A Hook Carrier for Sporting Guns and Rifles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1899
Complete Specification Left 19th Aug. 1899 Accepted. 21st Oct.. 1899
A Hook Carrier for Sporting Guns and Rifles.
I, LESTER HORATIO SIBTHORPE, of Cleftridge, Northam, in the County of Devon,
a Major General on the retired list, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows: :-
This invention has for its object an easier method of carrying the gun or rifle.
I form a metal hook to fit the weapon to be carried and a reverse hook or a loop
to fix it on a waist-belt, by means of tin or other metal discs I attach pads of
felt or other soft material to distribute the pressure and to protect the side of
the wearer, the whole is covered with leather
The hook may be bushed with
rubber or fitted with a spring. The hook carrier" is to be worn on the
right-side above and slightly in front of the hip. The weapon is placed upon
the hook immediately in front of the " trigger guard," so that the hook sits in
the angle where the trigger guard joins the stock. The muzzle to the front
and pointing towards the ground, stock under the right arm with its toe behind
the shoulder. The hands are thus free and the weapon rides securely always
ready for instant use.
1
exc
1000
A Hook Carrier for Sporting Guns and Rifles.
I, LESTER HORATIO SIBTHORPE, Major General, Bombay Army Retired List,
of Cleftridge, Northam, North Devon, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention, 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 an improved method of carrying the gun
or rifle. I form a metal hook to fit the weapon to be carried and a reverse hook
or a loop to fix it on the waist belt. By means of tin or other metal discs I
attach pads of felt or other soft material to distribute the pressure and to protect
the side of the wearer. The whole is covered with leather. The hook may be
bushed with rubber or fitted with a spring.
I will fully describe my invention in reference to the accompanying drawing
in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the hook-carrier applied to the wearer's
belt and showing a rifle slung thereon. Fig. 2 is a section on line 1-2 of
Fig. 1 with rifle removed. Similar letters refer to similar parts in both figures.
According to my invention I form a hook A of iron or other metal sufficiently
large to admit the largest object to be carried (hereafter called the rifle hook").
The shank A of the hook is of convenient length and bent back on itself, so as
to form a narrow hook B to hang on the waist-belt C (hereafter called the "belt-
hook"). This hook B, as an alternative, I may close as a loop, but I prefer
CD 077

page_text: the hook pattern. The metal for this double hook is preferably of round sec-
tion only as to the part A forming the rifle hook on which the burden rests
and it may be about three-eights of an inch in diameter. The remainder A¹
is flat, about half an inch wide and one-eighth of an inch thick. To the hooks A
and B I fix two plates T T of tin or other metal of convenient shape; I prefer
to use circular discs of tin about three inches in diameter, one of these, T, is
rivetted at t at the back of the rifle hook A between the hook and the belt; and
the other T¹ is rivetted at t¹ to the back of the belt hook. To these plates T T
I fix felt or other soft padding F F¹. The pad F next the wearer is made an
inch or more larger than the other F so as to extend half an inch or more out-
side it all the way round except at the top and both pads are larger than the
plates T T by this arrangement the pressure is distributed and the side of
the wearer protected. The whole is covered with leather or other suitable
material f. The hook-carrier thus formed is attached by the belt-hook B to
a belt C and buckled round the body and it may thus be worn on either side
slightly in front of the line of the hip bone, the exact position will vary a little
with the height of the wearer. The waist belt may be further supported if
desired by a cross belt. The weapon R to be carried is placed on the rifle
hook A as shown in Fig. 1 just in front of its trigger guard r or magazine, so
that the bend of the hook A will fit into the angle formed by the trigger guard
or magazine and the stock; the muzzle is thus to the front pointing towards
the ground, the stock lies under the user's arm with its heel just behind the
shoulder. The arm hangs easily over the stock without pressing it and can swing
naturally in walking without constraint.
I prefer the rifle hook to fit the weapon or burden to be carried quite loosely
and do not depend on its grasping or clutching the burden so that the same
hook will take a soldier's Lee-Metford rifle, a 12 bore double shot gun or single
pea rook rifle and carry either with perfect security. The same hook will carry
a fishing rod, a landing net or a gaff; For this purpose a small stud or catch
must be attached by means of a strap at the proper point to engage the rifle
hook as the trigger guard does for the gun.
The advantages of this invention are that it entirely relieves the hands and
arms from the weight of the burden whereby a far steadier aim is ensured, also
as the weapon is not clutched by the hook or in any way tied by it, a quick shot
can be readily made; also the hook carrier is a most convenient and comfortable
arrangement for use on horseback; a man can ride at speed and carry a rifle on
the hook with perfect safety.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
A hook-carrier for sporting guns and rifles comprising a metal hook such
as A adapted to fit and support the burden to be carried, having its shank bent
backwardly to form a reverse belt-hook or loop B, weight distributing plates
such as T T affixed respectively to the hooks A and B, with padding and cover-
ings disposed and arranged substantially as and for th several purposes herein
set forth and illustrated in the drawings.
T
1 1
L
J
Lunust 1000
For the Applicant,
J. C. CHAPMAN & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.