CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO METALLIC CARTRIDGES AND IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES TO BE USED THEREWITH
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Coburn Wilson, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
RELATING TO METALLIC CARTRIDGES AND IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES TO
BE USED THEREWITH."-A communication from abroad by General
Hiram Berdan, of the City of New York, in the United States of
America, but now residing at Saint Petersburgh, in the Empire of
Russia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Coburn Wilson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 27th May 1871.
I, GEORGE COBURN WILSON, of Birmingham, in the County of War-
wick, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO METALLIC CARTRIDGES, AND IN APPARATUS AND
APPLIANCES TO BE USED THEREWITH," to be as follows :-
I propose to make the base of metallic cartridges of soft metal, so
as to enable me to form thic anvils without cracking the metal.

page_text: An important part of my Invention consists in swaging the anvil
during the operation of forming it, or after it is formed, which makes
the anvil stand up for a greater number of rounds, at the same time
allowing the metal in the remainder of the case to be left soft, therefore
allowing the case to be reformed and fired a greater number of times
without splitting. The swaging of the anvil here spoken of consists
in pressing the metal very hard after it is raised. This allows the
metal to be annealed after the cavity as been thrown in to prevent the
anvil from cracking, and still makes a stiff anvil when finished.
The next part of my Invention relates to tapering or necking down
the mouth of the cartridge case, and which I effect by a combination
of an external die with an internal punch, the die performing tho
tapering and necking down the mouth whilst at the same time the
internal punch entering the said mouth prevents the metal from
folding inwards. In using a die for reforming cartridge cases after
they have been fired I drill one or more air holes therein at suitable
points. I propose to cast the metal which is to be used for the
manufacture of metallic cartridge cases in soapstone moulds which
being non-conductors will prevent the metal from being chilled, as
would be the case if iron moulds were used.
: Sandstone moulds are sometimes employed for casting, but soapstone
moulds have the advantage over them, that being of a greasy nature,
and presenting a smooth surface, the casting is much cleaner, and
freer from dirt and other impurities. The use of soapstone moulds
also prevents the formation of a thin hard scale on the metal incident
to castings when iron moulds are used, and which scale or chilled
surface remains on the metal however thin it may be drawn, and
however many times it may be annealed, and causes cracks in the
manufacturing and firing of the shell. I propose to employ stearine
as a gas check and lubricator when placed behind the bullet in a
metallic cartridge. The advantages of stearine over other lubricators
consists in its not containing any acid to corrode the shell and in its
melting a at low temperature.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Coburn Wilson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE.
COBURN WILSON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,. send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Coburn Wilson, Her
special licence that I, the said George Coburn Wilson, my executors;
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Coburn
Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO METALLIC CARTRIDGES AND IN APPARATUS.
AND APPLIANCES TO BE USED THEREWITH,' upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Coburn Wilson, executors or adminis-.
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature:
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed.
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within..
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said..
Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Coburn Wilson, do hereby -
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the-
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in >
and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
I propose to anneal the metal after the first operation of forming the
cup cavity, when the anvil is to be made of the same piece of metal
so as to enable me to form the anvil without cracking the metal.
An important part of my Invention consists in swaging the anvil.
during the operation of forming it, or after it is formed, which makes
-

page_text: the anvil stand up for a greater number of rounds, at the same time
allowing the anvil to be formed from soft metal, which prevents the
metal from cracking during the operation of forming the anvil. The
swaging of the anvil here spoken of consists in pressing the metal very
hard after it is raised by internal and external dies.
The next part of my Invention relates to tapering or necking down
the mouth of the cartridge case, and which I effect by a. combination
of an external die with an internal punch, the die performing the
tapering and necking down the mouth, whilst at the same time the
internal punch entering the said mouth prevents the metal from folding
inwards. When the necking is very heavy it is necessary to reduce
the shells by two or more operations. In using a die for reforming
cartridge cases after they have been fired I drill one or more air
holes therein at suitable points to prevent folds or indentations being
formed in the shells.
In my Provisional Specification I stated that I proposed to cast the
metal which is to be used for the manufacture of metallic cartridges
in soapstone moulds, but I am advised that the use of soapstone moulds
may not be new, and I desire it therefore to be understood that I make
no claim for them. I propose to employ stearine as a gas check and
lubricator when placed behind the bullet in a metallic cartridge. The
advantages of stearine over other lubricators consists in its not containing
any acid to corrode the shell, and in its melting at a low temperature.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same may be performed, I desire it to be understood that
what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is,-
-
First. Annealing the metal after the cup cavity has been made so as to
ensure the anvils to be formed without cracking or splitting themetal.
Second. Swaging the anvil during the operation of forming it, or
after it is formed as herein-before described, and I claim to use the
said swaged anvil with any description of solid head cartridges where
the head, shell, cap cavity and anvil are in one piece of metal.
Third. Tapering or necking down the mouth of the cartridge case,
by the combination of an external die with an internal punch, as herein-
before described.

page_text: Fourth. Reforming cartridge cases after they have been fired by
means of a die containing air holes, substantially as herein-before
described.
Fifth. The use of stearine as a gas check and lubricator when placed
behind the bullet in a metallic cartridge, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Coburn Wilson, have here-
unto set my hand and scal this Twenty-fourth day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1871.
o Witness,
G. R. HOLLAND,
Patent Office,
Birmingham.
GEORGE COBURN WILSON. (L.S.)