Improvements in and relating to Rifle Targets.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Rifle Targets.
I TOM BELL BURNS of Camelford in the County of Cornwall Ironmonger and
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the arrangement of mounting and
operating rifle targets of that kind which are brought across the range of fire and
removed therefrom by turning upon a hinge or pivot at one corner of the target
and in the arrangement of signals employed for indicating the value of the hit made
by the marksinen.
I make a suitable foundation upon which to fasten one corner of the target by
means of a suitable hinge and in order that the target may be firmly held I provide
an upright projecting from the foundation and connected therewith by a quadrant
piece upon which a rail is fitted. This rail serves to guide a grooved pulley
attached at the corner of the target next to the corner which is hinged to the
foundation so that when the target is operated to expose it in the range of fire or
to retire it under cover of the mantlet for examination or renewal by patching, the
grooved pulley moves upon the quadrant rail in a circular path concentric with the
axis of the hinge by which the target is connected with the foundation.
As the target travels outward into the range of fire the grooved pulley in
approaching the end of its course upon the quadrant rail enters a part where the
rail being made double the grooved pulley is engaged by its flanges at both sides of
its centre and thus the target is securely held at this point as well as at the corner
at which the hinge or pivot is attached. As a further means of steadying the
target in the position at which it is to be fired at I provide a shoe or grooved block
into which the under part of the target frame seats itself as the target drops into
the firing position a weight being attached to the target frame close to this point to
insure carrying the target into position in this shoe or grooved block which is lined
preferably with vulcanized india rubber to act as a suitable buffer. The weight
thus depending from the lower part of the target frame when the target is in position
for firing is exposed to view when the target is retired behind the mantlet and may
serve as a danger signal to forbid firing. The movement of the target for
setting it out from or bringing it under cover of the mantlet is governed by a lever
projecting from the hinge or fitting through which the pivot passes to connect the
target with the foundation, the said lever being always under cover of the
mantlet.
:
"
The signals for indicating the approximate value of the hits made by the
marksmen are fitted in a frame having dividing bars between each signal rod, a
screw pin passing through all the signal rods and the intervening division bars
having a nut thereon to enable the desired pressure to bear upon washers placed
between every signal rod and division bar, to keep the signals rigid in any position
to which they may be set. In this respect the signals are held in the manner
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me No. 5095 dated
April 2 1890. The signals are in the present case double the white or bullseye
signal and the black or "outer" signals being at opposite extremities of the same
signal rod, the red or "inner" and black and white or "magpie" signals being
at opposite extremities of another signal rod, a rectangular red signal being used
for danger or ricochet firing. Each rod bearing a signal at each end is provided
with two handles on opposite sides of the fulcrum pin upon which the signal rod is
rotated to bring one or other of its signals in sight outside the mantlet, the handles
being distinctively marked to indicate the signal which they bring into view.
In the foregoing description I have referred to the target fitted up and operating

page_text: as a mantlet target but the position of the frame work may be altered to make it
suitable for fixing a trench target, a spring catch being then necessary to retain the
target in its elevated position and the signalling apparatus being arranged as
described in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 5095 of the year 1890 herein
before referred to.
Dated this 8th day of Anvil 1801
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Rifle Targets.
I, TOM BELL BURNS of Camelford in the County of Cornwall Ironmonger and
Manufacturer 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 relates to improvements in the arrangement of mounting and
operating rifle targets of that kind which are brought across the range of fire and
removed therefrom by turning upon a hinge or pivot at one corner of the target
and in the arrangement of signals employed for indicating the value of the hit made
by the marksman.
In the accompanying drawings in all the figures of which the same part is
indicated by like reference letters,
.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mantlet target, the signal post being removed.
Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the target frame having the canvas covering
removed therefrom.
Figure 5 is a front elevation of the signal post.
Figure 6 is a front elevation of a double trench target.
Figure 7 is a plan of Figure 6 taken upon the line a b.
Figure 8 is an end elevation of Figure 6 and Figure 9 shows the wedging device
for holding the grooved pulley securely in position at the end of its travel upon the
quadrant rail drawn to an enlarged scale.
Upon the foundation A (Figure 1) I secure the target B by means of the hinge C
and in order that the target may be firmly held 1 provide the upright posts D DID"
and cross stays E E E carrying the quadrant rail F.
The quadrant rail serves to guide a grooved pulley G attached at one corner
of the target so that when the target is operated to expose it in the range of fire or
to retire it under cover of the mantlet for examination or renewal by patching, the
grooved pulley moves upon the quadrant rail F in a circular path concentric with
the axis of the hinge C by which the target is connected with the foundation A.
As a
As the target B travels outward into the range of fire the grooved pulley G in
approaching the end of its course upon the quadrant rail Fenters a part where the
rail being made double by the addition of the piece H the grooved pulley G is
engaged by its flanges at opposite sides of its centre and thus the target is securely
held at this point as well as at the corner at which the hinge C is attached.
further means of steadying the target in the position in which it is to be fired at I
provide shoes or grooved blocks J J into which the under part of the target frame
seats itself as the target drops into the firing position, these shoes or grooved
blocks JJ being lined preferably with india rubber to act as a suitable buffer.
The target is brought in under cover of the mantlet by means of a lever K
projecting from the hinge C. This lever K may conveniently be arranged as shown
in Figures 1 and 4 to be operated by foot. It is hinged at & so that when it is
brought to rest upon the foundation A of the target the target can continue its
movement until it is brought completely under cover of the mantlet. In order to

page_text: bring the target to rest gently and assist the operator when lifting it to put it out
from the mantlet again I provide the loop of cord L with a weight M at one end.
The target drops into this loop L the friction roller N being provided at the point
of contact. Thus the target towards the end of its inward movement has to lift
the weight M which assists the operator in subsequently putting out the target from
behind the mantlet.
The signals for indicating the approximate value of hits made by marksmen are
fitted in a frame forming a vertical post P having dividing bars between each signal
rod, a screw pin Q passing through all the signal rods and the intervening division
bars, having a nut thereon to enable the desired pressure to bear upon washers
placed between every signal rod and division bar, to keep the signals rigid in any
position to which they may be set. In this respect the signals are held in the
manner described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me No. 5095
dated April 2nd 1890. I have shown the signals in Figure 5 as double ended
signals the white or "bullseye" signal 1 and the black or outer signal 2 being at
opposite ends of the same signal rod; the red or "inner" signal 3 and black and
white or "magpie" signal 4 being at opposite ends of another signal rod; a
rectangular red signal 5 being used for danger or ricochet firing. Each signal rod
bearing a signal at each end is provided with two handles on opposite sides of the
fulcrum pin upon which the signal rod is rotated to bring one or other of its signals
in sight outside the mantlet the handles being distinctively marked to indicate the
signal which they bring into view.
"
In Figures 6 7 8 and 9 I have shown the modifications necessary to adapt my
improvements to trench targets a double trench target being shown which can be
employed as two separate targets or as one larger target in the latter case the
bullseye," "inner" and "outer spaces being marked one half upon each target
as represented in dotted lines in Figure 6. The targets are provided with counter
balancing weights R and lever catches S S¹ brought to a normal position by
springs X operated by hand levers T T in one case to retain the target when it
reaches its elevated position and in the other case to prevent a partial return of
the target after reaching its lowermost position thus retaining potentiality in
the counter balance weight until it is required to assist in putting up the target
again into its firing position. The framework of the target to which the grooved
pulley G is attached is provided with a projecting tongue U which when the target
arrives at its elevated position enters an undercut tapering opening V in a
block W.
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. In a rifle target turning upon a hinge or axis at one of its corners for putting
it out from a mantlet or from a trench for firing purposes and taking it under cover
of the mantlet or trench for repairing purposes the quadrant rail serving to guide
and secure the target at another corner substantially as described.
2. In a rifle target as described in the above claiming clause 1 the combination of
the quadrant rail, the guiding pulley running thereon and the wedging device for
securely fastening the target at the limit of its outward travel substantially as
described.
3. In a rifle target as described in the above claiming clause 1 employed as a
trench target the combination of the quadrant rail, the guiding pulley running
thereon and the double stop levers avoiding any recoil movement of the balanced
target when it reaches its limit of outward or inward movement until the levers are
operated to remove the stops substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of February 1892
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicant.