IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CARTRIDGES SUITABLE FOR PRACTICE WITH ORDINARY RIFLES IN GALLERIES OR AT SHORT RANGES
Year: 1884

page_text: We JOHN HENRIQUE DUNN of The Towers Oakfield Crescent Haverstock Hill
in the County of Middlesex Instructor of Musketry and ALFRED CHARLES CRONIN
of 22 Southampton Street Bloomsbury in the County of Middlesex Solicitor, do
hereby declare the nature of the invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN THE
METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CARTRIDGES SUITABLE FOR PRACTICE WITH ORDINARY
RIFLES IN GALLERIES OR AT SHORT RANGES to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to the class of Cartridges for practice with ordinary Rifles
at short ranges described in the specification of Letters Patent No 8649 of 1884
granted to one of us namely the above named John Henrique Dunn jointly with
John Ronald Shearer of 10 Basinghall Street in the City of London Chartered
Accountant-The recharging after use of the Cartridges described in the last
mentioned Specification necessitates the use of loose powder-The object of this
present invention is to provide means for resupplying or refilling spent Cartridges
of the kind described with powder without being obliged to use loose powder in
the operation-For this purpose we provide a Cartridge Case similar to that shewn
in Figure 2. of the above mentioned Specification that is to say with a cylindrical
space or chamber in its axis To fit into this cylindrical space or chamber we
provide a cylinder of brass or other suitable material in which is contained the
charge of powder-This cylinder is closed at one end by a disc or closure flanged
or otherwise headed containing the percussion cap or igniter and at the other end
by the wad or wads, the containing space being sufficient to hold the requisite
charge of powder-This cylinder will move freely in and out of the cylindrical
space or chainber-For practice it will thus only be necessary for the Marksmen to
provide himself with a number of these cylinders containing the necessary charge
of powder, which he can place in the cylindrical space or chamber having removed
any one which may have been previously used-The bullet used in all cases is
large enough in diameter to fit into the grooveing of the Rifle and into the other
end of the cartridge.

page_text: We JOHN HENRIQUE DUNN of the Towers Oakfield Crescent Haverstock Hill
in the County of Middlesex Instructor of Musketry and ALFRED CHARLES CRONIN
of 22 Southampton Street Bloomsbury in the County of Middlesex Solicitor do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "LMPROVEMENTS IN AND IN
THE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CARTRIDGES SUITABLE FOR PRACTICE WITH
ORDINARY RIFLES IN GALLERIES OR AT SHORT RANGES," 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 :-
•
This Invention relates to the class of Cartridges for practice with ordinary Rifles
and with Cartridge Cases and bullets of ordinary size at short ranges described in
the Specification of Letters Patent No 3649 dated the 20th February 1884 granted
to one of us namely the above named John Henrique Dunn jointly with John
Ronald Shearer of 10 Basinghall Street in the City of London Chartered
Accountant.
The recharging after use of the solid Cartridge described in the said Specification
and which is for the purpose of this Specification herein called a Cylinder
necessitates the use of loose powder. The object of this present Invention is to
provide means whereby a solid cylinder of similar construction externally to the
cartridge hereinbefore alluded to may be constantly used without the necessity of
employing loose powder in the operation.
For this purpose we provide a cylinder similar in construction to that shown in
figure 2 of the drawing accompanying the above mentioned Specification in the
respect that it is fitted with a bullet (either conical or spherical) of sufficient
diameter to take the grooving of the rifle out of which it is to be propelled and
that it has a small or contracted cylindrical space or chamber in its axis.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing illustrates in longitudinal section
a Cylinder thus formed To fit into this cylindrical space or chamber which is
marked A we provide a cartridge of Brass or other suitable material which
contains the charge of powder and the percussion cap or igniter. This Cartridge is
illustrated separately in longitudinal section in Figure 2 of the accompanying
drawing. It is closed at one end by a disc or closure a flanged as at b or otherwise
provided with a head and carrying the percussion cap or igniter c. The requisite
charge of powder is indicated at d is then inserted and afterwards the wad or wads
is or are inserted as indicated at e This cartridge figure 2 fits easily into the
cylindrical space or chamber A. of the Cylinder. Figure 3 is a longitudinal section
of the Cylinder with the Cartridge in place the flange b fitting the recess of formed
for it in the end of the Cylinder. When it is desired to practice with an ordinary
small arm at short ranges it will thus only be necessary for the marksman to
provide himself with a Cylinder as shewn in Figure 1 and a number of Cartridges
as shewn in Figure 2 which he can place in the cylindrical space or chamber A of
the Cylinder and a number of bullets which can be fixed in the mouth of the

page_text: Cylinder as shewn at g in figure 3. We prefer to leave a clear space as shewn in
the drawing between the wad and the bullet as we find in practice that it tends to
an increase in the propelling power which enables us to use in the cartridges
(figure 2) smaller charges of powder without interfering with accuracy in point
blank firing.
In order to prevent the fouling and choking of the Cylinder by the deposit due
to the combustion of the powder it is preferred to nickle plate the cylinder both
inside and outside-This has been found to have a very beneficial effect in
preventing deposit and fouling or choking and corrosion.
A rammer or expeller can be introduced into the bullet end of the cylinder for
expelling the spent cartridge or any other suitable device can be used for the
purpose.
The example shewn in the drawing is a Cylinder in the shape of a Martini
Henry Cartridge Case but the Invention is not limited to any particular shape or
make of rifle or fire arm nor to any particular size of the Cartridge Figure 2.
Although we have made the Cartridge Figure 2 cylindrical it will be evident that
its shape and size can be varied without departing from the nature of this
Invention.
The Invention is applicable for use with Cartridges for breach loading small.
arins generally such for example as ordinary military breech loaders revolvers or
such combinations of small arms as are known as machine guns.
No alteration or addition to the ordinary condition of the fire arm is required
either in the shape of falso rights or otherwise and the normal balance and weight
of the fire arm are therefore retained intact.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
The manufacture and use of a Cylinder for short ranges practice the said Cylinder
consisting of a case of a size to fit the breech of the fire arm and carrying a bullet
of a diameter capable of taking the grooving of the fire arm in which it is to be
used and having a smail longitudinal space in its interior open at the base or outer
end and taking a cartridge or holder containing a small or practice charge of
powder substantially as bereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.