A bullet seating die for assembling shoulder breeching rifle cartridges that aligns the bullet co-axial with the case shoulder. Bullet seating depth is set relative to the datum line of the case shoulder and is adjustable. Shoulder breeching rifle cartridges use the shoulder, exclusively, to position the cartridge in the chamber. Therefore, cartridges assembled with this die will position the bullet concentric with the bore of the barrel and at a set distance from the bore with greater precision and consistency than cartridges produced by die of previous designs.

A device for organizing, conveying and placing ammunition cases consists of a module with an array of funnels on the top face. When cases are poured onto the top face the funnels direct the cases into bores below, generally with the heavy end (rim and extractor groove end) down. Edges of apertures in a plate which slides in a slot in the bottom of the module engage the extractor groove in each case and secure the cases between the plate and module with spring pressure. After securing the cases they may be conveyed to another location at which point the spring may be compressed to release the cases leaving them arranged neatly. A tray is used to contain and interface with a plurality of modules. By adjusting wedges in the tray, the plates in the module assemblies engaged by the wedges are caused to operate as described previously.

A fully automated, integrated, end-to-end synchronized and compact manufacturing system produces polymer or metal case ammunition. Manufacturing stations support case assembly, sealing (gluing/welding), final product inspection, cartridge packaging or binning, and loading. Station modularity facilitates rapid changeover to accommodate ammunition of differing calibers. Sensors and apparatus may be provided to place a manufacturing cell in a wait state until all components or materials are received in a preferred orientation for proper assembly. The system may join and use multipart cases, each including a lower portion with a head end attached thereto and at least one upper portion having a necked-down transition to the open top end. Elevator feeders, vibratory bowl feeders, and robotic pick-and-place feeders may be used to deliver components for assembly.

An apparatus for removing spent primers from spent ammunition shell casings includes a body defining a feed channel, a pin plunger channel intersecting the feed channel at a punch zone configured to receive a shell casing therein, and a guide channel intersecting the pin plunger channel, a pin plunger movable along the pin plunger channel and defining a punch end, a guide member movable along the guide channel, and a handle assembly coupled to the pin plunger and the guide member such that rotary motion of the handle assembly drives the pin plunger along the pin plunger channel toward and into the punch zone so that, with a spent shell casing positioned in the punch zone, the punch end of the pin plunger extends into and drives the spent primer from the spent shell casing.

A neck sizing die for shoulder breeching ammunition cartridge cases that uses the shoulder to align the case, not the body. Alignment occurs before resizing. Resizing is done in a two-step process: a bushing is used to shrink the neck diameter and then an expansion button is used to increase it. Bushing and button diameters are highly selectable and easily changed. Cone-and-cup interfaces ensure concentricity of the case shoulder to the bushing or button. The unique alignment technique and two-step sizing method produces a case with a neck having an interior diameter of the user's choice with the interior wall of the neck aligned to the shoulder. This results in a case that will more reliably position the bullet concentric with the bore of the barrel than existing tools and methods.

Provided is ammunition decapping apparatus 10 comprising a decapping platform 12, a case receptacle 14, a die gantry 40 arranged over the decapping platform 12 and including a reciprocating die mount 42, and a case feeder 46 configured to operatively feed a case upright onto the decapping platform 12. Also included is a case urger 48 configured to urge a case fed from the case feeder 46 into the case receptacle 14, and an actuator arrangement 50 configured to actuate the case urger 48 and die mount 42 so that a case is fed into the decapping receptacle 14 and a die 44 mounted in the die mount 42 is able to decap the case.

Disclosed is a loading machine for cartridges with a metal case including a frame structure; a feed unit for a plurality of cases having a longitudinally extending axis; a first operating beam having an alternating vertical translation movement, provided with working tools having a vertical axis, adapted to load the cases; feed and a conveyor of the cases and element for ejecting the loaded cartridges; a motor and a control unit. The feed unit includes a race and a conveyor guide comb defining a plurality of seats, containing the cases conveying them along the race. The conveyor guide includes bushings, each including at least a first conical surface and a hole to house one of the bushings and being housed in one of the seats. The machine includes a second operating beam, having an alternating vertical translation movement, provided with a plurality of hollow centering cylinders having a vertical axis.

Disclosed are processes for loading a cartridge such as a shot shell with a shot load and a charge of buffer material. The processes employ a tube that is coaxially aligned with the axis of the cartridge case or shot cup, the tube having an outer diameter that closely fits into the inner diameter of the cartridge case or shot cup. Shot and buffer material are loaded, the leading edge of the tube is inserted to a sufficient depth to cause at least a portion of the shot load and buffer material to rise into the inner volume of the tube, and the tube removed. The insertion-removal cycle effects the efficient mixing of the shot and the buffer material and can be repeated as many times as desired.

A depriming device and a relative method for the removal of the primer from the head of cases of cartridges for firearms are described. The device includes a depriming mechanism, a device for positioning and restraining at least one case on a surface plate, at the depriming mechanism, and a movement device to shift the depriming mechanism from a raised position, in which the latter is moved away from the case to be deprimed, to a lowered position, in which it comes into contact with the primer of the case and push it thereby causing its detachment from the case itself.

A collator device for receiving finished ammunition cartridges in a non-oriented condition and orienting them into a stream of aligned ammunition cartridges for downstream manufacturing or packaging processes. The device incorporates a flat, circular collator plate which rotates inside a collator can with an upstanding circular sidewall. The collator plate upper surface forms a series of radially orienting vanes. Ammunition apertures are formed around the perimeter of the collator plate interleaved between the vanes. As the collator plate is rotated, the apertures receive ammunition cartridges aligned in either a radially inward or radially outward position. Features of the apertures cause the cartridges to drop in an aligned condition as the apertures pass over a slot in the collator can backing plate. Numerous features are provided to enhance throughput and reduce damage to the components as they are handled and processed in the device.