Historical Document · 1848
Walter Hunt's 1848 patent for the 'loaded ball' — the hollow-based Rocket Ball with its powder charge sealed by a perforated cap, ignited by the gun's own primer. The ancestor of the Volcanic ball.
W. HUNT, Cartridge, No. 5,701 Patented Aug. 10, 1848. F Š yers N. PETERS, PHOTO-LIHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, d. c. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. WALTER HUNT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AssIGNOR TO GEO. A. ARROWSMITH, OADED BAT. Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5,701, dated August 10, 1848. the seal G, being fixed upon the flange, and pressed up to the shoulder E, should then be Be it known that I, WALTER HUNT, of the subjected to a second pressure, in order to fix city, county, and State of New York, have in. the cap firmly and produce a uniformity in vented a new and useful Improvement in the the size of the cartridges. Construction of a Metallie Cartridge, made It will be readily perceived thatw this plan of entire with the ball, for fire-arms, which I term ball and cartridge is well adapted a “rocket-ball; and I do hereby declare that atocombined fire-arms made to be charged at the breech, the following is a true and faithful description from the fact that in firing this ball the cap of the same. A is left in the breech, with- its head or disk Figure 1 in the annexed drawings is an ex pressed firmly against the breech-plug, and ternal longitudinal view of said rocket-ball, its or flange forced outward against the which is charged, ready for use. Upon the innerrimperiphery of the caliber of the barrel, open end of the cartridge is fitted a thin sheet forming an air-tight stopper, which effect. metal cap, A. Upon the opposite front end ually prevents all backward escape of the of IB (the cartridge) projects one-half of the powder, notwithstanding the breech-plug may ball C, which, all together, resembles the ordi be loosely fitted in the breech of the barrel nary top-thin ble. the charge, which must necessarily Fig.2 gives a longitudinal cut-sectional view behind the case in all reciprocating breech-pins in of the same, showing the internal structure of be to prevent their binding from heat, de the cap A, cavity ID in the cartridge B, and order posits, &c., in rapid firing. It is also obvious its junction with the ball C. in guns made with piston breech-pins, The dissected longitudinal cut section, Fig. that, cap A in my plan would be carried out 3, shows the cap. A separated from the flange the forward of each succeeding ball, operating or neck formed by the shoulder, at the dotted as an effectual wiper to the barrel at each dis line E, upon the rear end of B. clharge of the piece. Fig. 4 is an end or face view of A, which in What I claim in the above. described inven form resembles the Chinese gong, with a cen tion, tral perforation, F, in its discous head, which S and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the point of ignition from the priming. The construction of a ball for fire-arms, with Over this perforation, upon the inside face of a cavity to contain the charge of powder for said cap, is placed a thin water-proof tissue propelling said ball, in which cavity the pow or seal. (See Fig. 2, at the dotted line G, and der is secured by means of a cap inclosing the face view, Fig. 6.) This seal may be made of back end of the same, substantially as de any thin material through which the fire from scribed. the prinning may penetrate, and which will at the same time secure the powder in the car WALTER HUNT, tridge from escape or accidental injury. Witnesses: This ball and thimble should be formed in EDMD, ELMENDORF, Jr., molds by pressure. The powder being well CHAS.E. GRIM. packed in the cavity D, the cap A, lined with To all achon it may concern: