The TRUTH about muzzle devices, tuners and who invnted them...

A

AZUARO

New member
Dear Members:

This post was deleted by the Admin of WWA for no apparent reason nor warning...I strongly believe that I am being unbiased and courteous but most important, shooters of all disciplines including BR should know the truth or at least hear this side of the story for making their own conclusions and I am re-posting it in this forum.

The purpose of this information is the opposite to being controversial and is only a reconciliation of what has been said in the past and about muzzle devices/tuners and their inventors...

It will be very hard if not impossible to determine who actually invented “Muzzle Devices” (tuners included) because if we trace these artifacts around the US Patents Office, we find registers that go back to the late 1800’s and even before then…

One thing is a fact: Muzzle devices WERE NOT invented in the 1990’s...But we can say that they have been successfully used in Rimfire rifles in later years and that Bill Calfee has indeed done much research in stabilizing a barrel with the use of these devices and with other methods.

Bill’s claim of being “THE INVENTOR” of muzzle devices in the 1990’s I believe is just an INTENTIONAL OVERSTATEMENT to emphasize that he has been a great contributor to its success in .22 RF BENCHREST, this is very true and nobody can contradict this fact but somebody not understanding Bill’s overstatement may misjudge him and will see him as an IMPOSTOR and accuse him of PLAGIARISM...Accusations like these is what motivated me to start this thread.

By researching the USPTO office we find that It is a fact that neither Bill, nor anybody else we know is or was the inventor of muzzle devices and BC couldn't credit himself as the SOLE inventor simply because he has no invention/patent record, because I believe that he actually doesn't mean the literal context of his claims, and lastly and more important is because there are over 100 years of patented muzzle devices before he was even born...It would be just insane and ridiculous for anyone to pretend making such claims believable and I don't think that BC falls into this category, but only him and time will tell us what is going on...

In reality we all know what Bill Calfee means behind his statements and he DEFINITELY deserves much of the credit for these devices being used successfully in Rimfire Benchrest shooting, but we all know that he did not INVENT them.

A specific tuner for .22 RF was designed in 1990 (Years before Calfee's development era) by a couple of Swiss inventors (Bossard and Pesek) patent number 4913031, the device consists of a weight with vent porting and a lockable ring, this device has been used by Feinwerkbau, Steyr and Anschutz for decades and after improving it, it is currently also used by Swiss Bleiker and Grunig and Elmiger for their Olympic ISSF rifles very successfully...The device looks similar to a Harrell tuner with a Non-Funtional integral venting system and looks like this picture included below.

Many of the patented muzzle devices found in the USPTO are intended recoil reducers, suppressors, flash hiders, etc. that were designed mainly during war times and for military use, but most of them have proven to ALSO improve accuracy and this accuracy part is the origin of our current “Accuracy Tuners and Muzzle Devices”….Maybe down the road some other uses will be found for these artifacts and the name will be changed to ????

For anyone interested in reading more about what is being said, please log into the US Patents office (link below) and plug in any of the the patent numbers on the list below so you can review the claims and drawings of the device being patented.

http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm

5279200 in 1994 Browning patented the BOSS system which is another variation of a tuner as currently used in .22 RF
4913031 in 1990 Bossard & Pesek from Switzerland patented a muzzle device specifically designed for damping vibrations & Oscillations for improving the “Hit” of a firing weapon.
4726280 in 1988 Guenter Frye patented an adjustable muzzle device for improving accuracy with a locking ring.
4211146 in 1980 Bradley patented a muzzle device consisting of 2 tubes of different diameter attached to the barrel for increasing accuracy.
2953972 In 1960 Sorenzen patented what he called: “A Muzzle Equalizer & Blast Minimizer for improving accuracy and minimizing blast” It is basically an adjustable threaded tuner that moves back and forth with a combination of porting for reducing blast and recoil.
3858481 – 1975 O. Harkness Compensator system for target and sporting rifles
2796005 – 1957 Shapel…A device called “Rifle Control Tube” which increases accuracy
2712193 – 1955 and 1951 Mathis…An adjustable Muzzle device with numbers like a current Harrell tuner
2656637 – 1953 Richards…While designed mainly for shotguns this device has adjustable porting, weight
and has setting numbers also like a Harrell tuner.
1401010 – 1921 Summers…Patented a muzzle device consisting of adjustable tubes/weight and even some kind of liquid cooling for the gases.

The list is endless and all you have to do is to follow the REFERENCE patents listed by the new inventors in order to find more devices and their evolution over the years.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2014 to all members.
 

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Just a small correction re: "The device looks similar to a Harrell tuner with an integral venting system and looks like this picture included below." There is no venting or porting on ISSF rifles per rule. Those notches and holes in the Grunig tuner are simply cosmetic.

Eric U
 
Yes, definitively...thanks for the correction Eric...I should have said: "NON functional venting system" as part of the comment...

I came back and edited the original message as mentioned above...Better this way for avoiding any confusion.

Best regards,

AZUARO
 
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I've long maintained that Browning should not have been awarded their patent, as there was pre-existing art as well as application for it. And certainly should not have been able to shut down the Que connection system on a patent infringement basis. But I've been willing to allow that Bill Calfee just might have developed his tuning method independently of any knowledge of pre-existing tuners.

However, I think it's been pretty well proven (and confirmed by several rimfire experimenters) that accuracy enhancing muzzle devices work because (and only because) they harness the properties of a standard "X" shaped vibrational node. And that by moving this node to the muzzle (or at least much closer to it) the vertical transverse acceleration on the bullet is reduced or eliminated. This side force induces yaw at bullet exit which is detrimental to accuracy, and the node of a vibrating beam is where there is also zero bending taking place (which is also detrimental). Bill Calfees own accounts (of what is required for accuracy) also support this model of how a tuner works, instead of the Parallel Node idea (in which he accurately describes a stationary anti-node - which is a contradiction in terms).

Mounting a mass at or near the muzzle also serves to lower the vibrational frequency of the barrel, to a point where the bullets exit time is more in line with a period of smoother less chaotic motion with a rising change in trajectory. This allows a slower bullet to reach the muzzle with it "aimed" a bit higher than when a faster bullet would have been. Which allows the slower bullet to "drop" into the point of impact of the faster bullet. Reducing the degree of vertical dispersion.

Bills claim that this is due to the Parallel Nodes unchanging launch angle, and that vertical dispersion is now solely due to muzzle velocity variations has never been confirmed (or supported in any way) with chronograph data. In fact that claim has been proven to be quite inaccurate on many occasions with rifles tuned to the point that (measured) slow bullets would consistently hit the target higher than (measured) faster bullets.

It's also been shown that the great extents he takes, toward consistent ignition, are MUCH more important to what has come to be called the Positive Compensated model than it would be if his Parallel Node actually existed. It turns out that a consistent "time in barrel", from sear release to bullet exit, is at least twice as important to an accurate rifle as the muzzle velocity is. And much less variation there will cause a greater impact to, and loss of, accuracy. Because it then allows the bullet to exit at a point in the vibration cycle outside of what would be beneficial. Very few attempts to actually model and measure this effect have been successful, but all of those attempts support this explanation of a consistent Time in Barrel, as being much more important than just muzzle velocity variation.
 
Yes...RIP to whoever dares to contradict or say anything the Admin doesn't like, but I left and cancelled my membership before he banned me from the site; so technically it is too late for him even after deleting and minimizing my posts...

This guy at WWA responds more like a hart-broken & offended mistress than the professional administrator moderating a forum where accurate guns and precise shooting techniques and equipment are discussed...Truthful and accurate statements should always be part of the equation, members have the right to ask and inform what is not true and WWA seems to have a problem with this issue.

For anyone wondering what I am talking about, please follow this link and read BC's response to ZedNut and about inventing the muzzle devices in the 90's...This is what motivated this thread.
http://www.wwaccuracy.com/showthread.php?2000-Who-knows

Admin feels OFFENDED with my research and considers it CRAP???...Well, OK...I CHALLENGE him to post something BETTER where he shows us some patents that prove BC's invention claims!

Contrary to the admin beliefs, I believe that the information on this thread clears the record for people who didn't know or wondered about who invented muzzle devices. This thread is by no means personal nor offensive and it actually gives BC "safe face" for his overstatements and most important: I believe that BILL CALFEE does not need a moderator for defending him...But I may be wrong.
http://www.wwaccuracy.com/showthread.php?2067-AZUARO

The moderator, the one and only Admin, the one and only OWNER of WWA having to expose himself ridiculously for covering up some myths, errors and overstatements?

Oh well!...Maybe there are two of them and this WWA Admin helped Bill Calfee in inventing the Muzzle Devices, Tuners and the Parallel Node...But, I couldn't care less!:cool:

I am beginning to understand why people who attend a BENCHREST forum (WWA) for reading numbers and "OK's" in the clouds, for viewing photos of rivers and pickups from the youth as well as innumerable
non-related shooting posts are being called THE FLOCK!...

When I first read this name or nickname in another forum I thought that it was somewhat insulting/denigrating, but I am not so sure about this anymore... It is disgusting to see a
dog "Sniffing and Smelling" other dog's butt pretending to get an identity.

BC is a great technician, he seems to be a good person and has much to contribute and nobody, and I mean nobody can take away his contributions to RF... It is just his non-sense overstatements (time and again), his bad habit of always promising to post something later and never doing it, his fixation and close minded attitude towards certain technologies (SAP vs. PAS), his eternal confusion of facts and fiction, his constant attacks to other good people who are excellent technicians like Jerry Stiller, etc. that makes him look like an unstable person, a plagiarist and a charlatan...And to make these facts even worse, subjects like the moderator at WWA and the flock don't help him much with reality.

Bill Calfee is somebody very valuable to RF and to Benchrest shooting and deserves much better, but only him and his ONLY supporters (WWA) can get him back on the road and out of the fiction world.

Happy 2014 full of blessings and health for all members,

azuaro
 
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No Azuaro

As proven here you are just another Calfee hater plain and simple, 100% the reason why the admin over there has deleted your insults and banned you.Since you are looking for the truth there it is.
Mike Cameron
 
Just a Fun Fact

Just a fun fact I thought I would share.

In the 1970's around the 72 Olympic games, Anschutz built at least 1 rifle that has 4 tuners built into the rifle stock. I know this because I have seen the rifle and know it current owner. The rifle was built for Vic Auer, who was a Silver medalist for 50m prone.

These tuners worked by applying pressure to the barrel at 1 to 4 points and are click adjustable. They are on the same plane at the forend of the rifle stock. I wish I had pictures to share, perhaps ill get some this weekend for you guys.
 
I am unable to go look to see what exactly sparked all this. All his posts were deleted I guess.
 
MIKECAMERON said:
As proven here you are just another Calfee hater plain and simple, 100% the reason why the admin over there has deleted your insults and banned you.Since you are looking for the truth there it is.
Mike Cameron
Click to expand...

No Mike, your statement is inaccurate...I am glad that you are not part of our legal system because you would make a terrible judge or prosecutor...The post that was deleted at WWA and that you refer to as hatred is the very same thread posted here and it is a fact that I left and posted the same thread here in this forum before I was fortunately banned...
No sense for me in visiting or participating in a BR site for watching "OK" signs in the clouds and other non-related shooting issues...It softens your brain!

In my communication I don't see any insults or hatred for anyone as you accuse me...But the fact is that I dislike fiction, overstatements and untruthful facts...More so so when they are being passed and imposed as
truthful. If you believe or want to believe that Bill Calfee is actually the inventor of muzzle devices and that these muzzle devices were invented in the 90's... Hey!, please be my guest but consider not
repeating or preaching these lies and don't pretend to pass them as the Bible because you will find much opposition to your words & efforts.

When I say something wrong or unclear and people correct me, I listen and rectify my mistakes but by no means consider their corrections as hatred.

Lastly...I feel pitiful for people forming a line and accepting the "Flock" position with their heads down for the only sake of being part of the BR Clan...

azuaro
 
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Sounds like Vibe.
Click to expand...
Thank you SWRIMFIRE. It does doesn't it. It's not.
It just goes to show that the incontrovertible facts lead thinking people to the same conclusions.
 
Rletts77 said:
I am unable to go look to see what exactly sparked all this. All his posts were deleted I guess.
Click to expand...

Read the response of BC to ZedNut, second line at: http://www.wwaccuracy.com/showthread.php?2000-Who-knows
If it was deleted, find a copy below.

I suppose that if someone is going to accuse somebody of something, LEAVE whatever is considered the "INSULT" and other accusations for members to review and decide...

My thread was not controversial, I don't dislike BC or his contributions, on the contrary, I admire his tenacity and findings...

What I dislike are fiction, myths and untruthful facts being imposed as THE BIBLE.... This thread had no consequences but unfortunately the Admin at WWA turned it into something it is not...What I posted at WWA is what I posted here on this thread but the Admin at WWA is infuriated because he has no control of what is said here.

Regards...

azuaro



Friend ZedNut
Quote Originally Posted by ZedNut View Post
....about a competitor during the 40's maybe later in th fifties, who shot and either won, or did really well in the olympics, or maybe BR somewhere else...his rifle was unique and had some type of dampener/tuner? device on it which nobody else had at the time. I read about this guy and am having trouble google searching him out and figured there would be someone here in the know on this? I had seen an original article with black/white photos of him on the net once.
Friend ZrdNut:

In my book I write of Art Cook, Gold Medal in the 1948 Olympics in London, England who used a unique bedding device..........not a muzzle device of course, I didn't invent them until the early 90's.........
Art Cook and I have been good friends for years.
He has discussed his bedder with me on several occasions.
In 1993, in Houston Texas, at the 93' BR-50 Nationals, Art competed, and shot prone, yes, at the Rimfire Benchrest Nationals he shot prone, laid down between two benches........kinda cool....
Fore end tuning does actually work to some degree, like in Art's rifle.
All it does is to fool the barrel into reacting like it is much stiffer, therefore moving the exact center of the parallel node closer to the exit of the crown, which shortens the oscillations of the muzzle, therefore helping accuracy, in some cases.
Your friend, Bill Calfee
 
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Vibe said:
Thank you SWRIMFIRE. It does doesn't it. It's not.
It just goes to show that the incontrovertible facts lead thinking people to the same conclusions.
Click to expand...

Vibe:

I agree with your statement...History proves that thinking people have always been troublemakers in the eyes of people pushing an agenda...

Fortunately the Admin at WWA decided to be a little more rational, he backed off and deleted his non-sense postings and false accusations...
It is really shameful that people congregate in teams for protecting each other and for fighting shadows they perceive as the enemy...

This sport is not a matter of the WWA forum teamed up with Bill Calfee's flock and followers Vs. The other guys at Rimfire Accuracy teamed up with Jerry Stiller & the Pappas duo.

Each individual has something to offer and something to learn and nobody is being tested in these forums...Competitions are at the shooting ranges and inside some barns during the winter, and even
when competing nobody is a better or worse person/technician because of winning or losing...The rivalry should be over after the match is over.

People in forums should be allowed to say, ask and discuss whatever they want as long as it is within the scope of the forum, but by the same token every individual has
the right of QUESTIONING and RECTIFYING information that has been presented wrong...

Someone imposing a Bible or agenda should be a subject of questioning and any member must be allowed to disclose relevant information with additional posts/threads without having to please the admin of the site.

Sometimes we say and present information that may be misinterpreted and most of us are willing to listen and rectify our statements...That is what I was trying to do with this thread, if somebody other that
members of BC's team believe that I was insulting or wrong with my statements, I am willing to listen, apologize and rectify/straighten the communication.

Hey, this is a sport most all of us do for FUN...Benchrest shooting is no war, no sanction and nor jail time...and if it, then I want to be found guilty and be sent to jail! :cool:

Best wishes for a healthy 2014 full of God's blessings to all members...Including my accusers at WWA

azuaro
 
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What different does it make as to who invented what!!

Who cares to who invented what, If it works use it? There have been a lot of things invented over years, some by accident or by planning it out. I come on 4-5 of these sites and read everything I can about our sport and what can improve a rifle to!! I'm like others as I get so sick of this moaning groaning!! That's one reason I don't post much as to keep from being chewed out for saying something wrong!! Just thought I would put my 2 cents in on this? I do not knock or talk bad about any of these guys that build stuff for sports weather it's tuners (muzzle devices), Noodles, J&J Slides, mid barrel tuners and all the actions that's out there along with all these different barrels and stocks for the building of a BR Rifle!! We do have a lot stuff now than we had 20 years ago!! Now chew me out for saying something about our sport.
YBRF! Rambo
(Douglas)
 
Rambo said:
Who cares to who invented what, If it works use it? There have been a lot of things invented over years, some by accident or by planning it out. I come on 4-5 of these sites and read everything I can about our sport and what can improve a rifle to!! I'm like others as I get so sick of this moaning groaning!! That's one reason I don't post much as to keep from being chewed out for saying something wrong!! Just thought I would put my 2 cents in on this? I do not knock or talk bad about any of these guys that build stuff for sports weather it's tuners (muzzle devices), Noodles, J&J Slides, mid barrel tuners and all the actions that's out there along with all these different barrels and stocks for the building of a BR Rifle!! We do have a lot stuff now than we had 20 years ago!! Now chew me out for saying something about our sport.
YBRF! Rambo
(Douglas)
Click to expand...

Very true...Cheers!...I will turn the page and get into more interesting/productive issues...Very unfortunately we are not shooting around here because of the weather...That would've kept me off the forums and out of trouble! :rolleyes:

Really...We had 10" of snow on the ground and lows in the -15 to -30 F about two weeks ago but then it has been 38-40 F for 3-4 days and we have a solid 1-2" block of ice that goes from my lawn to maybe Alaska!..

Man!, it is impossible to go out and do some shooting even around my own home...I had an accident in April and temporarily lost a great deal of my vision, had surgery and quit shooting in July and it was not until last week that I was allowed to moderately shoot .22 RF...My vision is about 70% and may get better overtime but I am happy that I will be able to drive and fly and that I won't need a German Shepherd dog for shooting...Some of my friends are out there trapping/hunting wolves and the rest are hibernating I suppose because most all of them have killer guns that may only need some extra good lots of ammo...

Have a good healthy 2014 Rambo,

azuaro
 
Don`t be surprized!!

Wilbur Harris generally does not allow any post concerning BC to live over here on BRC ,so this thread could be short lived over here because Wibur just don`t deal with any thing BC and booted him off of here for that reason, Wally Smallwood later on started RA and BC joined the fray(smells just like liverwurst again), then the Pappas`s took over RA and BC left there in a swirl of controversy and then WWA was started for him and his flock(smells familiar??) and they move with him! It`s about 50/50 that subscribe to his or the other philosophys and that is just the way it is ! Most BR shooters that shoot his rifles seldom ever join in the controversy and that is good ! They mostly remain neutral for the most part and that makes it very odd that the ones that embrace his thinking and contribute over there don`t even shoot or own a rifle built by him! That is very odd !Praise him and you will be fine on WWA ,read his BS and laugh ,he needs a pulpit and has one ;any threat of change in thinking and reality is not welcome,so live with it ! Sort out the self congratutory writings(90%) and move on! JTFM!!
 
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Slick Willy said:
Wilbur Harris generally does not allow any post concerning BC to live over here on BRC ,so this thread could be short lived over here because Wibur just don`t deal with any thing BC and booted him off of here for that reason, Wally Smallwood later on started RA and BC joined the fray(smells just like liverwurst again), then the Pappas`s took over RA and BC left there in a swirl of controversy and then WWA was started for him and his flock(smells familiar??) and they move with him! It`s about 50/50 that subscribe to his or the other philosophys and that is just the way it is ! Most BR shooters that shoot his rifles seldom ever join in the controversy and that is good ! They mostly remain neutral for the most part and that makes it very odd that the ones that embrace his thinking and contribute over there don`t even shoot or own a rifle built by him! That is very odd !Praise him and you will be fine on WWA ,read his BS and laugh ,he needs a pulpit and has one ;any threat of change in thinking and reality is not welcome,so live with it ! Sort out the self congratutory writings(90%) and move on! JTFM!!
Click to expand...

Touché!...I am and will do.

Regards...

azuaro
 
Had enough?

Said enough, or whatever?

Your statements are certainly welcome but.....what's the use?

Wilbur
 
Wilbur said:
Said enough, or whatever?

Your statements are certainly welcome but.....what's the use?

Wilbur
Click to expand...

Wilbur, you want to think of this as a journey not a destination. It builds slowly and ends in a magnificent crescendo.
 
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