Quote: What is for certain is the fact that Doctor Maynard initiated the rack and pinion elevation for his arms.
C.M.M.
Good Evening Harry:
Sorry to have put you to the task of digging into your files on my behalf for wanting me to have the most up to-date and accurate information possible when it comes to the topic of very fine Maynand rifle and shot arms.
As you, and most other alert people know, the rack and pinion mechanism predates the birth of Christ and was used during the time of the Roman empire in all manner of wars and civilizations. The catapults for throwing boulders were based in part on the mechanical advantages to be realized from the rack and pinion mechanism.
Respectfully, if you will simply re-read my above quotation it will become evident to you that I am pointing out to the reader that Doctor Maynard made a conscious decision to use the rack and pinion to raise and lower his sight aperture to the exclusion of other possibilities available for doing so, i.e., the threaded rod being just one of those options.
I believe that it is self evident from my statement that I was never under the impression that Doctor Maynard invented the rack and pinion mechanism, nor that he was the first and or only person to apply that particular mechanism for use with firearms sights.
He was a bright inventor and had more than able patent counsel on retainer at the time. I have no doubts that if he had been counseled to make patent application for the sight, he would have done so without hesitation.
C.M.M..