British 114587
I, Joseph Hawes Wesson, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Number 13, Federal Street, SPringfield in the County of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statemeht:–
This invention relates to loading clips for revolvers, the objects being to provide a clip of cheap and simple construction which will facilitate the simultaneous loading of all or part of the cartridges into the cylinder of the revolver; and which will adapt itself to the cartridge belt of a soldier, so that the cartriges may be distributed conveniently along such belt.
A clip or holder for cartridges made in accordance with this invention is of annular shape, being made of sheet metal occupying a plane transverse to the cartridges and engaging the bases or necks thereof, and having an annular outer portion and inner portions or fingers forming between them recesses for receiving the cartridges, and the clip being sufficiently resilient to enable the cartridges to be forced into said recesses from the center outwardly. The clip or holder is built up of a bplurality of segments which unitedly hold the group of cartrides in their circular arrangement ready for simultaneous loading into the cylinder. The segments may have each one, or more than one, yieldingrecess for holding the cartridges; and may be hinged together so that they may be straightened out wholly or partially to present the cartrides in a regular or irregular row adapted for insertion into the cartridge pockets of the soldier’s belt. A suitable construction is one in which the clip or holder comprises two segments each holding (for a six chambered revolver) three cartridges; the segments being either hinged together or independent. This construction permits the cartridges to be carried in the cartridge belt in groups of three. With such independent segments the cylinder may be conventiently reloaded when three cartridges have been fired, without the necessity of extracting the unfired cartridges.
Suitable embodiements of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein,–
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cartridge pack;
Fig. 2 is a front view of the composite or segmental clip;
Fig. 3 is a rear view of the clip, one cartridge being removed;
Fig. 4 shows the clip with the clip straightened out to bring the cartridges into a row;
ig. 5 is a rear view; of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is an elevation of a cartridge clip, the clip being formed in two segments, as shown in rear elevation in Fig. 7, in which latter figure the cartridges are omitted from one segment of the clip ;
Figs -8 shows the segments of Fig. 7 laid out in the positions they will’occupy • in the- cartridge belt; ” ‘‘
Fig. 9 is an elevation corresponding, to part of Figs. 7 and 8, showing a modified arrangement of clip segment.
The cartridge holder or clip provided by this invention is of that class which is adapted to hold the required number of cartridges to load the cylinder of the revolver (six, for example)-. Such cartridge holders as •heretofore provided have been adapted to simultaneously load the cylinder with all of the cartridges by’pushing them into place by a single movement. The holder or clip is of thin metal so that it may remain in place, occupying the space between the rear end of the cylinder and the front of the recoil plate. When the cartridges are spent, the holder and shells are ejected simultaneously hv the usual ejecting means. The holder or clip may then be thrown away with the empty shells, or the latter may be removed from it and replaced bv cartridges for reloading. The clip provided by the present invention is adapted for simultaneously loading all the cartridges into the cylinder, or for simultaneously loading a plurality of cartridges constituting a definite fraction of the entire cartridge group, as may be desired.
In the drawings A is the clip or holder and B, B are the cartridges held therein. The device is shown as adapted to headless cartridges, the clip engaging the usual V-groove which is formed in the cartridge close to its rear end. The invention is, however, adaptable to other forms of cartridges.
The clip A constitutes a segmental ring of flat sheet metal having recesses coinciding with the cartridge chambers in the cylinder, these recesses being adapted to yieldingly receive and hold the cartridges. The recesses preferably open inwardly so that the cartridges are thrust thereinto by an outward movement, the portion of the clip exterior to the cartridges constituting the annular portion which connects the respective recessed or socket portions together.
Referring first to Figs. I to 5 inclusive, the holder or clip A is made up of as many segments a,, a as there are cartridges, so that each segment has an external annular portion b which is substantially unyielding, and each segment has also a recess c for receiving a cartridge. These recesses have side portions d which form between them a narrow mouth e, and the recess constitutes a slightly larger seat portion so that the cartridge is retained in the recess after having been forced through the narrow mouth, in which act the side portions d>, d yield resiliently enough to permit the entry of the cartridge. The segments a, a are hinged or otherwise connected together so that thev may be bent together into circular form, as shown in Fig. 2, or spread out in approximately a straight line, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The hinged connection shown consists of links f, f joining the respective segments. The opposite end segments preferably have some suitable fastening for holding them together when the segments are assembled in. circular relation. This, in the construction shown, comprises a headed stud g on one end segment, and a resilient link or impositive catch h on the opposite one,- so that when assembled the catch makes a yielding locking engagement with the stud, as shown in Fig. 3.
When the segments are assembled in circular or annular order the device may be used the same as an integral cartridge clip or holder; that is, by introducing the cartridges into the central opening and pressing them outwardly into the respective recesses c. Or the segments may be unhinged and spread out in a more or less straight line, and the cartridges being pressed into the recesses c are held together in such manner that they may be readily thrust into the cartridge pockets in the soldier’s cartridge belt. In such case, when the soldier wishes to reload his revolver he has only’to lift one segmehtal’crip’A from the belt with the cartridges carried therewith/ bend the clip into circular form, and push it forwardly against the cylinder so. as to push the cartridges into their chambers and thereby load the revolver. : J V “/ r ” •*
In the construction shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the segmental cartridge clip consists of two segments each carrying three cartridges. These segments might be hinged together in the same manner as in the preceding-figures. -There are some advantages in leaving them disconnected, since,;.if .desired, each segment may be used for loading, independently of the other, and thereby in case three cartridges in the revolver have been fired and their shells ejected, one.of the segments may be applied for loading in three new cartridges in their place without ejecting and reloading the unfired cartridges. The left-hand segment a1 and the right-hand segment a2, shown with cartridges in place, may be of the same construction. The outer portion b is integral and forrpg the annular base which is substantially unyielding, from which project toward the center the yielding portions or resilient fingers d, d which are separated by slots i so as to give them the necessary resilience. With this construction the cartridges are held together in groups of three and are applied to the cartridge belt.in the order shown in Fig, 8. . ,
The present invention is not confined to constructing the cartridge holder or clip with the annular and substantially non-yielding portion b exterior to the cartridges, as such portion might he extended within the cartridges, as shown at bx in Fig. 9. In this figure the construction is otherwise the same, the only difference being that the narrow mouths forming the open sides of the recesses c are on the exterior instead of being directed toward the center.
The present invention results in the assembly of cartridges for quick loading in a revolver in such manner that they may be distributed in the cartridge belt so as to lie compactly against the belt or in the cartridge pockets thereof, and without constituting protuberances, as would result were they necessarily to retain the circular group arrangement of the cartridges when ready for loading into the cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:— –
1. A cartridge clip for revolvers comprising means for engaging the group of cartridges at the base thereof, and adapted to hold them together while carried, as in the cartridge belt, and to present them in assembled relation for loading into the cylinder, characterized in that such means consists of segments of resilient metal plate in a plane transverse to the cartridges and just forward of the cartridge bases, such segments having an annular portion and projections therefrom forming between them yielding recesses for engaging the cartridge necks, each segment adapted to receive a part of the total group of cartridges.
2. The clip as claimed in Claim 1, further characterized in that each segment has an outer annular portion and inwardly-directed projections therefrom.
3. The clip as claimed in Claim 1, further characterized in that each segment engages a plurality of cartridges to hold them in circular order for loading.
4. The clip as claimed in Claim 1, further characterized in that the segments are connected so that they may be extended for carrying, and may he closed together in circnlar order for loading.
5. The clip as claimed in Claims 1 and 4, further characterized in that the segments are hinged together and the terminal segments have reciprocal fastening devices for holding the segments in circular relation.
6. A cartridge clip for revolvers formed of segments of resilient fiat metal plate having an outer annular portion and inward projections therefrom forming between them yielding recesses for engaging the cartridge necks, adapted to receive a group of cartridges and to present them in circular order for loading.
7. A cartridge clip for revolvers constructed in substantially the manner shown and described.
Dated this 2nd day of November, 1917
Mewburn, Ellis & Pryor
70 & 72, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Chartered patented Agents