Shot load

Claim 1

A SHOT CARTRIDGE COMPRISING A CASE HAVING A CALIBER OF FROM ABOUT A 20 GAUGE SHOTSHELL TO ABOUT A 10 GAUGE SHOTSHELL AND HAVING A TUBULAR SHELL WALL DEFINING A CAVITY, A PRIMED CARTRIDGE HEAD CLOSING ONE END OF SAID CASE, A PROPELLANT CHARGE IN SAID CAVITY ADJACENT SAID PRIMER, AND A CLOSURE MOUNTED AT THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID CASE AND YIELDABLE UPON IGNITION OF SAID CHARGE, A PROJECTILE LOAD OF RELATIVELY LARGE AND SUBSTANTIALLY SPHERICAL SHOT, ALL OF A DIAMETER SMALLER THAN SAID CALIBER, SAID SHOT BEING ARRANGED IN A COLUMN IN SAID CAVITY ADJACENT SAID CLOSURE FOR FORCING SAID CLOSURE OPEN AND PROJECTION FROM SAID CASE AND THROUGH THE BORE OF A SHOTGUN OF SAID GAUGE IN COLUMNAR ARRANGEMENT, A CHARGE OBTURATING MEANS INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE WAD SNUGLY FITTED WITH SAID CASE IN SAID CAVITY BETWEEN SAID CHARGE AND LOAD, A BAND OF RESINOUS PLASTIC CUSHIONING MATERIAL SOFTER THAN SAID SHOT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID OBTURATING MEANS AND YIELDING CLOSURE AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID COLUMN AND SHELL WALL TO BE CONSTRAINED BY SAID WALL TO CURL SAID BAND ABOUT SAID COLUMN IN THE FORM OF A SLEEVE OPEN AT LEAST AT ONE END ADJACENT SAID CLOSURE AND WITH A SLIT DOWN THE SIDE, SAID SLITTED SLEEVE PRODUCING ITS OWN BIAS TENDING TO UNCURL SAID BAND FREE FROM SAID SHOT UPON EMERGENCE FROM SAID SHOTGUN BORE, AND MATRIX OF RELATIVELY FINE PARTICLES OF NON-METALLIC CUSHIONING MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FILLING THE PORTION OF THE SLEEVE NOT OCCUPIED BY THE SHOT, WHEREBY THE LOAD IS ADAPTED TO BE PROJECTED FROM SAID BORE FREE FROM SAID SLEEVE AND PARTICLES TOWARD A TARGET WITH A PATTERN IMPROVED IN COMPARISON WITH THE PATTERN OBTAINABLE IN THE ABSENCE OF ONE OF SAID PARTICLES AND SLEEVE.