A Holder or Stand for Rifles, Field and other Guns, and Fire-arms.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Holder or Stand for Rifles, Field and other Guns, and
Fire-arms.
.
I, FRIEDRICH EDUARD HEINRICH, of 8 Friedrichstrasse, Stuttgart-on-the-
Neckar, in the Empire of Germany, Merchant, 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 :-
The present invention consists of a holder or stand for rifles and field and other
guns, by means of which the weapon inay be reliably aimed or trained mechanically
and independently of the capability of the shooter, provision being also made for
the recoil and return after firing.
The device consists maiuly of a horizontally arranged fixed guide plate having
either a convex or a concave guiding surface and a slide block movable thereon, to
which the weapon is attached. An adjustable stop is provided on the guide, said
stop being adjusted to a point on the slide corresponding to the pro-supposed
known distance of the object to be aimed at, so that when the slide, with the
weapon attached thereto, is advanced along the eaid guide until it comes against
the stop, the weapon will be aimed or trained and have the proper elevation to
cause the shot to hit the mark without requiring any adjustment from the shooter
manipulating it. At firing the shot the weapon, together with the slide block, is
enabled to recoil freely on the guide and niay then be pushed forward by hand
until it reaches the stop, or mechanically, in the case of heavy guns, for firing the
next shot. When the weapon, with its slide, has reached the stop on the guide it
will be in its proper firing position without requiring readjustment.
And in order to render the present specification more readily understood
reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which the same letters denote
similar parts throughout the several views.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the device.
Fig. 2, a plan and Fig. 3, a transverse section, the slide carrying the rifle being
adapted to move on a concave guide.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing a convex guide.
Fig. 5, a plan of Fig. 4 and Fig. 6, a transverse section.
The base plate of the apparatus has the form of a sector S, which is fixed by
suitable means in an accurately horizontal position. On this base plate is mounted
the guide a on a pivot a', which is capable of horizontal adjustment by means of a
scale or register as and set scrow a. A slide block b is arranged movably on the
concave sliding surface of the guide a and has the weapon attached to it in any
suitable manner.
In the drawings the rifle is shown attached to the slide by means of metal
strips & suitably screwed down. In the modification shown at Figs. 4 to 6 an
additional strap 9 is provided, the ends of which are attached to the rear end of
the slide, whilst the loop thus formed is passed round the end of the butt of the
gun. This device effectually prevents a longitudinal movement of the weapon on
the slide. The slide b may also be provided with antifriction rollers.
A stope is provided on the guide a, which is adjustable thereon in a slot c
having a scale as shown. The slide block is provided with a projection d adapted

page_text: to be brought into contact with the stop c and remain in contact with the same
whilst the weapon is being fired off.
The device shown in Figs. 4 to 6 is the same as the one described with the
exception that the guide surfaces for the slide block are convex instead of
concave.
The above described device offers numerous advantages which will be apparent
from the following description of the various applications of the same.
Thus, for instance, in the case of a siege, the besieging party, as well as the
besieged, could arrange a number of the holders or stands, containing weapons,
aimed to cover certain important points, such as bridges, passes and the like. For
this purpose each stand or holder is properly adjusted to a horizontal position by
means of a water level, and under suitable covering; thus a number of the stands
may be arranged on a horizontally disposed block or beam as base, whereupon the
guides a are turned on their pivots to the proper direction and secured in such
position by means of the set screw a. The stop e is then adjusted in a position to
give the weapon the proper angle of elevation when the, projection of the slido
strikes or rests against the said stop.
same.
In firing rifles or working guns thus mounted, it will only be necessary for the
person manipulating the weapon to push the same forward until the projection of
the slide strikes the stop e and then, after having loaded the gun, to discharge the
After the recoil has taken place the weapon inay be again advanced and
The above described manipulation of the weapon enables the most rapid firing to
be accomplished combined with the most accurate aim possible independently of the
practice of the men.
again fired.
One particular advantage of the device is that guns which have been previously
adjusted to cover certain points can be worked just as well by night us by day.
The invention may be employed in the field as well as in connection with sieges,
in order to prevent the advance of an enemy at any particularly important points,
the application of the device in such caso being the same as above described. It is
however advisable in such cases to substitute a sharpened stake or pole for the
sector like base plate, which may then be rammed into the earth or into a hedge or
mound and thus serve to support the holder.
The device may also be employed by day or night to fire upon points of varying
distances without changing the position of the base plate S. It will be sufficient it
the direction in the horizontal plane and the distance away of the object to be fired
on are known, when it will ouly be necessary to instruct the men in each case to
what extent the guide should be adjusted on the base plate S and the stop c on the
guide.
The device is particularly advantageous for use at shooting ranges in trying new
guns, since it enables each gun to be more reliably controlled than is the case with
the devices hitherto employed for this purpose. The accuracy of the position of
the sight and the nature of the barrel and the ammunition can be more accurately
ascertained.
The present device may also be adapted for heavy guns.as also for all sorts of
fire-arms and particularly for torpedo tubes, pistols and revolvers and for letting off
rockets. In the case of heavy guus it is advisable to break the recoil by means of
the well known break devices.
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. A stand or holder for mechanically adjusting the position of fire-arms,
consisting of a slide attached to the fire-arm and movably mounted on either a
concave or a convex guide provided with stops for the purpose of adjusting the
fire-arni both as to direction and elevation while at the same time permitting of the
recoil of the arm.

page_text: 2. A stand or holder for fire-arms constructed substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 17th day of November 1896.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.