A shotgun cartridge having a weighted wad for controlling the separation point between the wad and the shot load. The wad having a tail portion and a nose portion with the nose portion shifting the center of gravity of the wad axially forward away from the center of pressure compared to where the center of gravity would be if the nose portion was not weighted thereby controlling the shot load separation and enhancing the shot pattern.
1. A shotgun cartridge for dispensing a shot load at a predetermined distance from a muzzle of a firearm, comprising:
a shotgun cartridge casing having a forward end and a rearward end closed by a case head;
a primer installed in the case head;
a propellant charge in the case head;
shot positioned at the forward end; and
a wad separating the propellant charge from the shot, the wad having a central axis and comprising a nose portion and a tail portion separated at an interface, the interface extending normal to the central axis and extending entirely through the wad, the nose portion defining a forward facing cup portion holding the shot, the tail portion defining a rearward facing cup portion holding the propellant charge, the tail portion not extending forwardly beyond the interface and the nose portion not extending rearwardly beyond the interface, the entirety of the nose portion comprising a first polymer and the entirety of the tail portion comprising a second polymer different from the first polymer, the nose portion first polymer denser than the tail portion second polymer, the nose portion unitary with the tail portion by one of coinjection molding and overmolding.
2. The shotgun cartridge of claim 1 , wherein first material has a density between about 0.90 g/cm 3 and about 1.00 g/cm 3 and the first material is at least 5 percent denser than the second material.
3. The shotgun cartridge of claim 1 wherein there is an interface between the nose portion and the tail portion and said interface is axially positioned between the forward facing cup portion and the rearward facing cup portion.
4. The shotgun cartridge of claim 1 wherein the nose portion further comprises metal.
5. The shotgun cartridge of claim 1 wherein the wad has a length and a center of gravity positioned along the length, and wherein the center of gravity is positioned at least 10% of the length forward of a location of where a center of gravity would be if the first material and second material were of the same density.
6. The shotgun cartridge of claim 1 wherein there is an interface between the nose portion and the tail portion and said interface is axially positioned between the forward facing cup portion and the rearward facing cup portion.
7. The shotgun cartridge of claim 1 wherein the interface extends substantially planarly and normal to an axis of the cartridge.
8. A shotgun cartridge for dispensing a shot load at a predetermined distance from a muzzle of a firearm, comprising:
a shotgun cartridge casing having a forward end and a rearward end closed by a case head;
a primer installed in the case head;
a propellant charge in the case head;
shot positioned at the forward end; and
a shotgun wad comprising a nose portion and a tail portion and having a central axis;
the nose portion comprising a forward facing cup portion for receiving the shot load, the forward facing cup portion configured to engage a barrel of the firearm from which the cartridge is fired, wherein the nose portion entirely comprised of a first material;
a tail portion positioned against the propellant charge and defining a rearward facing cup portion for obturating and capturing propellant gases generated from the propellant charge when the cartridge is fired in the firearm, wherein the tail portion comprises a second material different from and less dense than the first material, the tail portion not extending to the forward end;
wherein one of the tail portion and nose portion are molded and the other of the tail portion and nose portion are overmolded on to the one of the tail portion and nose portion and thereby fixed to the one of the tail portion and nose portion and defining an interface portrayed as a line when the wad is viewed in cross section taken through the central axis, the interface extending entirely through the wad.
9. The shotgun wad of claim 8 , wherein the first material is denser than the second material, and the nose portion and the tail portion are adapted to remain fixed to each other after being discharged from the muzzle of the firearm.
10. The shotgun cartridge of claim 8 wherein the first material of the wad comprises a first polymer and an additional material for weighting.
11. The shotgun cartridge of claim 8 wherein the nose portion of the wad further comprises metal.
12. The shotgun cartridge of claim 8 wherein the wad has a length and a center of gravity positioned along the length, and wherein the center of gravity is positioned at least 10% of the length forward of a location of where a center of gravity would be if the first material and second material were of the same density.
13. The shotgun cartridge of claim 8 , wherein the nose portion and the tail portion each comprise a polymer common to both facilitating adhesion between the nose and tail portions.
14. A shotgun cartridge for dispensing a shot load at a predetermined distance from a muzzle of a firearm, comprising:
a shotgun cartridge casing having a forward end and a rearward end closed by a case head;
a primer installed in the case head;
a propellant in the case head; and
a wad having a central axis and holding the propellant, the wad comprising a nose portion defining a forward facing cup portion and a tail portion defining a rearward facing cup portion, one of the nose portion and the tail portion being molded first, the nose portion and tail portion unitary by one of coinjection molding and overmolding, the one of coinjection molding and overmolding providing a nose portion-tail portion interface, the nose portion-tail portion interface extending entirely through the wad normal to the central axis;
wherein the nose portion is formed of a first polymer formulation and the second material is formed of a second polymer formulation different from and less dense than the first polymer formulation.
15. The shotgun cartridge of claim 14 , wherein the first and second polymer formulations comprising a common polymer to promote adhesion between the first and second formulations at the nose-tail interface.
16. The shotgun cartridge of claim 14 wherein the nose portion further comprises metal.
17. The shotgun cartridge of claim 14 wherein the wad has a length and a center of gravity positioned along the length, and wherein the center of gravity is positioned at least 10% of the length forward of a location of where a center of gravity would be if the first material and second material were of the same density.
18. The shotgun cartridge of claim 14 , wherein the first polymer formulations is denser than the second polymer formulation.
19. The shotgun cartridge of claim 14 , further comprising shot positioned in the forward facing cup.
20. The shotgun cartridge of claim 14 , wherein the tail portion defines a cup portion interfacing with the propellant.