Handgun Sights

Abstract

Iron sights for a handgun that positions both the front and rear sight components within the shooter's depth of field when the handgun is presented at extension. In one exemplary embodiment for a pistol, the iron sights of this invention include a front sight component located adjacent the muzzle end of a conventional handgun and a rear sight component located forward of the ejection port of the pistol. The front sight component and rear sight component are spaced apart from one another to have a sight radius of less than two and a half inches, so that the focal planes of both sight components fall within the shooter's field of view when the pistol is presented on target. By positioning the front and rear sight components closer together, against traditional conventions of marksmanship, to be within the shooter's depth of field, both of the front and rear sight components can be clearly perceived visually by the shooter when the handgun is presented at extension on target.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The non-optic firearm sights, often referred to as “iron” sights, generally consist of a front sight component and a rear sight component that are aligned to aim the firearm. Rear sight components typically have a notch (open sight) or aperture (closed sight) through which the front sight component, whether a post, blade or bead, is visible when aiming the firearm.

In firearm marksmanship, there are several conventions related to sighting using iron sights that are almost universally accepted. First, accuracy is a function of precise sight alignment, that is visually centering the front sight component within the notch or aperture of the rear sight component. Second, when sighting using iron sights, the rear sight remains blurry while the front sight is in focus. Third, a longer “sight radius” (the distance between the front and rear sight components) equates to greater accuracy. Much of the conventional wisdom and marksmanship conventions are derived from teaching from both long guns, rifles and shotguns, as well as, hand guns. While generally accepted, these three conventions inherently work against one another in principle and practice.

Unlike long guns, rifles and shotguns, handguns, such as pistols and revolvers are most accurately presented on target and shot at “extension” with the shooter's arms fully extended toward the target. FIGS. 1-2 illustrate a shooter presenting a conventional handgun 1 with traditional front and rear iron sights 2 and 3 on target at extension. As shown, conventional handguns use iron sights where the front sight component is mounted at the muzzle end of the handgun and the rear sight component is mounted at the rear end. Consequently, the sight radius of a conventional handgun is roughly the length of the firearm, which may range depending on the firearm from roughly 3-10 inches (13-25 cm). When presented at extension, the rear sight component on a conventional handgun is spaced from the shooter's eye at approximately an arms length yielding an eye relief D_ER ranging between 20-30 inches (50-77 cm) for the average adult shooter. For focal distances between 20-30 inches, the human eye has a depth of field roughly between 0.75-2.50 inches (19.0-63.5 mm), which means that for conventional iron sights on handguns, only one or the other of the front and rear sight components can be clearly visible to the shooter when the handgun is presented and shot at extension. Even for the most compact handguns with short barrels, the front and rear sight components are too far apart to allow the shooters to focus on both simultaneously. The front and rear sight components have separate focal planes that are spaced at a distance greater than the depth of field when the handgun is at extension.

As a result of the sight radius of conventional handguns, shooters generally focus solely on the front sight while presenting the front sight on the out-of-focus target down range and centering the front sight between the out-of-focus rear sight notch. To the shooter's eye, two of the three objectives are visually out-of-focus, thereby working against the shooter precisely aligning the front sight within the notch or aperture of the rear sight while presenting the front sight exactly on target that is also visually out-of-focus.

Sight alignment is the proper positioning of the post, blade or bead of the front sight within the notch or aperture of the rear sight to aim the firearm at the target. Increasing the sight radius for increased accuracy is certainly true for long guns, rifles and shotguns, where the “eye relief,” that is the distance between your eye and the rear sight component, is measured in a few inches. However, for handguns presented and shot at extension, increasing the distance between the front sight and the rear sight, further degrades the visual clarity of the rear sights when the shooter is visually focused on the front sight. Consequently, increasing the sight radius does not necessarily improve accuracy for handguns and slows target acquisition.

The blurring caused by the sight radius of conventional handguns also compounds two problematic manipulation phenomenon that occurs while presenting a handgun on target at extension, namely, “chasing the sights” and “play in the gun.” Because only one of the front and rear sight components are clearly in focus at one time, shooters tend to transition visual focus back and forth between the front and rear sight components in order to achieve proper sight alignment on target. This back and forth visual transition commonly referred to as “chasing the sights” slows critical target acquisition times, particularly in tactical shooting.

The term “play in the gun” refers to manipulation of the handgun in the shooter's hand to coerce the alignment of the sight components on the intended target. “Play” in the gun is similar to “play” in the steering wheel of a vehicle, which is the degree of movement of the steering wheel before the wheels of the vehicle functionally engage and the vehicle's turn is detected. As the gun is presented to extension, the shooter manipulates the handgun in the hand making micro adjustments to grip and attitude to align and realign to sight components on target. The degree and extent of these “micro” adjustments is the “play in the gun.” The “play in the gun” is discernible to both the shooter and observer of the shooter. A shooter discerns the “play” as the visible movement, shift, yaw and pitch, of the sights as the shooter makes micro, and sometimes macro, adjustments to grip and manipulation of the handgun in order to maintain sight alignment with the target as the shooter presents to extension. An observer can discern “play in the gun” from the movement of the shooter's head, arms and hands attempting to maintain the handgun in the shooter's line of sight and the sights aligned on target, which may or may not also be moving.

To address some of the drawbacks of conventional iron sights, reflector or reflex sights have been developed for use with handguns. Reflex sights eliminate much of the inherent conflicts arising from iron sight conventions. A reflector sight or reflex sight is an optical device that allows the user to look through a partially reflecting glass element and see an illuminated projection of an aiming point or some other image superimposed on the field of view. These sights work on the simple optical principle that anything at the focus of a lens or curved mirror (such as an illuminated reticle) will look like it is sitting in front of the viewer at infinity. Reflector sights employ some sort of “reflector” to allow the viewer to see the projected reticle image and the target within the field of view at the same time. Since the reticle is visually perceived at infinity it stays in alignment with the device the sight is attached to regardless of the viewer's eye position, removing most of the parallax and other sighting errors found in simple sighting devices. While, bypassing certain issues with conventional iron sights, reflex sights rely on electronics and battery power to illuminate the reticle, which are subject to damage and failure during rugged use and hostile environments.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention provides iron sights for a handgun that position both the front and rear sight components within the shooter's depth of field when the handgun is presented at extension. In one exemplary embodiment for a handgun, the iron sights of this invention include a front sight component located adjacent the muzzle end of a conventional pistol and a rear sight component located forward of the ejection port of the pistol. The front sight component and rear sight component are spaced apart from one another to have a sight radius of less than two and a half inches, so that the focal planes of both components fall within the shooters field of view when the handgun is presented on target at extension.

By positioning the front and rear sight components closer together, against traditional conventions of marksmanship, to be within the shooter's depth of field, both of the front and rear sight components can be clearly perceived visually by the shooter when the pistol is presented on target. The proximal linear relationship between the front and rear sight components positioned for the proper eye relief, regardless of the type of handgun, allows a shooter to maintain crisp focus on both the components, which results in a precise sight picture and faster and more accurate application of the handgun on target at extension.

The above described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may take form in various system and method components and arrangement of system and method components. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. The drawings illustrate the present invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a shooter presenting a conventional handgun with traditional iron sights at extension;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the handgun with traditional iron sights of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a typical “sight picture” as seen by a shooter presenting the conventional handgun with traditional iron sights on target at extension;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a shooter presenting a conventional handgun using the iron sights of this invention at extension;

FIG. 5 is another side view of a shooter presenting a conventional handgun using the iron sights of this invention on target at extension;

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a conventional handgun using the iron sights of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a typical “sight picture” as seen by a shooter presenting the conventional handgun using the iron sights of this invention on target at extension;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a conventional handgun with traditional iron sights where the handgun and iron sights are aligned with the line of sight to a target;

FIG. 9 is a top view of a conventional handgun with traditional iron sights where the handgun is slewed and the line of sight to a target visually centered in the rear sight aperture;

FIG. 10 is a top view of a conventional handgun with traditional iron sights where the handgun is slewed and the line of sight to a target visually centered through the front sight;

FIG. 11 is a sight picture as seen by the shooter from FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a sight picture as seen by the shooter from FIGS. 9 and 10;

FIG. 13 is a top view of a conventional handgun with traditional iron sights where the handgun and the iron sights of this invention are aligned with the line of sight to a target;

FIG. 14 is a top view of a conventional handgun with the iron sights of this invention where the handgun is slewed and the line of sight to a target is visually centered in the rear sight aperture;

FIG. 15 is a top view of a conventional handgun with the iron sights of this invention where the handgun is slewed and the line of sight to a target visually centered through the front sight;

FIG. 16 is a sight picture as seen by the shooter presenting the conventional handgun with the iron sights of this invention from FIG. 13; and

FIG. 17 is a sight picture as seen by the shooter presenting the conventional handgun with the iron sights of this invention from FIGS. 14 and 15.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

The following is a glossary of terms as used in the description of the preferred embodiment:

Depth of field: The distance (D_OF) between the nearest and farthest objects in a sight picture that appear acceptably sharp, i.e. visually in focus, noting that the human eye can precisely focus at only one distance at a time, the decrease in sharpness is gradual on each side of that focused distance, so that within the Depth of Field, the unsharpness is imperceptible under normal viewing conditions.

Eye Relief: The distance (D_ER)between the shooter's eye and the sight plane of the rear sight component of iron sights.

Focal Band: The distance (D_FB) between the Focal Planes of both the front and rear sight components (P_RS) and (P_FS) of this invention, within which both sight components are visually perceived clearly, i.e. in focus, by the shooter at a given eye relief.

Focal Plane [front or rear sight component]: The vertical planes (P_FS or P_RS) in which the rearmost part of the front or rear sight components lie.

Sight Picture: The shooter's visual perception of both sight components.

Sight Package: The shooter's visual perception of the Sight Picture presented on the target down range.

Sight Radius: The distance (D_SR) between the Focal Planes of the front and rear sight components (P_RS) and (P_FS) of conventional firearms.

Shooting at Extension: A handgun shooting position where the shooter's arms are fully extended towards the target.

Slew: The twisting, turning or lateral (“slide”) movement of the handgun.

Presentation to Extension: The process of aiming the handgun on the target with arm or arms fully extended forward of the body and with the front and rear sight components visually aligned on the Target Point.

Target Point (T_P): The point of aim where the shooter intends the bullet to go, i.e. the aim point.

Yaw: Movement of the handgun around a vertical axis.

FIGS. 4-7 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the iron sights of this invention, which are designated generally as reference numeral 100, used on a semi-automatic pistol 10. Iron sights 100 include a blade style front sight component 110 and an open style rear sight component 120. For simplicity of illustration and explanation, iron sights 100 are depicted as a common blade style front sight component in combination with an open notch style rear sight component, alternative embodiments of the iron sights may use and incorporate various styles and configurations of front and rear sight components. Furthermore, iron sights 100 are illustrated in use on a generic semi-automatic pistol, but it should be understood that the teachings of this invention may be incorporated into any pistol, revolver or other handgun type. The teachings of this invention may also be applied in certain embodiments to long guns, such as rifles and shotguns as well.

As shown, front sight component 110 and rear sight component 120 are machined, cast or otherwise formed as an integral part of the slide 12 of pistol 10. In other embodiments, the front and rear sight components may be separate components affixed to the slide, barrel or receivers of the handgun using conventional mounting structures and methods. For example, in certain embodiments, both the front and the rear sight components may have integral dovetail portions that are dimensioned and configured to be press or “friction” fit into dovetail grooves (not shown) machined or formed in the slide, frame, receiver or barrel of the handgun. This type of iron sight mounting structure is a well known and common mechanism for affixing iron sights to firearms, particularly handguns. Alternative embodiments of the iron sights may be adapted to accommodate other means for affixing the front and rear sights to the particular firearm.

In addition, both front and rear sights may or may not include aiming dots or markings (as shown) formed, scribed or painted on their respective rear faces, which assist in aligning the front and rear sights during aim. While this particular embodiment of the invention employs aiming dots on both the front and rear sights, other embodiments of the invention may not use such dots or markings. Still in other embodiments of this invention the front and rear sights may employ illuminating or “night sight” inserts, which provide low light visibility in place of the painted aim dots or markings.

As shown best in FIG. 4, front sight component 110 and rear sight component 120 extend from the top of slide 12 of pistol 10. Front sight component 110 is located adjacent the muzzle end of slide 12 and rear sight component 120 is located forward of the ejection port 13 of pistol 10.

Front sight component 110 and rear sight component 120 are spaced to have a sight radius D_FB (the “Focal Band” of this invention) that allows both to be clearly perceived visually by the shooter when pistol 10 is presented on target at extension. In particular, the front sight component 110 and rear sight component 120 are spaced apart from one another along the top of slide 12, so that iron sights 100 have a sight radius D_SR of less than 2.5 inches or 63.5 mm (FIG. 6). As shown, the focal planes (L_FS) and (L_RS) of both front and rear sight components 110 and 120 lie within the shooter's depth of field (D_OF) when pistol 10 is presented at extension (FIGS. 4 and 5). By positioning the front and rear sight component on the slide so that their focal planes both lie within the shooter's depth of field when handgun 10 is presented at extension, the shooter's sight picture contains both the front and rear in clear view (FIG. 7). As a result, by positioning the Focal Band, i.e., the focal planes (L_FS) and (L_RS) of both front and rear sight components 110 and 120 within the shooter's depth of field, iron sights 100 act like an optical reflex sight allowing the clearly see both sight components presented on target.

FIGS. 8-17 illustrate how any yaw or slew of handgun 10 to visually affect the shooter's sight picture using traditional iron sights and the iron sights of this invention. A fired round follows a trajectory to the target or aim point T_p oriented by the direction of the bore axis of the barrel. All iron sights are oriented on the handgun to align with the bore axis of the barrel. Any misalignment of the sights, and therefore the orientation of the bore axis, decreases accuracy on target, which is magnified as target distances increase. As shown, with the same degree θ of yaw or slew of handgun 10 (FIGS. 8-10 and 13-15), the front sights are more visually misaligned in the shooter's sight picture using traditional iron sights (FIG. 12) than in the sight picture using iron sights 100 (FIG. 17). The greater perceived visual misalignment is due to the shorter sight radius D_FB of sights 100. Again, only one of the front sight component 2 or rear sight component 3 is visible in the shooter's sight picture using traditional iron sights, while both are clearly visible using iron sights 100. Moreover, the degree of misalignment between the front and rear sights is more clearly visible within the sight picture using iron sights 100.

The improved iron sights of this invention provide several advantages over conventional iron sights used on handguns. In this invention, the placement of the sight components closer together and forward on the handgun provides the optimal linear relationship between the front and rear sight, so that both front and rear sight components lie in the shooter's depth of field and are visibly clear and focused to the shooter when the handgun is presented at extension. Outside of this optimal linear relationship, only one of the two objects can be clearly seen in focus at one time. The ability of a shooter to focus on two objects within the same focal band, specifically the front and the rear sight components, allows the shooter instant comprehension of the sight picture, which translates into faster application of the handgun on target and a more precise ballistic impact.

The close proximity of the front and rear sight components, i.e., the short Focal Band of the iron sights of this invention, eliminates the shooter's tendency to “chase the sights” shifting focus between the front and rear sights, since both sight components are clearly visible within the shooter's depth of field. This clear focus results in immediate and precise sight alignment. The short Focal Band also mitigates “play in the gun.” Any yawing or slewing of the handgun is immediately and clearly discerned in the shooter's sight picture, creating instant visual feedback about precise sight alignment as the handgun is presented to extension.

The iron sights also help maximize the shooter's response to tunnel vision under high stress conditions and allow the shooter to present the handgun on target with the proper sight picture, not only quicker, but with greater confidence having a clear fully focused sight picture. This confidence provided by clear visual confirmation of sight alignment produces a more “stable” feel for the shooter while presenting the gun. As a result, the iron sight of this invention increases accuracy and target acquisition speeds, particularly in tactical applications of handguns.

The sight placement within the depth of field provides the same advantages regardless of the configurations of the sight components. When utilizing “night sights” only the front sight blade needs to be illuminated, as the sight placement ensures a proper sight picture if the handgun is aligned on target. The same result is achieved if both front and rear sight components are illuminated with “night sights.”

It should be apparent from the foregoing that an invention having significant advantages has been provided. While the invention is shown in only a few of its forms, it is not just limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. The embodiment of the present invention herein described and illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is presented to explain the invention so that others skilled in the art might utilize its teachings. The embodiment of the present invention may be modified within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1: Improved iron sights for a firearm having a muzzle end and a rear end thereof, the iron sights comprising: a front sight component mounted to the firearm adjacent the firearm muzzle end; anda rear sight component mounted to the firearm between the front sight and firearm rear end and spaced from the front sight component within the depth of field of the shooter when the firearm is presented so that both the rear sight component and the front sight component are visually in focus to the shooter when the firearm is presented.

2: The iron sights of claim 1 wherein the front sight component and rear sight component are spaced less than two inches (6.5 mm) apart.

3: Iron sights for a handgun having a muzzle end and a rear end thereof, the iron sights comprising: a front sight component mounted to the handgun adjacent the handgun muzzle end; anda rear sight component mounted to the handgun between the front sight and handgun rear end and spaced from the front sight component within the depth of field of the shooter when the handgun is presented at extension so that both the rear sight component and the front sight component are visually in focus to the shooter when the handgun is presented at extension, where the rear sight component is spaced from the shooter's eye at a distance approximately equal to the shooter's extended arm.

4: The iron sights of claim 3 wherein the front sight component and rear sight component are spaced less than two inches (6.5 mm) apart.

5: Iron sights for a pistol having a muzzle end and a rear end thereof, the pistol also having an ejection port between the muzzle end and rear end, the iron sights comprising: a front sight component mounted to the pistol adjacent the muzzle end; anda rear sight component mounted to the pistol between the front sight and the rear end and spaced from the front sight component within the depth of field of the shooter when the pistol is presented at extension so that both the rear sight component and the front sight component are visually in focus to the shooter when the pistol is presented at extension, where the rear sight component is spaced from the shooter's eye at a distance approximately equal to the shooter's extended arm.

6: The iron sights of claim 5 wherein the front sight component and rear sight component are spaced less than two inches (6.5 mm) apart.

7: The iron sights of claim 5 wherein the rear sight component is located between the front sight component and the ejection port.