Ammunition reloading apparatus with case holder and resizing die

Abstract

Reloading apparatus for reloading ammunition shell cases includes a shell case holder having a pair of yieldably biased gripping fingers positioned to engage and hold the rim at the base of the shell case. A resizing die mounted for sliding about a shell case has a lower rim adapted to engage and move the holding fingers away from engagement with the rim and thus provides substantially full length case resizing. Ejector mechanism in the resizing die is operable to urge the shell case out of the die and hold it in position to be regripped by the holding fingers as the die and support are moved away from each other.

1 . A reloading press for reloading an ammunition shell case having a substantially cylindrical body and a radially projecting rim at the base end of the body, the press comprising 
 a shell holder comprising a support for the base end of the body and at least a pair of holding fingers movable between a gripping position engaging said rim to hold the shell case on the support and a release position spaced from said rim,    a resizing die mounted above the support to be pressed onto a shell case to resize the shell case,    operating mechanism operable to shift said support and die toward each other to press said die onto a shell case, and    release means for shifting said fingers from their gripping positions toward their release positions as said die is pressed onto said shell case to permit substantially full-length sizing of said case.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said mechanism is operable to shift said support and die whereby said die and shell case are moved axially relative to each other and said die has a lower end portion having an internal configuration which slides along said shell case to conform said shell case to a selected size.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said means for shifting said fingers is operable to shift said fingers toward their release positions as said lower end portion of said die nears the rim of said shell case.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said fingers are yieldably biased radially inwardly toward said gripping position and said die has an engaging portion adjacent its lower end operable to engage and urge said fingers radially outwardly toward said release positions.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said fingers have beveled radially inwardly facing surface portions positioned to be engaged by said engaging portion of said die, which beveled surface portions diverge on extending outwardly from said support.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , which further comprises springs which yieldably bias said fingers toward their said gripping positions.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said operating mechanism further is operable to move said die and support away from each other and which further comprises ejector mechanism operable to urge said shell case out of said die and retain case in position to be re-gripped by said holding fingers as said die and support are moved away from each other.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein said ejector mechanism comprises a plunger movably mounted in said resizing die positioned to engage a base end portion of the shell case and yieldably biased for movement between a first position permitting said shell case to be received in said die for substantially full-length resizing and a second position ejecting said shell case to be re-gripped by said fingers.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said ejector mechanism comprises a spring urging said plunger toward its second position.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , which further comprises an elongate decapping rod extending longitudinally through said resizing die and projecting axially outwardly from a lower end portion of said die, and said plunger comprises a sleeve mounted for sliding movement along said decapping rod.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said shell case holder has multiple laterally spaced shell holding cavities thereon and each cavity has at least a pair of said holding fingers associated therewith, each finger having a shell-engaging lip portion extending into its associated cavity and a mounting portion extending away therefrom, and said mounting portions between adjacent cavities are offset relative to each other to permit closer spacing of said cavities.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the centers of adjacent cavities are disposed on a line and the mounting portion of at least one of said holding fingers in a pair is disposed at an angle relative to said line.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein said line is an arc of a circle and the mounting portion of said one of said holding finger is angled inwardly toward the center of said arc from its lip portion.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a lip portion of a holding finger is formed in an arc of a circle having a radius substantially similar to the radius of a shell case to be held thereby.  
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said support has a plurality of laterally spaced shell case holding cavities formed therein each cavity adapted to receive a shell case, and each cavity has a support surface on which the base end of the body may rest and a pair of said holding fingers associated therewith, each finger having a shell-engaging lip portion extending into its associated cavity and a mounting portion extending away therefrom, and said mounting portions between adjacent cavities are offset relative to each other to permit closer spacing of said cavities.  
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein said support has guideways formed therein receiving the mounting portions of said holding fingers and permitting movement of said fingers between said gripping and release positions.  
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , which further comprises springs interposed between said support and said fingers to yieldably urge a finger toward its gripping position.  
     
     
         18 . A reloading press for reloading an ammunition shell case having a substantially cylindrical body and a radially projecting rim at the base end of the body, the press comprising 
 a shell holder comprising a support for the base end of the body and at least a pair of holding fingers movable between a gripping position engaging said rim to hold a shell case on the support and a release position spaced from said rim,    a resizing die mounted above the support having a lower end portion having an internal configuration which is adapted for sliding along said shell case to conform said shell case to a selected size.    operating mechanism operable to shift said support and die toward and away from each other such that the die and a shell case held on the support are moved axially relative to each other to press said die onto a shell case and withdraw said die from a shell case, and    release means for shifting said fingers from their gripping positions toward their release positions as said die is pressed onto said shell case and nears the rim of the shell case to permit substantially full-length sizing of said shell case, and    ejector mechanism operable to urge said shell case out of said die and retain said shell case in position to be re-gripped by said holding fingers as said die and support are moved away from each other.    
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein said ejector mechanism comprises a plunger movably mounted in said resizing die positioned to engage a base end portion of the shell case and yieldably biased for movement between a first position permitting said shell case to be received in said die for substantially full-length case sizing and a second position ejecting said shell case to be re-gripped by said fingers.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein said ejector mechanism comprises a spring urging said plunger toward its second position.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , which further comprises an elongate decapping rod extending longitudinally through said resizing die and projecting axially outwardly from a lower end portion of said die, and said plunger comprises a sleeve mounted for sliding movement along said decapping rod.  
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein said shell holder has multiple laterally spaced shell case holding cavities thereon and each cavity has at least a pair of said holding fingers associated therewith, each finger having a shell-engaging lip portion extending into its associated cavity and a mounting portion extending away therefrom, and said mounting portions between adjacent cavities are offset relative to each other to permit closer spacing of said cavities.  
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the centers of adjacent cavities are disposed on a line and the mounting portion of at least one of said holding fingers in a pair is disposed at an angle relative to said line.  
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein said line is an arc of a circle and the mounting portion of said one of said holding fingers is angled inwardly toward the center of said arc from its lip portion.  
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein said support has a plurality of laterally spaced shell case holding cavities formed therein each cavity adapted to receive a shell case, and each cavity has a support surface on which the base end of the body may rest and a pair of said holding fingers associated therewith, each finger having a shell-engaging lip portion extending into its associated cavity and a mounting portion extending away therefrom, and said mounting portions between adjacent cavities are offset relative to each other to permit closer spacing of said cavities.  
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein said support has guideways formed therein receiving the mounting portions of said holding fingers and permitting movement of said fingers between said gripping and release positions.  
     
     
         27 . A multiple station ammunition reloading press for reloading shell cases having a substantially cylindrical body and a base with a radially projecting rim, said press comprising 
 a shell case support plate having laterally spaced shell case holding regions said support thereon mounted for movement to carry a plurality of shell cases along a path to specified reloading stations,    a shell case holding region having a pair of holding fingers mounted on said shell case support for movement between a gripping position for engaging the rim of a shell case to hold the shell case on the support and a release position spaced from said rim,    a resizing die mounted above the support plate, said die having a defined cross sectional configuration to which a shell case is to be resized,    operating mechanism for producing relative movement of said support plate and die toward and away from each other and for producing movement of said support plate to position shell cases held thereon in registry with selected stations in sequential reloading steps, said die being positioned to slide over a shell case on the support plate when the support plate and die are moved toward each other to resize the shell case, and    release means for shifting said fingers from their gripping positions toward their release positions as said die is pressed onto said shell case to permit substantially full-length resizing of said shell case.