The subtleties of safe firearms handling
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #103 • January/February, 2007
There are so many makes and models of firearms in existence that no one has ever counted them all. Each variation may have subtly different handling requirements. It's...
Reload your own brass
By Dale Petry
Issue #132 • November/December, 2011
Not long ago a friend called to say he had seen an unusual rifle at the local gun shop. Shortly after that call I found myself in possession...
Get a piece of history — An M1 Garand rifle
By Mike Blank
Issue #89 • September/October, 2004
What follows is my personal quest to acquire an M1 Garand through the Civilian Marks-manship Program (CMP). We've all heard about getting government Garands, but personally I never...
Big boomer guns
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #125 • September/October, 2010
For you long time readers, I know what you're thinkin'"Hey, isn't this the guy who within the last two years wrote the article about moderation, where he said...
Moderate power firearms
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #110 • March/April, 2008
Robert Ruark, the great American writer of the mid-Twentieth Century, was also a big game hunter. One of his most popular books, written on the latter topic, was...
How long should your gun’s barrel length be?
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #136 • July/August, 2012
The person new to guns is like the person new to timepieces. "How many of these things are there?" "In how many configurations?" "And they've been around for...
Women and guns
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #121 • January/February, 2010
In a time when what used to be called "the women's liberation movement" has achieved many of its goals in terms of equality and empowerment, the concept that...
Centennial of the All-American .30-06
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #100 • July/August, 2006
In the long love affair between America and the rifle, there has never been an interlude quite as intensive as the epoch of the .30-06. This cartridge celebrated...
Inexpensive retired Russian military rifles can be the ideal backwoods meat guns
By Rev. J.D. Hooker
Issue #47 • September/October, 1997
Like many another rural person, I've often found a firearm to be my most important tool. No, we don't have much crime in our area; in fact...
The M1A — A rifle that makes a statement
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #45 • May/June, 1997
I take the Springfield Armory rifle out of the box, and savor it. I seldom do that with guns, but a Springfield Match grade M1A will make a...
BHM hosts Appleseed marksmanship event
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #139 • January/February, 2013
Long a supporter of the Appleseed concept, Backwoods Home Magazine hosted one in Gold Beach, Oregon, in second quarter 2012. Naturally, a good time was had by all....
How to shoot a handgun accurately
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #85 • January/February, 2004
"I want you to do an article on how to shoot a handgun accurately," Dave Duffy told me. "Make it 2,500 or 3,000 words."
Long ago, I would have...
Just because
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #144 • November/December, 2013
I generally recommend that people buy guns the way they'd buy power tools, or automobiles, or homes. Assess your needs, analyze your budget, correlate it all with your...
Choose your ammo… police style
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #93 • May/June, 2005
One of our greatest modern gun experts, Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC, Ret., once made the observation that the bullet is more important than the gun. The gun,...
Firearms handling refresher Part II: Shotguns
By Massad Ayoob
Website Exclusive • December, 2003
In Part I, we began a series of refreshers on safety and proper handling of firearms. This time, we'll examine what may be the most common firearm in...
Firearms handling refresher Part I: Handguns
By Massad Ayoob
Website Exclusive • December, 2003
One of our readers e-mailed John Silveira to tell him that taking a handgun afield after a long layoff had resulted in some scary moments. While gun handling...































