Patent Application
20160076864
1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to primer installation devices and more particularly pertains to a new primer installation device for providing consistent placement of a primer in an ammunition shell allowing a user to efficiently reload shells with each shell having a selectable, precise, and consistent primer position to enhance shooting precision.
2. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a ram rod coupled to and positioned in a housing. An elevator is coupled to the housing. A position of the elevator is adjustable relative to the housing. The elevator is structured to comprise a conduit. A shell holder is coupled to the elevator. A loading pin is operationally coupled to the ram rod wherein operation of the ram rod extends the loading pin through the conduit in the elevator and through the shell holder such that the loading pin is configured for installing a primer into a shell positioned in the shell holder. Full extension of the loading pin is determined by physical obstruction of operation of the ram rod.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The ram rotor 20 has a pair of end sections 22. Each of the end sections 22 of the ram rotor 20 extends from a respective side 24 of the housing 12. A handle 26 is coupled to the ram rotor 20 such that manipulation of the handle 26 rotates the ram rotor 20. The handle 26 is removably coupled to a selectable one of the end sections 22 of the ram rotor 20 allowing the handle 26 to be positioned on either side 24 of the housing 12 to accommodate use of the handle 26 by the right hand or left hand of a user. The handle 26 is attached to the ram rotor 20 using threading or another conventional removable connection.
An elevator 30 is coupled to the housing 12 in vertical alignment with the ram chamber 14. A position of the elevator 30 is adjustable relative to the housing 12 as described in more detail below. A slot 32 extends into the elevator 30. The elevator 30 has a threaded portion 34. A wheel 36 has a threaded surface 38 complementary to and engaging the threaded portion 34 of the elevator 30. The wheel 36 is coupled to the housing 12 such that the wheel 36 is rotatable within a fixed position in the housing 12. The slot 32 in the elevator 30 is generally engaged to prevent rotation of the elevator 30 within the housing 12. Thus, rotation of the wheel 36 moves the elevator up and down in the housing 12 and adjusts a position of the elevator 30 relative to the upper lip 16.
An outer surface 38 of the wheel 36 is structured to comprise a plurality of detents 40. The detents 40 are evenly spaced around the outer surface 38 of the wheel 36 wherein the detents 40 define a plurality of incremental stops 42 around the wheel 36. Spacing of the detents 40 is correlated to correspond to the threaded portion 34 of the elevator 30 such that rotation of the wheel 36 between adjacent stops 42 moves the elevator 30 a distance between 0.5 and 2.0 thousandths of a inch relative to the upper lip 16. A ball bearing 44 is positioned in the housing 12 and positioned to engage each detent 40 as the wheel 36 is rotated such that engagement of the ball bearing 44 to each detent 40 provides resistance to rotation of the wheel 36. A biasing member 46 is coupled to the housing 12 urging the ball bearing 44 into contact with the outer surface 38 of the wheel 36. A screw 48 is coupled to the housing 12. The biasing member 46 is positioned between the screw 48 and the ball bearing 44 such that manipulation of the screw 48 selectively compresses and decompresses the biasing member 46 between the ball bearing 44 and the screw 48. Thus, pressure exerted on the wheel 36 by the ball bearing 44 is adjustable by manipulation of the screw 48. Sufficient tightening of the screw 48 provides for resistance to prevent rotation of the wheel 36 relative to the housing 12, fixing the position of the elevator 30 relative to the upper lip 16.
A shell holder 50 of conventional design is coupled to the elevator 30 such that the shell holder 50 is held in a fixed position relative to the elevator 30 as the ram rod 18 is actuated. A loading pin 52 rests on the ram rod 18 such that the loading pin 52 is operationally coupled to the ram rod 18. Operation of the ram rod 18 extends the loading pin 52 through the elevator 30 and the shell holder 50 such that the loading pin 52 is configured for installing a primer 54 into a shell 56 positioned in the shell holder 50. Full extension of the loading pin 52 is determined by physical obstruction of operation of the ram rod 18 within the ram chamber 14 providing precise repeatable positioning of the loading pin 52, and thus the primer 54, relative to the shell 56 in the shell holder 50. A bushing 58 is positioned in a conduit 60 extending through the elevator 30. The loading pin 52 extends through the conduit 60 such that the bushing 58 centers the loading pin 52 within the conduit 60.
The loading pin 52 may be one of a plurality of loading pins 52 with each loading pin 52 having a unique diameter transverse to a longitudinal axis of the loading pin 52 corresponding to loading of primers 54 corresponding to various sizes of shells 56. The bushing 58 is one of a plurality of bushings 58. A size of a central opening 62 of each bushing 58 corresponds to a respective one of the loading pins 52.
A shuttle bed 64 is coupled to and extends through the housing 12. The shuttle bed 64 defines a seat 66 aligned with the loading pin 52. The seat 66 is configured for receiving the primer 54 such that the primer 54 is aligned with the loading pin 52. The loading pin 52 is extended through the shuttle bed 64 when the ram rod 18 is extended. Thus, the loading pin 52 is configured to urge the primer 54 positioned in the seat 66 into the shell 56 positioned in the shell holder 50. The shuttle bed 64 extends through the housing 12 and into the slot 32 in the elevator 30 wherein the shuttle bed 64 prevents rotation of the elevator 30 within the housing 12. The shuttle bed 64 may also be one of a plurality of shuttle beds 64 interchangeably couplable to the housing 12 with each shuttle bed 64 being configured to correspond to a respective one of the loading pins 52 for a particular size of shell 56. A chute 68 is coupled to the housing 12. The chute 68 may be incorporated into a block 70 coupled to the housing 12. The chute 68 has a dispensing opening 72 aligned with the shuttle bed 64 wherein the chute 68 is configured for delivering the primer 54 to the shuttle bed 64 spaced from the seat 66. A slide 74 is coupled to the shuttle bed 64. The slide 74 is movable along the shuttle bed 64 such that the slide 74 is configured to move the primer 54 along the shuttle bed 64 to the seat 66. The slide 74 may be biased such that the slide 74 is urged away from the seat 66 until manipulated. The chute 68 is transversely oriented relative to the shuttle bed 64 wherein the chute 68 is configured to receive a tube 78 of vertically stacked primers 54 such that the primers 54 are sequentially dispensed onto the shuttle bed 64 with each manipulation of the slide 74.
In use, the device 10 is assembled using the desired size of loading pin 52, shuttle bed 64, bushing 58, shell holder 50, and other components which may correspond to a particular size of ammunition. The wheel 36 is rotated to a desired position corresponding to a precise positioning of the shell holder 50 relative to the upper lip 16 within the housing 12. A shell 56 is engaged to the shell holder 50 and a primer 54 is positioned in the seat 66 by manipulation of the slide 74. The handle 26 is manipulated to move the ram rod 18 until the ram rod 18 abuts the upper lip 16. The primer 54 is driven into the shell 56 until the ram rod 18 against the upper lip 16. The shell 56 is now primed and removed from the shell holder 50. A new shell 56 is loaded and the process repeated with each primer 54 being driven to a precise, adjustable, consistent position in the respective shell 56.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
