IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRAL-PIRE CARTRIDGES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Syme at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th February
1867.
I, JAMES SYME, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRAL-PIRE
CARTRIDGES," to be as follows:-
This Invention of mine consists in making improved cartridges from parallel
tubes of metal or paper.
In making cartridges from metal tubes I use brass, copper, or other suitable
metal tubes, either seamed or solid, drawn of suitable thickness for this
purpose; I then tin the same on both sides; I next make these parallel tubes
conical or tapering, first by extension or expanding one end so much as is
necessary, or I make them conical partly by compression at one end, and
partly by extension at the other end to produce the same result; I then insert
within the enlarged end of the now conical tube another short piece of tinned
metal tubing to give additional strength to the case where it is most wanted;
I next make a solid metal base piece of suitable configuration of copper (at
present I prefer this metal), or other suitable metal or material by stamping
or turning it, this I also tin in the usual way. I then by suitable dies and
presses used for stamping, pressing, or forming metals, insert this tinned base
piece within the conical tube, now two ply at the base, or when partly compressed
and partly extended of one ply or thickness at the base, and when hand made
I turn over this two ply or one ply base end of the conical tube over the bead.

page_text: edge, and on or into the bottom or outside face of the solid base piece, which I
sometimes make with a sinking of th of an inch or nearly all round the
outer edge of sufficient depth to lay the end of the conical case into, so as
then to be flush with the remaining part of the face of the base piece, or I use
a press to do the same thing. The cartridge thus far prepared I then take
and unite the base piece to the conical tubular case by soldering or by
heating the whole sufficiently to meet the tin at base end, thus "sweating" the
metals together, and giving great strength where it is most required, or I
unite the base and case by brazing or any other known process for uniting
metals.
When I make improved cartridges from parallel paper tubes I use similar
means to make them conical, and to make the solid base piece of paper by
stamping it into the most suitable configuration before inserting it into the
widened end of the now conical paper tube, and as on the metal base piece so
on the paper one, I form a projecting edge of a rounded or bead form to give
greater strength to the case for extracting it after the explosion in firing. I
then in this kind of cartridge unite this solid paper base piece to the outer
conical paper tube by a sheath or covering of thin brass or other suitable
metal, as is now usual, using glue or gum to unite the papers, as is also usual,
and in order the more effectually to prevent the base being drawn off the
tubular portion of the cartridge when extracting it after each explosion, I
form indents at intervals around the outside of cartridge near the base end.
In one or the other, or in both kinds of cartridges I sometimes use a non-
primed cup instead of a primed cap for exploding the cartridge, and in
combination with a non-primed metal cup I use a solid metal anvil of any
suitable form to explode the fulminate, which in this case I place within the
apex of the centre cup in the base piece, this fulminate is thus exploded by
the solid anvil by percussion only, or by percussion and friction combined from
the blow of the hammer, or other means used in firing fire-arms. These
improved cartridge cases I then charge and finish with powder and projectiles
of any desired kind when required to be furnished ready for use, this forms
no part of my Invention, therefore not described.