Cartridge Reloading Dies

Abstract

A tool for reloading a variety of sizes of spent cartridge cases comprising a normally upright, externally threaded, hollow, cylindrical body mounted in a reloading press. The upper portion of the body is internally threaded and of greater diameter for receiving a selected cartridge case receiving die, a first externally threaded sleeve is received in the body. A threaded bore in the sleeve receives a second externally threaded sleeve which has a threaded bore for receiving a threaded rod having a resizing and decapping tool at a lower end thereof. Alternatively, a bullet seating tool having a substantially conical recess in its lower end for engaging the nose of a bullet is threadedly received in the first sleeve in place of the resizing tool.

Description

This invention relates to ammunition reloading tools and more particularly to interchangeable dies for use in re-sizing and decapping spent cartridge cases.

An object of this invention is to provide a decapping and resizing tool including a cartridge case receiving member having removable decapping and resizing dies mounted therein whereby the dies of different sizes may be inserted in the tool for accommodating different sized cartridge cases.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a decapping and resizing tool wherein the decapping and resizing unit is capable of axial adjustment relative to the cartridge case receiving member to accommodate cartridge cases of different lengths.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a bullet seating tool capable of being received in the body of the decapping and resizing tool whereby bullets can be seated and crimped in various sizes and lengths of cartridge cases.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a tool for reloading spent cartridge cases comprising a normally upright, externally threaded, hollow, cylindrical body an upper portion thereof being internally threaded and of greater diameter for receiving a cartridge case receiving die, a first externally threaded sleeve receivable in said body, a threaded bore in said sleeve for receiving a second externally threaded sleeve and a threaded bore in said second sleeve for receiving a threaded rod having a resizing and decapping tool at a lower end thereof.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a reloading press and the decapping and resizing tool assembly of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevational view of the decapping and resizing tool assembly of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the bullet seating tool for use in place of the decapping and resizing tools in the tool body.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a crimping die for use in place of the resizing tool and

FIG. 5 is a spacer sleeve for use in place of the sleeve shown in FIG. 3.

Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings, a decapping and resizing tool is indicated generally by the numeral 10 in FIG. 1. The tool is shown mounted on a reloading press 11 which includes a mounting plate 12 permitting mounting of the press on a suitable workbench. The press 11 while not forming part of the present invention will be described briefly in order to provide a better understanding of the reloading tool 10.

Accordingly, the press 11 has a channel member 17 integrally formed on a plunger guide member 16 forming a continuation of the plunger guide member 16 for guiding the plunger. A tool press plunger 18 is vertically slidable in the guide member 16 and is provided with suitable linkage (not shown) which is operated by an actuating handle 19. One form of linkage for operating the plunger is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,829,554. The upper portion of the plunger is provided with a shell holder 20 having a slot 21 therein for accommodating the lower end of a spent cartridge shell therein. The shell holder 20 is detachably connected to the plunger 18 and may be replaced with a shell holder for accommodating a different size or kind of shell.

The tool press 11 has a conventional die holder 22 provided with a threaded recess 23 which receives the decapping and resizing tool 10 therein.

The resizing and decapping tool 10 includes an externally threaded hollow cylindrical body 30 having a cylindrical bore 32 therethrough. An upper portion 33 of the bore 32 is threaded and is of greater diameter than a lower portion 34 so that a restriction is formed at 35. The unthreaded 34 portion has a length of seven-eighths inch and the overall length of the body 30 is approximately 2 1/2 inches. The external lower end portion of the body is threaded at 36 for engagement with the threaded recess 23 thereby permitting adjustment of the body 30 with respect to the die holder 22. Locking means in the form of an internally threaded knurled locking ring 38 is provided to lock the body member in an adjusted position relative to the die holder 22.

The threaded portion 33 of the bore 32 immediately above the restriction 35 receives a selected one of the reloading dies 40, 41, 42 or 43 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 respectively. The die designated by the numeral 40 is an external shell neck resizing die which has an internal bore flaring outwardly at its lower end for receiving the neck of a cartridge case 45 therein.

A first externally threaded sleeve 48 is threadedly received in the upper bore portion 33 of the body 30 and holds the die 40 against the restriction 35. The first sleeve has an outturned flange preferably having flattened portions 49 to facilitate turning the sleeve. A knurled internally threaded lock ring 50 on the sleeve 48 locks the sleeve in a selected axial position.

During the decapping and resizing operations the tool 10 will be assembled approximately as shown in FIG. 1. However, crimping and bullet seating require a different arrangement of elements as does the use of the tool 10 for reloading large shells such as a 300 magnum.

The first sleeve 48 is internally threaded to receive the decapping and resizing assembly 52 which includes a second externally threaded sleeve 53 received in the first sleeve 48. The second sleeve 53 has a cylindrical bore therethrough a portion 54 of which is threaded to receive an externally threaded portion 55 of a stem 56. A lower end 60 of the stem 56 extends through the die 40 into the bore 34 of the body 30. This lower end 60 has a threaded portion 62 received in a threaded recess in a hollow expander member 65 detachably mounted thereon. The expander 65 member has a bore 66 extending from its lower terminal end 67 into said recess to receive a hardened steel decapping pin 69. An enlarged head 70 on the pin 69 serves to retain the pin 69 in the bore 66 and the lower end of the stem engages the head 69 thereby locking the pin 69 in the expander member 65.

The expander member 65 has a frustro-conical terminal end portion to facilitate entry into the shell neck and is of relatively standard design. It will also be appreciated that the decapping and resizing assembly 52 is capable of being axially adjusted by virtue of its threaded engagement in the second sleeve 53 and that a threaded locking ring 72 retains the assembly 52 in a selected adjusted position.

During operation, the decapping and resizing tool 10 will be properly secured to the die holder 20 of the tool press 11 with the lower end of the decapping tool 10 normally adjacent the lower surface of the die holder 22. However, should the shell casing be of the longer variety, then the tool 10 would be adjusted upwardly. Furthermore, if an extra long shell such as a 300 magnum is to be reloaded, there will not be sufficient adjustment since the bore 34 is only seven-eighths inch long so as to accommodate a short shell. In this case the spacer die 43 is placed in the bore 33 before the neck sizing die 40 the sleeve 48 and the resizing assembly 52. This having been done, a spent cartridge case 45 is mounted in the shell holder 20 of the tool press plunger 18 while in the lower retracted position. Then the plunger is actuated through the use of the actuating handle 19 to cause upward movement of the plunger and the shell will be inserted into the recess or cavity formed by the bore 34 and the bore of the resizing die 40.

The cartridge 45 will be urged into the recess and the expander member 65 as well as the decapping pin 69 will be inserted through the neck of the shell causing the larger portion of the expander member 65 to resize the neck while the pin 69 engages and removes the spent primer cap. The actuating handle 19 is then moved in the opposite direction and the cartridge shell retracted and removed from the shell holder 20 after a new primer cap has been inserted and pressed into place on the downward stroke of the press plunger. The operation is then repeated until all cartridges have been decapped and resized.

The charging of the shells with powder does not form part of the present invention and thus need only be mentioned. The next steps are those of seating the bullet and, if necessary, crimping the neck of the shell. In order to use the tool body for bullet seating or crimping, the assembly 52 including the second sleeve 53 and the stem 56 is removed from the body 30. The sleeve 48 and the sizing die 40 are also removed and if the shell is to be crimped, the crimping die 42 is substituted therefor. On the other hand, if the shell is not to be crimped, the die 41 is placed in the body in place of the die 40. The first sleeve 48 is then replaced in the body, tightened down and locked.

A bullet seating stem 80 shown in FIG. 3 having a threaded cylindrical body 81 and a knurled top 82 is threadedly received in the bore of the first sleeve 48. The bullet seating stem 80 is capable of being axially adjusted and locked in a selected position by a threaded locking ring 85. A lower end of the bullet seating stem 80 has a substantially conical recess for receiving the end of a bullet which is forced by the stem into the neck of the shell during upward movement of the press plunger 18.

The advantages of a tool body which will receive various inserts thereby making it possible to reload shells of various lengths and calibers will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Through the use of the reloading tool of this invention, including sizing die 40 an expander member 65 and either one of the dies 41 and 42 of the correct caliber, it is possible to reload any particular type of cartridge. Furthermore, by obtaining only the die inserts 40, 41 or 42 and an expander member 65 of a different caliber it is possible to reload an additional cartridge size.

It will be noted that the dies of this invention are particularly concerned with resizing the neck of the cartridge whereas some commercially available dies do not permit neck resizing without full length resizing of the shell. This is important since full length resizing is not required unless the shell is used in different guns. Furthermore, full length resizing is not advisable more than four times for each casing whereas the neck of a casing may be resized up to 40 times before the casing must be discarded.

Claims

I claim:

1. In combination, a tool for reloading spent cartridge cases comprising a normally upright, externally threaded, hollow, cylindrical body, an upper portion thereof being internally threaded and of greater diameter than a lower portion, said lower portion and upper portion forming a restriction for receiving a cartridge case receiving die, said die being constructed and arranged to receive and conform to the upper portion and less than the entire cartridge case and having a smooth outer surface, a first externally threaded sleeve receivable in said body constructed and arranged to hold said die firmly in place on said restriction, a threaded bore in said first sleeve for receiving a second externally threaded sleeve and a threaded bore in said second sleeve for receiving a threaded rod having a resizing and decapping tool at a lower end thereof, and said die in said tool.

2. In combination, a tool for reloading spent cartridge cases, said tool comprising a normally upright, externally threaded hollow cylindrical body, an upper portion thereof being internally threaded and of greater diameter than an unthreaded lower portion of said bore so that a restriction is formed between said threaded and unthreaded portions against which a cartridge case receiving die will be seated when said cartridge case receiving die is received in said threaded bore of said body, said die being constructed and arranged to receive and conform to the upper portion and less than the entire cartridge case and having a smooth outer surface and a first externally threaded sleeve threadedly receivable in said bore of said body for holding said cartridge receiving die in position against said restriction, said first sleeve being internally threaded to receive a selected tool for resizing and decapping said cartridge or seating a bullet, and said die seated in said tool.

3. A tool as claimed in claim 2 wherein said cartridge case receiving die is a resizing die for resizing a cartridge case neck in cooperation with said resizing and decapping tool mounted in said first sleeve.

4. A tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein a second externally threaded sleeve having a threaded bore therein is received in said first sleeve and said resizing and decapping tool is threadedly mounted on a lower end of a threaded rod received in said threaded bore of said second sleeve.

5. A tool as claimed in claim 2 wherein said cartridge case receiving die is a crimping tool and a bullet seating tool is received in said first sleeve, said bullet seating tool comprising an externally threaded body having a substantially conical recess in its lower end for engaging said bullet.