Product innovation is all about “building a better mousetrap”, or in this case, building a better bore-cleaning patch. A real smart guy, Shane Smith, has invented a triangular patch that earned a patent. The U.S. Patent Office has awarded a utility patent for BoreSmith’s triangular Pyramid Patch™. This unique cleaning patch was designed by Shane Smith, a mathematician/physicist who employed his scientific and firearms knowledge to create innovative bore-cleaning products.
BoreSmith’s clever Triangle Patch™ (aka Pyramid Patch) presents more cleaning surface area to the bore wall than does a conventional square or round patch (of equivalent size). At the same time, the unique geometry makes Triangle Patches much less likely to jam in the barrel. This is because the notches in the sides of the triangle allow the patch to sit more uniformly on the jag (without bunching up). In addition, the Pyramid patch is must less likely to jam due to pleating. One reason conventional patches get stuck is unwanted 5-layer pleating. The special notches in the Pyramid patch remove all or most 5-layer pleating. As a result the patch does not bunch up and this also reduces rod bowing.
Triangle Patch Function and Geometry Explained (See 1:18 time-mark):
NOTE: Despite what you may see in this video, you should ALWAYS insert brushes and patches from the chamber end first, using a fitted cleaning rod bore guide. With bolt-action rifles, NEVER insert a cleaning rod (with brush or jag) in through the muzzle. This may damage the delicate crown of your barrel.
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Product innovation is all about “building a better mousetrap”, or in this case, building a better bore-cleaning patch. A real smart guy, Shane Smith, has invented a triangular patch that earned a patent. The U.S. Patent Office has awarded a utility patent for BoreSmith’s triangular Pyramid Patch™. This unique cleaning patch was designed by Shane Smith, a mathematician/physicist who employed his scientific and firearms knowledge to create innovative bore-cleaning products.
BoreSmith’s clever Triangle Patch™ (aka Pyramid Patch) presents more cleaning surface area to the bore wall than does a conventional square or round patch (of equivalent size). At the same time, the unique geometry makes Triangle Patches much less likely to jam in the barrel. This is because the notches in the sides of the triangle allow the patch to sit more uniformly on the jag (without bunching up). In addition, the Pyramid patch is must less likely to jam due to pleating. One reason conventional patches get stuck is unwanted 5-layer pleating. The special notches in the Pyramid patch remove all or most 5-layer pleating. As a result the patch does not bunch up and this also reduces rod bowing.
Triangle Patch Function and Geometry Explained (See 1:18 time-mark):
NOTE: Despite what you may see in this video, you should ALWAYS insert brushes and patches from the chamber end first, using a fitted cleaning rod bore guide. With bolt-action rifles, NEVER insert a cleaning rod (with brush or jag) in through the muzzle. This may damage the delicate crown of your barrel.
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On Sunday, June 14, 2015, firearms manufacturer Colt Defense LLC and its subsidiaries (“Colt”) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with the goal of selling the enterprise. Colt had been strained by a heavy $355 million debt burden, and had previously warned that it might resort to bankruptcy if it could not reach an agreement with bond-holders. In a Sunday news release, Keith Maib, Colt’s chief restructuring officer stated: “The plan we are announcing and have filed today will allow Colt to restructure its balance sheet while meeting all of its obligations to customers, vendors, suppliers and employees and providing for maximum continuity in the company’s current and future business operations.” Read full Press Release.
According to Marketwatch, Colt hopes to have new owners by the end of the summer: “Colt is racing to get to the auction block by August 3, with an opening buyout offer from Sciens Capital Management LLC, Colt’s private-equity backer.” There are actually ten separate but related business entities under the Colt umbrella that collectively filed for backruptcy. These are listed in the Bankruptcy Filing Summary, In re Colt Holding Company LLC, Case Number: 15-11296.
Today is the 179th birthday of the revolver, as invented by Samuel Colt of Hartford, Connecticut. On February 25, 1836, Samuel Colt was granted a United States patent for an “Improvement in Fire-Arms”, specifically the “Revolving Gun”. The rest is history. Colt’s original patent drawings, along with the text of his application, are available online.
The U.S. Patent Office has awarded BoreSmith utility patents for two unique gun cleaning products. Patents were issued for BoreSmith’s triangular Pyramid Patch™ as well as BoreSmith’s dual-diameter JagBrush™. Both products were designed by Shane Smith, a mathematician/physicist who used his scientific and firearms knowledge to create innovative bore-cleaning products that may well work better than conventional patches and brushes.
BoreSmith’s clever Triangle Patch™ (aka Pyramid Patch) presents more cleaning surface area to the bore wall than does a conventional square or round patch (of equivalent size). At the same time, the unique geometry makes Triangle Patches much less likely to jam in the barrel. This is because the notches in the sides of the triangle allow the patch to sit more uniformly on the jag (without bunching up). The Triangle patch can be used with a standard jag but works best when paired with BoreSmith’s patented dual-diameter JagBrush. Order Triangle Patches HERE.
Triangle Patch Function and Geometry Explained (See 1:18 time-mark):
NOTE: Despite what you may see in this video, you should insert brushes and patches from the chamber end first, using a well-fitting cleaning rod bore guide. With bolt-action rifles, NEVER insert a cleaning rod (with brush or jag) in through the muzzle. This may damage the delicate crown of your barrel.
Patent Awarded to Dual-Diameter JagBrush
The JagBrush is like a standard bore brush but has two different diameters on the bristle section. Bristles in the front are smaller, while the rear bristles are similar length to a standard bore brush. When a patch is pushed through the bore using a JagBrush, the smaller bristles will grab the patch, leaving the longer bristles exposed and creating a dual-action wiping + brushing system. JagBrushes are offered in a wide variety of calibers, in both bronze and nylon versions.
Shane Smith, CEO of BoreSmith, was pleased that his designs have been awarded two important patents: “I created these tools to allow the user to get their firearms cleaner, faster, and without causing unnecessary damage in the process. At BoreSmith, we strive to develop and produce superior cleaning tools that help firearm owners protect their investments.” For more info, visit BoreSmith at RigelProducts.com.
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Sisk Rifles had been granted U.S. patent # 8,720,099 for a “Multi-Axis Adjustable Buttstock”*. Several other patents are still pending. In the meantime, gunsmith/inventor Charlie Sisk is continuing to develop more applications for his modular, adaptive stock. The complete Tactical Adaptive Rifle (STAR®) rifle stock is now available for short or long action, left or right hand Remington 700s (and clones) for $1395. Complete rifles are available for $6495, built to order. Demos for law enforcement are available on request. To learn more about this stock and other innovative Sisk products, visit Siskguns.com.
Click Photo for full-screen version:
Charlie Sisk SISK RIFLES
400 County Road 2340
Dayton, TX 77535
(936) 258-4984
Email: charlie [at] siskguns.com
*The patent is set to issue May 13, 2014, so it may not yet appear in patent databases.
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Judge Glen E. Conrad, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, entered a final judgment upholding the validity of Ashbury International Group, Inc.’s patent on its modular rifle technology. The court also held that Cadex Defence, Inc. of Canada infringed that patent, and enjoined Cadex from future infringement. Ashbury was represented by the Troutman Sanders law firm, and D. Alan Nunley of Reston, Virginia. The official case title is: Ashbury International Group, Inc. v. Cadex Defence, Inc., Case No. 3:11cv79, filed on December 16, 2011, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
“The court held that Ashbury’s patent is valid, and potential infringers now know that Ashbury will protect its valuable intellectual property,” said Robert Angle, the head of Troutman Sanders’ Litigation Department in Virginia and a leading intellectual property litigator. “This case validates the significant investment Ashbury has made in its technological innovations.”
After entry of judgment, Ashbury CEO/President Morris Peterson declared: “We are very pleased with the final judgment, and feel confident that our intellectual property and [our] many innovative ideas … can in fact be protected, even in the hyper-competitive firearms industry. Our customers in the government, military, and sport shooting communities rely on Ashbury’s innovations. They deserve to have our best-engineered designs, particularly in life-critical applications.”
Virginia-based Ashbury Int’l Group is a DOD contractor, systems integrator, engineering, manufacturing and logistics company serving the government, military, and Spec-Ops communities in the USA and allied foreign nations. Among its products, Ashbury has designed fully integrated precision rifle platforms using the advanced SABER®-FORSST® modular stock chassis system for sporting, target competition and tactical shooting activities. Ashbury currently holds 16 US Patents relating to its advanced modular chassis system for precision bolt action rifle platforms, including the patent infringed by Cadex, U.S. Patent No. 7,802,392, and other patents pending.
About Troutman Sanders Law Firm Troutman Sanders LLP is an international law firm with more than 600 lawyers and offices located throughout the United States and China. Founded in 1897, the law firm represents clients ranging from multinational corporations to individual entrepreneurs, federal and state agencies to foreign governments, and non-profit organizations to businesses representing virtually every sector and industry.
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At SHOT Show we got a “first look” at the new Kahles K-1050, a 10-50x56mm scope with unique, centerline parallax control. This is a very interesting new high-magnification competition scope. Kahles’s patented centerline parallax control allows the marksman to adjust windage, elevation, AND parallax all with ONE HAND. If you’re in prone position, for example, you simply reach forward with your right hand to dial windage, then slide your hand to the central turret to dial elevation and, finally, set the parallax by adjusting a separate concentric ring.
Watch Video to See Kahles K-1050 Features and Centerline Parallax Control
NOTE: The big-diameter metal ring is OPTIONAL. You can remove the big metal ring and still adjust parallax (from centerline) using a smaller, built-in control ring on the top turret.
Designed for benchrest and field target use, this scope has a 30mm main tube, 55 MOA elevation, and 1/8-MOA clicks. There are three (3) total turret revolutions. The turret “Rev Count” is displayed with a clever red-and-white striped “barber pole” button in the center of the top turret. One red stripe indicates REV 1, red + white indicates REV 2, and red + white + red indicates REV 3. It’s simple, but it works.
The new K-1050 also features a nice European-style +/- diopter control on the eyepiece. If you have less that perfect vision, this allows you to get a sharp target image even without eyeglasses.
We liked the scope. The glass was bright and sharp, and the clicks were positive and precise. Competition shooters have shown great interest in the new K-1050, and Kahles plans to bring the new scope to the USA by mid-summer 2013. Price is expected to be around $2800.00 USD.
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Imagine a “smart scope” that can range your target AND calculate windage correction. Such technology may appear in riflescopes fairly soon. The Israeli Government’s Soreq Nuclear Research Center has received a U.S. patent for a new laser-based technology that can gauge wind vectors as well as target distance, using a laser rangefinder coupled to a rifle-scope. The Israeli system is called LIDAR, an acronym for Laser Identification Detection And Ranging. This new technology could, potentially, be a major boon for long-range shooters, both military and civilian. Ironically LIDAR was first developed for environmental monitoring (not for use with weapons). A LIDAR system was used for 3-D mapping and modeling of wind-driven plumes from the Israel Electric Company’s Rabin power plant.
Credit The Firearm Blog for breaking this story on the new Israeli LIDAR technology for sniper scopes. Below you’ll find the LIDAR Patent Application Abstract, which has a good summary of how LIDAR reads the wind.
The new Israeli LIDAR unit gauges wind speed by detecting fluctations in laser signals sent out from the integrated scope/LRF, reflected back from the target, and then received by photodiodes in the scope/LRF. Other scopes have used built-in LRFs to measure distance-to-target, but Israel’s patented LIDAR goes one step further, using the laser to gauge BOTH target distance AND wind vectors (i.e. velocity + direction). This information is entered automatically into software. The software then calculates a ballistic solution compensating for distance, wind angle, and wind velocity. If it really works, LIDAR represents a remarkable technological achievement. The Israelis claim LIDAR works for targets at distances of 500m or greater. Why won’t it work at closer ranges? Presumably the wind-induced laser fluctuations are too small to register at closer distances.
Current Integrated LaserScopes for Hunters While the Israeli LIDAR system may seem like science fiction, it’s not that far removed from the lastest commercial optics. Engineers on both sides of the Atlantic have already integrated laser rangefinders (LRFs) into rifle-mounted “consumer” optics. Just this year, Burris introduced an affordable “consumer” scope, the Eliminator, that ranges the distance to target and then displays the ballistically correct aiming point on the vertical crosshair. The amount of hold-over is automatically calculated with reference to ballistics formulas. At right is a view through the Burris Eliminator; the illuminated dot shows the calculated aiming point.
While such technology can help a shooter compensate for bullet drop, windage compensation is another matter. A shooter must still gauge crosswind angle and velocity, and then hold left or right accordingly. If the LIDAR system can perform this task reliably, that is a major advancement.
DARPA “One Shot” System to Have Wind-Reading Capability
Meanwhile, in the United States, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is proceeding forward with a One-Shot Sniper System, another “Super-Scope” that will have day/night capability, and calculate both elevation AND windage correction automatically. Prototypes have already been tested, demonstrating that a laser beam can be used to “measure the average down-range crosswind profile”. The wind data is combined with readings of temperature, humidity, and target range to provide a very sophisticated ballistic solution. DARPA’s Spec for the One Shot program calls for a 12-42X Direct View Optic (DVO), a Riflescope Display Assembly (RDA), and an Integrated Spotting Scope (ISS) with rangefinder that ranges to 2 km, and provides “crosswind measurements”. The system will be “menu-selectable” for .308 Win, .338 Lapua, and .300 Win Mag. DARPA has budgeted big bucks for the One Shot system. The ISS, by itself, is expected to cost $85,000 per unit (for the first 15 units).
These systems will never replace the utility of an experienced shooter who possesses the skills of wind reading, but it is a real boon for less experienced shooters. In terms of military utility, it is a game changer. I’ve seen and used a prototype of the One Shot, and it does perform as advertised. — SFC Emil Praslick III, USAMU Coach
Can Wind-Reading Systems Work in the Real World?
From what we can tell, the LIDAR system, and America’s competing One Shot System, are both designed to measure crosswind speed and angle AT THE TARGET primarily. But as any experienced long-range shooter knows, wind is rarely constant along the entire path of the bullet. There can be a 10 mph left wind near the firing point, a 5 mph tailwind in mid-trajectory, and a 20 mph right wind 1000 yards away. Importantly, wind close to the shooter has more effect on the bullet’s path than wind far downrange — that’s a matter of simple geometry. Therefore, any wind-reading system could provide incorrect solutions if it is not able to read and calculate different wind vectors along the full bullet flight path. Presumably LIDAR and One Shot systems will attempt some kind of crosswind averaging, but that will be a very challenging task, without multiple wind sensors downrange.
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Leupold & Stevens, Inc. has dropped its lawsuit against Carl Zeiss Optical, Inc. for patent infringement. The lawsuit originally alleged that Zeiss, Burris, and Bushnell infringed Leupold & Stevens’ patent for True Ballistic Range (TBR®) technology. With Zeiss out, the action will proceed against Burris and Bushnell only.
While Zeiss products do allow users to input ballistic groups and display holdover values at specific yardages, it has been determined that they do not incorporate an inclinometer to compensate for uphill/downhill shot angles. Therefore, they do not infringe on US Patent Number 7,654,029 owned by Leupold & Stevens, Inc.
Bushnell Sues Leupold Claiming Infringement of ARC Patents
Leupold’s patent infringement suit will continue against Bushnell and Burris. But Bushnell Inc. has its own patent infringement action against Leupold & Stevens. In February, Bushnell filed suit alleging that Leupold infringed on Bushnell’s U.S. patents for Angle Range Compensation (ARC) and Rain Mode laser-rangefinder technology. Bushnell’s ARC and Leupold’s True Ballistic Range (TBR) are competing technologies. The courts will have to resolve whether both ARC and TBR patents can co-exist.
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Bushnell Outdoor Products has sued Leupold & Stevens for infringing on two Bushnell U.S. Patents covering the Bushnell Angle Range Compensation™ (ARC™) and Rain™ Mode laser rangefinder technology. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas on February 9, 2010 and alleges that Leupold is infringing on Bushnell U.S. Patent Nos. 5,926,259 and 7,658,031.
Angle Range Compensation is important for both rifle shooters and bow-hunters. When a shooter or archer takes a shot at an extreme up or down angle, there will be less drop than with a non-angled shot (given the same line of sight distance to target). By fitting an inclinometer to its rangefinders, Bushnell is able to plot the shot angle and display the “effective ballistic distance” to the target. You can then quickly calculate the hold-over you actually need.
Bushnell pioneered the sportsman-oriented laser rangefinder, and Bushnell was selling rangefinders long before Leupold even entered the laser rangefinder market. Bushnell earned U.S. Patent No. 7,658,031 for its rangefinder technology that provides hold-over info for angled shots.
“Bushnell has invested an enormous amount of time and resources into developing our patented technology and we will vigorously enforce our rights against all infringers,” said Phil Gyori, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Bushnell Inc. “While we prefer to resolve disputes with our competitors without resorting to litigation, we felt we had no choice but to defend our intellectual property against Leupold’s infringement.”
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Judge Glen E. Conrad, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, entered a final judgment upholding the validity of 
Designed for benchrest and field target use, this scope has a 30mm main tube, 55 MOA elevation, and 1/8-MOA clicks. There are three (3) total turret revolutions. The turret “Rev Count” is displayed with a clever red-and-white striped “barber pole” button in the center of the top turret. One red stripe indicates REV 1, red + white indicates REV 2, and red + white + red indicates REV 3. It’s simple, but it works.
Imagine a “smart scope” that can range your target AND calculate windage correction. Such technology may appear in riflescopes fairly soon. The Israeli Government’s 
While the Israeli LIDAR system may seem like science fiction, it’s not that far removed from the lastest commercial optics. Engineers on both sides of the Atlantic have already integrated laser rangefinders (LRFs) into rifle-mounted “consumer” optics. Just this year, Burris introduced an affordable “consumer” scope, the 
Bushnell pioneered the sportsman-oriented laser rangefinder, and Bushnell was selling rangefinders long before Leupold even entered the laser rangefinder market. Bushnell earned U.S. Patent No. 7,658,031 for its rangefinder technology that provides hold-over info for angled shots.
