U.S. patent application number 12/816560 was filed with the patent office on 2011-12-22 for enhanced accuracy gun iron sighting system.
Invention is credited to William Joseph Nemec.
Application Number | 20110308133 12/816560 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45327409 |
Filed Date | 2011-12-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110308133 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nemec; William Joseph |
December 22, 2011 |
Enhanced Accuracy Gun Iron Sighting System
Abstract
Rugged, rapid-target-acquisition iron sighting systems in which
least one of the front sight and the rear sight has a multiple-lead
thread elevation screw post for vertically adjusting a sighting
point are disclosed. The use of a multiple-lead thread elevation
screw post permits the relatively fast adjustability of a coarse
threaded screw post while providing the stability of a
fine-threaded screw post. Embodiments of the present invention also
include guns equipped such iron sighting systems.
Inventors: |
Nemec; William Joseph;
(Pittsburgh, PA) |
Family ID: |
45327409 |
Appl. No.: |
12/816560 |
Filed: |
June 16, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
42/137 ;
42/136 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41G 1/16 20130101; F41G
1/26 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
42/137 ;
42/136 |
International
Class: |
F41G 1/16 20060101
F41G001/16; F41G 1/033 20060101 F41G001/033 |
Claims
1. An iron sighting system for a gun comprising a front sight
having a sighting point and a rear sight having a sighting point,
wherein at least one of the front sight and the rear sight includes
a multiple-lead thread elevation screw post for vertically
adjusting the sighting point of the front or rear sight of which it
is a part.
2. The iron sighting system of claim 1, wherein the multiple-lead
elevation screw post has a dual-lead thread.
3. The iron sighting system of claim 1, wherein the rear sight has
a multiple-lead elevation screw post and an aperture window,
wherein the elevation screw post is adjustably controllable to
position the sighting point of the rear sight to a selected
location within the aperture window.
4. The iron sighting system of claim 3, wherein the rear sight has
a sight tip operably connected to the elevation screw post.
5. The iron sighting system of claim 4, wherein the rear sight also
comprises at least one vertically oriented arm having a scale
corresponding to target distances in at least one selected from the
group consisting of feet, yards, meters, kilometers, and mils, and
the sighting tip has at least one horizontal arm adapted to
cooperate with the scale to indicate the target distance which
corresponds to the vertical position of the sighting point of the
rear sight.
6. The iron sighting system of claim 5, wherein the vertically
oriented arm comprises a longitudinal slot having opposing walls,
and the distal end of the sighting tip horizontal arm is movably
confined by the slot walls.
7. The iron sighting system of claim 5, wherein the vertical arm
has a side face having a second scale corresponding to target
distances in at least one selected from the group consisting of
feet, yards, meters, kilometers, and mils, the second scale being
adapted to cooperate with the sighting tip to indicate the target
distance which corresponds to the vertical position of the sighting
point of the rear sight.
8. The iron sighting system of claim 3, further comprising a
detent-lockable knob operably connected to the elevation screw post
such that rotation of the knob from one detent lockable position to
the next corresponds to a vertical movement of the sighting point
of the rear sight about one-sixth mil.
9. The iron sighting system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the
front sight and the rear sight further comprises a windage
adjustment mechanism adapted to move the sighting point of the
front or rear sight of which it is a part transverse to the
sighting direction of that front or rear sight.
10. The iron sighting system of claim 1, wherein the rear sight has
a windage adjustment mechanism having a windage knob operably
connected to a lateral screw post such that rotating the windage
knob causes a lateral movement of the sighting point of the rear
sight.
11. The iron sighting system of claim 10, wherein the windage knob
is detent-lockable and is operably connected to the lateral screw
post such that rotation of the windage knob from one detent
lockable position to the next corresponds to a lateral movement of
the sighting point of the rear sight about one quarter minute of
angle.
12. The iron sighting system of claim 10, wherein the windage
adjustment mechanism is adapted to permit the windage knob to be
selectively located on the shooter's right or left.
13. The iron sighting system of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the front sight and the rear sight comprises a tritium sight insert
positioned to indicate the location of the sighting point of the
front or rear sight of which the tritium sight insert is a
part.
14. The iron sighting system of claim 1, wherein the rear sight
further comprises a base, an upper portion, and a plunger position
stop, the upper portion being operably connected to the base to
permit the upper portion to rotate between a storage position and
an operating position, the plunger position stop being operably
connected to the base and adapted to releasably lock the upper
portion in at least one of the storage position and the operating
position.
15. The iron sighting system of claim 14, wherein the plunger
position stop has a plunger having at least one selected from the
group consisting of a flat head and a V-slot head.
16. The iron sighting system of claim 14, wherein the plunger
position stop comprises a plunger and a plurality of springs
adapted to urge the plunger against the upper portion.
17. The iron sighting system of claim 14, wherein the base
comprises a base plate and a cradle, wherein the cradle is adapted
to rotatably carry the upper portion, the base plate is adapted to
be fastened to the gun, and the cradle is fastened to the base
plate.
18. The iron sighting system of claim 14, wherein the base
comprises a cradle, wherein the cradle is adapted to rotatably
carry the upper portion and the cradle is adapted to be fastened to
the gun.
19. The iron sighting system of claim 1, wherein the front sight
has a windage adjustment mechanism.
20. The iron sighting system of claim 19, wherein the windage
adjustment mechanism has a selectively lockable dovetail joint, the
dovetail joint being adapted to selectively allow the sighting
point of the front sight to lockably move transversely with respect
to the sighting direction of the front sight.
21. The iron sighting system of claim 19, further comprising an
upper portion having an aperture window, a detent lockable control
knob, and a control knob window, wherein the control knob is
retained within the control knob window and is operably connected
to the elevation screw post of the front sight so that selectively
turning the elevation knob vertically adjusts the sighting point of
the front sight within the aperture window.
22. The iron sighting system of claim 21, wherein the elevation
screw post of the front sight has a slot and the upper portion has
a pin, the pin and slot cooperating to prevent the elevation screw
post of the front sight from rotating about its longitudinal
axis.
23. The iron sighting system of claim 19, wherein the elevation
screw post of the front sight includes a tritium sight insert
positioned to indicate the location of the sighting point of the
front sight.
24. The iron sighting system of claim 1, further comprising a gun,
wherein the front sight and the rear sight are operably connected
to the gun.
25. The iron sighting system of claim 3, further comprising a gun,
wherein the front sight and the rear sight are operably connected
to the gun.
26. The iron sighting system of claim 5, further comprising a gun,
wherein the front sight and the rear sight are operably connected
to the gun.
27. The iron sighting system of claim 9, further comprising a gun,
wherein the front sight and the rear sight are operably connected
to the gun.
28. The iron sighting system of claim 10, further comprising a gun,
wherein the front sight and the rear sight are operably connected
to the gun.
29. The iron sighting system of claim 14, further comprising a gun,
wherein the front sight and the rear sight are operably connected
to the gun.
30. The iron sighting system of claim 19, further comprising a gun,
wherein the front sight and the rear sight are operably connected
to the gun.
31. A rear sight for a gun iron sighting system comprising a
sighting point and a multiple-lead thread elevation screw post for
vertically adjusting the sighting point.
32. The rear sight of claim 31, further comprising a sight tip
operably connected to the elevation screw post.
33. The rear sight of claim 32, further comprising at least one
vertically oriented arm having a scale corresponding to target
distances in at least one selected from the group consisting of
feet, yards, meters, kilometers, and mils, and the sighting tip has
at least one horizontal arm adapted to cooperate with the scale to
indicate the target distance which corresponds to the vertical
position of the sighting point.
34. The rear sight of claim 33, wherein the vertically oriented arm
comprises a longitudinal slot having opposing walls, and the distal
end of the sighting tip horizontal arm is movably confined by the
slot walls.
35. The rear sight of claim 33, wherein the vertical arm has a side
face having a second scale corresponding to target distances in at
least one selected from the group consisting of feet, yards,
meters, kilometers, and mils, the second scale being adapted to
cooperate with the sighting tip to indicate the target distance
which corresponds to the vertical position of the sighting
point.
36. The rear sight of claim 31, further comprising a
detent-lockable knob operably connected to the elevation screw post
such that rotation of the knob from one detent lockable position to
the next corresponds to a vertical movement of the sighting point
of about one-sixth mil.
37. The rear sight of claim 31, further comprising a windage
adjustment mechanism having a windage knob operably connected to a
lateral screw post such that rotating the windage knob causes a
lateral movement of the sighting point.
38. The rear sight of claim 37, wherein the windage knob is
detent-lockable and is operably connected to the lateral screw post
such that rotation of the windage knob from one detent lockable
position to the next corresponds to a lateral movement of the
sighting point of about one quarter minute of angle.
39. The rear sight of claim 37, wherein the windage adjustment
mechanism is adapted to permit the windage knob to be selectively
located on the shooter's right or left.
40. The rear sight of claim 31, further comprising a tritium sight
insert positioned to indicate the location of the sighting
point.
41. The rear sight of claim 31, further comprising a base, an upper
portion, and a plunger position stop, the upper portion being
operably connected to the base to permit the upper portion to
rotate between a storage position and an operating position, the
plunger position stop being operably connected to the base and
adapted to releasably lock the upper portion in at least one of the
storage position and the operating position.
42. The rear sight of claim 41, wherein the plunger position stop
has a plunger having at least one selected from the group
consisting of a flat head and a V-slot head.
43. The rear sight of claim 41, wherein the plunger position stop
comprises a plunger and a plurality of springs adapted to urge the
plunger against the upper portion.
44. The rear sight of claim 41, wherein the base comprises a base
plate and a cradle, wherein the cradle is adapted to rotatably
carry the upper portion, the base plate is adapted to be fastened
to the gun, and the cradle is fastened to the base plate.
45. The rear sight of claim 41, wherein the base comprises a
cradle, wherein the cradle is adapted to rotatably carry the upper
portion and the cradle is adapted to be fastened to the gun.
46. A front sight for a gun iron sighting system comprising a
sighting point and a multiple-lead thread elevation screw post for
vertically adjusting the sighting point.
47. The front sight of claim 46, further comprising a windage
adjustment mechanism.
48. The front sight of claim 47, wherein the windage adjustment
mechanism has a selectively lockable dovetail joint adapted to
selectively allow the sighting point to be lockably moved
transverse to the sighting direction of the front sight.
49. The front sight of claim 46, further comprising an upper
portion having an aperture window, a detent lockable control knob,
and a control knob window, wherein the control knob is retained
within the control knob window and is operably connected to the
elevation screw post so that selectively turning the elevation knob
vertically adjusts the sighting point within the aperture
window.
50. The front sight of claim 49, wherein the elevation screw post
has a slot and the upper portion has a pin, the pin and slot
cooperating to prevent the elevation screw post from rotating about
its longitudinal axis.
51. The front sight of claim 46, wherein the elevation screw post
includes a tritium sight insert positioned to indicate the location
of the sighting point.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an enhanced accuracy iron
sighting system that is suitable for use on guns, especially heavy
guns such as machine guns.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] To persons skilled in the art, the interchangeable terms
"iron sights" and "iron sighting systems" refer to target sighting
systems for guns consisting of aligned markers which rely on the
visual acuity of the shooter, unaided by optical magnification
devices, to bring the markers and target into alignment. Typically,
an iron sighting system will consist of a front sight located near
the projectile-exiting end of the gun and a rear sight located near
the shooter. Most guns are equipped with iron sights, even those
that are also equipped with more sophisticated target sighting
systems, e.g. telescopic sights, as iron sights can be used in case
of the inoperability of the more sophisticated target sighting
systems.
[0003] The design of iron sights is of ancient origin dating back
to the development of the first guns. Over the years advancements
have been made. Some of these advancements are described in the
following U.S. patents and published patent applications: U.S. Pat.
No. 870,272 issued Nov. 5, 1907 to Burton; U.S. Pat. No. 2,336,107,
issued Dec. 7, 1943 to Litschert; U.S. Pat. No. 2,336,108, issued
Dec. 7, 1943 to Lowe; U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,168, issued Dec. 16, 1958
to Sampson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,836, issued Jan. 19, 1965 to
Magardo; U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,597, issued Dec. 14, 1971 to Darrah;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,943, issued Dec. 5, 1978 to Tiritilli; U.S.
Pat. No. 4,264,123, issued Apr. 28, 1981 to Mabie; U.S. Pat. No.
4,536,966, issued Aug. 27, 1985 to Engel; U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,131,
issued Aug. 19, 1986 to Domian; U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,770, issued
Aug. 18, 1987 to Aigner; U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,442, issued Sep. 8,
1987 to Center; U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,292, issued Jul. 9, 1996 to
Swan; U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,906, issued on Aug. 3, 1999 to Howe et
al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,774, issued Nov. 16, 1999 to Mihaita; U.S.
Pat. No. 6,513,276 B2, issued Feb. 4, 2003 to Mendoza-Orozco; U.S.
Pat. No. 6,860,056 B2, issued Mar. 1, 2005 to Howe; U.S. Pat. No.
7,181,882 B2, issued Feb. 27, 2007 to Woodbury; U.S. Pat. No.
7,356,962 B2, issued Apr. 15, 2008 to Swan; Publication No.
2009/0038202 A1, published Feb. 12, 2009 for Nemec; Publication No.
2009/0049734 A1, published Feb. 26, 2009 for Storch et al.; and
Publication No. 2009/0188147 A1, published Jul. 30, 2009 for
Schwerman et al.
[0004] Despite the crowdedness of the art, there is still room for
improvement, especially for iron sights for use on heavy guns, such
as machine guns of calibers of 50 and above. The aforementioned
Publication No. 2009/0038202 A1, which is a publication of a
co-pending patent application of the inventor of the present
invention, solves some of the problems of the prior art by
providing a rugged iron sighting system having superior
position-locking mechanisms and superior quick-target-acquisition
features. Nonetheless, the inventor has made yet further
improvements to iron sighting systems in developing the present
invention, as described below.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention provides rugged,
quick-target-acquisition ("QTA") iron sighting systems wherein at
least one of the front sight and the rear sight has a multiple-lead
thread elevation screw post for vertically adjusting a sighting
point. The use of a multiple-lead thread elevation screw post
permits the relatively fast adjustability of a coarse-threaded
screw post while providing the stability of a fine-threaded screw
post. Embodiments of the present invention also include guns
equipped such iron sights. Embodiments of the present invention
also include individual front sights and rear sights having
multiple-lead thread elevation screw posts usable as part of an
iron sighting system for a gun.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The criticality of the features and merits of the present
invention will be better understood by reference to the attached
drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are
designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a
definition of the limits of the present invention.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of
the present invention mounted on a M2HB 50 caliber machine gun in
an MK 93 cradle mount.
[0008] FIGS. 2A and 2B are, respectively, the schematic top and
side views of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
1 mounted on a M2HB 50 caliber machine gun.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front and rear sights of
the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 oriented to
illustrate their respective shooter-facing sides.
[0010] FIG. 4A is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the shooter-facing side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 3.
[0011] FIG. 4B is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the aperture slide shown in FIG. 4A.
[0012] FIG. 4C is side elevational view, partly in cross-section,
of the aperture slide of FIG. 4B.
[0013] FIG. 4D is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the spring detent plunger assembly of the rear sight shown in FIG.
4A.
[0014] FIG. 5A is an elevational view of the target-facing side of
the rear sight shown in FIG. 3.
[0015] FIG. 5B is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
either of the upward facing detent plungers of the rear sight shown
in FIG. 5A.
[0016] FIG. 5C is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the detent plunger carried by the windage knob of the rear sight
shown in FIG. 5A.
[0017] FIGS. 6A and 6B are side elevational views, partly in
cross-section, showing the shooter's left side of the rear sight
shown in FIG. 3 in the storage and operational positions,
respectively.
[0018] FIG. 6C is side elevational view, partly in cross-section,
showing a portion of the first vertical arm of the rear sight shown
in FIG. 6B illustrating an elevation scale marked in mils.
[0019] FIG. 7 is top view, partly in cross-section, of the rear
sight shown in FIG. 6A in the storage position.
[0020] FIG. 8A is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the shooter-facing side of a rear sight in accordance with a second
embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 8B is an elevational view, partly cross-section, of a
portion of the rear sight shown in FIG. 8A illustrating a portion
of the flat head plunger stop assembly.
[0022] FIGS. 9A and 9B are side elevational views showing the
shooter's left side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 8A in the
storage and operational positions, respectively.
[0023] FIGS. 9C and 9D are, respectively, top and side views,
partly in cross-section, of the flat head plunger position stop of
the rear sight shown in FIG. 9B.
[0024] FIG. 10 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the target-facing side, of the rear sight shown in FIG. 8A.
[0025] FIG. 11A is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the shooter-facing side of a rear sight in accordance with a third
embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 11B is an elevational view, partly cross-section, of a
portion of the rear sight shown in FIG. 11A illustrating a portion
of the V-slot plunger stop.
[0027] FIGS. 12A and 12B are side elevational views, partly in
cross-section, showing the shooter's left side of the rear sight
shown in FIG. 11A in the storage and operational positions,
respectively.
[0028] FIG. 12C is a side elevation view, partly in cross-section,
along cutting plane 12C-12C in FIGS. 11B and 12B showing the
interaction of the V-slot head plunger and the groove in the
aperture housing of the rear sight shown in FIG. 12B.
[0029] FIGS. 12D and 12E are, respectively, top and side views,
partly in cross-section, of the V-slot head plunger position stop
of the rear sight shown in FIG. 11B.
[0030] FIG. 13 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the target-facing side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 11A.
[0031] FIG. 14 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the shooter-facing side of a rear sight in accordance with a fourth
embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] FIGS. 15A and 15B are side elevational side views, partly in
cross-section, showing the shooter's left side of the rear sight
shown in FIG. 14A in the storage and operational positions,
respectively.
[0033] FIG. 15C is a side elevational view of a threaded pin for
operably guiding the elongated V-slot plunger assembly of the rear
sight shown in FIG. 15A.
[0034] FIG. 15D is a side elevation view, partly in cross-section,
along cutting plane 15D-15D in FIGS. 15B and 16B showing the
interaction of the elongated V-slot head plunger and the groove in
the aperture housing of the rear sight shown in FIG. 15B.
[0035] FIGS. 15E and 15F are, respectively, top and side views,
partly in cross-section, of the elongated V-slot elongated head
plunger position stop of the rear sight shown in FIG. 15B.
[0036] FIG. 16A is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the target-facing side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 14A.
[0037] FIG. 16B is an elevational side view, partly in
cross-section, of a portion of the rear sight shown in FIG. 16A
illustrating a portion of the elongated V-slot plunger stop
assembly.
[0038] FIG. 17 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the shooter-facing side of a rear sight in accordance with a fifth
embodiment of the present invention.
[0039] FIGS. 18A and 18B are side elevational side views, partly in
cross-section, showing the shooter's left side of the rear sight
shown in FIG. 17 in the storage and operational positions,
respectively.
[0040] FIG. 19 is a top view, partly in cross-section, of the rear
sight shown in FIG. 17 in the storage position.
[0041] FIG. 20 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the target-facing side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 17.
[0042] FIG. 21A is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the shooter-facing side of the front sight shown in FIG. 3.
[0043] FIG. 21B is a elevational view, partly in cross-section,
illustrating the interaction of the front elevation screw post and
roll pin of the front sight shown in FIG. 21A.
[0044] FIG. 21C is an side elevational view, partly in
cross-section, illustrating the interaction of the front elevation
screw post and roll pin of FIG. 21B.
[0045] FIG. 21D is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
a detent plunger that interacts with the front elevation knob.
[0046] FIG. 22 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section,
showing the shooter's left side of the front sight shown in FIG.
21A.
[0047] FIG. 23 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of
the target-facing side of the front sight shown in FIG. 21A.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0048] In this section, some preferred embodiments of the present
invention are described in detail sufficient for one skilled in the
art to practice the present invention. It is to be understood,
however, that the fact that a limited number of preferred
embodiments are described herein does not in any way limit the
scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Please note that, generally speaking, the same reference numerals
are used for the same components regardless of the embodiment of
the present invention in which the component appears. Alternate
reference numerals are used, however, in some cases where a
component has different features in one embodiment than in
another.
[0049] Persons skilled in the art will understand that while the
QTA iron sights of the present invention are usable on many types
of guns, including sniper rifles, they are most well suited for use
on heavy guns such as swivel mounted machine guns, regardless of
the cradle style used for supporting the machine gun. Some examples
of such machine guns are 50 caliber machine guns of the following
types: Browning models M2HB, M3HB flexible, M3, and M3M.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown in perspective, from the
shooter's side of the gun, an iron sight according to an embodiment
of the present invention attached to a M2HB 50 caliber machine gun
2, mounted on a MK93 cradle 4. The embodiment includes a front
sight 6 and a rear sight 8. As will be described in more detail
below, both of these sights 6, 8 are elevation and windage
adjustable and releasably lockable.
[0051] FIGS. 2A and 2B, show schematic top and side views of the
front sight 6 and the rear sight 8 of the previously mentioned
embodiment of the present invention attached to the receiver
portion 10 of a 50 caliber machine gun 12. Persons skilled in the
art will quickly recognize that, in this preferred embodiment, the
sightline 14 extending between the front and rear sights is
significantly higher above the top of the receiver portion 10 of
the machine gun 12 than are the sightlines of most prior art iron
sights, thus reducing or eliminating the need for the shooter to
crouch down to use the sights to acquire a target. This increased
sightline height 16, in combination with the relatively large sight
window 18 and large sight aperture 20 of the rear sight 8 and the
large sight aperture 22 of the front sight 6 (see FIG. 1) enables
the shooter to rapidly acquire a target, to follow a moving target,
fire, and to go on to and acquire subsequent targets. A benefit of
the quick target acquisition capability of the iron sights of the
present invention is a great savings of ammunition over many prior
art iron sights since the invention often makes it possible to
effectively use a machine gun to which the iron sights are attached
in a semi-automatic mode, rather than in an ammunition-wasting
fully automatic mode.
[0052] FIG. 3 provides a perspective view of the previously
mentioned front and rear sights 6, 8, showing the sides which face
the shooter. The external components of these sights 6, 8 are
preferably made of hard and durable materials, such as 4140 steel
and treated with magnesium phosphate, i.e., parkerized, for
corrosion resistance. The internal components of these sights 6, 8
are preferably made of 1144 stress proof high carbon steel. Persons
skilled in the art will recognize that other materials of
construction may be used, but preferably the materials of
construction are chosen with the intent of providing the front and
rear sights with the strength, stiffness, toughness, durability,
and corrosion resistance sufficient to provide good service in the
anticipated environmental conditions to which the sights 6, 8 will
be subjected during their operational lifetimes.
[0053] The components of the rear sight 8 shown in FIG. 3 will now
be described with reference generally to FIGS. 4A through 7. Refer
now to FIGS. 4A and 5A, which show, respectively shooter-facing and
target-facing sides of the rear sight 8. Rear sight 8 has a rear
base plate 24 which is adapted to be attached, directly or
indirectly, to the receiver portion of a gun. For this purpose,
rear base plate 24 has downwardly facing retaining studs 26
designed to be received within positioning holes in the top surface
of the gun receiver and screw holes 28 through which screws can be
fastened into threaded holes in the gun receiver, but it could be
easily reconfigured by a person skilled in the art to attach to any
desired gun.
[0054] Rear base cradle 30 is attached to the base plate 24 with
screws 32. The rear base cradle 30, by way of rear windage assembly
34, adjustably and lockably carries aperture housing 36 to provide
windage (lateral) adjustability and the ability for the rear sight
8 to be folded down into a storage position and up into an
operating position, as illustrated in the views of the rear sight 8
shown from the shooter's left presented in FIGS. 6A and 6B,
respectively. FIG. 7 shows a top view of the rear sight 8 in the
folded down position of FIG. 6A.
[0055] Referring again to FIGS. 4A and 5A, the rear windage
assembly 34 comprises rear windage screw 38, first and second rear
retaining bushings 40, 42 and rear windage knob assembly 44. First
and second rear retaining bushings 40, 42 are fixed in place in the
opposing vertical arms 46, 48 of the rear base cradle 30 by set
screws 50. The rear windage screw 38 passes through a threaded
through-hole in the rear aperture housing and rides on the first
and second retaining bushings 40, 42. The rear windage knob 51 is
fixed to one end of the rear windage screw 38, e.g., by a retaining
pin or screw 54, to permit the shooter to turn the rear windage
knob 51 in one direction or the other to cause the rear aperture
housing 36 to move laterally left or right from the shooter's
perspective. The rear windage knob 51 is preferably knurled and
carries a spring-loaded detent plunger 52. The detent plunger 52 is
best seen in FIG. 5C, and comprises a spring 53 mounted on the
stem-end 55 of the detent plunger head 57 At least one of first and
second rear retaining bushings 40, 42 has a plurality of
depressions, grooves, or holes in its outer face for receiving the
detent plunger head 57 to releasably lock the rear windage knob 51,
and consequently, rear windage screw 38, from inadvertently moving
from a selected position.
[0056] Preferably, the rear windage assembly 34 is constructed to
permit the rear windage knob 51 to be interchangeably and
selectively located on the shooter's right or left. For example,
the first and second retaining bushings 40, 42 may be made
identical to one another so that the windage screw 38 may be
selectively positioned with the rear windage knob 51 on the
shooter's right or left. Another option is to configure each of the
first and second bushings 40, 42 to be received on either of the
vertical arms 46, 48 of the rear base cradle 30, regardless of
whether or not they are otherwise different in other respects.
[0057] The rear aperture housing 36 preferably carries one or more
spring detent plunger assemblies, e.g., spring detent plunger
assembly 56 (best seen in FIG. 4D), within transverse throughholes
for interacting with detent receiver flat surface, depressions,
grooves, or holes, e.g., detent receiver holes 58, 60, located in
vertical arms 46, 48 to releasably lock the rear aperture housing
36 in either the storage or operating position. The spring detent
plunger assembly 56 includes first and second detent plunger heads
62, 64 which are urged apart by one or more springs, e.g. first and
second springs 66, 68. Preferably, it also includes a guide rod 70
having reduced diameter end portions for carrying springs 66, 68
which are invaginated within and axially and outwardly urge first
and second detent plunger heads 62, 64. Other detent mechanisms may
be used instead of or in addition to one or more such spring
assemblies for interacting with the detent receiving flat surface,
depressions, grooves, or holes, e.g., detent receiving holes 58,
60, located on one or both of the vertical arms 46, 48 of the rear
base cradle 30 for releasably locking the rear sight 8 into either
a storage or operating position. For example, spring loaded detents
plungers in blind holes in the rear aperture housing can be used to
interact with receiving holes in the rear base cradle or vice
versa.
[0058] Referring again to FIGS. 4A and 5A, the rear aperture
housing 36 also carries the rear elevation assembly 72. The rear
elevation assembly 72 includes a multiple-lead thread rear
elevation screw post 74 which permits the relatively faster
adjustability of a more coarsely-threaded single lead screw post
while providing the greater stability of a finer-threaded single
lead screw post. The elevation screw post 74 passes through a
through-hole 76 in the rear aperture housing 36 and operationally
connects the rear elevation assembly 72 to the rear aperture
housing 36 by way of rear elevation knob 78, as described in more
detail below. The rear elevation post may have a double, triple,
quadruple or even higher number lead thread, but a double lead
thread is preferred since as the lead number increases the
precision of vertical advancement control decreases and the
machining costs increase. Nonetheless, in some embodiments of the
present invention in which the front sight utilizes a multiple-lead
thread screw post, the rear elevation screw post may have a
single-lead thread so as to provide a greater precision in
elevation adjustment to the rear sight.
[0059] Although the rear elevation screw post 74 may have any type
of thread form, one having a sharp crest is preferred due to its
lower machining costs.
[0060] The rear elevation assembly 72 includes a rear elevation
knob 78, which is threaded onto the rear elevation screw post 74
and retained within the elevation knob window 80 of the rear
aperture housing 36 by the upper and lower surfaces of the
elevation knob window 80. Turning the rear elevation knob 78 in one
direction or the other has the effect of raising or lowering the
top end of the rear elevation screw post 74. Preferably, the outer
circumference of the rear elevation knob 78 has a heavily knurled
surface. Also, preferably, the bottom face of the rear elevation
knob 78 has flat surface, depressions, holes, elongated vee-slots
or other types of grooves for receiving at least one upward-facing
detent plunger, e.g. spring loaded detent plungers 82, 84, mounted
within the rear aperture housing 36 for the purpose of releasably
locking the rear elevation knob 78, and, consequently, rear
elevation screw post 74, from inadvertently moving from a selected
position. The detent plungers 82, 84 can be of any design and are
preferably disposed within threaded cavities so that the spring
tension of the detent plungers 82, 84 applied to the bottom surface
of the rear elevation knob 78 can be selectively adjusted by
screwing the retaining mechanism for the detent plungers 82, 84
further into or out of the cavities. An example of such detent
plunger is shown in FIG. 5B. The detent plunger 82 shown there
includes a plunger head 83, a spring 85, and a retaining screw 87.
The spring 85 is received into a cavity within plunger head 83 and
the retaining screw 87 presses upon the spring 85 when the
retaining screw 87 is screwed into a cavity in the rear aperture
housing 36.
[0061] Although it is within the contemplation of the present
invention to configure the top end 86 of the rear elevation screw
post 74 to have the rear sighting point of the target sightline,
e.g., with a flat surface, a point, a ball, a rounded tip, a
vee-notch, or a sight-window, it is preferred that the rear
elevation screw post 74 be operably connected to a component having
the sighting point. Such a component is referred to herein as a
"sight tip." It is to be understood that the term "sighting point"
as used herein is to be construed as meaning the location on or
within a component of a front or rear sight of an iron sighting
system which is used in conjunction with a location on a
complementary component of the other of the front or rear sight to
define the target sightline. An example of a sighting point being
located on a component occurs when the sighting point is located at
the apex of a rounded tip. An example of a sighting point being
located within a component occurs when the sighting point is
located at the center of a sight window.
[0062] Aperture slide 88 is an example of such a sight tip.
Preferably, the aperture slide 88 is threadedly attached to the top
end 86 of the rear elevation screw post 74, although other types of
connections known to those skilled in the art can be used, e.g., a
connection secured by a retaining pin. Aperture slide 88, which is
best seen in FIG. 4B, preferably is configured to have a sight
window 90 and first and second slide arms 92, 94. The distal ends
of the first and second slide arms 92, 94 are received within
longitudinal slots within the first and second vertical arms 96, 98
of the rear aperture housing 36 to prevent the rotation of the
aperture slide 88 and the rear elevation screw post 74 to which it
is operably attached, to stabilize the position of the sight window
90, and to further ruggedize the rear sight 8 by sheltering
aperture slide 88. However, it is also within the contemplation of
the present invention to additionally or alternatively use other
means known in the art may to prevent the rotation of the rear
elevation screw post. One such means is described below for the
front elevation screw post in which a slot in the screw post is
used in conjunction with a fixed pin to prevent elevation screw
post rotation.
[0063] Preferably, one or more indicator lines, e.g., indicator
lines 100, 102, are provided on one or both of the first and second
slide arms 92, 94 for cooperating with one or more elevation scales
provided on one or both of the first and second vertical arms 96,
98, e.g. first and second scales 104, 106, to correlate the
vertical position of the sight window 90 to a target distance.
Referring to FIG. 4A, such a scale may be graduated in any desired
unit, e.g., feet, yards, meters, kilometers, mils, but preferably
is graduated in either meters or yards and the graduation is split
between the first and second vertical arms 96, 98 so as to provide
greater resolution to the scale. For example, in a preferred
embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, first and second scales 104, 106 make
up a single scale in meters with the odd numbered distance values
appearing on the first vertical arm 96 on the shooter's left and
the even numbered distance values appearing on the second vertical
arm 98 on the shooter's right. Preferably, at least one end face
101, 103 of first and second slide arms 92, 94, respectively, has
an indicator 105, which is visible through a window, e.g., window
99 (see FIG. 6C), for cooperating with a scale 107 which optionally
may be provided on an outward-facing side of one of the first and
second arms 96, 98, e.g., for indicating the elevation setting of
the rear sight 8 in mils.
[0064] The sight window 90 may be of any desired size or shape, and
may optionally be provided with cross-hairs or other sighting point
locating aids (not shown). Referring to FIG. 4C, the thickness
dimension 109 of the sight window, i.e., the dimension parallel to
the sight line, can be any desired thickness, e.g. from one-quarter
to three-eighths inches. Longer dimensions give the sight window a
tunnel appearance and allow for the use of tapers, e.g., taper 111,
at the ends of the tunnel. Preferably, the sight window 90 is a
peep sight with a round shape as viewed by the shooter with minimum
diameter of between about one-quarter and three-sixteenths inches,
a thickness of about three-eighths inches and has no taper.
[0065] A second embodiment of a rear sight 8a in accordance with
the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
8A through 10. Refer now to FIGS. 8A and 10 which show,
respectively, the rear sight 8a from the shooter-facing and the
target-facing sides. The rear sight 8a contains all of the
components of rear sight 8 which were described above. In addition,
rear sight 8a includes an additional mechanism for releasably
locking the rear sight 8a into the operating position shown in FIG.
9A. This mechanism is the flat head plunger position stop 170,
components of which are best seen in FIGS. 8B, 9C, and 9D. The flat
head plunger position stop 170, which is carried by the rear base
cradle 30 within a cavity 172, cooperates with a receiving flat
surface, depression, groove, or hole, e.g. flat surface (see FIG.
8B) located on the bottom side of rear aperture housing 36. The
flat head plunger position stop 170 comprises a cylindrical plunger
176 having a cavity 178 (see FIG. 9D) which receives a spring 180
for urging the plunger 176 against its cooperating flat surface,
depression, groove or hole when the rear aperture housing 36 is
rotated from the storage position (see FIG. 9A) into the upright
position (see FIG. 9B). The flat head plunger position stop 170 is
shown in this embodiment as working in conjunction with the spring
detent plunger assembly 56 for releasably locking the rear sight 8a
into the operation position. However, rear sights using only a flat
head plunger position stop 170 for releasably locking the rear
sight into the operation position are also within the contemplation
of the present invention.
[0066] Optionally, the flat head plunger position stop 170 can be
used for releasably locking the rear sight 8a into the storage
position (see FIG. 9A). This can be done by providing a receiving
flat surface, depression, groove, or hole in a suitable location on
the target-facing side of the rear aperture housing 36 for
receiving the plunger 176 when the rear sight 8a is in the storage
position.
[0067] A third embodiment of the present invention, rear sight 8b,
will now be described with reference to FIGS. 11A through 13. Like
rear sight 8b, in addition to having all of the components
described with regard to rear sight 8, rear sight 8b also includes
an additional mechanism for releasably locking it into its
operating position. In this third embodiment, the mechanism is a
V-slot head plunger position stop 190, the components of which are
best seen in FIGS. 11B, 12C, 12D, and 12E. The V-slot head plunger
position stop 190 is carried by the rear base cradle 30 within a
cavity 192 to cooperate with a receiving flat surface, depression,
groove, or hole located on the bottom side of rear aperture housing
36. The V-slot head plunger position stop 190 comprises a plunger
196 having a V-shaped head 198 extending from a hollow cylindrical
body 200 which receives a spring 202 for urging the V-shaped head
198 into a groove 204 when the rear aperture housing 36 is rotated
from the storage position (see FIG. 12A) into the upright position
(see FIG. 12B). Although the elongated V-slot head plunger position
stop 190 is shown in this embodiment as working without the spring
detent plunger assembly 56 for releasably locking the rear sight 8b
into the operating position, it is also within the contemplation of
the present invention to use the elongated V-slot head plunger 190
in conjunction with a spring detent plunger assembly 56.
[0068] Optionally, the V-slot plunger position stop 190 can be used
for releasably locking the rear sight 8b into the storage position
(see FIG. 12A). This can be done by providing a receiving flat
surface, depression, groove, or hole, e.g. groove 206 (see FIG.
12C) in a suitable location on the target-facing side of the rear
aperture housing 36 for receiving the plunger 196 when the rear
sight 8b is in the storage position.
[0069] A fourth embodiment of the present invention, rear sight 8c,
will now be described with reference to FIGS. 14 through 16B. This
fourth embodiment is similar to the second and third embodiments in
that it has most of the components described with regard to the
first embodiment, the exception being the spring detent plunger
assembly 56 and the detent receiver holes 58, 60 with which it
cooperates. Also like the second and third embodiments, the fourth
embodiment includes an additional mechanism for releasably locking
it into the operating position. Like those mechanisms of those
second and third embodiments, the mechanism in this fourth
embodiment comprises a detent plunger which cooperates with a flat
surface, depressions, grooves, or holes located on the bottom of
the rear aperture housing 36 to releasably lock the rear sight 8c
into the upright position. What is different about the mechanism in
rear site 8c is that it uses the combined force of multiple springs
to more forcibly and securably lock it into the desired operating
or storage position. Preferably the size of the detent plunger and
its receiving flat surface, depressions, grooves, or holes are also
increased so as to provide increased contact area to further
improve the locking effect.
[0070] In the rear sight 8c, the mechanism is an elongated V-slot
head plunger position stop 210, the components of which are best
seen in FIGS. 15D, 15E, 15F, and 16B. The V-slot head plunger
position stop 210 comprises a plunger 212 having an elongated
V-shaped head 214 extending from a hollow rectangular body 216 (see
FIGS. 15E and 15F), which receives spring 218, 220, 222 for urging
the elongated V-shaped head 214 into a groove 226 when the rear
aperture housing 36 is rotated from the storage position (see FIG.
15A) into the upright position (see FIG. 15B). It is to be
understood that it is within the contemplation of the present
invention that the plunger 212 be used with detent heads having
other shapes, including flat or rounded.
[0071] The elongated V-slot head plunger position stop 210 is
carried by the rear base cradle 30 within a cavity 224 to cooperate
with a receiving flat surface, depression, groove, or hole, e.g.
groove 226 (see FIG. 15D) located on the bottom side of rear
aperture housing 36 and/or a flat surface, depression, groove, or
hole, e.g., groove 228, located on the target-facing side of the
rear aperture housing 36. A pair of threaded pins 230, 232, which
screw into threaded holes, e.g. threaded hole 234, located on the
target-facing side of the rear base cradle 30, are used to operably
guide the elongated V-slot head plunger position stop 210 within
the cavity 224. The pin portions, e.g., pin portion 238 (see FIG.
15C), of each of the screw-headed pins 230, 232, extends through
one of the slots 240, 242 of the body 216 of the plunger 212 to
help guide the plunger 212 during operation.
[0072] A fifth embodiment of the present invention, rear sight 8d,
will now be described with reference to FIGS. 17 through 20. The
primary difference between the rear sight 8d and the rear sights 8,
8a, 8b, 8c of the embodiments of the present invention described
above is that whereas the rear base plate 24 and the rear base
cradle 30 are individual components in rear sights 8, 8a, 8b, 8c,
in rear sight 8d these two components are combined into a single
component, i.e. rear cradle 250. Combining these two components
into one provides the rear sight 8d with superior ruggedness by
eliminating the inter-component connections. In all other regards,
rear sight 8d may be provided with any of the features described
above for rear sights 8, 8a, 8b, 8c.
[0073] Referring to FIG. 17, in the rear sight 8d, the rear
aperture housing 36 is operably connected to rear cradle 250. As
best seen in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the rear cradle 8d is adapted to be
attached, directly or indirectly, to the receiver portion of a gun.
For this purpose, the rear cradle 250 has downwardly facing
retaining studs 252 designed to be received within positioning
holes in the top surface of the gun receiver and holes through
which screws, e.g., screws 254, can be fastened into threaded holes
in the gun receiver, but it could be easily reconfigured by a
person skilled in the art to attach to any desired gun.
[0074] The components of the front sight 6 shown in FIG. 3 will now
be described with reference generally to FIGS. 21A through 23.
Referring now to FIGS. 21A through 21D, the front sight 6 has a
front base plate 108 which is adapted to be attached, directly or
indirectly, to the receiver portion of a gun. For this purpose,
front base plate 108 has downwardly depending elongated struts 110
which between each other form channels 112. As shown, each of
struts 110 is provided with a pair of through holes, e.g., through
holes 114, configured to receive retaining pins, e.g. retaining pin
115, to removably attach the front base plate 108 to a prior art
machine gun front sight mounting bracket.
[0075] The front base plate 108 carries a front base support 116
which, in turn, carries a front aperture housing 118. The front
base support 116 is configured to be selectively and lockably moved
laterally in relation to the front base plate 108 so as to provide
windage adjustment for the front sight 6. Referring now to FIG. 22,
preferably, the upper portion of front base plate 108 has a
dovetail rail 120 adapted to be received in a dovetail groove 122
formed between first and second portions 124, 126 of front base
support 118. The front base support first and second portions 124,
126 in conjunction with clamping bolts 128, 130 form a clamp such
that loosening or tightening clamping bolts 128, 130 loosens or
tightens the sides of the dovetail groove 122 against the sides of
the dovetail rail 120 of the front base plate 108 to permit the
front base support 118 to be selectively and lockably moved
laterally for windage adjustment of the front sight 6. This
arrangement permits the front base support 116 to lockably slide
along the dovetail rail 120 of front base plate 108 while fixedly
carrying the front aperture housing 118.
[0076] The upper portions of the front base support first and
second portions 124, 126 also form a slot 132 for clampingly
receiving the bottom portion of the front aperture housing 118.
Preferably, the dovetail groove 122 and the slot 132 are
dimensioned in relation to one another so that tightening the
clamping bolts 128, 130 first tightly clamps the front aperture
housing 118 in position between first and second portions 124, 126,
and further tightening of the clamping bolts 128, 130 is necessary
to clamp the front base support 116 in position on the dovetail
rail 120 of the front base plate 108.
[0077] Referring again to FIGS. 21A and 23, the front aperture
housing 118 carries the front elevation assembly 134. The front
elevation assembly 134 includes a front elevation screw post 136
which preferably has a single lead thread, but may alternatively
have a multiple-lead thread. A single lead thread is preferred on
the front elevation screw post 136 to give finer elevation
adjustment control for the front sight 6.
[0078] The front elevation assembly 134 also includes the front
elevation knob 138 screwed onto the front elevation screw post 136
and retained within the front elevation knob window 140 of the
front aperture housing 118 by the upper and lower surfaces of the
front elevation knob window 140. Turning the front elevation knob
138 in one direction or the other has the effect of elevating or
depressing the top end of the front elevation screw post 136.
Preferably, the outer circumference of the front elevation knob 138
has a heavily knurled surface. Also, preferably, the bottom face of
the front elevation knob 138 has flat surface, depressions, holes,
elongated V-slots or other types of grooves for receiving at least
one upward-facing detent plunger, e.g. spring loaded detent
plungers 142, 144, mounted within, respectively, front base support
first and second portions 124, 126 for the purpose of releasably
locking the front elevation knob 138, and consequently, the front
elevation screw post 136, from inadvertently moving from a selected
position. The detent plungers 142, 144 can be of any design and are
preferably disposed within threaded cavities so that the spring
tension of the detent plungers 142, 144 applied to the bottom
surface of the front elevation knob 138 can be selectively adjusted
by screwing the retaining mechanism for the detent plungers 142,
144 further into or out of the cavities. An example of such detent
plunger is shown in FIG. 21D. The detent plunger 142 shown there
includes a plunger head 143, a spring 145, and a hollow retaining
screw 147. The plunger head 142 and the spring 145 are received
into a cavity within the retaining screw 147. The retaining screw
147 presses upon the spring 145, which in turn presses upon the
plunger head 142, when the retaining screw 147 is screwed into a
cavity in the aperture housing first portion 124.
[0079] The top end 146 of the front elevation screw post 136 may be
configured to function as a front sighting point of the target
sightline or to permanently or removably receive a sight tip. For
example, in some embodiments, the top end 146 of the front
elevation screw post 136 and the front aperture housing are
configured to receive an aperture slide in the manner similar to
that described above for the rear sight 8. Preferably, however, the
top end 146 is configured as sighting post 148. The sighting post
148 preferably has a flat top sighting surface 150, but
alternatively may have a point, a ball, a rounded tip, or one or
more grooves or sight windows.
[0080] Preferably, the front elevation screw post 136 is provided
with a longitudinal slot 151 (see FIG. 21B) for interacting with
some device, such as a rod, screw, post, or pin, e.g., roll pin 152
which is removably affixed to the front aperture housing 118, to
prevent the front elevation screw post 136 from rotating around its
longitudinal axis as it is moved upwardly or downwardly by the
rotation of the front elevation knob 138. The interaction between
the roll pin 152 and the front elevation screw post 136 is
illustrated in FIGS. 21B and 21C, which show the roll pin 152
extending through the longitudinal slot 151 so as to permit
vertical movement of the front elevation screw post 136 while at
the same time preventing the front elevation screw post 136 from
rotating about its longitudinal axis. However, other means known in
the art for preventing rotation of the front elevation post 136 are
also within the contemplation of the present invention.
[0081] As manufactured, the barrel of a gun is typically not fully
aligned with the receiver of the gun. The front sight 6 just
described has the advantage of making it possible to center the gun
receiver and the gun barrel to one another. This can be done, for
example, by locking the position of the gun, sighting in on a
target at 100 yards, firing the gun several times, and measuring
the distance the strike points are away from the sighted target
point. The front sight 6 is then adjusted to compensate for this
distance. When the gun is fired again at the target, it will be
found that the sighted target point and the strike point will
better coincide. This process may be repeated until the strike
point and the target point are acceptably close to one another. The
result of this process is that gun receiver and the gun barrel are
aligned with one another, i.e., centered, and no further
adjustments need be made to the front sight 6. Thereafter, all
windage and elevation adjustments to sight in on a target can be
made solely with the windage and elevation controls of the rear
sight.
[0082] Preferably, the front and rear sights of the present
invention are provided with markings and pointers to indicated
their windage positions. Examples of such markings and pointers are
shown in FIGS. 3, 17, and 21A. Front sight 6 has pointer line 154
located on the center of the shooter-facing side of the front base
support 116 which interacts with hash lines 158 on front base plate
108. Rear sight 8 has pointer 156, which is attached to rear base
cradle 30 by the two screws 160, which interacts with scale marks
162 on rear aperture housing 36. Preferably, the markings are
spaced so as to indicate the proper "minute of angle" (this term is
defined in the next paragraph) in order to assist the shooter set
the windage of the front and rear sights 6, 8, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d.
[0083] Since movement from one detent-locked position to the next
conveys to the shooter an audible or tactile-sensible click, it is
preferred that the detent-locked positions of at least one of the
windage and elevation knobs 52, 78 of the rear sights 8, 8a, 8b,
8c, 8d and the detent-locked position of the elevation knob 138 of
the front sight 6 be spaced so that movement from one detent-locked
position to the next correlates to a known amount of target point
displacement at a selected target distance. In the art, a standard
unit for target point elevation displacement is the "mil". One mil
is equivalent to a target point elevation displacement of 1 meter
at a target distance of 1,000 meters. Another standard unit for
target point displacement in the art is a "minute of arc" or
"minute of angle" or "MOA". One MOA is approximately equal to 1
inch of target point displacement at a target distance of 100
yards. Most preferably, the spacing between clicks for the rear
elevation knob 78 of the rear sights 8, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d is
equivalent to one-sixth mil, and the spacing between clicks for the
rear windage knob 52 is equivalent to one-quarter MOA.
[0084] It is to be understood that although many of the embodiments
of the present invention are described as using detent mechanisms,
front or rear sights having fewer or no detent mechanisms are also
within the contemplation of the present invention. With regard to
those embodiments of the present invention which utilize one or
more detent mechanisms, any detent mechanism known to those skilled
in the art may be employed, although those described in detail
herein are preferred.
[0085] It is preferred that the components of the embodiments of
the present invention be machined to have as small clearances
between one another as is economically feasible for the application
in which the iron sighting system is to be employed. Small
clearances eliminate unwanted movement commonly referred to as
"slop" and thereby provide for a more rigid and reliable iron
sighting system.
[0086] Preferably, at least one of the front and rear sights of the
embodiments of the present invention are provided with markings or
indicators adjacent to their respective sighting points to aid the
shooter in acquiring and lining up a target, i.e., in acquiring a
sight picture. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 21A, front sight 6 and rear
sight 8 are shown as being provided with tritium night sight
inserts 166, 164, respectively. Other examples of such markings or
indicators include painted white or florescent circles, dots, or
lines.
[0087] While only a few embodiments of the present invention have
been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in
the art that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention as described in the following claims. All patent
applications and patents, both foreign and domestic, and all other
publications referenced herein are incorporated herein in their
entireties to the full extent permitted by law.
* * * * *