The Shape of the Future

The Shape of the Future

Another flight around the sun and here we are, 138 years after the invention of the first centerfire, bottlenecked, smokeless powder cartridge, the 8x50mm Lebel, watching cartridges evolve. For better or worse.  The “better” part of this equation are the bullets. In...

Are Damascus-Barreled Shotguns Safe to Shoot?

Are Damascus-Barreled Shotguns Safe to Shoot?

Damascus-barreled shotguns are considered inferior to those made with fluid-steel barrels, but are they really more dangerous to shoot? Damascus, the capital of the Syrian Arab Republic, is a big city surrounded by an even bigger desert. Nearly two million inhabitants...

The Perfect Farm and Ranch Rifle

The Perfect Farm and Ranch Rifle

Have you ever noticed how sometimes great ideas grow from the tiniest little seeds? That happened to me recently. I was talking to Todd Ramirez, the Alba, Texas-based master gunmaker, about a rifle that I wished I had. The more we talked, the more the idea grew, until...

Lead vs Copper Bullets

Lead vs Copper Bullets

All-copper, hollow-point bullets typically mushroom like the best lead core bullets without losing mass to jacket separation or core erosion.