Improvements in Machines for Loading Cartridges.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Loading Cartridges.
I, EDWIN HUGH CANT, Marine Engineer, of Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a machine through the medium of
which cartridges may be loaded, primed, and crimped in an expeditious and oon-
venient manner and with safety to the operator and whereby, also, the primer may
be extracted from cartridges that have been fired, the machine in reloading acting
to expand the open ends of the cartridges to be reloaded, smoothing out the crimp,
and rendering the old shells as readily re-fillable as a now shell.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts as will be hereinafter fully set forth.
In carrying out the invention a base is provided upon which a chamber is formed
semi-circular in cross-section the said chamber being open at one side and provided
with an opening between its top and its bottom portions. From the rear face of
the said chamber projects a bifurcated arm carrying a lover which is usually
squared at its lower end to bear against a spring so that the lever may be held
in an upper or in a lower position as required, the free end of the lever terminating
in a handle. At one side of the arm, preferably the rear side, a spring is scoured
and ears are projected from the outer wall of the chamber between which ears a
lug secured to a magazine is pivoted, the upper or free end of the spring bearing
against the lug in the manner of a knife spring. A slot is made in the top of the
magazine chamber being in direct communication with its interior and that end
of the magazine chamber which is to extend over the priming chamber is reduced
in thickness and is provided with an opening extending through from top to
bottom which opening will centre the receptacle in a shell for the recoption of a
primer when the shell is placed with its bottom upward in the priming chamber.
The extra primers are placed in the magazine chamber and are fed one after the
other to the aforesaid opening to be delivered to the shell through the medium of a
follower which is located normally at that end of the magazine which would be
the lower end when in vertical position and the outer end in the horizontal
position. The primers are fed into the magazine through the opening at the
inner end thereof and upon the bottom of the lower end of the magazine a lug is
placed which striking against the priming chamber will hold the magazine in a
perpendicular position when closed against the side of the said chamber. A fixing
rod for the primers is pivoted in the hand lever which is prevented from lateral
movement by a stop, this fixing rod being preferably double-ended so that it may
be used with primers of different sizes.
A sleeve is formed in the hand lever between its handle and the fixing rod and
in this sleeve a loading plunger is located which is adapted to enter a loading
cylinder having an enlarged head and held in a curved arm open at one side and
connected with the priming chamber. A band is carried around the loading

page_text: cylinder beneath its support, the said loading cylinder being open at its bottom
and being held a predetermined distance from the base. A stud projects from the
band which enters a socket in the, outer face of the priming cylinder, the pivot of
the band and the socket therefor being usually enclosed by a casing and a spring
is attached to the socket and to the pivot for the loading cylinder being wound
around the latter and acting to hold the loading cylinder vertically within its
support. The spring also serves to restore the loading cylinder to its normal or
vertical position when said cylinder is carried to a horizontal and is released.
An expanding head is located in the head portion of the loading cylinder extending
downward within its body, the sides of the expanding head being placed a pre-
determined distance from the inner face of the loading cylinder. This expanding
head is made of a very thin and springy material, brass for example, and its lower
or contracted portion is provided with a series of fingers. A locking collar is
secured in the head of the cylinder and has a bearing against the upper portion of
the inner face of the expanding head conforming to the shape thereof:
The loading plunger consists of a cylinder provided with a bottom and adapted
to enter the shell which is placed in the loading cylinder the upper portion of the
shell extending between the expanding head and the cylinder body. A pin is
passed through the sleeve of the hand lever and through a slot made vertically in
opposite sides of the lower or main cylinder of the said plunger. A second and
shorter cylinder is entered into the upper end of the main cylinder having limited
movement therein a pin being passed through the main cylinder and into a slot
made in the upper end of the upper or auxiliary cylinder which terminates in a
head adapted to be conveniently received in the palm of the hand. A rod is
adjustably attached to this head extending downwards to within a predetermined
distance of the bottom of the main cylinder and terminating at its lower end in a
disc the rod passing through a flange secured in the main cylinder against which
flange the lower end of a spring has bearing, the said spring being coiled around
the rod and bearing at its other end against the head of the cylinder The disc
at the end of the rod has bearing upon a spring contained between the said disc
and the bottom of the plunger so that after the plunger is forced downward into
the shell for the purpose of compressing or fixing the charge, when it can be
carried down no further, the upper cylinder may yet be pressed downward for
exerting more or less extra pressure on the charge. A socket is formed in the
base below the loading chamber or cylinder to receive the head portion of the
shell that is to be loaded.
When a shell is to have the old primer removed the shell is placed in an
inverted position within the priming chamber and a mandrel is used which fits
in the shell the lower end of the mandrel being somewhat conically shaped while
the remaining portion of its outer surface is more or less straight so that when the
mandrel enters a shell that has been crimped and is pressed downward therein the
mandrel will restore the crimped portion of the shell to its upright position.
The mandrel is provided with an interior chamber which is reduced at its lower
end to form a shoulder. A plunger is fitted to slide in the body portion of the
chamber as well as in its contracted portion provided with a guide disc which
limits the downward movement of the plunger by striking against the shoulder.
A spring is coiled around the body portion of the plunger, bearing against the
shoulder and the guide disc and the upper end of the plunger is reduced and is
passed outward beyond the upper end of the mandrel through a removable and
apertured plug to be engaged by the fixing rod of the hand lever; when the lever
is pressed downward therefrom the plunger is actuated by said lever. The plunger
of the mandrel is made to carry an extracting pin secured in the plunger by means
of a set screw or its equivalent and the pin at one end extends further beyond the
body than at the opposite end and a pocket is made in the upper side surface of the
mandrel to receive an extra extracting pin.
The reason for the primer extracting pins having long and short ends is that the

page_text: long primers generally used with high-grade smokeless shells have great surface
and require considerable force to remove them and by keeping a point short they
are not so liable to slip to one side of the centre piece. Care should be taken to
use the short point uppermost for smokeless shells with No. 3 primer since the long
point interferes with the primer being properly seated. The old primer may be
readily removed through an opening in the base at the bottom of the priming
chamber which will permit the downward passage of the primer, a slot being made
in one edge of the base communicating with this opening.
A preferably circular and horizontal extension is carried from the arm support-
ing the loading cylinder which extension contains a horizontal chamber and a
vertical chamber the latter being in its lower portion and connecting with its
vertical chamber. A hollow follower is made to slide in the horizontal chamber
provided with a cupped outer end capable of receiving the head of a shell while
in the lower chamber is a sliding push button or its equivalent provided with suit-
able guides. A curved link is secured at one end of the push button the other
end of the said link being attached to the inner end of the follower and a shorter
and oppositely curved link is pivotally attached to the longer link near its centre
and to a lug which projects inward from the back of the horizontal chamber, it
being understood that suitable openings are made in the bottom of the follower
and in the body of the push button to admit of the link having free movement.
A horizontal or crimping cylinder is made integral with, or is attached to, the
extension of the frame provided at the outer end with a circular head against which
bears a disc serving to close the outer end of the head which would be otherwise
open. The disc is provided with an inwardly extending flange arranged to enter
the head and having an exterior circumferential groove made therein to receive
a split ring having an exterior annular groove. The disc is prevented from leav-
ing the cylinder head but is permitted to turn therein by passing pins through the
groove in the split ring and a corresponding groove in the head. Balls are pre-
ferably placed between the flange and the head to reduce friction. An opening is
made in the top of the horizontal or crimping cylinder between its head and where
it is connected with the extension of the frame, which opening is adapted to be
closed by a door pivoted at its outer end to the upper face of the disc above
mentioned, the said disc being free to turn in the crimping cylinder. A slot is
made in the door and between the flanges of the revolving disc a crimping block
is loosely mounted the outer face of the flange around the block having a gutter
or channel made therein. A pin preferably square is attached to the crimping
block and is passed loosely through the disc and through an offset made upon the
outer face of the disc and a spring is coiled around the pin tending to force the
block inward. This offset is adapted to he received by the opening in the cover
of the crimping cylinder when the cover is carried vertically downward at the
outer end of the cylinder at which time the cover may be used as a crank arm to
revolve the disc the cover having a suitable handle attached: A spring is located
in the bottom of the crimping cylinder having ears at its free end shaped to
receive between them a loaded cartridge and a spring is placed in a recess on the
top of the extension of the frame the said spring being provided with a pin which
slides in an opening in the said extension and is adapted to enter a recess in the
inner end of the follower when the said follower has been carried inward. After
the cartridge has been primed and filled the cover of the crimping cylinder is
carried downward to form a crank handle and the follower being at its inner
position will receive within it the head of the cartridge shell. By pressing upward
the push button the follower will be carried inward and the crimping block will
enter the shell forcing with it the margin at the open edge and bending the saine
downward forming an inward flange and the cartridge being held downward
against the tension of the spring will have its open end perfectly crimped by simply
revolving the disc.
The formation of the crimping chamber may be slightly modified as follows:
-:

page_text: The extension from the frame corresponding to the extension before referred to,
is provided with an exterior groove, an inner chamber, and a vertical' slot extending
through from top to bottom. A cylinder is passed over the extension and is held
in place by a pin passed through the cylinder and through the upper portion of
the extension, an annular channel being made in the extension to loosely receive
the said pin. The cylinder is corrugated on the outside in order that it may be
grasped readily by the hand and is closed at its outer end by a removable cover.
The shank of a orimping block is fitted to slide in the inner chamber above
mentioned a pin being passed through the extension and through the inner end
of the crimping block shank and being free to slide in the vertical slot above
mentioned. This pin may be introduced when the cylinder is in position; by
removing the screws. A spring surrounds the shank of the crimping block bear-
ing against the block and against the shoulder in the forward chambered portion
of the extension in which chambered portion an annular recess is made prefer-
ably provided with an undulating back wall whereby after the shell is introduced
into the cylinder (the cap or cover being removed) the open end of the shell will
be flanged inward through the medium of the crimping block and its surrounding
channel. When the shell is in position the cap or cover is replaced.
In this form of the device a horizontal arm is extended from the upwardly pro-
jecting arm of the frame, and a head is pivoted on the horizontal arm. In the
operation of crimping, the crimping cylinder is held in a vertical position the
closed end resting upon a convenient support. The machine may be held steady
by bearing with one hand upon a knob on the frame, the other hand being used
for turning the cylinder until the desired crimping of the shell is obtained.
Dated this 29th day of June 1897
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
Improvements in Machines for Loading Cartridges.
I, EDWIN HUGH CANT, Marine Engineer, of Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: -
The object of my invention is to provide a simple, durable, compact and
economic machine, through the medium of which cartridges may be loaded, primed
and crimped in an expeditious and convenient manner and with safety to the
operator, and whereby also the primer may be extracted from cartridges that have
been fired, the machine in reloading acting to expand the open ends of the car-
tridges to be reloaded, smoothing out the crimp and rendering the old shells as
readily refillable as a new shell.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine, parts being in section;
Figure 2 is a sectional view through the crimping device, showing parts of the
device as in a position to hold a shell, while in Figure 1 the same parts are shown
ps in a position to release the shell;
.

page_text: Figure 3 is an end view of the crimping device shown in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the body portion of the device, the arm carrying the
loading plunger and the plunger being in horizontal section;
Figure 5 is a partial side elevation and partial vertical sectional view of the
machine, illustrating a slight modification in the construction of the crimping
section;
Figure 6 is a vertical section through the chamber adapted to receive the shell
when the said shell is to have the primer applied, the section being taken on the
line 6-6 of Figures 1' and 5;
Figure 7 is a vertical section through the chamber shown in Figure 6 and
through a shell in inverted position, and is likewise a vertical section through a
mandrel employed for removing the old primer from the shell;
Figure 8 is a vertical section taken practically on the line 88 of Figures 1'
and 5, the section being likewise carried through the loading plunger and the
arm carrying the same;
Figure 9 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 9-9 of Figure 5;
Figure 10 is an end view of the extension from the main frame shown in
Figure 5, with the cartridge-receiving cylinder detached, illustrating an undulat-
ing surface to receive the end of the cartridge shell to be crimped ;.
Figure 11 is a partial vertical section and a partial side elevation of the machine,
slightly modified in construction ;
Figure 12 is a horizontal section through the crimping cylinder as constructed
in Figure 11.;
Figure 13 is a detail sectional view through the base, illustrating the manner
in which the clamp is attached to the base;
Figure 14 is a detail view of the magazine for the primers; and
Figure 15 is a vertical section through the main lever, illustrating the manner
in which the fixing rod is applied:
In carrying out the invention a base A is provided, upon which a chamber 10 is
formed, semi-circular in cross section, the said chamber being open at one side, and
provided with an opening 11 between its top and its bottom portions. An arm 12 is
projected from what may be termed the rear face of the said chamber, which arm
je carried upward above the chamber, and is bifurcated, and has a lever 15 placed
in the bifurcated portion. The said lever is usually squared at its lower end, and
the squared portion is made to bear against a spring 15, shown in dotted lines in
Figure 1, or a spring-controlled table 15, as shown in Figure 11, so that the lever
may be held in an upper or in a lower position as required, the free end of the
lever terminating in a handle 16.
At one side of the arm 12, preferably the rear side, a spring 17 is secured as
shown in Figures 6 and 11. Ears 19 are projected from the outer wall of the
chamber 10; between which ears a lug 17" is pivoted by a pin 20, the lug being
secured to the magazine 18. The upper or free end of the spring. 17 has hearing
against the lug 17", acting upon the lug in like manner as a knife spring does
upon the pivoted portion of a knife blade. The primer magazine is composed of
two parts 18 and 21, spring jointed together at 29; 30.
In one form of the magazine a slot is made in the top 21 of the magazine
chamber, being in exact communication with its interior, and that end of the
magazine chamber which is to extend over the priming chamber is reduced in
thickness and is provided with an opening 25, extending through from top to
bottom, which opening will centre the receptacle in the shell D, for the reception
of a primer 26, when the shell is placed with its bottom upward in the priming
chamber, as illustrated in Figure 6. The extra primers are located in the maga-
zine chamber, and are placed close together, being fed one after the other to the
aforesaid opening 25 to be delivered to the shell, and the primers are fed as
described in the magazine through the medium of a follower 27, which is located
normally at that end of the magazine which would be the lower end when in

page_text: vertical position and the outer end in the horizontal position, as shown in Figure 1.
The primers are fed into the magazine through the opening 25 at the inner end
thereof, and upon the bottom of the lower end of the magazine a lug 32 is usually
placed, which striking against the priming chamber will hold the magazine in
a perpendicular position when closed against the side of the said chamber.
A fixing rod 34 for the primers is pivoted in the lever 15, being prevented from
lateral movement by a stop 35, and this fixing rod is preferably double-ended
so that it may be used with primers of different sizes. A sleeve 30 is formed in
the lever 15 between its handle and the fixing rod 34, and in this sleeve the loading
plunger B is located. This plunger is adapted to enter a loading cylinder 37 1
having an enlarged head 38, and the cylinder is held in a curved arm 39 open at
one side and connected by an extension 40 with a side of the priming cliamber, as
shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5.
A band 40 is carried around the loading cylinder beneath its support, the said
loading cylinder being open at its bottom, and being held a predetermined distance
from the base A. A stud 41 is projected from the band 40 and made to enter a
Bocket in the outer face of the priming cylinder, the pivot of the band and the
socket therefor being usually enclosed by a casing 42, and a spring 43 is attached
to the socket and to the pivot for the loading cylinder, being wound around the
latter, and the said spring acts to hold the loading cylinder vertically within its
support. The spring 43 also serves to restore the loading cylinder to its normal
or vertical position when said cylinder is carried to a horizontal position and is
released.
An expanding head 44 is located in the head portion of the loading cylinder,
extending downward within its body, the sides of the expanding head being placed
a predetermined distance from the inuer face of the loading cylinder. This expand-
ing head is made of a very thin and spring material, brass, for example, and its
lower or contracted portion is provided with a series of fingers, as shown in
Figure 8. A locking collar 45 is secured in the head 38 of the cylinder, and has
a bearing against the upper portion of the inner face of the expanding head, con-
forming to the shape thereof, as is also shown in Figure 8..
The loading plunger consists of a cylinder 47, provided with a bottom 48, and
adapted to enter the shell D, which is placed in the loading cylinder, the upper
portion of the shell extending between the expanding head and the cylinder body.
A pin 49 is passed through the sleeve 36 of the lever 15, and through a slot 50
made vertically in opposite sides of the lower or main cylinder 47 of the said
plunger. A second and shorter cylinder 51 is entered into the upper end of the
main cylinder, having limited movement therein, a pin 52 being passed through
the main cylinder and into a slot 53 made in the upper end of the upper or
auxiliary cylinder, the latter cylinder terminating in a head 54 adapted to be
conveniently received in the palm of the hand. A rod 55 is adjustably attached to
the head 54, and the said rod extends downward to within a predetermined distance
of the bottom of the main cylinder, as shown in Figure 8, terminating at its lower
end in a disk 57, the rod passing through a flange 56 secured in the main cylinder,
against which flange the lower end of a spring 58 has bearing, the said spring
being coiled around the rod and having bearing at its other end against the head
of the cylinder. The disk 57 at the end of the rod 55 has bearing upon a spring 59,
the latter being contained between the said disk and the bottom 48 of the plunger,
Bo that after the plunger is forced downward into the shell for the purpose of com-
pressing or fixing the charge, when it can be carried down no further, the upper
cylinder may yet be pressed downward, exerting more or less extra pressure on the
charge without inconvenience to the operator.
When a shell is to have the old primer removed, the shell is placed in the
inverted position shown in Figure 7, within the priming chamber, and a mandrel C
is used, which fits in the shell, the lower end of the mandrel being somewhat
conically shaped, but the remaining portion of its outer surface is more or less

page_text: straight, so that when the mandrel enters a shell that has been orimped, and is
pressed downward therein, the mandrel will restore the crimped portion of the
shell to its upright position.
The mandrel is provided with an interior chamber 60 which is reduced at its
lower end, forming a shoulder 61, as shown in Figure 7. A plunger 62 is fitted
to slide in the body portion of the chamber 60 as well as in its contracted portion,
and this plunger is provided with a guide disk 63, which limits the downward
movement of, the plunger by striking against the shoulder 61. A spring 64 is
coiled around the body portion of the plunger, bearing against the shoulder 61
and the guide disk 63, and the upper end 65 of the plunger is reduced and is
passed outward beyond the upper end of the mandrel through a removable and
apertured plug 66, which upper end of the plunger is to be engaged by the fixing
rod 34 when the lever 15 is pressed downward.
The plunger of the mandrel is made to carry an extracting pin 67, the body
portion whereof is secured in the plunger by means of a set screw or its equiva-
lent, as shown in Figure 7, and the pin at one end' extends further beyond the
body 67 than at the opposite end, the two ends or working surfaces of the pin
being designated as 68 and 69, and a pocket 69* is made in the upper side surface
of the mandrel to receive an extra extracting pin 69b.
The reason for the primer-extracting pins having long and short ends is, that
the long primers generally used with high-grade smokeless shells have great
surface and require considerable force to remove them, and by keeping a point
short they are not so liable to slip to one side of the center piece. Care should be
taken to use the short point uppermost for smokeless shells with No. 3 primer,
since the long point interferes with the primer being properly seated. The old
primer is designated as 70 in Figure 7, and it may be readily removed, since in the
base A at the bottom of the priming chamber an opening 71 is made, which will
permit the downward passage of the primer, and a slot 72 is made in one edgo
of the base, communicating with this opening.
A preferably circular and horizontal extension 73 is carried from the arm 39
supporting the loading cylinder. This extension contains a horizontal chamber 74
and a vertical chamber 75, the latter being in its lower portion and connecting
with its vertical chamber, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. A hollow follower 76 is
made to slide in the horizontal chamber 74, the said follower being provided with
a cupped outer end 77, capable of receiving the head of a shell, while in the lower
chamber 75 a push button 78 or its equivalent has sliding movement, being pro-
vided with guides 79 suitably applied. A curved link 80 is secured at one end to
the push button, the other end of the said curved link being attached to the inner
end of the follower 76, and a shorter and oppositely curved link 81 is pivotally
attached to the longer link near its centre, and to a fug 82, which projects inward
from the back of the chamber 74, it being understood that suitable openings are
made in the bottom of the follower and in the body of the push button, to admit
of the link having free movement.
A horizontal cylinder 83 is made integral with or is attached to the extension 73;
and at the outer end of the cylinder 83 a circular head 84 is constructed, against
which a disk 85 has bearing, serving to close the outer end of the head 84 which
would otherwise be open. The disk 85 is provided with an inwardly extending
Hange 86 arranged to enter the head 84, and the said flange has an exterior
circumferential groove 86" made therein, receiving a split ring 86b, having an
exterior annular groove as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The disk is prevented from
leaving the cylinder head 83 but is permitted to turn therein, by passing pins 86°
through the groove in the split ring and a corresponding groove in the head 84.
Balls 22 are preferably placed between the flange 86 and the head 84 to reduco
friction.
An opening 87 is made in the top of the horizontal or crimping cylinder 83,
between its head 84 and where it connects with the extension 73. This opening is

page_text: adapted to be closed by a door 88, which is pivoted at its outer end to the upper
face of the disk 85, as shown at 89, the said disk being free to turn in the crimp-
ing cylinder. slot 90 is made in the door 88, as shown best in Figures 2 and 4,
and between the flanges of the revolving disk 85 a crimping block 91 is loosely
mounted; the outer face of the flange around the block having a gutter or chan-
nel 92 made therein, shown in Figures 1 and 2. A pin 93, preferably square,
is attached to the crimping block, and is passed loosely through the disk 85 and
through an offset 95 (Figure 3) made upon the outer face of the disk; and a
spring 91 is coiled around the pin 93, tending to force the block 91 inward. This
offset is adapted to be received by the opening 90, in the cover 88 of the crimping
cylinder when the cover is carried vertically downward at the outer end of the
cylinder, as shown in Figure 1, at which time the cover may be used as a crank
arm to revolve the disk 85, the cover having a suitable handle 96 attached.
A spring 97 is located in the bottom of the crimping cylinder, having ears 98
at its free end, shaped to receive between them the loaded cartridge, and a spring 99
is placed in a recess on the top of the extension 73 of the frame, the said spring
being provided with a pin 100, which slides in an opening in the said extension,
and is adapted to enter a recess 101 in the inner end of the follower 77 when the
said follower has been carried inward as shown in Figure 2. After the cartridge
has been primed and filled the cover 88 of the crimping cylinder is carried down-
ward to form a crank handle, and the follower 76 being at its inner position, as
shown in Figure 1, will receive within it the head of the cartridge shell. By
pressing upward the push button 78, the follower 76 will be carried inward, and
the crimping block will enter the shell, forcing with it the margin at the open edge
and bending the same downward, forming an inward flange, and the cartridge
being held downward against the tension of the spring 97 will have its open end
perfectly crimped by simply revolving the disk 85. A socket 102 is formed in
the base A below the loading chamber or cylinder to receive the head portion of
the shell that is to be loaded.
In Figure 5 I have illustrated a slight modification in the formation of the
crimping chamber, in which an extension 103 from the frame is made corre-
sponding to the extension 73 shown in Figure 1. This extension is provided with
an exterior groove 104, an inner chamber 105 and a vertical slot 106 extending
through from top to bottom. A cylinder 107 is passed over the extension 103 and
is held in place by a pin 108 passed through the cylinder and through the upper
portion of the extension, an annular channel 108" being made in the extension to
loosely receive the said pin. The cylinder 107 is corrugated on the outside in
order that it may be grasped readily by the hand, and is closed at its outer end
by a removable cover 109. The shank 110 of a crimping block 111 is fitted to
slide in the channel 105, a pin 112 being passed through the extension 103 and
through the inner end of the crimping block shank, the said pin being free.to slide
in the slot 106. This pin may be introduced when the cylinder is in position by
removing the screws 113.
A spring 114 surrounds the shank of the crimping block, bearing against the
block and against the shoulder in the forward chambered portion of the exten-
sion 103, in which chambered portion an annular recess 115 is made, preferably
provided with an undulating back wall 115" (Figure 10) whereby after the shell
is introduced into the cylinder the cap or cover 109 being removed, the open end of
the shell will be flanged inward through the medium of the crimping block and
its surrounding channel 115. When the shell is in position the cap or cover 109
is replaced.
In this form of the device a horizontal arm 13 is extended from the upwardly
projecting arm 12 of the frame, and a head 14 is pivoted on the horizontal arm.
In the operation of crimping, the crimping cylinder 107 is held in a vertical
position, the closed end 109 resting upon a convenient support. The machine may
be held steady by bearing with one hand upon the head 14, the other hand being

page_text: used for turning the cylinder 107 until the desired crimping of the shell is
obtained.
Under the construction shown in Figure 11, the lower end of the main lever 15
is made to bear upon the spring-controlled table 15, and the construction of the
fixing rod is changed, the said rod being designated as 34. The rod 34ª has a
block 120 (Figure 15) formed at its centre, which block is held to turn in a suit-
ablo recess made in the lever 15. Trunnions 121 are provided for the block, and the
trunnion at one end of the block is provided with a head-122, which directly engages
with the outer face of the lever 15, whereas the head 123 of the opposite trunnion
is removed some distance from the outer face of the lever in order that a segmental
spring 124 may be passed around the trunnions, as shown in Figure 11. This
spring is secured at one of its ends to the head 123, the other end being free and
provided with a pin 125 (Figure 15) the pin 125 being made to enter an opening
in the lever 15 and likewise to enter an inclined slot 126 made in the block 120.
The fixing rod is thus capable of an oscillatory movement and is likewise capablo
of being turned end for end.
The primer magazine as shown in Figure 14, is also slightly changed in con-
struction, being provided with a chamber 127 at its inner end, which centres the
chamber 10 in the body of the machine, and a slot 128 is made in the inner end
of the magazine, extending through the portion in which the chamber 127 is made;
but the primer magazine may be varied in construction from that shown in the
drawings to enable primers of different sizes and of different makes to be used.
The mandrel C is preferably provided with a sleeve C', shown in Figure 11, to
facilitate the centering of metal shells to be operated upon.
A clamp 129 (Figure 13) is pivoted to the base in order that the base of the
machine may be attached to any convenient support. The clamp when not in use
is carried to a horizontal position and locked in such position at one side of the
base. To that end the clamp is attached to a pin 130, the pin being journaled
in an offset at the top of the base, which offset is provided at one end with a
chamber 132, and the pin 130 where it passes out of the chamber 132 is provided
with a head 133 capable of entering the said chamber. A spring 134 is coiled
around the rod or pin 130 within the said chamber 132, bearing against the end
wall of the chamber and against the head 133. A recess 135 is made in one end
of the offset 131, which receives the clamp 129 when the clamp is carried to a
horizontal position, the spring around the rod 130 serving to hold the clamp in
such position. When the clamp is to be used, the head 133 of the rod 130 is
pushed inward, releasing the said clamp from the recess 135 and permitting
the clamp to be carried to a vertical position below the base.
The crimping cylinder E is open at its upper central portion, and within a
chamber 139 formed within the crimping cylinder at its inner end a box 140 is
fitted to slide, the box being provided at its outer end with a head 141, adapted
to receive the head or flange portion of a cartridge shell. Rollers 141° are carried
from each side of the box 140 back of the head 141 and made to enter and travel
in guide ways 141 produced in the sides of the cylinder, as shown particularly in
Figure 12. The cylinder is also preferably provided in its bottom with two open-
ings 136 and 137, the opening 136 being smaller than the opening 137:
A pin 142 is passed through the box back of the head 141, and back of the.
pin 142 a disk 144 is located, secured to a horizontal pin 143, the pin being securely
fastened to the inner end of the cylinder and the box 140 being adapted to slide
on the said pin. A spring 145 is located between the back of the box and the
disk 144, the spring serving to normally draw the head 141 inward. A lever 146
is pivotally attached to an arm 147, the said arm in its turn being pivoted to the
upper rear portion of the crimping cylinder. The lever 146 is provided with a
hook at one end and a handle at the other end, the hook portion of the lever being
adapted for engagement with the pin 142; and when the lever 146 is in engage-
ment with the pin 142.the head 141 may be forced in direction of the outer end of
the crimping cylinder.
:

page_text: At the outer end of the crimping cylinder a crimping disk 148 is mounted to
turn. One end of this crimping disk is carried beyond the outer end of the crimp-
ing cylinder, and the projecting end of the crimping disk 148 is chambered and
recessed at opposite sides of its chambered portion. A handle 150 is pivoted in
one of the recesses of the chambered portion of the crimping disk, being adapted
to extend through and beyond the opposite recess. The handle is provided with
a knob 151 at one of its ends, and with ears or lugs 152 between its ends.
A spring-controlled plunger 153, which is adapted to enter the shell while the
edge of the shell is being crimped, is employed in connection with the crimping
disk, and the said plunger 153 is provided with a pin 154, which has play in the
end of the crimping disk, and is capable also of passing through an opening in the
handle 150 when said handle is in use.
In the operation of crimping, the end of the shell to be crimped is placed in
engagement with the crimping disk, the lever 146 is carried to an engagement with
the box 140, and the box is pushed outward until the disk 141 is brought in firm
engagement with the head of the shell. By turning the knob 151 the
crimping disk will be revolved and the crimping may be made to
any desired depth. When the crimping cylinder is not in use, the
lever 146 is folded upon the top, occupying the position shown in.
dotted lines in Figure 11, and the handle 150 is folded up beneath the crimping
cylinder, the knob 151 entering the opening 137, while the lugs or ears 152 enter
the openings 136 in said crimping cylinder. A shield or a cover may now be
slid over the crimping cylinder, completely concealing all its working parts, and
facilitating the manipulation of the machine for the purpose of priming and
loading.
I desire it to be understood that the expanding head may be of different shape
than illustrated, and that the upper portion of the head in addition to curving
outward and downward may be given an upward inclination, for example.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, the combination, with a priming
chamber, of a magazine arranged to contain primers and having a follower for the
same, the outlet of the magazine being at one end; and a hinge support for the
magazine, whereby the magazine may be carried at one side of the priming
chamber or across the same, with its outlet substantially centering the said
chamber, as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, the combination, with a chamber
arranged to receive a shell and having an outlet, of a mandrel shaped to enter a
shell, a plunger located in the said mandrel, and extracting points carried by the
said plunger, one of the said points being longer than the other, as and for the
purpose set forth.
3. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, the combination, with a loading
chamber arranged to receive a shell, of a loading plunger, a support therefor, the
said plunger cousisting of a main cylinder having sliding movement in its support,
and an auxiliary cylinder having sliding movement in the main cylinder, the main
cylinder of the plunger being closed at its lower end, and the auxiliary cylinder
closed at its upper end, a rod attached to the closed portion of the auxiliary
cylinder and extending within the main cylinder, terminating in a head, a spring
surrounding the said rod, having a bearing on the said head and a bearing in the
auxiliary cylinder of the plunger, and a second spring having a bearing against
the head of the said rod and the bottom of the main oylinder, as and for the
purpose specified.
4. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, the combination, with a crimping
chamber having a disk held to revolve at one end, provided with a flange, and a

page_text: spring-controlled crimping block sliding within the flange of the disk, the disk
flange being provided with a channel adjacent to the side of the block, of a follower
having sliding movement in the said chamber, a button arranged to impart move-
ment to the said follower, and a cover for the said chamber, having a hinge con-
nection with the disk, the said cover being adapted to be carried to a locking
engagement with the disk, as and for the purpose specified.
5. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, the combination, with a crimping
chamber having a disk held to revolve at one end, provided with a flange, and a
spring-controlled crimping block sliding within the flange of the disk, the said
disk flange being provided with a channel adjacent to the side of the block, of a
follower having sliding movement in the said chamber, a button arranged to
impart movement to the said follower, a cover for the said chamber, having a hinge
connection with the disk, the said cover being adapted to be carried to a locking
engagement with the disk, forming a crank arm therefor, and a locking device
for the said plunger, all arranged for operation substantially as specified.
6. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, a priming chamber, a magazine for
primers hinged to the priming chamber, whereby the magazine may be carried to
a vertical or to a horizontal position, the said magazine being provided with an
outlet arranged to extend over the priming chamber when the magazine is at an
angle to the said chamber, and means for forcing the primers from the said outlet
of the magazine, as and for the purpose specified.
7. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, a priming chamber adapted to
receive a shell, a primer magazine hinged to the priming chamber and having an
outlet arranged in one position of the magazine to extend over the priming.
chamber, a lever, and an extension from the lever arranged for engagement with
the primer at the outlet of the magazine, and a locking device for the magazine,
as and for the purpose set forth.
8. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, a priming chamber adapted to
receive a shell, a magazine for primers having a spring-controlled hinge connection
with the priming chamber, whereby the magazine may be locked at an angle to
or parallel with the priming chamber, the said magazine being provided with an
outlet arranged to extend over the priming chamber when the magazine is at
an angle to the said chamber, a lever, an extension from the lever arranged for
engagement with the primer at the outlet of the magazine, and a feed for the
primere, acting to carry them one after the other to the outlet of the magazine, as
and for the purpose set forth.
9. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, the combination, with a chamber
adapted to receive a shell having an outlet in its bottom, of a mandrel arranged to
enter the shell in the said chamber, the mandrel being provided with an open lower
end and a pocket at the opposite end adapted to contain an extracting point, a
plunger located in the said mandrel, a reversible extracting point carried by the
plunger, and a lever operating to force the plunger to an engagement with the
primer of the shell, as and for the purpose set forth.
10. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, the combination, with a loading
chamber arranged to receive a cartridge, a support to which the chamber is pivoted,
and an expansion head of a spring material having a fingered lower end, the said
expansion head being of substantially conical formation and located in the upper
portion of the said chamber, of a plunger arranged to enter the shell and pass
through the expansion head, a tension device normally holding the chamber in
position to receive the plunger, and a lever carrying the said plunger, as and for
the purpose specified.
11. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, the combination, with a crimping
chamber having a disk held to revolve at one end; provided with a flange and a
spring-controlled crimping block sliding within the flange of the disk, the disk
flange being provided with a channel adjacent to the side of the block, of a
follower having sliding movement in the said chamber, and a button arranged to

page_text: impart movement to the said follower, and means for receiving the said disk, as
and for the purpose set forth.
12. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, a priming chamber, a magazine
for primers adjustably connected with the chamber, a pivoted, tension-controlled
loading chamber, a lever extending over the loading and the priming chambers,
a plunger carried by the lever, arranged to enter the loading chamber, and a fixing
rod attached to the lever, being adapted to force the primers from the magazine,
as and for the purpose specified.
13. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, a priming chamber, a magazine
for primers adjustably connected with the chamber, a pivoted, tension-controlled
loading chamber, a lever extending over the loading and the priming chambers,
a plunger carried by the lever and arranged to enter the loading chamber, a fixing
rod attached to the lever, being adapted to force the primers from the magazine,
and a crimper located at one side of the loading chamber and at an angle thereto,
as and for the purpose specified.
14. The combination, with a mandrel, of a sleeve acting auxiliary to the body of
the mandrel and serving to automatically centre metal shells of the same gauge.
15. In a machine for loading cartridge shells, a primer centering device, an arm
capable of movement to and from the centering device, and a fixing rod capable of
an oscillatory movement and likewise capable of being turned end for end, as and
for the purpose specified.
16. In a machine of the character described, a crimping cylinder provided with
a crimping disk mounted to rotate, a slidable 'head opposite the crimping disk,
and a lever for moving the said head, as and for the purpose specified.
17. In a machine of the character described, a crimping cylinder provided with
a crimping disk mounted to rotate, a slidable head opposite the crimping disk, a
lever for moving the said head, means for folding the said lever upon the cylinder
when the lever is not in use, and a tension device normally acting to draw the head
from the crimping disk, as set forth.
18. In a machine of the character described, a clamp and a spring-controlled
locking device for the clamp, arranged to hold the clamp in a predetermined
position relative to the base, as and for the purpose-specified.
19. In a machine of the character described, a pivoted loading cylinder.
20. In a machine of the character described, a pivoted loading cylinder, and
means for normally holding said cylinder in an upright position, as specified.
21. An expanding head for a loading cylinder, constructed of spring material,
the material at its upper portion being bent over upon itself and slotted from a
point at the top through to the lower end, forming a series of spring fingers, as
specified.
inter 171