Improvements in " 'Sights" for Fire-arms, Rocket Tubes, Ordnance, and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 25th July, 1896-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in " 'Sights" for Fire-arms, Rocket Tubes, Ordnance,
and the like.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES ELDON SERJEANT, of 3 Elm Court, Temple, in the
County of Middlesex, Lieutenant-Colonel 5th Rifle Brigade (The Prince
Consort's Own) do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in sights for fire arms of various sorts
including cannon and rocket tubes, the objects which I have in view being to
devise a sighting arrangement which will be more distinct than the existing
sights, more accurate and in the case of pistols and revolvers will largely remove
the "horizontal defect" likely to occur with the present sights.
The sights at present chiefly used consist of two parts the back sight which
is a flat plate or leaf with a V groove in it, and the fore-sight which is in one
case a projecting plate viewed end wise through the back-sight and slightly tapered
and rounded at the top. In some cases the fore-sight has a partly conical neck
terminating in a spherical head. It can hardly be denied that such "sights"
as these require very careful adjustment and one great drawback to them is that
the object aimed at unless very large is absolutely obscured as the point of the
fore-sight, which is of considerable size in proportion to the V opening of the
back-sight obscures the object aimed at.
In carrying out my invention I seek to obviate these drawbacks and provide a
sight which remedies them.
In constructing the back-sight I employ a leaf or plate substantially as now
used but in it I form a triangular recess with the open apex at the top, and
into this I insert a piece of ivory or other suitable material of a light or strongly
attractive nature so as to instantaneously define the precise outlines of the opening
in the back-sight. Or instead of inserting a piece of ivory, celluloid, or other
material, I may simply brighten or colour (white for example) the edges of the
groove or in any other manner render them clear and distinctive. For use at
night both sights or the outlines thereof may be painted with luminous paint.
The foresight I make preferably of a plate or block viewed end wise through the
back-sight and tapered or coned towards the top or head, the head itself being
formed triangular and of such a size that when viewed through the back-sight its
edges will either precisely coincide with the lines of the back-sight or, and this is
preferable, will show slightly smaller so that the lines of light between the inner
edges of the back-sight and the outer edges of the fore-sight will clearly indicate
the precise positions. It will be noticed that with this arrangement of sight there
is a clear and distinctive horizontal line on the back-sight and also a similar one on
the fore-sight and the bottom of the triangular head represents a horizontal line
while the apex or top of the head represents the point to be aimed at, appearing
The
to the eye as merely a point which does not obscure the object aimed at.
sides of the fore-sight I prefer to bevel towards the muzzle of the weapon so that
only the flat forward end face may be viewed.
These distinct horizontal lines at the base of the sight serve to clearly indicate
to the marksman the position in which he is holding the weapon and therefore to
enable him to correct the before mentioned "horizontal defect."
The viewed face of the fore-sight and those portious of the back-sight other than
the triangular sight itself I prefer to furrow or roughen and blacken for the sake

page_text: of distinctness, the roughening grooving or furrowing being employed for the
purpose of more efficiently retaining the blackening material.
In a modified form the same general outlines and construction are employed but
instead of lining the whole of the triangular opening in the back-sight with white
material or as before described otherwise rendering it distinctive, I, in this
modification, merely render distinctive the two side walls or edges the bottom
being formed by or coinciding with the flange of the back-sight. With this back-
sight I form the fore-sight as before described, excepting that the lower portion
say the lower half of the triangular head is whitened or other vise rendered
distinctive in such a manner that when the back of the fore-sight is viewed
through the fore-sight this whitened or distinctive portion forms the base of the
triangle so that the appearance is similar to that described in the first arrange-
ment; the upper end of the triangular head. being blackened or otherwise rendered
distinctive from the other parts and appearing as the black triangle as in the first
instance though rather smaller.
In a further modification the same idea is carried out but the whitening of the
back-sight is entirely dispensed with and the whole of the triangular head of the
fore-sight is whitened or rendered distinctive so that the marksman when viewing
the fore-sight through the opening in the back-sight sees merely a white triangle.
With this arrangement of whitened fore-sight I prefer that the view-face should
be somewhat inclined, the apex of the triangle being further from the eye of the
marksman than the base the object being to allow the light to strike well upon the
sight.
I wish it to be understood that I do not bind myself to the precise forms or
arrangements above described and that I may deviate materially from those
without departing from the spirit of my invention.
Dated this 25th day of October 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in "Sights" for Fire-arms, Rocket Tubes, Ordnance,
and the like.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES ELDON SERJEANT, of 3 Elm Court, Temple, in the
County of Middlesex, Lieutenant-Colonel 5th Rifle Brigade (The Prince
Consort's Own), 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:-
sights.
This invention relates to improvements in sights for fire-arms of various sorts,
including cannon and rocket tubes, the objects which I have in view being to
devise a sighting arrangement which will be more distinct than the existing sights,
more accurate, and, in the case of pistols and revolvers, will largely remove the
"horizontal defect "
(i.e. lateral deviation of aim) likely to occur with the present
The sights at present chiefly used consist of two parts, the back-sight, which is
a flat plate or leaf with a V groove in it, and the fore-sight which is in one case a
projecting plate viewed endwise through the back-sight and slightly tapered and
rounded at the top. In some cases the fore-sight has a partly conical neck
terminating in a spherical head. It can hardly be denied that such "sights" as
these require very careful adjustment and one great draw back to them is that the
object aimed at unless very large is absolutely obscured, as the point of the fore-
sight, which is of considerable size in proportion to the V-o ening of the back
sight, obscures the object aimed at.

page_text: In carrying out my invention I seek to obviate these drawbacks and provide a
sight which remedies them.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 is a rear elevation of an improved back sight according to this
invention;
Figure 2 is a rear elevation of an improved fore-sight, also according to this
invention;
Figure 3 is a perspective rear view of the improved fore-sight to a larger scale
than that of Figures 1 and 2; and
Figure 4 is a rear elevation, showing both fore-sight and back sight in the
relationship in which they ought to appear to the user of the weapon upon which
they are fitted when that weapon is properly aimed. The sights illustrated in
Figures 1 to 4 are military revolver sights. A target revolver sight is illustrated
in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8,
Figure 5 being a rear elevation of the fore-sight,
Figure 6 a rear elevation of an improved back-sight for use with the fore-sight
shown in Figure 5
Figure 7 an enlarged perspective rear view of the fore-sight shown in Figure 5,
and
Figure 8 a rear view showing the sights Figures 5 & 6 in the aiming position,
being a view similar to Figure 4;
Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12 are similar respectively to Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 and
illustrate an alternative construction of target revolver sights.
With reference first to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, it will be seen that the back sight
(Figure 2) has a central notch A somewhat resembling in shape an inverted V, the
apex of the triangle being left open, B is a clean-cut ivory lining fitted to the
aperture A as shown.
The fore-sight Figure 1 has a triangular head C which preferably is finely
checkered or roughened at its rear end as illustrated in Figure 3, in order to show
and keep in the "black." By reference to Figure 4 which shows the head C of
the fore-sight seen through the notch A in the back-sight it will be observed that
a clear well-defined sight is produced because the lines or surfaces C¹ C² of the
fore-sight (Figure 3) which make an angle with each other and are respectively
parallel or made so as to appear parallel with the similar lines or surfaces B1 B2 of
the back-sight, are brought into more or less perfect coincidence therewith in
sighting the fore-sight centrally through the notch of the back sight; thus the
aforesaid horizontal defect or lateral deviation is comparatively easy of correction,
simultaneous correction for deviation in the vertical plane being obtained with
these sights the eye being guided to correct these defects by the aid of the
conspicuous white base lines furnished by the notch in the back sight.
In aiming, the tip of the fore-sight should be brought immediately under the
object; this system of sighting thus affords an absolutely clear field of vision, and
in addition thereto a very much "finer" fore-sight than is afforded by either
military or target sights as hereto usually constructed.
It is not absolutely essential that the fore-sight should be triangular or that the
lines or surfaces of fore-sight and back-sight should be straight lines, as long as
similarity of more or less angular form exists between the fore-sight as seen from
the rear and the notch in the back sight through which it is to be viewed; the
preferred form however is a triangular fore-sight and a correspondingly-shaped
angular notch in the back-sight, both of them being bounded by right lines as
shown.
The two lines or surfaces of the fore-sight are preferably in one plane
transverse to the axis of the barrel and the same remark applies to the lines or
surfaces by which the notch in the back-sight is bounded; but if desired these
lines or surfaces might be in different planes one slightly behind another in each
sight.
In the alternative construction illustrated in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, a slightly

page_text: different method of contrasting the light and dark portions of the two sights is
indicated that is to say, the ivory lining B of the notch in the back sight is made
to be visible only at the opposite sides of the notch, being concealed at the bottom
of the notch by a metallic portion of the sight, whilst a strip C³ of ivory is let into
the triangular portion C of the fore-sight to constitute the lower portion of the
head thereof and contrast with the portion of the fore-sight immediately above it
when the two sights are brought into line in the manner indicated in Figure 8, and
to contrast also with the dark base of the notch in the back sight. The triangular
tip of the fore-sight is finely checkered or roughened as in the preceding example,
in order to show and keep in the "black"; the ivory part of the triangular portion
of the fore-sight is sloped forward from its base upwards so that it may catch and
reflect the light.
The top or triangle of the fore-sight which is formed of the ivory and the
"black" tip, when viewed from the rear presents the equilateral appearance
depicted in Figure 5. In order to allow for the effect of distance on the vision the
ivory on the fore-sight is of such dimensions that when the sights are brought
into line as in aiming it presents an equivalent show of ivory to that on the sides
of the notch and forms as it were a bright base to that notch as indicated in
Figure 8.
In the further modification illustrated in Figures 9, 10, 11, 12 the rear face C4
of the fore-sight (Figure 9) is entirely of ivory and no ivory is applied to the back-
sight Figure 10. The ivory layer C is sloped backward and forward from its base
to its point in order to catch and reflect the light.
All the back-sights hereinbefore referred to should preferably be finely checkered
or roughened so as to show and keep in the "black."
Instead of ivory hereinbefore referred to, any other suitable material of a
luminous nature or strongly attractive to the sight and which will instantaneously
define the precise outlines of the notch in the back-sight or the point of the fore-
sight may be employed for these parts, which for instance may be simply
brightened or coloured. For use at night both the sights or the outlines thereof
may be painted with luminous paint. Preferably the foresight shows slightly
smaller when viewed through the notch in the back sight so that the lines of light
between the inner edges of the back-sight notch and the outer edges of the fore-
sight will clearly indicate the precise relative positions of the sights.
It will be noticed that with the foregoing arrangements of sights there is a clea.
and distinctive horizontal line on the back sight and also a similar one on the fore-
sight. The apex or top of the head of the fore-sight represents the point to be
aimed at, appearing to the eye as merely a point which does not obscure the object
aimed at.
The sides of the fore-sight I prefer to bevel towards the muzzle of the weapon
(see C5 in Figures 3, 7 and 11) so that only the flat end face presented towards
the back-sight may be viewed in sighting.
These sights are greatly superior to any at present in use. The system of
sighting is not only conducive to extreme accuracy but it enables comparatively
inexperienced persons and those afflicted with weak vision to shoot with a precision
that, under the present system of sighting would be impossible.
The invention is not limited to the precise forms or arrangements above
described which may be modified without departure from the nature of the
invention.
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. Sights for fire-arms in which two or more lines or surfaces of one sight at an
angle with each other and respectively parallel or made to appear to from the rear
with similar lines or surfaces of the other sight are brought into more or less
perfect coincidence therewith for the purpose described.

page_text: 2. In sights for fire-arms, obtaining from coinciding sights simultaneous
correction for the two deviations described.
3. A triangular or equivalent angular fore-sight substantially as and for the
purpose described.
4. For fire-arms a fore-sight and back-sight of the kind described with light and
dark portions contrasted in the manner indicated in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the
accompanying drawings.
5. A fore-sight substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1, and 3, or
Figures 5 and 7, or Figures 9 and 11 of the accompanying drawings.
6. A back-sight substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 or
Figure or Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of July 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.