IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harcourt Brown, of the Abbey Mills, Romsey,
in the County of Hants, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harcourt Brown
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th October 1858.
I, JOHN HARCOURT BROWN, of the Abbey Mills, Romsey, in the County of
Hants, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
cartridges. For these purposes cases are made of a slightly conical form of
paper or the skins of animals reduced to pulp, or other suitable material, so as
to be shaped into thin tubes on suitable forms or shapes. The diameter of the
lower parts of the tubes is made to agree with the bore of the guns in which
the charges of the cartridges are to be used. The tubular cases are of such
strength as to admit of the contents being forced through by a ramrod into the
gun or fire-ȧrm when the lower end of the cartridge is introduced into the
muzzle of a gun or fire-arm; and the inside of the muzzles of the fire-arms
are to be cut away so as to form a shoulder to receive the ends of the
cartridges. Or the cartridges are to be formed at their lower ends suitable to
fit on the end of the barrel of a gun or fire-arm. When making the above
cases for cartridges, it is desirable to apply a lining of skin, paper, thin metal,
or other suitable material, in such manner that the lining may lap over the

page_text: upper edges of the outer cases, or be otherwise fastened thereto, and so that
near the lower edges or ends of the outer cases the lining or inner case may
be so eompressed or brought together as to close upon and secure the charge
of powder. The balls or projectiles are placed in the upper ends of the lining
or inner cases upon the powder, where they fit tightly, but readily admit of
being forced inwards by the ramrod. When the ramrod presses a ball into
its case, it opens the closed end of the lining or inner case, and the powder
and ball are forced into the barrel free from the case and lining. The conical
balls have, as heretofore, a groove around them to receive lubricating materials,
and such groove is covered over by a cap of paper prepared to resist the
passage of the lubricating material, should it melt; or caps of the animal
matter above described for the cases may be used in place of paper caps.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Harcourt Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th April 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HARCOURT BROWN, of the Abbey Mills, Romsey, in the County of Hants, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Harcourt Brown, Her special licence that I, the said
John Harcourt Brown, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Harcourt Brown, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Harcourt Brown, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Harcourt Brown, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
cartridges. For these purposes cases are made of a slightly conical form of
paper or the skins of animals reduced to pulp, or other suitable material, so as
to be shaped into thin tubes on suitable forms or shapes. The diameter of the
lower parts of the tubes is made to agree with the bore of the guns in which.
the charges of the cartridges are to be used. The tubular cases are of such
strength as to admit of the contents being forced through by a ramrod into
the gun or fire-arm when the lower end of the cartridge is introduced into the
muzzle of a gun or fire-arm, and the inside of the muzzles of the fire-arms are
to be cut away, so as to form a shoulder to receive the ends of the cartridges.
Or the cartridges are to be formed at their lower ends suitable to fit on the end
of the barrel of a gun or fire-arm. When making the above cases for
cartridges, it is desirable to apply a lining of skin, paper, thin metal, or other
suitable material, in such manner that the lining may lap over the upper
edges of the outer cases, or be otherwise fastened thereto, and so that near
the lower edges or ends of the outer cases the lining or inner case may be so
compressed or brought together as to close upon and secure the charge of
powder. The balls or projectiles are placed in the upper ends of the lining or
inner cases upon the powder, where they fit tightly, but readily admit of being
forced inwards by the ramrod. When the ramrod presses a ball into its case,
it opens the closed end of the lining or inner case, and the powder and ball are
forced into the barrel free from the case and lining. The conical balls have,.
as heretofore, a groove around them to receive lubricating materials, and such
groove is covered over by a cap of paper prepared to resist the passage of the
lubricating material should it melt, or caps of the animal matter above described.
for the cases may be used in place of paper caps.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention, I will proceed more fully.
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING..
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a cartridge constructed according
to the Invention; Figure 2 is an external view thereof; Figure 3.shows a
longitudinal section of another cartridge, slightly differing from that shewn in
Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 shows a section of the end of a barrel of a fire-arm
suitable for receiving the lower end of a cartridge, such as is shown in the

page_text: previous Figures; and Figure 5 shows a section of the barrel of the fire-arm,
with a cartridge introduced, and in a position for the charge to be forced by
a is the outer
the ramrod through the case of the cartridge into the barrel.
case of the cartridge, which is by preference made of artificial skin or parch-
ment made from pulped skin, or the case a may be made of any suitable
material, it being preferred that such outer case should be waterproof; b, b, is
the inner case or lining of the cartridge, which it is preferred should be of thin
sheet metal, and turned over at the upper end at 61. The case a, b, of the
cartridge is made slightly conical, so that the ball or projectile c may be inserted
from the larger end, and be held securely at the smaller end of the case a, b,
and yet admit of it being forced back through the case into the barrel by the.
ramrod. The interior diameter of the other or lower end of the case agrees
with the inner diameter of the barrel of the fire-arm. The ball c having been
forced through the case d into the position shown at the smaller end of the
case of the cartridge, the charge of powder is to be introduced, leaving a
portion of the outer case unfilled, in order that such space may be closed in by
preference by a plug such as is shewn, which will admit of being readily
removed before placing the end of the case a into the barrel of the fire-arm..
When the end of the inner case is made notched or serrated as shown in
Figure 1, such end is to be folded and pressed against the powder, then the
plug d is to be introduced or the folding in of the end of the inner case b may
be dispensed with, and the plug d alone used, as shewn in Figure 3. The
plug d is made of cork or other elastic material suitable for fitting tightly, to
which plug a disc d¹ is fixed, by which the plug d can readily be removed by
the thumb or thumb and forefinger before the end of the cartridge is introduced
into the end of the barrel e.
I would remark that it will be evident that in place of the end of the
cartridge entering the end of the barrel so as to come against the shoulder e¹,
the end of each cartridge may be made larger, as shown in section at
Figure 6, to receive the end of the barrel into it, in which case the shoulder e¹
in the barrel of the fire-arm would not be required.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim generally
to form cartridge cases in such manner as to have their contents forced through
them into the barrels of fire-arms, I having before used cartridge cases capable
of being so employed, and I did also in a Provisional Specification, dated]
20th February 1855, describe the making of such descriptions of cartridges;
but what I claim is,-
First, the forming of the interior of the lower ends of the cases of cartridges

page_text: of like dimensions with the interior bores of the barrels of the fire-arms in
which the contents of the cartridge cases are to be used.
Secondly, I claim the making of the upper ends of cartridge cases somewhat
smaller than the interior of the barrels, so that the ball when forced into the
case will be securely held, and yet admit of its being forced back when
loading the fire-arm.
Thirdly, I claim the closing of the powder end of the case after the ball and
powder have been introduced as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Harcourt Brown, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
J. H. BROWN. (L.S.)