Bore sight

Abstract

A bore sight including a rear casing, a front casing sized to cooperatively engage the rear casing and define a first cavity and a separate second cavity, a laser disposed within the first cavity, and a battery in the second cavity. The bore sight further includes a switch selectively connecting the battery and the laser, an elongate mandrel releasably engaging the rear cavity, the mandrel having a free-end, a tapered seating collar having a through hole sized to receive a length of the mandrel, the seating collar being a separate components from the mandrel and the rear casing, wherein the seating collar can be formed of a different second material than the mandrel and the rear casing; and an adaptor releasably engaging a free end of the mandrel.

1 . A bore sight for aligning with a barrel having a bore with an open end, the bore sight comprising:
 (a) a housing retaining a laser, a battery and a switch, the switch selectively connecting the battery and the laser;   (b) an elongate mandrel extending from the housing along a longitudinal axis, the mandrel having a free end;   (c) a seating collar having a through hole sized to receive a length of the mandrel, the seating collar being a separate component from the mandrel and the housing and removably connected to at least one of the housing and the mandrel, the seating collar having a tapered outer surface sized to engage the open end of the bore; and   (d) an adaptor engaging the mandrel, the adapter having a variable dimension transverse to the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         2 . The bore sight of  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a bias member and an adjustment screw to modify orientation of the laser relative to the housing. 
     
     
         3 . The bore sight of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate mandrel is fixedly connected to the housing. 
     
     
         4 . The bore sight of  claim 1 , wherein the adaptor includes a flange seat fixed along a longitudinal axis of the mandrel and a capture head, the capture head moveable relative to the flange seat to vary a longitudinal distance between a portion of the capture head and the flange seat, and a resilient bushing longitudinally intermediate a portion of the flange seat and the capture head. 
     
     
         5 . The bore sight of  claim 4 , wherein the flange seat threadingly engages the mandrel. 
     
     
         6 . The bore sight of  claim 1 , wherein the adaptor includes a resilient expansion bushing, the bushing having a coefficient of friction sufficient to engage the barrel and allow rotation of the housing relative to the barrel. 
     
     
         7 . The bore sight of  claim 1 , wherein the seating collar is a different material than the mandrel. 
     
     
         8 . The bore sight of  claim 1 , wherein the seating collar is the same material as the mandrel. 
     
     
         9 . The bore sight of  claim 1 , wherein the seating collar releaseably engages the mandrel and the housing. 
     
     
         10 . The bore sight of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is co-axial with a longitudinal axis of the barrel. 
     
     
         11 . A bore sight comprising:
 (a) a rear casing;   (b) a front casing sized to cooperatively engage the rear casing and define a first cavity and a separate second cavity;   (c) a laser disposed within the first cavity, the laser selectively emitting a radiation beam along an optical axis;   (d) a battery disposed in the second cavity;   (e) a switch selectively connecting the battery and the laser module;   (f) an elongate mandrel extending from the rear cavity along a longitudinal axis, the mandrel having a free end;   (g) a tapered seating collar spaced from the free end of the mandrel; and   (h) an adaptor engaging the mandrel, the adapter having a variable dimension transverse to the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         12 . The bore sight of  claim 11 , further comprising a coupler and an insert sized to cooperatively engage the front casing and the rear casing in defining the first cavity and the second cavity. 
     
     
         13 . The bore sight of  claim 11 , wherein the front casing includes a bias member and an adjustment screw to modify the orientation of the optical axis relative to a longitudinal axis of the bore. 
     
     
         14 . The bore sight of  claim 11 , wherein the elongate mandrel is fixedly connected to the rear casing. 
     
     
         15 . The bore sight of  claim 11 , wherein the adaptor includes a flange seat fixed along a longitudinal dimension of the mandrel and a capture head, the capture head engaging the mandrel to vary a longitudinal distance between a portion of the capture head and the flange seat, and a resilient bushing longitudinally intermediate the portion of the flange seat and the capture head. 
     
     
         16 . A method of operably locating the bore sight within a barrel having a bore extending along a longitudinal axis, the method comprising:
 (a) disposing a length of an elongate mandrel within a length of the bore;   (b) longitudinally displacing a capture head relative to the mandrel to decrease a longitudinal distance between the capture head and a flange seat and radially expand a bushing longitudinally intermediate a portion of the capture head and the flange seat to contact an inner surface of the bore at a contact area, a dimension of the contact area along the longitudinal axis being less than a diameter of the bore; and   (c) contacting a seating collar with an end of the bore.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising forming the seating collar as a separate component from the mandrel. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising forming the seating collar of a different second material than the mandrel. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , connecting a housing to the mandrel, the housing having a first cavity retaining a laser and a separate second cavity retaining a battery, wherein the laser is substantially collinear with the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising moving the laser relative to the first cavity against a bias member.