Expanding bullet

Abstract

A projectile for firing from a weapon to strike a target, comprising a body and a layered exterior, wherein the layered exterior is adapted to remain intact when fired, and which is adapted to transform upon striking a target, the body into a towing mass and the layered exterior into a towed mass, the towing mass being a mass that comprises a path of travel and tows the towing mass in the direction of the path of travel.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A projectile for firing from a weapon to strike a target, comprising:
 A body and   A layered exterior,   Wherein the layered exterior is adapted to remain intact when fired, and which is adapted to transform upon striking a target, the body into a towing mass and the layered exterior into a towed mass, the towing mass being a mass that comprises a path of travel and tows the towing mass in the direction of the path of travel.   
     
     
         2 . The projectile of  claim 1 , and further wherein the layered exterior is layered by comprising a ply that is wrapped around the body. 
     
     
         3 . The projectile of  claim 1 , and further wherein the body has a predominant length, and a central axis, and wherein the layered exterior is a plurality of panels and pliant petals overlapped in increasing distance from the central axis, such that the outermost of the plurality are approximately concentrically-wrapped about the central axis. 
     
     
         4 . The projectile of  claim 1 , wherein the towing mass is adapted to maintain high velocity through a hardened exterior. 
     
     
         5 . The projectile of  claim 4 , wherein the towing mass is adapted to resist deformation and maintain velocity through the body armor by comprising a solid metal construction, wherein the solid metal is one which is known to maintain/substantially maintain its shape as fired and as it penetrates a target of a particular composition and material. 
     
     
         6 . The projectile of  claim 4 , wherein the towing mass is a full metal jacket projectile. 
     
     
         7 . The projectile of  claim 1 , wherein the towed mass is adapted to be pulled rearwardly away, relative to the direction of travel, of the towing mass, upon striking a target 
     
     
         8 . The projectile of claimed  2 , wherein the layered exterior is adapted to transformation by outwardly spiraling transformation, relative to the direction of travel. 
     
     
         9 . The projectile of  claim 8 , wherein the projectile is adapted to outwardly spiraling transformation by being plied away from the projectile and adapted to engaging and imparting force upon the trajectory surrounding material, trajectory surrounding material, being material of the target which surrounds the path of travel. 
     
     
         10 . The projectile of  claim 8 , wherein the outwardly spiraling transformation outwardly spirals in a cardioid pattern. 
     
     
         11 . The projectile of  claim 8 , wherein the ply comprises a leading edge, the leading edge being the edge of the ply which is forwardmost on the projectile, and wherein the outwardly spiraling transformation causes the ply to bend outwardly at the leading edge, and imposes an outwardly cutting motion through the material of a target which surround the path of travel relative to the path of the towing mass, relative to the path of the towing mass, as it proceeds to penetrate the target. 
     
     
         12 . The projectile of  claim 11 , wherein the outwardly cutting motion results from the ply comprising a trailing edge, the distance between the leading edge and trailing edge defining a predominant width, and wherein the outwardly spiraling movement tugs the leading edge of the width of the ply outwardly more aggressively than the trailing edge of the layer, such that outward progress turns the width of the ply diagonally away, such that the trajectory of the ply is angularly offset from the direction of travel of the towing mass. 
     
     
         13 . The projectile of  claim 7 , wherein the towed mass being pulled rearwardly pulls the progressively outermost parts of the towed mass to be pulled progressively further away and slow to a lower velocity as the towing mass proceeds in the direction of the path of travel. 
     
     
         14 . The projectile of  claim 13 , wherein the ply being pulled progressively further away lengthens the towed mass and extends the length of the projectile. 
     
     
         15 . The projectile of  claim 14 , wherein the slowing of the towed mass increasingly pulls against the progress of the towing mass along the path of travel and progressively decreases the velocity of the towing mass as proceeds into a target, and imparts the momentum of the towing mass to material of the target which surrounds the path of travel. 
     
     
         16 . The projectile of  claim 1 , wherein the projectile transforms by the layered exterior transforms into the towed mass by plying away from the body as the projectile strikes the target. 
     
     
         17 . The projectile of  claim 2 , wherein the towing mass comprises a feature adapted to ply-away the layers of the mass from the original alignment with the towing mass, to initiate the outward transformation. 
     
     
         18 . The projectile of  claim 2 , wherein the towed mass is adapted to be plied away from the towing mass when the target comprises a reinforced initial-contact material or composition. 
     
     
         19 . The projectile of  claim 3 , wherein the petals are adapted to overlappingly bloom away from the path of the towing mass as it proceeds into or through the target, and proceed outwardly by the penetration into the target the leading edge of the petals backward away from an original parallel alignment with the towing mass. 
     
     
         20 . The projectile of  claim 19 , wherein the towed mass comprises petals in a desired quantity, and the petals each comprise a petal bloom width defined by an angular sweep dimension about the centerline of the projectile that is substantially larger than a fractional angular sweep of the circumference of the towing mass, the fractional angular sweep being approximately the circumference of the towing mass divided by the quantity of petals.