Background of the Invention
In the art of supportably mounting a telescopic sight upon the barrel of a firearm various types of supporting brackets have been employed normally in longitudinally spaced pairs which are adapted to supportably engage this telescopic sight and to retainingly engage a portion of the barrel. In the known prior art of record these telescopic sight mounts are adapted to supportably engage a telescopic sight of a single predetermined diameter. Different brackets are required for telescopic sights of different diameters or alternately a sleeve or spacer must be nested within the gripping portions of the brackets in order to mount a telescopic sight of a different diameter. An example of such construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,055.
Summary of the Invention
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved telescopic sight mount construction by which each mount includes a pair of opposed symmetrical telescopic sight mounting brackets which are reversible end-to-end in order to selectively support at one end telescopic sights of different diameters, and at its other end be secured to a gun barrel.
It is another object to provide a pair of longitudinally spaced telescopic sight mounts which supportably and retainingly engage a telescopic sight and are adjustable secured to a groove land upon the barrel and wherein each telescopic sight mount includes a pair of opposed symmetrical brackets. Each bracket comprises an arcuate top wall with a tapered longitudinal edge and with an internal semi-circular face of a first radius, an arcuate bottom wall with a tapered longitudinal edge and internal semi-circular face of a second radius, and an intermediate centrally apertured abutment integrally connected to the top and bottom walls.
The opposed arcuate top walls are adapted to receive therebetween a telescopic sight of one diameter with the edges of the bottom walls secured within the opposed grooves of the land on the barrel and with a single fastener securing the brackets together. The symmetrical construction of the brackets provides that with the fastener loosened the brackets may be reversed end-to-end so that the bottom walls retainingly engage a telescopic sight of a different diameter and the edges of the top wall are retainingly secured within the land grooves.
These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawing.
The Drawing
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic perspective view of a firearm mounting a telescopic sight.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section taken in the direction of arrows 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a similar view with the mounting brackets reversed end-to-end for supporting a telescopic sight of a different diameter.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pair of telescopic mount brackets.
It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.
Detailed Description of an Embodiment of the Invention
Referring to the drawing a rifle, an airgun or similar firearm is generally indicated at 11 and includes a conventional barrel 13, fragmentarily shown, having a conventional rear sight 15 and the longitudinally spaced front sight 17 upon said barrel.
A telescopic sight 19 of a conventional construction and of a first diameter is supportably mounted by a pair of spaced telescopic sight mounts 21 which retainingly engage opposite sides of the telescopic sight along its length. Each mount simultaneously engages the elongated land 23 secured upon said barrel and having on its opposite sides the opposed outwardly directed V-shaped undercut grooves 25.
The barrel has a conventional longitudinal axis and the telescopic sight 19 is arranged above said barrel and parallel to said axis and above the conventional front and rear sights 17 and 15. Each telescopic sight mount includes a pair of opposed symmetrical scope brackets 27 whose tops retainingly engage the telescopic sight and whose bottoms extend into the grooves of said land.
Each bracket 27 includes an arcuate top wall 29 with a tapered longitudinal edge 30 and an internal semi-circular face 31 of a first radius. Each bracket includes an arcuate bottom wall 33 having a tapered longitudinal edge 39 and an internal semi-circular face 35 of a second radius.
Each bracket includes between its top and bottom wall an integral central abutment 41 generally rectangular in cross section having an inner upright wall 43. Each of the opposed brackets have formed through its abutment a central transverse bore. One bore 45 includes a counter-sink 47 and the other bore 49 is threaded. A single fastener 51 extends through the bore 45 and threadedly engages bore 49 for securing the brackets together with their opposed inner walls 43 spaced apart as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
With the fastener 51 loosened and the abutments 41 sufficiently spaced apart, the respective longitudinal tapered edges 39 of the arcuate bottom walls of each bracket are loosely nested within the opposed V-grooves 25 upon opposite sides of the land 23 upon said barrel rearwardly of the front and rear sights. The opposed arcuate top walls 29 of each pair of opposed brackets loosely receive therebetween the telescopic sight 19 of a predetermined first diameter.
Upon tightening of the single fastener 51 the arcuate top walls retainingly engage a portion of the telescopic sight and at the same time the tapered longitudinal edges 39 of the arcuate bottom walls 33 are retainingly nested and adjustably clamped within the opposed grooves 25 of land 23.
The symmetrical construction of the pairs of brackets provides within the opposed bottom walls 33, FIG. 2, a circular opening 37 which is in longitudinal registry with the conventional rifle sights 15 and 17 for alternate viewing by the user as desired. The opposed pair of top walls in FIG. 2 at 29 retainingly engage the telescopic sight 19 of said first diameter.
In order to support a telescopic sight of a different diameter such as the increased diameter telescopic sight 19 shown in FIG. 3 all that is required is that the fastener 51 be loosened sufficiently so that the respective brackets may be reversed end-to-end in the manner shown in FIG. 3.
The above described bottom walls 33 are now retainingly engaging opposite sides of a telescopic sight of increased diameter whereas the tapered edges 30 of the above described top walls 29 now cooperatively and adjustably project within the opposed grooves 25 of the land 23. On tightening of fastener 51 the opposed brackets are secured in position upon the barrel as shown in FIG. 3.
Due to the symmetry of the bracket halves the opposed arcuate walls 29 which engage the land provide therein a sight opening 53 which is in longitudinal registry with the conventional front and rear sights of the firearm for selective viewing as desired.
By the present construction and by the use of the symmetrical opposed brackets, either end thereof is adapted to retainingly engage a telescopic sight of a predetermined selected diameter and accordingly the respective scope mount brackets are reversible in nature and are adapted for mounting upon a single firearm selectively telescopic sights of different diameters.
Having described my invention reference should now be had to the following claims.