AN IMPROVED SIGHT-PIECE FOR RIFLES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Browne, of 49, King William Street,
London Bridge, in the City of London, Civil Engineer and Patent
Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED SIGHT-PIECE FOR RIFLES."―
A communication from abroad by William Brighton, of Auckland, New
Zealand a Lieutenant in the Auckland Rifle Volunteers.
Sealed the 24th March 1864, and dated the 30th September 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Browne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
September 1863.
I, BENJAMIN BROWNE, of 49, King William Street, London Bridge, in the
City of London, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SIGHT-PIECE FOR RIFLES,"
communicated to me from abroad by William Brighton, of Auckland, New
Zealand, a Lieutenant in the Auckland Rifle Volunteers, to be as follows:-
The object and intention of this Invention is to enable marksmen to sight
or take aim at an object with more certainty and precision than heretofore:
The principal cause of imperfect sighting has been found to arise from not.
holding the rifle in proper position, for example, if a vertical sight-piece be
placed behind the socket of the bayonet of the rifle and the sight of the rifle.
not held in a vertical plane, that is to say, if it leans either to the right or left
it is impossible for the marksman to see the foresight and object to be aimed.
at, and to obviate this I propose to construct the sight in the following

page_text: manner: I hinge a rectangular shaped skeleton frame piece to a curved
piece of metal fixed to the barrel of the rifle. Within said frame piece and
fitting loosely therein I connect by screws or pivots at its upper end a
hollow flat piece of metal with a long slit therein. Within said hollow piece
and occupying the space at each side of the slit formed therein I connect by
their upper ends two pendulous pieces of flat metal, or there may be one flat
piece with a slit therein of corresponding size to the slit in the piece in which
it is placed. The effect of a sight-piece thus constructed when in use is as
follows: In sighting an object the marksman has simply to adjust the
position of his rifle until the slit therein is perfectly free and unobstructed by
the aforesaid pendulous piece or pieces therein sideways and also lengthwise of
the rifle, thus determining in a simple and unerring manner the true vertical
position of the rifle, and certain sighting of the object which it is desired to
fire at
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Browne in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th March 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
BROWNE, of 49, King William Street, London Bridge, in the City of London,
Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto I, the
said Benjamin Browne, Her special licence that I, the said Benjamin Browne,
my: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Benjamin Browne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED SIGHT-
PIECE FOR RIFLES," (communicated to me from abroad by William Brighton,
of Auckland, New Zealand, a Lieutenant in the Auckland Rifle Volunteers,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin Browne, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same, was to be per-

page_text: formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Benjamin Browne, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:-
The object and intention of this Invention is to enable marksmen to sight
or take aim with rifles or other like fire-arms at an object with more certainty
and precision than heretofore. The principal cause of imperfect sighting has
been found to arise from not holding the rifle in proper position, for example,
if a vertical sight-piece be placed behind the socket of the bayonet of the rifle,
and the sight of the rifle not held in a vertical plane, that is to say, if it lean
either to the right or to the left, it is impossible for the marksman to see the
foresight and object to be aimed at, and to obviate this I propose to construct
the sight in the following manner, I hinge a rectangular shaped skeleton frame
piece to a curved piece of metal fixed to the barrel of the rifle. Within said
frame piece, and fitting loosely therein, I connect by screws or pivots at its
upper end a hollow flat piece of metal with a long slit therein. Within said
hollow piece, and occupying the space at each side of the slit formed therein
I connect by their upper ends two pendulous pieces of flat metal, or there may
be one flat piece with a slit therein of corresponding size to the slit in the
piece in which it is placed.
The effect of a sight-piece thus constructed when in use is as follows :-In
sighting an object the marksman has simply to adjust the position of his rifle
until the slit therein is perfectly free and unobstructed by the aforesaid
pendulous piece or pieces therein sideways, and also lengthwise of the
rifle, thus determining in a simple and unerring manner the true position
of the rifle barrel, and certain sighting of the object at which it is desired
to fire.
And in order to explain this Invention more completely, I now proceed to
describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into prac-
tical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Drawing accompanying these
Presents, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked thereon
respectively as follows:-
Figure 1 is a side view of a rifle with the improved sight-piece adapted
thereto at A or B; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the improved sight-piece A

page_text: drawn full size; Figure 3 an edge view of the same, and Figures 4 and 5
detached portions hereinafter particularly described and referred to, while
Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, represent the improved sight-piece in different positions and
adapted to the barrel of a rifle.
At each of the foregoing Figures I employ similar letters of reference to
denote corresponding parts, in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at
each of such said Figures respectively.
A is a skeleton frame piece of metal hinged by its lower ends to another
piece of metal B of a curved form at C, so as to fit on to the barrel of a rifle,
to which it may be affixed by brazing or other suitable means as seen in the
cross section C¹; D is another piece of metal narrower than the piece A; the
piece D is attached loosely within the piece A by screws at a, a, which serve
as pivots for the piece D to vibrate upon; the piece D is formed hollow to
receive two bars of metal E, which are suspended inside of same by screws
at b, b, or instead of using separate bars the same effect may be produced
by forming a piece of metal of the shape exhibited at Figure 54, connected
by one screw to the piece D as at c, Figure 5A; G is a hinged forked piece
connected to A by a screw at b. The use of the piece G is to keep the piece D
within the piece A. The dotted lines at Figure 3 shew the position of the.
improved sight-piece when out of use.
I shall now proceed to describe the action of this improved sight-piece.
Suppose the said sight-piece to be fixed on the barrel of the rifle in a vertical
position with respect to the ordinary sight-pieces employed for sighting the
object to be fired at, the marksman after he has raised the rifle to his shoulder
turns the barrel of the rifle either to the right or to the left of the imaginary
long axis of the barrel, and continues to do so until the slit in the piece D is
perfectly clear and unobstructed by the pieces E, E, of which Figures 3 and 4
are examples of their action when the sight of the rifle is not held in a vertical
plane. Figure 8 represents the sight leaning to the left, and Figure 7 to the
right. Figure 6 the sight-piece perfectly vertical.
I would here remark that the improved sight piece above described may be
fixed on the barrels of the rifles or other fire-arms either at A or B, Figure 1,
and that when placed at A, the sight piece requires to be of the size exhibited
at Figure 2, but when placed near the foresight as at B, the sight-piece can
be reduced to the size exhibited at Figure 9.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of this
Invention for "An Improved Sight-piece for Rifles," together with the
best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect,
I would remark in conclusion that I hereby declare this Invention to consist

page_text: in, and I claim constructing the sight-pieces of rifles with pendulous pieces of
metal as above described with reference to the accompanying Drawing and for
the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Browne, bave hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
BENJN. BROWNE. (L.S.)