US3863354A

US3863354A - Mirror sight for small firearms

Info

Publication number: US3863354A
Application number: US434272A
Authority: US
Inventors: Toivo Johannes Karppinen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-01-17
Filing date: 1974-01-17
Publication date: 1975-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-04

Abstract

The invention relates to a mirror sight for small firearms, such as pistols and rifles. The mirror sight comprises two mirrors placed within a casing which may be mounted on a firearm behind the sights thereof in such a way that it does not interfere with direct aiming. The casing is provided with a turnable cover plate having one of the mirrors secured to the inside thereof. By turning the cover plate to a predetermined open position the target is reflected through the mirrors into a backward and downward direction, thus allowing the shot to aim and fire the firearm from full cover.

Description

{451 Feb.4, 1975 MIRROR SIGHT FOR SMALL FIREARMS [76] Inventor: Toivo Johannes Karppinen, 01900 Nurmijarvi, Finland [22] Filed: Jan. 17, 1974 [2]] Appl. No.: 434,272

Denmark 3511/3111 Great Britain H 350/301 Primary Examiner-William D. Martin, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Frank I, Jordan [57] ABSTRACT The invention relates to a mirror sight for small firearms, such as pistols and rifles. The mirror sight comprises two mirrors placed within a casing which may be mounted on a firearm behind the sights thereof in such a way that it does not interfere with direct aiming. The casing is provided with a turnable cover plate having one of the mirrors secured to the inside thereof. By turning the cover plate to a predetermined open position the target is reflected through the mirrors into a backward and downward direction, thus allowing the shot to aim and fire the firearm from full cover.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 MIRROR SIGHT FOR SMALL FIREARMS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Mirror sight for rifles are known which comprise two mirrors carried by bars secured to a frame which may be mounted on a rifle in such a position that one of the mirrors will be placed behind the conventional sights of the rifle, and the other in a more forward position at the side of the rifle, either at the same level as the first mirror or at a lower level. In the firstmentioned case the inclination of the mirrors is adjusted such that a light beam through the sights of the rifle is reflected in a backward and downward direction. In the lastmentioned case the inclination of 'the mirrors is adjusted such that a lightbeam through the sights of the rifle is reflected backwards substantially in a parallel but at a lower level. In both cases it is thus possible to aim and fire the rifle from cover.

These known mirror sights have certain drawbacks. Firstly, because the mirrors are carried on protruding bars, the mirror sight is very vulnerable to mechanical shocks and must be handled with care. It is therefore hardly possible to have the mirror sight permanently mounted on the rifle. Secondly, because one mirror is right behind the conventional sights of the rifle, it is not possible to aim directly through the sights, but either the whole mirror sight or at least the mirror behind the sights must first be removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore the object of the present invention to produce a mirror sight which may be used on various types of small firearms, such as pistols, rifles, submachine guns, and may be permanently mounted on the firearm without interfering with a direct aiming through the normal sights. It is a further object of the invention to produce a mirror sight having a compact construction, and wherein the mirrors are effectively protected both for mechanical shocks and atmospheric conditions, such as rain.

A mirror sight according to the invention comprises a casing having two opposite side walls, a rear wall connecting said side walls. a cover plate turnably mounted on said side walls adjacent to said rear wall and extending along the upper edges of said side walls, and an open bottom, means in said side walls at the front ends thereof for mounting said casing on a small firearm behind the sights thereof with said cover plate in closed position situated at a level below said sights, a first mirror secured between said side walls adjacent to the front ends thereof in a position substantially perpendicular to a straight line through said sights, a second mirror secured to the inside of said cover plate, and means for arresting said cover plate in an open position with said second mirror in a redetermined inclined position with respect to said first mirror to reflect a lightbeam from a target through said sights from said second mirror to said first mirror and from said first mirror in a downward and backward direction, thus allowing aiming and firing of the firearm from full cover.

According to one embodiment of the invention the central portion of said second mirror being in line with said sights in said open position of said cover plate is a different type of mirror than the remaining portion of said mirror.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention there is a transversal partition between said side walls adjacent to the front end thereof, said second mirror being secured to the said partition. In the mirror sight according to the invention the mirrors are thus effectively protected from all sides when said cover plate is closed. The design of the mirror sight may be very compact, the overall length being less than 2.5 inches. The mirror sight may therefore be permanently mounted on the firearm, if desired, and since the upper level of the mirror sight below the level of the conventional sights of the firearm when the cover plate is in closed position, it does not interfere with direct aiming. If desired the mirror sight may however be easily removed from and again mounted on the firearm according to need. In order to aim through the mirror sight, it is only necessary to turn the cover plate to the predetermined open position. Since the mirror sight according to the invention is easily adjustable to a great variety of small firearm types, it is well suited for both field service and police service purposes.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the accompanying drawing FIG. 1 shows an elevational view of a mirror sight according to one embodiment of the invention together with a partial view of a pistol on which it is intended to be mounted.

FIG. 2 shows in the same manner the mirror sight in ready for use condition.

FIG. 3 shows the mirror sight as viewed from above.

FIG. 4 shows in a smaller scale an automatic rifle having a mirror sight according to the invention mounted thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. I shows a mirror sight intended to be mounted on a Parabellum type pistol. The mirror sight comprises a casing generally designated by l which comprises two

opposite side walls

2 and 3, a rear wall 4 connecting said side walls to each other at one end thereof, and a cover plate 5 extending along the upper edges of said side walls and turnably connected between said side walls at 6 adjacent to rear wall 4. In FIGS. 1 and 2 side wall 3 has been omitted to show the interior of casing 1. The bottom of casing 1 is open. At the front end the thickness of

side walls

2 and 3 is greater, as is best seen in FIG. 3, and adjacent to the front end there are

vertical grooves

7 and 8 inside of

side walls

2 and 3 and restricted between said thicker portions of the side walls and thin ridges 9 and 10 extending along the front edges of the side walls and terminating at a distance from the upper edges of the side walls.

Grooves

7 and 8 are dimensioned to fit on corresponding ridges 21 at the rear end of pistol 20, and easing I is mounted on the pistol from below by fitting said

grooves

7, 8 on said ridges 21 and pushing upwards until the upper ends of ridges 9 and 10 hit the curved portion at the upper end of ridges 21 on the pistol, thus defining the correct position of casing 1. Casing l is then secured in place by tightening a clamp screw 12 passing through a hole in side wall 3 and co-operating with a threaded hole 11 in side wall 2. This clamp screw 12 is shown in FIG. 3.

At the front end of cover plate 5 a transversal partition 13 is secured between

side walls

2 and 3, and to the inside of this partition a first mirror 14 is secured in any convenient manner, such as be adhesive, guide rails, clamps or the like. A second mirror 15 is secured to the inside of cover plate 5 in a similar manner. Cover plate 5 is further provided with an arresting device comprising in the embodiment shown a spring lever 16 extending with its free end adjacent to the inside of side wall 2 as seen in FIG. 3. and a pair of projections 17 on the inside of side wall 2. On opening cover plate 5, spring lever 16 will snap between projections 17 and thus arrest cover plate 5 in a preselected open position. In that open position of cover plate 5 a light beam T coming from a target and passing through the sights 22 of the pistol will be reflected from second mirror to first mirror 14 and since the latter is in a position substantially perpendicular to the lightbeam T through the sights, lightbeam T will be further reflected from second mirror IS in a downward and backward direction, as shown in FIG. 2. It will thus be possible to aim and fire the pistol holding it overhead so that the shot can stand or otherwise be in full cover. Likewise, by turning the pistol sideways, it will be possible to aim and fire around a corner.

Mirrors

14 and 15 may both be conventional plane mirrors. However, in order to increase the field sight through the mirror sight, second mirror 15 may be a convex mirror. In both cases the central portion of second mirror 15 being in line with the sights 22 of the pistol in the preselected open position of cover plate 5 may be of a different type, viz. a concave mirror giving an enlarged view of the sights of the pistol when second mirror 15 is a plane mirror, and a concave or plane mirror when second mirror 15 is a convex mirror. This can be achieved either by appropriate grinding of second mirror 15, or by fastening a small piece of mirror of the type concerned to second mirror 15, as indicated by dotted line 15' in H0. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a mirror sight in accordance with the invention mounted on an automatic rifle. The casing 101 of the mirror sight is of a somewhat other shape than in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 in order to fit on the sights 122 of the rifle 120. In other respects the mirror sight is of the same construction as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 wherefore it is not described in detail here. The mirror sight is shown with its cover plate 105 in open position. The butt 123 of the rifle is pivoted at 124 so that the butt can be supported on the shoulder of the shot when aiming and firing overhead from full cover. For that purpose the first mirror of the mirror sight may be slightly inclined in the sideward direction in order to reflect the light beams slightly to the left in order to facilitate the aiming.

The embodiments shown and described are intended only to illustrate the invention and not to restrict the scope thereof. Thus various details of the mirror sight may be modified in a manner obvious to one skilled in the art. For example the shape of the casing and of the means for mounting the mirror sight are depending on the type of the firearm concerned. Also the means for arresting the cover plate in the predetermined open position may be of any convenient type. One obvious modification for example is to provide the spring lever US with a projection at the free end thereof which will snap into a corresponding notch in the inside of the adjacent side wall.

What is claimed is:

l. A mirror sight for small firearms, comprising a casing having two opposite side walls, a rear wall connecting said side walls, a cover plate turnably mounted on said side walls adjacent to said rear wall and extending along the upper edges of said side walls, and an open bottom, means in said side walls at the front ends thereof for mounting said casing on a small firearm behind the sights thereof with said cover plate in closed position situated at a level below said sights, a first mirror secured between said side walls adjacent to the front ends thereof in a position substantially perpendicular to a straight line through said sights, a second mirror secured to the inside of said cover plate, and means for arresting said cover plate in an open position with respect to said first mirror to reflect a Iightbeam from a target through said sights from said second mirror to said first mirror and from said first mirror in a downward and backward direction, thus allowing aiming and firing of the firearm from full cover.

2. A mirror sight as in claim 1, comprising a transversal partition between said side walls adjacent to the front ends thereof, said first mirror being secured to the inside of said partition.

3. A mirror sight as in claim 1, wherein the central portion of said second mirror being in line with said sights in said open position of said cover plate is a different type of mirror than the remaining portion of said mirror.

4. A mirror sight as in claim 3, wherein said second mirror is a convex mirror, and said central portion thereof is a plane mirror.

5. A mirror sight as in claim 3, wherein said second mirror is a convex mirror, and said central portion thereof is a concave mirror.

6. A mirror sight as in claim 3, wherein said second mirror is a plane mirror, and said central portion thereof is a concave mirror.

* i i i i

Claims

1. A mirror sight for small firearms, comprising a casing having two opposite side walls, a rear wall connecting said side walls, a cover plate turnably mounted on said side walls adjacent to said rear wall and extending along the upper edges of said side walls, and an open bottom, means in said side walls at the front ends thereof for mounting said casing on a small firearm behind the sights thereof with said cover plate in closed position situated at a level below said sights, a first mirror secured between said side walls adjacent to the front ends thereof in a position substantially perpendicular to a straight line through said sights, a second mirror secured to the inside of said cover plate, and means for arresting said cover plate in an open position with respect to said first mirror to reflect a lightbeam from a tArget through said sights from said second mirror to said first mirror and from said first mirror in a downward and backward direction, thus allowing aiming and firing of the firearm from full cover.