There is a great variety of forms and shapes of 

 the inside base, each designed by the raanulactur- 

 ers of the shells to meet the requirements of the 

 various high and low pressure, dense or bulk, 

 smokeless powders with which they are to be 

 loaded. To properly ignite these various pow- 

 ders there has been a great variety of primers 

 manufactured; they have been specially designed 

 to hold the proper charge of the different com- 

 pounds, and are of different shapes, lengths and 

 diameters, so that to meet the present require- 

 ments the simple old style re-capper and de-cap- 

 per is of no use whatever. 



Heretofore, the shells have been held by the 

 outside rim or head with no inside support, and the 

 force required to insert or seat the primer concaves N 

 the head of the shell, thus carrying the top of the \ 

 primer beyond the proper reach of the firing pin , -' 

 and causing misfire. The great variation in the 

 shape and the thickness of the base, together with 

 the variety of lengths and diameters of the primers, 

 makes it impossible for the old style hinged lever, 

 with an inserting punch moving on a circle, to 

 reach the varying heights of the top of the prim- 

 ers, which should receive the pressure centrally on 

 the top, and should be pushed into the pocket of 

 the shell on a straight line. 



There is only one part of the shell that has not 

 been changed, and that is the outside dimensions; 

 that part can not be changed very much and fit the 

 various standard chambers of shot guns. 



Therefore, the outside of the shell is used for a 

 guide only, in both operations of re-capping and 

 de-capping. The inside stud or pin is small 

 enough to escape all of the various shapes and 

 sizes of the base of the shells, and all shells rest on 

 and are supported on the top of this inside stud, 

 the end of which is small enough to permit either 

 the solid paper base or metallic pocket to rest up- 

 on it, and all of the pressure exerted is received on 

 the top of the pin or stud. There can be no con- 

 caving of the head or receding from the pressure 

 applied on the lever. 



The Ideal "Straightline" Re and De-Capper (see 

 cut "T") is claimed will re and de-cap any and all 



