Jacketed boat-tail bullet
A bullet includes at least a mid core and a rear core in tandem alignment. The hardness of the mid core is greater than the hardness of the rear core. A jacket envelops both the mid core and the rear core. The jacket has a generally cylindrical sidewall, which is in contact with the mid core, and a boat-tail, which is in contact with the rear core. The rear core is substantially contained within the boat-tail. The mid core and the rear core may be substantially lead-free. In one embodiment, the bullet includes a front core in tandem alignment with the rear core and in contact with a nose portion of the jacket. In another embodiment, the mid core extends from the nose portion of the bullet to the boat-tail.
1. A method for making a bullet, the method comprising:
forming a jacket precursor to include:
a nose portion, and
a generally cylindrical sidewall extending from the nose portion, the nose portion and the generally cylindrical sidewall defining a cavity;
depositing at least a one-piece mid core that includes a substantially monolithic, non-tubular construction within the cavity;
depositing a rear core within the cavity in tandem alignment with the mid core and positioned proximate a rear portion of the cylindrical sidewall, the rear core having a hardness less than the hardness of the mid core; and
angularly indenting the rear portion of the cylindrical sidewall and the rear core to form a boat-tail, wherein after the indenting, the rear core substantially fills the boat-tail.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mid core and the rear core are substantially lead-free.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein after the indenting, the mid core extends from the nose portion to the boat-tail.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the mid core has a weight of about 38 grains and is formed from:
a high-density constituent material selected from the group of tungsten, tungsten carbide, carballoy, and ferro-tungsten, and
a second, lower-density constituent consisting of either a metallic matrix material or a plastic matrix material; and
wherein the rear core has a weight of about 4.3 grains and is formed from tin or a tin base alloy.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
depositing a front core within the cavity in tandem alignment with the mid core, the front core being positioned adjacent to the nose portion.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the front core is formed from steel.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the mid core has a weight of about 30 grains and is formed from:
a high-density constituent material selected from the group of tungsten, tungsten carbide, carballoy, and ferro-tungsten, and
a second, lower-density constituent consisting of either a metallic matrix material or a plastic matrix material; and
wherein the rear core has a weight of about 4.3 grains and is formed from tin or a tin base alloy.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mid core is formed from:
a high-density constituent material selected from the group of tungsten, tungsten carbide, carballoy, and ferro-tungsten; and
a second, lower density constituent consisting of either a metallic matrix material or a plastic matrix material.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the metallic matrix material is selected from the group consisting of: tin, zinc, iron, copper, and mixtures or alloys of one or more of the foregoing.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the plastic matrix material is selected from the group consisting of: phenolics, epoxies, dialphthalates, acrylics, polystyrenes, polyethylene, or polyurethanes.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mid core is formed from one of: copper, bismuth, tin, gold, silver, pewter, bronze and mixtures or alloys including one or more of the foregoing.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mid core is formed from an organic polymer filled with a metal.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rear core has a Brinell hardness less than about 50.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the rear core is formed from tin or a tin base alloy.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the rear core is formed from one of: copper, zinc, tin, and mixtures or alloys including one or more of the foregoing.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein a transition point between the generally cylindrical sidewall and the boat-tail is formed by a rebate in the generally cylindrical sidewall.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the rear core is inserted into the jacket in the form of a sphere.
18. A method for making a bullet, the method comprising:
forming a jacket precursor to include: a nose portion, and a generally cylindrical sidewall extending from the nose portion, the nose portion and the generally cylindrical sidewall defining a cavity;
depositing at least one forward core of substantially monolithic, non-tubular construction and a rear core into the cavity, the rear core being in tandem alignment with the at least one forward core and positioned proximate a rear portion of the cylindrical sidewall, the rear core having a hardness less than the hardness of the at least one forward core; and
angularly indenting the rear portion of the cylindrical sidewall and the rear core to form a boat-tail, wherein after the indenting, the rear core substantially fills the boat-tail.