Improvements in Cartridges.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 8th May, 1890-Accepted, 28th June, 1890
Improvements in Cartridges.
We, MICHAEL TWEEDIE, of Wisborough, Billingshurst. in the County of Sussex.
Major General, Royal Artillery, and FRANCIS LAUDER MUIRHEAD, of No. 3, Elm
Court, Temple, E.C., in the City of London, Barrister-at-Law, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:--
Our invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of cartridges for sporting
and other purposes and consists in replacing the ordinary wad between the powder
and shot charges by an "air" wad and also of substituting thin but strong paper for
the wad at the mouth of the cartridge which retains the shot in position. The "air"
wad consists of a cylinder of elastic material enclosed at each end by a thin cardboard
disc or by perforating an ordinary wad so as to contain air spaces. The paper that
retains the shot in position is fixed in the mouth of the cartridge case by means of a
ring of paper or other material in such a manner that the shot is compelled to pass
through the paper when the cartridge is fired. We also find it advantageous to
"neck the metal cartridge case at the end of the powder charge and to make
up the reduced portion of the case to the diameter required to fit the chamber
of the gun with paper and then to cover the whole side of the cartridge with water-
proof paper.
Dated this 8th day of August 1000
improvements in Cartridges.
WC, MICHAEL TWEEDIE, of Wisborough, Billingshurst, in the County of Sussex.
Major General, Royal Artillery, and FRANCIS LAUDER MUIRHEAD, of No. 3, Elm
Court, Temple, E.C., in the City of London, Barrister-at-Law, 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of cartridges for sporting
and other purposes and consists in replacing the ordinary wad between the powder
and shot charges by an "air" wad and in other minor improvements.
The accompanying drawing represents the construction of a cartridge made accord-
ing to our invention. The case. A, is made of solid-drawn metal; the explosive
charge. B. is of granulated gunpowder compressed in the cartridge case so as to leave
a channel, C, through its centre. One of the novel features of the invention is the
construction of the wad. D. which consists of a cylinder of cardboard or other suit-
able material having one end, z, closed by a cardboard or other suitable disc the other
end being closed by a similar disc. x, but of smaller diameter to enable it to fit
tightly into that end of the cylinder. thus enclosing both ends of the cylinder. The
disc, z, will, upon the firing of the charge tend to be driven into the cylinder, which
action will be resisted by the air within such cylinder and in this manner a cushion or
buffer is formed. The metal cartridge case is "necked" at the end of the powder
charge and the reduced part of the case is made up to the diameter required to fit the
chamber of the gun with paper. This paper wrapping, F. is wound round the
reduced portion of the case from the neck, s. and is of sufficient size to project
slightly beyond the end of the metal case as shown at r. to enable a paper disc, G,
that retains the shot in the case to be securely fixed within it. The whole side of the
f.Znico Sd1

page_text: cylinder is then covered with waterproof or other suitable covering, H, the end of
which together with the wrapping, F, is rolled or folded inwards as shown at, K.
The hereinbefore described "air" wad can be used to great advantage in military
cartridges when placed between the powder charge and the projectile.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A wad consisting of a cylinder containing air closed at each end substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2. In the manufacture of cartridges the method of enclosing the shot within the
case substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. A cartridge consisting of a metal case "necked" at the end of the powder
charge and containing an "air" wad and having the shot retained in the case by
a paper disc substantially as hereinbefore described.
This 0th der of May 1800
A. F. SPOONER,
9, Warwick Court, High Holborn, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.