US600366A

US600366A - Thomas c

Info

Publication number: US600366A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1898-03-08
Anticipated expiration: 1915-03-08

Description

(No Model.)

T. G. JOHNSON. CARTRIDGE PACKET;

Patented Mar. 8, 1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. JOHNSON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE \VINGHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CARTRIDG E-PACKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,366, dated March 8, 1898.

Application filed August 10,1897. Serial No. 647,673. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. JOHNSON, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Gonnecticut,have invented a new Improvement in Cartridge-Packets; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a view in elevation of the left-hand side of one form which a cartridge-packet constructed in accordance with my invention may assume; Fig. 2, a similar view of the righthand side of the packet; Fig. 3, a plan view of the packet; Fig. 4, a reverse plan view thereof; Fig. 5, a View in elevation of the rear end of the packet; Fig. 6, a view of the packet in vertical transverse section on the line a b of Fig. 1; Fig. 7, a view in partial longitudinal section on the line 0 d of the same figure; Fig. 8, a view of the sheet-metal blank from which the packet is formed; Fig. 9, a view in elevation of the left-hand side of one of the modified forms which the packet may assume; Fig. 10, a view of the packet in horizontal section on the line e f of Fig. 9; Fig. 11, a broken view in elevation of the front end of still another modification of my improved packet; Fig. 12, a reverse plan view of the same part.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of cartridge-packets which are designed for the convenient carriage of a charge of cartridges in readiness for their quick introduction into a gun of the box-magazine type, the object being to produce a very simple, cheap, light, compact, and convenient packet of the character described.

\Vith these ends in view my invention consists in a cartridge-packet having certain details of construction, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

My improved cartridge-packet is preferably made from a single piece of sheet metal, and as viewed in side elevation tapers from its rear to its forward end, its upper end being more markedly inclined forward than its lower end. Its rear, forward, and upper ends are closed, while its lower end is made open for the introduction and expulsion of the cartridges.

In the form in which my improved packet is shown in Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, of the drawings its body is virtually divided into a forward portion A and a rear portion A by means of a wide transversely-arranged expulsion-passage B, which intersects its upper end or top and extends downward farther into the right-hand wall of the packet than into the left-hand wall thereof. Here I may state that for convenience of description I shall refer to the side of the packet which is on the left at the time the packet is applied to the gun for the expulsion of its contained cartridges as the left-hand side of the packet and the side on the right when the packet is applied to the gun as the right-hand side of the packet. For convenience of description I shall also speak of the said expulsion-passage as having a long and a short arm, that portion of the passage in the right-hand wall of the packet being its long arm and that portion in the left-hand wall of the packet being its short arm. The short arm of the said expulsion-passage terminates in a substantially horizontal left-hand tie O, which connects the forward portion of the packet with the rear portion thereof. Below the said tie the said left-hand wall of the packet is cut away to the rear end wall of the packet, so as to form what I shall call the extractoropening D, for the reason that it permits the extractor to'spring in over the top cartridge, whereby the column of cartridges is retained in the gun against the upward thrust of the carrier.

The long arm of the expulsionpassage extends downward to a substantially horizontal right-hand tie O, which also connects the forward and rear portions of the packet. The said ties C and O are located, therefore, in parallel vertical planes, but in different elevations, the tie 0 being located entirely above the tie O. For the purpose of enlarging the expulsion-passage and for guiding the thumb as the same is exerting its last expulsive effort the upper edge of the tie O is slightly turned outward to form a lip c, which coacts with the wall of the gun-frame, so as to form a comparatively unbroken surface for the thumb to glide over. This lip also avoids the possible cutting of the thumb, especially if the metal from which the packet is made is very thin.

The cartridges are retained in the packet after their introduction thereinto by the combined action of a yielding lip E and a slightlyyielding forwardly-inclined finger F, dependin g from the rear wall of the rear portion of the packet. The lip E is produced by slightly setting inward the lower rear corner and edge of the left-hand wall of the forward portion A of the packet. This lip holds the column of cartridges in place by snapping over the middle portion of the bottom cartridge. The forwardly-yielding finger F assists in holding the cartridges in the clip after their introduction thereinto by engaging with the lower edge of the head of the bottom cartridge. This finger also performs the additional func tion of pushing the cartridges forward slightly at the time of their expulsion from the packet, whereby they are introduced into the gun in such a way that they will not be fouled.

In order that the forward ends of the cartridges may be prevented from moving laterally, the forward end of the forward portion of the packet is formed with two vertically-arranged opposing inwardly-set grooves G G, upon the inner faces of which the bullets of the cartridges rest, so that there is scarcely any lateral play in the forward ends of the cartridges. Beyond these grooves the packet has a rounded vertically-arranged tube-like end Gr, open at the top and bottom. The lower edge of this end enters the so-called receiver-chamber in the frame of the gun and takes a bearing therein, so as to support the forward'end of the packet during the expulsion of cartridges therefrom. Preferably the forward portion of the packet is lightened by forming in its opposite side walls large circular openings H H, which, however, are not required, and which if employed may assume any other desired form. Thus instead of a large opening in each side of the packet a plurality of smaller openings might be formed. The rear portion of the packet is preferably supported when the packet is applied to the gun by a spring-controlled extractor, which coacts with the bolt of the gun, as will be described later on.

As before mentioned, my improved packet is preferably formed from a single piece of metal. For the illustration of this point I have shown in Fig. 8 such a sheet-metal blank as may be used for the formation of the packet. The portions of this blank corresponding to the several features of the completed packet I have designated by the same letters as those employed to identify those portions in the foregoing description. It will be observed by reference to this figure that the ends of the blank are lapped upon each other to form the rear wall of the rear portion of the packet. These ends may be riveted together by rivets a, passing through rivetholes a, or they may be secured together in any other approved manner, as by interlocking the metal or by solder.

In the use of my improved packet it is filled through its open lower end with cartridges, the heads of which are set under the finger F,-after which the body portions of the cartridges are snapped by slight effort under the spring-lip E, which coacts with the finger in holding the entire charge of cartridges in the packet by engaging with the lowermost cartridge of the charge. Then the packet has been so charged, it may be freely handled and even thrown about without any danger of dislodging the cartridges. It is designed, of course, that in the use of the packets they shall be carried in a suitably-adapted belt. The yielding finger, formed integral with and projecting forward from the lower end of the rear Wall of the rear portion of the packet, is a very important factor in holding the cartridges in the packet, inasmuch as it will not spring and release the cartridges, as it would if it were located on one of the long side walls of the packet, the said side walls being much longer than the rear wall, and therefore easier sprung.

When it is desired to introduce the contents of a packet into the gun, the packet is set into the receiver-chamber of the frame of the gun so that its extreme forward end will rest upon the side walls of the said chamber, while the extractor-opening in its left-hand wall will.

receive the extractor, upon which the rear end of the packet will preferably be supported by the engagement of the lower edge of the tie C with the upper face of the extractor. Here I may state that the packet is designed to be used in guns of the type shown by United States Patent No. 547,583, granted October 8, 1885, to James Paris Lee, for an improved magazine-firearm. Reference to this patent will make it unnecessary to illustrate herein such a gun. The packet being thus supported, the cartridges are expelled by the downward pressure upon the series by the thumb, which follows the cartridges down through the expulsion -'passage 13 of the packet. It will be understood that the downward pressure of the thumb is sufficient to spring the retaining-lip and finger F enough to permit the escape of cartridges. The finger F, however, yields but slightly and does not straighten out, but keeps its forward inclination, so that it gives aforward impulse to each cartridge as it issues from the packet. As the cartridges are expelled they ride downward by the extractor, which bears on each one as it glides down and finally snaps inward over the top cartridge, so as to hold the entire series of cartridges in the gun against the upward thrust of the spring of the carrier of the cartridge-feeding mechanism of the gun. The cartridges having thus been expelled from the packet, the same is either removed by hand or allowed to drop away from the gun, from which it will receive an ejecting impulse due to the fact that the downward pressure of the cartridges places the carrier-sprin g under tension,which is communicated to the packet through the cartridges and the finger at the rear end of the packet.

These packets may be used over and over, if desired, although it is designed to make them at such small cost that they need not be recovered and reused.

In Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings I have shown a slightly-modified form of the packet, the modification consisting in folding the metal around the expulsion-passage outward, as at L, to form smooth edges for the packet. This will be a desirable construction when the packet is formed of sheet metal so thin that it might otherwise cut the fingers. In Fig. 10 also the extreme forward end of the packet is made substantially square in form, as at L, instead of rounded, as in the construction first described.

If desired, the yielding lip E may be dispensed with and its place taken by a rearwardly-turned yielding finger M, formed by vertically slitting the extreme forward end of the packet, as at m m, and setting the metal between those slits inward. This finger assists in holding the charge of cartridges in the packet by engaging with the lower face of the bottom bullet.

The packets herein shown and described are designed to be supported at their rear ends by the resting of the upper wall of the extractor-opening upon the upper face of the extractor; but this is not an essential feature of construction, for the rear end of the packet might be otherwise supported when applied to a gun for the expulsion of its charge of cartridges.

In View of the modifications shown and suggested and of others which may be obviously made I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact constructions herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A cartridge-packet formed with an expulsion-passage having a long and a short arm, the long arm of the passage being located in the right-hand wall of the packet, and the short arm of the passage being lo cated in the left-hand wall of the packet and the said packet being also formed with an extractor-opening located in its left-hand wall below the short arm of the passage.

2. A sheet-metal cartridge-packet formed with an expulsion-passage having a long and a short arm, its long arm being located in the right-hand wall of the packet and its short aim being located in the left-hand wall of the packet, the rear and forward portions of which are united by two ties of which the left-hand tie is located above the right-hand tie, and the said packet being also formed with an extractor-opening located in the left-hand wall of the'packet below the elevated left-hand tie.

3. A cartridge-packet formed with a transversely-arranged expulsion-passage having a long and a short arm, and with an extractoropening located below the short arm of the said passage, and provided with an inwardlyturned cartridge-retaining lip formed by an extension of that one of the two side walls of the package which contains the said extractoropening, at the forward lower corner of which the said lip is located.

4:. A sheet-metal cartridge-packet formed with an expulsion-passage having a long and a short arm, its long arm being located in the right-hand wall of the packet and its short arm being located in the left-hand wall thereof, and the packet being also formed at a point below the short arm of the said expulsion-passage with an extractor-opening which receives the extractor of the gun, the forward end of the packet engaging with the gun for being supported thereby, and formed with two opposing vertically-arranged inwardlyset ribs which engage with the bullets of the cartridges and prevent the same from lateral play.

5. A cartridge-packet having its left-hand wall formed with an extractor-opening which receives the extractor of the gun, and the upper wall of which rests upon the upper face of the extractor for supporting the rear end of the packet at the time the cartridgesare expelled from it, and the forward end of the packet also engaging with the gun for being supported thereby.

6. A sheet-metal cartridge-packet, formed with a transverse expulsion-passage having a long and a short arm, horizontally-arranged ties located below the said arms of the passage and joining the forward and rear portions of the packet, the said ties being located in parallel vertical planes, but the left-hand tie being located at a higher elevation than the right-hand tie, and the said packet being also formed with an extractor-opening located below the said left-hand tie, with a yielding lip for engagement with the bottom cartridge of the charge in the packet, with a forwardlyinclined yielding finger depending from the rear wall of the rear portion of the packet, and with two vertically-arranged ribs located in the forward portion of the packet for engagement with the bullets of the cartridges, to prevent the same from playing laterally.

7. A cartridge-packet having its top and left-hand Wall of the packet, and the said In testimony whereof I have signed this packet being also formed with an extractorspecification in the presence of two subscrib- IO opening located in its left-hand wall below the ing Witnesses.

short arm of the said passa e and provided 5 at its open bottom with tWo Zartridge-retain- THOWAS JOHNSON ing instrnmentalities for engaging with the \Vitnesses: bottom cartridge for holding the charge of LILLIAN D. KELSEY,

cartridges in the packet. GEORGE D. SEYMOUR.