Improvements in Targets.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 26th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
Improvements in Targets.
I, JAMES EDWARD PRICE of Gresford Mills, Gresford, in the County of
Denbigh, Corn Miller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object an arrangement of target which can be changed
at will from the ordinary small bull's eye to the large bull's eye.
In carrying my invention into effect, I propose, in some cases to paint the target
for a large bull's eye and arrange a small bull's eye, with its two outside circles, on
a separate plate, arranged to fit on to the large ball's eye, or the large bull's eye
can be arranged to be in a separate piece fitting a hole in the target or even
arranged on pivots in the target.
་
This bull's eye can have on its back a small bull's eye and two concentric circles
painted thereon. By then simply rotating the bull's eye on its pivot, or still better
taking it out of its frame and replacing it with back to front in a reverse way to
what it was before, the small bull's eye appears instead of the large bull's eye.
In actual practice, the target may consist of the usual plate target with a recess
for the large bull's eye. The recess is so drained or arranged that any water that
falls on it, such as rain, shall drain out on the back, and thus not tend to dirty the
remainder of the front of the target below.
Into this recess so formed in the target, the removable target formed of one large
bull's eye, on one side, and a small bull's eye with two concentric circles on the
other side, is fitted, and thus either bull's eye can be used as desired.
The target is marked with grooves in the usual manner outside the bull's eye and
can be of the largest size and blackened round the outside when required for the
Bisley and other sized targets.
I have described one way in which my invention may be carried into effect, but
it is obvious that various alterations may be made without departing from the
principle of the invention, thus when making the change from a second class target
to a third class target, I prefer to so construct the target that the 12 inch borders
may be made to fold back so as to be out of view when shooting at short ranges.
It is also obvious, that the reversing of the bull's eye is not the only way to bring
about a change in the target, as in some cases, I propose to use more plates than
one, each one having a long spindle to it, so as to enable the marker to push them
out clear of the recess. In such cases the target is made with two or more
concentric recesses for these plates.
The improved target may be made in miniature, such as is used in shooting with
a revolver or Morris tube. In this latter case either one plate or more than one
may be used to make up a target.
The invention enables the target to be adjusted at pleasure according to whether
shooting is taking place at short or long ranges.
Dated this 24th day of February 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Targets.
I, JAMES EDWARD PRICE of Gresford Mills, Gresford in the County of
Denbigh, Corn Miller, 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 relates to targets. An ordinary course of musketry instruction
consists of shooting in three classes, 1st, 2nd. and 3rd, and the usual target plate is
six feet high and two feet wide.
To make up the various sized targets therefore, one, two or more of these plates
have hitherto been placed together side by side; thus if No. 1 class is to be made
into No. 2, one plate has to be drawn back or taken away, and if No. 2 class is to
be made into No. 3, another plate must be removed. Moreover the bull's eyes
have had to be washed out and painted on again with each change of class and this
not only causes waste of time but spoils the appearance of the target.
Now my invention has for its principal object certain improved arrangements of
target for more easily enabling a target to be adjusted at pleasure according to
whether shooting is taking place at short or long ranges and for bringing about a
change from the small bull's eye to one of the larger sizes or vice versa.
It will be understood from the following description reference being had to the
accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a sectional plan of one arrangement of my target showing how the
changing of the bull's eyes is brought about.
Figure 2 a similar view showing a slight modification;
Figure 3 a back elevation of a changeable target with hinged bull's eye turned
back;
Figure 4 a cross section;
Figures 5 and
targets;
front elevations of arrangements for making up various class
Figures 7 and 8 cross sections of same; and
Figure 9 a miniature target.
I will first describe my arrangement for changing the bull's eyes. In one of its
simplest forms, I paint the target with a bull's eye and arrange one or more smaller
bull's eyes with its two outside circles on separate plates arranged to fit on to the
large bull's eye, or the large bull's eye instead of being painted on the target can
be arranged in a separate piece fitting a hole in the target, or even arranged on
- pivots in the target.
Figures I and show two arrangements of my invention, in which A is the
target with concentric recesses on its face. B C D separate or removable plates
forming various sized bull's eyes which fit into the recesses in the target. It is
immaterial whether the largest plate B fit into a recess in the target or not, and
moreover it will be obvious that a circular ring of iron or paper may be placed
round the smaller plate C as a substitute for plate B. The recesses are so drained
by forming a sinall hole at the bottom part of the recess leading to the back of the
target so that any water that falls on them shall drain out of the back and thus not
tend to dirty the remainder of the front of the target below. The plates being
inserted in the recesses enable the marker, to see from the side screen the shot
marks on the far side of the target as well as on the near side and moreover there
is no shadow thrown by the plates. These concentric recesses may be of any
suitable depth or diameter to receive the plates C and D and the bull's eyes on the
said plates are drawn the regulation size. Coiled springs, if so desired, may be

page_text: placed behind the bull's eye plates to assist the marker in forcing them to the front
when making a change in the target. E are the spindles on which the plates are
mounted, these being either attached to the plates as shown in Figure 1, or formed
as a loose pivot as shown in Figure 2.
To change the target shown in Figure 1, the modus operandi is as follows-
The bull's eye plate which has been finished with is taken off and replaced by
another one of the required size, the plates that are for the time being not required
being put on one side, as only one plate can be used at a time. In the case of
Figure 2 all that is necessary to exhibit the smallest bull's eye D is to take off the
plates B and C, thus exposing D, to expose C the plate B is taken off, but D can
be left in, and thus either of the three bull's eyes can be exhibited as desired.
When constructing a target for say 200 yards shooting, 4 feet square, I use by
preference only one recess in the target.
It will be obvious that the above described arrangements are not the only way to
bring about a change in the target, as in some cases I use a single bull's eye plate
and have on its back a small bull's eye and two concentric circles painted thereon.
By then simply taking the bull's eye out of its frame and replacing it back to
front, in a reverse way to what it was before, a small bull's eye appears instead of
a large bull's eye.
Furthermore it is obvious that my improved arrangements for changing the bull's
eyes may be applied either to the common form of target hitherto used, or to my
improved target with side wings hereafter described.
Another way of making the bull's eye plates is to cast the target A with a central
aperture in it, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and on the rear of the target, hinge
two circular plates F G, one each side of the aperture. One of these plates is
blackened to form a bull's eye of say 24 inches diameter and the other plate is
blackened to form a bull's eye of say 12 inches diameter, and each may be folded
in turn into the aperture, as may be required for long or short range shooting.
These plates may have a bar placed across the rear of them to keep them in
position when in use or a bolt H may be used. If a larger bull's eye is required
say 36 inches, I drill a hole through one of the plates For G and fit a large
plate similar to B in Figure 1. The improved target may be made in miniature,
such as is used in shooting with a revolver or Morris tube. In this latter case
either one plate or more than one may be used to make up a target as shown in
Figure 9.
The arrangements for making up, or adjusting the target so as to enable shooting
to take place at short or long range, consists in applying to the target, border
plates or wings I hinged to each side of the target as shown in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 7,
these border plates being, so arranged that they can be folded back out of view of
a competitor when required. This arrangement is slightly altered in Figures 6
and 8, where the border plates I are made somewhat longer, and are hinged to the
target platform K instead of to the target itself. Border plates J are also supplied,
but are made somewhat wider than those shown in the preceding figures. When
shooting at a short range, both the hinged plates I are thrown to the rear and
J folded back. When shooting at long range, the side border plates I are brought
to the front, but when shooting at a longer range still, the plates I are turned to
the rear, and plates J moved forward. The hinging of the border plates I to
platform K is done in such a manner that when lowered to the rear, no portion
shall be visible to the competitor, and moreover allow the side. border plates J to
pass over when being brought to the front. Instead of being hinged there, side
wings or border plates may be fastened to the target by hooks, bolts or the like,
but I prefer hinging as being the most convenient way of applying them to the
target. In the. Provisional Specification, the borders when changing from a long
range target to a short range target are said to be blackened, but I prefer to draw
a fine line to mark off these borders. To completely blacken the borders all over
will give too much trouble to wash the black off when changing to a long range
target.

page_text: 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. The improvements in targets substantially as herein described, whereby n
change from a small bull's eye to one of the larger sizes or vice versa may be easily
brought about without having to wash out or repaint the bull's eyes as was the case
hitherto.
2. In the manufacture of targets, forming them with one or more circular
recesses on their front faces and with means if so required for draining these
recesses of any water or moisture that may collect therein, substantially as and for
the purpose described.
3. A target formed with concentric recesses on its front face, and provided with
separate removable plates, forming various sized bull's eyes and adapted to fit into
these recesses in the target, substantially as described.
4. As an improvement in targets, forming them with a circular aperture in the
centre, and providing this aperture with two circular hinged plates, one at each
side, each plate being painted with different sized bull's eyes, whereby either may
be folded in turn into the aperture, as may be required for long or short range
shooting, substantially as described.
5. The arrangement for making up or adjusting the target so as to enable
shooting to take place at short or long ranges, namely, hinging or otherwise
applying one or more wings or border plates at each side of the target in such
manner that these wings or plates can be turned to the rear or otherwise moved out
of sight of the competitor or one or more of them brought forward so as to
increase the width of the target substantially as described.
6. In a target with hinged border plates, the special arrangement of platform
with wings or border plates hinged or otherwise applied thereto in such a manner
that when the latter are folded back, the hinges shall not project or be in any way
visible to the competitor substantially as set forth.
7. The several combined arrangements and construction of parts forming my
improved targets, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 24th day of November 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London,
Patent Agents.