US1275803A - Cartridge-shell extractor. - Google Patents

Description

H. WALLACE.

CARTRIDGE SHELL EXTRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9. I918.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

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' MEETS, T UNITED STATES MACHINE GUN COMPANY, OF 303'1ON, MASSAOHUfiETEI-B,

. A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CARTRIDGE-SHELL EXTRACTOR.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted'Aug. 13 1918 Application filed February 9, 1918. Serial No. 818,146 I To all whom may concern: I

' Be it known thatI HERBERT WALLACE, a citizen of the United states of America, and

a resident of Springfield, county of Hampden, and State of assachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Cartridge-Shell Extractors, of which the following descrip tion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

Ordinarily the automatic extractor with which modernrifles-or other firearms are pr vided extract the exploded shell without didlculty. It sometimes happens, however, that, owing to breakage due to the explosion or some inherent weakness or other cause,

tit

the automatic extractor, which, as iswell known, grips the head of the cartridge at the rim, withdraws only the head orrear part of, the exploded shell, leavin the rest of the shell in the cartridge cham" r, generally berom the breech into the broken cartri shell, until its, forward end has emerged" bodiment of the 2, and

Fig. t

invention shown in Fig.

is a cross-section on line H of F g. 3. a V v he Illustrative embodiment of the inven- Y tion herein shown is adapted to be inserted gs from the forward end of the latter, said orward end being provided with means to en gage the forward edge of the shell when th us inserted, 'so that when the device is ,w'lthdrawn, 1t will, by said engagement with the forwardv edge of the shell withdraw the latter with it, means being provided to lock yond the reach of said'automatic extractor,

which thus becomes useless for thetime be 1 ing. Until the remainder ofthe shell thus left in the gun is removed, thegun is useless, ,fi

as a fresh cartridge cannot be inserted in the cartridge chamber until the latter is cleared. v My invention aims to provide an extractor which will enable the broken shell to be quickly and surely removed, .and this Without injury to the gun and without expenditure of unnecessary'force.

The features and aims of my invention will be best understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of one preferred embodiment of the invention, the. invention in its true scope being set forthby the claims. 1. ,1

In the drawings: Figure l is a plan view, partly. in section,

of the breech portion of a rifle showing the cartridge chamber, automatic extractor and.

a broken cartridge shell in the cartridge chamber, together with the illustrative embodiment of my invention herein described,

in-place ready to function;

Fig. 2 is anelevation of the illustrative Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionof the ein my invention herein. dep slots 21, extending fromits forward end-- said shell-edge-engaging means 'in' position to maintain its engagement with the forwardedge of the shell during such with drawal.. At its rear end the device is provided wlth means tobeengaged by the autoerably -with means to prevent the device from being inserted too far, or driven into 'the breech by the extractor when used in a rear-m using rimless cartridges, sucli as the iprmgfield rifle used in the United States rmy. y y

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of .matic extractor of the gun or rifle and pref-v I the drawings, the illustrative embodiment of myinvention comprises a rod 2 having one end 4 removably secured in a plug 6 by screw -threadedengagement with a screwthreaded bore 8' providedcentrally of the latter. The plug 6 is provided with an exfully described, sai with a shoulder 16 at its junction with said conical portion 12. The rod 2 is surternally ta ered sleeve-like extension 10 surrounding t e rear portion of the rod 2.

witha'conical portion 12 terminating in a head 14, for a pur ose hereinafter more head being provided rounded by a sleevejof, spring metal 18, having its rear portion 20 received Within the sleeve-like extension 10 of the plug- 6 when-the device is assembled, said sleeve and rod being nally and sai extension 10 actin as a guide for said sleeve. Said sleeve '18 1s provided with two or more, herein three, longitudinal At its forward end the rod 2 is provided-* relatively movable longitudibackward. to within a suitable distance of its pressure exerted laterally upon the head 22 thereof. This clearance is secured without reducing the diameter or strength of the rod or stem 2, by tapering or flaring the bore of the sleeve at its forward end, this also reinto the annular groove justin front of said collar, so that When the breech bolt is thrown back to open the breech, the automatic extractor 38 draws the empty shell out of the cartridge chamber. 7

The operation of my novel extractor is as follows: Assuming that on opening the breech it is foundthat the cartridge shell 42 is broken within the chamber, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. l, for example, so that it cannot be extracted by the automatic extractor '38, my improved extractor is placed in the breech and the breech bolt is sulting in making the end portion of the\thrown forward, closing the breech. In this sleeve relatively more resilient than the mid v portion thereof.

The head 14, as shown, is rounded or beveled from its tip toward its sides and rear and presents to the walls of the cartridge shells, when it is inserted therein, a smooth unyielding and unshouldered penetrating tip adapted to open up a passage-way for the split-head 22, the forward end of which is shown as of substantially the same diameter as the head 14. At its rear end the plug 6 is provided with a collar 26 to be engaged by the automatic extractor of the gun or rifle, and preferably also with a stop collar or shoulder 28, to limit the penetration of the device into the cartridge chamber, the device being of such a length that when the stop 28. abuts against the forward end wall 30 of the breech, Fig. 1, the shoulder 24'will be outside the forward end of the exploded shell. The collar 26 should be of substantially the same diameter as the corresponding part on the shell to be exploded. The

stop-shoulder 28 will be at such a distance from the collar 26 that the latter will be sufiiciently spaced from the end wall 30 of .the breech to be readily seized by the auto- 'matic extractor of the firearm, said collar 26 occupying then substantially the same position that the corresponding rimor collar of a cartridge would occupy when the latter is in the cartridge chamber.

In Fig. 1 the usual automatic extractor is shown said extractor being of well-known and usual construction and consisting briefly of a member 32 of resilient metal extending along the breech bolt 34 to which it is revolubly secured by a collar 36 at a point intermediate the two free ends of said extractor. The forward end of'the automatic extractor is provided with a beveled lip 38, which may be said to constitute the extractor proper. When the breech bolt is pushed forward to drive a cartridge home into the cartridge chamber, the lip 38 yields away from the breech bolt, on encountering the rear rim of the cartridge, owing to the resiliency of the member 32, and the lip 38 snaps over said rear rim of the cartridge shell, or in the case of a rimless cartridge, over the narrower rear collar of the cartridge shell and operation the device will be driven forward into the cartridge chamber and inside the broken shell, until the stop 28. abuts against the end wall 30 of the breech. In this operation the normally expanded front end 22 of the .resilient split sleeve 18, by its engagement with the inner wall of the shell, will momentarily arrest the forward movement of said sleeve 18 until the conical portion 12 of the rod 2 has moved out of the front end of the sleeve 18 and the rear end of the latter is encountered by the bottom of the sleeve-like extension 10 of the plug 6, whereupon said sleeve will be compressed by the engagement of its front end 22 with the inner wall of the shell, and the sleeve will move forward with the rod 2. About the time the stop 28 arrests thefurther entrance of the device into the cartridge chamber, the front end 22 emergts from the front end of the shell and expands by its spring action, so that the shoulder 24 is in front of the front edge of the shell. In driving the device home into the cartridge chamber, the automatic extractor 38 has snapped over the annular collar 26 and into the annular space between said collar and the stop 28. ,If now the breech bolt be drawn back to open the breech in the usual way, the automatic extractor will withdraw the device from the cartridge .chamber. In this operation the rod 2 will first be drawn backwardly relatively to the sleeve 18, the latter being temporarily held against rearward movement by engagement of its shoulder 24 with the front edge of the exploded shell, until the conical portion 12 of said rod has entered the conical openin in the front end 22 of the'sleeve and the sioulder 16 of the head 14 of the rod has engaged the front edge of portion 22 of the sleeve 18, whereuponin the continued rearward movement-of the device under the action of the automatic extractor 38, the sleeve 18, and

- with it the broken shell, will be Withdrawn,

naraeoa and unshouldered guide for the extractor; 'flhis is adapted to criteria. contracted openmg, each as be formed by jagged, split,

the-rod 2 fits the bore of the barrel. The efi'ect of this is to maintain the whole device,

' of the shoulder 16 with a curs there is an absence of a proper coiiper-' and more particularly the rod2 and head 22, centered during the operation of the devicein Withdraw ng the broken shell, thus assuring aproper, and adequate engagement the front edge of the head 22. and of the shoulder 24 with the frontedge of the broken cartridge shell. In

the absence of the .guide 14:, the device, and. the front end of the rod 2,.

particularlv would be liable to deviate from their true ency to deviate from their axial position being due in part to the fact that the automatic extractor of the firearm. engages and exerts its rearward pull upon one side only of the; collar 26. .Where such deviation ocatlOn of the shoulder 16 with the front edge of the sleeve 18 and of the shoulder 24 of the resilient head 22 with the front edgeio'f the broken cartridge shell. Such deviation is also liable to cause the device to bind in the cartridge chamber, The result is that the automatic extractor is liableto release the collar 26'withou t withdrawing-the device, or the device is withdrawn without.

the broken cartridge shell.

The expansion or spreading apart of the inwardly flared or obstructing shell walls by the passage of the head 14, and the shoul-.

.dered end 22 of the sleeve, is followed by theentrance of the sleeve 10,- the tapered shape of which further expands and opens the passageway for the plug 6, permitting device into i the entrance of the extracting the broken cartridge shell for the full .re'

.' quired depth without conflict with the broken fragments or flared or bulging por-f tions thereof.

It will be noted that the part 12 of .the rod head 14;, and the front portion 22 of the sleeve, are go shaped that the part 12 in 'en tering the expandedlfront portion of the sleeve when the device is operated will not.

further expand the front portion ofthe sleeve but will simply lock itagainst contraction. This prevents undesirable outward pressure by the head- 22 on the inner surface of the barrel when theshell is extracted.

' While I have herein described one speor the cific embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be considered as limited to the details described,

nor anyiof them, but that said embodiment may be variously modified within the true Scope of my invention, which is more particularly set forth inthe claims.

Claims:

' 1. A device -for extracting broken care.

said resilient means in engagement with the front edge of the cartridge shell, guide means to 'fit within the barrel in advance of.

the cartridge chamber to guide and center said device when the latter isoperated, and means-to be engaged by the automaticex axial position in the cartridge chamber dur-- o tractor of the firearm whereby when saidv ing the operation'of the device, such tend.--

against contraction when moved into en-' gagement with the front edge of the car tridge shell without further expanding said resilient means; guide means to fit within the barrel in advance of the cartridge chamher to ide and center said device when the latter is operated, and means to be engaged by the automatic extractor of the firearm whereby when said automatic extractor is operated it will extract said device and cartridge shell from the cartridge chamber without further expanding said device.

' 3. A device for extracting broken car- ,tridge shells from-fireams, said device being .adapted to be inserted into the broken shell lodged in the cartridge chamber and comatter, and to engage the front edge of ing adapted .to be. inserted into the broken 7 broken she l f lodged" in thev cartridge chamber, and comprising, in combination, a split sleeve of res silient materialadapted to extend through the broken cartridge shell, when said device is inserted in the latter, a shoulder adjacent the front end of said sleeve to engage the front, edge of the broken shell; a .rod extending through said sleeve and movable lengthwise relatively to the latter, a collar:

. provided upon said rod adjacent its rear end to be engaged by the automatic extractor of the firearm, a stop upon said rod adjacent said collar to limit the penetration of the device into the cartridge chamber, a

head provided upon said rod adjacent its front end fitting the 'bore of the barrel and panding the same, and a shoulder to engage.

the front edge of said sleeveflvhereby when said automatic extractor is operated after engaging said collar, it will draw said rod backwardly relatively to said sleeve and ML .ally of the latter to cause said lockin part to enter the front end of the sleeve an lock the shoulder of the latter in expanded engagement with the front edge of the broken cartridge without further expanding said sleeve and bring the shoulder of said rod into enga ement with the front edge of said sleeve, w ereupon continued operation of said automatic extractor will withdraw said device and with it the broken shell from the cartridge chamber.

4:. A. device for extracting broken cartridgeshells from fire-arms, said device being adapted. to be inserted in the broken car tridge shell lodged in the cartridge chambegand comprising, in combination, resilient means adapted to pass "through the broken cartridge shell, when said device is inserted into the latter, and to engage the front edge of said shell; means to lock said resilient means in engagement with the front edgev of the cartridge shell; an unyielding, penetrating guide member having smooth,

eveled'walls adapted, as the device is inserted'into the broken cartridge shell, to

penetrate the passage in advance of said resilient means and force open said passage;

and means to be engaged'by the automatic extractor of the fire-arm whereby, when said automatic extractor is operated, .it will extract said broken shell from the cartridge chamber.

5. A device for extracting broken car.-

tridge shells from fire-arms, said device being adapted to be inserted in the broken cartridge shell lodged in the cartridge chamber, and comprising, in combination, a split to penetrate the walls of the broken cartridge shell, as the device is inserted into the latter, and opena passage for the sleeve, and with a locking part to fit within the shouldered front end of the sleeve, when said rod is drawn rearwardly, and lock the front end of said sleeve against contraction; a plu to which the rear end of said rod is detac ably secured, said plug presenting means adapted to be en aged by the automatic extractor of the re-arm, and a tapered front portion adapted also to penetrate and spread the walls of the broken cartridge shell when said device is inserted into the latter.

6. A device for extracting broken cartridge shells from fire-arms, said device comprising a tapered plug having means connected therewith to be engaged by the extractor ofthe fire-arm; a stem detachably secured thereto and carrying at its forward end a guiding head having smooth beveled walls adapted to penetrate and spread apart the walls of the broken cartridge shell and open a passage through the latter; and extracting means having relative movement .on said stem and presenting resilient members with shouldered portions adapted to yield and pass through the front portion of the cartridge shell but thereafter to expand and position said shouldered portions in advance I of the front edge of the cartridge shell, said HERBERT WALLACE.

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