Year: 1885

page_text: I WILLIAM BARNES of Ashbourne in the County of Derby, Ironmonger do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, to be as follows:-
My invention relates to mechanism for ramming cartridges where the cases
which are to contain the powder and shot or projectile are packed in boxes to be
filled and rammed.
The ordinary arrangement of rammers are formed by a number of wood or metal
spindles fixed in a bar the ends of which form handles, and is using them, if one
cartridge case happened to have a small amount of extra charge more than the
others, this would prevent the charges in such cases from being rammed "home."
The sudden concussion of the ordinary rammer tends also to bulge the cases,
break the grain of the powder and force the grease out of the "wads" into the
powder and to flatten the shot-The ordinary rammer also takes considerable
power to use it.
By my improvements the above named objections and disadvantages are
obviated.
My invention consists in improved combinations and arrangements of mechanism.
The spindles or rammers are placed in a bar which is arranged in slides or guides
to move up and down vertically so as to be actuated by a lever handle but the
spindles or rammers, are not rigidly attached to the bar but are capable of sliding
or moving in or on it or in tubes attached to the bar, each spindle being pressed
downwards by a spring so as to allow the rammer to give way when a given
pressure comes upon it;-with this arrangement it will be seen that (1) each
rammer is independant of the others worked at the same time,-(2) that the
pressure cannot come with a shock or so suddenly upon the charge as to bulge the
cases; (3) the charge is by this gradual and elastic pressure more securly and
tightly rammed and cannot rebound; (4) the gradual and elastic pressure of the
rammers prevents the grain of the powder from being broken, and the grease from
being driven into it, and the shot from being flattened; (5) the lever handle gives
greater power to the manipulator and thus the labour is diminished and the
speed of operation is increased;-(6) and lastly, the arrangements of the rammers in
slides causes them to work perfectly true and consequently the cases are evenly
rammed.

page_text: .
My invention may be modified by arranging each rammer in separate guides and
with each spring adjustable.
My improved mechanism may also be used for ramming single cartridges as well
as several cartridges simultaneously.
A further improvement consists in arranging a slide or pusher to act upon the box
for the cartridges to move it automatically at each up stroke of the rammers and
bring a fresh cartridge or row of cartridges under the rammers ready for each
down stroke.
This is or may be done by a ratchet pawl actuated from the rammers or its lever
handle which pawl acts upon a ratchet toothed rack or wheel connected or geared
with the said slide or pusher.

page_text: I WILLIAM BARNES of Ashbourne in the County of Derby, Ironmonger 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:
My invention relates to mechanism for ramming cartridges where the cases
which are to contain the powder and shot or projectile are packed or placed in
boxes to be filled and rammed.
The ordinary arrangement of rammers is formed by a number of wood or metal
spindles fixed in a bar, the ends of which form handles, and in using them, if one
cartridge case in a row happened to have a small amount of extra charge more than
the others this would prevent the charges in the other cases from being rammed
home or would cause the one case to be bulged.
The sudden concussion of the ordinary rammer tends also to bulge the cases,
break the grain of the powder and force the grease out of the wads into the
powder and to flatten the shot-The ordinary rammer also takes considerable
power to use it.
By my improvements the above named objections and disadvantages are
obviated.
My invention consists in improved combinations and arrangements of mechanism.
The spindles or rammers are placed in a bar which is arranged in slides or guides
to move up and down vertically so as to be actuated by a lever handle but the
spindles or raminers, are not rigidly attached to the bar but are capable of sliding
or moving in or on it, or in tubes attached to the bar, each spindle being pressed
downwards by a spring, so as to allow the rammer to give way when a given
pressure comes upon it, with this arrangement it will be seen that (1) each
rammer is independent of the others worked at the same time (2) that the
pressure cannot come with a shock or so suddenly upon the charge as to bulge the
cases, (3) the charge is by this gradual and elastic pressure more securely and
tightly rammed and cannot rebound (4) the gradual and elastic pressure of the
rammers prevents the grain of the powder from being broken, and the shot from,
being flattened, (5) the lever handle gives greater power to the manipulator and
thus the labour is diminished and the speed of operation is increased ;-(6) and
lastly the arrangements of the rammers in slides causes them to work perfectly true
and consequently the cases are evenly rammed.
My invention may be modified by arranging each rammer in separate guides, and
with each spring adjustable.
My improved mechanism may also be used for ramming single cartridges as well
as several cartridges simultaneously.
A further improvement consists in arranging a slide or pusher to act upon the
box for the cartridges to move it automatically at each up stroke of the rammers

page_text: and bring a free cartridge or row of cartridges under the rammers ready for each
down stroke.
This is or may be done by a ratchet pawl actuated from the rammers or its lever
handle which pawl acts upon a ratchet toothed rack or wheel connected or geared
with the said slide or pusher.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation in section and fig. 2 is a cross section illustrating
my invention.
a is a box or trough, made of wood, but may be made of metal if desired.
6 is an ordinary box or frame, which as illustrated is supposed to have holes for
five cartridges in a row and ten such rows in the length but there may be more
or less..
6* is the sliding lid or bottom of the box-One cartridge x only is shown in each
figure 1 and 2.
A bracket c is secured on each side of the box or trough a the upper cross part o¹
between the two sides of the bracket c having a hole which forms a guide, in which
slides a central stem d¹ from a cross head d which has a projecting pin at each
side each pin sliding freely in a vertical slot in the bracket c and thus the cross
head d is guided up and down vertically-To each pin da projection from a
forked or two sided lever e is jointed, each end of the forked lever on each side
being jointed at e³ to the upper end of a link ƒ the lower end of which is jointed to
a pin f¹ in a plate secured to the sides of the trough a.
In fig. 1 a part of the forked lever e is supposed broken away to make the figure
occupy less space.
To the cross head d a bar g is secured (or it is secured as bereinafter mentioned)
and in this bar g one end of one tube gl is screwed for each cartridge in the row,
and within each tube g¹ there is a rammer g³.
That part of the collar of the rammer coming within the lower end of the tube g¹
is of the same diameter as the interior bore of the tube but the stem g³ is of smaller
diameter and has upon it an helical spring g'-The upper end of the stem has a
screw nut go, by which more or less compression can be put upon the spring.
When all the stems g³ of the rammers are screwed up, this will secure the bar g
to the cross head d though in addition to this the bar g may be secured to the
cross head by separate screws.
In fig. 1 the rammers g³ are shown in the position in which they are pressing
the cartridges and are supposed to be acting upon the first row of cartridges in the
box or frame b.
On one edge of the box or frame b a toothed rack 61 is secured the teeth being of
the same pitch or distance apart as the rows of cartridges in the frame b.
There is a pawl 6* jointed to one end of a rod or bar 6 the joint pin 6 also
sliding in a slot in a plate or bracket 6* secured to the side of the trough a.
The other end of the rod or bar 63 has a slot which can slide on a pin be secured
in a projection e¹ attached to one side of the forked lever e.
When the latter is lifted by the handle e the pin 6 moves in the slot in the rod
or bar 63 until it arrives at the end of the slot then it moves the rod or bar 6 and
thus the pawl 6º until its joint pin b' arrives at the end of the slot in the plate 65.
This movement causes the pawl b' to push the box or frame b one tooth forward
during the latter part of the up stroke of the forked lever e beginning this
movement when the lower ends of the rammers are clear of the box b and this
brings a fresh row of cartridges under the rammers ready for the next down stroke
and so on.
When the last tooth has been taken by the pawl b' it slips off the end of the
toothed rack b¹ at the next up stroke which then leaves the pawl hanging reversed
and thus in a position to allow the box or frame b when refilled with cartridges
to be pushed in to the end of the trough a when the pawl b' is turned by hand
into the position in which it is shown in fig. 1 ready for the propelling action.
Figs. 3 and 4 are views corresponding respectively to figs. 1 and 2 and illustrate
another modification of my invention.

page_text: a is a metal frame used in place of the box or trough, having an adjusting
screw a¹ at one end as a stop against which the box b is pushed before commencing
to ram the cartridges.
The box b is only shown in outline by peculiar dotted lines in figs. 3 and 4
which box b slides on ledges on the frame a. care uprights from the frame a
on the inner face of each of which a groove is formed which grooves act as
guides to the ends of the cross head & which has vertical projections d¹ at each end
to work in the grooves or slideways formed in the uprights c.
A forked levere is used as in figs. 1 and 2 (only partly shown in figa 3 and 4)
to actuate the cross head d being connected thereto by joint pins d', the fulcrum
end of the lever e is jointed with the upper end of two links f connected by
a cross bar fx (thus forming an oscillating frame) the lower ends of which links
are on pins or screws fl in the frame a-If desired a weight e is added to a
prolongation of the lever e, as shown by peculiar dotted line in fig. 3 which weight
is sufficient to hold up the handle end of the lever e and its connected parts
when not otherwise acted upon so that the rammers g³ will be clear when the
box b is being slided in and out of the frame a.
The cross head d is bored out for each rammer g' at the required distance
apart and the rammer below the cross head d is of the diameter of the interior
of the cartridge, then slightly enlarge within the hole to form a collar to
prevent it from falling or from being forced out of the hole in the cross head d,
then it is reduced to a small stem g³ which passes and slides freely through a
hole in a screw g³ which acts to screw down the helical spring g* placed round
the small stem of the rammer, by this screw g³ the tension of the spring g' is or
may be adjusted without altering the position of the rammers g³ in relation to the
cross head d.
In a projection from one of the uprights c a stud 66 is secured so as to be
adjustable in a slot in it.
This stud is the fulcrum of a lever b³ the lower end of which has a pawl b'
jointed to it which works upon a ratchet toothed rack 61 as herein before described
in reference to figs. 1 and 2-The upper part of the lever b³ is slotted for a bowl e³
on a stud secured in one leg or fork of the lever c.
This slot in the upper arm of the lever b³ is a cam slot and the bowl acts upon
it so as to cause it to oscillate when the lever e is making the latter part of its up
stroke and this movement causes the pawl to propel the box b one tooth of the
ratchet at each up and down movement.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section illustrating another mode of actuating the car-
tridge box or tray b to move it to bring a fresh row of cartridges under the
rammers (g) at each up stroke, and fig. 6 is a plan view of part of the mechanism
shown detached-The parts are arranged in a manner similar to those shown by
figs. 1 and 2, except as to the feeding mechanism.
The toothed rack b¹ is secured to the edge of the tray or box b and is made
with notches so that the end of the pawl 62 can enter and take hold of the notches
and it has to be lifted out of the notch it has hold of, at each stroke to release it
therefrom.
This arrangement is more particularly to prevent the box from being moved too
far by momentum in case of a sudden jerky up stroke.
The pawl b' has a square hole in its boss and is fitted and secured upon the end
of a pin or shaft 6* which at its outer end is bent at a right angle to the pin or
shaft 6 which passes through two slots in a plate 6 of the form shown secured to
the upper edge of the trough a at one side.
The pin balso passes through a hole in a rod b' that slides through a hole in a
bend in the plate 6° at one end, and round this rod 67 there is an helical spring 68
which acts after being compressed to push back the rod b' and thus the pin 6* and
pawl 6* to the extent of the slots in the plate 65 when at liberty, or to the extent
of the space between one notch in the toothed rack to the one next to it.

page_text: The pin 6 also passes through a slot in a bent connecting rod 6 between the
pin b and the pivot d on one side to which the lever e is jointed.
There is a projection e' from the levere on one side, the lower end of which
projection is arranged to come in contact with a pin 6* in the part 6° from the pin
or shaft b' and depress that end and lift the other end of the pawl b' which is
pressed down by a flat spring 61 secured to the plate 6³, when the lever e is forced
downwards.
This movement releases the bent end of the pawl b' from the notch, and the
spring 68 slides the pawl back to the next notch in the toothed rack so that on
the next up stroke of the lever e, the pawl b³ and box 6 is moved forward one
tooth until it comes against a stop which is or may be the end of the slot in the
plate bo.
I wish it to be understood that the mechanism may be varied without departing
from my invention.
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. The combination and arrangement of mechanism for ramming cartridges, so
as to be elastic, and so that not more than a given pressure can be put upon each
cartridge in a row substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combinations and arrangements of mechanism for ramming cartridges
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings."
3. The arrangement of mechanism for ramming cartridges so that the up stroke
or part of the up stroke of the lever or rammers will cause the box or case con-
taining the cartridges to move to bring the next row into the position to be
operated upon, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
drawings.
4. The combinations and arrangements of mechanism for ramming cartridges
and moving the box containing them at each up stroke of the rammers substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
D
1
1000