Improvements in and relating to Targets for Rifle Practice.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 6th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 1st Jan., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Targets for Rifle Practice.
I, JAMES THOMAS SPENCER, of 25 and 27 London Road, Reading, in the County
of Berkshire, Ironmonger and Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the mounting of targets for rifle prac-
tice, and has for its object to provide a means whereby the target proper, and the
dummy target upon which the position of the shot is shewn, may both be actuated
by the operator without the necessity of having to provide a pit for the protection
of the said operator, a desideratum in certain districts where it may be found
difficult to provide a drainage for the said pit.
For the purposes of my invention I provide and fix in a suitable position upon
the surface of the ground a wooden or other standard, in the upper end of which
is pivotally mounted the heel arms of both the target proper and the dummy target,
and either both upon one spindle loosely, or each fixed upon its own spindle
loosely mounted in the said standard.
To each target, or upon the spindle of each target is fixed a mitre or bevel wheel,
in such a way that the wheel of each target is in gear with a third mitre or bevel
wheel mounted in the said standard, so that the vertical movement of either target
in one direction, will impart, by the means of the said gear wheels, a like move-
ment to the other in the opposite direction.
The said dummy target has painted or otherwise provided thereon certain words
or letters having reference to the quality of the shots, such for instance as Bull,
Outer, Inner, Exam and the like, and in its centre is pivotted a large pointer or
index adapted to be moved by the operator to indicate to the marksmen the positions
of their shots upon the target proper, when the said target proper is brought over
behind the mantle protecting the operator and the said dummy is thrown out.
Dated this 17th day of February 1897
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
1 Broad Street Bldgs., London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in and relating to Targets for Rifle Practice.
I JAMES THOMAS SPENCER of 25 and 27 London Road, Reading, in the County
of Berkshire, Ironmonger and Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in the mounting of targets for rifle prac-
tice, and has for its object, to provide a means whereby the target proper, and the

page_text: dummy target, upon which the position of the shot is shewn, may both be actuated
by the operator without the necessity of having to provide a pit for the protection
of the said operator, a desideratum in certain districts where it may be found
difficult to provide a drainage for the said pit.
In order that my invention and the manner in which I prefer to construct and
arrange the same may be fully understood, I have hereunto appended a sheet of
drawings, of which:
Figs 1 and 2 are both front elevations of my improved target, the former shewing
the target proper in a position to be repaired by the marker while the dummy
target indicating the value of the last shot, is thrown out in view of the marksman,
the latter view showing both targets in their opposite positions.
Fig 3 is an end elevation, while Fig 4 is a plan of Fig 1, from the former of
which the targets have been removed for the purpose of shewing the slots in which
these are fixed, when in use, as hereinafter explained.
Fig 5 is an enlarged view of part of either of the said targets, shewing the manner
of locking the same for purposes hereinafter explained.
I carry my invention into effect by providing of wood or other suitable and con-
venient material a base A, which may be bolted or otherwise fixed upon the ground
in any position within the desired range of firing, and upon this I mount and fix
a wooden or other standard B, supported by two or more iron or other stays C,
bolted or screwed thereto and the said base A. Upon the top of the said standard B
is fixed a vertical pin or spindle a adapted to carry a bevel or mitre wheel D, which
gears with a pair of similar wheels E and E', carried upon pins or spindles band b
fixed horizontally upon the front and back surfaces of the standard B, and upon the
said spindle or pin bis loosely mounted the one ends of a pair of metallic
plates cc the latter of which may be screwed or otherwise fixed to the mitre
wheel E, and between the said plates is placed and fixed by bolts screws, or other
suitable means centrally of its length a wooden or other bar or carrier F, the said
plates being then secured upon the spindle 6 by a cottor pin or other suitable
means, but preferably by that of a nut or nuts d screwed upon the end of b. In
like manner the spindle b¹ carries a pair of plates C3 and C³ the latter of which
is in fixed contact with the wheel E, and between these is placed a like bar or
plate F, to which they are fixed in like manner the, said plates C and C being
then secured upon the spindle b' by similar means, preferably by that of a nut or
nuts d'
The said bars F and F are each provided upon there outer faces with a pair of
recesses e (Fig 3) at such a distance apart as to correspond with the width of the
targets in use, each of the said recesses being covered by a metallic plate f screwed
upon the said bars, the said plates thus converting the said recesses into slots for
the reception of the legs or forks of the targets.
The said targets are usually constructed of wooden frames, covered by canvas
or the like stretched and nailed thereon, and for the purposes of my invention I
construct in like manner a target proper G, of any desired size to suit the range of
firing, and having painted thereon the usual black disc and rings as shewn in
Figs 1 and 2, the side members of the frame of the said target being extended in
length to form legs or forks g, and these I place in the recesses or slots e in the
(preferably) bar F₁, which are therein secured by hand screws such as h, screwing
into threaded holes in the plates f, and abutting against the said legs or forks.
The dummy or marking target H I construct in like manner, the legs or
forks g of which engage with the recesses or slots e in the (preferably,) bar F, and
are therein secured by the means of hand screws h engaging with threaded holes
in the plate F in the same way. The frame of the said dummy target H is pro-
vided with cross stays j (indicated by dotted lines in Figs 1 and 2) which
collectively form a bearing for a bolt and nut k carrying one end of a metallic or
other preferably flat rod 7, to the free or outer end of which is fixed a rectangular
or other shaped disc m made of wood, or a wooden frame covered with canvas or
other penetrable material, and preferably painted black, the said rod and disc

page_text: forming a pointer or index capable of being easily moved about the said bolt k
by the marker. The said target or dummy H carries upon its face a metallic or
other ring J, secured thereto by any suitable means, such for instance as that of
clips n engaging therewith, and the frame of H, and at suitable parts of the face
of the said ring, recesses or notches are formed, with either of which the rod
may be caused to engage, the position of the said recess being such, that when the
said rod is placed in either of them, the position of the disc m may convey to
the marksman the value of his shot, and in order to prevent errors on the part of
the marker, the said target H may have painted upon its face, near to the said
recesses o, the words Ricochet, Bullseye, Inner, Outer, Magpie, and Examine or
letters in abbreviation of such words, readable to the marker, when the target H
is in the position shewn by Fig. 2, the position of the said words and their corre-
sponding slots being preferably that shewn in the same figure.
The bar F being nearest to the marker is provided with a hand hold 2 by means
of which the marker may operate the movements of the targets, and in order to
reduce the power necessary for such operation, each target is provided with a
counterbalance weight r, suspended upon a pin connected to extensions formed
upon each pair of plates cc and respectively, the said weights being inter-
changeable to accomodate targets of different sizes.
The marker would stand in front of the target at or about the position shewn
by X in Figs 1, 2, and 4, with his back to the marksman, in which position he
would be protected from harm by a metallic mantlet K, (erroneously spelt mantle
in my provisional specification) shewn in full lines in Figs 3 and 4 and by a dotted
double outline in Fig 1. The manner of operation is as follows.
At the commencement of practice, the targets would be first placed in the posi-
tion shewn by Fig 2, and after the first shot had been fired, the marker would note
the position of the hole made thereby in the target G, and would place the pointer
or disc m in such of the notches or recesses o as would represent the value of the
shot, and assuming such to be a bullseye he would place the said pointer m in the
position shewn by Fig 2, and would then take hold of the handle p and by im-
parting a pull upon this from left to right, would raise the dummy target H, which
movement of H, by reason of the gearing D, E, and E', would also raise the target G,
so that both targets would describe the course shewn by the arrows in Fig 2, the
midway position of both being indicated by dotted outline, and by continuing
such movement the position of the targets would be changed from that shewn in
Fig 2, to that shewn in Fig 1, which would place the dummy target H in view of
the marksman, and in whatever position the marker may have placed the pointer m
the same would indicate to the marksman the value of his shot, and while the said
target H remains in this position, the marker would place a white or blank patch,
as the case may be, over the said hole made in the target G, and by then again
taking hold of the handle p and imparting a pull thereto from right to left of
Fig 1, the targets would be again returned to the position shewn by Fig 2, and so
on for each shot fired.
· In order to arrest the movements of the targets when they are in a perfectly,
true horizontal position as at Figs 1 and 2, I provide upon the base A a wooden or
other ridge L, the upper surface of which may be faced with rubber or other
resilient substance to reduce vibration, and upon this either of the targets would
rest as shewn, when: brought to the right of the marker, and in order to reduce the
strain upon the opposite target, I provide upon each a metallic arm s, each so bent
or curved as to collide with the standard B, when either of the targets are brought
to the left of the marker, a suitably shaped plate M having a pair of projections t
and being fixed upon the said standard for the reception of same, as shewn in
Fig 1, and more graphically by the enlarged view Fig 5, and in order that when
changing the target G for one of a larger or smaller size the weight upon the
opposite target H may not operate to spontaneously raise it during this operation,
I provide a hole in each of the projections t and, through which the marker
would first place a pin v thus locking the plates of the target H while G' is being

page_text: removed and replaced as shewn by Fig 5, and the said pin when not in use for this
purpose, may be conveniently suspended upon the standard B as shewn by Figs 1
and 2.
In the accompanying drawings I have shewn the dummy target H mounted upon
the bar F, which is the one nearest to the marker, and although this is not an indis-
pensible condition, I prefer this arrangement, as the target G when mounted
upon the bar F and placed in the position shewn by Fig 2, would thus stand
farther back and more out of alignment with the position of the marker, and
thereby enable him to more accurately read the position of the hole made by the
shot, and as even then it may sometimes occur that the marker cannot accurately
determine the value of the shot until the target G is brought into the position
shown by Fig 1, in such a case before bringing G into this position he would first
place the pointer m upon the word Examine, so that when the target H was thrown
out, the marksman would understand that the marker was examining the target G,
before finally announcing upon the target H the value of the shot.
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:-
1st. In targets for rifle practice, the combination of a pair of targets fixed upon
suitable carriers, the said carriers being so mounted upon a standard common to
both, that motion imparted to either target in one direction may by the means of
suitable interposed gearing impart a simultaneous like motion to the other target
in an opposite direction, substantially as and for the purposes herein described
and shewn by the appended drawings.
2nd. In targets for rifle practice the combination of a target proper such as G,
and a dummy target such as H, the frames of which have legs or forks such as gg²,
adapted to engage with slots or apertures e in a pair of carriers such as F and F³,
in fixed connection with bevel wheels E and E', mounted upon spindles 661, upon
either side of a standard such as B, fixed upon a base such as A, the said bevel
wheels being both in gear with a third bevel wheel D, mounted upon a vertical
spindle a upon the top of the said standard, the said targets and their carriers
having interchangeable counterbalance weights such as r, and each a bent or curved
plates, adapted to engage with projections t t¹ upon a plate M fixed upon the said
standard for (in combination with a vertical ridge such as L) arresting the fall of
the targets, with means such as a pin engaging with holes in the said projec-
tions tt for locking either target in a horizontal position, the whole connected,
combined and operating substantially as herein described and shewn by the
accompanying drawings.
3rd. In targets for rifle practice consisting of a target proper such as G, and
dummy target such as H, as set forth in the preceding claims, the combination of
a pointer such as l, m, mounted upon the face of the said dummy target H, and
adapted to engage with any one of a number of notches such as o, in the face of
a ring J fixed upon the target H, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described and shewn by the appended drawings.
Dated this 6th day of November 1897.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
No. 1, Broad Street Buildings, Liverpool Street, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.