FRONT SIGHT FOR FIREARMS

Abstract

A front sight for firearms is disclosed. The front sight for firearms includes a body having a top edge, a left edge and a right edge. The body includes an opening and a base. The opening is located between the left and right edges of the body. The opening is also open to the top edge of the body. In addition, the body includes a first projection and a second projection located at the top edge of the body. The first projection and the second projection are formed by the opening meeting the top edge of the body. The base is to be attached to a firearm.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)(1) to provisional application No. 62/701,005 filed on Jul. 20, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to firearms in general, and in particular to a front sight for firearms.

BACKGROUND

Conventional target sighting systems for firearms commonly include a front sight and a rear sight. Typically, the front sight is located at the muzzle of a firearm, and the rear sight is located closer to the handle of the firearm. In addition, the front sight may include a post and the rear sight may include a notch or an aperture. When aiming a firearm at a target, a shooter can align the post of the front sight in the notch or aperture of the rear sight so that the post fills the gap of the notch or is positioned in the center of the aperture.

The present disclosure provides an improved front sight for firearms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a front sight for firearms includes a body having a top edge, a left edge and a right edge. The body includes an opening and a base. The opening is located between the left and right edges of the body. The opening is also open to the top edge of the body. In addition, the body includes a first projection and a second projection located at the top edge of the body. The first projection and the second projection are formed by the opening meeting the top edge of the body. The base is to be attached to a firearm.

All features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objects, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a front sight for firearms, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2A depicts the front sight from FIG. 1 being used in conjunction with a notch rear sight;

FIG. 2B depicts the front sight from FIG. 1 being used in conjunction with an aperture rear sight;

FIG. 3 depicts a front sight for firearms, according to an alternative embodiment;

FIG. 4A depicts a front sight for firearms, according to an alternative embodiment, being used in conjunction with a notch rear sight having tritium lamps; and

FIG. 4B depicts a front sight for firearms, according to an alternative embodiment, being used in conjunction with an aperture rear sight having tritium lamps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A conventional front sight typically includes a post. The point of aim of a firearm with conventional front sights is either behind the front sight from the point of view of a shooter or in some proximity to the outline of the front sight. Since a conventional front having a post usually obscures all or part of a target, the shooter has to guess where the point of aim should be in relation to the outline of the front sight. This is particularly true for a conventional front sight for handguns. A proper alignment of the front and rear sights will completely cover the bottom half of the sight picture. If the front sights are adjusted to allow the point of aim to be located at the top of the front sight, then only half of the target will be visible at best when a shooter is ready to pull the trigger. If the front sights are adjusted for a “6 o′clock hold,” then the point of aim will be located one half target diameter above the top of the front sight. This system is effective for one target size and a limited range of shooting distance. For all other targets and ranges, the shooter much guess the proper sight picture in order to aim and shoot accurately.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a front sight for firearms, according to one embodiment. As shown, a front sight 10 includes a body 18 having an opening 12 and a base 15. Opening 12 is located between left edge 14a and right edge 14b of front sight 10. For example, opening 12 can be located in the middle of left edge 14a and right edge 14b. In FIG. 1, opening 12 is shown to have a substantially circular shape, but it is understood by those skilled in the art that opening 12 can be of any geometrical shape, preferably symmetrical between left edge 14a and right edge 14b. Base 15 includes well-known features that facilitate front sight 10 to be mounted on a muzzle of a firearm such as a pistol or rifle. With front sight 10 being mounted on a muzzle of a firearm, opening 12 allows a target to be viewed by a shooter on a continuous basis when the shooter is attempting to aim the firearm at the target.

Front sight 10 also includes a first projection (or pointer) 11a and a second projection (or pointer) 11b located on a top edge 16 of front sight 10. The desired point of aim for front sight 10 is located somewhere between first projection 11a and projection pointer 11b, preferably at the mid point between first projection 11a and projection pointer 11b. Thus, it would be beneficial for a shooter to calibrate a firearm having front sight 10 to have the desired point of aim to located somewhere along an imaginary line connected between first projection 11a and second projection 11b. When aiming at a target, a shooter is able to keep the entire target in sight on a continuous basis while using first projection 11a and second projection 11b to guide him/her to place the target at somewhere along an imaginary line connected between first projection 11a and second projection 11b.

The length of left edge 14a (or right edge 14b) is approximately 0.3 inches. The width of base 15 is approximately 0.25 inches. When opening 12 has a substantially circular shape, as shown in FIG. 1, the diameter of opening 12 is approximately 0.15 inches. The length of an imaginary line connected between first projection 11a and second projection 11b is approximately 0.05 inches.

With reference now FIG. 2A, there is depicted front sight 10 being used in conjunction with a notch rear sight. As shown, front sight 10 is positioned in the middle of the notch of a notch rear sight 20 for proper aiming alignment. The top edges of aligned front sight 10 and notch rear sight 20 provide a well-defined elevation for the point of aim, and two equal gaps 21 align the front and rear sight elevation for windage. Thus aligned the midpoint of the gap between projections 11a and 11b becomes the point of aim for front sight 10. Front sight 10 allows a target to be in sight on a continuous basis while a shooter is using first projection 11a and second projection 11b as a guide for aiming. In rifle applications, notch rear sight 20 should be mounted well forward so that a shooter's eye can get a good focus on the top of both notch rear sight 20 and front sight 10 to optimize sight alignment. It has long been understood that the eye automatically centers an image to a high degree of accuracy as it does when it centers the image of a front sight in a rear sight aperture. Even though the exact position of the point of aim is primarily determined by the shooter's judgment, the aiming point provided by first projection 11a and second projection 11b can reduce errors from the shooter's judgment.

With reference now to FIG. 2B, there is depicted front sight 10 being used in conjunction with an aperture rear sight. Alignment of front sight 10 and rear sight 25 is achieved by a shooter centering front sight 10 in the rear aperture. Similar to FIG. 2A, front sight 10 allows a target to be in sight on a continuous basis through an aperture rear sight 25 and front sight 10 while a shooter is using first projection 11a and second projection 11b as a guide for aiming.

Front sight 10 demonstrates three distinct advantages over the prior art sighting systems. First, it provides a non-ambiguous sight picture for acquiring targets at typical shooting distances. Second, it allows a shooter to maintain visibility of a target throughout the sighting and firing process. Third, in the event that the shooter attempts to engage targets at extended range beyond the distance for which the sighting system is regulated, front sight 10 allows the shooter to aim above the intended target implementing what is referred to as holdover while still maintaining vision of the target. With knowledge of the trajectory of the firearm projectile and the range of the target, the shooter can make a mental calculation of how far above the target to aim to make target hits at extended range. This is in stark contrast to the prior art front sights that require guessing where to shoot because the prior art front sight obscures vision of the target.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is depicted a front sight for firearms, according to an alternative embodiment. As shown, a front sight 30 includes a body 38 having an opening 32 and a base 35. Opening 32 is located between left edge 34a and right edge 34b of front sight 30. For example, opening 32 can be located in the middle of left edge 34a and right edge 34b. Opening 32 has an inverted keyhole shape. A first projection 31a and a second projection 31b are located within inverted keyhole shape opening 32. Similar to first projection 11a and second projection 11b of front sight 10 from FIG. 1, the purpose of first projection 31a and second projection 31b is for providing aiming assistance.

The length of left edge 34a (or right edge 34b) is approximately 0.65 inches. The width of base 35 is approximately 0.45 inches. The diameter of the substantially circular portion of inverted keyhole shape opening 32 is approximately 0.25 inches. The length of an imaginary line connected between first projection 31a and second projection 31b is approximately 0.05 inches. The distance from a top edge 35 to the imaginary line connected between first projection 31a and second projection 31b is approximately 0.07 inches.

Front sight 30 offers the same advantages over the prior art sighting system, and it offers an additional advantage not offered by front sight 10. That advantage is the power of providing a shooter to focus on the target while shooting that in prior art was considered heresy.

Prior art best practice dictates that a shooter must concentrate focus strictly on the front sight. It is well understood that the human eye can only focus on one of the three elements of the iron sighting system at a time, namely, a rear sight, a front sight, or a target. By focusing on the front sight, the shooter can minimize alignment errors between the front and rear sight. Small alignment errors can cause large impact errors by the firearm projectile due to the leverage effect of short sight radius compared to shooting distance. The issue of focus is important because many times when the front sight is in focus, the target is a nearly invisible blur. If the shooter focuses on the target instead of the front sight, the front sight image becomes blurred. Because the prior art front sight relies on its top and edges to define its aiming surfaces, the blurring of its image leads to high risk of error in the very sensitive alignment condition. The blurred front sight has a slightly different point of aim compared to the in focus front sight. In contrast, front sight 30 offers a front sight image and point of aim insensitive to focus. Because the critical aiming surfaces have two axis symmetry in the area of the aiming projections, the point of aim does not change if focus is changed between the front sight and the target. Thus, in the alternative embodiment, with or without fiberoptic illuminators or tritium lamps, the shooter can focus on the target without losing the front to rear sight alignment that is critical to good shooting.

With reference now to FIG. 4A, there is depicted front sight 30 being used in conjunction with a notch rear sight having tritium lamps. As shown, front sight 30 and notch rear sight 35 include optical fibers and/or tritium lamps 33 for illumination and alignment.

With reference now to FIG. 4B, there is depicted front sight 30 being used in conjunction with an aperture rear sight having tritium lamps. As shown, front sight 30 and an aperture rear sight 39 include optical fibers and/or tritium lamps 38 for illumination and alignment.

As has been described, the present invention provides an improved front sight for firearms.

The improved front sight offers a front sight image insensitive to focus. Because the critical aiming surfaces have two-axis symmetry in the area of the aiming projections, the point of aim does not change if focus is changed between the front sight and the target. Thus, the improved front sight, with or without fiber-optic illuminators or tritium lamps, a shooter can focus on the target without losing the front to rear sight alignment that is very critical to good shooting.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A front sight for firearms, comprising:

a body having a top edge, a left edge and a right edge;

an opening within said body, wherein said opening is located between said left and right edges of said body, wherein said opening is also open to said top edge of said body;

a first projection and a second projection located at said top edge of said body, wherein said first projection and said second projection are formed by said opening and said top edge of said body; and

a base for attaching to a firearm.

2. The front sight of claim 1, wherein said opening is located in the middle of said left and right edges of said body.

3. The front sight of claim 1, wherein said opening is in a substantially circular shape.

4. The front sight of claim 1, wherein said opening is in a rectangular shape.

5. The front sight of claim 1, wherein said opening is in an inverted key shape.

6. The front sight of claim 1, wherein said body includes a first tritium lamp located between said first projection and said first edge.

7. The front sight of claim 6, wherein said body includes a second tritium lamp located between said second projection and said second edge.

8. The front sight of claim 1, wherein a gap between said first and second projections provides a local two-axis symmetry for making said front sight insensitive to focus for its function as an accurate aligning device, and allows a user to focus on a target instead of said front sight.