Improvements in Sights for Rifles, Guns, or other Fire Arms.
Year: 1893

page_text: te of Application, 28th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 13th May, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sights for Rifles, Guns, or other Fire Arms.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been com-
municated to me from abroad by Daniel Moreau Barringer of the City and County
of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America Counsellor.
at Law) 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 improvements in sights for rifles, guns or other fire arms
the said improvements consisting chiefly of a conical cavity or hole which is larger
at the rear face of the sight and terminates in a small hole at the apex of the
conical cavity: and at or towards the front face of the sight which may be plain or
concave or counter-sunk, with or without a longitudinal Haring notch at the top of
the sight, which. notch communicates at its bottom with, and opens into, the top of
the said conical cavity, and hole; and with a concentric ring or step or concentric
rings or steps on the inner surface of the conical cavity; the object of this invention
being to enable the user of the arm to quickly catch and readily to preserve an
accurate aim or sight upon the object aimed at.
These objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying
drawing in which
Figure is a side view of a rifle barrel provided with a sight made in accordance
with this invention, the cavity A, the hole B and the countersunk front E being
indicated by dotted lines and the plates D forming bright circles (the aforesaid
rings) on the surface of the conical cavity being also shewn.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the sight,
Fi
igure 3 is a rear view of the sight, shewing the flaring notch C.
Figure 4 is a front view of the sight.
Figure 5 is a view of the sight in perspective.
The same letters refer to the same parts in all the figures.
The sight proper (which may be mounted on any suitable elevating device,) has
the aperture or peep-hole B at or near the front end of the sight and at the apex
of the conical cavity A, while the axis of the conical cavity A when produced
approximately corresponds with the longitudinal centre of the bead or front sight,
or when the sight is elevated, intersects at a desired point the axis of the bore of
the arm, so that the surface of the conical cavity or hole A by reason of the
concentric rings thereon and of its conical shape, terminating in a round hole B
forces the eye involuntarily to place and retain the bead or front sight or the
objective point of aim or both in the exact centre of this hole, thus enabling the one
firing the arm immediately to catch and readily to preserve an accurate aim.
The longitudinal thickness of the sight is conveniently one-third to one-half of an
inch, more or less, for an ordinary rifle, to allow of the couical cavity or hole A
being sufficiently large at the rear end of the sight and of terminating in the peep-
hole B, which opens on the plane, concave or counter-sunk surface E of the front
end of the sight, by means whereof there is presented to the eye the sharply defined
margin of the peep-hole B protected and shaded from the sun light without being
obscured and also protected from being rubbed or rendered bright. The flaring
notch C at the top of the sight, (the bottom of which notch intersects longitudinally
the conical cavity or hole A, the concavity or counter sunk hole E and the top of
the peep-hole B,) facilitates by letting in the light, the fiuding of the front sight
or the objective point of aim, or both.
A concentric ring or concentric rings D appears or appear on the surface of the
conical cavity A, the said ring or rings being made for example either by inserting

page_text: transversely in the block from which the sight is made, a thin piece or pieces of a
bright metal, (such as aluminium, for instance) before boring the conical cavity;
or by cutting an annular groove or annular grooves, in the surface of the conical
cavity, or by using different sized reamers in boring the said conical shaped cavity.
The said ring or step or rings or steps aids or aid in directing the vision to the
centre of the peep-hole B and enables the user more readily catch and to preserve
(independently of or in connection with the front sight or bead on the muzzle of
the arm,) an accurate aim.
This improvement can be applied to stationary sights or to sliding or elevating
sights for any style of rifles, guns or other fire arms, large or small, in connection
with which a quick and accurate aim is desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that wha: I
claim is :-
1. A sight for rifles, guns or other fire arms having a conical cavity larger at
the rear end and terminating in a peep-hole at or near the front end, and provided
with a concentric ring or step or concentric rings or steps upon the surface of the
conical cavity, the said ring or rings or step or steps having its or their centre or
centres upon the axis of the said conical cavity, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. A sight for rifles, guns or other fire arms having a conical cavity larger at
the rear end and terminating in a peep-hole at or near the front end of the said
sight, and having a flaring notch at the top of the sight the bottom of which
notch intersects longitudinally and opens into the conical cavity and the top of the
péep-hole, (with or without the aforesaid concentric ring or rings or step or steps)
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. A sight for rifles, guns or other fire-arms, having a conical cavity larger at
the rear end and terminating in a peep-hole at or near the front end of the said
sight, and having the front face of the said sight concave or counter sunk and
having a flaring notch at the top of the sight, the bottom of which notch intersects
iongitudinally and opens into the conical cavity and the top of the peep-hole, (with
or without the aforesaid concentric ring or rings or step or steps) substantially as
herein before described.
Dated this noth dao of Manah 1009