U.S. patent application number 11/679169 was filed with the patent office on 2007-12-27 for firearm cartridge reloading devices and methods.
This patent application is currently assigned to Battenfeld Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Russell A. Potterfield.
Application Number | 20070295197 11/679169 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38872390 |
Filed Date | 2007-12-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070295197 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Potterfield; Russell A. |
December 27, 2007 |
FIREARM CARTRIDGE RELOADING DEVICES AND METHODS
Abstract
Firearm cartridge loading and reloading dies, such as a die
having a metallic body with a cavity extending through the body and
a sleeve inserted in the cavity. The sleeve is configured to
receive a firearm cartridge and reconfigure the cartridge for
loading or reloading. The sleeve can be metal, non-metallic
ceramic, and/or.
Inventors: |
Potterfield; Russell A.;
(Columbia, MO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PERKINS COIE LLP;PATENT-SEA
P.O. BOX 1247
SEATTLE
WA
98111-1247
US
|
Assignee: |
Battenfeld Technologies,
Inc.
Columbia
MO
|
Family ID: |
38872390 |
Appl. No.: |
11/679169 |
Filed: |
February 26, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60776577 |
Feb 24, 2006 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
86/24 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B 33/025
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
086/024 |
International
Class: |
F42B 33/00 20060101
F42B033/00 |
Claims
1. A cartridge reloading die, the die comprising: a housing having
a cavity, wherein the housing is composed of a first material; and
a sleeve coupled to the housing in the cavity, wherein the sleeve
is composed of a second material and includes a first internal
portion having a first diameter and a second internal portion
having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter.
2. The die of claim 1 wherein the sleeve further comprises a
transition portion between the first and second internal portions
having a generally tapering diameter between the first and second
diameters.
3. The die of claim 1 wherein the second material is
non-metallic.
4. The die of claim 3 wherein the first material comprises a
synthetic material.
5. The die of claim 3 wherein the non-metallic material comprises a
ceramic material.
6. The die of claim 1 wherein the first material is metallic.
7. The die of claim 1 wherein the housing and the sleeve are
integral components of the die.
8. The die of claim 7 wherein the first and second materials are
non-metallic.
9. The die of claim 1 wherein the sleeve is removable from the
housing.
10. The die of claim 1 wherein the sleeve comprises a single
piece.
11. The die of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the cavity is
threaded and at least an exterior portion of the housing is
threaded.
12. A die for reloading a firearm cartridge, the die comprising: a
body composed of a first material, the body having a cavity
extending through the body; and an insert fixedly connected to the
cavity of the body, wherein the insert is composed of a second
material different from the first material and includes a bore that
is configured to at least partially receive a cartridge for shaping
at least a portion of the cartridge, wherein the bore has a first
diameter and a second diameter smaller than the first diameter.
13. The die of claim 12 wherein the first material is metallic and
the second material is non-metallic.
14. The die of claim 13 wherein the second material comprises
ceramic.
15. The die of claim 13 wherein the second material comprises a
synthetic material.
16. The die of claim 12 wherein the bore is coated with a ceramic
material.
17. The die of claim 12 wherein the bore is configured for removing
the cartridge after shaping at least a portion of the
cartridge.
18. The die of claim 17 wherein the bore is configured for removing
the cartridge without a lubricant.
19. A die for reloading a firearm cartridge, the die comprising a
body having an interior bore, wherein the bore includes a first
portion having a first diameter and a second portion having a
second diameter greater than the first diameter, wherein the second
portion is coated with a ceramic material and configured to at
least partially receive a cartridge.
20. A cartridge reloading die, the die comprising: a body composed
of a first exterior metallic portion, a second interior
non-metallic portion, and a third interior portion; and a cavity in
the body, wherein the second portion defines a bore portion of the
cavity configured for at least partially shaping a cartridge, and
the third interior portion defines an engaging portion of the
cavity configured for engaging a cap member.
21. The die of claim 19 wherein the third interior portion is
metallic.
22. A method of manufacturing a firearm cartridge reloading die,
the method comprising: forming a bore in a die body; and
positioning a sleeve member in the bore, wherein the sleeve member
has a first diameter and a second diameter less than the first
diameter, and wherein the cavity is configured to releasably
contact a cartridge at least partially inserted into the cavity for
shaping at least a portion of the cartridge.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein the bore is metallic and the
sleeve member is non-metallic.
24. The method of claim 22 wherein the sleeve member is composed of
a ceramic or synthetic material.
25. The method of claim 22 wherein forming the bore comprising
molding or casting the bore, the method further comprising molding
or casting the sleeve member.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 60,776,577, filed Feb. 24, 2006, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure is directed to devices and methods
for loading and/or reloading firearm cartridges.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Many shooting enthusiasts prefer to load or reload their own
firearm cartridges with a reloading press. Although shooters often
reload cartridges simply as a hobby, shooters are also able to save
money and fine tune the accuracy and specific loads of their
cartridges by reloading themselves. For example, shooters can
adjust the weight of the load and bullet in the cartridge for
specific applications, such as using a lighter load for practice or
target shooting. Conventional reloading presses accept a reloading
die for reconfiguring or reshaping the cartridge case before or
after firing. Common reloading dies include full-length, neck, and
seating dies. Typical cartridge cases, such as straight wall or
bottleneck cartridges, are formed of malleable brass and are
forcibly inserted into a bore in a resizing die. Forcibly inserting
the cartridge in the die causes the brass to deform and assume the
dimensions of the die's central bore. The process resizes the fired
cartridge case to desired dimensions in preparation for inserting a
new primer, new propellant, and a new bullet.
[0004] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a conventional reloading
die assembly 100. The assembly 100 includes a die 110 and a cap
assembly 150. The die 110 includes a body 112 having an internal
bore (not shown). The body 112 includes a plurality of external
threads 114 and a lock nut 112 disposed on the threads 114. The die
112 can be secured to a press (not shown) by mating the external
threads 114 to internal threads of the press and tightening the
lock nut 112 to secure the die 112 to the press. The die 110 also
includes an opening 118 at the external threaded portion of the die
that is configured to receive the cartridge for shaping and
reloading. The cap 150 includes a cylindrical top portion 152
having a plurality of external threads 154 and a second lock nut
156 disposed on the threads 154. The cap assembly 150 is threaded
into the bore of the die 110 by mating the threads 154 with
internal threads (not shown) of the bore, and the lock nut 156
secures the top portion 152 in place.
[0005] For durability and correct shaping of the cartridges,
conventional dies such as the die 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, are
typically constructed of steel and have steel or other metallic
inner bore surfaces to contact and resize the cartridges. These
metallic inner surfaces are manufactured on lathes, which can be
time consuming for manufacturers using manual lathes and cost
prohibitive for manufacturers to use an automated lathe. Moreover,
the machining process creates a large amount of scrap relative to
the finished product. Disposing of or recycling the scrap is also
time consuming and expensive. In addition, when reconfiguring the
cartridges in the die, the metal-to-metal contact of the die to the
cartridge requires lubrication to prevent the cartridge from
sticking in the die following the resizing. Lubricating the
cartridges creates additional time and expense in the reloading
process. For example, a shooter must lubricate the cartridges
before resizing and remove the lubricant after resizing before the
cartridge is reloaded with powder. In addition, if the lubricant is
not adequately removed before firing the cartridge, the lubricant
can foul the chamber of a firearm thereby creating a hazardous
firing condition. Accordingly, a need exists to improve reloading
devices and methods.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a reloading firearm die
in accordance with the prior art.
[0007] FIGS. 2-6 are schematic cross-sectional side views of
reloading dies in accordance with embodiments of the invention.
[0008] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of
manufacturing a reloading die in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A. Overview
[0009] The following disclosure describes several embodiments of
firearm cartridge loading and reloading dies. For the purposes of
this disclosure, reloading dies include, but are not limited to,
full-length, neck, and seating dies, capable of configuring
straight wall, bottleneck, belted, beltless or other cartridges. In
addition, reloading dies may reconfigure used firearm cartridges as
well as new firearm cartridges. One embodiment of a cartridge
reloading die is directed to a die including a housing having a
cavity and a sleeve coupled to the housing in the cavity. The
housing is composed of a first material; and the sleeve is composed
of a second material. The sleeve includes a first internal portion
having a first diameter and a second internal portion having a
second diameter smaller than the first diameter.
[0010] In another embodiment, a die for reloading a firearm
cartridge includes a body composed of a first material and having a
cavity extending through the body. The die also includes an insert
fixedly connected to the cavity of the body. The insert is composed
of a second material different from the first material and the
insert includes a bore that is configured to at least partially
receive a cartridge for shaping at least a portion of the
cartridge. The bore has a first diameter and a second diameter
smaller than the first diameter.
[0011] In yet another embodiment, a die for reloading a firearm
cartridge includes a body having an interior bore. The bore
includes a first portion having a first diameter and a second
portion having a second diameter greater than the first diameter,
wherein the second portion is coated with a ceramic material and
configured to at least partially receive a cartridge.
[0012] In another embodiment, a cartridge reloading die includes a
body composed of a first exterior metallic portion, a second
interior non-metallic portion, and a third interior portion. The
die also includes a cavity in the body. The second portion of the
body defines a bore portion of the cavity configured for at least
partially shaping a cartridge, and the third interior portion
defines an engaging portion of the cavity configured for engaging a
cap member.
[0013] Another embodiment is directed to a method of manufacturing
a firearm cartridge reloading die. The method includes forming a
bore in a die body and positioning a sleeve member in the bore. The
sleeve member has a first diameter and a second diameter less than
the first diameter. The cavity is configured to releasably contact
a cartridge at least partially inserted into the cavity for shaping
at least a portion of the cartridge.
[0014] Specific details of several embodiments of the invention are
described below with reference to firearm cartridge reloading dies;
however several details describing well-known structures or
processes often associated with reloading dies are not set forth in
the following description for purposes of brevity and clarity.
Also, several other embodiments of the invention can have different
configurations, components, or procedures than those described in
this section. A person of ordinary skill in the art, therefore,
will understand that the invention may have other embodiments with
additional elements, or the invention may have other embodiments
without several of the elements shown and described below with
reference to FIGS. 1-6.
[0015] Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also
include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless
the word "or" is expressly limited to mean only a single item
exclusive from other items in reference to a list of at least two
items, then the use of "or" in such a list is to be interpreted as
including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in
the list, or (c) any combination of the items in the list.
Additionally, the term "comprising" is used throughout to mean
including at least the recited feature(s) such that any greater
number of the same features and/or other types of features and
components are not precluded.
B. Embodiments of Firearm Cartridge Reloading Dies
[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross sectional view of a cartridge
reloading die 200 in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the die 200
may be a full length die, neck die, seating die or other type of
die capable of resizing different types of firearm cartridges. The
die includes a housing or body 214 having a plurality of external
threads 226 and a bore or cavity 216. The body 214 is made of an
alloy steel or similar metal suitable for precision machining. The
external threads 226 mate with internal threads of a press (not
shown), and a lock nut (not shown) disposed on the external threads
226 secures the die 200 to the press. The cavity 216 extends
through the body 214 of the die 200 and through a bushing or sleeve
portion 218, and is configured to receive a firearm cartridge
inserted into a lower portion 210 of the die 200. One skilled in
the art will appreciate that the cavity 216 can be configured to
receive different types of cartridges, such as straight wall,
bottleneck, belted, beltless, or other types of cartridges for
example. The die 200 also includes an upper portion 260 having a
first diameter less than a second diameter of the lower portion
210. In some embodiments, the body 214 has a single diameter that
extends through the length of the die. The sleeve 218 extends
through the body 214 and also includes a plurality of internal
threads 234 on an upper section 224 of the sleeve 218. The inner
threads 234 are configured to receive a cap assembly (not shown) as
is conventional in the art for reloading cartridges. The sleeve 218
can also include a transition surface 222 between the upper portion
260 and the lower portion 210 of the die 200.
[0017] The sleeve 218 is coupled to the body 214 and forms a
contact surface 220 for contacting and resizing cartridges inserted
into the die 200. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the
sleeve 218 is composed of a non-metallic material. For example, the
sleeve 218 may be composed of a synthetic or ceramic material in
specific embodiments. Forming the sleeve 218 of a non-metallic
material provides many advantages over conventional cartridge
reloading dies. By inserting a non-metallic sleeve 218 or bushing
into the body 214 of the die 200, significant portions of the die
body 214 can be molded or formed with out machining. For example,
the sleeve 218 can be formed by a molding manufacturing process. As
a result, decreasing the machining process of the die 200 on a
lathe can significantly reduce the cost and waste associated with
manufacturing the die 200. Additionally, the non-metallic sleeve
218 and non-metallic contact surface 220 are configured to reshape
or resize the cartridge and release the cartridge from the cavity
216 such that the cartridge does not stick in the cavity 216. More
specifically, lubricant is not required to prevent the cartridge
from sticking to the non-metallic sleeve 218 following resizing of
the cartridge. For example, a ceramic or synthetic sleeve 218 and
contact surface 220 resizing a metal cartridge will not cause the
cartridge to stick in the sleeve 218. Eliminating the need to
lubricate the cartridge reduces the time and expense of the
reloading process by eliminating the steps of applying the
lubricant before resizing the cartridge and removing the lubricant
after resizing the cartridge. Moreover, eliminating the lubricant
also eliminates the danger of leaving residual lubricant on the
cartridge after resizing, which can corrupt the load and also foul
the firearm chamber creating a hazardous firing condition.
[0018] In certain embodiments the sleeve 218 is removably attached
to the body 214 of the die 200. A removable sleeve 218 provides the
additional flexibility of replacing the contact surface 220 of the
die 200 as the contact surface 220 becomes worn over time or is
damaged, without having to replace the entire die 200. Replacing
only the sleeve portion 218 of the die 200 saves the time and
expense of replacing the whole die unit 200. In addition,
reinserting the sleeve 218 can be cheaper than remanufacturing the
entire die 200. For example, in one embodiment the sleeve 218 is
formed by molding, which can be significantly cheaper than
manufacturing the bore or cavity 216 of the die 200 on a lathe. In
addition, in some embodiments, removing the sleeve 218 can
facilitate removing a cartridge from the die 218 after the
cartridge has been reconfigured.
[0019] FIGS. 3-6 are schematic cross-sectional views of a cartridge
reloading die 200 in accordance with other embodiments of the
invention. Like reference characters refer to like components in
FIGS. 3-6 and FIG. 2, and thus the description of such components
will not be repeated with reference to FIG. 3-6. Referring
specifically to FIG. 3, the die 300 is generally similar to the die
200 described above with reference to FIG. 2. The illustrated die
300, however, includes a body 314 that is formed from a
non-metallic material. For example, the body 314 of the die 300 can
be a synthetic or ceramic material, rather than a conventional
steel body. The non-metallic die 300 can provide similar
performance characteristics as the die 200 shown in FIG. 2, while
also reducing the time and cost of manufacturing the die 300.
Specifically, the die 300 can be formed using manufacturing
processes other than those required for machining the steel die
200. For example, in certain embodiments the entire body 314 of the
die 300 can be formed by a molding process. A molding process at
least partially reduces the scrap material produced in
manufacturing dies described above and accordingly reduces the time
and cost of disposing of or recycling the scrap material. In
addition, the contact surface 220 of the non-metallic body 314 does
not require a lubricant to release a cartridge from the cavity 216
following reconfiguration of the cartridge.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge
reloading die 400 in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention. The difference between the die 200 shown in FIG. 2 and
the die 400 shown in FIG. 4 is that the sleeve 418 does not extend
all the way through the body 414. It will be appreciated that the
sleeve and body configuration of FIG. 4 can be incorporated with
the other embodiments described in this disclosure. Another
difference illustrated in FIG. 4 is that the die 400 has a
non-metallic body 414 and metallic sleeve 418. For example, the
body 414 is formed of a ceramic or synthetic material and the
sleeve 418 is formed of a steel alloy. The configuration of the
non-metallic body 414 and metallic sleeve 418 provides the benefit
of maintaining high tolerances of the contact surface 220 in the
cavity 216 formed of the metallic sleeve 418, while still allowing
a significant portion of the die 400 to be formed from less
expensive and time consuming manufacturing processes, such as
molding for example. In addition, if the body 414 of the die 400
becomes worn or damaged, the sleeve 418 can be removed from the
body 414 and a new body 414 can be attached to the sleeve 418.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge
reloading die 500 in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention. The difference between the die 200 shown in FIG. 2 and
the die 500 shown in FIG. 5 is that the die 500 is formed of a
metallic body 214 having a non-metallic plating or coating 540 on
the contact surface 220 of the cavity 216 in the body 214. In
certain embodiments the non-metallic coating 540 is a ceramic or
synthetic coating having similar performance characteristics to the
sleeve 218 described above. For example, the coating 540 eliminates
the need for applying a lubricant to a cartridge inserted into the
die 500, which in turn reduces the number of steps in resizing or
reconfiguring the cartridge. Moreover, the coating 540 can be
replated or reapplied if the coating becomes worn or damaged or
otherwise incapable of holding the required tolerances for
reconfiguring cartridges, thus reducing the expense of replacing
the entire die 500.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge
reloading die 600 in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention. The difference between the die 200 shown in FIG. 2 and
the die 600 shown in FIG. 6 is that the body 614 of the die 600 is
formed of a plurality of layers. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6,
the body 614 comprises a first layer 670, a second layer 674 and a
third layer 678. In certain embodiments, the first layer 670 is
metallic, the second layer 674 is non-metallic, and the third layer
678 is metallic. For example, the first and third layers 670 and
678 can be steel, and the second layer 674 can be a synthetic or
ceramic material. The layers of the body 614 are configured such
that the surface of the non-metallic second layer 674 is the
contact surface 220 for receiving and reshaping cartridges.
Accordingly, the non-metallic contact surface 220 can have similar
performance characteristics and benefits of the non-metallic
portions or contact surfaces of the die as described above. In
another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the body 614 comprises
two layers rather than three layers. For example, the body 614
includes a metallic outer layer 688 and a non-metallic inner layer
684 extending the full-length of the die 600. The inner layer 684
also forms the contact surface 628 for receiving and resizing
cartridges inserted into the cavity 216, and have similar
performance characteristics and benefits of the non-metallic
portions or contact surfaces described above.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a process 700 that can
be used for manufacturing the cartridge reloading die 200 described
above. The process 700 can include forming a bore in a die body at
a block 710. In certain embodiments the bore can be metallic and
can be formed in a molding or casing process. At a block 720 a
sleeve member is positioned in the bore. The sleeve member can have
a first and a second diameter, the second diameter being less than
the first diameter. The sleeve member can be configured to
releasably contact a cartridge that is at least partially inserted
into the cavity for shaping or reconfiguring at least a portion of
the cartridge. In certain embodiments, the sleeve member can be
non-metallic, such as a ceramic or synthetic material, and can be
formed in a molding or casting process.
[0024] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific
embodiments of the invention have been described herein for
purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be
made without deviating from the invention. Furthermore, aspects of
the invention described in the context of particular embodiments
may be combined or eliminated in other embodiments. Further, while
advantages associated with certain embodiments of the invention
have been described in the context of those embodiments, other
embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all
embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within
the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not
limited, except as by the appended claims.
* * * * *