priority patent/US5121671A/en
Application filed by Ronald Coburn filed Critical Ronald Coburn
Publication of WO1992010717A1 publication Critical patent/WO1992010717A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F41—WEAPONS
    • F41J—TARGETS; TARGET RANGES; BULLET CATCHERS
    • F41J13/00—Bullet catchers

Definitions

  • This invention relates to bullet traps, i.e., devices used to catch and stop bullets and like projectiles fired from rifles, shotguns, handguns, airguns, and the like in a firearm testing facility or a commercial firing range.
  • bullet traps i.e., devices used to catch and stop bullets and like projectiles fired from rifles, shotguns, handguns, airguns, and the like in a firearm testing facility or a commercial firing range.
  • Bullet traps per se are well known devices which have been used for many years by firearm manu- facturers and users (the latter including firing rang ⁇ es operated by military installations, police depart ⁇ ments, rifle and pistol clubs, and the like) who are faced either with the need to proof, function fire and target firearms such as handguns, rifles and shotguns or with the task of simply collecting spent bullets fired on the range.
  • ' ⁇ proof means test firing a firearm at a higher load of ammunition, usually 40% greater, than the regular load specified for the barrel of that firearm
  • function fire means test firing the firearm through its full cycle of functions
  • target means test firing the firearm for accuracy.
  • the objectives of such devices have been to provide means located at a relatively short distance from the shooter to catch the lead or other types of bullets (jacketed or unjacketed) and prevent either the ricochet of a whole bullet or a large frag- ment thereof or the backsplattering of numerous small metal particles, which could return with enough energy to cause injury to the shooter or innocent bystanders, and to collect the waste lead, brass and jacket ate- rial.
  • the known types of bullets traps have run the gamut from wood boards to sand-filled boxes to metal ⁇ lic funnel and deceleration chamber combinations.
  • a known sand-type bullet trap consists of a quantity of sand in a hardwood box set against a concrete backstop or wall.
  • a bullet trap of this class has a number of drawbacks and disadvantages, both in terms of its structural and functional characteristics and in terms of the expenses associated with it.
  • material requirements hardwood and sand
  • annual maintenance comes to about 8 man-hours per week for 50 weeks.
  • Disposal of such a sand/wood trap and accumulated waste requires handling a load of about 15 tons per year, including transportation to a landfill.
  • bullet traps are generally not multi-func ⁇ tional, i.e., they cannot be used to proof, function fire and target firearms in one system because their impact plates would be demolished by the high load ammunition used in proofing. Also, these traps are usually limited by their design for use with either handguns or high powered rifles but not both. Disclosure of the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved bullet trap by means of which the aforesaid drawbacks and disadvantages of the known bullet traps can be efficaciously avoided.
  • a bullet trap for catching and deenergizing a bullet fired along a substantially horizontal path of flight from a firearm
  • which trap (like many of the known traps) has a first pair of spaced flat plates located on opposite sides of the path of flight of the bullet and a second pair of spaced flat plates arranged transverse to the first plates on opposite sides of the bullet flight path, with the two pairs of plates defining the respective sides of a passageway having at its front end an en ⁇ trance opening and at its rear end an exit opening or throat through which the bullet can pass, and a spent bullet deceleration and energy-dissipating chamber the circumferential boundary wall of which is of generally spiral configuration and the opposite end walls of which are constituted by portions of the respective second plates, with the passageway communicating with the chamber substantially tangentially of the latter through the throat.
  • the basic improvement provided by the invention comprises the following features: (a) The two first plates are lo ⁇ cated, respectively, above and below the path of flight of the bullet and are oriented at respective angles of inclination to the horizontal ranging from 0* to about 15", with the structural and physical properties of the first plates, e.g., the nature and strength of the material of which the first plates are made, and the maximum angles of inclination within that range at which those plates are oriented relative to the horizontal, being a function in any given trap of the types and power ratings of the firearms and ammunition to be used with that trap; (b) the bullet deceleration and energy-dissipating chamber has a sub- stantially horizontal axis, and the circumferential boundary wall thereof is defined by a curved extension of the lower one of the two first plates, with (i) an initial part of the chamber wall extending from the lower first plate generally rearwardly of the passage- way first at an orientation to the horizontal substan ⁇ tially the same as
  • a trap according to the invention which is designed for use with all types of manual firearms and all types of ammunition, regardless of the power thereof, would have the two first plates constructed of 1.9 cm (3/4 inch) thick high-tensile steel sheet and be a fairly large struc- ture, with its length (from the entrance opening of the passageway to the back of the deceleration cham ⁇ ber) being between 2.4 and 3.6 m (8 and 12 feet), its maximum height (measured vertically from the bottom edge of the trap, exclusive of the legs, to the top of the deceleration chamber) being between 1.8 and 2.4 m (6 and 8 feet), and its width being between 0.6 and 0.9 m (2 and 3 feet), with the angle of inclination of the two first plates to the horizontal being about 7 ⁇ , with the radii of curvature of the deceleration cha - ber wall parts being on the order of not less than about 71.1 cm (28 inches), and with the size of the entrance opening preferably being (depending on the
  • such a trap when designed for use with nothing more powerful than a .22 long ri ⁇ fle may be made of 0.48 cm (3/16 inch) thick high ten ⁇ sile steel sheet and may be 91.4 cm (36 inches) long, 71.1 cm (28 inches) high, and 33.0 cm (13 inches) wide, with the two first plates being inclined at an ⁇ gles of about 12" to the horizontal starting from a 33 cm by 33 cm (13 inches by 13 inches) wide entrance opening, and with the radii of curvature of the vari ⁇ ous parts of the deceleration chamber wall being on the order of not less than about 20.3 cm (8 inches).
  • the trap may be made of 0.64 cm (1/4 inch) thick high tensile steel sheet and may be 127 cm (50 inches) long, 76.2 cm (30 inches) high, and 40.6 cm (16 inches) wide, with the two first plates being in ⁇ clined at angles of about 7" to the horizontal start ⁇ ing from a 40.6 cm by 40.6 cm (16 inches by 16 inches) entrance opening, and with the radii of curvature of the various parts of the deceleration chamber wall being on the order of not less than about 22.9 or 25.4 cm (9 or 10 inches) .
  • the first plates of the trap actually need not be made of steel but may be made of suitable self-lu ⁇ bricating plastics or comparable materials, e.g., ny ⁇ lon, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, graphite, and the like, which may be fiber-reinforced and/or otherwise treated with suitable additives as needed for enhancing their integrity.
  • suitable self-lu ⁇ bricating plastics or comparable materials e.g., ny ⁇ lon, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, graphite, and the like, which may be fiber-reinforced and/or otherwise treated with suitable additives as needed for enhancing their integrity.
  • the dimensions of such a trap which may be a one-piece molded con ⁇ struction, may be basically the same as those of the smallest of the other traps described above, except that the elements constituting the two first plates may be inclined at angles of as much as about 15° to the horizontal and that the radii of curvature of the various parts of the deceleration chamber wall may be on the order of as little as about 15.25 cm (6 inch ⁇ es) .
  • the initial part of the deceleration chamber wall is, for all practical purposes, the most important region thereof because it serves to overcome the bullet's resistance to a change in its direction of flight and out of its original straight ahead trajectory.
  • the initial part of the latter has a radius of curvature of not less than an appropriate minimum value.
  • This minimum value of the radius of curvature is empirically determined to be that which is appropriate to keep the maximum amount of the side of the bullet presented to the chamber wall during its travel along the initial part of the latter. In this way, the shock of the bullet is distributed more evenly along the wall and over a larger surface area thereof, and tumbling of the bul ⁇ let because of its nose digging into the chamber wall (which would occur were the radius of curvature of the wall of any given trap smaller than the minimum value appropriate for that trap) is prevented. It will be understood, therefore, that since it is highly desir ⁇ able to achieve the same effect along the entire circumferential chamber wall, the same is designed so as to have at no part thereof a radius of curvature smaller than the appropriate minimum value.
  • An equally very important aspect of the in ⁇ vention is the orientation of the two upper and lower plates (the first plates) of the passageway at re- spective very low angles to the horizontal ranging, as previously mentioned, from 0 ⁇ to not more than about 15".
  • the bullet it would be preferable for the purposes of the invention for the bullet to fly straight down the passageway and to enter the deceleration chamber through the throat or exit opening of the passageway and to come into contact with the relatively gently sloping initial part of the circumferential wall of the chamber without having previously contacted or impacted against any other surface.
  • the contacted passageway plate thus acts not as a barrier tending to interrupt the flight of the bullet along its original path by having it rebound violently from the plate at a high angle, which a high angle impact plate of the known traps would do, but rather as a deflection plate tending to change the direction of flight only slight ⁇ ly.
  • the excess of the resultant angle of orientation of the bullet flight path over that of the contacted deflection plate is due to the "bounce factor" of the bullet, which in essence depends on its ballistics (primarily the angle of contact with the plate) and its physical properties (weight, shape, length, etc.).
  • the bul- ⁇ e t After being deflected by the contacted plate, the bul- ⁇ e t continues its flight along a path leading slightly away from that plate but not angled sufficiently rela ⁇ tive thereto to cause the bullet to contact the other plate, thereby passing cleanly through the throat or exit opening of the passageway.
  • the bullet comes into contact with the initial part of the circumferential boundary wall of the deceleration chamber approximately where that wall begins to slope upwardly relative to the lower plate. At that contact point, the angle of incidence is relatively low, so that the bullet is deflected from its straight ahead path into a curved path.
  • the large radius of curvature of the cham ⁇ ber wall comes into play (the term "large radius” here should also be interpreted with respect to the power of the firearm, so that a 15.25 cm (6 inches) radius is large when the firearm is an airgun while a 71.1 cm (28 inches) radius is large when the firearm is a high-powered rifle) and results in the arcuate path of the bullet effectively hugging the chamber wall and reversing its direction.
  • the risk of damage (erosion and penetration) by the bullet to the upper and lower plates of the passageway structure and to the initial part of the circumferential chamber wall is greatly minimized and the useful life of the trap is substantially enhanced.
  • the term "impact" as applied to the trap according to the invention is used herein to designate contacts be ⁇ tween a bullet and the trap walls which occur at rela ⁇ tively low angles and result in low angle deflections of the bullet from its path without appreciable frag ⁇ mentation, as distinguished from the high angle con ⁇ tacts that occur in the known traps where the bullet is in effect stopped dead in its tracks and merely rebounds from the walls at a high angle and is usually shattered into fragments.
  • the bullet circum- navigates the chamber with gradually decreasing speed while remaining in contact with the circumferential boundary wall thereof until the energy of the bullet has been substantially dissipated. It is immaterial whether or not this requires more than one turn around the entire circumference of the chamber; ultimately, the bullet falls from the terminal part of the circum- ferential chamber wall over the end edge thereof onto the region of the initial part of the wall just rear ⁇ wardly of the throat of the passageway and slides or rolls through the throat back into the passageway and along the lower first plate for removal from the trap.
  • the upper and lower plates of the passageway could actually both be oriented sub ⁇ stantially horizontally, i.e., either at a 0" angle of inclination to the horizontal and hence precisely parallel to each other, or at an angle of perhaps l ⁇ or 2° to the horizontal and converging toward one an ⁇ other in the direction of flight of the bullet.
  • Be ⁇ cause the throat leading into the deceleration chamber is relatively shallow, however, for example, about 5.1 to 6.4 cm (2 to 2.5 inches) in height
  • the orientation of the upper and lower plates of the passageway at angles in the lower end region of the stated range necessarily means that the height of the entrance opening of the passageway will also be very small.
  • the trap according to the invention is also to be used for target testing a firearm.
  • the test firing stand supporting the firearm usually is located at a much greater distance from the entrance opening of the trap, e.g., 22.9 to 27.4 m (25 to 30 yards) away, in order to let the bul ⁇ let stabilize in its path of flight prior to arriving at the trap. At that distance, the risk of the bullet missing a very narrow entrance opening is sufficiently great to make it advisable to provide a larger en ⁇ trance opening.
  • the upper and lower plates of the passageway are preferably ar ⁇ ranged at an angle of at least 7 ' to the horizontal, which in the case of a trap 3.05 to 3.66 m long (10 to 12 feet) provides an entrance opening the height of which is about 76.2 to 91.4 cm (30 to 36 inches).
  • any bullet trap of this type which is in- tended to be used with lead bullets is equipped with a spray nozzle arrangement in the deceleration chamber for directing a spray of a liquid lubricant, prefera ⁇ bly a white water lubricant of a commercially avail ⁇ able type consisting of, for example, 4 parts water and 1 part mineral oil, against the interior surface of the circumferential boundary wall of the decelera ⁇ tion chamber.
  • the spray is directed against the initial part of the wall somewhere in the zone between the three o'clock and five o'clock posi- tions, for example, at the three-to-four o'clock posi ⁇ tion.
  • the lubricant thereby flows downwardly over that portion of the chamber wall, enters the passage ⁇ way through the throat thereof, and then flows along the lower first plate to a discharge location, prefer ⁇ ably adjacent the front end thereof, ultimately drop- ping down into a collecting vessel, for example, a steel drum with a capacity of 208.175 liters (55 gal ⁇ lons) , located below a suitable opening provided in the front end region of the lower first plate.
  • a collecting vessel for example, a steel drum with a capacity of 208.175 liters (55 gal ⁇ lons) , located below a suitable opening provided in the front end region of the lower first plate.
  • the liquid thus serves multiple functions. On the one hand, it lubricates both the lower first plate of the passageway structure and the initial part of the deceleration chamber boundary wall and at the same time applies a coating of lubricant to the bul ⁇ lets fired into the trap and coming into contact with the lower first plate, thereby minimizing the metal to metal contact between the bullets and the metal sur ⁇ faces along which they move, with the result that scoring and erosion of those surfaces as well as the generation of lead dust, if the bullets are made of lead, are reduced as far as possible.
  • the liquid serves as a flushing agent through the intermediary of which shells, cas ⁇ ings, spent bullets, any lead dust that is generated, and even any lead fragments of a larger size that might split off from the bullets, are engulfed in the liquid and are flushed thereby along the lower first plate of the passageway and enter the collecting ves ⁇ sel together with the liquid. Escape of lead dust (atomized lead) into the environment and potential health hazards which that would pose are thus effec- tively avoided. Still further functions will become apparent as the description proceeds.
  • the spray nozzle system in the bullet de ⁇ celeration chamber which may be in the form of a 2.54 cm (l inch) diameter conduit extending generally par- allel to the horizontal axis of the chamber along the full length of the latter and having a plurality of holes or orifices with diameters of 0.79 cm (5/16 inch) provided therein along its entire length, is interconnected with the collecting vessel by suitable piping, and a pump is incorporated in the piping, so that the lubricating liquid can be recirculated from the collecting vessel to the spray nozzle conduit.
  • the piping is connected to the collecting vessel in an upper region thereof but in any event at a substantial elevation above the bottom of the ves ⁇ sel.
  • the collecting vessel is also provided across its entire expanse near the top thereof with a sieve or strainer member.
  • the sizes of the openings of the strainer member are such that they will permit any lead dust entrained in the lubricating liquid to pass through the strainer member but will not permit larger metal particles or shells or casings to pass through. Thus, only lead dust will accumulate on the bottom of the collecting vessel while larger objects will be retained on the strainer member.
  • the upper and lower deflection plates need not be made of high strength steel but can, as previously pointed out, be made of suitable plastics and like materials.
  • such a trap also does not have to be (although it may be) equipped with a liquid lu ⁇ bricant spray and flushing system because, given the nature of the bullets or projectiles fired from air guns, there is obviously no risk of lead dust being generated.
  • the self-lu ⁇ bricating nature of the structural material of which the deflection plates and the circumferential wall of the deceleration chamber are made ensures that fric- tional interaction between the structural parts of the trap and the pellets is minimized.
  • the advantages of the bullet trap according to the invention are manifold. Very significantly, the trap is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, can be constructed for transportability and ease of installation, and does not require the provision of thick walls, sand mounds or like back-up structures. Also, the trap is multi-functional and permits proofing, function firing and targeting of handguns, shotguns and rifles (including high-powered rifles) in one system, so that expenses that might have to be incurred in connection with the known types of bullet traps for providing duplicate separate systems for function firing, targeting and proof testing (the lat ⁇ ter, in addition to everything else, would normally require much stronger impact plates and a more heavily armored deceleration chamber) can be avoided.
  • the use of the bullet trap according to invention permits test-firing of such ri ⁇ fles to be safely performed even in a relatively small room with a distance of only 22.9 m (75 feet) or less between the muzzle of the gun and the trap.
  • Aiming of the rifles may further be facili ⁇ tated by the provision, according to another feature of the invention, of a band arranged for longitudinal movement thereof across the entrance opening of the passageway structure and having a plurality of target regions defined on its surface facing the test firing stand. Appropriate movement of the band, which may be effected manually or remotely with the aid of a suit ⁇ able electric motor or the like, thus enables a target region thereof to be selectively positioned in front of the entrance opening.
  • the trap according to the in ⁇ vention when made of appropriate materials and having its upper and lower deflection plates oriented at an appropriate angle of inclination to the horizontal, can withstand even such high energy ammunition as
  • a representative construction of such a trap designed for use with high-powered firearms utilizes a ramp angle (the angle of inclination of at least the lower first plate of the passageway) of about 7° to the horizontal and a radius of curvature of the initial part of the circum ⁇ ferential wall of the deceleration chamber of not less than about 71.1 cm (28 inches), with the ramps and the circumferential deceleration chamber boundary wall be ⁇ ing made of 0.95 cm to 1.9 cm (3/8 inch to 3/4 inch) thick high tensile steel sheet (70,000 psi minimum), with a thicker sheet being preferred for longevity if the firearms being tested shoot armor-piercing bullets or 600-grain elephant gun bullets.
  • Yet another advantage accruing from the trap of this invention is that, when a liquid lubricant flushing system is used, the lubricating fluid moves through an essentially closed and self-contained sys ⁇ tem, so that it basically requires nothing more by way of maintenance than a periodic replacement of any wa ⁇ ter that may have evaporated over time.
  • the lubricant circulation system of the trap provides an additional advantage in that it enables dispersion of lead dust into the environment to be inhibited.
  • any lead dust generated in the course of the movement of the bullet along the metal surfaces of the initially encountered impact plate and the subsequent ⁇ ly encountered circumferential wall of the decelera ⁇ tion chamber is inevitably, and without any possibili ⁇ ty of escape from the system, engulfed by and en- trapped in the liquid lubricant sprayed out of the spray nozzles and continuously flowing downwardly over the chamber wall and from there on over the lower plate of the passageway.
  • the lead dust is flushed by the liquid into the collecting ves ⁇ sel, where it settles out of the liquid and accumu- lates on the bottom of the vessel.
  • Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a bullet trap according to the invention
  • Fig. 2 is a front end elevational view of the trap with some parts being broken away and illus- trated in section to show details, the view being tak ⁇ en along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; and
  • Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.
  • the bullet trap 10 is shown as including, between a pair of spaced elon ⁇ gated vertical side walls 11 and 12, a passageway structure 13 having upper and lower walls 13a and 13b and into the front end entrance opening 13c of which a projectile B, either a powder-discharged bullet or a BB, can be fired from a firearm (not shown) supported on a suitable test-firing stand (not shown) but including an aiming tube T the inner diameter of which is about 7.6 cm (3 inches) less than the height of the entrance opening 13c.
  • a projectile B either a powder-discharged bullet or a BB
  • the trap further includes at its front end a target positioning means 14 and at its rear end a generally spirally configured spent bullet deceleration and energy-dissipating chamber 15 the interior of which communicates substantially tangen ⁇ tially thereof with the interior of the passageway structure 13 through a shallow exit opening or throat 13d of the latter.
  • the chamber 15 is shown as being equipped with a suitable spray nozzle means 16 for spraying a liquid lubricant onto a selected region of the interior wall surface of the chamber, although, as previously pointed out herein, in a trap made of self- lubricating plastics or the like and designed for use with air guns only, such a lubricant spray system is not necessary and can be dispensed with.
  • a collecting vessel 17 for receiving liquid lubricant (if any) and solids discharged from the chamber and passageway structure is arranged under the lower wall 13b of the passageway structure at a suitable discharge location (e.g., adjacent the front end) thereof, and, when a spray system is used, a piping arrangement 18 incorpo ⁇ rating a pump P is provided between the collecting vessel 17 and the spray nozzle means 16 for feeding liquid lubricant from the collecting vessel to the spray nozzle means.
  • the side walls 11 and 12 of the trap 10 are connected in any suitable manner at a plurality of longitudinally spaced locations (three are illustrated and have been found to be sufficient) to the opposite ends of respective horizontal cross beams 19, 20 and 21.
  • the beams 19 and 21 are connected to and supported by respective pairs of vertical legs 22, 22a and 23, 23a adapted to stand on a suitable sup- porting surface S, for example, the ground or a floor of a room or basement of a building.
  • Additional ri ⁇ gidity is imparted to the side wall structure of the trap by a pair of right triangular vertical stiffening plates 19a, 19b which are connected to the cross beam 19 and the proximate regions of the side wall plates 11 and 12, and by a rectangular vertical stiffening plate 20a which is connected along one longitudinal edge thereof to the cross beam 20 and at its opposite end edges to the proximate regions of the side wall plates 11 and 12.
  • the upper and lower walls 13a and 13b of the passageway structure 13 of the trap are connected at the respective opposite side edges thereof to the in- wardly directed faces of the side wall-forming plates 11 and 12.
  • the plates 13a and 13b are located above and below, respectively, the horizontal path of flight X of the projectile B.
  • the plates 13a and 13b are shown as being oppositely inclined relative to the horizontal at respective angles ⁇ and ⁇ and as converging toward one another from the front end region 10a of the trap toward the rear end region 10b thereof, i.e., in the direction of flight of the projectile.
  • the plates 13a and 13b thereby define a generally funnel-shaped pas- sageway structure having a relatively wide entrance opening 13c at the front end and a relatively shallow throat or exit opening 13d at its rear end.
  • the an ⁇ gles of inclination a and ⁇ of the plates 13a and 13b lie between 0 s and about 15° to the horizontal and preferably (but not necessarily) are equal to each other.
  • the deceleration chamber 15 of the trap 10 which has a horizontal axis, is located generally rearwardly of the passageway structure 13 and is de ⁇ fined between respective portions of the side wall- forming plates 11 and 12 in the rear end region 10b of the trap and a circumferential boundary wall 25 con- nected at its opposite side edges to the plates 11 and 12.
  • the wall 25 in the illustrated embodiment of the trap is an extension of (i.e., of one piece with) the lower plate 13b of the passageway structure and has a generally spiral configuration.
  • the chamber wall 25 may be con ⁇ sidered as having three distinct parts: (i) an ini ⁇ tial part 25a which extends from the throat 13d gener ⁇ ally rearwardly of the passageway structure, first at an angle of inclination to the horizontal substantial- lv the same as that of the lower plate 13b, as shown at 25a', and then arcuately upwardly relative thereto, as shown at 25a"; (ii) a middle part 25b which extends arcuately from the initial part 25a generally front- wardly of the passageway structure, first upwardly, as shown at 25b', and then downwardly, as shown at 25b"; and (iii) a terminal part 25c which extends arcuately from the middle part 25b downwardly and generally rearwardly of the passageway structure into substan ⁇ tially coplanar relation, as shown at 25c', with the upper plate 13a of the passageway structure and has an end edge 25c" overlying the region 25a' of the initial part of the circumferential
  • the min ⁇ imum magnitude of the radius of curvature in each case is empirically determined as being appropriate for the circumferential wall of the respective deceleration chamber so as to enable the same to function as a de ⁇ flection plate for relatively gently turning the pro ⁇ jectile B out of its pre-contact straight ahead tra ⁇ jectory to a curving path actually reversing its ini- tial direction of flight, as indicated by the arrows X-l, X-2 and X-3 in Fig. 1.
  • the radius of curvature may be fairly small but should not be less than about 15.25 cm (6 inches) , whereas in a trap designed for use with some ⁇ what more powerful firearms but in any event nothing more powerful than a .22 long rifle, the radius of curvature should not be less than about 20.3 cm (8 inches) . On the other hand, in a trap designed for use with handguns which are more powerful than a .22 long rifle but not more powerful than a .44 Magnum, the radius of curvature should not be less than about 22.9 cm (9 inches) or 25.4 cm (10 inches).
  • the radius of curvature should not be less than 71.1 cm (28 inches). It will be un ⁇ derstood, of course, that the radii of curvature of some regions of the wall 25 of any given deceleration chamber may be somewhat greater than the radius of curvature of one or more of the other parts of the wall, although it is not anticipated that the devia ⁇ tion from the stated minimum value of the radius of curvature in any given case will be more than about 10 to 15%.
  • the spray nozzle means 16 (Figs.
  • the conduit 26 is provided with a series of ori ⁇ fices or nozzles 26b spaced from one another longitu ⁇ dinally of the conduit and facing toward the initial part 25a of the circumferential boundary wall of the chamber. While the exact positioning of the nozzles is not critical, it is preferred that they be arranged to direct the streams 27 of the liquid lubricant against the initial wall part 25a somewhere in the zone between the 3-o'clock and 5-o'clock positions, for example, at the zone between the 3-o'clock and 4- o'clock positions as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1.
  • the liquid lubricant is initially contained in the collecting vessel 17 and is fed therefrom to the conduit 26 via the piping 18, which is connected to the vessel 17 in its upper region by means of a fitting 18a, and the pump P incorporated in the pip ⁇ ing.
  • the collecting vessel e.g., a steel drum, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is located below the front end region 13b' of the lower plate 13b of the passageway structure 13, under a discharge chute 30 which communicates with the bottom outlet opening 31a (Fig.
  • the trough being connected at its opposite ends to the side walls 11 and 12 of the trap and at its upper edges to the underside of the plate 13b and thus having its upper intake opening 31b located directly below a 5 cm (2 inches) or so wide slot-shaped opening 32 provided in the plate 13b.
  • the col- lecting vessel may be located directly under the lower plate 13b within the confines of the trap and between the legs 23, 23a (not shown).
  • a re ⁇ movable sieve or strainer member 33 is located in the upper region of the collecting vessel, preferably somewhat below its top rim, the openings of the strainer member being large enough to permit passage of liquid and of lead dust therethrough but small enough to cause bullets, large bullet fragments, shells and casings to be retained thereon.
  • the target positioning means 14 is shown as including a pair of upper arms 36 and a pair of lower arms 37 which are secured, in any suitable way, either perma ⁇ nently as by welding, riveting or other manner of bonding or removably as by means of suitable fasteners such as screws or nuts and bolts (not shown) , to the outer surfaces of the side wall plates 11 and 12.
  • the two pairs of arms are provided with journals or bear ⁇ ing means (not shown) for rotatably supporting the opposite ends of respective rolls 38 and 39 between which extends a band 40 of sheet material (e.g., pa ⁇ per) .
  • the band is wound on the rolls, with its oppo ⁇ site ends connected to the same, and is provided on that surface thereof which in the region between the rolls faces away from the trap and toward the shooter, with a multiplicity of target images 40a (only one is shown in Fig. 2) .
  • One of the rolls 38 and 39 is pro ⁇ vided with drive means (not shown) for rotating it so as to enable the band to be drawn from the idler roll and wound up on the driven roll for the purpose of shifting a fresh target image into position in front of the entrance opening 13c of the passageway struc ⁇ ture 13.
  • the drive means for rotating the driven roll and advancing the band may be manually operatable, e.g., a crank handle connected to the roll axle, or remotely operatable, e.g., an electric motor connected (with or without suitable gearing) to the roll axle and adapted to be actuated by the shooter.
  • target image-bearing boards or panels may be individually disposed in place in front of the entrance opening, e.g., with the aid of a stand or by hanging from the upper passageway plate 13a or otherwise (not shown) .
  • the change in its flight path X which the projectile or bullet B will undergo after impacting against the lower plate 13b of the passageway struc ⁇ ture 13 is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1. Assuming that the initial flight path X is substan ⁇ tially horizontal, when the projectile impacts at some point A-l against the plate 13b, it is deflected away therefrom, as indicated by the dot-dash line X', at a very small angle of about 1* or so to the lower plate 13b.
  • the angle of inclination of the path X' to the horizontal is only about 1* more, i.e., about 8°, 13* or 16*, so that, as shown, the projectile never contacts the upper plate 13a and instead passes directly through the throat 13d of the passageway. It then comes into contact at point A-2 with the gently upwardly sloping region 25a" of the initial part 25a of the circumferential bound ⁇ ary wall 25 of the deceleration chamber 15. Both these impacts are at such relatively low angles that the risk of damage or destruction of the plates 13a/13b and the initial part of the chamber wall 25 is effectively minimized. The same result would, of course, be achieved if the projectile were to contact the upper plate 13a, except that the path X' would then angle down from the plate 13a.
  • the upper and lower plates 13a and 13b of the passage- way structure 13 are inclined at respective angles of up to about 15* to the horizontal. It should be understood, however, as previously pointed out herein, that it is also within the contemplation of the pres ⁇ ent invention that the angle of inclination of either or both of the plates 13a and 13b to the horizontal may be much smaller. For example, an orientation of the upper and lower plates of the passageway structure 13 at angles of inclination ⁇ and ⁇ as small as about 1* or 2* is even more effective in avoiding a shatter- ing of projectiles upon impact than an orientation at a 15° angle or a 7* angle.
  • the desired height of the throat or exit opening 13d of the pas ⁇ sageway structure 13 is about 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) to about 7.6 cm (3 inches) at most, and preferably not more than about 5.1 cm (2 inches).
  • an orientation of the plates 13a and 13b at angles of inclination of 2" or less would entail providing an entrance opening for the passageway structure almost as small as the exit opening.
  • the entrance opening is approximately 43.9 cm (17.3 inch- es) or 54.1 cm (21.3 inches) in height.
  • the height of the entrance opening is about 76.2 cm (30 inches) or 91.4 cm (36 inches).
  • angle of inclination as used in this appli ⁇ cation is intended to designate, and should be inter ⁇ preted as designating, any orientation of the plates 13a and 13b at an angle within the range of 0* to 15* to the horizontal. It will be understood, therefore, that when a projectile B is fired into the trap 10 and impacts against one of the passageway boundary plates, for example, against the lower plate 13b of the passageway structure 13, it will lose a small part of its energy by virtue of that first contact. Thereafter, the pro- jectile continues substantially unimpeded into the deceleration chamber.
  • any trap according to the invention which is made of metal and is equipped with a liquid lubricant spray and circulating system
  • the presence of the lubricant in the passageway and the decelera ⁇ tion chamber does serve to reduce to a great degree the frictional metal to metal contact between the pro ⁇ jectile and the plate or plates it contacts, it does not eliminate frictional effects altogether.
  • the projectile is a bullet made of lead (as probably 90% of all powder-discharged bullets are)
  • lead dust gen ⁇ erated which, were it to escape into the atmosphere, would pose a major health and environmental hazard.
  • One is of opera ⁇ tional significance, in that the quantity of liquid located in the vessel 17 above the accumulated lead dust 34 is effectively self-cleaned, and thus when the liquid is extracted from the upper region of the ves- sel and recirculated through the piping 18 and the pump P to the spray nozzle means 16, it does not con- tain any lead dust and clogging of the pump and the orifices or nozzles 26b is avoided.
  • the other is of economic significance, in that the system provides an automatic conservation and salvaging of the lead dust as a raw material.
  • the pump is deactivated, the fit ⁇ ting or valve cock 18a is closed, the piping is dis ⁇ connected therefrom, and the vessel is covered and sealed, preferably after the strainer member and its accumulated debris have been removed, and is trans ⁇ ported to a suitable location where, under appropriate environmental safeguards, the lead dust can be sepa ⁇ rated from the liquid remaining in the vessel and pro- Switchd for reuse in manufacturing bullets.
  • any bullet trap according to the invention which is made of metal, the confinement of the lead dust to the interior of the trap and to the path of flow of the stream of liquid lubricant is assured by the welding of the various plates 11, 12, 13a and 13b/25 to each other which, apart from serving to rigidify and strengthen the structure of the trap, also provides the same with liquid-tight seals at all junctures be- tween the plates.
  • the trap is preferably constructed with full seals at all junctures, achieved by forming the trap as a one-piece molding or by suit- ably bonding or fusing the various plates to one an ⁇ other with the aid of heat, adhesives or other bonding agents, which apart from serving to rigidify and strengthen the structure of the trap, also aids in preventing the escape of any BB's or pellets fired into the trap. Reverting now to the projectile B (whether it be a bullet or a BB) entering the trap, the residu ⁇ al energy of the same, after it has passed through the throat or exit opening 13d of the passageway structure, is dissipated as the projectile circumnavi- gates the deceleration chamber 15.
  • the spent projec ⁇ tile ultimately falls off the terminal part 25c of the chamber wall 25 and over the end edge 25c" thereof onto the initial part 25a of the wall 25 contiguous to the lower plate 13b of the passageway structure 13. From there, the projectile rolls or slides through the throat 13d along the plate 13b, as indicated at B-4 and by the arrow Y in Fig. 1, toward the discharge region thereof.
  • a transverse ridge or plate 35 is provided atop the end portion 13b' of the plate 13b at the downstream edge of the opening 32 to constitute a bar ⁇ rier for deflecting the liquid and the projectiles, and also any projectile fragments, shells and casings, descending along the plate 13b into the opening 32 and inhibiting their passage over the plate end portion 13b'.
  • the BB or pellet may also be permitted to drop through the opening 32 in the lower plate 13b and into a collecting vessel positioned thereunder, but alter ⁇ natively the provision of the opening may be dispensed with and the BB or pellet simply brought to a halt by the barrier plate or ridge 35.
  • the use of the white water lubricant in a "wet" trap apart from its lubricating and flushing functions, also affords yet another advantage, in that it adds a measure of soundproofing to the trap.
  • the noise level of bul ⁇ lets traveling through the trap is as much as 10 db less in the presence of the liquid than in its absence, because the white water absorbs vibrations and harmonics resulting from the impacts of the bul ⁇ lets against and their movements along the plates 13a and 13b of the passageway structure and the circumfer ⁇ ential boundary wall 25 of the deceleration chamber 15. It will be apparent from what has been de ⁇ scribed so far, that the space requirements for the traps according to the invention are relatively mini ⁇ mal.
  • any such trap furthermore, weighs less than 226.8 kg (500 lbs.), and in the case of a trap made of plastics, the weight will most likely be less than 90.7 kg (200 lbs.).
  • the trap thus is able to be readily moved from one location to another, while nev ⁇ ertheless being fully stable when in use.
  • the particular "ramp angle" (the angle of inclination of the passageway plates 13a and 13b) selected for any given trap according to the in ⁇ vention will in general depend on the type of ammuni ⁇ tion, that is to say, the weight and velocity of the projectile, to be fired into it. Thus, a 15* angle is acceptable for BB's or pellets fired from air guns. but angles of 12* or less (down to about 7") would be more appropriate for powder-discharged bullets.
  • the bullet trap according to the invention is usable by manufacturers of firearms and ammunition for catching bullets fired for test purposes, by mili ⁇ tary and police forces for catching bullets fired dur ⁇ ing the training of soldiers and law enforcement per ⁇ sonnel in the use of firearms, and by proprietors and operators of recreational firing ranges for catching bullets fired for purposes of practice, amusement and competition.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aiming, Guidance, Guns With A Light Source, Armor, Camouflage, And Targets (AREA)
  • Transition And Organic Metals Composition Catalysts For Addition Polymerization (AREA)

Abstract

Piège à balle pour un projectile (B) tiré à l'horizontale comprenant un passage (13) délimité par des plaques plates supérieure et inférieure (13a, 13b) qui peuvent être inclinées par rapport à l'horizontale à un angle (α, β) situé entre 0° et 15° et définir un orifice d'entrée (13c) et un orifice de sortie étroit ou gorge (13d), et une chambre (15) horizontale, à parois généralement en spirales, destinée à dissiper l'énergie des projectiles tirés, qui communique de manière pratiquement tangente avec le passage à travers la gorge. La paroi (25) délimitant la circonférence de la chambre possède une partie initiale (25a) qui est un prolongement incurvé vers le haut de la plaque inférieure (13b) et une partie terminale (25c) située à l'extrémité arrière de la plaque supérieure (13a). Les faibles angles d'inclinaison des plaques de délimitation du passage (13a, 13b) garantissent une déviation en douceur du projectile par rapport à sa trajectoire de tir initiale et l'entrée du projectile dans la chambre sans qu'il se brise en éclats contre la paroi délimitant la circonférence de la chambre et sans qu'il endommage ladite paroi. Un lubrifiant liquide peut être projeté contre la partie initiale de la paroi de la chambre en vue d'absorber et d'évacuer la poussière de plomb, le cas échéant, et d'autres solides dans le passage et ensuite dans un récipient collecteur (17), et peut être réacheminé vers l'embout de projection (26) situé dans la chambre.
PCT/US1991/008160 1990-12-14 1991-10-31 Piege a balles WO1992010717A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US627,705 1990-12-14
US07/627,705 US5070763A (en) 1990-12-14 1990-12-14 Bullet trap
US07/760,750 US5113700A (en) 1990-12-14 1991-09-16 Bullet trap
US07/760,714 US5121671A (en) 1990-12-14 1991-09-16 Bullet trap
US760,750 1991-09-16
US760,714 1996-12-05

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1992010717A1 true WO1992010717A1 (fr) 1992-06-25

Family

ID=27417429

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1991/008160 WO1992010717A1 (fr) 1990-12-14 1991-10-31 Piege a balles

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0561879A4 (fr)
JP (1) JP2578303B2 (fr)
AU (1) AU645163B2 (fr)
MX (1) MX9102143A (fr)
NZ (1) NZ240596A (fr)
WO (1) WO1992010717A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1994027111A1 (fr) * 1993-05-18 1994-11-24 Scovati Italia S.R.L. Piege a projectiles
AT2441U1 (de) * 1998-04-09 1998-10-27 Pitzinger Bautraeger U Projekt Stahllamellen-geschossfang

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP5288684B2 (ja) * 2005-05-13 2013-09-11 大野 真紀子 停弾装置
JP6548082B2 (ja) * 2013-12-17 2019-07-31 株式会社エイテック 標的システム

Citations (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US385546A (en) * 1888-07-03 Projectile-receiver for targets
US398186A (en) * 1889-02-19 rehfzjss
US694581A (en) * 1901-10-25 1902-03-04 Xaver Reichlin Target.
US840610A (en) * 1906-01-19 1907-01-08 Zebulum Calvin Ketchum Target.
GB190806353A (en) * 1908-03-21 1909-01-14 Howard George Brain An Improved Bullet Trap and Target Holder.
DE500781C (de) * 1930-06-25 Severin Robkiewicz Jun Kugelfangtrichter
US2013133A (en) * 1933-01-13 1935-09-03 Arthur D Caswell Bullet stop
US2772092A (en) * 1954-02-17 1956-11-27 Nikoden Joseph Bullet traps
US3737165A (en) * 1970-08-31 1973-06-05 Kory Ind Inc Shooting range bullet trap structure
US4126311A (en) * 1977-01-27 1978-11-21 Wagoner Lewis R Bullet trap
US4512585A (en) * 1983-04-08 1985-04-23 Baravaglio Marie E Bullet trap for a shooting stand
US4728109A (en) * 1984-06-01 1988-03-01 Impresa Costruzioni Soc. FRA. SA. S.r.l. Ballistic projectile-arrester, having a regeneration and/or recovery system for the impact material
US4821620A (en) * 1988-01-14 1989-04-18 Detroit Armor Corporation Bullet trap with anti-splatter safety screen

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2420304A (en) * 1944-05-05 1947-05-13 Donald T Diem Spent bullet trap
US4475734A (en) * 1983-10-05 1984-10-09 Olin Corporation Dual water chamber bullet trap

Patent Citations (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US385546A (en) * 1888-07-03 Projectile-receiver for targets
US398186A (en) * 1889-02-19 rehfzjss
DE500781C (de) * 1930-06-25 Severin Robkiewicz Jun Kugelfangtrichter
US694581A (en) * 1901-10-25 1902-03-04 Xaver Reichlin Target.
US840610A (en) * 1906-01-19 1907-01-08 Zebulum Calvin Ketchum Target.
GB190806353A (en) * 1908-03-21 1909-01-14 Howard George Brain An Improved Bullet Trap and Target Holder.
US2013133A (en) * 1933-01-13 1935-09-03 Arthur D Caswell Bullet stop
US2772092A (en) * 1954-02-17 1956-11-27 Nikoden Joseph Bullet traps
US3737165A (en) * 1970-08-31 1973-06-05 Kory Ind Inc Shooting range bullet trap structure
US4126311A (en) * 1977-01-27 1978-11-21 Wagoner Lewis R Bullet trap
US4512585A (en) * 1983-04-08 1985-04-23 Baravaglio Marie E Bullet trap for a shooting stand
US4728109A (en) * 1984-06-01 1988-03-01 Impresa Costruzioni Soc. FRA. SA. S.r.l. Ballistic projectile-arrester, having a regeneration and/or recovery system for the impact material
US4821620A (en) * 1988-01-14 1989-04-18 Detroit Armor Corporation Bullet trap with anti-splatter safety screen

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See also references of EP0561879A4 *

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1994027111A1 (fr) * 1993-05-18 1994-11-24 Scovati Italia S.R.L. Piege a projectiles
AT2441U1 (de) * 1998-04-09 1998-10-27 Pitzinger Bautraeger U Projekt Stahllamellen-geschossfang

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
MX9102143A (es) 1992-06-01
NZ240596A (en) 1994-04-27
EP0561879A4 (en) 1993-10-27
EP0561879A1 (fr) 1993-09-29
AU9053291A (en) 1992-07-08
AU645163B2 (en) 1994-01-06
JPH06500161A (ja) 1994-01-06
JP2578303B2 (ja) 1997-02-05

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