Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 22nd July, 1887
I, FRIEDRICH SCHELLING, Civil Engineer, of Neumühlen in the Kingdom of
Prussia, German Empire, 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 invention relates to that class of cartridges for fire-arms in which the
projectile consists of a number of small balls. For fowling-pieces, muskets, rifles,
and other small fire arms, these small balls are called shot or lead-shot, for cannons ;
grape or canister-shot, and they are made of hard lead, zinc, iron or other suitable
material. In cartridges for sinall fire arms the shot grains have heretofore been
placed in the cartridge shell or directly in the barrel in front of the powder separated
from it by a partition or wad and prevented from an accidental exit by a wad inserted
in any suitable manner in front of the shot. In cartridges for pieces of ordnance the
small balls are contained in a cylindrical tin box or a bag separated from the powder,
or in case the powder and the shot form one continuous cartridge, they are filled in
In all cases
the cartridge shell in an analogous way to that used for small fire arms.
the small balls have been placed in their receptacle without any distinct order that is
to say promiscuously or pell-mell.
The object of the invention now is to place the small balls arranged one after the
other into their receptacle in rows parallel to the axis of the cartridge and to construct
the receptacle in such way that this arrangement is secured and maintained under all
conditions, until the cartridge is fired, when the small balls leave the latter in an
orderly and systematic manner.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood I will now more particu-
larly describe the same, referring to the several figures of the annexed sheet of
drawing, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all figures.
Figure 1 is an axial vertical section of a tube case for lead shot.
Figure 2 is a similar section of a complete cartridge with metallic shell for breech
loading sporting guns showing the tube case of Figure 1 inserted.
Figure 3 is a cross section of the tube case.
Figure 4 shows a tube case, partly in section, the back end of its paper shell being
split longitudinally.

page_text: Figure 5 shows this tube case after being fired and the shot grains leaving the case.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 show tube cases used with ordnance pieces.
The small balls are filled one after the other into tubes c of paper, sheet-tin or any
other suitable material and of a diameter only a little larger than the diameter of the
single balls or grains of the shot. A number of these tubes c are united by a cylin-
drical shell a also of a suitable material and provided with a bottom or a partition b
near to or on the back end of the shell a, so that this bottom b closes also the back
ends of all the tubes c. The front end of the shell a and of the tubes c also is closed
by a piece of paper k glued to the shell a, or by a close fitting cap to prevent an
accidental exit of the small balls from the tubes c. The shell a together with the tubes c,
the bottom or partition b and the cap k form what I call the tube case A. To retain
this tube case A in its flight after the gun is fired so as to allow the heavier small
balls or shot to leave by their momentum the tubes c, a bundle or padding d of cotton
or other elastic material is fastened in the back part of the shell a, as shown in
Figures 1 and 2 in which latter figure the tube case A with the padding d is repre-
sented as inserted into the front portion of a metallic cartridge shell for sporting guns.
The padding d may be dispensed with and the required air friction created by splitting
the back portion of the shell a of the tube case A, as in Figure 4, so that the flaps of
the shell are expanded by the force of the powder gases as soon as the tube case A
leaves the muzzle of the barrel. Figure 5 shows the flaps expanded and the shot
grains just leaving the tube case, the cap being broken by the momentum of the
shot and the tube case A being retained in its flight by the great friction of the
expanded flaps.
For rifled barrels as in rifles and ordnance pieces the tube case A is used with the
same good effect, but an arrangement must be provided to prevent it from following
the twist of the rifling, that is, from turning round its axis during the flight, because
such turning of the case A would send the small balls by centrifugal force far away
from the line of range and would accomplish just what ought to be prevented namely,
the spreading of the small balls. For the invention it is of no importance by what
means this immobility, in regard to a rotary motion of the tube case A is attained.
But for the better use of the invention two arrangements are shown in Figures 6. 7. 8
as examples. In Figure 6 the tube case A has an ovoidal front end covered by a
light similarly shaped cap k of paste-board or sheet metal. The diameter of the shell a
is a trifle smaller than that of the bore of the barrel. Behind the partition bis inserted
with a loose fit a pad or bolster d of wood, leather or other suitable material, the back
portion of which, sticking out from the tube case A is of such larger diameter that it
will be forced by the power of the explosion into and along the grooves of the barrel
rifles and will therefore rotate correspondingly. As the front portion of the bolster d
turns freely in the back portion of the tube case A and as the latter slides freely in
the bore of the barrel, the tube case A does not turn at all but moves steadily along
the range of the gun so that the small balls leave their tubes c in straight lines after
having thrown off the cap k.
A cannon barrel loaded with a tube case of this last described construction is repre-
sented in Figure S. It will be seen that the powder p contained in a bag or box is
placed behind the charged tube case A but separated from it. If it is preferred to
have the powder and the small balls united in one cartridge the arrangement of the
tube case A as shown in Figure 7 may be made use of. h is the shell of the cartridge
containing in its back part the powder p and in its front part the tube-case A which
is of a little smaller diameter than the inside of the shell / and provided with a
trunnion on the outside of its bottom 6 and with a light cap k over its front end.
The trunnion fits loosely into a step of the partition t of the shell h. If this cart-
ridge is fired, studs or rings projecting from the outside of shell h are forced into and
along the rifles of the barrel causing a corresponding rotation of the shell h. But as
the shell h moves freely round the tube case A the latter will by its inertia not partake
of this rotation; but move steadily along the range of the gun, so that the small balls
will leave their tubes c in straight lines after having thrown off the сар
C
k.
It must be remarked that instead of forming the tube case A of a number of tubes o

page_text: of paper or other material united by a shell a, it may be made of a solid cylindrical
piece of wood, papier-maché vulcanized rubber or other suitable material into which
the required cylindrical holes representing the tubes c are drilled, pressed or made in
any other way. It must be also understood that the tube case A as shown in
Figures 6. 7. 8 for ordnance pieces can be used for small rifled fire arms with due
consideration of sizes and other circumstances and that any one skilled in the art will
be able to apply the alterations required in such case without inventive ingenuity.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In cartridges or case shot for fire arms the employment of a tube case A
consisting substantially of a number of tubes c (or bores or chambers in a solid
cylinder) parallel to the axis of the barrel and enclosed in a shell a which tubes or
chambers are closed permanently on the back end by a partition or bottom b whilst
their front ends are covered by a cap k, such tubes c being filled with small balls such
as lead shot, canister shot or the like, the tube case A being constructed in such
manner that it does not rotate after firing so that the small balls shall leave the tube
case only in straight lines substantially as and for the purpose explained.
2. In cartridges or case shot for fire arms the arrangement of the single grains or
balls of lead shot or canister shot in rows parallel to the axis of the barrel of the arm
and contained in bores, chambers or tubes c of a non-rotating tube case A and
moving in lines parallel to the range of the arm substantially as shown and described
and for the purpose explained.
3. In the tube case A the use of a padding d of a suitable material or the splitting
longitudinally of the back portion of the case a, for the purpose explained and
substantially as shown and described.
4. In combination with tube cases A the pad d turning freely in the back part of
the tube case A substantially as described and shown in Figures 6 and 8 and for the
purpose explained.
5. In combination with the tube case A the cartridge shell h revolving round the
tube case A which is inserted into the cartridge shell h, substantially as described and
shown in Figure 7 and for the purpose explained.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1887.
FRIEDRICH SCHELLING.
By Harris and Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.