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.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

FIG. 4A is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the shooter-facing side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4B is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the aperture slide shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C is side elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the aperture slide of FIG. 4B.

FIG. 4D is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the spring detent plunger assembly of the rear sight shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is an elevational view of the target-facing side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 3.

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.

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.

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.

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.

FIG. 7 is top view, partly in cross-section, of the rear sight shown in FIG. 6A in the storage position.

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.

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.

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.

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.

FIG. 10 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the target-facing side, of the rear sight shown in FIG. 8A.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

FIG. 13 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the target-facing side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 11A.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

FIG. 16A is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the target-facing side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 14A.

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.

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.

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.

FIG. 19 is a top view, partly in cross-section, of the rear sight shown in FIG. 17 in the storage position.

FIG. 20 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the target-facing side of the rear sight shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 21A is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of the shooter-facing side of the front sight shown in FIG. 3.

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.

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.

FIG. 21D is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, of a detent plunger that interacts with the front elevation knob.

FIG. 22 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section, showing the shooter's left side of the front sight shown in FIG. 21A.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.