E ponsness

Claim 1

IN A SHELL LOADING MACHINE, A BASE, A SUPPORTING PLATE HAVING A SHELL RECEIVING HOLE THEREIN MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT ABOVE THE BASE, LINKAGE FOR RECIPROCATING SAID SUPPORTING PLATE, A SHELL HOLDING TABLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTING PLATE AND HAVING BORES THEREIN FOR RECEIVING THE SHELLS POSITIONED ON A CIRCLE AROUND ITS AXIS OF ROTATION AND SELECTIVELY ALIGNABLE WITH THE SHELL RECEIVING HOLE IN THE SUPPORTING PLATE, MECHANISM CONNECTED TO THE LINKAGE FOR RECIPROCATING THE SUPPORTING PLATE FOR INTERMITTENTLY ROTATING THE SHELL HOLDING TABLE TO SELECTED POSITIONS, DETENT MEANS FOR RELEASABLY POSITIONING THE SHELL HOLDIING TABLE IN THE SELECTED POSITIONS WITH ONE OF THE BORES IN THE LATTER IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE SHELL RECEIVING HOLE IN THE SUPPORTING PLATE, A SHELL HOLDER MOUNTED ON THE BASE FOR INSERTING A SHELL THROUGH THE ALIGNED HOLE IN THE SUPPORTING PLATE AND THE BORE IN THE SHELL HOLDING TABLE IN THE LOWERMOST POSITION OF THE SUPPORTING PLATE, A POWDER CONTAINER POSITIONED ABOVE THE SUPPORTING PLATE, A VALVE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE POWDER CONTAINER, MECHANISM CONNECTED TO THE LINKAGE FOR RECIPROCATING THE SUPPORTING PLATE FOR OPERATING SAID VALVE TO RELEASE A CHARGE OF POWDER INTO THE SHELL IN A SELECTED POSITION OF THE SHELL HOLDING TABLE BEYOND THE SHELL RECEIVING POSITION, A WAD POSITIONING TOOL CARRIED BY THE SUPPORTING PLATE AND OPERABLE BY THE LATTER FOR PLACING A WAD OVER THE SHELL AND A WAD INSERTING RAM POSITIONED ABOVE THE SUPPORTING PLATE AND SHELL HOLDING TABLE FOR INSERTING A WAD FROM THE WAD POSITIONING TOOL INTO THE SHELL AS THE SUPPORTING PLATE MOVES UPWARDLY TO ADVANCE THE SHELL HOLDING TABLE TO A POSITION BEYOND THE POWDER RECEIVING POSITION, AND A SHELL EJECTING PLUNGER POSITIONED ABOVE THE SUPPORTING PLATE AND THE SHELL HOLDING TABLE FOR EJECTING THE SHELL FROM THE BORE IN THE LATTER IN A POSITION BEYOND THE WAD RECEIVING POSITION.