IMPROVEMENTS IN TARGETS FOR GUN AND RIFLE PRACTICE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Legge, of the Brixton Road, in the County of
Surrey, Builder, and John Bartlett, of Barnwell Road, Brixton aforesaid,
Carpenter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TARGETS FOR GUN AND
RIFLE PRACTICE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Legge and John
Bartlett at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March
1879.
THOMAS LEGGE, of Brixton Road, in the County of Surrey, Builder, and JOHN
BARTLETT, of Barnwell Road, Brixton aforesaid, Carpenter. IMPROVEMENTS IN
TARGETS FOR GUN AND RIFLE PRACTICE."
This Invention relates to improved apparatus for facilitating instruction in
shooting with the various kinds of fire arms, air guns, bows and arrows, and in
taking aim with missiles to be hurled by hand.
For this purpose I erect at any convenient distance apart three uprights, one of
which, hereinafter called No. 1, is provided with a vertical wheel or pulley with a
grooved periphery; such wheel is fixed on to a central spindle working in suitable
bearings, and is made to revolve by turning a crank handle connected to the
aforesaid central spindle. Another of the uprights, which I will call No. 2, consists
of a vertical post provided with a loose sleeve on which are fixed two horizontal
pulleys; the third upright is provided with one horizontal loose pulley. I connect
No. 2 with No. 1 by means of an endless wire or band passing from the vertical
pulley of No. 1 to one of the horizontal pullies of No. 2; I connect No. 3 with
No. 2 and No. 1 by means of a similar endless band passing over and between the
pulley of No. 3 and the other of the two pullies of No. 2. To the endless band
which passes between No. 2 and No. 3 I fix the object to be shot or aimed at. On
turning the crank handle, the vertical wheel of No. 1 is caused to revolve, at the
same time communicating its motion through the endless wire or band to the·
pullies of No. 2, thus causing the endless band between No. 2 and No. 3 to travel,
and with it the object to be aimed at, such object being caused to travel at a high
or slow speed, and regularly or irregularly, according to the mode of turning the
crank bandle of No. 1. This Invention will thus afford means for the efficient

page_text: instruction of marksmen, and for general amusement.
This Invention may be
modified in many ways; for instance, I may use a greater number of uprights with
their attendant fittings, and thereby increase the number of objects to be aimed at ;
or instead of causing the object to be aimed at to travel or move in a horizontal
plane, as in the case of four footed animals, I may cause such objects to move at
any desirable angle, or vertically upwards and downwards as in the case of birds.
I effect this variation of direction by the difference of height of the uprights and
pullies thereon, and by fixing at an angle or vertically (as in the case of oblique or
direct vertical travel) the pullies between which passes the endless band carrying
the object to be aimed at. The various uprights may be fixed immoveably to the
ground, or may be fixed so as to be readily set up and taken down; in this latter
case I furnish the lower end of each upright with a spike for inserting in the ground,
and to the upper I attach any suitable number of ropes, which at their opposite
extremities are made fast to pegs in the ground, as in the case of tents.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Legge and John Bartlett in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th September 1879.
THOMAS LEGGE, of Brixton Road, in the County of Surrey, Builder, and JOHN
BARTLETT, of Barnwell Road, Brixton aforesaid, Carpenter. " IMPROVEMENTS IN
TARGETS FOR GUN AND RIFLE PRACTICE.""
This Invention relates to improved apparatus for facilitating instruction in
shooting with the various kinds of fire arms, air guns, bows and arrows, and in
taking aim with missles to be hurled by hand.
For this purpose we erect at any convenient distance apart three uprights, one of
which, hereinafter called No. 1, Figure 1, is provided with a vertical wheel or
pulley with a grooved periphery; such wheel is fixed on to a central spindle
working in suitable bearings, and is made to revolve by turning a crank handle
connected to the aforesaid central spindle; another of the uprights, which we will
call No. 2, consists of vertical post provided with a loose sleeve on which are
fixed two horizontal pulleys; the upper or top pulley A is made smaller than the
lower one A¹, the third upright No. 3 is provided with one horizontal loose pulley.
We connect No. 2 with No. 1 by means of an endless wire or band B passing from
the vertical pulley of No. 1 to the smaller horizontal pulleys A of No. 2. We
connect No. 3 with No. 2 by means of a similar endless band C passing over and
between the pulley of No. 3, and the other of the two pulleys A' of No. 2. To the
endless band C which passes between No. 2 and No. 3 we fix the object to be shot
or aimed at. On turning the crank handle, the vertical wheel of No. 1 is caused to
revolve at the same time, communicating its motion through the endless wire or
band to the pullies of No. 2, thus causing the endless band C between No. 2 and
No. 3 to travel, and with it the object to be aimed at, such object being caused to
travel at a high or slow speed, and regularly or irregularly, according to the mode
of turning the crank handle of No. 1. This Invention will thus afford means for
the efficient instruction of marksmen, and for general amusement.
This Invention may be modified in many ways; for instance, we may use a
greater number of uprights or horizontal pullies with their attendant fittings,
Figure 2, and thereby increase the number of objects to be aimed at; or instead of
causing the object to be aimed at to travel or move in a horizontal plane, as in the
case of four footed animals, we may cause such objects to move at any desirable
angle, or vertically upwards and downwards, as in the case of birds. We effect this
variation of direction by fixing pullies, between which passes the endless band C,
carrying the object to be aimed at, to trees, top of houses, barns, and to difference
of height of uprights at any angle or vertically.
Figure 3 represents the object travelling on a horizontal wire in a right and left
direction; we make a metal frame or cradle D (somewhat after the shape of a
rocking horse stand); at each end we fix a ring, and from the centre of this cradle
we provide an upright spindle, having a shoulder near its point; on this spindle we
fix the object to be aimed at, so as to let it revolve; we now pass a cord or wire E
through the two orifices or rings at end of cradle, and fixed horizontally by means
of pegs F. We provide a double pulley, the upper one smaller than the lower. We
prefer to fix this double pulley on a spindle and in a box G with one of its sides
out; this box and pulley we place at one end of the horizontal wire E. We now
place the cradle containing the object to be aimed at at the opposite end of wire;
we connect a thin cord H from the object to the lower pulley I. To the upper
pulley J we wind round a cord K. of suitable length and thickness; by pulling this
cord K forward, the lower pulley I revolves, and so draws the object forward. By
placing a second box containing a double pulley at the opposite end of wire F, and
attaching the thin cord to the object, it would travel back again.

page_text: The various uprights and pullies may be fixed immoveably to the ground, or may
be fixed so as to be readily set up and taken down by any suitable means; in this
latter case we fix the lower end of each upright on a board, having at the end a
spike for inserting in the ground, and to the other end we attach a large earth
screw.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of our Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be performed, we would observe in conclusion
that we do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein given and shown on the
accompanying Drawings, as various modifications may be made therein while.
retaining the essential features of our said Invention, but what we claim as new
and desire to be secured to us by the herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the construction of our improvements in targets for gun and rifle practice, substan-
tially as herein described and as illustrated, or any mere variation or modification
thereof.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Legge and John Bartlett, have
hereunto set our hands and seals this Twenty fourth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.