US2345801A - Day and night sight for firearms - Google Patents

Description

April 4, 1944.

c. B. FERREL 2,345,801

DAY AND NIGHT SIGHT FOR FIREARMS Filed July 6, 1942 1m ENTOR. CL vos B. FERRE/ BY @f1/:f1 m TTOENEYS Patented Apr. 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE This invention relates to a day and night sight for fire arms such as rifles, machine guns and the like, and especially to a sight in which the front bead and the rear notch or crosshair are made visible by the combined action of radio active salts and ultra. violet rays,

The object of the invention is generally to improve and simplify the construction and operation of sights, such as used on rifles, machine guns and other fire arms; to provide a gun or rifle sight in which the front bead and the rear notch or cross hair are provided with areas to which radio-active salts are applied; and further, to provide a series of lenses made from Lucite or a material having similar properties, whereby ultra violet rays are gathered, concentrated and projected against the radio active salts to activate and render the bead and cross hairs visible.

The sight is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is the central, vertical, longitudinal section of the rear sight showing it in horizontal or folded position.

Figure 2 is the cross section taken on line 2 2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of the rear sight looking in the direction of arrow b. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 4 is the perspective view of that portion of the rear sight which carries the graduated glass plate 3| and the Lucite bars 4I and 42.

Figure 5 is the perspective view of the graduated glass plate.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the Lucite bars and the lug and cross bar connecting the same.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the washer used in conjunction with the rear sight.

Figure 8 is the perspective view of the base portion of the rear sight.

The rear sight is best shown in Figures 1 to 8 inclusive. It consists of a plate I5 (see Figure 8) which is rounded at the front end and perforated as at l 6 to form a pivotal point. The rear end of the plate is provided with a hinge lug Il and a rounded front end iiange I8 and side flanges I9 are provided. The plate I5 is cut on opposite sides at the points 20-20 and 2I-2I to form spring leaves 22 and 23. The leaf 23 is bent upwardly so that when a bolt 24 (see Figure 1) is passed through the perforation I6 and a washer 25 sufficient friction will result normally to maintain plate I5 from swinging about the pivot. The leaf 22 permits the hinge lug |'l to yield under certain conditions as will hereinafter be described.

Extending through the hinge lug Il is a pin 26 and pivoted on the pin to swing from a horizontal to a vertical position is the rear sight proper which is best illustrated in `Figures 1 and 4. It consists of a plate 21. having a central longitudinally extending slot 28 formed therein. The plate is rounded at the front end and a downwardly extending flange 28 is formed on the plate which extends around the rounded end and along both sides. A groove 30 is formed in the inner face of each side ilange to receive and support a graduated glass plate 3| (see Figure 5) and a hinge lug 32 is formed at the rear end of each side flange through which the pin 26 extends to permit the rear sight to be swung from a horizontal to a vertical position.

The plate 3| is made of glass and ten graduations are made in the upper surface of the glass on one side of a slot 3Ia while nine graduations are made in the opposite side. The entire upper surface of the glass is ground with the exception of the graduations which are clear. The lower surface of the glass, directly under the graduations, is coated with radio-active salts and when activated projects suflicient light through the graduations to render them visible. The graduations may be coated with a dye ranging from blue and violet to green and red. The graduations on one side of the plate commence with a graduation which reads yards, the next will be 200 yards and so on up to 600 yards while the graduations on the opposite side will commence with a reading of yards and end at 575 yards. The graduations and their markings are readable in daylight but not at night; hence, by coloring the graduations commencing with blue for the shortest ranges and red for the longest ranges, and with violet and green for the intermediate ranges, a person equipped with a sight of this character, will soon become sufllciently familiar with the color indications to choose the proper range when shooting.

The radio-active salts, coating the lower surface of the graduated glass plate are activated by ultra violet rays as a plate of Lucte (see Figures 1 and 6) is placed under the glass plate 3 I. 'Ihe plate has a longitudinally extending slot formed therein which registers with the slot in the glass plate; the slot divides the Lucite plate into two bars 4I and 42 connected at the front ends by a rounded lug 43 and at their rear ends by a cross-bar 44. The rounded lug 43 is supported by an inturned flange 29a forming a part of the rounded end 29 of the rear sight. The outer sides of the bars 4| and -42 are slightly chamfered and so are the lower portions of the side flanges of the rear sight as indicated at 29b (see Figure 2). The connected bars 4| and 42 are thus supported throughout their length and at one end by the end and side flanges of the rear sight and in substantial contact with the glass plate 3| which carries the radio-active salts on its lower surface and the range graduations on the upper or opposite surface and in order that the radio active salts shall be sufficiently activated to render the graduations visible, V shaped projections 4B and 41 are formed on the bars 4| and 42. These V shaped projections align with the graduations in the glass plate and they function to gather, concentrate and project ultra violet rays on the radio active salts in suflicient amount to render the graduations visible.

In actual practice the plate l5 shown in Figure 8 serves as a base or support for the rear sight, the main portion of which is shown in Figure 4. The plate I5 is pivotally secured by means of screw 24 in Figure 1 to a plate 50 which is rigidly `secured to or may form a part of the gun barrel. The plate |5 and the rear sight which is pivotally secured to plate I5 by pin 26 and the hinge lugs and 32 may be swung about the screw 24 as a pivot and this permits the rear end of the sight to be swung to one side or the other of the longitudinal axis of the gun barrel to allow for windage or for any drift of a pro- J'ectile or bullet due to a cross-wind. The end of plate 50 is graduated on each side of a center line 5| as indicated at 52 in Figure 9 so that the sight may be adjusted to one side or the other depending upon direction and velocity of the cross-wind and the range of the target.

If shooting with a rifle at close range, for instance 100 yards, the rear sight will assume the folded horizontal position shown in Figure 1 and a groove or line 54 containing visible radio-active salts will serve as the rear notch of the sight and the front bead will have to be aligned therewith in the usual manner when aiming and shooting the rie. On the other hand if the range is more than 100 yards the rear sight will be grasped by the front rounded end 29 and swing about the pin 2B to assume the vertical dotted line position shown in Figure 1. In this position the front bead can be seen through the slits 28 and 40 and will then be lined up with the target and one of the graduation lines in the glass plate; for instance if the range of the target is estimated to be 30() yards, the front bead will be lined up with the 300 yard mark of the graduated lines which may be of a violet or green color depending on the color chosen for that range. Thus the rear sight when raised may be employed to take care of any range between 100 or 600 yards or any other distance for which it is graduated. The rear sight is held in vertical position by a bar 58 which connects the hinge lugs 32 of the rear sight. This bar is wedge shaped at its lower end as shown at 59 (see Figure 1) but otherwise presents a iiat surface 60. When the rear sight is swung from horizontal to vertical position bar 58 swings under the hinge lug I1 but as this is formed on the outer end of the spring leaf 22 (see Figure 8) it will yield and permit the bar to pass under and to rest on its flat surface 60 when the rear sight assumes vertical position. Thus spring leaf 23 tends to retain the rear sight as a whole from movement about screw 24 while the spring leaf 22 tends to hold the rear sight in vertical position. The slot in the glass plate 3| and the slot 40 separating the Lucite bars 4| and `42 are comparatively narrow. Slot 28 on the other hand is wider as the graduations in the glass plate would otherwise be diflcult to see. However, it need only be slightly wider as the plate 21 should extend over the graduations as far as possible to eliminate any extraneous light rays as on a moonlight night. In other words, the darker the upper surface of the glass plate, the greater the visibility of the graduations as they are rendered visible by the activated salts on the under or opposite side. The faces of the Lucite bars opposite the V shaped projections are, on the other hand, open and unshrouded when the rear sight assumes a vertical position and this is essential as the greater the amount of ultra violet rays admitted, the greater will be visibility of the graduations. Activation by ultra violet rays is not altogether essential as radio active salts of the character employed on watch dials to render the numerals and the hands visible in the dark may also be employed.

While this and other features of the invention have been more or less specifically described and illustrated, I nevertheless wish it understood that changes may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims, and that the materials and finish of the various parts employed may be varied as the experience or judgment of the manufacturer may dictate or varying conditions of use may demand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a sight of the character described, a rear sight comprising an elongated base plate, means pivotally securing one end of the plate to a gun barrel, said pivot permitting the opposite free end of the plate to swing laterally of the gun barrel, means frictionally retaining the plate against pivotal movement, a rear sight hingedly secured to the free end of the plate and adapted to be swung from a position parallel to the base plate to an upright position at right angles to the same, there being a slot formed in the rear sight through which the front sight of a gun barrel may be viewed, graduations formed on the rear sight on opposite sides of the slot to indicate different ranges, a coating of radio active salts applied to the graduations, and means operating to gather and project ultraviolet rays against said coating to activate the radio active salts so as to render the graduations visible.

2. In a sight of the character described, a rear sight comprising an elongated base plate, means pivotally securing one end of the plate to a gun barrel, said pivot permitting the opposite free end of the plate to swing laterally of the gun barrel, means frictionally retaining the plate against pivotal movement, a rear sight hingedly secured to the free end of the plate and adapted to be swung from a position parallel to the base plate to an upright position at right angles to the same, said rear sight being in the form of a plate of substantially the same length as the base plate and having a central slot formed therein and extending from end to end, a glass plate secured to one side of said rear sight plate, said glass plate having graduation marks formed on one face to indicate different ranges, a coating of radio active salts on the opposite side of the glass plate, and means operating to gather and project ultraviolet rays against the radio active salts t0 render them visible through the graduation marks.

3. In a sight of the character described, a rear sight comprising an elongated base plate, means pivotally securing one end of the plate to a gun barrel, said pivot permitting the opposite free end of the plate to swing laterally of the gun barrel, means frictionally retaining the plate against pivotal movement, a rear sight hingedly secured to the free end of the plate and adapted to be swung from a position parallel to the base plate to an upright position at right angles to the same, said rear sight being in the form of a plate of substantially the same length as the base plate and having a central slot formed therein extending from end to end, a glass plate secured to one side of said rear sight plate, said glass plate having graduation marks formed on one face to indicate different ranges, a coating of radio active salts on the opposite side of the glass plate, and a bar of transparent material having a plurality of V-shaped projections formed on one side thereof, said projections substantially contacting with the radioactive salt coated side of the glass plate and each V-shaped projection aligning with a graduation, said bar and V-shaped projections operating so as to gather and project ultraviolet rays against the radio active salts to activate the same and render the graduations on the glass plate visible.

CLYDE B. FERREL.

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