Improvements in Apparatus for Sighting Guns.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 8th June, 1891-Accepted, 11th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sighting Guns.
I, JOHN EDWARD COMPTON BRACEBRIDGE, of 3 Whitehall Place, in the City
of Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for sighting guns, and is
applicable in cases where the gun is elevated and depressed by the ordinary
elevating gear, and the slide does not move with the gun.
I fix to the gun a toothed segment, gearing into a second segment on a longi-
tudinal shaft revolving in bearings fixed to the slide. This shaft is parallel to the
surface of the slide.
The second segment above mentioned is prevented from turning on the shaft by
a feather extending from end to end, and is kept in gear with the segment on the
gun by collars on each side attached to the carriage.
The shaft is connected by gear or lovers to a sight bar which is carried either on
the shield or some part of the turntable.
Thus any motion in vertical plane of the gun on its trunnions is communicated to
the sight bar; and, when the gun recoils, the second segment slides along the
shaft, and the sights are not moved during the recoil.
Dated this 9th day of September 1890.
J. E. COMPTON BRACEBRIDGE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sighting Guns.
I, JOHN EDWARD COMPTON BRACEBRIDGE, of 3 Whitehall Place, in the City
of Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby 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 has for its object improvements in apparatus for sighting guns
and is applicable where a gun is mounted upon a carriage supported upon a slide in
a turret or upon a turntable or structure which is turned together with the gun,
and where also the gun is elevated and depressed by ordinary gear, the slide not
moving with the gun.
The sights are carried upon the turret or rotating structure and they are con-
nected with the gun by gearing so that as the gun is elevated or depressed they
move together with it, the sight line and the axis of the gun travelling together
through equal angles in parallel vertical planes.
An horizontal shaft is mounted in bearings upon the roof or other part of the
turret or upon the structure in a convenient position in a plane at right angles to
the axis of the gun.
Upon this shaft is an arm which carries the sight points, the fore sight
In
immediately over the shaft and the rear sight at the extremity of the arm.
connection with the rear sight is a rack or suitable gear for giving to the sight the
elevation required and other usual means of adjustment may be provided in
connection with the sights.
Upon the transverse shaft above mentioned a toothed arc is fixed and this by
an intermediate axis and wheels is geared with an axis parallel to the face of the
slide along which the gun with its carriage recoils. Upon this latter axis a pinion

page_text: or segment is mounted with a groove and feather or in other like way so that the
pinion or segment is movable along the axis but they rotate together.
The pinion or segment is carried by a bracket upon the gun carriage and it
remains always in gear with teeth fixed upon the gun and concentric with the
trunnion thereof.
When the gun is fired it carries the pinion or segment back with it in its recoil
but all other parts of the sight gear remain stationary.
Where two guns are mounted side by side in a turret the shafts carrying the
sight arms are arranged concentrically one within the other.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the sight gear partly in section and with the gun
removed but indicated by dotted lines.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation partly in section of the same; an arrangement suit-
able for a pair of guns in a turret is here shown.
a a' are concentric horizontal shafts mounted in bearings carried by the roof of
the turret. b are the sight arms. are the fore sights mounted in sockets on
the sight arms immediately over the shafts: means of adjustment may (or may not)
be provided in connection with these sights. d d are the rear sights mounted in
sockets at the extremities of the sight arms. The usual means are provided fo
elevating and adjusting these sights or else some suitable equivalent theref
e are toothed ares fixed upon the shafts a a' and in gear with each are there is
pinion upon an axis g. In each case the bearings for the axis y are carried by a
stamlard rising from the gun slide, the surface of which indicated by a line i.
Each axis also carries a hevelled pinion in gear with a similar pinion on an
axis which also has a bearing upon the standard h. The axis & is grooved from
end to end and upon it is a sleeve with a feather entering the groove. On the
sleeve the pinion is fixed. is a bracket fixed on the gun carriage and on it is
a bearing in which the sleeve and pinion are carried, is a toothed segment or arc
of teeth fixed to the trunnion of the gun and engaging with the pinion 7. o o are
guides fixed to the roof of the turret to steady the sight arms bb.
The gearing is so proportioned that when the gun is moved about its trunnions
the sight arms move through an equal angle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my sa
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that
what I claim is :-
:-
:.
1. Sighting gear substantially as described and consisting of a toothed are on the
gun around the trunnion, a pinion or segment on the gun carriage in gear there-
with, an axis parallel to the gun slide on which axis this pinion or segment
mounted and along which it slides during recoil, a horizontal transverse shaft up
the turret or turntable or other structure, intermediate gear connecting the a
and shaft above mentioned and an arm on the transverse shaft carrying the signt
points.
2. Sighting gear substantially as represented by the annexed drawings.
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