An Improved Method of Attaching Sights to Small Arms.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1898
AAU
A
1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of Attaching Sights to Small Arms.
I, LESLIE BOWN TAYLOR, of West Hill, Bristol Road, Selly Oak, near Birming-
ham, Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention consists in providing a new form of spring for the leaves of
back sights in position and is also applicable to fore sights.
In ordinary military tangent back sights, the leaf is held in position by a
flat spring extending on the bed of the sight and bearing against a lip or
projection on the base of the leaf.
In my invention I dispense with this spring and substitute a V or two armed
spring; which spring is placed within a bed which is independent of or removable
from the barrel. The lower arm of this spring bears upon the inner side of the
bottom of the bed and the upper arm bears upon an extension on the joint of
the upright sight or leaf.
The sight leaf is pivotted between two projections from the bed in the ordinary
way and a teat is formed on the inner side of the joint which acts as a stop to keep
the leaf in its upright position. When the sight is moved forward over its centre
the upper arm of the spring by its pressure on the said teat, always forces the
sight leaf to recoil into its upright position, so that when applying sights such
as peep sights fitted with my invention to the grip of bolt-guns of the Lee Metford
and similar types this construction of spring and teat will allow the backward
travel of the bolt to throw the sight leaf out of its way and the sight leaf to
recover itself when the bolt has gone home.
The above described bed carrying the sight is dovetailed to the weapon or to
a block upon the weapon, and by extending the lower arm of the V spring its
pressure upon the barrel or block keeps the sight rigid in position at any point
when sliding the bed and sight bodily across the dovetail for wind gauge
purposes. In the case of fixed upright sights I fix a flat spring in the bed and slide
the bed into a dovetail as above described, the spring by its pressure keeping the
sight rigid in any position across its dovetail.
My invention is applicable to all kinds of sights of rifles, revolvers, and pistols,
and when applying it as a peep sight to the Mauser magazine pistol or carbine,
I provide the dovetail in the tangent back sight so that the sight may be moved
across as a wind gauge as before described or readily taken away when it is desired
to use the ordinary sights of these pistols; the raising of the ordinary sight
giving the different elevations for the peep sight when fixed.
L 1
ambon 1800

page_text: An Improved Method of Attaching Sights to Small Arms.
I, LESLIE BOWN TAYLOR, of West Hill, Bristol Road, Selly Oak, near Birming-
ham, Gun Maker, 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 consists in providing a new form of spring for holding the leaves
of backsights in position and is also applicable to foresights.
In ordinary military tangent backsights the leaf is held in position by a flat
spring extending on the bed of the sight and bearing against a lip or projection
un the base of the leaf. In my invention I dispense with this spring and
substitute a V or two armed spring, which spring is placed within a bed which is
independent of, or removable from the barrel. The lower arm of this spring
bears upon the inner side of the bottom of the bed and the upper arm bears
upon an extension on the joint of the upright sight or leaf.
The sight leaf is pivotted between two projections from the bed in the ordinary
way and a teat is formed on the inner side of the joint which acts as a stop to keep
the leaf in its upright position. When the sight is moved forward over its centre
the upper arm of the spring by its pressure on the said teat always forces the sight
leaf to recoil into its upright position, so that when applying sights such as. peep
sights fitted with my invention to the grip of bolt guns of the Lee Metford
and similar types this construction of spring and teat will allow the backward
travel of the bolt to throw the sight leaf out of its way and the sight leaf to recover
itself when the bolt has gone home.
The above described bed carrying the sight is dovetailed to the weapon or to a
block upon the weapon and the pressure of the extended lower arm of the V.spring
upon the barrel or block keeps the sight rigid in position at any point when
sliding the bed and sight bodily across the dovetail for wind gauge purposes.
A similar arrangement to this backsight leaf elevated by a slide moving up
an incline may be used on the grip of sporting guns and rifles to give the
different elevations to my upright peepsight or V or other sight with spring
and dovetail for wind gauge purposes.
For instance in the case of fixed upright sights I fix a flat spring in the bed
and slide the bed into a dovetail formed in the leaf as above described, the spring
by its pressure keeping the sight rigid in any position across its dovetail.
My invention is applicable to all kinds of sights of rifles, revolvers, and pistols
and when applying it as a peepsight to the Mauser magazine pistol or carbine
I provide the dovetail in the tangent backsight so that the sight may be moved
across as a wind guage as before described or readily taken away when it is
desired to use the ordinary sights of these pistols, the raising of the ordinary
sight giving the different elevations for the peepsight when fixed.
I will now more fully describe my invention by aid of the accompanying sheet
of drawings on which similar letters of reference on the various figures refer to
similar parts.
I will first describe my invention as applied to the ordinary tangent backṣight
to be fitted to the barrel of a rifle.
Fig. 1 shews in side elevation, and Fig. 2 in back elevation an ordinary
tangent backsight (a) pivotted between two projections (b) rising from the bed (c);
(d) is the V shaped or two armed spring (shewn in detail Fig. 3) (¹) is the
extended lower arm which bears upon the barrel or the block (h) and (d2) the
upper arm which bears upon the base of the backsight (a).
Fig. 4 shews a backsight applied as a peepsight fitted with my invention to

page_text: the grip of a Lee Metford magazine bolt gun. At the backward travel of the
bolt (f) to operate the arm the peepsight (9) is moved backward over its centre
and allows the bolt to pass, the tilting of the peepsight at the same time com-
pressing the upper arm (d) of the spring (d) (see also Figs. 1 and 2) and bringing
the teat or projection (e) in contact with the spring, so that when the bolt (f)
has gone home the pressure of the arm (2) of the spring (d) on the teat (e)
forces the sight leaf (g) to recoil into its upright position.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the block (h) shewing the dovetail slot (2) across which the
sight bed (c) slides for wind guage purposes (it being shewn on this drawing
Fig. 5 slid from out of its central position), the lower arm (d) by its pressure on
the block (h) (see also Fig. 1), keeping the sight rigid in position at any point
when sliding the bed (c) which carries the sight bodily across the dovetail (2).
I will now describe the form of spring which I use when applying my invention
to the Mauser magazine pistol.
Fig. 6 shews in side elevation the frame of a Mauser magazine pistol (p) with
a sight leaf (1) elevated, and Fig. 7 shews a plan of the same. The sight leaf jis
elevated by a slide (s) moving on it up an incline (t). I form the dovetail (i) at
the front end of the leaf (j), and in the case of fixed upright sights (1) I fix the flat
spring (k) (shewn in detail at Figs. 8 and 9,) in the base or bed (c) of the sight (7).
The pressure of the ends of the spring (k) on the leaf keeping the sight (1) rigid
in any position across the dovetail ().
Fig. 8 shews to an enlarged scale a peepsight with the spring (k) attached.
Fig. 9 shews in plan the same spring upon which is a teat (m) Figs. 8 and 9,
which takes into notches (n) Fig. 7 on the sight leaf (j) to prevent it moving
when firing.
I also construct this form of leaf sight elevated by means of a slide moving
up an incline fitted with wind guage sights as described in Figs. 6 and 7, attached
to the grip of rifles.
I can also apply this flat spring (Fig. 9) to the foresights of rifles.
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. In attaching sights to small arms the use of a V shaped or two armed spring
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
2. In attaching sights to small arms the use of the flat spring (k) as and for
the purposes hercin set forth.
3. In attaching sights to small arms the combination of the spring (k), the
dovetail slot to receive the sight bed, and the leaf elevated by a slide moving up
an incline.
31
1
1000
HENRY F. TALBOT,
30, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agent for the Applicant.