Improvements in Wads for Shot Cartridges.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Mar., 1897-Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
Improvements in Wads for Shot Cartridges.
I ROBERT SAGE ELLIOTT of 807 Delaware Street, in the City of Kansas City,
County of Jackson, State of Missouri, United States of America, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to conical or cone shaped shot distributing wad, for shot
gun shooting, and the object I have in view in producing such a wad is to place
in reach of the sportsman in shot gun practice, and others that shoot shot guns an
outer wad for confining the shot in the ordinary shell, of dimensions that vary in
proportions, so that when the gun is fired the shot will scatter more or less according
to the dimensions of the distributing wad. Another object I have in view in
producing a shot distributing wad of this nature is that the long range choke bore
shot gun can be successfully used at short range, the same as the ordinary straight
bore or even the swell muzzle shot gun.
To this end and for the above purposes my invention consists and is embodied,
together with certain combinations of different parts which will be hereinafter
described and pointed out in the claims.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will now proceed to describe
it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an ordinary shot gun shell, showing its
interior arrangement and the relative position of the charge, consisting of powder
wadding and shot, and the relative position of my distributing wad in connection with
the shot when the shell is charged ready for the gun.
Fig. 2 is a vertical plan view of the invention showing the variation in which the
conical portion of the wad may be constructed so that the distribution of the shot can
be approximately calculated, according to the dimensions of the cone portion of the
wad used when the gun is fired, in shooting birds with the choke bore gun, such as
snipe, quail, plover or other species of small game, that sit quietly until the hunts-
man approaches within a few paces before it rises or bounds away, the distributing
wad similar in construction to 8c should be used as the greater distance from the
base to the apex of the wad, the greater expanse or distribution of the shot when the
gun is fired.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, showing a portion of the muzzle end of what
is termed a choke bore shot gun, also the contents of a shell after explosion leaving
the end of the gun. In order that I may be clearly understood, before proceeding
further I will give a brief definition of the word choke bore when it is used in
connection with the shot gun, and the object thereof, in this figure it will be
observed that the two outer margins 10-10 which indicate the thickness of the gun
barrel, increase in thickness towards the discharge end of the gun, it will be further
observed that this increase is on the inside of the barrel, and gradually diminishing
from the discharge end, an inch and a half to two inches back, thus causing the bore
of the gun to gradually diminish in circumference, from the same distance back
to its muzzle or discharge end, hence the choke or the constriction of the bore of
the barrel at its mouth or discharge end. The object in making the shot gun
with a choke bore is to curtail its shot spreading capacity when the gun is fired,
and to increase its effectiveness at long range shooting. The straight bore shot

page_text: gun cannot be relied upon with a degree of certainty for more than thirty to fifty
paces, and is in a measure unreliable at a greater distance, for the fact, when over
this distance is reached the spread of the shot is so great it renders ineffectiveness
almost certain. Wherein the choke. bore renders the gun reliable with the same
degree of certainty from eighty to one hundred paces and in a measure unreliable
at a much less distance unless deliberate aim is taken, for the fact that the shot
fired from the choke bore gun does not spread to any great extent until a distance
of sixty to eighty paces is reached. As I have already intimated, my object is to
produce a shot gun shot distributing wad that will render the choke bore gun
reliable at short range or close, random shooting, equal to that of the straight bore or
the swell muzzle gun.
In this figure 1 have also given a diagrammatically approximate illustration, to
iudicate the difference in the route the shot travel when fired from the choke bore
gun, when the ordinary disc shot retaining wad is used, and the route they travel
when my conical distributing wad is used, the lines dd in this diagram illustrate
the extent of the spread of the shot when they have travelled a distance of about
four inches from the end of the gun when the disc wad is used, and the lines e e
illustrate the spread of the shot when the conical distributing wad is used, the
illustration of the wad b indicates its relation to the shot at a distance of an inch
or so from the muzzle of the gun, and at this point the shot are supposed to be,
or nearly so, in advance of the wad, the illustration e in dotted lines showing the
conical wad at a distance of 3 to 4 inches from the end of the gun and at this
point all the shot are supposed to be in advance of the wad, and the distance
between the base or outer margin of the wad to the outer lines cc is supposed to
show the approximate spread of the shot as they pass the wad this far from the
end of the gun. Referring again to the drawings in which I designate an ordinary
shell made of any suitable material, which is provided with a metallic cap 2, said
cap being heavily re-inforced by means of a metallic seat 4 upon which the charge
of powder rests said seat is provided with the usual fuse opening 3 at the outer
end and in the metallic cap is secured the combustible matter for igniting fire to
the powder 5. 7 designates the shot resting upon the wadding 6, 8 designates
my conical distributing wad in position, 9 designates the end of the shell scrolled
or turned inward to confine the charge completing the shell ready for the gun.
8 with the distance between base and apex of the wad contracted, is adapted for
medium distance shooting.
8 is a plan or disc view of the wad.
:
8c with the distance extended between the base and the apex is adapted for short
range or random shooting.
Thus from the foregoing description it is plain to be seen that I have produced
a shot distributing wad for shot gun shooting that will render the choke bore shot
gun reliable in short range random shooting equal to deliberate aim at medium or
long range shooting.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. A cone-shaped or conical shot distributing gun wad.
2. In combination with a shell, loaded with shot in the customary manner, a conical
wad which is secured in the shell in advance of the shot, and with its apex entering
the shot-charge, substantially as described.
Dated this blowouth In
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