Shotgun shell wad

摘要

A shotgun shell wad may include a plurality of resilient flaps spaced evenly around a circumference of a cylindrical body configured to receive shot, with the flaps covering less than half of the circumference. The flaps may be in an undeployed state until a shotgun shell is fired and the wad exits the barrel. The movement of the wad through air may urge the flaps into a deployed state. The flaps may retard the motion of the wad gradually such that the shot and wad remain together for up to 20 meters before decoupling.

主权项

1. A shotgun shell wad comprising:
a cylindrical body having a front end and a rear end, the body being continuous about a first full circumference adjacent the front end and a second full circumference adjacent the rear end; a forward wall of the body defining a forward chamber located in the body, the forward chamber having an opening at the front end; a rearward wall of the body defining a rearward chamber located in the body, the rearward chamber having an opening at the rear end; a partition located in the body between the forward chamber and the rearward chamber, the partition separating the forward chamber and the rearward chamber, the forward wall, rearward wall, and partition being integrally formed together; and a plurality of flaps formed in the forward wall of the body, the plurality of flaps having a forward edge and a rearward edge, the forward edge being at least as wide as the rearward edge, the flaps being connected at the rearward edge to the body and having a deployed state and an undeployed state, wherein a combined width of the plurality of flaps constitutes less than half of a circumference of the body.