IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE FOR ASCERTAINING THE DISTANCE THEREFROM OF OBJECTS TO BE FIRED AT
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Cope, of New North Street, Finsbury, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE FOR ASCERTAINING THE DISTANCE
THEREFROM OF OBJECTS TO BE FIRED AT."
Sealed the 27th January 1865, and dated the 29th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Cope at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th July 1864.
I, JAMES COPE, of New North Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS APPLICABLE TO FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE FOR ASCERTAINING THE DISTANCE
THEREFROM OF OBJECTS TO BE FIRED AT," to be as follows:-
My Invention of "Improvements applicable to Fire-arms and Ordnance for
Ascertaining the Distance therefrom of Objects to be Fired at" consists in
adapting to rifles and field guns a stadia or instrument for indicating the
distance of men or horses and other objects from the firing station.
In carrying out my Invention the marks for indicating the distance are
made by preference on the rising or back sight of the piece. The space
between the two upright side pieces or wings of the sight is the place for
looking through at the object, and in order to ascertain the distance the top of

page_text: the head of the man must be brought to coincide with the bottom edge of the
notched piece at the top of the sight, and the sliding bar or cross piece must
be moved up until it coincides with the man's feet. A mark corresponding
with the actual distance will then be found on the side of the sight, and the
observer will at once know the distance he is from the object. It will of
course be understood that the marks or indications for the stadia may be
made on the back sight, or a separate instrument constructed in the manner
above mentioned may be adapted to the piece; it will, however, be evident
that the less the number of extraneous parts there are about any kind of
fire-arm the better, I therefore prefer, whenever it is practicable, to make
the back or moveable sight of a piece serve the double purpose, as already
explained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Cope in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th
January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
COPE, of New North Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Cope, Her special license that I, the said James Cope,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Cope, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO FIRE-ARMS AND ORDNANCE FOR ASCERTAINING THE DISTANCE THERE-
FROM OF OBJECTS TO BE FIRED AT," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said James Cope, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Cope, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of. "Improvements applicable to Fire-arms and Ordnance
for Ascertaining the Distance therefrom of Objects to be Fired at " consists in
adapting to rifles and field guns a stadia or instrument for indicating the
distance of men or horses and other objects of known height from the firing
station.
In carrying out my Invention the marks for indicating the distance are
made by preference on the rising or back. sight of the piece. The space
between the two upright side pieces or wings or flap of the sight is the place
for looking through at the object, and in order to ascertain the distance the
bottom edge of the notched piece at the top of the sight must be brought to
coincide with the top of the head of the man, and the sliding bar or cross
piece must be moved up until it coincides with the man's feet. A mark
corresponding with the actual distance will then be found on the side of the
sight, and the observer will at once know the distance he is from the object.
Instead of constructing the instrument in such a manner that a line corre-
sponding with the top of the man's head is to be brought into coincidence
with the bottom edge of the notched piece in order to ascertain the distance
between the object and the observer, it is evident that the instrument may be
so arranged that the man's feet should be brought into coincidence with the
bottom of the opening beneath the sliding bar and the same result will be
obtained. It will of course be understood that the marks or indications for
the stadia may be made on the back sight, or a separate instrument constructed
in the manner above mentioned may be adapted to the piece; it will, however,
be evident that the less the number of extraneous parts there are about any
kind of fire-arm the better, I therefore prefer, whenever it is practicable, to
make the back or moveable sight of a piece serve the double purpose, as
already explained.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 a front
view of one of my improved instruments adapted to the barrel of a rifle.
a is the barrel; b, the bed of the back sight; c, the flap; d, the slider;
e, the notched piece; f is a long slot made in the flap, and through which the
man or other object to be observed is seen.
In order to make an observation, the rifle is brought into a horizontal
position, so that the eye of the observer is near the heel of the rifle, and the

page_text: bottom edge of the slot f must then be brought into coincidence with the feet
of the man to be observed; the slider d must then be brought down until its
lower edge is level with the top of the man's hat, as seen by the observer
when his eye is near the heel of the rifle. The lower edge of the slider will
then cut a division on one of the sides of the flap and will indicate the distance
of the observer from the object. On the other side of the flap the sighting
divisions may be marked, as in the ordinary back sight.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements applicable to Fire-
arms and Ordnance for Ascertaining the Distance therefrom of Objects to be
Fired at," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I claim the mode herein set forth of constructing the back sights of fire-arms
for the purpose above mentioned.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Cope, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
JAMES COPE. (L.B.)