Bullet Feed Mechanism With Automatically Released Holding Collet

Abstract

A device for feeding bullets into cartridge cases including a collet throat normally holding a bullet and expanded by contact of an upwardly moving cartridge case holder, to drop the bullet into a case moved upwardly by the holder.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the past, the practice has generally been to manually feed the bullet slugs into the cartridge cases carried by the case holder. In some cases, a feed throat for guiding each slug into its case, has been utilized, but in the use of such throat, it has been the practice to manually insert the slugs in the guide throat, one during each cycle of operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a feed throat in the form of a collet which may be the lower end section of a tubular magazine adapted to hold a vertical column of bullet slugs which are fed downwardly one at a time by spreading the collet jaws to release the lowermost slug (previously held between the normally contracted jaws). The spreading is effected by contact of an upwardly moving cartridge case holder with the lower end of a collet-closer sleeve which is spring loaded downwardly to a normal collet-closing position.

OBJECTS

The general object of the invention is to provide for automatic release of a slug from the bottom of a column of slugs in a magazine, in response to the upward approach of a cartridge case holder to a position in which it presents the upper end of a case, carried by it, to the lower end of the slug which is released from the magazine, so as to deposit the slug in the case.

Another object is to provide such an automatic feeder which may be embodied in a turret-type case holder adapted to be indexed at the end of each feeding cycle so as to present another case to the feed magazine during each succeeding cycle of operation.

A further object is to provide such an automatic bullet feeder which can be utilized to handle bullet slugs of varying nose shapes and of varying lengths, within limits.

Other objects will become apparent in the following specifications and appended drawing, wherein:

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a press embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an axial sectional view of a bullet feed mechanism embodying the invention, the feed throat collet being in a closed position contracted into holding engagement with a bullet slug;

FIG. 3 is an axial sectional view thereof, in the bullet-release stage of operation;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view on line 5--5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view on line 6--6 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, I have shown therein, as an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, an automatic bullet feed mechanism comprising, in general, a mounting barrel A adapted to be mounted in a fixed position in the head of a loading press D; a tubular magazine and collet throat assembly B fixed in the mounting barrel A; a collet closer sleeve C slidable vertically in barrel A and spring loaded downwardly to a normal position (FIG. 2) in which it contracts the collet jaws to a closed condition of the collet; and a case holder E including a turret for indexing a plurality of cartridge cases successively into position beneath the magazine-collet assembly for upward movement by raising mechanism F to collet-releasing, bullet-receiving position. It will be understood that a simple, hand-loaded, vertically reciprocable case holder, without turret action, can be used with the magazine-collet assembly if desired.

Mounting barrel A comprises a main barrel section 10 having a male thread 11 for mounting it in a threaded bore 15 of a head 12 of a loading press, with its lower end exposed at the underside of the head, for cooperation with the case holder E when the latter is moved upwardly. A cap 13 having a counterbore 14 is threaded into the upper end of barrel section 10.

Magazine-collet assembly B comprises a magazine tube 20 having a male thread 21 threaded through cap 13, an axial bore 22 to hold a column of bullet slugs 23, and a reduced, externally threaded nipple 24 at its lower end. A holding throat 25 is defined within the spring fingers 26 of a collet 28 having at its upper end an internally threaded collar 19 into which the nipple 24 of magazine tube 20 is threaded to support the collet 28 in a fixed position. This position may be adjusted for height by means of the threaded coupling to magazine nipple 24.

The four fingers of collet 28 have respective segmental holding lugs 29 which cooperatively define an annular holding seat on which the lowermost slug 23 of the column in magazine 20 28 will normally be supported. Below the lugs 29, a segmental cylindrical case-receiving mouth 30 is defined between the lower ends of fingers 26. The mouth 30 is larger in diameter than the opening defined between lugs 29, by a dimension approximately equal to the wall thickness of a cartridge case 41 receivable in the mouth.

The lower ends of collet fingers 26 are provided externally with collet cam projections 35 for coaction with closer sleeve C.

Sleeve C comprises a tubular body 36 fitted within the cylindrical bore of barrel 10 for vertically sliding movement; and an annular internal groove 37 adapted to receive the collet finger projections 35 so as to allow the fingers 26 to spring outwardly to open positions when sleeve C is moved upwardly (FIG. 3). A coil spring 38 is engaged under compression between the cap 13 and the upper end of the sleeve C to spring load the latter toward its normal position of FIG. 2 in which the upper shoulder of groove 37 bears downwardly against the upper segmental annular shoulder defined collectively by projections 35. This spring-loaded bearing engagement results in a camming action which compresses the fingers 26 radially inwardly to the closed normal positions shown in FIG. 2, in which the lowermost slug 23 of the column in magazine 20, 28 is supported on the segmental holding seat defined by the lugs 29.

In order to effect the camming action, at least one of the coacting upper shoulders (either that of groove 37 or of the segmental annular shoulder collectively defined by projection 35) is made frustoconical, although both shoulders may optionally be frustoconical as shown.

Cartridge case holder E is provided with one or more sockets 55 adapted to support and position a respective cartridge case or cases 41. The holder is vertically movable by means of well known press mechanism F such as any of those shown, for example, in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,819,644, 3,054,322 and 3,090,276. While the holder D may be adapted to hold only one case at a time, as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,819,644, it may alternatively be of an indexing turret type, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,054,322, or as disclosed in FIG. 1 and in my pending application Ser. No. 869,736 filed Oct. 27, 1969, for Casing Feeding Apparatus for Ammunition Reloading, and preferably is of sufficient diameter and includes an indexing turret disc 52 rotatably supported upon a vertically reciprocable base 50 within a shallow circular recess 51 therein, so as to provide for loading the sockets 55 defined by openings in disc 52 sliding over the smooth, horizontal top surface of base 50 at a convenient distance from the loading axis of magazine 20, 28, and indexing the cases successively into loading position beneath the magazine, so that each time the case holder E is raised a case will be presented to the collet 28 to receive a respective slug.

Handle shafts 54 (FIG. 1) may be secured to turret disc 52, for indexing the same. Manual raising mechanism F may be utilized for vertically reciprocating holder E on a cylindrical tubular body 53 of a pedestal H of loading press D. Head 12 may be secured between an annular shoulder (not shown) on the upper end of pedestal 53 and a cap 56 secured to such upper end.

OPERATION

Prior to reaching the loading position, each cartridge case 41 is primed, sized, and filled with powder from a powder dispenser G. This can be done by turret indexing in the same press from one operational station to another until the bullet loading position is reached. As each filled case arrives at this position, holder E is raised to insert case 41 into the lower end of collet closing sleeve C and move it upwardly sufficiently to being the groove 37 into full registry with projections 35. The latter will thus enter the groove 37, allowing the collet fingers 26 to spring outwardly (FIG. 3) sufficiently to withdraw the holding lugs 29 from supporting engagement with the lowermost bullet slug 23, allowing the slug to drop downwardly into the mouth of the cartridge case 41, which is now received in collet mouth 30. Cartridge 41 will have been previously sized so as to freely receive the slug to a proper depth. The holder E will then be lowered, withdrawing the case 41 and the slug 23 supported therein. The column of slugs in the magazine, supported by the lowermost slug, will move downwardly with it, and the collet-closing sleeve 36 will likewise move downwardly, with a spring-loaded action against the projections 35 which closes the collet in time to catch the next higher slug on the lugs 29 and arrest the downward feeding of the column of slugs while the assembly of case 41 and its received slug 23 continues to move downwardly with the downstroke of holder E at the lower limit of this downstroke, the slug 23, resting in its case 41, will clear the lower end of collet-closing sleeve 36, and the turret disc 42 will then be indexed to bring the next case 41 to loading position beneath the magazine assembly A, B, C. The operation may then be repeated.

As each assembly of slug and case leaves the loading position it is further processed in a final sizing die to close the mouth of the case around the slug to secure the two elements together, and to size the resultant cartridge. This is indexed in the ensuing cycle of operation, or the loose assembly can be transferred to another press having suitable closing mechanism.

Claims

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for feeding bullet slugs into cartridge cases, in combination:

a magazine for holding a vertical column of superimposed bullet slugs;

a collet defining a delivery throat at the lower end of said magazine, said collet comprising a tubular array of spring fingers having respective external camming projections at their outer ends;

said fingers having an annular array of internal lugs collectively defining a holding seat for the lowermost slugs of said column when the collet is closed;

a closing sleeve within which said collet is received, said sleeve being axially slidable on said collet and having an annular internal groove positioned to receive said camming projections in an upwardly shifted position of said sleeve, said fingers being preloaded to spring outwardly to spread said seat and thereby release said slug for downward movement when said sleeve is in said upwardly shifted position;

means spring loading said sleeve for downward movement to a collet-closing position for contracting said seat to slug-holding diameter; and

a vertically, reciprocable cartridge case holder having means to position a case on the vertical axis of said magazine and collet and to move the case upwardly into slug-receiving position at the lower end of said collet, said sleeve being positioned for engagement of its lower end by said holder as the latter approaches its upward limit of movement, and for shifting of said sleeve upwardly to a collet-opening position in which the lowermost slug of said column is released into the upper end of said case.

2. A bullet-feed apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said magazine comprises a cylindrical tube having at its lower end a threaded connection to said collet for supporting the same in adjustably fixed coaxial alignment with said tube.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2, said threaded connection comprising an integral externally threaded nipple on the lower end of said magazine and an internally threaded collar on the upper end of said collet, said nipple being threaded into said collar, said fingers being integrally joined to said collar and depending therefrom in circumferentially spaced relation.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, including a mounting barrel within which said magazine, collet and closing sleeve are assembled, said magazine being fixed to said barrel, and said sleeve being slidable fitted in the lower end of said barrel and projecting from the lower end thereof.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said magazine comprises a cylindrical tube, said barrel having an upper end through which said magazine tube is threaded for adjustably mounting said magazine tube and collet.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, said barrel upper end comprising a cap removably attached to said barrel;

said spring-loading means comprising a coil spring encircling said magazine tube within said barrel, and engaged under compression between said cap and the upper end of said closing sleeve.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, said case holder comprising an indexing disc operable to present a succession of cartridge cases to the axis of said magazine-collet assembly by horizontal indexing movements.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, said collet fingers cooperatively defining, below said holding seat, a mouth to receive the upper end of a cartridge case and to position it in coaxial relation to said seat.