IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES FOR USE IN ELECTRIC FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN ANDREWS of No 25 Broadhurst Garden Hampstead in the County
of Middlesex Esquire do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES FOR USE IN ELECTRIC
FIRE-ARMS to be as follows:-
"
"
The object of this invention is the manufacture of cartridges for discharge by
breech loading fire arms guns, rifles or pistols which contain an electric cell or
battery carried in the stock of the fire arm.
The cartridge I employ is of the ordinary form used for central fire and through
the centre of the metal top or cap of the cartridge I fix a short plug of vulcanito
or other insulating material and through this plug I fix a short piece of copper
wire about half an inch in length preferably tipped with platinum. In and to the
inside of the metal cap of the cartridge I fix another copper wire and these two
wires I connect inside the cartridge with a piece of fine platinum wire which when
the cartridge is charged is embedded in the gunpowder or other explosive material.
The outside end of the copper wire which is fixed through the centre of the
cartridge must be flush or even with the cap or head of the cartridge. When the
cartridge above described is inserted in the barrel of the electric fire-arm and
the breech closed, the apparatus is ready for action, and the discharge is effected by
pressing the push or commutator and thus closing the electric circuit, upon which
the electric current will pass from one pole of the battery contained in the said fire
arm to the other and in its passage will heat the platinum wire contained in the
cartridge to redness, and thus cause combustion and discharge of the charge of gun-
powder contained in the cartridge as before described.
The form of electric stock most suitable for use in discharging these cartridges,
is that described in my invention N° 3952 dated 26th February 1884.
By this system of discharging fire-arms expensive locks are dispensed with, and
also percussion caps, and other detonating contrivances in the cartridges.
Datel this 21st day of March 100

page_text: J, JOHN ANDREWS of N° 25, Broadhurst Gardens Hampstead in the County of
Middlesex Solicitor do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGES FOR USE IN ELECTRIC FIREARMS
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 this Invention is the manufacture of cartridges for discharge by
breech loading fire arms, guns rifles or pistols having an electric cell or battery
carried in the stock of the fire arm.
The cartridge I employ is of the ordinary form used for central fire and through
the centre of the metal top or cap of the cartridge I fix a short plug of vulcanite
or other insulating material and through this plug I fix a short piece of copper
wire about half an inch in length preferably tipped with platinum. In and to the
inside of the metal cap of the cartridge I fix another short copper wire and those
two wires. I connect inside the cartridge with a piece of fine platinum wire which
when the cartridge is charged is embedded in the gunpowder or other explosive
material. The outside end of the copper wire which is fixed through the contre of
the cartridge must be flush or even with the cap or head of the cartridge. When
the cartridge above described is inserted in the barrel of the electric firé arm and the
breech closed the apparatus is ready for action and the discharge is effected by
pressing the push or commutator and thus closing the electric circuit upon which
the electric current will pass from one pole of the battery contained in the said fire
arm to the other and in its passage will heat the platinum wire contained in the
cartridge to redness and thus cause combustion and discharge of the charge of gun-
powder contained in the cartridge as before described and in order that my
invention may be clearly understood I will proceed to describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which for the purpose of explaining the
action of my improved cartridge I have shown it in connection with an electrical
gun such as described in the provisional specification of my invention entitled
" N° 3952 and dated
Improvements in discharging firearms by Electricity'
February 26th 1884.
"
Fig: 1 is a sectional elevation of an ordinary breech loading sporting gun
embodying my improvements the improved cartridge being shewn in position.
Fig: 2 is a sectional elevation of an ordinary central fire cartridge provided with
I dispense with the usual percussion
my improvements. Fig: 3 a plan of same.
cap or detonator and substitute an insulite plug A of ebonite or other suitable non
conductor through the centre of which I pass and fix a strip of metal or wire B
which is allowed to project slightly beyond the face of the metal cartridge cap C
for the purpose of ensuring contact with the spring buffer or contact maker D in
the false breech of the gun. To the inside of the metal cartridge I attach by
solder or other convenient means a strip of metal or wire B' about parallel with
the other wire B. To the extremities of the two wires B B¹ I attach a pieco o
pieces of fine platinum wire B' which offers resistance to the passage of the
electrical current and becomes heated to redness when the electric circuit is closed
by means of the push or commutator E of the gun. The wires B. B¹ within the
cartridge case F are surrounded with the gunpowder or other compound so tha
when the platinuin becomes heated the explosive is fired expelling the bullet o
When th
shot and leaving the empty cartridge case behind in the usual manner.
current of electricity passes from the battery F¹ in the gun stock it travels throug
the central piece of metal or wire B thence through the platinum wire B' which i

page_text: heats, and thence through wire B¹ to the metal cap of the cartridge-the cap C
being in metallic contact with the breech of the gun, and the return wire to the
battery F¹ being attached to a part of the metal of the breech it is obvious that
the electric circuit will be complete when the push or commutator is operated. For
the purpose of explaining my invention I have shewn it applied to an ordinary
breech loading sporting gun but it will be understood that the improved cartridge
can be used in electrical weapons of other kinds without departing from the
nvention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
nvention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The improved cartridge for use in breech loading electrical firearms con-
structed arranged and operating substantially as described and shewn in
the drawings.
2. In a cartridge for use in electrical breech loading firearms the use of two
pieces of metal or wires B. B' the one passing through an insulator in the
centre of the cartridge cap the other being attached to the metallic cap
which by contact with the breech of the weapon enables electrical circuit to
be made substantially as described.
_ Dated this twenty sixth day of November 1884