An Improved Disappearing Target and Signalling Apparatus for Rifle Practice.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Dec., 1888
An Improved Disappearing Target and Signalling Apparatus for
Rifle Practice.
I. FREDERICK WILLIAM BURGIS, of Bute Road Wellington, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My improved target is placed in a frame which is mounted on two stays, one at each
end, to which stays are attached rollers or wheels constructed to work on two vertical
guides one at either end of the target.
Connected to the stays and below the target, are two horizontal bars the space
between which forms a slot extending the whole width of the target frame.
Inside this slot run two rollers or sliding blocks, to each of which is attached the
long arm of a weighted lever.
One of these levers is pivotted to a fulcrum on the right side, and the other is
similarly fixed on the left side of the target, both fulcrums being placed at about half
the height of the required lift and the long arms crossing each other to their respective
rollers.
The short arms of these levers carry adjustable weights which balance the weight of
the target and its accessories, and allow it to be raised or lowered with ease.
Cranks and rods working in unison connect the short arms of the levers to a
vertical bar furnished with a hand or foot lever so that the attendant can elevate or
depress the target at will.
This hand or foot lever is also connected to discs which serve as signals for denoting
the position of the shot on the target, and these discs are so attached to rods worked by
the same lever, that when the target is elevated they are depressed and when it is
depressed they are elevated.
In addition to this up and down motion, they are also fitted with a revolving motion
of cranks and rods worked from below by small hand levers, so that either side or the
edge of the signal discs can be presented towards the marksinan who is firing at the
target.

page_text: In this way each disc will give at least three distinct signals.
Springs or counterweights can be employed if found necessary, to enable the target
levers to return to their rest position.
My improved target-can-be- easily adapted to work horizontally from behind a
mantlet if preferred, as well as vertically from the ordinary pit.
Did th: ca 1
1000
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C,
Patent Agent.
An Improved Disappearing Target and Signalling Apparatus for
Rifle Practice.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM BURGIS of Bute Road, Wellington, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, 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 :-
This invention is designed to supply a target for rifle practice which can be raised
or lowered with great facility, and which when depressed elevates a signalling
apparatus to indicate the position of the shot on the target.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of my improved target frame with vertical signal
rod attached.
Fig. 2 shows a plan of the same.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of a land lever with cranks and connecting rods for working
the target by manual action.
It will be seen that the actual target shewn by the dotted lines U is placed on the
frame J, which frame is connected by two braces P, and sustained by the two iron
angle plates O, by means of the bolts R. Behind the braces P on each side are stays
.to which are attached rollers or wheels 1, constructed to work on two vertical guides
which guides form part of or are supported by two upright standards B springing
from a horizontal metal base plate A.
Connected to the stays and behind the target are two horizontal bars or tubes T,
the space between which forms a slot extending the whole width of the target frame
if required, or so far as is necessary to raise the target. Inside this slot there
will run two flanged wheels F forming rollers, or two sliding blocks, to each of which
rollers, or blocks is attached the long arm D of the weighted lever D.

page_text: One of these lifting levers is stationed fronting and one is placed behind the target
frame. One is pivotted to a fulcrum E on the right side, and the other is similarly
fixed on the left side of the target, both fulcrums being placed upon standards or other
supports at about the vertical centre of the height of the required lift, and the long
arms crossing each other to their respective rollers. The shorts arms D² of these
lifting levers support the suspension rods G, which carry adjustable weights H,
sufficiently heavy to balance the weight of the target and its accessories, and thus they
allow it to be raised or lowered with great ease.
Cranks and connecting rods as in Fig. 3 may be added if preferred to connect the
short arms of the levers D' so as to cause the levers D to act in unison, and to these
cranks can be added if desired a hand or foot lever M by means of which the attendant
can elevate or depress the target at will.
The action of this hand lever M is very simple and is readily seen by reference to
Fig. 3 in the drawing. The lever M is solid with the crank M¹ the end of which is
jointed to one end of the connecting rod M², the other end of which is connected to
the short arm D² of the lever D.
Similarly the crank N¹ is connected to the short arm of the other lover D by the
rod N and is itself actuated by the connecting rod N which connects it to M. The
motion of the lever M to right or left elevates or depresses the target by drawing to
and fro the arms of the cranks M' and N' or their mechanical equivalents. The
length of the cranks will necessarily be regulated by the required rise and fall of
the target. This hand or foot lever and also the connecting rods and cranks can
be dispensed with if preferred, and the attendant can impel the target up or down
by taking hold of the frame, or of handles thereon or of cross stays placed in
suitable position for this purpose.
The short arm of one of the lifting levers, or the hand or foot lover is also connected
to a vertical rod Y, which carries a frame furnished with rotating discs or shutters or
some other kind of signalling apparatus, in such a way that when the target is
lowered the signals are elevated and when the target is elevated they are depressed.
These signals are provided for denoting the position of the shot on the target, and
do not concern or form part of my invention save as regards their being combined
therewith, and deriving therefrom the automatic rising and lowering motion herein
described. Springs or counterweights can be employed if found necessary to assist
the lifting levers to return to their rest position.
My improved target as herein described is especially adapted for vertical motion
from the ordinary target pit, and it can be employed to raise and lower several
small targets in line instead of one of the ordinary bulls-eye kind.
For convenience of handling and adjustment 1 construct the balance weight. H
in lengths of flat rectangular bar section, and hold these together by a holt Q
passing through the suspension rod G hanging from the short arm of the lever D³.
Extra weights can thus be conveniently added when required to suit targets of
different weight. To prevent the weights swinging inconveniently I attach the
stay bar L which keeps them steady by means of a projecting pin.
For heavy targets I prefer to construct the target frame of L or T section iron.
The studs or stops with all needful guages, ledges and flanges, are pro-
vided to hold the target in position. In elevating the signal, if sufficient rise and
fall cannot be obtained by connecting the signal rod Y directly to the short arm of the
lifting lever D, the arm can be extended or an arrangement of cranks and rods
attached thereto, to suit the height required, or a series of thrust rods placed crosswise
after the fashion of a lazy tongs can be employed, or chains running over wheels of
unequal diameter or any other well known mechanical action.
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,
1. A combined balanced disappearing target, and signal rod, with lever action and
reciprocating motion, substantially as herein explained and set forth.

page_text: 2. In a balanced disappearing target with or without a signal apparatus the balanced
levers D. D. the weights H. H. the rollers F F. the tubes T. T, the guide rollers I. I
the base plate A the standards B. B, C. C, the angle frame O the hand levor M the
cranks MN and rods M² N. Nor their mechanical equivalents, substantially as
herein explained and set forth.
3. In a balanced disappearing rifle target with or without a signal apparatus the
use of the hand lever and cranks M M¹ N' with their connecting rods, or their
equivalents, substantially as herein explained and set forth.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1888.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C.,
Patent Agent.