US3555959A

US3555959A - Cartridge primer

Info

Publication number: US3555959A
Application number: US723103A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard J Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-04-22
Filing date: 1968-04-22
Publication date: 1971-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 1988-01-19

Abstract

A small, portable hand tool is provided for installing new primers in used cartridges or shotgun shells to permit the reloading of said cartridges or shells on the shooting range or in the field, said tool having a hand lever action providing a desired ''''feel'''' when inserting a new primer to control the seating pressure for reliable firing, and said tool being designed to have a variety of cartridge holders interchangeably mounted thereon to permit the reloading of cartridge cases and shells of differing sizes and styles.

Description

United States Patent 387,868 8/1888 Farrow 86/37 496,143 4/1893 Velten 86/38 3,138,055 6/1964 Weston 86/36 3,349,663 10/1967 Slee 86/38 Primary Examiner-Robert C. Riordon Assistant Examiner-Gary F. Grafel Attorney-Morse" & Morsell ABSTRACT: A small, portable hand tool is provided for installing new primers in used cartridges or shotgun shells to permit the reloading of said cartridges or shells on the shooting range or in the field, saidtool having a hand lever action providing a desired feel when inserting a new primer to control the seating pressure for reliable firing, and said tool being designed to have a variety of cartridge holders interchangeably mounted thereon to permit the reloading of cartridge cases and shells of differing sizes and styles.

PATENIED JAN 1.9 s?! INVENTOR ,1 33 R CHARD J LEE M r-M ATTORNEYS CARTRIDGE PRIMER BACKGROUND OF The INVENTION i.Field ofthe Invention The present invention relates to theart of reloading ammunition. and more particularly to an improved priming tool for use in reloading used cartridges and shot shells.

2.Description ofthePrior Art Heretofore. in the reloading of used rifle and pistol cartridges, as well as shotgun shells. it has been the customary practice for a shooter to do his 'reloading in his home workshop or basement, where his reloading equipment usually includes a relatively large priming tool of the type that is mounted or supported on a bench or the like. Although small portable hand priming tools have been designed in the past they have not proven entirely satisfactory. and are not in widespread use among shooters.

SUMMARY or The INVENTION at any convenient time and place. including a shooting range. 7

Thus it is unnecessary for a shooter to reload cartridges only in a specially-equipped workshop or the like. as is the conventional practice.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel hand priming tool wherein the primer can be installed within a cartridge base with "feel"*to ensure the proper seating pressure for reliable firing. and wherein the mechanical advantage of said tool is the greatest at the point where the primer is almost completely wedge fitted'within said base. just where the pressure requirement is'the greatest.

A further important object of the invention is'to provide a tool adapted to interchangeably accommodate a variety of shell holders to permit the priming of cartridges and shells of varying sizes and styles with the same basic tool.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a novel hand priming tool which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. which is rugged and durable in construction. which is reliable in operation. and which isotherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE. DRAWING In the accompanying drawing. wherein the same reference numerals designate the same partsin all of the views:

FIG. I is a side elevational view of the improved priming back face to a point 13 intermediate the height thereof FIGS.

2and3).

the cartridge-holding portion of the tool with a cartridge in osition to be mounted therein:

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the upper portion of the tool with a cartridge mounted therein and showing a new primer immediately prior to its installation in the cartridge base; and 7 FIG. 6 is a similar sectional view showing the primer seated in said cartridge base.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawing. the novel hand priming tool comprising the present invention includes an elongated. substantially cylindrical body 10 having an open. internally-threaded upper end 11 having a top member 27 removably mounted thereon. The lower end of said body 10 has a slotted opening or cutout 12 therein which extends from a point 12' in the lower forward face of said An elongated hand lever 16 is pivotully secured to the lower end of said body 10 by means ofa transverse pin 20 which can be tapered and wedge fitted therein to permit the easy disassembly of the unit if desired. Said lever'l6 includes a curved lower portion conforming to the contour of the body lower end. and terminates in a shoulder 19 adapted to abut against the body slot terminus 12'. the function of which will be hereinafter seen. Also formed on the lower portion of said lever, and forming a bearing for said pivot pin 20. is an integral collar 17 having an upwardly-facing. substantially U-shaped socket element 18 formed adjacent thereto. The upper portion of said lever 16 is in the form of a handle 2l. and said lever is pivotal from the upright position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. wherein said handle portion 21 is positioned flush against the tool body 10, to the outwardly and downwardly angled position shown in FIG. 3.

Carried within the body 10 is an elongated pusher arm 23 having a small. circular lower end 24 movably fitted within the aforementioned U-shaped lever socket 18. while the upper end of said arm is in the form of an enlarged circular head 25 axially movably carried in the upper body portion of the tool. As will be hereinafter described in greater detail, when the lever 16'is swung to its downwardlyand outwardly angled position of FIG. 3 the U-shaped socket l8 thereon assumes a lowered position and the arm 23 is lowered correspondingly. .When said lever 16 is swung upwardly and inwardly to its upright position said arm member. including the head 25 thereon. rides upwardly within the body upper portion, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

As hcreinabove described. threaded into the tapped bore in the upper end 11 of the body in the present tool is a top member 27. said top member including a threaded shank 28 and an enlarged head portion adapted to sit snugly on the upper end of said tool body. A bore 29 extends axially through said top member, and formed in the head portion thereof is a side-opening. transverse slot 31 having a protruding top shoulder 32. said slotted opening beingdesigned to receive the base rim of a metallic cartridge, or shotgun shell, as will be described. In this respect. however. it is to be understood that cartridge-holding members 27 having receiving slots of various shapes and sizes can be interchangeably mounted on the body of the present tool. depending upon the style of cartridges or shells being reloaded.

Axially movably carried within the upper portion of the tool body is a pin or plunger 38 having an enlarged base 38 on its lower end. Said plunger is surrounded by a coil spring 40 which is mounted between and bears against the plunger base 38' and the underside of the shank element 28 thereabove, said spring being adapted to yieldably maintain said plunger 38 in its retracted position (FIG. 3). Said spring-loaded plunger is readily removable from the housing when the top element 27 is unscrewed and withdrawn therefrom. and can be quickly and easily replaced with plungers of various diameters. as may be required in the reloading of cartridges or shells having primers of various sizes. I

In the use of the present invention to pressurably seat a new primer in a used cartridge. the tool is first arranged with the lever 16 swung downwardly and outwardly (FIG. 3) to a position where the plunger 38 is in its lowered retracted position, the shoulder 19 came lower end of said lever abutting the tool body cutout terminus 12' to prevent further downward pivotal movement of saidlever. The new primer 42 is then deposited in the bore 29 in the tool top member 27 and is rested on top of said retracted plunger 38. as shown in FIG. 5.

The cartridge 34 (FIG. 4) may then be mounted on the upper end of the tool. To accomplish this the cartridge base rim 33 isslid laterally inwardly into the transverse slot 31 in the tool top member 27. the shoulder 32 projecting into the cartridge groove 33 to ensure a secure fit. When said cartridge has been urged laterally inwardly as far as it will go it is automatically accurately positioned with the primer pocket 35 therein in registration with the tool bore 29. as illustrated in N65. 5 and 6.

The hand lever 16 is then manually swung inwardly toward the position of HO. 2. against the tension of the spring 40. thus causing an upward stroke of the arm 23. As the head on said arm moves upwardly it urges the plunger 38 upwardly therewith. and as said plunger 38 rises it forces the new primer 42 carried on the top thereof into the cartridge primer pocket 35. The manual manipulation of said lever 16 permits a desirable feel when the new primer is being wedge fitted within the cartridge base so that it is seated to the proper depth to ensure maximum sensitivity for detonation. for consistently reliable firing. ln addition, the hand lever in the present invention provides maximum mechanical advantage just as the new primer approaches its fully seated position. where it is most required.

When the new primer has been installed in the cartridge as described, the tool handle 16 can be swung downwardly and outwardly to retract the plunger 38 (FIG. 3 thus allowing the cartridge to be withdrawn laterally from the holding member 27. The cartridge is then in condition to have the powder charge added and the projectile seated in the usual manner. thus completing the reloading operation.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the present invention provides a new and improved priming tool for use in reloading cartridges and shells which is small and compact so that it can be readily carried on a shooter's person for reloading ammunition while on the shooting range. or in the field. Moreover. said hand priming tool is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, it is rugged and durable in construction, it is versatile. and it is reliable in operation.

It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, numerous variations will undoubtedly occur to those skilled in the art. What is intended to be covered herein, therefore, is not only the illustrated form of the invention but also any and all modifications or variations thereof as may come within the spirit of said invention, and within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A small. pocket size, portable hand tool for installing a new primer in a used cartridge case having a base with a primer pocket therein, comprising: a housing with a lower end and with an upper end having an internally-threaded opening therein; cartridge holding means comprising a plurality of hol ders individually and interchangeably removably mountable on the upper end of said housing. each-of said cartridge holders having a shank adapted to be threaded into said housing top opening and an enlarged head with a side-opening transverse slot therein adapted to removably receive and retain the base of a cartridge case, each of said holders being adapted to receive and retain a different-sized cartridge base. and each of said holders having an axial bore therethrough adapted to communicate with the housing interior and to register with the primer pocket in a cartridge base mounted in said holder; plunger means comprising a plurality of plungcrs of different diameters individually and interchangeably removably mountable in the upper portion of said housing. a plunger mounted therein being axially movable from a retracted position wherein a primer seated on the top thereof is spaced below the upper end of said housing to an upwardly-projecting position; spring means yieldably maintaining said plunger in its retracted position; an elongated hand lever having its lower end pivotally joined to said housing. said lever being pivotal from a position wherein the upper end thereof is angled outwardly away from the housing to an upright position adjacent said housing; and an elongated pusher arm in said housing having a lower end positioned to be actuated by said pivotal lever and having its upper end engaged beneath the plunger mounted in the upper portion of said housing. said arm member being adapted to raise said plunger in response to pivotal movement of said lever to an upright position to pressurably insert a primer into the base of a cartridge mounted in said holder, the depth to which said primer is inserted into said cartridge base being controlled solely by the manual feel of the operator and his corresponding manipulation of said pivotal hand lever.

Claims

1. A small, pocket size, portable hand tool for installing a new primer in a used cartridge case having a base with a primer pocket therein, comprising: a housing with a lower end and with an upper end having an internally-threaded opening therein; cartridge holding means comprising a plurality of holders individually and interchangeably removably mountable on the upper end of said housing, each of said cartridge holders having a shank adapted to be threaded into said housing top opening and an enlarged head with a side-opening transverse slot therein adapted to removably receive and retain the base of a cartridge case, each of said holders being adapted to receive and retain a different-sized cartridge base, and each of said holders having an axial bore theretHrough adapted to communicate with the housing interior and to register with the primer pocket in a cartridge base mounted in said holder; plunger means comprising a plurality of plungers of different diameters individually and interchangeably removably mountable in the upper portion of said housing, a plunger mounted therein being axially movable from a retracted position wherein a primer seated on the top thereof is spaced below the upper end of said housing to an upwardlyprojecting position; spring means yieldably maintaining said plunger in its retracted position; an elongated hand lever having its lower end pivotally joined to said housing, said lever being pivotal from a position wherein the upper end thereof is angled outwardly away from the housing to an upright position adjacent said housing; and an elongated pusher arm in said housing having a lower end positioned to be actuated by said pivotal lever and having its upper end engaged beneath the plunger mounted in the upper portion of said housing, said arm member being adapted to raise said plunger in response to pivotal movement of said lever to an upright position to pressurably insert a primer into the base of a cartridge mounted in said holder, the depth to which said primer is inserted into said cartridge base being controlled solely by the manual feel of the operator and his corresponding manipulation of said pivotal hand lever.