Iм- PROVEMENTS IN SIGHTS FOR BIBLES AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles William Lancaster, of New Bond Street,
in the County of Middlesex, Gun Maker, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN SIGHTS FOR BIBLES AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS"
Sealed the 31st May 1861, and dated the 5th December 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles William Lancaster:
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th December 1860.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM LANCASTER, of New Bond Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Gun Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGHTS FOB RIFLES AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists first, in a new sight, and, second, in an improvement
upon what are known as tangent sights.
My new sight is intended chiefly for long distances, but may be used for
all distances. It is composed of two parts, first, of a hinged sight fixed to
the side of the stock of the gun, and, second, of a bar having a movable slide,
which is hooked, hinged, or fitted to the side of the fore part of the stock, so
as to bang or depend therefrom.
My improvement in tangent sights consists in forming the sliding bar in
such manner that it may be made to slide laterally as well as vertically.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles William Lancaster in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WILLIAM LANCASTER, of New Bond Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gun
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles William Lancaster, Her special licence that I, the said
Charles William Lancaster, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Charles William Lancaster, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGHTS FOR RIFLES AND OTHER FIRE-ARMS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles William
Lancaster, my executors. or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent. Oflice within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles William Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the ful-
lowing statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:
My Invention consists, first, in a new sight, and, second, in an improvement
upon what are known as tangent sights.
My new sight is intended chiefly for long distances, but may be used for
all distances. It is composed of two parts, first, of a hinged sight fixed to the
side of the stock of the gun, and, second, of a bar having a movable slide
which is hooked, hinged, or fitted to the side of the fore part of the stock,
so as to hang or depend therefrom.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a face view of the sight fixed

page_text: to the side of the stock shewn closed; and Figure 2 is a plan of the same
sight open; Figure 3 is a face; and Figure 4 an end view of the foresight,
which is hinged to the upper band on the fore part of the stock; Figure 5
is a side elevation of a rifle with the sights applied to it.
a is a metal plate screwed to the stock of the gun, to which the plate b
is binged; c is a block free to slide on the plate b; e is a bar which when
applied is suspended from the fore part of the stock, as seen at Figure 5;
f is a sight free to slide on the bar, and g is an adjusting screw. To use the
sight or to take the alignment, draw out the plate b when it will project at
right angles or nearly so from the stock, adjust the sight
bring the eye, the block c, sight f, and the object in a
on the bar e, and
line, the gun will
receive the necessary elevation as shewn by the dotted lines A, B.
'
. Instead of hanging the bar e to the fore part of the stock, I sometimes
adopt the following arrangement:-I insert a slotted metal plate in the side
of the stock, I attach a bar of metal to the stock at the back of this plate,
and connect the bar and plate by means of a cross piece, one end of which.
is hinged. to the outer end and inner side of the bar, while the other end
carries a pin free to slide in the slot in the plate; part of the inner side of
the bar is cut away to allow of the cross piece lying between it and the.
slotted plate. The bar is grooved on its outer face to receive a sliding bar
carrying at one end a sight arranged in such manner that when the parts
are closed it lies flush with the plate; there is another sight at the rear of.
the bar similar to that shewn in the arrangement first described.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of a rifle fitted with sights according to the:
arrangement last described, the full lines showing the sights closed, and the
dotted lines the position they assume when opened out for use; Figure 7:
is a plan of the sights open for use.
a is the bar connected to the side of the stock by the stud or pivot_b, on
which it is free to move; the inner side of this plate has a portion cut away
to make room for the cross piece c, which is jointed to the fore part of the
inner side of the plate a. The cross piece c carries a stud at its inner end,
which enters and is free to slide in the slot d in the plate e let into the
stock of the gun; f is a bar free to slide in a groove in the bar a; g is the
bäck, and h the fore sight. The sight g is hinged to the rear end of the
bar a, and carries a tongue k, which when the sight is closed or shut up
enters a slot formed in the bar a, and in the side of the stock locks the bars,
and the sight lies flush with the bars a and f; the sight h is hinged to the
fore part of the bar f, and is arranged in a similar manner to the other; l
is a screw to maintain the cross piece c in position when adjusted.

page_text: To use the instrument draw out the two sights g and h, draw down the
bar a, and extend the bar f. It will be seen, the cross piece c in this
arrangement performs the office of the bar e in the arrangement first herein-
before described.
My improvement in tangent sights consists in forming the sliding bar in
such manner that, it may be made to slide laterally as well as vertically.
For this purpose I form a compound bar, as shewn in face view at Figure 8,
and in side elevation at Figure 9. The part a embraces the frame of the
sight, and is free to move up and down thereon, carrying with it the slotted
part e, which is free to move in a direction across the frame to an extent
determined by the length of the slots and the screws c, c. These screws
also serve to secure the part e to the part a; d, is a finger piece or knob for
pressing on to cause the part e to move, or instead of moving the part e by
means of a finger piece I use a screw, and cause it to work in a nut on the.
piécé e, as shewn in section at Figure 10; by turning a button on one end of
the screw the part e is moved across the sight as required.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my
improvements in sights for rifles and other fire-arms,
First, forming sights of two parts, one a hinged sight fixed to the side
of the stock of the gun, and the other a bar having a moveable slide hanging
from the fore part thereof, substantially as herein-before described with reference
to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the accompanying Drawings, also the modi-
fication shewn at Figures 6 and 7.
And, second, forming the sliding bar in what are known as tangent sights,
in such manner that it may be caused to slide laterally as well as vertically,
as herein-before described with reference to Figures 8, 9, and 10 of the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles William Lancaster, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-one.
CHARLES W. LANCASTER. (L.S.)