US3662469A

US3662469A - Gun sight

Info

Publication number: US3662469A
Application number: US26871A
Authority: US
Inventors: Dwayne W Charron
Original assignee: Bangor Punta Operations Inc
Current assignee: Smith and Wesson Brands Inc
Priority date: 1970-04-09
Filing date: 1970-04-09
Publication date: 1972-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-16

Abstract

A gun sight is disclosed having means for vertical and horizontal adjustment of a sighting notch mounted on the gun sight.

Description

I United States Patent 1151 3,662,469 Charron 1 May 16, 1972 [54] GUN SIGHT 2,417,716 3/1947 3,451,137 6/1969 [72] Inventor. Dwayne W. Charron, Chlcopee, Mass. 2,132,490 1 0/1938 [73] Assignee: Bangor Punta Operations, Inc., Greenville, 2,407,437 9/1946 Conn- 1,455,071 5/1923 Browning ..33/58 R p 9 R 2,127,565 8/1938 King et al ..33/56 R [21] Appl. No.: 26,871

Primary Examiner-Leonard Forman 521 U.S. c1 ..33 47, 33/56 Assistant Examinersteven Stephan 51 1 1m. (:1. ..F4lg l/16, F41 g 1 44 Manley-Patrick Walsh [58] Field ofSearch ..33/47, 56

[57] ABSTRACT [56] References cued A gun sight is disclosed having means for vertical and horizon- UNITED STATES PATENTS tal adjustment of a sighting notch mounted on the gun sight.

l,338,3 82 4/1920 Lewis ..33/58 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures GUN SIGHT It is the general practice in designing guns, particularly hand guns, to locate sighting devices on the gun barrel at both the front and the rear ends of the gun. The rear sight cooperates with the forward sight for aligning the line of fire of the gun for accurate marksmanship. It is generally desirable to provide means for adjusting the elevation and lateral positions of the rear sight and various sights have been designed for this purpose. Adjustments of this kind enable the marksman to adjust for accurate firing of the hand gun.

This invention therefore relates to adjustable gun sights for use particularly with hand guns.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention provides a gun sight in which the sighting notch may be adjusted in both the vertical and horizontal or lateral direction to enable a marksman to sightin a gun more accurately.

The gun sight according to the present invention is particularly suitable for mounting at the rear of a hand gun but may also be used on rifles, etc. The sight includes a sighting notch which may be aligned with the forward sighting rib for accurate firing. The rear notch moves both vertically and horizontally to provide for maximum adjustment of the rear sight. For this purpose the rear notch is mounted on a movable carriage. The carriage is pivoted (about a horizontal axis) on a support frame to allow for vertical adjustment; i.e., elevation of the notch. The notch is fitted onto the carriage in a manner as to be slidably adjusted in a horizontal or lateral direction on the carriage. By this arrangement the rear notch may be adjusted as desired both vertically and horizontally for accuracy in sighting-in the gun.

Each of the adjusting devices further includes means for retaining the adjustments which are set for the rear notch. The adjustments are retained throughout the use and handling of the gun and are changed only by resetting the adjustment mechanism.

The gun sight further includes a protective supporting frame which receives and mounts the carriage. The support frame is arranged with upstanding side flanges to protect the sighting notch from abrasion as the gun is being handled. Moreover, the upstanding flanges are arranged to prevent the rear sight from snagging in a holster (or gouging the holster) as the gun is being prepared for use.

These features of horizontal and vertical adjustment as well as protection of the sighting notch are combined in a rugged and compact gun sight.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The objects of the present invention are to provide a compact gun sight mountable on hand guns with provision for vertical and horizontal adjustment of the sighting notch together with means for protecting the sighting notch from abrasion and from snagging on a holster or on clothing as the gun is being readied for use.

Other and further objects of the invention will be understood from the following description and illustration, or will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for describing the principles of the invention and is illustrated in the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the gun sight according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view illustrating the relative position of the various components of the gun sight;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view partially in section illustrating the means for holding the gun sight in vertical position;

FIG. 4 is a section view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section view taken along line 55 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, the gun sight 10 as shown in FIG. 1 includes a support frame 12 and a mounting carriage 14 for carrying a rear sighting notch 16. The support frame includes a base portion 18 together with upstanding flange members 20 which slant slightly downwardly from the rear to the front end of the sight. It will be observed that the upstanding flanges include shoulder portions 22 which normally are slightly higher than the notch 16 to protect the notch from abrasion as the gun is handled, and to prevent the notch from snagging as the gun is unholstered. One of the flanges includes an opening 24 for access to an adjustment screw 26 to be described more fully below. As shown in FIG. 2, the support frame further includes fastening means preferably a screw 28 and threaded opening 30 for securing the gun sight to a gun barrel 32 (FIG. 3) and openings 34 for receiving pivot pins 36 which mount the pivotable carriage 14. The support frame includes an upstanding abutment plate 38 at its front end for a purpose more fully described below.

Vertical adjustment of the rear notch 16 is accomplished by pivotally mounting the carriage 14 on the support frame. For this purpose, the carriage 14 is fitted with pivot pins 35 at the front end of the support frame. Preferably, the pivot pins are spring 40 loaded to maintain their position with respect to the support frame. The carriage has suitable recesses 42 for receiving the springs 40 and pivot pins 36.

For vertical adjustment of the carriage includes suitable means preferably a notched vertical adjustment screw 44 which threadly engages an opening 46 provided in the carriage. By turning the screw 44 the carriage may be raised or lowered as it pivots up or down with respect to its pivoted mounted pins.

The carriage 14 (FIG. 3) is biased downwardly to aid the carriage in retaining a fixed position after adjustment. For this purpose a spring 48 is located in a bore 49 in the carriage in relative compression between the abutment plate 38 and the vertical adjustment screw 44. The spring is equipped with suitable bearings 50 to urge the carriage to the downward position (Le. a counterclockwise moment as viewed in FIG. 3). The rear bearing cooperates with the notches 52 in the adjustment screw 44 for holding the screw and hence the carriage in the adjusted position.

Upward movement of the carriage 14 against the force of the spring 48 is limited by the interference of the horizontal adjustment screw 26 with the access opening 24 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.

The vertical adjustment screw 44 has a lower bearing surface 54 (FIG. 3) which protrudes through a hole 56 in the base of the support frame so to bear against the surface of the gun barrel 32. This arrangement serves to reduce the overall height of the gun sight thereby to locate the line of sight closer to the line of fire.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 14 includes a slot 58 and bore 60 for receiving the rear sighting notch 16 and the horizontal adjustment screw 26. The rear sighting notch 16 fits into the carriage and is internally threaded 62 to receive the adjustment screw. A cap 64 receives the end of the adjustment screw for holding it in accurate alignment across the carriage. The adjustment screw 26 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) includes a spring 66 and boss 68 which cooperate with detents 70 located in the carriage housing to hold lateral adjustments of the sighting notch.

The adjustments for the gun sight will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

For vertical adjustment of the gun sight, the carriage is pivotally mounted by pivot pins 36 at the front end of the support frame. The bias spring 48 urges the carriage in the downward direction against the gun barrel. The bias spring is retained in compression between the vertical adjustment screw 44 and the abutment plate 38 at the front end of the support plate. By adjusting the vertical screw as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the carriage may be raised or lowered with respect to the gun barrel. The raising and lowering occurs in a generally vertical direction and it will be understood that this movement occurs about the pivotal axis established by pivot pins 36. The movement occurs as illustrated in FIG. 3 to various broken line positions when the adjustment screw is turned. The bias spring 48 has a suitable bearing surface which cooperates with detents in the adjustment screw to hold the various settings desired.

To aid in the pivoting action of the carriage 14 with respect to support frame 12 applicant has found it desirable to include a tapered portion or conical surface 37 on the pivot pins 36 joining the large and small diameter portions of the pin as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. By this arrangement the pins tend to be self-centering in holes 34.

For lateral adjustment the lateral adjusting screw 26 may be turned for moving the sighting notch from side to side. The lateral adjustment screw includes a spring biased boss 68 which cooperates with detents 70 located in the carriage 14 for holding the lateral adjustment of the sighting notch.

What is claimed is 1. A gun sight having a support frame including a base and upstanding flanges along the sides of said base, an upstanding abutment plate at the front of said base, a carriage mounted pivotably on such flanges, an adjustment screw on said carriage for raising the pivotable carriage, spring means for biasing the pivotable carriage in the downward direction, said spring means being carried by said carriage and being retained in compression between said adjustment screw and said abutment plate, a sighting notch, an aperture in said carriage for receiving the sighting notch, and means cooperating with said sighting notch for lateral adjustment ofthe sighting notch.

2. The gun sight of claim 1 wherein the adjustment screw includes notches which cooperate with said spring means for holding the settings ofthe adjustment screw.

3. The gun sight of claim I wherein the lateral adjustment means comprises a screw threadably engaging said notch.

4. The gun sight of claim 3 which further comprises detent means adjacent the carriage aperture, and a spring biased boss carried by lateral adjusting screw for engaging the detents thereby to hold a lateral adjustment of said notch.

5. The gun sight defined by claim 1 which further includes a pair of pins for pivotably mounting the carriage on said flanges, each ofsaid pins having a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion and a conical surface joining the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion, and the upstanding flanges having a complimentary surface for receiving the small diameter portion and the conical surface of each pivot pins so that the pins tend to be self-centering with respect to the flanges.

6. A sight for mounting on a gun comprising a frame member, said frame member having a base portion, upstanding flanges connected to opposite side edges of said base portion, an upstanding abutment plate connected to the front edge of said base portion, a carriage member pivotally mounted on said side flanges adjacent the front end thereof, a sighting notch mounted on said carriage, spring means compressed between said carriage and said abutment plate so that the carriage is urged downwardly against said base portion, means for adjusting the position of said carriage with respect to its pivotal mounting thereby to raise or lower the sighting notch, and means for laterally adjusting said sighting notch.

7. A sight as defined in claim 6 wherein said adjustment means for said carriage comprises a screw member threadably engaging said carriage, and further wherein said spring member engages said screw member for urging the carriage downwardly.

8. A sight as defined in claim 7 in which said screw member includes a plurality of notches extending along its length, and said spring member is provided with a bearing which cooperates with said notches to define detent means for holdinia selected adjustment for said carria e.

. A sight as efined in claim 7 in w ich said base portlon contains an aperture therein in registry with said adjustment screw so that the adjustment screw may bear against a subjacent gun surface.

10. A sight as defined in claim 6 in which said upstanding side flanges have shoulder portions having a higher profile than the sighting notch to protect the notch from abrasion.

Claims

1. A gun sight having a support frame including a base and upstanding flanges along the sides of said base, an upstanding abutment plate at the front of said base, a carriage mounted pivotably on such flanges, an adjustment screw on said carriage for raising the pivotable carriage, spring means for biasing the pivotable carriage in the downward direction, said spring means being carried by said carriage and being retained in compression between said adjustment screw and said abutment plate, a sighting notch, an aperture in said carriage for receiving the sighting notch, and means cooperating with said sighting notch for lateral adjustment of the sighting notch.

2. The gun sight of claim 1 wherein the adjustment screw includes notches which cooperate with said spring means for holding the settings of the adjustment screw.

3. The gun sight of claim 1 wherein the lateral adjustment means comprises a screw threadably engaging said notch.

5. The gun sight defined by claim 1 which further includes a pair of pins for pivotably mounting the carriage on said flanges, each of said pins having a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion and a conical surface joining the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion, and the upstanding flanges having a complimentary surface for receiving the small diameter portion and the conical surface of each pivot pins so that the pins tend to be self-centering with respect to the flanges.

8. A sight as defined in claim 7 in which said screw member includes a plurality of notches extending along its length, and said spring member is provided with a bearing which cooperates with said notches to define detent means for holding a selected adjustment for said carriage.

9. A sight as defined in claim 7 in which said base portion contains an aperture therein in registry with said adjustment screw so that the adjustment screw may bear against a subjacent gun surface.