SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR RIFLE RANGES to be as follows
Year: 1885

page_text: I, RICHARD MORRIS, of Bennett Park, Blackheath in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "SAFETY APPLIANCE
FOR RIFLE RANGES to be as follows :—
"
In rifle shooting on ranges, if the fire arm is not properly aimed and sighted the
projectile is liable to do damage by deviating laterally or by ricochetting from the
ground. My invention relates to an appliance to be used on rifle ranges, to provide
against such damage, by restricting the projectile within safe limits, as I will
explain referring to the accompanying diagram, representing the longitudinal
section of a range from the shooting stage S to the target T. In order to ensure
that in no part of its course the projectile should strike the ground, I raise the
shooting stage S and the target T several feet above the ground level Ġ. I make
the shooting stage with a gentle slope on its upper surface so that men of various
heights may take such positions on it as will always bring their fire arms to about
the same level. Between the shooting stage S and the target T I interpose, for
short ranges a single shed A, and for long ranges two such sheds A and B, which
may be of wood plated outside. Through those sheds I make apertures, a lower
aperture C, D, in each case being in the straight line of sight to the bull's eye, and
an upper aperture E and F in each case being in the line of the tragectory of the
projectile. The marksman aims through the lower apertures C, D, but, his rifle
being sighted for the tragectory, the projectile passes through the upper
apertures E. F. These apertures are edged with steel plates, converging towards
one another, so that if the projectile should hit them, it or its fragments are
reffected at an angle so as to meet and be arrested by the sides or cover of the shed,
or to strike the ground within the shed.
For different firing positions, standing, kneeling, or lying, several sets of apertures
may be made through the sheds, or the shooting stage may be raised or lowered or
made with steps to suit one set of apertures.
.

page_text: 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 :-
In rifle shooting on ranges, if the fire arm is not properly aimed and sighted the
projectile is likely to do damage by deviating laterally or by ricochetting from the
ground. My invention relates to an appliance to be used on rifle ranges to provide
against such damage by restricting the projectile within safe limits, as I will
explain referring to the accompanying diagram, representing the longitudinal
section of a range from the shooting stage S to the target T. In order to ensure 1
that in no part of its course the projectile should strike the ground, I raise the
shooting stage S and the target T several feet above the ground level G, I make
the shooting stage with a gentle slope on its upper surface so that men of various
heights may take such positions on it as will always bring their fire arms to about
the same level. Between the shooting stage S and the target TI interpose for 1
short ranges a single shed A, and for long ranges two such sheds A and B, which
may be of wood plated outside. Through those sheds I make apertures, a lower
aperture C, D in each case being in the straight line of sight to the bull's eye, and
an upper aperture E and F in each case being in the line of the tragectory of the
projectile. The marksman aims through the lower apertures C, D, but his rifle
being sighted for the trajectory, the projectile passes through the upper
apertures E, F. These apertures are edged with steel plates converging towards
one another so that if the projectile should hit them, it or its fragments are
reflected at an angle so as to meet and be arrested by the sides or cover of the shed,
or to strike the ground within the shed. It is also of advantage to provide inclined
catch plates H to reflect downwards fragments in case of the projectile striking the
lower plates of the apertures E F. and being reflected upwards.
The walls of the sheds or the screens may be constructed double, of rough
boarding with a space of about nine inches between the two sets of boards, this
space being filled in with loose pebbles about the size of walnuts, which serve to
arrest the projectiles that may be badly aimed, without rendering expensive plating
necessary.
For different firing positions, standing kneeling or lying, several sets of apertures
may be made through the sheds, or the shooting stage may be raised or lowered or
made with steps to suit one set of apertures.

page_text: 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:-
In a rifle range, providing for safety a screen having an aperture edged with
inclined steel plates in line of the tragectory of the projectile, or several such
screens and apertures, besides an aperture or apertures in the straight line of sight,
substantially as herein described.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.