Is the old lever action half-cock safety really all that safe?

We’ve all been taught about the half-cock notch on lever action rifles. How safe is it, really? When I was growing up lever action rifles (with the exception of the Savage 99) had no safeties. It was assumed, and taught, that the safe way to carry a lever action with a round in the chamber […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 19, 2015

Ed Harris says: “A Hillbilly Assault Rifle? You bet!”

. Ed Harris, ballistic experimenter extraordinaire, is back — this time with some details on his “lever action utility rifle”. As usual, he’s got some good ideas! —— Modern Sights to Upgrade the Lever-Action Utility Rifle by C.E. “Ed” Harris, Gerrardstown, WV I like the 1894 Marlin. I have three of them, in .357, .44 […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On December 8, 2014

Ed Harris makes the .32ACP into a real tackdriver!

. Ed Harris returns, and this time he’s tackling a new mystery: why does the .32ACP have such a bad reputation for accuracy? As usual, Ed gets to the bottom of the problem! (Which gives me an excuse to show a picture of one of my favorite autoloading pistols of all time, the Colt Model […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On September 29, 2014

Ed Harris: How to Make and Load All-Brass .410 Shotshells.

. Ed Harris is back with another of his terrific articles! This time, it’s about making your own all-brass shotshells in .410. (If you’re not familiar with Ed Harris, you should be. Ed is one of the best sources of technical information in the shooting world, and he’s always doing something interesting. His articles are […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On July 21, 2014

Ed Harris: Loading Cast Bullets In the 9mm Luger/Parabellum.

It’s been too long since Ed Harris has graced our presence. He’s back, though, with an article about shooting cast bullets in 9mm — and, of course, with related stories about his days doing just that at Ruger. Enjoy! Tales from the Back Creek Diary: Loading Cast Bullets In the 9mm Luger/Parabellum by Ed Harris, […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 12, 2014

Ed Harris Friday: Testing .22 Ammunition.

Editor’s Note: Here’s Ed again, with some data and procedures on testing .22 LR ammunition for best results. I’ve found that .22 LR is the most finicky of all calibers, both in terms of accuracy and function. I’ve seen numerous cases where a .22 rifle or pistol will shoot horrendous groups with one brand/type of […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 1, 2012

Ed Harris Friday: Blackpowder Revolvers

(Editor’s Note: I’ll admit to knowing nothing about blackpowder arms, so this article from Ed was quite enlightening! If you’ve thought about getting a cap-and-ball revolver but weren’t sure about how to use it, Ed’s article will tell you everything you need to know!) Handling Cap & Ball Revolvers By C.E. “Ed” Harris Learning to […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 27, 2012

Ed Harris: America’s Greatest, The All-Around .30-’06!

(Editor’s note: Today I’m pleased to bring you another Ed Harris article – this time all about the .30-06 cartridge. As you’ll soon learn, Ed is a HUGE fan of the ’06 and has probably done more experimenting with it than any ten people you’re likely to find. In it are Ed’s recommendations for bullets […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 6, 2012

Ed Harris on metallurgy for firearms.

(Editor’s Note: Ed’s back with an incredible article on firearm metallurgy! This originated as a reply to an email from a “DG”. Ed gives some phenomenal information on the metals used at his employer, Sturm Ruger, to build their guns. I think you’ll find it very interesting, if a little complex!) DG: A toolmaker friend […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 16, 2012

Ed Harris: My Observations on the Ruger Mini-14

My Observations on the Ruger Mini-14 by Ed Harris (Editor’s Note: Today Ed candidly talks about the Ruger Mini-14, a gun with which my wife and I have a love-hate affair. She likes the size, the handling, and the appearance, while I like that it uses a round which I already have in abundance! When […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 24, 2012

Ed Harris: Building an accurate .22 field rifle!

(Editor’s Note: Ed Harris is back! He recently sent me a big archive of his older articles, and there are some real gems in there. I’ll be featuring one of these treasures every other Friday! Today Ed talks about rebarreling a .22 rifle to turn it into a budget tackdriver. Some of you may remember […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 10, 2012

Ed Harris: The .32ACP in a rifle??

Editor’s note: today I’m pleased to bring you another great article from Ed Harris, experimenter extraordinaire. This time he’s built a couple of rifles for some common .32 caliber pistol rounds, making for handy and quiet woods rifles. Enjoy! Tiny Handgun Cartridges Are Also Small Game Rifle Rounds! by Ed Harris Gerrardstown, WV After fooling […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 6, 2012

Ed Harris: Using the .45ACP in a rifle!

Tales from the Back Creek Diary – A .45 ACP Rifle? By Ed Harris I like having at least one long gun capable of firing each caliber of handgun ammunition I keep around. Rifles chambered for center-fire handgun calibers provide greater kinetic energy than any rim-fire, but also have low noise, usually not needing a […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On December 16, 2011

Ed Harris: Casting and reloading the .38/.357

(Editor’s Note: for those who don’t know him, C.E. ‘Ed’ Harris is an engineer who’s worked for Ruger and the NRA. Ed is one of the great repositories of technical shooting knowledge in the field; his expertise extends to all areas of shooting, and trust me when I tell you that he can’t be stumped. […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On December 10, 2011

Ed Harris: Revisiting The Full Charge Wadcutter.

Happy Black Friday! Today I am pleased to present another great article from Ed Harris, this time about an old load that he’s finding useful in the modern era. It’s helpful to note that Ed lives in a very rural area, and regularly hunts small game with his handguns. This gives him an enormous amount […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On November 25, 2011

Bore cleaners: is there really any difference? What do I use?

A recent email asked my opinion on bore cleaners, and to my surprise I found that I’d not written anything on the topic. It is, after all, unlike me to have no opinion – and it may be a bit of a surprise to learn that, on this topic, I don’t have a strong opinion. […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On May 3, 2010

Everything has a purpose in the hands of Ed Harris. Even the .32 ACP.

Many of you are familiar with Ed Harris, firearms engineer and ballistic experimenter. One of Ed’s passions is the hunting of small game – squirrels, rabbits, etc. – and the guns that facilitate that activity. (Before we go any further, it seems that a lot of folks today don’t have any experience with serious small […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 29, 2009

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