IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE CASES
Year: 1885

page_text: We, FRANCIS WILLIAM TICEHURST of Colmore Row, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Gunpowder Agent, and JAMES SIMEON EDGE the younger of Coleshill
Street, Birmingham aforesaid, Manufacturer,, do hereby declare the nature of said.
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE CASES," to be as follows:
C
Our invention relates to means, whereby the perfect and complete combustion of
powder charges in cartridge cases is effected.
In an ordinary cartridge case, the inside of the barrel is of the same diameter
throughout, and no means are provided for preventing the blowing out of a portion
of the charge before it can be consumed; thus on a charge being ignited at the
extreme base, the ignition not being instantaneous throughout, a portion of the
powder is blown out of the case by the expanding gases generated..
According to our improvements, the cartridge case is throttled or choked.
inwardly, at a short distance from the base, so as to partially divide or cut off the:
fore part of the barrel of the case from the base part; thus forming as it were, two
separate chambers divided by an internal collar or ring on the inside walls of
the case.
.
The narrowing or throttling internally of the case, so as to form a powder
chamber, is preferably effected by creasing inwardly in the form of a ring, the
material composing the said case; thereby leaving the internal and external
diameters of the case between the throttled part and the base, the same as the
other or mouth part.
The distance between the base and the throttled part depends upon the character
of powder to be used.
.
This choking of the case in front of the charge, so slackens or retards the
burning of the powder, that complete and perfect combustion is effected, in virtue
of the gaseous products thus generated being compelled to pass through the
narrowed part, instead of having a wide field for ignition and expansion, as is
common with cartridges of the ordinary construction.
The explosive force thus generated and directed through the throttled part is
made to impinge directly upon shot or projectile.
By our improvements, the whole of the powder charge is consumed and the
whole explosive force of the said charge is greatly enhanced.
The choking may be prolonged if necessary into a neck or narrowed 'channel,
Since Rd1
,

page_text: The outside annular indentation created by the creasing inwards of the walls of
the case may be filled up with any solid matter, so as to prevent the forcing back
of the throttled part on the explosion of the charge.
Instead of forming the choked or throttled part from the case itself, a supple-
mentary case with a contracted outer end may be introduced and affixed within
the base end of the cartridge case.
mber
FRANCIS WILLIAM TICEHURST.
JAMES SIMEON EDGE, THE YOUNGER.
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent to the Applicants.
We, FRANCIS WILLIAM-TICEHURST of Colmore Row Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Gunpowder Agent and JAMES SIMEON EDGE the younger of Coleshill
Street Birmingham aforesaid Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE CASES," and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our invention relates to means, whereby the perfect and complete combustion of
powder charges in cartridge cases is effected.
In an ordinary cartridge case, the inside of the barrel is of the same diameter
throughout, and no means are provided for preventing the blowing out of a
portion of the charge before it can be consumed; thus on a charge being ignited
at the extreme base, the ignition not being instantaneous throughout, a portion
of the powder is blown out of the case by the expanding gases generated.
:'
According to our improvements, the cartridge case is throttled or choked
inwardly, at a short distance from the base so as to partially divide or cut off the:
fore part of the barrel of the case; from the base part; thus forming as it were,
two separate chambers, divided by an internal collar or ring on the inside walls of
the case.
The narrowing or throttling internally of the case, so as to form a powder
chamber, is preferably effected by creasing inwardly in the form of a ring, the
material composing the said case, thereby leaving the internal and external
diameters of the case between the throttled part and the base, the same as the
other or mouth part.
The distance between the base and the throttled part depends upon the character.
of powder to be used.

page_text: This choking of the case in front of the charge, so slackens or retards the
burning of the powder, that complete and perfect combustion is effected, in virtue
of the gaseous products thus generated being compelled to pass through the
narrowed part, instead of having a wide field for ignition and expansion as is
common with cartridges of the ordinary construction.
The explosive force thus generated and directed through the throttled part is
made to impinge directly upon shot or projectile.
By our improvements, the whole of the powder charge is consumed and the
whole explosive force of the said charge is greatly enhanced.
The choking may be prolonged if necessary into a neck or narrowed channel.
The outside annular indentation created by the creasing inwards of the walls of
the case may be filled up with any solid matter so as to prevent the forcing back
of the throttled part on the explosion of the charge.
Instead of forining the choked or throttled part from the case itself a supple-
mentary case with a contracted outer end may be introduced and affixed within
the base end of the cartridge case.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing,
the manner in which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in elevation an inwardly choked or throttled sporting
cartridge made according to our invention. Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical
section of the same with an air space between the wad and the charge. Figure 3
represents a section of the same without an air space.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the Drawing.
a is the body of the cartridge case, and 6 is the base. c is a throttled .or
contracted part, which is produced by creasing inwardly the sides or walls of the
case into an annular ring or choke, which partially cuts off or divides the fore-
part of the barrel of the case, from the base part; thus forming as it were two
chambers separated by an internal collar. The base part constitutes the powder
chamber marked d, which is upon the base side of the choke, while upon the
barrel side of the choke a wad e is placed; and intervening between the choke
and the charge aforesaid, an air space is left, which diminishes the recoil of the
arm on firing.
Figures 4 and 5 represent an elevation and section of a cartridge case made
according to our invention, with the trough of the crease filled up with a solid
matter, so as to prevent the forcing back or straightening out of the said crease, .
when the cartridge is fired.
a is the case, b is the base, c is the choked or throttled part, and c³ is the filling
in matter, which may be paper, pulp, hemp or any other suitable material.
Figure 6 also represents a cartridge case with an extended throttling or choke,
which is shown as representing also an air space as before between the charge
and wad.
Figure 7 represents a metallic cartridge case, with the choke or annular ring
(for cutting off the base from the barrel) produced by bulging inwards the sides of
the shell by pressure, or by an upsetting process.
a is the body of the case as before, b is the base, d is the powder chamber cut
from the barrel a, by the choke c formed by the upsetting of the metal upon
itself, so as to form a close jointed crease, with its walls extending inwardly.
Figure 8 shows an ordinary cartridge case, with a supplementary charge
chamber made in the form of a thimble or short tube closed at one end, with its
open end or mouth contracted inwardly, to form the choke as previously described;
so that this choked powder charge holder can be used with existing cases or shells,
with like effect as if the choke was in the case itself.
a is the barrel of the case or shell, 6 is the base, 61 is the cap chamber, d is an
independent charge receiver, c is the choke crease, and e is the wad.
The hollow of the crease may be filled up if necessary, with a solid packing as
in figure 5.

page_text: A
The crease instead of being made a short distance from the mouth as in
figure 8, it may be made at the extreme end so as to form the contracted mouth.
Or an annular ring the equivalent of the bulged crease may be secured within
the case in any desired position, according to the character of the powder employed
as the explosive.
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,
First. A cartridge or cartridge shell, whose body or barrel is internally choked
or contracted near its base end, with an inwardly bulged annular crease, collar,
fold or solid ring, so as to partially cut off or divide the fore part of the barrel
from the base part; and within the chamber thus formed at the base, the charge
is confined and ignited, substantially as described and illustrated in figures 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Drawing; also in choked cartridges or cases with an intervening
air space between the wad and charge as described and set forth in figures 1, 2
and 6.
j
Secondly. A choked charge chamber or charge holder; consisting of a short
tube, contracted at or near its end and made independent of the cartridge case or
shell, substantially as described and set forth in figure 8.