An Improved Apparatus for Teaching and Checking Aiming and Firing in Shooting.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 10th June, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Teaching and Checking Aiming and
Firing in Shooting.
I, ERNST STARK, of Offenbach on the Main, in the Empire of Germany, Manu-
facturer, 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 has for its object an apparatus intended more particularly for
military purposes which is intended to serve not only for considerably facilitating
the teaching of aiming, but also for accurately checking the operations of the
pupil and exactly determining errors according to their nature and effective
extent.
Various appliances already exist by means of which it is possible to exactly
adjust a weapon on a given mark, but this is done always by means of subsidiary
means such as screws, levers, inclined planes and the like.
In the present invention however the object is not to obtain an exact adjust-
ment of the weapon by means of various subsidiary appliances but to enable a
man with the weapon in its natural position to aim freely, the apparatus being
also intended to indicate the errors which he makes in doing this in such a way
that the instructor in shooting does not require to look over the sights and aim."
The great advantages of the present appliance consist both in the much surer,
more rapid and easier carrying out of the aiming instruction and also in a
thoroughly natural handling of the weapon, exactly as in actual shooting.
The apparatus also relieves the pupil from the mistakes and errors from which
even the best shooting instructors are not entirely free, as the learner after
aiming can himself equally well ascertain his errors by means of the apparatus
independently of the instructor. Finally this improved apparatus affords the
possibility of exactly ascertaining even in old guns, the extent and direction or
nature of errors or defects arising from time which can seldom be determined by
the eye alone, such for instance as fouling, deflection, sticking of the sights,
holding too high or too low, the uncertain, shaking holding of the gun at the
moment of firing, and the like, the manipulations of aiming being checked by
the apparatus without actual firing of a cartridge. It can also be ascertained at
any time what aim the man has taken at the time of firing and where and to
what extent there is an error in the weapon.
One form of construction is shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings, in front view and horizontal section respectively.
The improved apparatus is constructed in such a way that it may be exactly
adjusted to aim at a given mark with the pointers loose, and the pointers be then
placed at zero and fixed on their spindles.
The apparatus consist of a foot a, an upright b revoluble therein and a gun
support c. The latter is vertically revoluble on the upright b which is itself
horizontally revoluble. On the rear end of the carrier c there is arranged a
clamp e transversely revoluble. In this clamp e a gun is held by means of a

page_text: screw in such a way that the stock rests in front in the fork d. The move-
ments of the clamp e, carrier c and upright b may be regulated by means of set
screws r and k respectively in such a way that they oppose no appreciable re-
sistance to the movements of the gun, but the latter may be adjusted in any
desired position. The turn of the gun on its longitudinal axis is indicated by
a pointer t on a scale u. As the deviations from the mark (target) are always
quite small the pointers must have a considerably larger relative movement.
order to obtain this increased movement, arms w and w¹ are arranged on the
carrier which is loosely mounted on the upright b. Between these arms,
cords y are stretched which are passed one or more times round the spindle z of
the pointer or index m and may be tightened by means of a screw a.
In
The apparatus is employed in the following manner: The clamp screws 1
holding the pointers n and m firmly on their spindles are first loosened, in order
that the pointers may move freely. The gun clamped in the manner herein-
before described is then aimed at the mark, in which position by means of the
screw the apparatus is exactly fixed horizontally.. The pointers n and m are
placed at zero and screwed fast on their shafts and the apparatus is, ready for
use. The learner has then the task of aiming at the-point for which the weapon
was adjusted. On his firing, the apparatus shows at once constantly in what
manner he is aiming, and it also shows after the shot the extent and direction of
any errors made in the aiming. In place of a string, cord or the like strung
between the armis ww any other suitable means such as friction rollers, toothed
racks or the like may of course be employed for transferring the movements to
the pointer spindles.
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:-
An apparatus for teaching and checking aiming and firing in shooting,
characterised by the movements of the gun which is firmly screwed in a carrier (c)
being transmitted to the spindles (2) of pointers by means of arms (w w¹) fixed
respectively on the carrier itself and on the horizontally revoluble upright (b)
supporting said carrier, the transmission taking place by means of cords (y)
strings, friction 1ollers, rackbars or the like, the pointers or indices (n m) being
fixed on said spindles (2) only after the apparatus has been set or adjusted on a
given mark, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 24th day of April 1899.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.