A Chamber Cartridge for Use in Military Rifles for Miniature Range and Gallery Shooting.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1387
Complete Left, 3rd May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 8th June, 1888
A Chamber Cartridge for Use in Military Rifles for Miniature Range
and Gallery Shooting.
I, FRANCIS L. STEPHENSON M.B. Hill House Hill Street Woolwich, Kent
General Medical Practitioner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
A small-bore metal tube or "Lining" fitted inside the regulation solid drawn rifle
cartridge case-cases that have been fired may be used. The metal tube or
Lining" is hollowed out at the base to fit over the Cap Chamber or depression of
the case, and has a flash-hole bored communicating with the powder chamber
anteriorly. The Powder Chamber is bored to within 15th of an inch of the base, and
is of a size exactly to contain the Powder Charge. The anterior part of the "Lining"
fits accurately into the neck of the cartridge case, leaving oth of an inch clear and
unoccupied to receive the base of the bullett. The "Lining" having been fitted inside
the case is secured by pouring in molten lead or composition through an opening
made in the side of the case for that purpose.
Dated this 97th dox of Santambar 1887
FRANCIS L. STEPHENSON.

page_text: ади тапегу эпосына.
I FRANCIS LAWRANCE STEPHENSON of Hill House Hill Street Woolwich in the
County of Kent Batchelor of Medicine and Master in Surgery 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 objects of this Invention are 1st to utilize for Miniature range and gallery
shooting and for Blank charge use the solid drawn cartridge cases made for military
rifled guns and similar weapons either new or old ones hereafter called the case or
cases by fitting them with a metal tube or cylinder hereafter called the Lining
which may be readily fixed in the said cases in various ways with simple tools as
hereafter described according to the various circumstances and conditions of Home
or Foreign Life or service under which such fitting may be required to be done and
which Lining may be removed from one case worn out or damaged or otherwise
useless and be fitted into another case; and 2ndly thus to form a cartridge to fit the
cartridge chamber or space of any kind of Gun or Weapon which may be constructed
or made by a mechanic or any intelligent person and which may be used over.and
over again for shooting practice or for training and instructing recruits and other
persons or for other purposes and which can be easily charged or recharged with
powder cap and bullet by the person or persons using it.
The Lining though essentially one Invention is variously shaped in parts as
hereafter described and will also vary in size according to the weapon and case for
which it is intended to be used.
The Lining is made or formed from a cylindrical bar of rolled Brass or other metal
of a size just to pass into and through the neck or anterior end of the case and of a
length when fitted inside the case as hereafter described to reach to within ths of an
inch or thereabouts of the anterior end of the neck. In the centre of the Lining
there is bored or drilled axially a space or cavity called the powder chamber which
extends from the anterior end of the Lining to within a short distance of the base or
other end as seen in Figs. 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings or is bored right through
the Lining as seen in Fig. 5 and is coned outwards at its mouth if required. The
powder chamber is made of a size just to contain the powder charge used and will
vary in actual dimensions according to various circumstances such as the size and
shape of the weapon or its cartridge chamber or the weight of the bullet or projectile
or the amount of velocity desired and so on. In the part of the Lining if any
intervening between the powder chamber and the base of the Lining a flash-hole is
drilled or bored axially. The base of the Lining is variously shaped according to

page_text: various methods of fitting and fixing it in the case that is to say the base is hollowed
out as seen in Fig. 2 so as to fit over the dome or elevated central part of the
inside of the base of the case as seen in Figs. 8 & 9, or the base is similarly
hollowed out with a central cylindrical protrusion as seen in Fig. 1, forming an Anvil
or Nipple of a size to fit an ordinary percussion or recapping cap which anvil or
nipple passes through the base of the case the centre part of the dome_having been
bored out with a bit and brace or otherwise for that purpose as seen in Fig. 7, or the
base is made with a short cylindrical protrusion of a size to pass through the centre of
the base of the case the whole of the dome having been removed with a bit and brace or
otherwise for that purpose as seen in Fig. 6 and in this protruding part of the base of
the Lining and the metal adjacent there is bored or drilled out a nipple of a size to
fit an ordinary percussion or recapping cap or a chamber is bored or drilled of a size
just to receive such a cap with an anvil. The external surface of the Lining can be
reduced as shown in Fig. 3 when it is desired for very accurate practice or other
reasons to produce a chamber cartridge of practically the same weight as the ordinary
ball cartridge used in the weapon.
When the Lining is made to fit over the dome of the case as seen in Figs. 8 and 9
it will be necessary if cases of the solid drawn pattern manufactured at Woolwich
Arsenal and similar ones are used to bore a flash hole axially through the centre of
the anvil in the base of the case.
If the neck or anterior end of the case especially in those that have been previously
used in firing is found to be much too large in circumference for the bullet the latter
can be made to fit by wrapping paper round its base but this fitting of the bullet can
be better secured by soldering into that part of the neck not occupied by the Lining
a thin metal ring hereafter called the Bullet-ring of a size just to receive the base of
the bullet as shown in Figs. 6. 7. & 8. This soldering can be done with the flame of
a spirit-lamp.
The fixing of the Lining may be carried out as follows
--
It may be fixed by pouring in a cement or molten metal through an opening in the
side of the case cut for that purpose as seen at A in Fig. 9 the external surface of the
Lining having been previously notched or grooved as seen in Fig. 4. But where
means exist for careful and accurate soldering it is found by securely soldering in the
Bullet-ring and causing the solder to run down between the anterior part of the
Lining and the adjacent part of the neck of the case that the Lining becomes thus
firmly and securely fixed as seen in Figs. 6. 7. & 8. In Fig. 6 is shown the method
of fitting and fixing the Lining with the short cylindrical protrusion by rivetting it
into the base of the case that is to say by striking this protrusion in a suitable
manner with a hammer or other tool and thus causing it to expand and fit into the
opening in the base of the case which has been countersunk externally for that
purpose any surplus metal being removed by filing.
After constructing the cartridge as herein described, it is fitted to the chamber of
the weapon if necessary by filing it down externally with a smooth file in such parts
as jam or do not fit easily, the majority of old cases being found expanded by their
previous use.
If it is desired to make these chamber cartridges from new materials in an
Arsenal or elsewhere, it can be done in the processes of stamping the solid drawn
cases adopted in such manufacture by making the Lining slightly neck shaped as
seen in Fig. 5 and fitting it into the case before the latter is necked as seen in Fig. 11.
The process of necking the case will then securely fix the Lining as seen in Fig. 10.
These cartridges are loaded or charged in the ordinary way by the person or
persons using them with a percussion cap or primer and powder and wad and bullet
the parts being so fitted and adapted that this can be done with the hands with the aid
of such simple tools as a pen-knife and a knitting needle. It is an advantage however
to use a small funnel and a measure for the powder charge.
The principle of this Invention viz. the fitting a metal cylinder or Lining into a
cartridge case can be applied for use not only with the small bore weapons or guns
used for sporting and musketry purposes but also with the weapons commonly called

page_text: Artillery guns and also with so-called quick-firing and machine guns and revolvers
both for ordinary practice and for blank-charge use.
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:
The Invention and application of certain cheap Metallic Structures viz., the Lining
and the bullet ring as herein described, which can be fitted in various ways to any
kind of solid drawn cartridge case used in military or other rifled weapons and
thus provide means for miniature range or gallery practice with the said weapons in
their normal condition.
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