One piece wad column and shot cup

Claim 2

A one piece shot cup and wad column for a shotshell, comprising: a yieldable plastic shot cup to be inserted into the case of a shotshell to hold the shot charge, the cup having a bottom portion which is spheroidally rounded, and the cup having a plurality of longitudinally extending slits through the sidewall of the cup extending through substantially the entire length of the cup from the open end thereof to and along the rounded bottom portion of the cup, the bottom ends of said slits thereby being arcuate in longitudinal extent, and said slits dividing the cup sidewall into a plurality of elongate and flexible wall segments having inwardly curved lower ends and flexible outer ends to flare outwardly to decelerate the cup upon exiting the barrel muzzle with a shot charge and to thereby immediately separate from the shot charge, and the cup having a plurality of bridging strips each disposed adjacent the bottom of the cup and extending across a respective slit intermediate its ends with open portions of each slit extending longitudinally of the cup on both sides of each bridging strip towards both the open end and the rounded bottom end of the cup, and interconnecting only the adjacent curved lower ends of the wall segments along a relatively short, limited portion of their lengths to retain the same against immediate full flaring of the shot cup from a gun barrel upon emergence and producing a delay in such full flaring until the shot charge has been released by the flaring forward ends of the wall segments, and means defining a sealing base, and a wad column between said base and the bottom of the cup.

Claim 3

The one piece shot cup and wad column according to claim 1 and said wad column including a disc extending transversely thereof and underlying the rounded bottom of the cup in immediate, supporting juxtaposition thereto and having a diameter exceeding the diameter of the adjacent rounded bottom of the cup to thereby support the rounded lower ends of the wall segments during set-back upon initial firing of the shotshell and rapid acceleration of the one piece shot cup and wad column together with the shot charge.

Claim 4

A one piece shot cup and wad column for a shotshell, comprising: a yieldable plastic shot cup to be inserted into the case of a shotshell to hold the shot charge, the cup having a plurality of longitudinally extending slits through the sidewall of the cup and extending through substantially the entire length of the cup from the open end to the bottom of the cup and dividing the cup sidewall into a plurality of elongate and flexible wall segments, said cup having a rounded, spheroidal bottom end and said wall segments flaring upwardly and outwardly from the junction points of their bottom ends with said rounded bottom end of said cup in a natural, outwardly flaring set, and said wall segments being flexible inwardly to cooperatively define a substantially cylindrical cup sidewall within the shotshell case to confine the shot charge therein, said wall segments resiliently moving toward the flared set immediately upon exiting the muzzle of the gun barrel with the shot charge to release the shot charge and immediately be caught in the extremely turbulent sheer layer of air beTween the rapidly moving shot charge and the stationary atmospheric air adjacent thereto to be immediately flared outwardly to cause deceleration, the cup having a plurality of bridging strips each disposed adjacent the bottom of the cup and extending across a respective slit intermediate its ends with open portions of each slit extending longitudinally of the cup on both sides of each bridging strip towards both the open end and the rounded bottom end of the cup, and each of the strips interconnecting the adjacent edges of the wall segments to retain the same against immediate full flaring and producing a delay in such full flaring subsequent to exiting the barrel muzzle, and means defining a sealing base, and a wad column between the base and cup.

Claim 5

A one piece shot cup and wad column for a shotshell, comprising: a yieldable plastic shot cup to be inserted into the case of a shotshell to hold the shot charge, the cup having a plurality of longitudinally extending slits through the sidewall of the cup and extending through substantially the entire length of the cup from the open end to the bottom of the cup and dividing the cup sidewall into a plurality of elongate and flexible wall segments, said cup having a rounded, spheroidal bottom end and said wall segments flaring upwardly and outwardly from the junction points of their bottom ends with said rounded bottom end of said cup in a natural, outwardly flaring set, and said wall segments being flexible inwardly to cooperatively define a substantially cylindrical cup sidewall within the shotshell case to confine the shot charge therein, said wall segments resiliently moving toward the flared set immediately upon exiting the muzzle of the gun barrel with the shot charge to release the shot charge and immediately be caught in the extremely turbulent sheer layer of air beTween the rapidly moving shot charge and the stationary atmospheric air adjacent thereto to be immediately flared outwardly to cause deceleration, the cup having a plurality of bridging strips each disposed adjacent the bottom of the cup and extending across a respective slit intermediate its ends with open portions of each slit extending longitudinally of the cup on both sides of each bridging strip towards both the open end and the rounded bottom end of the cup, and each of the strips interconnecting the adjacent edges of the wall segments to retain the same against immediate full flaring and producing a delay in such full flaring subsequent to exiting the barrel muzzle, and means defining a sealing base, and a wad column between the base and cup.