US3564949A

US3564949A - Apparatus for adjusting the windage and elevation dials of a mark-16 rifle or the like

Info

Publication number: US3564949A
Application number: US760400A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest J Hedrick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-09-18
Filing date: 1968-09-18
Publication date: 1971-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 1988-02-23

Abstract

THE WINDAGE AND ELEVATION DIALS OF THE M-16 RIFLE ARE MOUNTED ON THE REAR AND FRONT SIGHTS RESPECTIVELY OF THE RIFLE AND EACH IS FORMED AS A CIRCULAR DIAL HAVING A CENTRAL PROJECTION SURROUNDED BY CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED OPENINGS. ADJUSTMENT IS MADE BY ENGAGING AN OPENING AND ROTATING THE DIAL. HOWEVER, EACH OF THE DIALS ALSO HAS A LOCK PIN EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF ITS OPENINGS TO RESTRAIN THE ROTATION AND THIS PIN FIRST MUST BE DEPRESSED BEFORE ADJUSTMENT CAN BE MADE. THE PRESENT TOOL IS AN ELONGATE ROD HAVING EACH OF ITS END WALLS PROVIDED WITH A CENTRAL BORE TO RECEIVE THE OUTWARDLY PROJECTING PORTIONS OF THE DIALS AND ALSO HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED PINS DISPOSED AROUND THE CENTRAL BORES FOR ENGAGING THE OPENINGS ON THE DIALS. THE PINS ARE SPACED AND SIZED TO INSERTABLY MATE WITH THE OPENINGS AND, IN USE, ONE OF THE OTHER ENDS OF THE TOOL ARE MATED WITH THE WINDAGE OR ELEVATION DIALS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DEPRESS THE LOCK PIN OF THE DIAL AND PERMIT THE ROTARY ADJUSTMENT. A MEDIALLY-DISPOSED KNURLED SECTION FACILITATES ROTATION OF THE TOOL.

Description

m m y 4 m a m w 3 0 m m m mg Kw Tm D m W 1 Q o E mt. a H w R p it. .3... .44 I Em M w W .wgg... F T m n mm... m w A s 5 I R a I F United States Patent Ofice 3,564,949 Patented Feb. 23, 1971 3,564,949 APPARATUS FOR ADJUSTING THE WINDAGE AND ELEVATION DIALS OF A MARK-16 RIFLE OR THE LIKE Ernest J. Hedrick, Staatsburg, N.Y. 12580 Filed Sept. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 760,400 Int. Cl. B25b 13/48 US. Cl. 81-3 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The windage and elevation dials of the M-16 rifle are mounted on the rear and front sights respectively of the rifle and each is formed as a circular dial having a central projection surrounded by circumferentially-spaced openings. Adjustment is made by engaging an opening and rotating the dial. However, each of the dials also has a lock pin extending through one of its openings to restrain the rotation and this pin first must be depressed before adjustment can be made. The present tool is an elongate rod having each of its end walls provided with a central bore to receive the outwardly projecting portions of the dials and also having circumferentially-spaced pins disposed around the central bores for engaging the openings on the dials. The pins are spaced and sized to insertably mate with the openings and, in use, one or the other ends of the tool are mated with the windage or elevation dials to simultaneously depress the lock pin of the dial and permit the rotary adjustment. A medially-disposed knurled section facilitates rotation of the tool.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to tools and, in particular, to wrench-like tools for turning headed objects.

The windage and elevation dials of the Mark-16 rifle have been briefly described in the fore-going Abstract of the Disclosure. In prior practice, the users of the rifles usually made the adjustments by inserting a live M-l6 round into one of the dial openings to depress the locking pin on the dial to permit its rotation. On other occasions, nails or any other sharp pointed object that might be available were employed for this purpose. Such adjustment procedures are highly unsatisfactory particularly because the live round might be defective and exposed in the users hands or, if a sharp pointed object is employed, the dials frequently are gouged or scratched to initiate damaging corrosion. Further, the procedure is a diflicult one and takes a substantial amount of valuable time and effort.

THE OBJECTS It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a tool capable of quickly and easily enabling adjustment of the windage and elevation dials of the M-l6 rifle.

Another object is to provide such tool which is unusually simple to fabricate in that it involves like fabrication operations at both ends of the tool.

A further objects is to provide such a tool which is small and capable of being carried in the bipod case normally provided with the M-16 rifle so as to be readily available when needed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is briefly summarized in the foregoing Abstract of the Disclosure. Other features of the invention will become apparent in the detailed description which is to follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated in accompanying drawings of which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Mark-16 rifle showing the front and rear sights on which the elevation and windage dials or drums are mounted;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the windage drum of the rifle;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the front sight and the manner in which the elevation dial is carried by it;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the present adjusting tool; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are left and right end views of the tool as shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The rifle shown in FIG. 1 is a 5.56 mm. M16 rifle having front and rear sights 1 and 2, the rear sight carrying a windage drum or dial 3 and the front sight carrying an elevation dial 4 in the manner shown in FIG. 3. Similar mechanisms are mounted on other rifles of this class such as the 5.56 mm. XM16E1. Windage drum 3 is used to adjust windage by moving the point of impact of the gun to the right or to the left. To move the point of impact to the right, the drum is turned clockwise and to move it to the left it is turned in a counterclockwise direction. The drum is provided with an outwardly projecting central portion 6 (FIG. 2) and with circumferentially-spaced openings or apertures 7 disposed about central portion 6. A lock pin 8 projects outwardly through one of the openings 7 to normally restrain rotation of the drum, this pin being spring-pressed outwardly in a manner not shown in the drawings. Depression of the pin is needed to release the dial for adjustment.

Elevation dial or drum 4 is somewhat similar to drum 3 to the extent that, as shown in FIG. 3, this drum has a central projection 9 surrounded by circumferentiallyspaced apertures 11. A spring-depressed lock pin 10 projects into one of these apertures in the manner shown in FIG. 3 and, again, this lock pin must be depressed before the dial can be rotated. Rotation in clockwise or counterclockwise direction moves the point of impact of the bullet up or down fixed amounts and the sight employs graduations or indices to indicate to the user the degree of the adjustment. For example, each graduation moves the point of impact 2.8 cm. at meters, 5.6 cm. at 200 meters, etc. Usually the sight is inscribed with the word Up to indicate the desired direction of rotation to the used and, in a similar manner, the previously-described windage drum has its desired direction of rotation, indicated by markings R and L signifying right and left, in scribed on its sight.

The present invention provides a tool to quickly and easily make the desired adjustments in either the windage or elevation drums. Referring to FIG. 4, the tool is in the form of an elongate rod 15 having a diameter, through a major portion of its length, of The left end of the rod (FIG. 4) is provided with a bevel 16 reducing the diameter to Medially, the rod is formed with a knurled surface 17 providing a gripping surface to rotate the tool.

The two end walls of the

rod

18 and 19 carry the functional elements of the tool, end 18 being employed to adjust elevation drum 4 of the front sight and end 19 to adjust windage drum 3 of the rear sight. End 18 is provided with an axial bore 21 and also with circumferentially-spaced pins 22 carried peripherally around the bore at equal distances from the axis of the bore. The larger end 19 which is used to adjust the windage drum has a similar arrangement to the extent that it also is provided with an axial bore 23 surrounded by outwardly extending,

circumferentially-spaced pins 24.

Since, as presently contemplated, ends 18 and 19 mate with the elevation and windage drums 3 and 4, it is essential that the bores and pins on these members be precisely sized and spaced. As already has been stated, end 18 has an outside diameter of /8 and its bore 21 is a A hole drilled deep. Five depressing pins 22 are carried by this end, these pins being mounted in any suitable manner on that end 18, although preferably, the end is drilled and the pins inserted in the drilled openings. When this mounting procedure is employed, it is important to assure that the pins have an outward extension from the face of end 18 of .075. Further, pins 22 are mounted at 72 intervals and, as shown in FIG. 5, the pins are semicircular in shape having arcuate interior walls 26 formed with a radius. As may be noted in FIG. 3, the apertures or openings 11 of elevation drum 4 are formed as semicircular notches with which semicircular pins 22 mate.

End 19, when adapted for use with the windage drum of the M-l6 rifle, is formed with its bore 23 drilled A deep and /8" in diameter. Again, pins 24 customarily are mounted in openings drilled peripherally in end 19 and the outwardly projecting portion of the pins measured from the face of end wall 19 should be .075. Pins 24, which are cylindrical in shape, are disposed at a radius measured from the central axis of bore 23 and these pins have a diameter of disposed at 72 intervals circumferentially about the bore axis.

In use,

ends

18 or 19 of the tool are mated with either the elevation or windage dials to simultaneously depress the lock pins of the dials and enable rotation to a new adjusted position. Bores 21 and 23 of these end portions receive the outwardly-projecting central portions of the

dial permitting pins

22 or 24 to be mated with the dial apertures.

The particular advantages of the tool include the fact that it eliminates the need of the rifieman to utilize nails, a live round, or any similar pointed object which may be injurious to the rifieman or may gouge or scratch the sights to promote corrosion and other damage to the sights. In particular, the tool facilitates the adjustment and greatly increases the speed at which adjustments can be made. As will be appreciated, the rapidity of the adjustments may be a very significant factor in a number of crucial situations. Other advantages of the tool reside in its simplicity, small size and light weight all of which permit it to be carried along with other cleaning rods and accessory equipment in the bipod case provided with the gun.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. A tool for use in adjusting the elevation and windage dials of the front and rear sights, respectively, of the M-16 rifle, said dials having outwardly projecting central portions with circumferentially-spaced openings and further being rotatably-adjustable with lock pins extending into one of the openings of each dial for normally restraining its rotation, said tool comprising:

an elongate rod-like member formed medially with a gripping surface and having one of its end portions reduced in diameter, the end walls of said rod member being formed with axial bores of varying diameter, said end walls further being provided with outwardly-projecting pins spaced circumferentially around the bores,

the bore and pins of one end being sized and shaped to receive the outwardly-projecting central portion of said elevation dial with the pins insertably mated with the openings of said dial, and

the bore and pins of the other end also being sized and shaped to receive the outwardly-projecting central portion of said windage dial with the pins insertably mated with the openings of said dial,

whereby said tool can be so mated with either dial for simultaneously depressing said lock pins and adjustably rotating said dials.

2. A tool for use in adjusting the elevation and windage dials of the front and rear sights, respectively, of the M-l6 rifle, said dials having outwardly-projecting central portions With circumferentially-spaced openings and further being rotatably-adjustable With lock pins extending into one of said openings of each dial for normally restraining its rotation, said tool comprising:

an elongate rod-like member formed medially with a gripping surface, one end portion of said member being reduced in diameter and having its end wall formed with a longitudinal bore of a depth sufiicient to receive the outwardly-projecting portion of said elevation dial,

said one end Wall further carrying a plurality of outwardly-projecting pins having arcuate interior wall surfaces and said pins being spaced circumferentially on said end in conformity with the openings of said elevation dial and disposed radially outwardly said bore for mating into said dial openings,

the other end portion of said member also having its end wall formed with a longitudinal bore of a depth sufficient to receive the outwardly-projecting portion of said windage dial, and said end wall of said other end portion carrying a plurality of cylindrically-shaped pins spaced circumferentially on said end in conformity with the opening of said windage dial and disposed radially outwardly of said bore for mating with said opening,

whereby said tool can be mated with either of said dials for simultaneously depressing said lock pins and adjustably rotating the dials. 3. The tool of claim 2 in which: the end wall of said one end portion is about in diameter With a bore about A" deep and A1" in diameter, said pins of said one portion being spaced at about 72 intervals on about a radius measured from the bore axis, and said pins being formed to project outwardly, said end wall about .075" and having semicircular interior wall surfaces with about radii, and

the end wall of said other end portions is about in diameter with a bore about A" deep and /a" in diameter, said pins being about in diameter spaced at about 72 intervals on about a radius measured from the bore axis, said pins being formed to project outwardly of said end wall about .075".

-4. The tool of claim 2 wherein said central gripping surface is knurled.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,496,591 2/ 1950 Maxwell 8l-90X 2,539,532 1/1951 Daniels 8l90 2,544,058 3/ 1951 Watkins 81-90X 3,011,349 12/1961 Kratz 81-9OX THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner R. L. SPRUILL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 819O