An Improved Mode of Sighting Double-barrel Break-down Rifles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 9th May, 1900-Accepted, 9th June, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Mode of Sighting Double-barrel Break-down Rifles.
I, WILLIAM NJBBS, of 45, Windsor Road, Holloway, in the County of Middlesex,
Gunmaker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to facilitate the sighting of double barrelled
rifles and to obviate the necessity for altering or setting the barrels after they
are once together should they be found not throwing their bullets the same
height or should the two barrels be found to shoot across or apart and for this
purpose I use automatic front sights.
In carrying out my invention I pivot in a small box or case capable of being
held between the barrels at the nose end a rock lever of peculiar construction.
The head of the rock lever carries two fore-sights one slightly in advance of the
other and these fore-sights are alternately hidden from view or protruded through
a slot in the fore-sight box according to the position of the lever carrying them.
By means of one of these fore-sights (the one nearer the breech) one barrel
say the right barrel is correctly sighted and with the other sight the left
barrel is sighted. The firing of the right barrel causes the fore-sight for the right
barrel to disappear and that for the left to rise into view but so soon as the
barrels are dropped for the purpose of reloading, the sight for use with the right
barrel returns to its normal position. The rock lever carrying the fore-sight
is actuated in the following manner. Attached to the rock lever below the fulcrum
is a rod or plunger actuated by a coiled spring which gives the head of the lever
a tendency to rock towards the breech of the barrels and in rocking it lowers
the fore-sight regulated for the right barrel and raises the left one into view.
The lever is prevented from making this movement until the right barrel has
been discharged by a suitable retaining device which may take the form of a
stop spring to engage the lower and pointed end of the lever until the jar of
the firing releases it.
Connected with the rod or plunger working on the sight lever is a thin rod
underlying the barrels or lying between them and this is hooked on to a recess
cut in the leg of the cartridge extractor in such a way that when the extractor is
forced out in the usual manner to extract the fired cartridge or cartridges it also
pulls back this rod and so compresses the coiled spring on the plunger actuating
the fore-sight lever. The merit claimed for this arrangement is that no readjust-
ment of the barrels with respect to each other is required any irregularity in
their setting being readily compensated for by the adjustment of the automatic
sights.
Dated this 10th dose of
1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant,

page_text: An improved Mode of Sighting Double-barrel Break-down Rifles.
I, WILLIAM NOBBS, of 45, Windsor Road, Holloway, in the County of Middlesex,
Gunmaker, 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:-
-
The object of this invention is to facilitate the sighting of double-barrelled
rifles, and to obviate the necessity for altering or setting the barrels, after they
are once together, should they be found not throwing their bullets the same
height, or should the two barrels be found to shoot across or apart, and for this
purpose I use automatic front-sights.
In carrying out my invention, I pivot in a small box or case, capable of being
held between the barrels at the nose end, a rock lever of peculiar construction.
The head of the rock lever carries two fore-sights, one slightly in advance of the
other, and these fore-sights are alternately hidden from view, or protruded through
a slot in the fore-sight box, according to the position of the lever carrying them.
By means of one of these fore-sights (the one nearer the breech), one barrel
say the right barrel, is correctly sighted, and with the other sight the left
barrel is sighted. The firing of the right barrel causes the fore-sight for the right
barrel to disappear, and that for the left to rise into view, but so soon as the
barrels are dropped, for the purpose of reloading, the sight for use with the right
barrel returns to its normal position.
In the accompanying drawing, I have shown so much of a double barrelled rifle
as will serve to illustrate my invention.
Fig. 1 shows the invention in plan view, as applied to the barrel ends.
Fig. 2 shows it in elevation, and shows also, diagramatically, the rifle breech
in a closed position.
Fig. 3 also shows the invention in elevation, but in another position.
Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with the rifle breech open.
Fig. 5 shows the muzzle of the rifle in end view.
A is the rock lever, pivotted at between the barrels, and carrying the fore-
sights a and a¹.
Attached to the rock lever A, below the fulcrum, is a rod or plunger B,
actuated by a coiled spring b, which presses against a stop c, and gives the head
of the lever a tendency to rock towards the breech of the barrels, and, in rocking
it, lowers the fore-sight a, regulated for the right barrel, and raises the left one a¹
into view.
The lever is prevented from making this movement, until the right barrel has
been discharged, by a suitable retaining device, which may take the form of
a spring catch C, engaging a recess in the forward end of the rod B, until the jar
of the firing releases it.
Connected with the rod or plunger B, working on the right lever, is a thin
rod D, underlying the barrels, or lying between them, and this is hooked into a
recess c cut in the leg E of the cartridge extractor, in such a way that, when the
extractor is forced out, in the usual manner, to extract the fired cartridge or
cartridges, it resets the fore-sights by pulling back the rod D, and with it the
plunger B, into re-engagement with the catch C.
The merit claimed for this arrangement is that no readjustment of the
barrels with respect to each other is required, any irregularity in their setting
being readily compensated for by the adjustment of the automatic sights.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
The employment of automatic fore-sights for double-barrelled rifles whereby
adjustment can readily be effected and the necessity for altering and resetting
the barrels avoided, substantially as above described.
Dated this Oth
1000