Target

July 6, 1937.

2,085,933

D. L. VAUGHAN

TARGET

Filed June 13, 1936

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INVENTOR:

[ATTORNEY *

Patented July 6, 1937

2,085,933

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,085,933

TARGET

David L. Vaughan, Montgomery Township, Somerset County, N. J.

Application June 13, 1936, Serial No. 85,028

Claims. (Cl. 124—15)

This invention relates to improvements in targets for use in marksmanship practice and competition.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel, 5 inexpensive and advantageous target comprising a suitable support and a rotatable member having an impact portion or portions constructed and arranged to receive the impact of a bullet or other projectile and to be rotated thereby.

Another object is to construct and arrange the target member with relation to its supporting shaft so that the member will automatically stop in an upright position, presenting an impact portion to a marksman, following the rotation of the 15 member.

Another object is to provide the target member with two impact portions, and to construct and relate the parts of the member to one another and to the supporting shaft so that each 20 impact portion will counterbalance the other and serve to automatically stop the member in an upright position, presenting one of its impact portions above its supporting shaft, following the rotation of the member.

Another object is to provide each impact portion of the target member with a forward surface which is visually distinguishable from the forward surface of the other, when the member is in an upright position with either impact por30 tion above the supporting shaft.

Another object is to construct and relate the several parts of the target member and its support whereby various advantages are gained.

The invention resides in the novel construction, 35 combination and arrangement of the parts of the target, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 is a front view of a target, illustrating one form of embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

' Figure 3 is a vertical section on line 3—3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, 2 designates a support formed of a continuous stiff wire or rod of iron or steel and bent into the form illustrated in Fig. 1, and comprising a centrally disposed, horizontal shaft 4, upwardly and outwardly ex50 tending stops 5, 5 rising from the respective ends of the stops, inclined spacing arms 6,6, extending downwardly and outwardly from the upper ends ‘ of the stops, and supporting standards 7, 7, extending downwardly from the lower ends of the arms 6, 6. The lower end portions of the stand ards 7, 7 are adapted to be forced into the ground 8 to hold the entire support in a vertical or upright position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The standards 7, 7 are connected by a suitable, horizontal bar i 0 having openings 9 extending 5 vertically therethrough near the respective ends thereof. The standards 7, 7 extend through and are slidably fitted within the openings 9, 9 of a bar 10 which connects the standards. The bar ί 0 rests upon the ground 3 and serves to main- 10 tain the lower end portions of the standards 7, 7 in proper spaced parallel relation while they are being forced into the ground 8, and, thereafter, the bar 10 assists in giving stability and rigidity to the entire support. 15

A target member I i is rotatably mounted on the shaft 4. This member, preferably formed of malleable cast iron, comprises two oppositelyextending impact portions or wings 12 and 13 and a central part or hub 14 connecting them. ‘₂0 The portions or wings t2 and 13 have opposite, broad impact surfaces 15, 15 and 16, IS, respectively, and they may be of any desired outline suitable for their intended purpose.

The width of the connecting part or hub 14 25 is substantially equal to the length of the shaft 4, and it is provided with a slot 17 which traverses the hub 14 and extends lengthwise between the impact portions or wings 12 and 13, as clearly shown in the drawing. The shaft 4 extends 30 through the slot 17 and freely supports the target member 11 in a manner to permit its free rotation thereon while the stops 5, 5 prevent lateral displacement of the member. The member 11 is bodily movable on the shaft 4 longitudinally of 35 the slot 17 to bring either end wall of the slot into contact with the shaft, and the metal forming the member 11 is so distributed that its center of gravity is coincident with the center of the slot 17, or substantially-so. It will be under- 40 stood, therefore, that, as the impact portions or wings 12 and 13 of the member II successively rise above the horizontal plane of the shaft 4, during the rotation of the member, the member will have a bodily downward movement by gravity 45 and end walls of the slot 17 will be successively brought into contact with the shaft until the momentum of rotation of the member spends itself, whereupon the counterbalancing effect of the impact portion or wing of the member 11 50 which is below the horizontal plane of the shaft 4 will raise the other wing, and the member 11 will automatically stop or come to rest in the upright or vertical position with one of its wings 12 or 13 above the other. . 55

2,085,933

It is intended that the impact portion or wing of the member ί ί which is in the upper position shall constitute the target proper, and, therefore, I finish the impact surfaces 15, 15 and 16, 16 5 of the wings 12 and 13, respectively, by painting or otherwise, so that the forward impact surface of each wing, when it is in the upper position, will not only be visually distinguishable from the forward surface of the companion wing, which 10 is then in the lower position, but will also be of superior visibility as related thereto. This may be done by painting one surface 15 of the wing 12 white and the other surface 15 thereof black, and by painting one surface 16 of the wing 13 15 white and the other surface 16 thereof black, in such relation that the upper wing will present a white forward surface and the lower wing will present a black forward surface, irrespective of which wing is in the upper position when the 20 member 11 is at rest.

When the target is in use and the upper wing of the member 11 is struck by a bullet or other projectile, the impact of the projectile will cause the member to rotate, and the extent to which it will 25 rotate will depend upon the force of the projectile striking the target, and also upon how near the place struck is to the supporting shaft 4. After the member 11 has been rotated or moved from its normal, vertical position, it will automatically 30 be re-set therein, as previously described. While it is intended that the upper impact wing of the member 11 shall constitute the target proper, it will be understood that if the lower wing of the member should be struck by a projectile, when 35 the target is in use, the impact of the projectile against the lower wing will cause the member to be rotated or moved from its normal, vertical position, and that when it is so moved it will automatically re-set itself. If desired, a suitable 40 shield can be placed forwardly of the lower wing to prevent it from being struck.