Improvements in Targets.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Targets.
I, GEORGE HUNTER, of 32 Peckham Rye, in the County of Surrey, Rifle Range
Proprietor, do horeby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to that class of targets in which the various rings or parts
of the target are separate from each other, and upon any one being, struck the
target itself indicates which one it is. The invention will be best understood by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1-is a front elevation of the apparatus ready for use.
Fig. 2-is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the levers P.
Fig. 4 a plan of the levers R, and
Fig. 5 a plan of a modified arrangement of the levers R.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
A represents the bulls-eye or innermost portion of the target face and is repre-
sented as a solid disc; B represents the "inner" or one of the rings of the target
and is necessarily a ring or disc, with an open centre, surrounding the bulls.eye A.
Cis the "magpie" or second ring or open-centred disc of the target and D is the
outer plate of the target and is shown square with a hollow centre adapted to fit
around the ring C. The target face may be made of or covered with steel, sheet-iron
or softer materiál according to the purpose for which the target is to be used, steel
of sufficient strength being preferably employed where the target has to withstand
the impact of rifle bullets; the rest of the apparatus may be made of iron, steel or
other suitable material, and the whole may with advantage be supported upon a
wooden or concrete base.
E represents the plate or framework which carries the whole of the apparatus
and which framework is secured to the foundation in any convenient manner, as by
an angle-plate E' and screw or other bolt E. In the frame-plate E are fixed the
long bolts F of which four would preferably be used and which support the frames G
the latter being secured to the former by nuts or other suitable device, collars,, nuts,
hollow distance-pieces or the like being used to maintain the frames G in their
proper positions. The pieces forming the face of the target are carried by
rods B C D¹ which pass through the frames G thus allowing each part to slide in
and out 'as may be required. In Figs. 1 and 2 the magpie C is supposed to have
been struck and forced. inwards as clearly shown in Fig. 2; the part C however
like the other parts A B and D would be returned by its spring to its original
position as soon as the force of impact of the bullet was expended. The
rods A B C D are trigger rods provided with spring I. In the accompanying
drawings the springs are represented as surrounding some of the rode, these
springs being compressed between the back plate G and the collar J, upon the rod.
and having the tendency to force all the different pieces, forming the face of the
target into the same vertical plane. It will be obvious that the springs I may be
applied to any or all of the rods. The pieces A B C D are prevented from being
projected too far forwards by the collars J upon the trigger rods but if desired
other suitable means may be provided for the purpose.
I
Each trigger rod A B etc. has a recess K formed at its back end; this may
efther be a more recess in the side or if preferred may be a slot passing entirely
through it, the back end of this recess is eurved or bevelled at K on its top side
and left square on its under side so as to engage like a latch with the spur L' of the
3.

page_text: vertical rod L which occupies the recess K. There is one of these rods L to each
trigger rod. Each rod L carries at its upper end and secured to it in any convenient
manner a disc M bearing a distinctive colour for the particular portion of the target
face to which it appertains or each is otherwise marked so as to be identified with
its appropriate portion of the target face. The rods L are carried in brackets N
secured in the frameplate E or by other suitable means and are so arranged as to
move freely up and down when required. Upon a shaft O carried in brackets O¹
secured upon the frameplate E are weighted levers P whose longer arms-over-
balance their shorter ones. The front ends of the levers P are slotted or forked
at P and through them pass the lower ends of the rods L which are secured and
provided with nuts and lock-nuts for the purpose of regulating their position in the
ends of the levers P. When therefore the lever P is free to move, its heavier end
comes down forcing up its lighter end and taking with it the rod L to which it
appertains and thus raising the disc M carried by that rod, this position being
indicated in the drawings as occupied by the lever Pappertaining to the magpie C
thus indicating that the magpic has been struck. In the back portion of
each of the levers P is another fork or slot P2 through which passes a rod Q
secured at its end and provided with nuts to adjust it in the lever. The upper end
of each of the rods Q passes through a slotted lever R carried upon a shaft R¹ of
the bracket S secured to the frameplate E; to the free end T of one of the
levers R is connected a cord, wire or equivalent T which passing over suitable
pulleys or by other convenient means extends to the firing point where it may be
provided with a convenient handle. This portion of the mechanism is provided for
the resetting of the apparatus after the target has been struck, and the operation of
the whole device is as follows:-
A portion of the face of the target having been struck, say C, the trigger rod C
is driven towards the back of the apparatus and the spur L of the appropriate
rod L is thus released from engagement with the latch K' in consequence of which
the rod L immediately rises under the influence of its overbalanced lever P and the
disc M is thus raised as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings
thus showing that it is C that has been struck. To re-set the apparatus the cord
or equivalent T is pulled raising the levers R and rods Q and thus drawing the
lever P back to its normal position in which it is held by the nuts on the rod L
which latter is prevented from rising again by its spur L' engaging with the latch K'
of the trigger rod C in conjunction with which it operates. The cord T being
released the levor R returns to its normal or lower position allowing the rod Q to
fall when it passes through the slot in the lever P thus leaving room for the latter
to fall when required. There may be one lever R and cord T to each lever P or
the levers R may be fastened together by a bolt R', only one of them carrying the
arm T¹ to which the cord is fastened; in this case all the arms rise together and
only a single cord T is used, this arrangement is indicated in Fig. 4 of the accom-
panying drawings. Or as indicated in Fig. 5 a frame U may be pivotted in the
brackets S and provided with slots U₁ for the reception of the rods Q of which
there is one to each lever P; the frame U would have one arm T¹ to which a single
cord T would be secured so that the one cord would serve for resetting any portion
of the target.
The discs M are preferably arranged one behind the other so that whatever disc
be raised it will always appear in the centre line of the target, the rods M¹ which
carry the discs M being bent as may be required for this purpose.
It will be seen that numerous modifications may be made in the details of this
apparatus without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood
that I am aware that the broad idea of a self-registering target is not new and that
I make no claim thereto, and I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a self-registering target the combination with the movable pieces forming

page_text: the target face of trigger rods such as A'B'C' D³ substantially as and for the
purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a self-registering target the combination with a trigger-rod such as A³ Ķ Ķ¹
of a spur rod such as M L carrying the indicating disc M substantially as and for
the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a self-registering target the combination with a trigger-rod such as A and
disc bearing rod L of an overbalanced lever Buch as P substantially as and for the
purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a self-registering target the combination with mechanism such as described
for automatically recording the shot of re-setting mechanism such as the levers R
or frame U and cord T substantially as described and illustrated in the accom-
panying drawing.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete self-
registering targot substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.