IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC TARGETS FOR RIFLE AND GUN PRACTICE
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederic Newton Gisborne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
April 1861.
I, FREDERIC NEWTON GISBORNE, of No. 3, Adelaide Place, London Bridge,
in the City of London, Engineer and Electrician, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC
TARGETS FOR RIFLE AND GUN PRACTICE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in so constructing an electric metal target that
without the necessity of insulating such target, I can produce upon a small
prepared paper target immediately in view of or near the marksman any spot
on the metal target which may be struck by rifle ball or other missile projected
by fire-arms.
The object of my Invention is to facilitate gun and rifle practice by enabling
marksmen to ascertain personally and without moving from the firing stand
the result of their shots, and also that each marksman may have a record of
his day's practice, independently of the record remaining of the general practice
of the corps.
For the above purposes, I stud the front face of the metal target with
slightly projecting metal spring bolts or pins, or I cover the target with small
metal plates, each of such plates acting upon one or more of the spring, bolts
or pins, so that when such plate or bolt is struck by a projectile it is moved
forwards and protrudes at the back of the target, and is held in that position

page_text: until released, or connection is made as herein-after referred to; or they may
be arranged to puncture sheets of metal fuil, or come in contact with wires or
in any other convenient manner present a conducting point of contact on the
reverse side of the target. In some cases 1 have a wheel or disc fixed behind
the metal target, moving synchronously or nearly so with another wheel or
metal stiles at the firing stand, so arranged that at each revolution it releases
and makes contact with any spring bolt or metal connection, which may be
shot forward; and in some cases I have a distinct wire to each bolt or plate
on the metal target in connection with the paper target. The synchronous
wheel or disc behind the metal target, having one or more projecting points
describing circle or circles of decreasing diameters, and such wheel being in
connection with a galvanic battery, makes contact with, and at the same time
releases at each revolution any spring bolt or conducting point shot forward as
aforesaid. These spring bolts or conducting points when protruding through
the target are in connection with a wire or wires, running from the metal
target to the paper target at the firing stand. I have in connection with the
paper target at the firing stand a small metal plate, connected by wire to the
earth or a return wire, and upon which plate two or more slips of chemically
prepared paper are placed, representing the figures and marks on the metal
target. Upon this paper rests one or more metal stiles connected with the wire
or wires running to the target, and which move synchronously with the wheel or
disc behind it, or I effect a similar result without the wheels by the terminals
of wires from the bolts and plates resting on the paper target, the result being
that upon contact being made with any of the spring bolts or points of con-
duction so shot forward an electric current escapes from the battery, and
passing along the wire or wires through the paper target marks it at the
exact and corresponding spot struck on the metal target by bullet or other
projectile, and in some cases I so arrange the wires as to mark the paper
target at the sides thereof, and. in other cases, instead of the chemically pre-
pared paper, I so arrange the apparatus that I print or puncture by magnetic
force the paper target for the above purposes.