Calfee Muzzle devise

Old Calfee Muzzle Device.

CalfeeTuner-1.jpg

He said he invented this setup to add to the Harrel style tuner.
Tunerw-weights3.jpg
 
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thanks Fred for clearing that up, I was thinking it was the aluminum mountain pie makers on the bottom of the stock.
 
You got me on that one

I don't pay that much attention to the current Calfee builds. What ever it is, isn't a Calfee Invention.
 
Don,
According to Precision Shooting it was 1994 & they published an article that Bill wrote in Dec of that year.
 
Don

Don Stith said:
Can someone provide a precise date when Mr Calfee invented the muzzle device/tuner? Any documentation?
Don
Click to expand...

An article came out in "Precision Shooting" in Dec. 1994 about Bill's tuner, I think. I don't know who wrote the article but I don't think it was Bill. The article said Bill got the idea while driving home from the BR 50 Nationals in Texas in Oct. of 1993. One of the people who has a copy of the new book could probably tell you more.
 
I've heard that there is a magazine that pictures Calfee or someone holding a Calfee rifle with a muzzle device that predates the Browning BOSS. Again, I haven't actually seen that. I guess if a person really wants to know, it would require some research.
 
For those that care. Browning publicly introduced the Boss system in August of 1993. By October of 1994 Savage had a similar device as did QUE company. Brownings patents were delayed because of the similarity to a "device for changing the vibrations of a rifle barrel" applied for June 7,1954 and granted June 8, 1957 to a Mr. Alfred Shapel. Mr Calfee may have devised his muzzle device without knowledge of these other developments. Only he knows that. I do not know when Mr Hoehn began marketing his tuner or what inspired him. Just thought some one might enjoy this info.
Don
 
Don

If you go to the patent office online, and search around, some 'devices' even predate those you listed.
 
The December 1994 Precision Shooting article is entitled, "The Calfee Rimfire Barrel Device" by Bill Calfee as related to Bruce Buckner.

I reread the article last night and enjoyed it. The article addresses some of the ways people in the past had tried to deal with barrel vibration. Steel bands around the stock, dual bedding screws, some type of electric bedding device???, etc. It even references and acknowledges an article about the BOSS "Ballistic Optimizing Shooting System" written by Richard Kayser in Precision Shooting in a previous June issue. It also states, "He is offering this information for accuracy minded rimfire shooters to make one for themselves if they so desire."
 
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B. Harvey said:
If you go to the patent office online, and search around, some 'devices' even predate those you listed.
Click to expand...

I think you can find some patents from the '20's. We've been through this before. It's difficult to read what the design is unless you have drawings but the intent was the same.

In the early 90's Bill started showing up with these tuners, the ones in the early nineties pictures, at matches. They no doubt did something but were hard to tune. As far as I remember, Bill did not make them for anybody else but would freely give you the design (of course it's hard to hide the design of a big old blob of steel). The reason given for not making and selling them (it should have been lucrative) was threats from Browning but I can't confirm or deny that.

Hard to tune was the key, because you had to loosen them and move them slightly to change anything, thus evolved the Hoehn 4000+. For those who never shot it, the 4000+ reference was to BR-50 where a 4000 target on 50 bulls was a benchmark that seldom happened and would almost always win. I never say one advertised and the way I got it was because of the same Browning issue. I think Browning finally decided it was not a threat and was not intended to do what the BOSS did (hunting versus BR). But really, they're still kind of an underground thing. You can buy one, but there are few ads. I don't remember any ads until Dan Killough started advertising them. The Browning litigation group probably has him in their sights.

I saw copper pipe fittings on rifles that predate the first Calfee tuner I ever saw and I guess they worked and they were adjustable. But I don't think anybody can deny that where ever the first patent was, or who just tried it or whatever else, Calfee made it widespread. There's little doubt of that because you can trace the beginnings of the use of them across the country and they all come back to that "bull' tuner. But I'm sure their will be disagreement to that and that's good.

Finally, in 2009, after approx 20 years of use we find Martin Hammond to tell us how to use them. How lucky is that?

I know Wilbur, I didn't need that last part.
 
Beau, never a straight answer without a smoke screen. and never is a long time.
 
Beau

Beau said:
I think you can find some patents from the '20's. We've been through this before. It's difficult to read what the design is unless you have drawings but the intent was the same.

In the early 90's Bill started showing up with these tuners, the ones in the early nineties pictures, at matches. They no doubt did something but were hard to tune. As far as I remember, Bill did not make them for anybody else but would freely give you the design (of course it's hard to hide the design of a big old blob of steel). The reason given for not making and selling them (it should have been lucrative) was threats from Browning but I can't confirm or deny that.

Hard to tune was the key, because you had to loosen them and move them slightly to change anything, thus evolved the Hoehn 4000+. For those who never shot it, the 4000+ reference was to BR-50 where a 4000 target on 50 bulls was a benchmark that seldom happened and would almost always win. I never say one advertised and the way I got it was because of the same Browning issue. I think Browning finally decided it was not a threat and was not intended to do what the BOSS did (hunting versus BR). But really, they're still kind of an underground thing. You can buy one, but there are few ads. I don't remember any ads until Dan Killough started advertising them. The Browning litigation group probably has him in their sights.

I saw copper pipe fittings on rifles that predate the first Calfee tuner I ever saw and I guess they worked and they were adjustable. But I don't think anybody can deny that where ever the first patent was, or who just tried it or whatever else, Calfee made it widespread. There's little doubt of that because you can trace the beginnings of the use of them across the country and they all come back to that "bull' tuner. But I'm sure their will be disagreement to that and that's good.

Finally, in 2009, after approx 20 years of use we find Martin Hammond to tell us how to use them. How lucky is that?

I know Wilbur, I didn't need that last part.
Click to expand...

Beau, the Hoehn 4000 was advertised early on in " Precision Shooting" but not for long.
 
funny thing beau

bill didnt even make his own tuners in the early 90s,i know the people who did make them for bill when he started using them . but i will not drag their names in to it . tim in tx
 
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