IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGHTS FOR RIFLES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Beaumont, Lieutenant 33rd Lancashire
Rifle Volunteers, and John William Edge, Gun and Rifle Manufacturer,
both of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGHTS FOR RIFLES."
Sealed the 19th September 1862, and dated the 25th March 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Beaumont and
John William Edge at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 25th March 1862.
We, WALTER BEAUMONT, Lieutenant 33rd Lancashire Rifle Volunteers, and
JOHN WILLIAM EDGE, Gun and Rifle Manufacturer, both of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGHTS FOR RIFLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of an improved back sight for rifles, and relates to
that description of sight in, which the sliding bar is raised by a screw working
through a bearing in the back part or frame of the sliding bar. Our improve-.
ments consist of using two screws, one on each side of the back of the frame-.
work. The tops of the screws are furnished with small toothed wheels which
gear into an additional or intermediate wheel. By turning one of these small
wheels either to the right or left, the elevating bar (the framework of which
is tapped to receive the two screws), is raised or lowered. Or instead of using
the three wheels above described, a small worm, spindle working in the two
toothed wheels attached to the screws may be employed. The number of
teeth on the wheels which are connected to the screws for raising or lowering
the sliding bar, are so arranged in proportion to the pitch of the screws that
one revolution shall be equal to one degree or half a degree, as may be.

page_text: required, of elevation. The screws into which the framework of the sliding
bar is fitted may be made of double or treble threads, if found necessary, so as
to give a quicker movement to the sliding bar. The part of the sliding or
elevating bar forming the "sight" is so constructed that by simply unscrewing
two small screws at its base it may be removed from its framework in order
that the marksman may change his sighting by introducing an elevating bar
with a differently shaped V piece or a larger or smaller aperture through
which to take the "sight," according to the weather or other circumstances, as
is well understood by persons conversant with rifle shooting.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Walter Beaumont and John William Edge in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 25th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WALTER
BEAUMONT, Lieutenant 33rd Lancashire Rifle Volunteers, and JoHN WILLIAM
EDGE, Gun and Rifle Manufacturer, both of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Walter Beaumont and John William Edge, Her special licence that we,
the said Walter Beaumont and John William Edge, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Walter Beaumont and
John William Edge, our executors, administrators, 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 "Iμ-
PROVEMENTS IN SIGHTS FOR RIFLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said Walter Beaumont and John William Edge, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: · NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Walter Beaumont and John William
Edge, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists of an improved back sight for rifles, and relates to
that description of sight in which the elevating bar has been hitherto raised
by a screw working through a bearing in the back part of the elevating bar.
Our improvements consist of using two screws, one on each side of the back of
the framework, and fixing on the tops of the screws small toothed wheels,
which turn simultaneously by means of one or more additional or intermediate
wheels. The elevating bar, which is tapped to receive the two screws, is
raised or lowered by turning one of these small wheels either to the right or
left. The number of teeth on the wheels, which are connected to the screws
for raising or lowering the elevating bar, are so arranged in proportion to the
pitch of the screws that one revolution shall be equal to one degree or half a
degree, as may be required, of elevation. The screws which raise or lower
the elevating bar may be made of double or treble threads, if found necessary,
so as to give a quicker movement to the elevating bar. The plate of the
sliding or elevating bar containing the V-grooved or other formed "sight" is"
so constructed that by simply unscrewing two small screws at its base it may
be removed from its framework in order that the marksman may alter his
sighting by exchanging the plate for one with a different shaped notch or
V piece, or a larger or smaller aperture through which to take the sight,
according to the weather or other circumstances, as is well understood by
persons conversant with rifle shooting.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figs. 1, 2, and 3
are back, side, and front views of our improved back sight for rifles; and
Fig. 4 a detached view of part of the same.
a represents the base plates of the sight; b, the ordinary rectangular frame;
and c, the elevating bar with the usual wind. gauge arrangement. At the top
of the frame there are bearings in which work the plain part of two screws d
so that they may revolve but not move up or down. In the elevating bar
there are two holes tapped or screwed to fit the screws d, so that when the
screws are turned to the right or to the left the elevating bar moves up or down.
To the top of each screw is fixed the small toothed wheel e gearing into the
wheels f, which gear at each side into the wheel g, so that when one wheel is
turned all the wheels move simultaneously and turn both the screws at the same
time, by which means the elevating bar is raised or lowered with great accuracy

page_text: and steadiness. We have shewn in the Drawings three intermediate wheels,
but one will answer the same purpose of causing both screws to turn together.
Or by making the screws d with right and left handed threads respectively the
small toothed wheels on the tops of the screws would gear into each other,
and thereby dispense with the necessity of an intermediate wheel or wheels.
Or instead of using the intermediate wheel or wheels above described a small
worm-spindle working in the two toothed wheels attached to the screws may
be employed. One of our improved moveable plates of the elevating bar is
shewn at h, and instead of the ordinary holes for receiving the screws which
fasten it to the bar we employ slots i, Fig. 4, which enable the plate to be
removed and changed when required.
Having now described our Invention, we desire it to be understood that we
claim, in back sights for rifles,-
First, the employment of two screws for raising and lowering the elevating
bar, one on each side of the back of the framework, and fixing on the tops of
the screws small toothed wheels which turn simultaneously by means of one
or more intermediate wheels.
Secondly, the employment of two screws for raising or lowering the elevating
bar, the two screws being worked by a small worm spindle.
Thirdly, the arrangement and construction of the plate of the elevating bar
containing the sight so that the plate may be removed from its framework to
be changed as often as circumstances require, as all such improvements are
herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Walter Beaumont and John William
Edge have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-third day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Walter Beaumont
and John William Edge, in the
presence of
WALTER BEAUMONT. (L.S.)
J. W. EDGE.
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.
(L.S.)