Unitary mounting apparatus for firearm optical sights

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR OPTICAL SIGHTING DEVICE HAVING A RETICLE AND AN OPTICAL AXIS TO THE BARREL OF A FIREARM COMPRISING A MOUNTING BLOCK HAVING A LONGITUDINAL TUBULAT BORE EXTENDING FROM END TO END OF THE BLOCK IN ONE PORTION THEREOF, THE BLOCK IN COMBINATION WITH THE LONGITUDINAL BORE BEING ADAPTED FOR PERIPHERAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SIGHTING DEVICE, THE BLOCK HAVING A LOWER LONGITUDINAL EXTERIOR SURFACE BELOW AND PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL BORE, A PAIR OF DOWNWARDLY DEPENDING TONGUE PORTIONS INTEGRAL WITH THE BLOCK EXTENDING FROM THE BLOCK ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE LOWER EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE BLOCK, EACH TONGU PORTION EXTENDING FROM END TO END OF THE BLOCK AND BEING DISPOSED PARALLEL TO THE TUBULAR BORE, EACH TONGUE PORTION HAVING A THIN WALLED PORTION ADJACENT THE BLOCK, EACH TONGUE PORTION HAVING A LONGITUDINAL END SPACED FROM THE BLOCK, THE TONGUE PORTIONS CONVERGING AS THEY EXTEND FROM THE BLOCK TO THE LONGITUDINAL ENDS THEREOF, THE LONGITUDINAL ENDS OF THE TONGUE PORTIONS BEING ENLARGED TRANSVERSELY WITH RESPECT TO THE THIN WALLED PORTIONS THEREOF AND DEFINING THE FEMALE PORTION OF A DOVETAIL CONNECTION MEANS, THE MOUNTING BLOCK HAVING A PAIR OF HOLES THEREIN FROM THE EXTERIOR