Improvements in Rifle Sight Adjusters.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 16th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rifle Sight Adjusters.
ARCHIBALD JOHNSTONE WILSON 33 Plumstead Common Road Plumstead
Kent late of Royal Artillery Guernsey JAMES HENRY STEWARD 406 Strand
London Optician do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In order to raise the bar or V sight of a rifle a sinaller amount than can readily
be done by the hand it has been usual up to now to do so by means of what is
known as a Vernier sight elevator consisting of a frame resting on the bed of the
rifle sight or hanging on the top of leaf by means of ledge and a screw working
through the top of this frame into a sliding piece to which is attached a ledge or
claws that engage the sliding sight of rifle. The sides of the frame of the vernier
are about the same width as the leaf of the rifle sight and the edge of frame is
divided, while the sliding piece mentioned has a vernier divided on it, to read,
generally to 150th of an inch, in connection with the scale on edge of frame.
In our improved rifle sight adjuster we get the required amount of elevation by
means of an inclined plane, which is made in metal, vulcanite, ivory, wood celluloid
or any suitable material and preferably as follows:-A plate with one of its edges
straight horizontally and another inclined so that one end is nearer the horizontal
edge than it is at the other end of the plate.
In use the horizontal edge is rested for preference on the wooden part of rifle in
which the barrel is sunk and which is also flat at its edge; the inclined edge of
the adjuster will then be upwards. This latter is divided and numbered as may be
convenient but preferably in 150ths of an inch so that when the numbered divisions
representing the required amount of elevation is in line with the front of the
upright leaf of rifle sight the sliding bar on being pushed down on the edge of this
inclined plane will be set to the required elevation. Various shapes of plates with
one or more inclined planes can be made but for preference we arrange a reversible
plate so shaped that one side suits for low elevations of rifle sight, and short ranges,
say up to 500 or 600 yards and the other side for high elevations of sight and long
ranges. Supplemental scales and gauges of a useful character are provided for
shewing the amount of tilt in a rifle leaf or the amount of wind allowance or
distance out of centre à line is drawn or can be arranged to be drawn out of centre
vertically on the sliding sight or bar.
Dated this Thirteenth day of Anril 1895.
A. J. WILSON.
J. H. STEWARD.
Improvements in Rime Digit Augu
ARCHIBALD JOHNSTONE WILSON 328 Wandsworth Road London S.W. late
of 33 Plumstead Common Road Plumstead Kent and of the Royal Artillery
Guernsey and JAMES HENRY STEWARD 406 Strand London Optician do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
877

page_text: +
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of our improvement is to enable the sights of rifles to be raised or
lowered a definite amount or set to a particular height with greater accuracy than
can be done by simply sliding the sight as guided by the permanent marks on the
leaf. of the sight. We employ an inclined plane which is made in metal, vulcanite,
ivory, wood, celluloid or any suitable rigid material and preferably as follows:-
A plate with one of its edges straight horizontally and another inclined so that one
end is nearer the horizontal edge than it is at the other end of the plate. Toe
pieces or extensions are made at each end of the plate so that when the plate is
reversed and stood on a horizontal base there may be a second inclined plane
available at a greater height than the first. As nearly all rifles in use have the
barrel fitted into a wooden extension of the stock and so finished on its upper side
that it is flat, this part is available for the horizontal base for the improved sight
adjuster.
In order to explain the construction of this improved rifle sight adjuster and its
method of use, we append illustrations figured to 5.
Fig. 1. shows the improved rifle sight adjuster used as an elevator for moderate
heights of the sliding bar or sight on the leaf & suitable for medium ranges. The
wood part of rifle is shewn at A., the flat part of same being B. B¹. The barrel
which is sunk into wood is shewn at C C and the rifle sight at D. The sliding
bar or sight at E. As there is room for the improved sight adjuster to slide along
the straight part of wood B. B', it follows that the more the plate is placed forward
towards C the higher the place of contact will be with sliding bar E and the further
it is drawn back towards C¹ the lower the place of contact will be when the sliding
bar E is pushed down on the edge of the adjuster. As this edge is graduated, and
preferably to show successive rises of 1-150th of an inch, it permits of very exact
setting provided the adjuster is read from a definite place viz.: the front edge of
sliding bar E. The length of the plate F is governed by the space available
between the band round barrel G & the projecting part of rifle at H forming the
end of breech block V. In order therefore that one plate may serve for all the
usual ranges at which soldiers and volunteers shoot when at target practice
the improved adjuster is shaped with extension or toe pieces shewn at I. I so that
when it is turned upside down and resting on the straight edge of rifle B. B¹ the
edge that was previously the straight edge K K' Fig. 1 now becomes the inclined
plane K K Fig. 2, the other side of adjuster, now facing the observer (see
Fig. 2) is therefore divided and figured to suit higher elevations & the numbers
that finish at L Fig. 1, are continued at M Fig. 2. It is only necessary to place the
adjuster with the number representing the elevation likely to be required opposite
the front of sight leaf & then slide down the sliding bar or sight E so that it is in
contact with the edge of the adjuster. If after removing the adjuster and firing
the rifle, a higher or lower elevation is found to be advisable, it is only necessary
to draw up the sliding bar or sight of rifle, advance the adjuster or draw it back the
number of 150ths required & push down the sliding bar or sight on its edge again
when it is accurately reset to desired elevation. The height of the sliding bar can
be found at any time by inserting the adjuster under it at the side of sight leaf-
smallest end first, & then sliding it along until contact is just made & reading off
the number in line with face of sliding sight. Another use for this sight adjuster
is shewn at Fig. 3 which serves as a scale O to shew when the rifle sight is tilted a
definite amount, as often done when shooting at short ranges such as 200 yards.
The straight edge K K' of adjuster being placed in line with the upright part of
bed of sight P. Fig. 4 shows the use of the adjuster as a gauge for windage, in
other words it permits vertical lines being drawn down the sliding bar of sight by
holding the adjuster firmly against the top of the rifle sight D, when folded down,
so that the edge of adjuster Q forms a straight edge and is at right angles to the
divided end R. Figure 5 shows an alternative method of drawing a vertical line on
the sliding bar or sight E and is performed by placing the broad end of adjuster, S,

page_text: against the top of sight D, when it is folded down, and inserting a fine pointed
pencil or other marker in the slit T and drawing the same down the slit. The
adjuster can be moved right or left and the amount out of centre registered by the
scale at broad end S. It is obvious any scale or measure can be employed for
the purposes aforementioned but those customarily adopted for military purposes
in Great Britain & the Colonies & India, viz. 150ths of an inch, are for preference
employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. An improved combination of inclined planes cut in a plate of metal or other
suitable rigid material in reference to other edges of a plate forming horizontal
planes that permits of the sliding sight or bar of military rifles & other weapons of
that order being set to an exactitude by means of the scales engraved on the edges
forming the inclined planes substantially for the purpose as described & set forth &
figured.
2. The adaptation to plates used as inclined plane rifle sight adjusters of
extensions or toe pieces of metal or other suitable material that permits of two
different heights of inclined planes being available on the one plate forming the rifle
sight adjuster substantially as described & figured.
3. The shaping of the end of the plate so that an inclined plane under one
condition in relation to an edge of the plate shall form a right angle straight edge
under another condition with a different edge or end of the plate, substantially as
figured in Fig. 4 and described.
4. The adaptation to plates of metal or other rigid material forming an inclined
plane rifle sight adjuster of a slotted aperture or slit that can be used for drawing
a straight line down the sliding sight or bar of a rifle substantially as figured and
described.
5. An improved complete rifle sight adjuster and wind gauge substantially as
figured and described.
Dated this 11th day of January 1896.
ARCHIBALD JOHNSTONE WILSON.
JAMES HENRY STEWARD.