Improvements in Cartridges and Charges of Shot or Pellets for Guns.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 8th Aug, 1889-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cartridges and Charges of Shot or Pellets
for Guns.
I, CHARLES AMBROSE MCEVOY, of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane,
Southwark. in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
:―
The object of this invention is to reduce the scattering of a charge of shot or pellets
when fired from guns.
I close over the front end of the case containing the shot with a disc or wad so
formed that it opens outwards from the centre when the cartridge is fired in a gun
and causes the shot to be discharged more along the line of the centre of the barrel
and less at the sides.
Preferably I effect this by placing the shot within a cylinder of thin metal or other
suitable material closed at the front by bending over the front end of the cylinder
in numerous narrow pleats or folds to make them lie radially and overlapping one
another to form a flat disc to come in front of and to retain the shot.
The cylinder may be long enough for all the shot to be contained within it and the
rear end of the cylinder may either be open or it may be similarly closed over and
so forms a closed casing for a charge of shot or pellets or the cylinder may be of
short length only so as merely to serve as a wad.
A cylinder closed at its front end by a disc of thin metal having slits cut in it
radially from the centre to the circumference may similarly be used.
Dated this 9th day of November 1888.
ÇARPMAEL & CO.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cartridges and Charges of Shot or Pellets
for Guns.
I, CHARLES AMBROSE MCEVOY, of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane,
Southwark, in the County of Surrey, 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 this invention is to reduce the scattering of a charge of shot or
pellets when fired from guns.
I close over the front end of the case containing the shot with a disc or wad so
formed that it opens outwards from the centre when the cartridge is fired in a gun
and causes the shot to be discharged more along the line of the centre of the barrel
and less at the sides.
Preferably I effect this by placing the shot within a cylinder of; thin metal or
other suitable material closed at the front by bending over the front end of the
cylinder in numerous narrow pleats or folds to make them lie somewhat radially
and overlapping one another to form a flat disc to come in front of and to retain the
shot.
The cylinder may be long enough for all the shot to be contained within it and
the rear end of the cylinder may either be open or it may be similarly closed over
and so forms a closed casing for a charge of shot or pellets or the cylinder may be of
short length only so as merely to serve as a wad.
A cylinder closed at its front end by a disc of thin metal having slits cut in it
radially from the centre to the circumference may similarly be used.

page_text: In carrying out my invention I prefer to form the wad or casing in the manner
shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed. Preferably I use a short cylinder closed
at its front end to act as a wad as above explained. The cylinder I form by bending
a strip of thin sheet metal (preferably thin sheet brass) around a cylindrical mandril.
Along one edge of this strip of metal form a number of transverse slits as
shown at figure 1 so as to divide this side of the strip into a number of narrow
tongues. Preferably also I cause each of these tongues to be bent somewhat out of
the plane of the uncut portion of the sheet of metal as shewn in edge view at
Figure 2.
The strip of metal so prepared I then bend around a cylindrical mandril in such
manner that the tongues of metal are left projecting beyond its end.
1 then cause all
the tongues to be bent inwards towards the centre of the flat end of the mandril-as
they are so bent inwards one side edge of each tongue passes under the next tongue
and when they have been completely bent over they close in the end of the cylinder
as shewn at Figure 3 which represents an end view of a cylinder so closed in at one
end a side view of the cylinder is shewn at Figure 4. Such a cylinder is suitable
for being used as a wad for closing in the front end of a cartridge such as used with
ordinary breech loading sporting guns. A longitudinal section of a cartridge closed
at the front by the metal wad is shewn at Figure 5. One advantage of using a wad
of this kind is that it serves to sweep out all fouling from the barrel and the barrel
is thereby cleaned at each discharge and is so maintained in a clean condition. The
cylinder of metal might as above stated be formed if desired of sufficient length to
contain the whole of a charge of shot or pellets and be closed in both at its front and
rear ends in this case the strip of metal would have slits formed in it along both of
its side edges instead of on one edge only-and when bent into the form of a
cylinder one end of the cylinder might be closed over on to the end of a mandril as
above described and afterwards when the requisite charge of shot or pellets had been
filled in the other end of the cylinder might be closed over on to the top of the charge
and so enclose the charge as shewn at Figure 6.
Charges of case for field guns may advantageously be made up in this manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A shot cartridge for a breech loading gun having its front end closed over with
a disc or wad formed in such manner that it can open from the centre outwards
substantially as described.
2. The construction of wads for retaining shot or pellets in cartridges for breech
loading guns from thin sheet metal substantially in the manner described.
3. The construction of cases for containing charges of shot or pellets for guns
substantially in the manner described.
Dated this 8th day of Auomat 1000
CARPMEAL & Co.,
Agents.