provements in Flying Targets for Trap Shooting.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1895-Accepted, 15th June, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Flying Targets for Trap Shooting.
I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SAYLOR, Artist Photographer, of Nos. 42 and 44
West King Street, in the City of Lancaster, County of Lancaster, and State of
Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The invention relates to improvements in flying targets of the class adapted to
be thrown or sprung from traps well-known to inaiksmon in the field sport known
as bird or trap shooting.
The invention consists: first, in the shape or form of the target and the material
of which it is made, having for its object, the giving to the target the best form
for poising or supporting it in the air during the period of its flight, enabling it to
move steadier, a greater distance and in a much lower course, than is possible to he
attained to by targets differently moulded, and in rendering the target inore
readily breakable when struck by pellets of shot; second, in making it practically
in the shape of a segmental spherical dome, and in arranging in its upper and under
faces alternate ridges and valleys ranging from the centre toward the circumference,
in the form of spiral volutes, and in bringing the under ones to the circumferential
edge.
The purposes of the invention are attamed by the devices illustrated in the
accompanying drawing in which similar reference letters designate like parts
throughout the several views and in which.
Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a target embodying the elements of the
invention, showing, respectively, the volutes in its upper and under faces,
Fig. 3 is a drawn out straight sectional view taken on the line in Fig. 1,
showing the opposite disposition of the convoluted corrugations in the body of the
target; and,
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation, from below, of the portion above the line y y,
also in Fig. 1, but the lines indicating the intermediate under surface corrugations
ale omitted.
The target of this invention is proferably made of coal-ta or pitch, such as
results from the manufacture of gas, reduced to a consistency or paste that may
be readily moulded, pressed or otherwise given the required shape; aud, it may be
made of any other approved material whose particles are not tenaciously adhoreut
in order that it may be easily broken when struck by pellets of shot.
The general shape of the target is practically that of an inverted saucer,
having a thickened edge or ring about its open end, being convex above and hollow
or concave underneath, giving to the body, A, the general appearance of
segmental spherical dome A', projecting upwards from the upper face of a
practically cylindrical ring or base A', best shown in Fig. 4. At the centre of the
top is a hollow depression a, in the form of a conical recess of about 60° opening,
toiming on the under side of the target, in the hollow thereof, an inverted
right cone A' depending from the centre of the dome Starting from the central
depression, a, and torminating in the upper face of the cylindrical base, A', are
alternate elevations or ridges a' and depressions or valleys a', arranged in spiral
volutes, forming convoluted corrugations (Figs. 1 and 3) in the upper face or
convex surface of the dome, against which the impinging air, through which the
sprung target flies in its course, serves to give to said target increasing or

page_text: continuing rotation. Again, beginning at the depending cone, A, and ending in
the under edge of the ring-base, are alternate elevations or ridges a', and
depressions or valleys a', arranged in similar spiral volutes, forming similar but
oppositely disposed convoluted corrugations (Figs. 2 and 3) in the under face or
concaved surfaco.of the dome, against which the air through' which the sprung
target flies likewise contacts, adding to, or further increasing said continuing
rotation, imparting additional support or prolongation of flight
It will here be observed that when a trap carrying a target of this class 18
sprung that the target will leave the trap in an upwardly and forwardly sloping
direction and, having received a rotating momentum at the initial of its flight,
with its under surface opposing most directly the air contact. First then, the air,
as the target rushes through it, in coming in contact with said convoluted spiral
volutes or corrugatione, measurably adds to or continues said rotation, imparting
increased support with great steadiness to the flying target; second, the convoluted
spiral volutes in the hollow of the dome, in having been brought to the extreme
under edge of the target, form a greater eorrugated surface underneath than do
those above in the top thereof, and by reason of said upwardly sloping forward
flight the air, in coming in most direct contact with said under convoluted
corrugations, by measurably adding to the rotatability thereof, actually continues
or prolongs its support and the target is carried steadier and farther in its course
even way beyond the pont heretofore attained by targets without said convolutes,
though thrown or sprung from the same trap and under precisely similar conditions ;
and third, by reason of this continued rotation, this steadier and better support,
and greater or farther flight, the target of this invention is adapted to be sprung
from a trap having but a elight elevation, giving to it an almost horizontal flight,,
parallel to and but a slight distance above the ground:
These convoluted coirugations, in the upper and under faces thereof, also,
present obstructions to the striking shot and, in preventing the striking pellets
irom glancing off, aid materially.in its being damaged or broken by the shooter or
marksman Tho bases, A', before mentioned, likewise serve to support a number
of targets in nesting for safe packing for either storage or transportation; and
the central depressions, a, serve to receive the points of the depending. cones, A*,
protecting them from injury in these several conditions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, is
1. A target to be sprung from a trap, comprising a hollow segmental spherical
body, having a practically cylindrical base ring about the open end thereof, a
conical depression in the centre of its top and a depending cone in the hollow
thereof, with alternating elevated and depressed spiral: volutes in the convex
surface of the dome, said volutes extending from said conical depression to the
upper face of said cylindrical base; and, with alternating elevated and depressed
spiral volutes in the concaved surface of the dome, said under volutes extending
fiom said depending cone to the extreme lower edge of the target, all substantially
as desorbed and for the purpose herein before set forth.
2. The heroin described flying target comprising a hollow segmental spherical
domo projected from the upper face of a cylindrical base ring, and having a
central conical top depression, with convoluted convex surface corrugations
terminating in the upper face of said cylindrical base ring, and having, the central
depending cone in the hollow of the dome with convoluted concaved surface.
corrugations extended to the extreme under edge of the target, all substantially,
as shown and for the purpose here before, set forth.
3. In a flying target, the body, A, having the hollow segmental spherical
dome; A', projected from, the upper face of the cylindrical base ring, A'; with
the conical central. top. depression, a, and the alternating spirali volutes, a' and a²,
terminated in the upper face of said base ring, and the central depending

page_text: cone, A', with the alternating spiral volutes, a³ and a', in the concaved surface of
the dome and extended to the extreme uuder edge of the target, all substantially
as described and for the purpose herein before set forth.
Dated this Twentieth day of April 1895.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SAYLOR.