US3568324A

US3568324A - Battle sight for an auxiliary projectile launcher

Info

Publication number: US3568324A
Application number: US789994A
Authority: US
Inventors: John K Jorczak
Original assignee: Colts Inc
Current assignee: Colt Industries Inc
Priority date: 1969-01-09
Filing date: 1969-01-09
Publication date: 1971-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 1988-03-09

Abstract

A PIVOTABLE AUXILIARY SIGHT ASSEMBLY HAVING A SERIES OF PRESELECTED RANGE APERTURES WITH THE SIGHT ASSEMBLY SECURED TO THE CARRYING HANDLE OF A PORTABLE FIREARM HAVING AUXILIARY PROJECTILE LAUNCHER MAY BE EXPEDITIOUSLY AND ACCURATELY AIMED UNDER BATTLE FIELD CONDITIONS. THE AUXILIARY SIGHT ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A SIGHT ELEMENT THAT HAS

STABLE DETENTED STORAGE AND OPERATIONAL POSITIONS, EITHER POSITION PERMITTING UNOBSTRUCTED USE OF THE BASIC POINT FIRE SIGHT OF THE FIREARM.

Description

March 9, 1971 J. K. JORCZAK 3,568,324

BATTLE SIGHT FOR AN AUXILIARY PROJECTILE LAUNCHER Filed Jan. 9, 1969 m PM u w 425 52 i 5 y ,AWVU/F/VEV United States Patent Ofiee 3,568,324 BATTLE SIGHT FOR AN AUXILIARY PROJECTILE LAUNCHER John K. Jorczak, Springfield, Mass., assignor to Colts Inc., Hartford, Conn. Filed Jan. 9, 1969, Ser. No. 789,994

Int. Cl. F41g 1/48 US. CI. 33-47 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pivotable auxiliary sight assembly having a series of preselected range apertures with the sight assembly secured to the carrying handle of a portable firearm having auxiliary projectile launcher may be expeditiously and accurately aimed under battle field conditions. The auxiliary sight assembly including a sight element that has stable detented storage and operational positions, either position permitting unobstructed use of the basic point fire sight of the firearm.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of invention This invention relates to sighting apparatus for portable firearms, and more particularly to short-range auxiliary battle sights designed for use with auxiliary projectile launcher attachments for said portable firearms.

(2) Description of the prior art The known prior art auxiliary sighting devices for use with firearms equipped with auxiliary projectile launchers wherein battle field operations may require the instant alternate selective use of either the primary function of firing normal projectiles (usually bullets), or the auxiliary function of launching auxiliary projectiles (usually grenades), include complex auxiliary sight adjustment devices to compensate for the variation in trajectory due to projectile drift.

Another problem with many prior art auxiliary sighting devices is that they restrict the instant use of the pointfire primary sighting system of the firearm when instant alternate selective sighting and firing of the auxiliary launcher system is utilized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Prior are firearms utilize auxiliary launcher sighting devices which include complex adjustments to compensate for the known variable component of drift of the launched projectile over a range of trajectories. It has been found that the combat firing of auxiliary projectiles is predominantly in the zero to 250 meter range; and further, it has been found that at these short ranges the drift component of the launched projectile can be adequately compensated for by a visual line of sight adjustment on the part of the operator.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a simple, reliable sight for use with an auxiliary launcher attachment to a firearm by providing a construction that is adapted for quick single point attachment to the exterior slot of the carrying handle of the sight for use with an auxiliary launcher attachment to a tion of the basic point sight associated with the primary operation of the firearm.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sight for use with an auxiliary launcher attachment to a firearm wherein the sight bar is rotatably secured, by means of a detent assembly, to a plurality of arcuate positions with relation to the base of the sight afiixed to the exterior of the carrying handle of the firearm proper.

3,568,324 Patented Mar. 9, 1971 Still another object of this invention is to provide a sight for use with an auxiliary launcher attachment to a firearm wherein the sight mechanism includes a rotatable sight bar having a graduated range scale that comprises a series of fixed apertures and an enlarged opening to permit the use of the primary point fire sight device with the sight bar of the auxiliary sight mechanism in the extended position.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a sight for use with an auxiliary launcher attachment to a firearm wherein the sight can be attached to the firearm without modification or replacement of any part of the basic firearm, while still permitting unrestricted use of the basic point-fire sight system of the firearm under all geometric extensions and conditions of use of the auxiliary sight apparatus of the instant invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above-mentioned features and objects of this invention, and the specific nature of the invention itself, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will clearly be apparent by reference to the description of the preferred embodiment, as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a portion of a rifle showing the carrying handle mounted launcher sight assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of said sight assembly with the sight scale in the raised or operational position taken along the line 2-2.

FIG. 3 is a side view with the sight scale in the folded position taken along the line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is an end view along the line 44.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the detent assembly taken along the line 5-5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a portion of a firearm 10 with a front sight (not shown) is shown having a launcher sight assembly 14 for use with a grenade launcher attachment (not shown), said sight comprising a pivotable sight scale or bar 16 supported for rotation with respect to a mounting bracket 18 secured to rifle carrying handle 20 by means of a thumb screw 22 projecting through an existing telescope mounting hole in the carrying handle 20 and threadably engaging mounting bracket 18 to fixedly clamp bracket 18 in the exterior slot of handle 20. The exterior slot extends longitudinally of the firearm and the mounting bracket 18 has a longitudinal axis which is perpendicular to the transverse axis of the firearm. The mounting bracket 18 is clamped to the handle in such a manner that it lies within the exterior slot in abutting relationship with the handle '20. The slot serves as a rear sight and is adapted to be sight aligned with the front sight for point-fire. The single attachment screw 22, for the bracket 18, is advantageous since it permits rapid manual attachment of the bracket to the firearms handle 20 and release therefrom.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mounting bracket, shown generally at 18, comprises a straight portion 24 having integral vertically extending

bifurcated ends

26 and 2 8. A pivot roller 30 has a smaller diameter journal end 32 and a large diameter journal end 34 rotatably sup ported in

bores

36 and 38 in

bifurcations

26 and 28 respectively. Snap ring 40 engages a groove (not shown) in end 32 to limit axial motion of pivot roller 30 in one direction while a body portion 42 of roller 30 coacts 'with the inboard face of bifurcation 26 to prevent axial motion in the opposite direction. Body portion 42 is smaller in cross section than bore 38 to permit assembly therethrough. Sight bar 116 is fixed to roller body portion 42 by means of screw 44 (see FIG. 4) engaging a threaded transverse bore 46 in body portion 42, the screw 44 facilirating removal of the sight bar 16 from the roller and replacement with another sight bar. Journal end 34 has an integral finger grip portion 47 which extends outboard of bifurcation 28 to permit application of torque to rotate roller 30. Rotation of roller 30 through a given are carries fixedly secured sight scale 16 through the same arc. A detent pin 48 is axially slideably positioned in bore 50 in body portion 42, said pin being loaded against the inboard face of bifurcation 26 by spring 52. Two local depressions 54 and a'second depression in the inboard face of bifurcation 26 coact with detent pin 48 to provide stable sight scale positioning in the folded and raised positions respectively.

When sight scale 16 is folded against bracket 24, detent pin 48 does not completely seat in depression 54; thus permitting detent 48 to preload the scale tightly against bracket 24 to eliminate any possibility of looseness or play between these parts. When scale 16 is so stored in the folded position, the rifle line of sight along the basic point sight path, including the top of the carrying handle and the front sight at the end of the barrel, is not impaired in any way since the folded sight assembly is thin compared with the depth of the slot. Likewise with sight scale 16 extended to its upright operational position, the line of sight of the basic point sighting system is not impaired since a window or aperture 17 in the lower part of scale 16 provides an opening for the basic line of sight. Above window 17 are a series of carefully spaced sight apertures 15, each bearing numerical indicia of the range to target in steps of 50 meters up to a maximum range of 250 meters. Said apertures are spaced according to known trajectory data for a given projectile and launch explosive charge. Basic changes in trajectory character.- istics caused by changes in ballistic data can be accommodated by replacingsight scale 16 in the field with a scale having different sight aperture spacing according to the revised trajectory.

The portable firearm described in the specific embodiment of the invention and set out in the drawings and specification is but one form of firearm and is intended to be illustrative of the broad category of firearm upon which the instant invention may be utilized.

I claim:

1. In a firearm having a front sight, a carrying handle with a longitudinally extending exterior slot serving as a rear sight, and a mounting hole extending through the handle to the slot, an auxiliary sight assembly for use with auxiliary projectile launching apparatus attached to the firearm, the sight assembly comprising:

a mounting bracket with vertically extending bifurcated ends having a longitudinal axis perpendicular to the transverse axis of the firearm, the bracket being positioned within the slot in abutting relationship with the handle;

means extending through the mounting hole to permit rapid manual attachment of the mounting bracket to the handle and rapid release therefrom;

a pivot roller pivotably supported between the bifurcated ends;

a sight bar having aperture means and a window below the aperture means, the sight bar being fixedly secured to the roller for pivoting movement therewith between a folded and a raised position, the window being located adjacent the roller such that sight alignment between the slot and the front sight is not impaired when the sight bar is in the raised position, the aperture means being for sight alignment with a reference point on the firearm when the sight bar is in the raised position, and the sight bar and mounting bracket being sutficiently thin to permit sight alignment between the slot and the front sight when the sight bar is in the folded position; and

means to resist pivoting of the roller to retain the sight bar in the selectedposition.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the pivot roller comprises:

a small diameter journal end;

a large diameter journal end;

a finger grip portion integral with the large diameter journal end;

a body portion intermediate the journal ends, the sight bar being secured to the body portion; and wherein the bifurcated ends comprise:

respective bores having axes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mounting bracket, the journals being respectively pivotably supported in the bores such that the finger grip portion extends onboard of the mounting bracket, the body portion having a transverse cross section larger than the bore supporting the small diameter journal end' and smaller than the bore supporting the large diameter journal end; and wherein there is further provided:

means to limit the axial motion of the body portion in the direction of the bifurcated end which supports the large diameter journal portion.

3. The combination, as defined in claim 2, wherein the pivoting resisting means comprises:

a spring loaded detent pin slideably positioned within the body portion, and contacting the bifurcated ends which support the small diameter journal, the bifurcated end which supports the small diameter journal having two depressions positioned thereupon such that the pin is received by one of the depressions in the folded position and by the other of the depressions in the raised position.

4. The combination, as defined in claim 3, wherein the body portion comprises:

a transverse threaded bore; and wherein there is provided:

a screw extending through the sight bar into threaded engagement with the bore to secure the sight bar to the roller, the screw facilitating removal of the sight bar and replacement with another sight bar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 426,887 4/1890 West 421(S) 888,858 5/1908 Sutherland 3355 2,775,166 12/1956 Janson 89-191 3,156,992 11/1964 Beretta 421(F) 3,165,836 1/1965 Magardo 33-47 3,442,173 5/1969 Muller 421(F) BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner C. T. JORDAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 42-1 PO-ww UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE O CORRECTION Patent No. 3,568,324 Dated March 9, 1971 Inventor(s) John K. J orczak It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 15, after "launcher" insert apparatus such that the auxiliary projectile launcher Column 1, line 48, delete "are" and insert in place the art .n I

Column 1, line 62 after "the" [third occurrence) inser' firearm without in any manner interfering with the function the basic point sight associated. with the primary operation the firearm.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a Column l, line 63, deletesight for use with an auxi launcher attachment to a tion of the basic point sight assoc with the primary operation of the firearm.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a Column 2 line 615, delete "smaller" and insert in place thereof small L Column 3, line 44, delete "firearm" and insert in place thereof firearms Signed and sealed this 'Ihth day of March 1972.

(SEAL) Attest: