IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO FIRE ARMS AND ORDNANCE
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVIDIUNAL
I THOMAS GILBERT of N° 54 Great Marlborough Street in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO FIRE ARMS AND ORDNANCE" to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction and application to fire arms and
ordnance of a device as hereinafter described having for object to allow of the arm
being sighted or aimed with both eyes open in a better manner than hitherto, as
when using my Invention the sighting or aiming can be effected with certainty and
without confusion of vision.
By my improvements either the whole or part of the barrel, or barrels, and sight
of the arm is or are completely obliterated or screened from the vision of the left
or the right eye (as the case may be) according to whether the firearm is held in
position for aiming from the right or the left eye, both eyes being open.
My Invention consists of a disc or screen made of any suitable material and
adapted to the arm as hereinafter described.
The device or screen will be attached on either the left or right side (as the case
may be) of the stock, barrel, action, frame or mounting of the arm in such a
position as will intercept or screen the vision of the left or the right eye from the
whole or part of the said arm when in position to aim.-At the same time the
vision of the screened oye will be perfectly free to view all space including
the whole of the object to be aimed at, which the arm must to a great extent
I have
obscure from the vision of the other eye when taking an accurate aim.
found that good results may be obtained if the device be placed on the arm from
about six to eighteen inches distant from the eye.
It will be understood that my device or screen is constructed so that it may be
either permanently fixed to or be removable from the arm, or be so fixed to the
arm that when the arm is not in use or otherwise the disc or screen may be turned
or laid flatwise against the stock or other part of the arm.
-
"
1004

page_text: I THOMAS GILBERT of 54 Great Marlborough Street in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR APPLICABLE TO FIRE ARMS AND ORDNANCE" and in what mauner the samo
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
This Invention relates to the construction and application to fire arms and
ordnance of a device as hereinafter described having for object to allow of the arm
being sighted or aimed with both eyes open in a better manner than hitherto, as
when using my Invention, the sighting or aiming can be effected with certainty
and without confusion of vision.
By my improvements either the whole or part of the barrel or barrels, and sight
of the arm is or are completely obliterated or screened from the vision of the left
or the right eye (as the case may be) according to whether the fire arm is held in
position for aiming from the right or the left eye, both eyes being open.
My Invention consists of a disc or screen made of any suitable material and
adapted to the arm as hereinafter described.
The device or screen will be attached on either the left or right side (as the case
may be) of the stock, barrel, action, frame or mounting of the arm in such a
position as will intercept or screen the vision of the left or the right eye from the
whole or part of the said arm when in position to aim. At the same time the
vision of the screened eye will be perfectly free to view all space including the
whole of the object to be aimed at, which the arm must to a great extent obscure
from the vision of the other eye when taking an accurate aim. I have found that
good results may be obtained if the device be placed on the arm from about six to
eighteen inches distant from the eye.
It will be understood that my device or screen is constructed so that it may bo
either permanently fixed to or be removeable from the arm, or be so fixed to the
arm that when the arm is not in use or otherwise the disc or screen may be turned
or laid flatwise against the stock or other part of the arm.
In order to enable my Invention to be fully understood I will proceed to
describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing in which Figure 1
represents a side clevation and Figure 2, a transverse section of a double barrel
sporting gun or rifle with my improvements applied thereto the device or screen
being shewn in the position it occupies when required for use in aiming the gun;
Figures 3 and 4, are similar views to Figures 1 and 2 but shewing the device or
screen turned round out of the way when not required for use; Figure 5 is a side
elevation of the gun shewing the screen removed; Figures 6 and 7 are detached
views of the parts of the device or screen; Figures 8 and 9 are a side elevation and
a transverse section respectively of a single barrel gun or rifle for military purposes
shewing a form of device or screen suitable for this kind of fire arm, the screen
being in position for use; Figures 10, and 11 are similar views of the arm shewing
the position occupied by the screen when turned round out of the way; Figures 12
and 13 are detached views of some of the parts shewing the method of fixing the
device to the arm; Figure 14, is a diagram to explain the principle of the
Invention; all the Figures except Figure 14 are drawn about half full size and
similar letters in all the Figures represent similar parts.
In Figures 1 to 5 a, is a double barrel sporting gun or rifle of ordinary
construction; b, is the device or screen which I adapt to the arm; it may be made

page_text: of steel or other suitable material and is recessed at c, as shewn in Figure 6 (which
represents a vertical section of the screen) to receive a stud or projection d, shewn
in detached elevation at Figure 7 and which is fixed to one of the barrels of the
arm in any suitable manner such as by being soldered thereto just in front of the
cocks e, as shewn or in any other suitable position on the arm; the stud or
projection d, is provided with a depression f, and a groove g, the former serving to
receive a set screw h, which passes through the recessed portion c, of the screen b,
and enters the depression f, whereby the screen b, is held in position for aiming as
shewn in Figures 1 and 2; when the arm is not in use the set screw h, may be
partly unscrewed and the screen b, can then be turned so as to stand lengthwise
with the barrels of the gun as shewn in Figures 3 and 4, and then by tightening
the set screw h, the device will be held firmly in this position or the screen can be
turned and held in any other suitable position; the groove g, when the set
screw h, is partly unscrewed allows the screen b, to be freely rotated into any
position without allowing it to come off the stud or projection d, thereby lessening
the risk of the screen being lost. It will be obvious that when the gun is not in
use the device may be removed altogether from the gun as shewn in Figure 5.
The form and dimensions of the screen or device b, shewn in Figures 1 to 7 are
those which I have found to answer well for all kinds of double shot guns and
double sporting rifles.
In Figures 8 to 13 I have shewn the form of screen or device which I have
found to answer for single barrel, military or sporting guns or rifles. The con-
struction and arrangement of the device is substantially the same
as that
hereinbefore described except that the screen b, is formed with a stem i, fitted in a
socket j, fixed to the lock or other suitable part of the rifle so that the screen can
turn and slide in the said socket; the socket j, is formed with a slit a', at the
back, the two halves of the screen plate of the same being at an angle as shewn in
Figures 12 and 13 (which are a detached plan and front elevation respectively of the
same) so that when the socket is firmly secured to the arm by screwing up the screw h¹,
and fly nut h, the stem i, of the screen b, will be firmly clasped by the socket so as
to hold it securely in position but if the fly nut h, be unscrewed the socket j, will
spring open and allow the screen b, to be adjusted and fixed in different positions
to suit the range; in Figures 8 and 9, the screen is shewn in position for firing.
When the arm is not in use the set screw h, is loosened and the screen b, is turned
a quarter of a revolution as shewn in Figures 10 and 11 so that the sceen b, can
stand lengthwise of the gun towards the breech as shewn in Figures 10 and 11
(or it may be turned towards the muzzle) and the thumb nut h, is then tightened
and the screen will be held in the position shewn. Or the screen may be removed
entirely from the gun.
The socket j, for receiving the stem i, of the screen b, allows of the screen being
raised or lowered to fix the screen at different heights to allow of firing or sighting
at long ranges.
In cases of rifles that are not sighted beyond five hundred yards the sliding part
of the stem i, can be dispensed with.
Instead of the screen b, sliding in the socket j, the height of the screen may be
increased by means of a cap sliding telescope-wise over the screen.
The principle of my Invention will be readily understood by reference to the
diagram at Figure 14 in which a, is the gun; b, my device or screen applied
thereto;, the ordinary back sight and 7, the fore sight; m, and n, represent the
right and left eyes respectively of the person firing the gun; the dotted line
from m, shews the line of sight from the right eye along the barrel of the gun
while the dotted line from n, shews that the device b, will intercept or screen the
vision of the left eye from the whole or part of the gun in front of the screen.
the same time the said left eye will be free to view the surrounding space
including the whole of the object to be aimed at.
At
When both eyes are thus open and fixed on the object to be fired at the said
screen will appear transparent and almost invisible on the arm by reason of the

page_text: vision of the right eye extending beyond it towards the left hand side and that of
the left eye extending beyond it towards the right hand side.
In the Drawings I have shewn my device or screen adapted to the left side of
the gun but it will be obvious that if the gun is to be used for firing from the left
shoulder the device or screen would be placed on the right hand side of the gun so
as to screen the right eye.
The application of my device to ordnance will be substantially the same as that
for hand fire arms and will be understood without further description.
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.) The application to fire arms and ordnance of a device or screen in the manner
and for the purpose substantially as described.
(2.) The combination with a fire arm (or a piece of ordnance) of an adjustable
device or screen adapted to the gun in such a position as to screen the vision of one
eye of the marksman in sighting as hereinbefore. described and represented in the
several Figures of the accompanying Drawing.
(3.) In combination with a fire arm or piece of ordnance the adjustable screen b,
having a recess passing over a stud or projection d, fixed on the gun and provided
with a groove g, to permit of rotating the screen without allowing the screen to
become detached therefrom and an adjustable set screw or its equivalent to permit
the screen to be fixed in position when firing the gun substantially as herein before
described and represented in Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying Drawing.
(4.) In combination with a fire arm or piece of orduance an adjustable screen
having a stem mounted in a socket so constructed as to allow of adjusting the
screen vertically by means of an adjusting device or screw h, and of rotating the
screen in the said socket to allow the screen to be turned in a line with the barrel
of the gun substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in Figures 8
to 13, of the accompanying Drawing.