US3014400A

US3014400A - Cartridge shell loading device

Info

Publication number: US3014400A
Application number: US841612A
Authority: US
Inventors: Billy E Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-09-22
Filing date: 1959-09-22
Publication date: 1961-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1978-12-26

Description

Dec. 26, 1961 B. E. SMITH CARTRIDGE SHELL LOADING DEVICE 5 6 1 w 2 Z 8 NS N 7 a 1m s a E i E W 8 E00 m w m m a w m a 3,614,400 (IARTRIDGE SHELL LOADENG DEVICE Billy E. Smith, 2419 Evergreen Drive, Port Arthur, Tex. Filed Sept. 22, 1959, Ser. No. 841,612 2 Claims. (Cl. 8633) This invention relates to a device for loading shot into cartridge shells.

The chief aim of my invention is to provide a device for the above purpose which is simple in construction and easy of manipulation; which, at each action, will quickly release an exact amount of shot into a cartridge shell and leave just enough space for crimping; and which withal, lends itself to ready fabrication in quantity at small cost.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in axial section of a cartridge shell loading device conveniently embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in section generally similar to FIG. 1 showing the manner in which the device is used.

FIG. 2a is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing an intermediate step in the use of the device.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross sections taken as indicated respectively by the angled arrows III-J11 and IV-IV in FIG. 1; and a FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cartridge shell after having been charged with an exact quantity of shot in accordance with my invention. I

As herein exemplified, thev shell loading device of my invention comprises a tubular cylindrical magazine for the shot, said magazine being closed at the top by a cap 11 removably held in place by the bayonet lock means indicated at 12. At the bottom, the magazine 10 is provided with a separately formed outlet nozzle prolongation 13 which has a tapered discharge throat 14 and which is diametrically reduced as at 15 to fit snugly into the open end of cartridge shell C and is shouldered as at 16 to limit the extent of its entry into cartridge shell. Constrained to endwise movement in hollow bosses 17 at opposite sides of the prolongation 13 somewhat above the shoulder 16 are retractable slides 18 which, together,

constitute a gate means for controlling release of the shot from the magazine. These slides 18 have square heads 19 whereof the inner ends are. concavely sloped downwardly toward each other, and terminate in relatively sharp transverse edges which are complementally concaved as at 20 and which, when the slides are in the normal position of FIG. 1, abut crosswise centrally of the bottom outlet of the magazine. The diametrically reduced shanks 22 of the slides 18 pass outward through guide apertures the outlet prolongation 13, the lower ends of said levers being connected by pivot pins 26 to the protruding ends of slide shanks 21. v

Operation In using the device, the outlet nozzle prolongation 15 of the magazine lll'isintroduced downwardly into the cartridgeshell C until stopped by engagement of the shoulder 16 with the top edge of the shell.- After-the 3,014,46 Patented Dec. 26, 1961 magazine is so placed, the levers 23 are moved by simultaneously pressing their upper ends inwardly as in FIG. 2, the slides 18 being thereby retracted against the force of the springs 22. As a consequence, shot is permitted to gravitate from the magazine 10 through the outlet prolongation 15 into the cartridge shell C, this action being facilitated by tapping the magazine. Upon releasing the grasp levers 23, the slides are moved inwardly by the springs 22 into the normal abutting relationship in which they are shown in FIG. 1 across the outlet 15 to block the latter. As the slides 18 are'retracted, the shot balls are free to roll down the concaved slopes 20 at the inner ends of the heads 19 while, during inward movement of the slides the sharp edges of the heads pass readily through the mass of shot balls without injury to the balls. As the outlet prolongation of the magazine 10 is subsequently withdrawn from the cartridge shell, an annular void is created in the upper part of the shell into which void the balls left in the throat gradually recede as shown in FIG. 2a and eventually assume a level slightly below the top edge of the shell as shown in FIG. 5. It will thus be seen that at each actuation of the device, an exact amount of shot is released into the cartridge shell with sufficient space remaining above the charge for subsequent crimping of the body shell.

While the preferred embodiment of'this invention has been described in some detail, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a cartridge shell loading device, an upright tubular magazine for shot balls, said magazine having a diametrically reduced nozzle outlet prolongation at the bottom of a diameter corresponding to the inside diameter of cartridge shells to be loaded and adapted to be inserted downwardly into the open end of an empty shell placed upon a horizontal supporting surface, said pro-' longation being provided with a stop shoulder for engaging the top of the cartridge shell and limiting the extent of its insertion into the shell; a pair of axially-aligned hollow bosses extending laterally from opposite sides of the nozzle prolongation above said stop shoulder; gate means comprising a pair of opposing slides constrained to endwise movement in said bosses and yieldingly urged inward respectively by separate compression springs within the bosses with their'inner ends normally abutting in the axis of said nozzle prolongation; a pair of actuating levers fulcrumed, intermediate their ends, respectively at opposite sides of the magazine and pivotally connected respectively at their bottom ends to the outer ends of the slides wherbey, upon grasping the free upper ends ofthe levers and pressing them inwardly toward the magazine,

the slides are simultaneously retracted against the resistance of the-springs aforesaid to release shot balls from the magazine into the cartridge.

2. A cartridge shell loading device according to claim 1, wherein the inner end portions of the slides are transversely square and have concaved downwardly-sloped terminal faces with resultant provision of relatively sharp edges at the bottom which normally abut crosswise of the axis of the nozzle extension of the magazine.

References Cited in the file of this patent France Oct. 20, 1954