PROJECTILE WITH STING FOR REDUCING DRAG

A rearwardly extending axial protuberance, known as a "sting," is secured to the base of a conventional projectile, such as a bullet or an artillery shell. The sting may assume a variety of configurations, such as cylindrical, frusto-conical, or combinations thereof, and can be utilized as a modification to be added to conventional projectiles, or can be fabricated as an integral part of a new series of projectiles. The sting causes a reduction in base pressure drag and thus lowers the rate of energy loss of the projectile in flight. Such reduction in drag increases the effective range of a bullet by enabling same to maintain a flatter trajectory; a comparable reduction in drag increases the maximum range of an artillery shell.