IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR CHARGING AND FINISHING CARTRIDGES FOR FIRE-ARMS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of." IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR
CHARGING AND FINISHING CARTRIDGES FOR FIRE-ARMS, PARTS OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."-A communication
from abroad by Charles H. Webb, of Brooklyn, New York, United
States of Amarina
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th February 1874.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY
FOR CHARGING AND FINISHING CARTRIDGES FOR FIRE-ARMS, PARTS OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," a communication, to be
as follows:-
The said Invention relates more especially to the kinds of charging

page_text: machines that are adapted to the purposes of those who wish to charge
cartridges for their own use, but it is also in many respects applicable to
the more extended uses of the cartridge manufacturer. The tools here-
tofore in use for these purposes have been found to be so inconvenient,
and consist of so many parts liable to get lost, that annoyance and
trouble result to the user of them, and they moreover may be con-
sidered somewhat dangerous from the fact that the gunpowder made use
of is greatly exposed to accidental ignition during the processes involved
in filling cartridge shells with the implements referred to.
The object of the said Invention is to overcome the objection above
referred to, and also to produce a machine which will be at once simple,
compact, and easily and rapidly operated.
The body of the said machine is formed at its base into a clamp for
attaching the same to a table by a screw. A tube is erected on the
base, which tube serves as a column to support the receiver or funnel,
into which is placed the material to be measured and separated into
proper quantities on its way to the cartridge shells; the latter are held
directly below a hole over a nipple under the said table by the left hand
of the operator, while with the right he operates a swinging telescopic
charger by means of a handle about a pivot or centre of motion, which
may be made to coincide with the axis of the aforesaid tube. The said
table is supported upon the tube by a clamp at such a height as will
allow the telescopic charger to contain the requisite quantity of powder
or shot, and the said tube is graduated vertically. The said telescopic,
charger consists of two tubes, the upper one of which is secured directly
under the opening in the swinging plate, through which the material is
allowed to pass whenever this opening is swung under an opening in the
aforesaid funnel. With the charger in this position the material falls
from the funnel, and filling the telescopic tubes rests upon the table,
which forms the bottom of the charger, and prevents the escape of the
material. The handle now being used the swinging plate is made to
carry the charger and its contents along the surface of the table till it
arrives over the said opening, when it falls into the shell held below
ready to receive it, the said swinging plate having préviously cut off
communication from the funnel above, so that in order to place the
proper quantity of powder.or shot in the shells it is only necessary to fill
the funnel and hold the empty shells one after another under the table
upon the nipple, and at the same time swing the charger back and forth

page_text: once for each cartridge. To keep the lower end of the telescopic charger
in close contact with the table a spiral spring is coiled around the same
in such a manner as to constantly tend to expand the charger in the
direction of its length.
For powder and very fine shot the above described swing charger
serves every purpose, but if the shot are of considerable size it is found
that the swinging charger when filled with shot has a tendency to jamb
those shot at the surface of the charger between the side of the opening
in the plate and the lower edge of the delivery pipe, and thus stop the
action of the machine. To overcome this difficulty I make a V shaped
notch at the bottom of the delivery pipe on the side against which the
shot are pressed when the charger is swung away to convey its load of
shot to the shells to be filled, and in the apex of the notch I provide a
sliding pin, which is held down upon the table by a spring, and so shape
the lower end of the pin to an incline as to form a gate to yield and
allow any shot to pass, which otherwise would prevent the operation of
the charger.
-
The V shaped notch serves to reduce the opposing shot.
As they
approach the apex to a single one, and as above described, the gate
accommodates that single one to pass out, or yielding less than enough
to allow it to pass out makes room for it to rise and remain inside ;
this feature of the said machine permits one to use the charger for shot
as well as for powder.
The quantity of the charge is regulated by the distance between the
plate and the table, between which the telescopic charger is made to
extend by means of the spiral spring. The said table is fixed at the
proper point to allow the charger to receive the desired quantity by
means of the clamp, and the graduations marked upon the aforesaid tube
serve to indicate the quantities which the charger holds at the place of
adjustment of the said table. Two or more sets of graduations are made
for powder and shot of various kinds.
The shells having been charged with powder are now ready to
receive a wad to be rammed down previous to charging with shot.
To effect this purpose the funnel is removed, and the clamp screw is
loosened to set free the ramrod, which is surmounted with a knob. The
tube through which the ramrod passes contains a spiral spring so.
arranged as to throw the said ramrod up till the button at the lower end

page_text: of it rests against the bottom of the tube. The foot plate of the ramining
apparatus is regulated in respect to its height by means of the adjusting
screw to conform with the length of the shell.
I use a wad compressor, which consists in its upper part of a short
conical tube, and its lower part of a cylindrical recess immediately
below and concentric with the conical tube above. The recess is made
to fit the external diameter of the shell, while the smaller end of the
conical tube should exactly correspond to the internal diameter of the
said shell. The shells are placed one after another upon the foot plate
with their upper ends projecting up into the cylindrical recess in the
compressor. The wads are placed one at a time in the conical tube of
the compressor, when a slight blow of the hand upon the knob will force
the wad down upon the charge of powder.
After the shells have been charged with shot the last wad is driven
down upon them in a similar manner to that described for placing the
wads over the powder.
The cutting device for reducing the length of the shells to suit the
varying charges for different purposes consists of the following parts,
namely: A cylindrical socket or tube of the same diameter as the
outside of the shell concentric with this tube and slightly projecting into a
the same from the supporting stud, and a cylinder having a diameter a
trifle less than the internal diameter of the shell. Corresponding with
the plane of the tube is a groove cut in the said cylinder, into which the
principal blade of the knife works or falls while cutting off the end of a
shell. A secondary blade is fixed at right angles to the blade, and a
corresponding longitudinal groove is made in the cylinder to receive it.
The use of the first-mentioned blade is to cut off the end of the shell;
its length may be regulated by a loose plug stop, or by a screw head
projecting from the end of the cylinder into the shell. The function of
the secondary blade is to split the shell longitudinally from the open end :
to the point where it is to be severed and shortened. The knife is
hung upon a pin, and the first blade is held down upon the shell after
the secondary blade has passed through and below its thickness:..
To finish the cartridge after charging with both powder and shot it is
necessary to crimp or turn in the end of the shell. For accomplishing
this purpose I form a circular bed or cradle slightly longer than the
shell, but having a corresponding circular cross section of about one

page_text: third of the circle. At the right end of the cradle is fixed a cylindrical
socket of a length about equal to the diameter of the shell, and terminated
by a revolving head or crimper.
To drive the shell forward to the said crimper, and at the same time
hold it down to the cradle so that it may not revolve with the rotation
of the crimper, I have devised the sharp cornered gripping wheel,
mounted upon a pin in the lever which is hung on the joint on a
projection from the cradle. The upper end of the lever is provided with
a handle for giving the necessary pressure.
The measuring parts of this Invention may be used for many other
purposes besides those of separating a mass of powder or shot for supply-
ing cartridges; as, for example, to divide into uniform parcels such
articles as dry seeds, salts, confectionery, and similar substances, when
weighing can be dispensed with. It may also be applied to liquid
measuring machines.
It will be observed that with the application of a cover to the funnel.
during the process of measuring gunpowder into into the shells the same
is much more protected from accidental ignition than if exposed in an
open receptacle. To facilitate the removal of the funnel before the same
is fully discharged of its contents a sliding gate is provided having a
convenient handle, by which the gate is made to slide and form a cut-off
or valve bottom to the said funnel at its lower end.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
Beventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special

page_text: licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
my exccutors, 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 Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR CHARGING AND FINISHING CARTRIDGES FOR
FIRE-ARMS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES,"
a communication to me from abroad by Charles H. Webb, of Brooklyn,
New York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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
Dal

page_text: Figure 2 is a side clevation of the said machine.
Figure 3 is a plan of a cradle, in which the shell is laid and held
during the process of crimping or turning the cud to finish the charged
cartridge.
Figure 4 is a plan of the swinging gauge or charger, and its supporting
pivot and table.
Figure 5 exhibits a funnel into which the powder or shot is placed
preparatory to passing through the delivery pipe into the charger on its
way to the shell, and it also shows an automatic gate, which enables the
operator to use the charger for shot as well as for powder.
Figure 6 also shows in vertical section the delivery pipe, the charger
filled with shot, and the gate ready to rise to accommodate a single shot,
offering resistance to the lateral motion of the charger.
From the body B of the said machine, Figure 2, formed at its base
into the clamp E, attaching the same to the table by the screw &¹, a
tubo is erected, which serves as a column to support the receiver or
funnel F, into which is placed the material to be measured and separated
into proper quantities on its way to the cartridge shells, which are held
directly below the hole / over the nipple n under the tablet by the left
hand of the operator, while with the right he operates the swinging
telescopic charger C by means of the handle H about a pivot p or centre
of motion, which if preferred can conveniently be made to coincide with
the axis of the tube t¹. The funnel F I provide with a closing device or
"shut-off" of peculiar construction, namely, a gate on the interior and at
or near the foot of the funnel, the handle of which follows the interior
of the conc to its basc or thereabouts, instead of projecting through a
slot in the funnel immediately where the gate is situated. I thus avoid
the necessity of making an opening low down, through which dangerous
material might escape that would cut the tube of the funnel nearly in
two, and at the same time ensure ease of construction, simplicity, and
corresponding cheapness. The table t is supported upon the tube t¹ by.

page_text: the clamp k at such a height as will allow the telescopic charger C to
contain the requisite quantity of powder or shot, and to ascertain this
point readily the tube t' is graduated vertically at V in Figure 1.
The telescopic charger O consists of two tubes, the upper one of which
is secured to and directly under the openings in the swinging plate p¹,
through which the material is allowed to pass whenever this opening is
swung under the opening in the funnel F, as shown in Figure 2. With
the charger in this position the material falls from the funnel F, and
filling the telescopic tubes rests upon the table t, which forms the bottom
of the charger, and prevents the escape of the material.
The handle H now being used the swinging plate p¹ is made to carry
the charger and its contents along the surface of the tablet till it arrives
over the opening h, when it falls into the shell ' held below ready to
receive it, the swinging plate p¹³ having previously cut off the commu-
nication from the funnel F above, so that in order to place the proper
quantity of powder or shot in the shells it is only necessary to fill the
funnel, and hold the empty shells one after another under the table t
upon the nipple n, and at the same time swing the properly adjusted
charger back and forth once for each cartridge. To keep the lower end
of the telescopic charger in close contact with the table ta spiral spring
is coiled around the same in such a manner as to constantly tend to
expand the charger in the direction of its length; two or more tubes
sliding into each other telescopically may be employed with a spiral or
other shaped spring to keep the charger extended. I prefer the spiral
form shown in the Drawing.
For powder and very fine shot the above described swing charger
serves every purpose, but if the shot are of considerable size it is found
that the swinging charger when filled with shot has a tendency to jamb
those shots at the surface of the charger between the side of the opening
in the plate p¹ and the lower edge of the delivery pipe D, and thus stop
the action of the machine. To overcome this difficulty I make a V shaped
notch at the bottom of the delivery pipe D on the side against which the
shot are pressed when the charger is swung away to convey its load of
shot to the shells to be filled; and in the apex of the notch I place a
sliding pin, which is held down upon the table by the spring s³, and so
shape the lower end of the pin to an incline as to form a gate to yield
and allow any shot to pass, which otherwise would prevent the operation

page_text: of the charger. The ✓ shaped notch is shown dotted in Figure 4, and
the action. of the gate g is shown in Figure 6, wherein I represents a
single shot at the moment of passing under the gate, which either yields
enough to allow the same to pass out with the rest of the charge, or only
enough to permit the shot to rise above the plate p', and remain inside
the delivery pipe-D to pass out with the next charge.
The V shaped notch serves to reduce the opposing shot as they approach
the apex to a single one, and, as above described, the gate will permit
that single one to pass out, or yielding less than enough to allow it to
pass out makes room for it to rise and remain inside; this feature of the
machine permits the use of the charger for shot as well as for powder.
The quantity of the charge is regulated by the distance between the
plate p¹ and the table t, between which the telescopic charger is made to
extend by means of the spiral spring s. The tablet is fixed at the proper
point to allow the charger to receive the desired quantity by means of
the clamp or set screw k, and the graduations marked upon the tube t¹
serve to indicate the quantities which the charger holds at the place of
adjustment of the table t. Two or more sets of graduations are made
for powder and shot of various kinds.
The shells having been charged with powder are now ready to receive
a wad to be rammed down upon it previous to charging it with shot.
To effect this the funnel F is removed, and the clamp screw 8¹ is loosened
to set free the ramrod R, which is surmounted with a knob h¹. The tube t¹,
through which the ramrod passes, contains a spiral spring so arranged as
to throw the ramrod up till the button 6 at the lower end of it rests
against the bottom of the tube f. The foot plate A of the ramming
apparatus is now regulated in respect to its height by means of the
adjusting screw 8', so as to conform to the length of the shell.
K is the wad compressor, which consists in its upper part of a short
conical tube, and in its lower part of a cylindrical recess immediately
below and concentric with the conical tube above, the recess being made
to fit the external diameter of the shell, while the smaller end of the
conical tube should exactly correspond to the internal diameter of the
shell. To confine the ramrod down out of the way when not in use I
employ a notch into which to turn and hold the head of the rammer
after the manner of a button, or hold it by a catch taking into a notch
in the ramrod, or preferably by a screws', which is made to clamp the

page_text: ramrod in the desired position. The shells are placed one after another
upon the foot plate A, with their upper ends projecting up into the
cylindrical recess in the compresser K. The wads are placed one at a
time in the conical tube of the compressor when a slight blow of the
hand upon the knob h' will force the wad down upon the charge of powder.
After the shells have been charged with shot the last wad is driven
down upon them in a similar manner to that described for placing the
wads over the powder.
The next part in order of description is the cutting device for reducing
the length of the shells to suit the varying charges for different purposes.
This consists of a cylindrical socket or tube G of the same diameter as
the outside of the shell; concentric with this tube, and slightly projecting
into the same from the supporting stud Y, is a cylinder J having a diameter
a trifle less than the internal diameter of the shell. Corresponding with
the plane of the tube G is a groove cut in the cylinder J, into which
the principal blade 6' of the knife N works or falls while cutting off the
cnd of a shell. A secondary blade 6' is fixed at right angles to the
blade ', and a corresponding longitudinal groove is made in the cylin-
der J to receive it. The use of the first-mentioned blade 6¹ is to cut off
the end of the shell at the desired point of its length, which may be
regulated by a loose plug stop or by a screw head projecting from the
end of the cylinder J into the shell. The function of the secondary
blade is to split the shell longitudinally from the open end up to the
point, when it is to be severed and shortened, so that the ends cut off
may not form rings upon the cylinder J, and thus clog and prevent the
action of the parts. The knife is hung upon a pin p³, and the blade b¹ is
held down upon the shell after the blade 6' has passed through and below
its thickness, so as not to interfere with the rotation of the shell, which
is accomplished by the left hand of the operator, while the right hand
manipulates the rectangularly bladed knife N.
To finish the cartridge after charging with both powder and shot it is
necessary to crimp or turn in the end of the shell. For accomplishing
this purpose I have formed a circular bed or cradle c, Figure 2,
slightly longer than the shell, but having a corresponding circular cross
section of about one-third of the circle. One object of my dispensing
with the full circle or tube used in other cartridge crimping or closing
machines is the greater convenience which my device of a semicircle or
less affords, and I avoid employing a push pin for extricating the

page_text: cartridge from the cradle, which the device in common use makes
necessary. At the right end of the cradle is fixed a cylindrical socket
of a length about equal to the diameter of a shell, and terminated by a
revolving head or crimper M, supported in the bearing Q, and driven by
the crank handle P.
To drive the shell forward to the crimper M, and at the same time
hold it down to the cradle c, so that it may not revolve with the rotation
of the crimper, I have devised the sharp cornered gripping wheel d,
mounted upon the pin o in the lever L, which is hung on the joint a on
a projection from the cradle c. The upper end of the lever L is provided
with a handle for convenience of giving the necessary pressure.
It will be observed that with the application of a cover to the funnel F
during the process of measuring gunpowder into the shells, the same
is much more fully protected from accidental ignition than if the powder
was exposed in an open receptacle subject to continued disturbance from
dipping into the same to obtain the repeatedly required quantity, as is
usual with the employment of the numerous tools in general use by
sportsmen and others loading their own cartridges. To facilitate the
removal of the funnel before the same is fully discharged of its contents
a sliding gate is provided having a convenient handle outside of the
funnel, by which the gate is made to slide and form a cut-off or valve-
bottom to the funnel at its lower end, as shewn at v, Figures 1 and 5.
To facilitate the operation of placing the cartridge to be rammed in the
proper position, and to avoid at the same time the necessity of having to
swing to one side or to remove the shelf or foot plate (upon which the
cartridge is to rest while the wad is being rammed into the cartridge) I
remove one side of the tube below the wad reducer so as to allow the
cartridge shell to be placed upon the foot plate by a side or lateral
motion at right angles to the axis of the tube instead of sliding it into
the tube by an end motion, as in the case when a full tubed cartridge
receptacle is employed.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same,
I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. In cartridge loading machines a swinging or sliding receptacle,
or charger composed of tubes through which the measured material
passes, open at both ends, and arranged telescopically to permit adjustment
of the capacity of the charger to hold the desired quantity of material in

page_text: combination with a cut-off or dividing plate to separate the desired
quantity from the mass, and a second plate or table serving as a bottom
to the measuring receptacle or charger during the operation of making
the separation, substantially as described.
Second. In cartridge loading machines a self-acting gate, which will
yield and make room for a resisting portion of the material so as to
permit the passage of a sliding or swinging measuring receptacle or
charger when it is obstructed in its motion during the operation of
making the separation of the measured quantity from the mass, substan-
tially as described.
Third. In cartridge loading machines the combination of two or more
measuring tubes sliding telescopically into each other with a spring, to
keep the same extended longitudinally, substantially as described.
Fourth. The fixed hub or stationary cylinder J in combination with a
knife for cutting off the surplus length of the cartridge shell, substantially 1
as described.
Fifth. A pair of cutting blades arranged to cut off the surplus length
of the cartridge shells, and also to split or cut open the same to prevent
the formation of obstructing rings, substantially as described.
Sixth. In machines for turning and finishing the ends of cartridges, a 2
bed or cradle having about or less than a semicircular cross section to
receive the cartridge, substantially as described.
Seventh. In machines for crimping or closing the ends of cartridges,
a lever provided with a disc revolving upon an axis, the object of the said
lever being to restrain the cartridge from a rotary motion by a clamping 2
action, and at the same time force it forwards during the operations of
crimping or closing its end, substantially as described.
Eighth. In cartridge loading machines a foot plate vertically adjustable
for the cartridge to rest upon during the operation of ramming in com
bination with a cartridge receiver open on the side, substantially as 3
described.
Ninth. In cartridge loading machines a cartridge receiver open at its
side, and having a flaring or bell mouth, substantially as described.
Tenth. The combination with a rammer and spring for raising the
same, of suitable means for confining the rammer down when required, 3
substantially as described.

page_text: Eleventh. In cartridge loading machines a reservoir or funnel having
a gate on its interior and at or near the foot, the handle of which gate
follows the interior of the funnel up for some distance, instead of pro-
jecting externally through an opening or slot directly opposite the gate.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August,.
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four
Witness,
H. J. NOONE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)