US3408892A - Cartridge reloader and sizer - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 5, 1968 E J, SMH-H ET Al. 3,408,892

` CARTRIDGE RELOADLR AND SIZER Filed June 28, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIII- f l* Z9 E u 5 55 Z3 1NVENTOR5 I 3 Y ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,408,892 CARTRIDGE RELOADER AND SIZER Ewing J. Smith, 42 Highland Ave., Piedmont, Calif.

94611, and Leo John Pigozzi, 465 th St., Oakland, Calif. 94612 Filed June 28, 1967, Ser. No. 649,710 11 Claims. (Cl. 86-23) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for resizing spent cartridge cases and holding the cases while reloading the cartridge case with a primer, powder and bullet. The apparatus includes an anvil 'base with tool holding recesses coacting especially with a novel cartridge case resizing die and holder.

Background of the invention (l) Field of the invention-This invention pertains to an apparatus for resizing spent cartridge cases and reloading the same.

(2) Prior art-The prior art apparatus or tools for reloading spent cartridge cases utilizes a series of different dies for dilferent steps of the process and different holding devices during each of the steps. Furthermore, the prior art apparatuses utilized a series of dies which had to be clamped to an arbor press or other squeezing device.

Summary of the invention The prior art devices required considerable time in replacing the various dies on the press used to accomplish the individual steps of reloading a spent cartridge case. Furthermore, the use of various jigs to hold the cartridge case while it was being reloaded necessitated a considerable amount `of time spent in removing the case from one jig and inserting it or securing it in a second jig for a subsequent operation.

The present invention entails the utilization of a combination sizing die assembly and holder which resizes the cartridge case and then is used as holder or jig for the case during the subsequent steps in the process of reloading the case with powder and a bullet. This invention also includes the utilization of a at base member having a recess which is used to hold and position the cartridge case sizing die and holder and acts as an anvil during certain steps of the reloading operation. The base also provides various recesses for holding the various tools used during the reloading operation and a recess for holding an air actuated primer dispensing device. The primer dispensing and storage device provides a novel means of storing the primers in a desired orientation and dispensing these primers individually as desired.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge case sizing die and holder for use in resizing spent cartridge cases and holding same during subsequent reloading steps.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge primer storage and dispensing device to `be used during the reloading of a spent cartridge case.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel anvil base member having means for storing the various reloading tools and a recess for holding the resizing and cartridge case holder in the proper orientation during the operations of reloading the cartridge case.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the reloading device having the tools positioned on a base;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the cartridge case sizing die and holder mounted in the lbase member and having a case partially inserted therein;

FIGURE 2a illustrates the bullet resizing die during the step of burnishing the cartridge case;

FIGURE 3 is a side view in section of the case resizing die and holder during a step of removing a spent primer;

FIGURE 4 is a partial side view in section of the case sizing die and holder illustrating a step of reshaping the primer cup of a cartridge casing;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating loading the primers in the primer dispenser and storage device;

FIGURE 6 is a side view in section of the primer dispensing and storage device;

FIGURE 7 is a partial side view in section illustrating the tools for inserting a new primer in the cartridge casing;

FIGURE 8 is a partial side view in section illustrating the position of the tools for loading the powder in the cartridge case; and

FIGURE 9 is a side elevation in section illustrating the tools used to seat a `bullet in the reloaded cartridge casing.

As shown on the drawings:

The principles of this invention are particularly useful when embodied in a Kbullet reloading and sizing device generaly indicated 'by thenumeral 10. Thedevice 10 comprises an `anvil base member 11 having means consisting of recesses for holding the cartridge case sizing die andholder assembly 12, the primer storage anddispensing device 13, abullet seater 14, a second bullet seater 15, aprimer remover 16, aprimer cup sizer 17, and a secondcase holding jig 18. Also shown in FIG. 1 `are the primertransfer feeding device 19 and aprecision primer guide 20. Aprimer seating tool 21 is shown in FIG. l engaged on the resizing andholding assembly 12.

Arecess 22 in which the sizing die and holder are inserted has a dual function of holding theassembly 12 in a vertical position `and of acting as an anvil during certain steps in the reloading process. The recess 23 supports the primer dispensing andstorage device 13 is a substantially upright position. The recesses supporting thetools 14 through 18 have a rather loose t with these tools to provide means to store the tools when they are not in use.

The base member 11 has anupper surface 24 andlower surface 25. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, therecess 22 has anannular side wall 26 and a bottom surface 27. Asmaller bore 28 concentric with theside wall 26 extends from the bottom surface 27 of therecess 22 and communicates with thelower surface 25 of the base member 11. At the junction of the bottom surface 27 and theopening 28 is a counterbore 29 whose function is described hereinafter.

When the cartridge has been fired, the case will be expanded or enlarged because of the internal pressure developed by the propellant. In order for the case to be reloaded and reused, the case must be reduced Iback to the original external dimensions. The neck or mouth portion of the case is subjected to the greatest amount of distortion which may include some elongation during the tiring of the cartridge. The structure of the sizing die andholder assembly 12 will reduce the case to its original size is described hereafter.

The sizing die andholder assembly 12 consists of two substantiallycylindrical members 30 and 31. Themember 30 has a resizingsurface 32 which defines an enlargedbore 33 and a frusto-conical transition portion 34, both of which are complementary to abody portion 35 and a transition orshoulder portion 36 of acartridge case 37 which also has aneck portion 38. Thesurface 32 has the dimensions to reduce or resize thebody portion 35 andtransition portion 36 to the desired size when thecartridge case 37 is forced into theassembly 12 as shown in FIG. 2. Themember 31 has a resizingsurface 39 which defines a bore complementary to theneck portion 38 which will be reduced to the desired size when thecase 37 is forced into theassembly 12.

Themember 30 has acylindrical surface 40 which has a frusto-conical projection 41 at the end which is telescopically received in ahollow end portion 42 of themember 31 which overlies theportion 40. Thehollow end portion 42 has a complementary frusto-conical'surface 43 for engaging the end portion 41 of themember 30. The engagement of the surfaces of theend portions 40, 41 with the surfaces of the hollowed outportions 42, 43 is a sliding fit which allows the twomembers 30 and 31 to be twisted with respect to each other while assembled.

As shown in FIG. 2, both themembers 30 and 31 when assembled into theassembly 12 has exposedend surfaces 44 and 45, respectively. Adjacent theend surface 44 is a shoulder 46 which is a termination for anend portion 47 extending between the shoulder and theend surface 44. At the intersection of theend portion 47 and the 'Surface 44 is anannular groove 48. Themember 31 also has a shoulder 49 adjacent theend surface 45 and anend portion 50 extending between the shoulder 49 and thesurface 45. Both of theend portions 47 and 50 have identical dimensions so that either one may be snugly received in therecess 22 with a respective shoulder 46 or 49 abutting thesurface 24 as theend surface 44 or 45 contacts the bottom 27 of the recess.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the shoulders 46 and 49 extends into knurledannular projections 51 and 52, respectively. Theannular projection 51 has a second shoulder S3 facing away from the shoulder 46 and, as shown in FIG. 3, abutting anend surface 54 of the hollowedend portion 42.

The cartridge case resizing andholder assembly 12 is used by inserting it in therecess 22 in the Ibase member 11 as illustrated in FIG. 2 and tapping or forcing thecartridge case 37 into the bore of the members. The distance between theend surfaces 44 and 45 of theassembly 12 is the desired length of the -cartridge case so that theassembly 12 will act as a gaging means. When asolid base 55 of thecase 37 is flush with theend surface 44, the neck should be flush with thesurface 45 if thecase 37 has the proper length. The forcing of thecase 37 into theassembly 12 will resize the case by redu-cing the enlarged case back to the desired dimensions. After thecase 37 has been forced into theassembly 12, the assembly is removed and the twomembers 30 and 31 are twisted with respect to each other, as illustrated in FIG. 2a, to burnish an exterior surface of thecase 37. If thecase 37 has been elongated, a portion will extend past thesurface 45 as illustrated at 56 in FIG. 2a, this extension may be trimmed off or removed by filing the undesired portion ush to thesurface 45 which functions as a gaging surface to obtain the proper length for thecasing 37. It should be noted that thecase 37 is what is known as a rimless cartridge case. If a cartridge case having a -rim is used, it is forced into the assembly until the rim contacts thesurface 44, and theassembly 12 is so dimensioned that its neck will be flush with thesurface 45 if the case has the desired length or after being trimmed. v

After resizing the cartridge, the next step in reloading consists of removing the old or spent primer 57 from aprimer cup 58 in thesolid base 55 of thecartridge case 37. This step is accomplished by first removing theassembly 12 from the `recess 22, inverting it, and inserting theend portion 47 into therecess 22, as illustrated in FIG. 3, with theend surface 44 and the shoulder 46 engaging the recess ybottom 27 and theupper surface 24 of the base member 11, respectively, to form a snug it. Then theprimer removal tool 16 which comprises ahead 59, ashaft 60 having a Vsmall diameter point or pin 61 which will pass through afire hole 62 that interconnects theprimer cup 58 and themain powder chamber 63 of thecartridge case 37 is inserted through theneck 38 of thecase 37. By forcing theprimer remover 16 downward by either tapping with a mallet or by using an arbor press, the pin or point 61 will pass through there opening 62 and force the spent primer 57 out of theprimer cup 58 and through theopening 28 in the base member 11. It should be noted that if a rim cartridge is being reloaded the exposed rim portion which contacts thesurface 44 would be disposed in the counterbored portion 29.

The next step in the operationV after theprimer remover 16 has been removed from thecasing 37 consists in first removing theassembly 12, inverting it and reinserting the assembly in therecess 22 so that theend portion 50 is tightly received in therecess 22 with the surfaces of theend 45 and the shoulder 49 contacting the respective bottom 27 and thesurface 24 of the base member. With thecasing 37 now in the position illustrated in FIG. 4, it is ready to have itsprimer cup 58 resized by the primercup resizing tool 17 which includes ahead 64 attached to ashaft 65 which supports a reduceddiameter sizing projection 66. Theprimer cup 58 is resized lby having the sizingprojection 66 forced into the cup. It should be noted that in some instances it may be desirable to apply a rotational force to the primercup sizing tool 17 to burnish the surfaces of theprimer cup 58. After sizing theprimer cup 58, the casing is now ready to receive a new primer.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a primer dispensing andstorage device 13 which consists of atubular member 67 having aclosed end 68, the cross-section of which is substantially cup-shaped, and a second member 469 having anend 70 disposed in thetubular member 67. The sliding engagement between asurface 71 of themember 69 and the inner surface 72 of thetubular member 67 is substantially airtight. Themember 69 has abore 73 for holding a plurality of primers 74 which will rest on a restriction orinterior flange 75 at the end of thebore 73 adjacent to theend 70.

The primers 74 are inserted in thebore 73 by using theprimer transfer feeder 19 which is illustrated in FIG. 5 as being disassembled. Thefeeder 19 comprises two substantiallysimilar portions 76 and 77. Theportion 77 has an annular wall 78 defining aprimer receiving recess 79. Adjacent to the wall 78 is an annular ange 80'. Theportion 76 has anannular wall 81 which is complementary to and of the same height as the wall 78 for telescopically receiving the wall 78 and abutting against theange 80 to form a substantially continuous outer surface when the twoportions 76 and 77 are assembled together. Each of themembers 76 and 77 have a centrally locatedprojection 82 which has acentral bore 83 for passing the primers 74 out of thefeeder 19. Each of theprojections 82 may have arecess 84 concentric with the bore `83 to facilitate alignment of thebore 83 with thebore 73 of the pri-mer dispensing andstorage device 13 by telescopically engaging the end -85 of themember 69.

Thefeeder 19 is used by filling it with a plurality of primers 74 closing the twoparts 76 and 77, then locating thefeeder 19 with thebore 83 aligned with thebore 73 of the primer dispensing and holding device, using therecess 84, if one is available, of thefeeder 19. Then theupper portion 76 is removed and all of the primers 74 which are in the proper orientation in the hollow 79'are then moved until they pass through theopening 83 and into thebore 73 of the member 69' of the dispensing andstorage device 13. After all those primers which are in the right orientation have been passed through theopening 83, theportion 76 is then reassembled on theportion 77 and thefeeder 19 is removed from theend 85, turned over and repositioned with themember 76 adjacent to theend 85 of the dispensingdevice 13. Then theportion 77 which would be on the top is removed and the remaining primers which would now be in the proper orientation are moved to pass through thebore 83 and subsequently to thebore 73 of the primer dispensing and storage device. Then thefeeder 19 may be removed and placed on the base 11 out of the way of the operator.

As shown in FIG. 6, themember 69 forms achamber 86 with the closed end portion of the interior of thetubular member 67. A resilient means 87 such as a coiled spring is disposed in this chamber to bias themember 69 to the position shown in FIG. 6. As stated hereinbefore, themember 69 forms a substantially air tight tit with the surface 72 of thetubular member 67. By forcing themember 69 towards the bottom 68, air in thechamber 86 while escaping through thebore 73 will force or eject the primer 74 out of thebore 73. Themember 69 acts as a piston moving in thetubular member 67. To prevent accidental ejection of the primers 74 from thebore 73, a releasable engagement means such as a screw 88 which is screwed into a threadedbore 89 in the side of thetubular member 67 and engages anannular groove 90 in themember 69 to prevent the accidental movement of themember 69, is provided.

Disposed on theend 85 of themember 70 is the precision primer guide which has abore 91 for receiving a primer 74. Theguide 20 has an axially extendingannular lip 92 which maintains thebore 91 in alignment with thebore 73 of themember 69 and, as shown in FIG. 7, ts in thegroove 48 of themember 30 of theassembly 12 to position thebore 91 in alignment with theprimer cup 58.

Theprimer guide 20 is loaded by being placed on theend 85 of the member 69', releasing the engagement means 88, 90, forcing theguide 20 and themember 69 towards the bottom 68 to eject a primer into thebore 91. It is possible that if themember 69 were forced downward too rapidly `more than one primer would be ejcted; however, by placing a linger over thebore 91, the operator may be assured of only receiving one primer in theprecision primer guide 20.

The loadedprecision primer guide 20 is then placed on theassembly 12 with thebore 91 in alignment with theprimer cup 58. The primer 74 is then forced into theprimer cup 58 by means of theprimer seating tool 21. As shown in FIG. 7, theprimer seating tool 21 comprises ahead portion 93 attached to anenlarged end 94. Theenlarged end 94 has anannular wall 95 having aninner surface 96 which slidably engages theend portion 47 as the tool is moved towards theassembly 12 to seat the primer 74. Thewall 95 has anend surface 97 which engages the shoulder 46 when the primer is in the proper seated relationship or depth in theprimer cup 58. The

primer 74 is'actually contacted by anannular projection 98 which denes a center bore 99 extending into thehandle portion 93 to avent 100. Theannular projection 98 will contact the primer 74 only on the peripheral edge and, therefore, will not detonate the primer during its insertion into theprimer cup 58. It should be noted that the dimensions of theannular wall 95 are such that the end portion or endsurface 97 contacts theshoulder 47 when theannular projection 98 has forced the primer to the desired position in the primer cup and, therefore, it is impossible to apply too m-uch pressure to the primer during the insertion step.

After completing the insertion of the new primer 74 into theprimer cup 58 of thecartridge 37, the assembly 11 is removed from therecess 22 and inverted so that theend portion 47 can be reinserted in therecess 22. The next step of the reloading operation is the lling of thecasing 37 with the powder or propellant. As shown in FIG. 8, afunnel 101 may be inserted in theneck portion 38 of thecasing 37 and a measured portion of powder poured into the casing.

Having filled the casing with powder, the next step in reloading thecase 37 is the seating of the bullet or projectile 102 in theneck portion 38. This is accomplished wih the die and holdingassembly 12 in the same position as for the prior step. Thebullet 102 is forced into theneck portion 38 by means of thebullet seating tool 14 which comprises anupper portion 103 and an enlarged lower portion 104 having ahollow bore 105 containing abrass insert 106. Thebrass insert 106 has a complementary shaped bore orcavity 107 to engage the outer surface of thebullet 102. During the insertion of the bullet 10-2 into theneck 38 of thecartridge 37, the pressure exerted will cause thecase 37 to slip in thebores 33, 34 and 39l until thecartridge base 55 contacts the base member 11 in the counterbore portion 29. As in the previous operations, the shape and dimensions of thebullet seating tool 14 are such that anend surface 108 will contact or engage thesurface 45 of theassembly 12 when thebullet 102 has been forced to the desired depth in theneck portion 38. It should be noted that the primer 74 will not have any pressure applied to it during the bullet seating operation since it is disposed over theopening 28 and the pressure applied by thetool 14 is carried by the rim portion of thesolid bore 55 of thecartridge case 37.

When thebullet 102 has been properly seated in theneck 38, the reloaded cartridge is removed from the sizing die andholder assembly 12.

In the above-mentioned method, it has been contemplated that the various tools such as 14, 16, 17 and 21 may be tapped with a mallet during each particular step. However, it is conceivable that the base assembly 11 may be mounted in conjunction with an arbor press or some other means of applying a steady pressure.

The above-described device for reloading bullets has various advantages over the prior art devices, such as the rapid changing from one particular operation to the next since none of the tools need to be secured in a press, but may merely be held there by hand until the press engages the head portions, or the tools may be forced during their various operations by merely tapping lightly with a mallet. Another distinguishing advantage over the prior art is that the assembly for resizing the cartridge case is also used as a holder during the subsequent reloading operation and, therefore, eliminates the need of both a resizing die and a `cartridge case holder.

In the above disclosed apparatus, it should be noted that a resizing die andholder assembly 12 would be necessary for each different type or caliber of ammunition reloaded. Furthermore, it should be noted that, as shown in FIG. l, various sized bullet seating tools are needed for both variations in the caliber of the bullet and in the different sizes of the bullet for the same caliber. However, it should be noted that the various resizing dies andholder assemblies 12 for different caliber cartridges can all be made with the same exterior dimensions for theend portions 47 and 50 so that the base member 11 may be utilized with each of the various resized die and holder assemblies.

Although various minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that we wish to employ within the scope of the patent warranted hereon alll such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the art.

We claim as our invention:

1. A cartridge case sizing die and holder assembly for use with a base member for'sizing a spent cartridge case and holding said case during subsequent steps of reloading said case, said assembly comprising in combination, a substantially cylindrical-shaped assembly having a shoulder facing towards each end, a rst end portion extending between each of said shoulders and said respective ends, said end portions having identical dimensions so that each may be interchangeably inserted in a recess 7 in said base member, said assembly having a sizing surface detining a bore complementary to a cartridge case to be sized in said assembly, said bore receiving said case for sizing and for holding said case during said subsequent steps, and said cylindrical-shaped assembly and said bore each having a length which is the desired length of said sized cartridge case.

2. A sizing die and holder according to claim 1, in which said assembly comprises two cylindrical members, one of said members having a cylindrical end portion opposite said first end portion, said cylindrical end portion telescopically inserted in a hollowed end portion of the other of said members to form a slidable fit so that said members may be twisted with respect to each other to burnish said case as it is being sized, each of said members having a portion of said sizing surface and said tit between said members providing a match between said portions of said sizing surface so that said surface is substantially uninterrupted.

3. A sizing die and holder of claim 1, in which said sizing surface defines a bore having a small diameter portion at one end for receiving and sizing a neck portion of said case and a large bore portion for receiving a larger body portion of said case, said small and large portions of the bore being interconnected by a frusto-conical portion complementary to a frusto-conical portion interconnecting said neck and body portion of said case.

4. A sizing -die and holder according to claim 2, in which said one member has an annular groove in said first end portion adjacent to the end of said member to receive a complementary lip on a precision primer guide during a step of inserting a new primer in the base of said casing.

5. A sizing die and holder according to claim 2, in which said cartridge case has a neck portion and a large diameter body portion interconnected by a frusto-conical transition portion, said portions of said sizing surface of said one member defining a large diameter bore portion and a frusto-conical portion complementary to said body and transition portions of said case, said portion of said sizing surface of said other member defining a small bore complementary to said neck portion of said case.

6. A sizing die and holder according to claim 2, in which said cylindrical end portion terminates in a frustoconical end surface, and said hollowed end portion has a complementary frusto-conical portion for receiving and engaging said frusto-conical end surface.

7. A primer dispensing device for use in storing and dispensing cartridge case primers, said -device comprising in combination, a tubular member having a closed end and an open end, a second member partially disposed in said open end of said tubular member and having a sliding fit therewith to define a chamber between an end of said second member and said interior of said tubular member, said second member having an internal surface defining a bore for receiving and holding said primer in a desired position, said bore being in communication with said chamber so that when said second member is forced from an initial position further into said tubular member, air forced from said chamber will move said primers in said bore to dispense a primer from the bore.

8. A primer dispensing and storage device according to claim 7, which further includes a resilient means disposed in said chamber to return said second member to said initial position.

9. A primer dispensing and storage device according to claim 7, in which said tubular member and said second member have releasable engagement means to hold said second member in said initial position so that an accidental dispensing of a primer is prevented.

10. A cartridge case holder and sizer die for use with an anvil base to reload spent cartridge cases for reuse, which comprises a first member having a cartridge case sizing bore therethrough dimesnioned to size the main body portion of a spent cartridge case along the length thereof, a second member removably telescoped around said first member and having a portion overlying the first member with a bore beyond the bore of the first member adapted to size the neck of a cartridge case in the bore of the rst member, said first and second members being relatively rotatable when telescoped together to burnish the cartridge case in the bores thereof, said first an-d second members having a telescoped height such that the neck end of an elongated cartridge case will project beyond the bore of the second member and the end of the second member will gauge the removal of the projecting portion of the case, an anvil base having recesses for selectively receiving the ends of the first and second members to support the die in upright positions With either the first or second members thereof uppermost, and said die, when supported by said anvil, adapted to coact with additional tools for removing the primer from a cartridge case, for sizing the primer cup of the case, for inserting a new primer in the primer cup, for receiving propellant in the cartridge case, and for aflixing a bullet in the neck of the case.

11. Apparatus for sizing, holding and reloading spent Icartridge cases, which comprises a metal anvil base having a plurality of recesses in one face thereof, cartridge case tools removably carried in said recesses in upright positions on said base, said tools including a cartridge case holder and sizer die composed of telescoped parts for sizing and burnishing a cartridge case, said die having opposite end portions selectively received in a recess of the base to rmly support the die in an upright position, and tools removable from other recesses `of the base to coact with said die for removing the spent primer from the case, for sizing the primer cup of the case, for inserting a new primer in the sized primer cup, for filling the case with propellant, and for seating a bullet in the neck of the case.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 216,554 6/1879 Canfield 86-36 242,676 6/ 1881 Morris 86-24 3,205,762 9/1965 Parke 86-36 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner'. G. H. GLANZMAN, Assistant Examiner.

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