A New Game for Teaching Quickness and Accuracy in Shooting.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 19th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New Game for Teaching Quickness and Accuracy in Shooting.
I, RICHARD MORRIS, of Bennett Park, Blackheath, in the County of Kent
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an amusing and interesting method of teaching soldiers
and sportsmen to aim quickly so that matches can be arranged between squads of
men after the fashion of a cricket match. For this purpose I provide a peculiar
target by which the quickness and accuracy of a person's aim is tested and
recorded on a graduated bar along which an image representing an enemy is moved.
If this figure is not hit it causes a cartridge to be fired as if at the competitor who
has thereupon to retire from the contest. When the figure is hit it falls back and
stops at one of a series of graduations and the competitor obtains a number of
marks greater the less the distance moved by the figure before being hit. The
moving target is of the kind in which an image is attached to a truck which runs
down an inclined bar. I hinge the image to the upper part of the truck keeping it
upright by a light spring or otherwise, but so that on its being struck by a projectile
it falls backwards to a horizontal position, in which position its weight acts with
sufficient leverage to cant a yoke carried by the truck creating such friction that
the truck is stopped near one of a number of graduations under the part of its
course where the image was struck. The falling over of the image may also make
a contact by which an electric current is transmitted to a distance to work an
audible or visible signal which announces that the image has been hit. Near the
end of the truck's course is arranged a trigger and cartridge so that when the truck
arrives, the cartridge is fired indicating by the detonation that the image had not
been struck on its way. In order to raise the image after being struck to upright
position in whatever part of its course it may be, I mount on the inclined bar
forming the course along which the truck runs, a rocking shaft which on the
lowering of one end of the bar is partly turned and by its turning raises the image.
Dated this 16th day of July 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New Game for Teaching Quickness and Accuracy in Shooting.
I, RICHARD MORRIS, of Bennett Park, Blackheath, in the County of Kent,.
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 :-
My invention relates to an amusing and interesting method of teaching soldiers
and sportsmen to aim quickly so that matches_can be arranged between squads of
men after the fashion of a cricket match. For this purpose I provide a peculiar
target by which the quickness and accuracy of a person's aim is tested and recorded
on a graduated bar along which an image representing an enemy is moved. If this
figure is not hit it causes a cartridge to be fired, as if at the competitor, who has
thereupon to retire from the contest. When the figure is hit it falls back and stops
at one of a series of graduations and the competitor obtains a number of marks
greater the less the distance moved by the figure before being hit. The moving.
target is of the kind in which an image is attached to a truck which runs down an
inclined bar. I hinge the image to the upper part of the truck keeping it upright by
Do31

page_text: a light spring or otherwise, but so that on its being struck by a projectile it falls
backwards to a horizontal position, in which position its weight acts with sufficient
leverage to cant a yoke carried by the truck creating such friction that the truck
is stopped near one of a number of graduations under the part of its course where
the image was struck. The falling over of the image may also make a contact by
which an electric current is transmitted to a distance to work an audible or visible
signal which announces that the image has been hit. Near the end of the truck's
course is arranged a trigger and cartridge so that when the truck arrives, the
cartridge is fired indicating by the detonation that the image had not been struck
on its way. In order to raise the image after being struck to an upright position
in whatever part of its course it may be, I mount on the inclined bar forming the
course along which the truck runs, a rocking shaft which on the lowering of one
end of the bar is partly turned and by its turning raises the image.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front view of the target and its frames,
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the apparatus at the back of the bar,
Fig. 3 is a transverse section,
Figs. 4 and 5 are end views of the target posts.
A is a framing to one post of which is pivotted a bar B that can be raised and
lowered by pullies and cords C. On the back of the bar B which is plated with
metal is fixed a trough girder or channel iron D the two flanges of which form
rails for a truck E carrying the image F which is to be fired at. This image
is pivotted on the truck which runs down the incline and is held upright by a
spring G, but when it is hit it falls over as indicated by the dotted lines F
and its weight then acting on one side so cants the truck E bringing it against
one side of the girder D that the truck is stopped in its descent at some
particular graduation on the bar B which gives more merit to the shooter the
nearer it is to the starting point of the image. H is a rod which extends
along the bar B and which serves to raise the image F when it has fallen, in
the following manner. On lowering the end of the bar B the curved arm K
which carries the rod H comes against a tappet L pivotted on one of the end
posts of the target frame, and the rod H is thus lifted raising the image F to
its upright position. When the image is not hit during its course, it continues
to run down until an arm M projecting from the truck E moves a trigger N
releasing a striker P which fires a cartridge Q, this indicating that the marks-
man has failed in his aim.
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 herein described method of teaching quickness and accuracy of aiming by
the stopping of a travelling image fired at, when hit at particular parts of its course,
and by its firing a cartridge at the end of its course when it is not hit.
2. The target apparatus for operating in the manner above referred to, sub-
stantially as herein described.
Dated this 10th day of Anril 1809