A mounting device for the purpose of mounting various sighting apparatus on the raised vented rib of shotguns and various other weapons is disclosed. A mounting device that attaches to any suspended rail is disclosed. The device is characterized by a channeled piece of material designed to customly accept a flat plate of material within the inner surface walls of the extending arms of said channel and connected together by screws through mating holes to create a clamp-like device when the flat plate of material is placed beneath the suspended rail and the channel piece is placed on top of the suspended rail and mated to the flat plate and drawn together with screws to create a mounting surface on top of the suspended rail for use with various sighting apparatus. The device is affixed with centering and alignment means and braces that allow for adjusting to the various distances between the suspending posts of the rail, for stabilizing and for recoil absorption. The device can be formed, shaped and otherwise configured to work in conjunction with other practical mounting methods.

Preferred forms of viewing apparatus according to the teachings of the present invention are shown as including an enclosed and elongated see-through passage having a hooded front opening. The rear end of the enclosed and elongated see-through passage includes a visually opaque annular perimeter portion extending around a rear opening of a size smaller than the front opening. The effect of the passage, the size relationships of the front and rear openings, and the annular perimeter portion is to separate the targeted object from its immediate surroundings and to create a visual window effect rather than a tunnel effect. In its most preferred form, the passage has a constant size throughout its length and the annular perimeter portion extends radially into the passage. The viewing apparatus includes a camouflage cover which can be removably secured thereto and a range finder on the annular perimeter portion for judging distances to the targeted object. In preferred forms of the viewing apparatus including sighting members within the passage according to the teachings of the present invention, apparatus for providing windage and elevation adjustment is incorporated with the enclosed and elongated see-through passage.

An optical disc cartridge with a flexible optical storage medium, stabilized during rotation by a Bernoulli surface, is described. A flexible optical disc having an active layer capable of storing information is mounted within a rigid disc cartridge. A Bernoulli surface is provided on an inside face of the disc cartridge, in close proximity to the flexible disc, to thereby stabilize the flexible disc during rotation. The disc is rotated in order to access locations thereon during information storage and retrieval. Additionally, optical access to these locations during information storage and retrieval is also provided by the stabilizing Bernoulli surface.