US2380965A - Front sight for firearms - Google Patents

Description

' Aug. 7, 1945.

E. M. HARVEY FRONT SIGHT FOR FIREARMS Filed Oct. 21', 1943 awe/WM Earle M. Har ve QJWMMW Patented Aug. 7, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs FRONT SIGHT FOR FIREARMS Earle M. Harvey, Springfield, Mass. Application October 21, 1943, Serial No. 507,088

(Granted under the act oi March 3, 1883, as amended April 80, 1928; 370 0. G. 157) 3 Claims.

a gas operated automatic rifle, for cleaning andrepairing at frequent intervals. Such application requires a front sight assembly which may be assembled or disassembled from the firearm with the minimum of tools and effort and yet be capable of reassembly to the firearm in the identical position previously occupied in order to eliminate a realignment of the sights of the firearm or retargeting. Furthermore, for military use a removable front sight assembly should involve a minimum of parts and should particularly avoid small parts which may become separated from the assembly and lost. I 1

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide an improved removable. front sight for a firearm.

The particular object of this invention is to provide a removable front sight for a firearm which. may be rapidly disassembled or assembled on the firearm by means of asingle tool.

A further object of this invention is to provide a removable front sight for a firearm consistin of but-four parts all of which are preassembled as a unit and cannotbe separated, thereby eliminating the possibility of loss of any one of the parts. 7 7 Another object of this invention isto provide a removable. front sight which. automatically locates itself in the. same position with respect to a firearm barrel regardless of the number of times of successive assemblage. V

The specific nature of-the invention as'weil as other objects and advantages thereofwillclearly appear from a description of a preferred eminvention. The front sight assembly essentially comprises a sight base I in which are assembled I bodiment as shownin the accompanying drawing inwhieh: y Fig. 1 is anenlarged longitudinal sectional view of the sight shown mounted on a firearm barrel.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the V .piane 2-2 of Fig. 1.

--In Figs. 1 and 2 there is shown in assembled relation a front sight assembly embodying this a key 2, a screw 3, and retaining ring 4.

More specifically the sight base I comprises. a collar 5 (Fig. 2) which maybe slipped over the muzzle end of the barrel 6 of the firearm. Integrally formed on the top of collar 5 is a sight blade I, and on each side of blade I are provided protective arms 88. Directly in the rear of sight blade I, a counterbored vertical hole i3 is provided which communicates with a rectangular recess i4 opening into the interior of collar 5.

This recess I4 may be conveniently machined thru a hole H provided in the bottom of collar 5. A circumferential groove I0 is provided in the counterbored portion of hole l3.

A key 2 having a rectangular body portion i5 and an integral depending key tongue i6 is slid- .ably mounted within the rectangular recess 14 in the sight base i. The bottom surfaces 22 of key 2 on each side of key tongue [6 are preferably shaped to correspond to the periphery of the barrel 6. When assembled on the barrel 6 of a' firearm the key tongue l6 engages a correspondingly shaped groove I! provided in the top surface of barrel 6.

The key 2 is positioned within recess l4 by the screw 3, the head of which rests in the counterbored portion of hole l3. groove i8 is provided in the head of screw 3. A retaining ring I is assembled under compression in the groove l8. When the screw 3 is inserted in hole H3 in sight base i and the groove l8 aligned with groove Ill, the retaining ring 4 snaps out into. engagement with the groove it and. thus serves to retain the screw 3 in fxed'position in the hole l3. The threaded end l9 of screw 3 engages a threaded vertical hole 20 provided in the body portion l5 of key 2. The key 2 may then be raised or lowered within recess I! by actuation of screw 3.. A slot 2i in the head of screw 3 permits actuation of the screw by a, screw- 3 driver or similar tool. The threads on screw 3 are preferably left handed inasmuch as a right hand turn of the screw 3 will then produce a tightenin of the assembly on the barrel of the firearm.

For assembly to the barrel 6, the key 2 is raised to its highest possible position within the recess The assembly is then ll by turning the screw 3. slipped over the muzzle end of barrel S to the position where the keytongue I8 is in alignment with the key slot 11 in the barrel. Screw 3 is then turned toward the right and the key 2 is accordingly forced downward until the key tongue is is firmly seated in the keyway .II.

A circumferential It the keyway H is properly dimensioned with respect to the key tongue I 6 so that there is a snug engagement between these two elements, it

- will be obvious that the sight will always be assembled in identical position with respect to the barrel 6. Furthermore, with this arrangement the sight is locked in place so firmly that misalignment by the operation of the firearm or by chance blows is eliminated. Disassembly of the sight is of course, accomplished merely by turnme screw 3 to the left.

I claim:

1. A firearm, sight assembly comprising a bracket having an opening arranged to snugly receive a firearm barrel, a sight blade on said bracket, said bracket having an interior recess communicating with said opening, a key movably mounted in said recess, one, surface of said key arranged to engage the firearm barrel, a

.screw rotatably mounted in said bracket but fixed in said bracket with respect to linear movement, said key having a threaded hole engageable by said screw whereby rotation of said screw will advance or retract said key in said recess with respect to the firearm barrel.

2. The combination with a cylindrical firearm barrel having a groove in its upper side adjacent its forward end, of a front sight assembly comprising, a sight blade bracket having an opening through which said barrel extends and an interior recess in communication with said opening, a key member movably mounted in said recess of the bracket and having a lip seated in said groove of the barrel,- said key member being provided with a threaded hole, a screw rotatably mounted in said bracket and fixed in said hole with respect to. linear movement relative thereto, all adapted and arranged whereby rotation of said screw'will advance or retract said key member in said recess with respect to said firearm barrel.

3. The combination with a cylindrical firearm barrel having a downwardly-extending longitudinal groove in its upper side, said groove having substantially flat surfaces, of a front sight assembly comprising, a sight blade bracket having an opening arranged to snugly. receive a firearm barrel and an interior recess communicating with saidopening, a, key movably mounted in said maria Mf HARVEY.

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