Untitled record

G. W. BILLINGS.

Projectile.

No. 40,153.

Patented Oct. 6. 1863.

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N. PETERS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. 0. C.

United States Patent Office.

GEORGE W. BILLINGS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BULLETS FOR FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,153, 'dated October 6, 1863; antedated September 21,1863.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Geo. W. Billings, of the city and county and State of New York, have invented a new Method of Constructing Balls for Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing my bullet by making the main portion of it hollow with a fixed pin or stem in the center, leaving a thin shell of metal for the sides ofthe ball, as represented.

In Figure 1, A. is the section of the ball without plug, a is the stem to receive this plug.

In Fig. 2, δ δ are small grooves to hold grease and to lessen friction, c c is the front line of the bearing on parallel surface of the ball, and to which point the metal moves when the ball is fired, thereby increasing its diameter, so as to fill the grooves of the gun, and by being enlarged at that point the front of the ball will leave the gun in a' straight line with its bore.

Fig. 2, A is the end view of the ball, showing the thickness of the outside shell, d is the stem, as in-Fig 1.

Fig 3 is a plug orpin with a double-flanged ring, C. d d is the upper flange, forming a cylindrical collar, through which the plug B moves when the gun is fired; and ee is the lower flange, the edges’of which are at right angles with the bore.

Fig. 4, δ is a section of the double-flanged ring, d d is the top flange, and e e is the bottom flange.

Fig. 5, A is a central section of the ball, shown ready for firing, a is the stem, as in Fig. 1. B is the plug, as in Fig. 3. d d is the upper and e e the lower flange of the ring; c c, the point, as shown in Fig i, where the advancement of the ball first takes place, f is a cavity in the pin a, by which the plug is riveted to the ball, g g is a concave enlargement of the hole through the plug B to allow of lateral expansion and to receive the enlargement of the stem a when riveted, h h is a cavity or groove formed by the position of the double-flanged ring and plug to the rear end of the ball, and is designed to hold whatever is used to lubricate the gun. When the gun is discharged the cavity h It, is closed immediately and the lubricant forced out to the sides , of the bore.

A ball thus constructed will expand equally at the front and rear ends, and will close the windage instantly w^rhen the gun is discharged.

In the form of my bullet I have observed the essential point to place the metal so that the ball is properly balanced, and also to protect the rear that it shall leave the gun evenly. This is done by the double-flanged ring, which is made of brass, copper, zinc, or any suitable material; but I prefer and use paper and cloth pasted together. This material being flexible, packs down under the face of the plug B, expanding into the grooves of the gun and carrying with it all the debris in the barrel, and keeping the end of the ball square and even, so that it leaves the gun parallel with the bore. The expansion of the ball is effected by a threefold process: first, by moving the lead to the line ciuFig. 1 by pressure of the plug; second, by forcing the plug into the rear end of the ball with the flange d d, and,third, by the lateral expansion of the base of the plug at the cavities f and g g, which enter the base of the ball, with the flanged ring into the grooves of the gun.

It is important to have the parts of the ball firmly riveted together to allow it to be transported or made into cartridges, and, above all, when used on the field of battle, for if separated the parts are useless.