The CQ is a lightweight, hyper velocity design using an aluminum core and pre-stressed jacket. The aluminum core initiates the expansion slightly after contact, pressing back into the pre-stressed jacket and activating a violent, incapacitating energy transfer. The aluminum nose optimizes feeding and provides a barrier blind entry. The pre-stressed jacket separates into petals sized for appropriate penetration based on the specific cartridge. These petals, base, and core are all designed to penetrate no more than 18", transferring a huge amount of energy to the target in a very short timeframe. The design of the individual high mass/high energy petals overcome other designs that use powdered metal or plastic composite projectiles that disintegrate upon impact. The energy is there; our goal is to utilize every bit of it and dumping it all on the surface in a non-vital area is not appropriate for a personal defense design.
This technology utilizes the hyper velocity to transfer enormous energy based on mass-energy equivalence, E=1/2MVSq. Given that the system pressure of each cartridge is fixed to some value determined by SAAMI, any increase in bullet weight or velocity will both increase the muzzle energy, but will also increase the chamber pressure.
The development of this technology was the result of an animal control agency's request for a no lead .243 bullet that would provide extensive wound trauma with little minimal pass through energy. Basically the idea was to burst the bullet into numerous particles at a predetermined depth creating many wounds and a large temporary cavity with shot placement at or near the central nervous system. The agency had tried copper matrix frangible rounds and found the penetration depth and particle size were less than what was require for proper terminal performance.
The bullet is designed to penetrate to a specific depth and to fracture as the internal hydraulic pressure exceeds the hoop strength of the nose design. At the time of fracture, a massive energy spike is released as the particles break away and radiate outward from the initial trajectory path.
Lehigh originated Controlled Fracturing Technology. These bullets are designed to deliver maximum terminal performance. Controlled Fracturing bullets are produced from either solid copper or solid brass and are pre-stressed at specific points so that after a predetermined penetration depth, the razor-edge petals deploy, releasing an energy spike and then separate and radiate outward from the primary path of the bullet. The bullet shank, now back to bore diameter, continues penetrating straight and deep along the initial impact path.
Unlike traditional expanding bullets which mushroom and dramatically limit the bullet's penetration and provide only one wound path, Lehigh's Controlled Fracturing ammunition creates an initial energy transfer, multiple wound paths, and a deep penetrating base – a far more effective bullet.
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Our Match Solid Technology utilizes unique processes to deliver the highest levels of repeatability. While traditional jacketed bullets are produced on multi-stage stamping machines consisting of dies, with each stage and die combination producing a slightly different bullet, we machine our bullets on state-of-the-art CNC machines to produce incredibly precise tolerances and eliminate manufacturing variations.
In addition, unlike traditional jacketed bullets that are produced statically, resulting in off-center components and voids, our process involves turning each bullet from a solid bar free of inclusions and voids while spinning at a high rpm. This produces a stable bullet whose axis of symmetry is equal to its axis of geometry, thus ensuring a stable flight.
Our Match Solid bullets result in record-setting accuracy for avid competition shooters. The next world record is yours!
Our Maximum Expansion® Technology is used to produce projectiles that create the largest wound channels of any bullet you can buy. These cavernous hollow points are designed to expand upon contact with a fluid-based medium through hydraulic energy. They do not expand on dry mediums like wood, drywall, bone, or sheet metal. The expansion process of Lehigh's Maximum Expansion technology is very different than that of a traditional lead jacketed bullet that expands when it comes in contact with a hard surface – we designed these bullets to expand where the expansion is needed and that is in the vital zone of your intended target.
Lehigh Maximum Expansion bullets expand with razor sharp petals positioned AND maintained at the largest diameter to provide the greatest cutting surface. Contrast this with a traditional jacketed bullet that expands and quickly mushrooms the nose back along the bullets shank once again reducing the diameter down to a less effective size. Through design and testing, we can move the expansion point and maintain the expansion diameter exactly where required providing the optimum terminal performance.
Multiple Projectile Technology focuses on our belief that multiple wound trails are better than one (the FBI testifies to this in their Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness Training Manual. It offers users the benefit of multiple projectiles from a single cartridge through the careful machining of solid copper or brass bullets designed for controlled dispersion.
The incorporation of nesting cones allows us to create large frontal diameters, improving terminal performance while increasing the number of projectiles a cartridge can hold. This offers significant improvements over other design concepts using soft lead balls and washers.
Multiple Projectile ammunition provide a significant advantage in high stress shooting situations where control is limited or shooter experience may be in question. The fact that a single shot spreads out as it approaches its target statistically improves your chances of effectively eliminating the threat in your environment.
There are many excellent older cartridges with performance constrained by the metallurgy available for the firearms at the time they were designed. Some are so good, as in the 45-70 Government, they have been updated for modern pressures and re-released as modern cartridges, others, like the 32 ACP will probably remain with low operating pressures, due to the number of guns in existence.
Is there a way to bring modern performance to the low pressure cartridges through advanced projectile design and manufacturing? At Lehigh, the world's most innovative projectile and ammunition manufacturer, the answer is a bold YES.
We are pleased to announce the release of our Xtreme Cavitator family with the first cartridge being the venerable 32 ACP.
The Xtreme Cavitator uses a unique geometry to form a vapor pressure spike at the nose blanketing the flank of the bullet with a long envelope of air as it passes through media eliminating side drag and allowing deep penetration. The heck you say? No, it isn't voodoo or marketing hype, it is physics. If you are bored, look up super cavitation torpedoes; the dang Russians where there first. The fact is, all bullets create cavitation; we just created a design with a unique nose and an air reservoir groove to accentuate the effect. How does 13.5" of penetration from a 32 ACP in 10% gel sound?
We will never stop innovating. NEVER say never? Well, we are saying NEVER, capitalized, bold, italics, highlighted; the word is "NEVER"
The Xtreme Defense® (XD) Technology is based on the popular Xtreme Penetrator product line. The design goal was to achieve the same barrier performance and massive permanent wound cavity and reduce the penetration depth to coincide with an individual's personal comfort level. It was a goal we did not meet; it was a goal we blew out of the water!
The XD ammunition has an optimized nose flute, total weight, and velocity to achieve a penetration depth range of 18 inches with a permanent wound cavity (PWC) that is just simply enormous; no other expanding hollowpoint comes close to achieving anywhere near this diameter and volume. Not only is the PWC over 100% larger than any other expanding bullet, it is near barrier blind, ignoring wallboard, sheet metal, and automotive glass.
We were able to accomplish this quantum leap in terminal performance at the same time while reducing recoil. The terminal performance achieved is quickly approaching that of 5.56 rifle performance and that is an incredible feat.
L'audace, l'audace, toujoursl'audace. Audacity, audacity, always audacity. A phrase that rings true to us here at Lehigh. Audacity to create new products, audacity to redefine terminal performance, audacity to deploy modern manufacturing processes. Audacity has led us to introduce a unique and innovative product, the Xtreme Penetrator (XP)product line, for both handgun and rifles. The progressive nose geometry allows for deep, straight penetration while creating a permanent wound cavity diameter exceeding that of most expanding bullets. To top it off, the bullet is solid copper or brass, and is able to overcome barriers to penetration; environmentally friendly, target unfriendly, very unfriendly, downright obnoxiously unfriendly.
The magic happens with the nose design where the radial flutes force the hydraulic energy inward and then as the energy is restricted, it accelerates outward creating high pressure spikes damaging surrounding tissue. Kind of similar to sticking your thumb over a garden hose. You can see the radial pressure spikes in the gel pictures. Each crack showing in the gel represents a permanent wound. The permanent wound cavity of the XP is from two to four times greater than what a flat or ball nose bullet generates and often larger than traditional expanding bullets. So what you get is exceptional penetration coupled with a larger permanent wound cavity. Look at the data chart, no other bullet gives you this wound volume.
When the US military requested we design the most advanced capability armor piercing projectile ever created, we put all our efforts in giving the American Warfighters the highest technology possible. This proprietary design included a titanium tip for determining point of impact without revealing the shooter's position like traditional tracer technology would. We are excited to announce this technology is now available to consumers.
We have incorporated this Flash Tip technology with our Match Solid precision product line to give the long-range target shooter daylight-visible impacts at distances up to one mile. Hard surfaces of mudwalls, stone, steel, etc. are sufficient to generate the resulting flash. Each projectile is can be magazine-fed and was designed with a very high ballistic coefficient for superior accuracy at long distances. The bullet tip uses low-tensile titanium that will not damage AR400 and higher plates.
Lehigh Defense® continues to innovate with this new product line, methodically designed to meet the extreme demands of the law enforcement and military markets. Unlike traditional manufacturing methods, our bullets are produced individually, on precision CNC machines for unmatched accuracy and explosive terminal performance. All of our Armor Piercing bullets have been designed for sub-MOA accuracy.
We have several options in the Armor Piercing product line, each designed for a specific application and purpose. Our Tool Steel (AP-TS) bullet penetrates light armor and mild steel targets, while our Tungsten Carbide (AP-WU) will comfortable penetrate hardened AR500 targets. Our Reactive (AP-RE) product is built with our Tungsten Carbide core, but complemented with with a proprietary & patented chemistry of nano-metals to provide deep penetration combined with a controlled explosion.
Here at Lehigh Defense, we weren't satisfied with the stagnation of our industry. The technologies behind today's ammunition and bullets has remained primarily unchanged for decades. While the argument may have been "if it isn't broken don't fix it", we think that logic is wrong.
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