Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Rick Jamison???

A �quick search� in the USPTO database (http://patft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html) shows that a John R. Jamison of Eugene, Oregon, has a number of patents related to short magnums. In �Term 1� of the query, enter �Jamison-John-R.� In �Field 1� of the query, select �Inventor Name.�

Listed below are many of Jamison�s patents. In parenthesis are the filing and granting dates for the patent.

6,678,983: Ultra-short-action firearm for high-power firearm cartridge (February 21, 2003 - January 20, 2004)
6,675,717: Ultra-short high-power firearm cartridge (February 21, 2003 - January 13, 2004)
6,595,138: High-power firearm cartridge (April 4, 2002 - July 22, 2003)
6,550,174: Short-action firearm for high-power firearm cartridge (November 13, 2001 - April 22, 2003)
6,397,718: Device for reducing the eccentricity and non-uniformities among cartridge cases (May 11, 2000 - June 4, 2002)
6,354,221: High-power firearm cartridge (July 29, 1999 - March 12, 2002)
5,970,879: High-power firearm cartridge for short-action chamber and bolt assembly (April 17, 1998 - October 26, 1999)
5,826,361: Short-action chamber and bolt assembly for high power firearm cartridge (March 17, 1997 - October 27, 1998)
5,531,113: Ballistics measuring system (September 22, 1994 - July 2, 1996)
5,357,796: Ballistics measuring system (October 1, 1993 - October 25, 1994)

After reading some of the abstracts, I wish that I had filed patents for these �inventions� after Remington came out with its 350 Magnum and 6.5 Magnum in 1965 and 1966.

I've always enjoyed Rick Jamison's writing. His monthly column in Shooting Times was always worth the price of the magazine, and kept me a subscriber for many years. His book, 'The Rifleman's Handbook', is one of my favorites.

As far as the whole Winchester WSM deal goes....I think it's a shame how he's been treated. He took a concept, refined it, recieved a patent for it, presented it to Winchester, they were interested, entered into a contract with him and then they stiffed him.

He sued and won.

But now, instead of being considered an example of a stand-up 'little guy' that took on Corporate America and won....he's been crucified by the industry and the shooting public in general for doing no more than standing up for his rights.

Rick Jamison gets blackballed. But they're making a movie about the guy that Ford did the same thing to on intermittent wipers.

Jim Morrison had it right: "People are strange....."

I must be the only one on the forum who didn't enjoy his writing. First, he replaced Bob Milek whose writing I really appreciated. Then, he seemed to go off on some technical kick for a few columns and then move on to some other technical kick for a while, etc. I still remember his attempts to improve bullet performance by using fluid in the end of a hollow point bullet and sealing it in. I think he also wrote about using a small bb or piece of shot in the hollow point cavity to enhance bullet expansion.

As far as the law suit, I still believe he patented what others had already done before him for many years. Opportunist at best. Parasite at worst.

this predates Jamison's patent by a healthy margin, yet seems to infringe?

Nope, I'm another!



Agree.

I still have the magazines and articles where he touted what he patented, specifically stating the lower capacity of the 338 Jamison equalled the 338 Win Mag. I built at least two of them, maybe more as I don't recall, and they are no different in performance than any other lesser capacity cartridge and case. They all still follow the laws of physics, less capacity, less performance whether it's the short/fats or the rounded shoulders of the 'venturi effect' Weatherby's.

We can debate whether the 'Short/Fat' patent should have been granted until the cows come home. Personally, I don't think it should have. But that's neither here nor there to the lawsuit.

Here's what people seem to lose sight of: It wasn't the 'patent', that Jamison sued Winchester over. It was Winchester's actions involving the use of the idea (that he brought them) that triggered the lawsuit.

Effective 'spin' isn't solely confined to politics.

Sometime today, I'll be loading some 300WSM ammo. I'll think of Mr. Jamison as I do this and tip my hat to him.

Good shootin'. -Al

Back on page 1 of this thread I made it pretty clear I disliked his writing and thought his lawsuit was a farce

I enjoyed Jamison's writing, though his more technical stuff sailed above my right-brained head. Don't have ANY of the facts about why he's no longer around the writing game.

It's kind of odd some folks here, a purportedly conservative bunch, think he should have simply "shared the wealth" with the firearms industry.

Seems to me, the difference between Jamison and many others who run out and cry "Eureka!" "It's Alive!" or "Looky What I Done" is that he patented his idea and, possibly, has profited.

Consider Elmer Keith, who worked for decades on load development and wrote endlessly on the subject of heavily loaded .44 Specials. He lobbied gun and ammo makers to just go ahead and load the thing and manufacture handguns strong enough to handle it. Yes, I know other folks were working parallel tracks.

But how much did Elmer ever receive in cash, goods or services for being the "father of the .44 Magnum"? Probably a few N-Frames, a few cases of ammo, etc. But did he receive a royalty?

Speaking of Keith, in his 1955 work "Sixguns" on page 105 he extolled the virtues of a particular kind of sight for fast target acquisition and aerial shooting.

On page 107 that sight is illustrated by son Ted, along with a number of other sights.

"One variety...is the wide angle English V rear sight with a platinum center line, and not over a 20-degree angle to the sides of the V...This ...sight is fast with either a post or bead front sight...tipped with red or gold."

Fast forward 40 years and a company was begun by a Texas law enforcement officer making just those type of sights except with white beads and center stripes of white. Got some on my own fighting guns. But Keith was never mentioned as an inspiration.

Ironically, that enterprising cop was later aced by the money guys at his company and now pens a few articles a year for...a gun mag.

Friend of mine had a noted pistolsmith make a three-dot front-and-rear sight system for him � but didn't patent it. Now three-dot handgun sights are an international stamderd.

Nearly a hundred years ago, my dad didn't patent his design for s universal (collet-type) shotgun choke. Later, Poly Choke did.

What was the original idea that he brought them?

If you compare the date the patent was applied for to the date that Winchester anounced the WSM's the patent was applied for after the cartridge was announced. By several months. I think Winchester looked at the cost of fighting the patent against sales of the rifles/ammo and just decided it was cheaper to settle out of court; even if this meant paying Jamison a "royalty" on the rifles already built. If they were already planing to discountiue those calibers they wouldn't be paying the "royalty" for very long.

I don't see this as anybodys business but Winchester and Jamisons....

God is great, beer is good and people are crazy!

And the people who have to pay the extra $30 for a rifle chambered to a WSM. Or the people who buy ammo for them. Or the people/companies who already had a short magnum design in play long before Rick claimed it as his idea...

You mean Winchester wasn't going to try to recoup their R&D investment?

Or do you mean they didn't have any investment? Hmmmm.

Maybe the WSM fans should thank Rick Jamison.

I agree 100%, Ray--for people on the Campfire to speculate or pick sides without knowing the whole story is about like getting your "hard" news from the tabloids at the supermarket.

So what else is "new?"

Where did you see the word "original" used?

Palmissano and Pindell could probably have slammed the door on the 'short/fat' wannabe's in 1975, had they chosen to do so. And Remington's Jim Stekyl had already been working with the BR case design since the later 1960's. Heck, the 284 Winchester (a short/fat in it's own right) has been around since 1963.

There have been one or two "original" cartridges lately, though the WSM's were not among them. Most of the "originals" are such niche cases (pun intended) that they're hardly ever seen by the public.

And I agree with Ray, John B. and Dr. Howell that it's best left to the parties involved. I probably shouldn't have said a thing and given the benefit of hindsight....I wish I wouldn't have.

I do miss his writing and appreciate the stuff he gave us.

Good shootin'. -Al

I can't prove it. But it's my best guess that
Rick Jamison posted here as "Wisegezzer".

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/userposts/id/6037/view/posts/page/2

I know if I had a wife that was an heiress I wouldn't work...........I,d be hunting all the time!!!

That's what a former friend of mine thought � and tried � until she dumped him because he was freeloading instead of working.

Her family owns banks in Dallas and big ranches in the Texas hill country. His daughters are still entitled, but he isn't.