Improvements in Projectiles for Ordnance and other Fire-arms.
Year: 1896

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by FRANCIS JAMES RABBETH, of 67 Crawford Street,
Boston, Massachusetts United States of America, Gentleman.]
Improvements in Projectiles for Ordnance and other Fire-arms.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a projectile for use in rifled guns, the object being to
produce a sub-calibre projectile, or one that can be shot efficiently and accurately in
a gun of substantially larger calibre than the diameter of the projectile.
There are frequently conditions under which it is desirable to be able to shoot
properly a smaller projectile than the one for which the gun is designed, as for
example in small arms used for sporting purposes when small game is encountered
when tho sportsman bas only a rifle intended for large game; or for military
purposes to admit of target practice in an armory or elsewhere, when the regular
military cartridge could not be used on account of the weight and power of
the projectile, although it is desirable that the practice should be with the regular
arm.
Similar conditions may exist with guns of large calibre, such as used on ship-
board or in fortifications, and the present invention is equally applicable to
ammunition for large ordnance although for convenience it is described embodied
in a projectile for small arms, such as military or sporting rifles.
The invention consists essentially in a sectional jacket or bushing of relatively
light material, such for example as wood, of proper size and shape externally to fit
the bore and take the groove of the rifle like the regular projectile to be commonly
used in the rifle, said jacket being adapted to support the small projectile concentric
with its axis and to engage with the outer surface of said projectile with sufficient
firmness to impart tho rotary movement to the said projectile that is given to the
said surrounding bushing or jacket by the grooves of the rifle. The said jacket,
owing to its sectional construction and its lightness or relatively low specific
gravity flies apart immediately after leaving the muzzle of the gun, so that the
Hight of the small projectile is unimpeded, and experiment has shown that a
projectile can by these means be fired with substantially equal accuracy to the
projectile which is itself of proper size to take the grooves of the rifle.
00
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: ..COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Projectiles for-Ordnance and other Fire-arms.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton, Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
The present invention relates to sub-caliber ammunition for use in rifled guns, the
object being to produce a sub-caliber projectile, or one that can be shot efficiently
and accurately in a gun of substantially larger caliber than the diameter of the
projectile, and to utilize therewith the ordinary shell which will properly fit the
chamber of the gun, while tho charge of powder is materially reduced.
There are frequently conditions under which it is desirable to be able to shoot
properly a smaller projectile than the one for which the gun is designed, as for
example in small arms used for sporting purposes when small game is encountered
when the sportsman has only a rifle intended for large game; or for military
purposes to admit of target practice in an armory or elsewhere, when the regular
military cartridge could not bo used on account of the weight and power of
the projectile, although it is desirable that the practice should be with the regular
arm.
Similar conditions may exist with guns of large caliber, such as are used on ship-
board or in fortifications, and the present invention is equally applicable to
ammunition for large ordnance, althougli for convenience it is shown as embodied
in a projectile for small arms, such as military or sporting rifles.
The invention consists essentially in a sectional jacket or bushing of relatively
light material, such for example as wood, of proper size and shape externally to fit
the cartridge shell and to take the grooves of the rifle like the regular projectile
which is commonly used in the rifle, said jacket being adapted to support the small
projectile concentric with its axis and to engage with the outer surface of said
projectile with sufficient firmness to impart the rotary movement to the said
projectile that is given to tho said surrounding bushing or jacket by the grooves of
the rifle. The said jacket, owing to its sectional construction and its lightness or
relatively low specific gravity flies apart immediately after leaving the muzzle of the
gun, so that the flight of the small projectile is unimpeded, and experiment has
shown that a projectile can by these means be fired with substantially equal
accuracy to that of a projectile which is itself of proper size to take the grooves of
the rifle.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a projectile embodying this invention; Fig. 2 a rear
end elevation thereof; Fig. 3 a sectional elevation of a cartridge loaded with such a
projectile in accordanco with this invention; and Fig. 4 a sectional elevation showing
à modified construction of the sub-caliber projectile.
The invention is shown as embodied in a sub-caliber projectile for a small arm,
such as a sporting or military rifle, for the purpose of enabling a bullet or projectile a
(see Fig. 3) of much smaller diameter than the bore of the rifle to be shot
accurately and successfully, as for example when it is desired to shoot a bullet
adapted for a caliber of twenty-two, or twenty-five one-hundredths of an inch, in a
rifle of substantially larger caliber, as for example one of forty or forty-five one-
hundredths of an inch. To this end the small bullet a is encased in a bushing or
jacket of relatively light material, such as wood, and of external diameter and
shape corresponding substantially to that of the projectile regularly used in the
rifle, the said jacket 6 being herein shown as slightly enlarged just in front of the
mouth of the shell c, to form a shoulder 62 which prevents the jacket from being
forced into the shell beyond the desired position, the enlarged portion, moreover,

page_text: being adapted to cooperate with the grooves of the rifling. Such, construction,
however, is not essential, since with quick powder it is found that in most cases the
rear end of the bullet will be upset sufficiently to force the sections of the jacket
apart sufficiently to properly cooperate with the grooves of the rifling.
The said bushing or jacket has a central bore or recess of proper size to receive
the small bullet a snugly within it and is compressed into firm engagement there-
with in the operation of setting the jacket and bullet in the cartridge shell as shown
in Fig. 3 and being forced into still liriner engagement therewith by the compression
due to the jacket taking the rifling of the gun when shot and the upsetting effect
due to the pressure of the gas and wad against the breech end of the projectile.
In order to facilitate the closing in of the jacket upon the bullet so as to grip it
firmly, and also to enable the jacket to clear the projectile as soon as it leaves the
muzzle of the gun, the said jacket is divided longitudinally into sections as clearly
shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Where the jacket is made of wood, which has been found
very efficient for this purpose, it may be conveniently made as shown in Fig. 1 by
turning a deep groove b* near the forward end and leaving a small button or groove 65
connected with the body of the jacket by the neck or reduced portion formed by
the groove b¹.
The grain of the wood should be straight and lengthwise of the projectile, and
when thus made the body portion may be split longitudinally, preferably on two
planes at right angles to one another, as indicated at bs, Figs. 1 and 2, the reduced
portion or neck 6 preventing the splits froin passing through the collar or button 65
which thus serves to hold the sections of the jacket together while the bullet is
introduced therein and together therewith is introduced into the cartridge shell,
after which the button 6' may be cut off as indicatod in Fig. 3, leaving the sections
of the jacket nearly or wholly separated.
While the jacket constructed as above described with a button connected with
the body thereof by a thin neck to provide for the splitting of the body without the
complete separation of the sections thereof from one another, is convenient and
efficient and is believed to be novel and constitutes a part of this invention, this
construction is not essential to the main invention, as the totally or partially
separted sections of the jacket may be held together until the cartridge is prepared
or the gun loaded, by other temporary fastenings adapted to be removed before
firing or in the act of firing, so that the sections of the jacket will readily separato
directly after leaving the muzzle of the gun.
Unless the jacket freely clears itself of the bullet directly as it issues from the
bore of the gun there is liability of disturbing the flight of the bullet so that the
shooting will bo inaccurate. The splitting of the jacket should therefore be such as
to wholly separate the sections, and by having the forward end of the jacket project
to or beyond the end of the projectile as shown, air is compressed in the bore of the
jacket around the bullet during the rapid forward movement, and thus tends to
separate the sections if they should adhere to one another, or if the grain should
not be completely separated throughout the entire length of the meeting edges of
the section.
It is further desirable that the construction should be such that the bullet will not
extend beyond the end of the jacket, because by this construction the jacket affords
protection for the bullet, which might otherwise be displaced laterally if the forward
end thereof projected beyond the jacket, such disturbance, which would throw the
bullet out of line, being obviously objectionable as it would result in inaccurate
shooting.
In magazine fire arms, moreover, where a number of cartridges are supported end
to end in the magazine, danger would be encountered if the small projectile or bullet
extended beyond the end of the jacket, since it would be in contact with the primer
of the adjacent cartridge and would be liable to explode the same owing to the recoil
of the gun when fired.
In this connection it may be stated, moreover, that the enlarged portion or
shoulder 6' of the jacket in front of the shell is of importance for the same reason,.

page_text: since it prevents the jacket from being forced back into the shell by the pressure
of the magazine spring, or the shock caused by the recoil of the gun.
It is advantageous also to have the jacket tapered or rounded externally towards
its forward end, as shown, giving it substantially the external form of the full sized
bullet fitted to the bore of the gun, as the cartridge is thus entered readily into the
chamber in the breech of the gun.
In order to ensure the equal and uniform movement of the jacket and its enclosed
projectile through the bore of the gun, the jacket or projectile should be backed up
by a suitable wad or gas-check d as shown in Fig. 3 to properly distribute the gas
pressure on the base of the jacket and enclosed projectile.
Since it is obviously desirable to reduce the charge of powder when a small bullet
is to be fired instead of the larger heavier bullet which is itself adapted to fit the
boro of the rifle, the ammunition constructed in accordance with the present
invention comprises the shell c which is of the normal or usual size and length so as
to properly fit the chamber of the gun, the said shell containing a relatively small
charge of powder e which is confined by a wad shown as separated from the
projectile by a space f, it thus being apparent that while a comparatively small
charge of powder is used, the cartridge embodying the invention will be
substantially the same in size and shape as the cartridge loaded in the usual way
and adapted for use with the gun in which the herein-described sub-caliber
ammunition is to be used.
A farther feature of the invention consists in the use of a mixed powder, this
being of importanco for the reason that when a small charge of a mechanically
mixed or prepared explosive such as the so-called "black powder" is used in a
shell loaded as above described, much difficulty is encountered owing to the fact
that the gun soon becomes fouled. This may be due to imperfect combustion
caused by the relatively low pressure, the presence of air in the shell, and the large
area of metal in the gun barrel relative to the amount of explosive in the charge,
which rapidly chills the gases, so that the products of combustion are deposited along
the interior of the barrel. By mixing with the ordinary explosive some chemically
prepared explosive, such as the so-called "nitro powder," however, a more perfect
combustion is obtained and the rapid fouling of the gun to a large extent prevented.
If, however, nitro powder alone is used, although it will not rapidly foul the gun
there is liability to hang firo owing to the slow ignition of nitro powder, this
difficulty being entirely obviated by the admixture of the ordinary gun powder or
"black powder" therewith.
In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the recess in the jacket does not extend
wholly through the same, and in this construction a lighter wad or gas-check may
be used, or in some cases no additional gas-check would be required.
This construction is desirable when a spherical bullet or one of comparatively
small elongation is used as is required when the rifling is such as to give insufficient
rotation to steady a very much elongated bullet.
In order to more thoroughly insure the rotation of the bullet with the jacket
the bullet may be provided with longitudinal grooves as shown at a², Fig. 3, in
addition to the usual circumferential groovo, or may have its outer surface otherwise
roughened or prepared to interlock with or be securely frictionally held by the
enclosing jacket, but such construction is not essential, as without such grooving or
roughening, the jacket when properly constructed will impart the necessary
rotation to the enclosed bullet, which in practice is found to shoot substantially as
accurately as a bullet which itself fits the boro of the gun.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A jacket for adapting a bullet of small diameter to a gun of larger caliber, com-
posed of a piece of wood shaped externally to correspond in diameter with a
projectile of proper size for the caliber of the gun and having at its forward ond an

page_text: integral button connected with the body portion by a reduced neck, whereby when
the body portion is split longitudinally into sections the latter are temporarily held
together to facilitate the loading of the projectile, substantially as described.
2. A jacket for a sub-caliber projectile adapted to be shot from the gun with the
projectile, said jacket being composed of longitudinal separable sections, and of
proper size at the rear portion to fit the cartridge shell, said sectional jacket having
a recess concentric with its axis to receive within it the bullet and having an enlarged
portion adjacent to said rear portion to cooperate with the grooves of the rifling,
and prevent the said jacket from being accidentally forced into the shell beyond its
normal position, substantially as described.
3. The combination with the bullet of smaller size than the gun in which it is to
be used, of a jacket of proper size to fit the bore of the gun, said jacket having a
longitudinal concentric recess or bore open at the forward end, to contain the
bullet, the said jacket being diviled longitudinally into separate sections, and pro-
jecting forward as far as the end of the bullet contained therein, substantially as
and for the purpose described.
4. A jacket for a sub-caliber projectile composed of longitudinal separable
sections, of proper size to fit the bore of the gun, and having a recess concentric
with its access to receive the bullet, said recess being open at its forward end, the
forward end of said jacket being tapered or rounded externally and extending
forward as far as the end of the bullet, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
5. Sub-caliber ammunition comprising a cartridge shell containing a charge of
powder; a wad adapted to confine the said powder; a bullet of relatively small
caliber provided with a jacket adapted to fit the cartridge shell and conform to the
bore of the gun, and made of separable sections of relatively light material, said
jacket extending forward as far as the end of the bullet; and a wad adjacent to
said projectile within the shell and separated from the other wad by an air space,
substantially as described.
6. Sub-caliber ammunition comprising a cartridge shell containing as a charge a
mixture of chemically prepared explosive and mechanically prepared explosive, a
wad adapted to confine the said charge, a bullot of relatively small caliber provided
with a jacket adapted to fit the cartridge shell and conform to the bore of the
gun, and made of separable sections of relatively light material, the said jacketed
bullet being separated from the said wad by an air space, and the jacket thereof
extending forward as far as the end of the bullet and being tapered externally,
substantially as described.
Dated: 16th low of T1 1907
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.