Improvements relating to Apparatus for Adapting Fire-arms for using Miniature Ammunition.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 1st Jan., 1890-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Apparatus for Adapting Fire-arms for
using Miniature Ammunition.
HARRY ANDREWS Engineer 25 New Road, Woolwich Kent do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide an improved method and means of
charging an empty cartridge shell with an ordinary rin base miniature cartridge
whereby the said miniature cartridge is secured firmly at the mouth of the said
cartridge shell, and in such a manner that it may be fired and the spent shell readily
replaced after the extraction of the apparatus from the fire arm.
My improved apparatus consists of an empty cartridge shell with the base bored out
(for inserting the miniature cartridge) and the body thereof provided with a detachable
cylindrical or other suitable shape block, for the purpose of carrying the pin or
communicating striker used for firing purposes. The said block, I preferably make
of wood or other suitable light material strengthened with metal where necessary
and provided with à steel split ring, or suitable india rubber, or other ring with means
of expanding the same for the purpose of firmly holding the said block in the body
of the cartridge shell.
1009
Dated this 18th day of May 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Apparatus for Adapting Fire-arms for
using Miniature Ammunition.
I, HARRY ANDREWS, of 25 New Road, Woolwich, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, 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:-
The object of my invention is to facilitate the use of miniature ammunition with
magazine-rifles, machine-guns and other fire-arms.
In the Specification of former British Letters Patent granted to James O'Kelly
and dated 2nd November A.D. 1887, No. 14916, there is described an apparatus for
adapting fire-arms for use with miniature ammunition, which apparatus comprises a
tubular piece or block adapted to hold the miniature cartridge in its forward end and
having at its rear end a head or flange corresponding in form and dimensions to that
of the ordinary or service cartridge, a sliding pin being arranged within and extending
through the said tubular piece or block to communicate to the primer of the miniature
cartridge the blow or impact of the firing-pin, hammer or striker of the fire-arm.
The miniature cartridges for use with this apparatus require to be specially formed
at the rear end or base to permit their attachment to the said tubular piece or
block.
By my invention, I provide an apparatus of this kind or class which is simpler
in construction and more efficient than that described in the said former Specifica-
tion; moreover, by reason of the improved construction of my apparatus, miniature
cartridges with ordinary rim bases, heads or flanges can be firmly secured
therein.
The said apparatus is, therefore, well adapted for use in magazine or repeating
fire-arms.
An important feature of my said invention is the adaptation of an ordinary or
service cartridge case or shell for containing a tubular piece or block somewhat
873

page_text: end thereol. Therefore, the entire apparatus with the miniature cartridge therein
resembles an ordinary or service cartridge, and can be as readily fed from the hopper
or magazine into the chamber of a gun.
My said invention, moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawing, I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of one form of my improved apparatus,
the miniature cartridge being shown in side elevation.
and
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the said apparatus.
Figure 3 is a side elevation illustrating details of construction.
Figure 4 is a side elevation illustrating a slight modification of the said apparatus,
Figure 5 is a longitudinal central section showing another form or modification of
my said apparatus.
Figure 6 shows a further modification of construction.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
A is an ordinary or service cartridge case or shell, which may with advantage be
made of steel B is the miniature cartridge.
The base of the said cartridge case or shell A is, as above stated, bored out to
permit the insertion of the miniature cartridge B from the rear end of the said shell,
The shell of the miniature cartridge is made of such diameter that the forward part
thereof will pass through the reduced portion or neck of the shell A, and its rear
portion will fit tightly therein, the rim B₁ of the miniature cartridge abutting against
the internal shoulder of the shell A, as shown in Figure 1, so that the cartridge is
retained firmly in position in the said shell. C is the tubular block or plug, which
is inserted into the body of the shell A and fits the same closely at each end, and
which is formed of wood, metal or other suitable material, or of wood strengthened
with metal where necessary. In the central hole C of the block or plug C, is fitted
to slide longitudinally the communicating pin or striker D.
In the apparatus shown in Figures 1 to 3, the said communicating pin or striker D
is retained in the said block or plug C by means of a set-screw E, the inner
extremity of which enters a circumferential groove D' in the pin D. This groove
is so made as to permit the necessary longitudinal or endwise play or movement of
the said pin in the block or plug C. F is a head secured upon the rear extremity
of the communicating pin or striker D by means of screw-threads; or it may be
secured thereon in any other suitable manner that will permit its ready removal from
the said pin or striker when desired; or the said head may be separate from the
pin or striker and so held in the block or plug C that it. can move longitudinally
therein and will bear against the rear end of the said pin or striker. The removable
head F receives the impact of the striker, hammer or firing-pin of the gun, and
when worn out or damaged by repeated blows therefrom, may be readily removed
and replaced by a new one, thus obviating the necessity for replacing the entire pin
or striker. It is obvious, however, that I can if desired form the head solidly upon
the pin or striker. A recess or cavity (2 is formed in the block or plug C to receive
the said head F and permit the necessary movement thereof when struck by the
striker, hammer or firing-pin of the gun. G is a split ring which is arranged in a
circumferential groove C3 in the block or plug C, and which, when the said block or
plug is inserted into the shell A, will be slightly compressed and will retain the said
block or plug in position in the said shell, whilst permitting its withdrawal therefrom
when desired. The block or plug C may be formed as shown, for the sake of lightness,
or it may be of any other suitable shape.
The removal of the block or plug and of the shell of the miniature cartridge B
from the shell A, after the said miniature cartridge has been fired and the apparatus
extracted from the fire-arm, can be readily effected.

page_text: For this purpose, the said shell of the miniature cartridge is pushed inward or
backward together with the block or plug C, sufficiently to enable the latter to be
withdrawn from the rear end of the shell A; the said miniature shell may then be easily
removed and another miniature cartridge inserted in its place; the block or plug
being re-inserted in the shell A, the apparatus is again ready for use.
I sometimes form one or more slits in the forward end or neck of the shell A,
as at A, Figure 4, to facilitate the insertion of the miniature cartridges therein, and
more particularly the withdrawal of the expanded empty shells therefrom.
For Quick-firing and other guns of larger calibre, I prefer to construct my
apparatus as shown in Figure 5. In this modification of my invention, the head F
is formed with a flange or collar F, and the pin or striker D is retained in the block
or plug C by means of a sleeve H which is screwed into the recess or cavity C² in
the said plug, and is provided with an internal flange H¹ serving as a stop or abut-
ment for the collar F¹ of the head F. As this stop or abutment retains the pin or
striker D in the block or plug C, I am enabled to dispense with the set-screw E above
mentioned. The said sleeve H can be readily withdrawn to permit the removal and
replacing of the head F.
By this arrangement, the manufacture of the block or plug C is simplified, as
the said plug can be cast with a suitable core, and it will then only be necessary
to bore the same out at each end and form the screw-threads in the cavity C³.
It will be seen that, by reason of the construction of my apparatus in the manner
above described, I am enabled to dispense with a spring for effecting the backward
or return movement of the pin or striker D after it has been driven forward to fire
the miniature cartridge. The backward or return movement of the said pin or striker
in my apparatus, can be effected by hand after the removal of the block or plug from
the shell A, or it will be effected in the operation of re-inserting the said block or
plug in the said shell behind the miniature cartridge. My apparatus is, therefore,
more advantageous than that described in the said former specification, inasmuch as,
when a spring is employed for this purpose, a certain amount of energy is required
to compress the said spring, consequently the blow struck by the striker, hammer or
firing-pin of the gun is not as effective as it is without the spring, and miss-fires are
liable to result.
It is obvious, however, that, in cases where the force of the blow or impact of
the striker, hammer or firing pin of the gun is greater than is required to fire the
miniature cartridge, I can introduce a spiral or other spring in combination with the
pin or striker D to partially counteract this force and thus diminish the force of
the blow communicated through the said pin or striker D to the primer of the
miniature cartridge.
Instead of the split ring herein before described, I can employ any other suitable spring
or springs for retaining the block or plug C in the shell A; for instance, I sometimes
form a spring by making one or more slits A2, Figure 6, in rear end or body of
the cartridge shell A and contracting the said shell at this end as shown; or I can
employ other suitable means for holding the aforesaid block or plug firmly in
position in the body of the shell A, whilst permitting its withdrawal therefrom when
desired.
It is obvious, moreover, that I can somewhat further modify the construction of my
improved apparatus without departing from the nature of my said invention. For
instance, instead of an ordinary or service cartridge shell bored out at its rear end, I
can, if desired, employ a steel or other tube so formed as to accurately fit the chamber
of the fire-arm.
My improved apparatus can be more easily and cheaply manufactured than those
heretofore used.
Moreover the apparatus may be so constructed that, together with the miniature
cartridge, it will be of the same weight and externally of the same form as the ordinary
service cartridge, thus permitting or facilitating the feeding of the said apparatus from
the hopper or inagazine into the chamber of a gun.

page_text: 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 what I
claim is: :-
First. An apparatus of the kind or class hereinbefore described, 50 constructed
that the miniature cartridges may be inserted in the outer tube, case or shell through
the rear end and will be firmly retained in the forward end thereof.
Second. An apparatus of the kind or class herein before described, in which the
miniature cartridge and the block or plug containing the communicating pin or striker
are arranged within an ordinary or service cartridge case or shell, or within a steel
or other tube formed to accurately fit the chamber of the gun, for the purpose
above specified.
Third. An apparatus of the kind or class hereinbefore described, adapted for use
with rim-base miniature cartridges.
Fourth. The combination, with the block or plug containing the communicating
pin or striker, of a split ring or other suitable spring or springs for retaining the said
block or plug in place, substantially as described.
Fifth. The combination, with the communicating pin or striker, of a separate or
removable head for receiving the impact of the firing pin, hammer or striker of the
gun, substantially as described.
Sixth. The combination of parts comprising the separate or removable flanged head
of the communicating pin or striker and the sleeve formed with the internal flange
and secured in the rear end of the block or plug, substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth.
Seventh. The employment, in an apparatus such as I have hereinbefore described,
of a cartridge-shell or tube having its rear end formed with one or more slits and
suitably contracted, for the purpose above specified.
Eighth. The improved apparatus constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figures 1 to 4, or with reference to Figure 5 of the accompanying
drawing, for the purpose above specified.
Dated this 1st day e
T
1000
LUVU
LUUU
HARRY ANDREWS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.