About Dirt E. Harry

Yes, My Parents Liked Me!

Yes, my name is Dirt E. Harry… Some have wondered if my parents didn’t like me for giving me a name like “Dirt.” Truth is, they did like me – they were just down-to-earth people.

Liars May Use Jigs, but Jigs Don’t Lie!

Before I became Dirt E. Harry, I was a journeyman body and fender man. I owned and operated a body and paint shop in Springfield, Oregon for 15 years. My shop specialized in high-end, newer automobiles like Mercedes, Porsche, and BMW. We used fixtures (jigs) to restore collision-damaged vehicles to their original factory specifications. These jigs removed all guesswork and matched the same standards used by car manufacturers.

My first bench in 1980 was a BlackHawk Bench. When I realized BlackHawk only had a limited number of jig sets (no Mercedes, BMW, or Porsche), I engineered adapters so it could use Celette (established in 1954) jigs. Pictured here is a set of Celette jigs for a 1981 Chevrolet Citation.

Little did I know, 27 years later, I would be engineering a jig to lock down an air gun to find the best air gun pellets for hunting and the best air rifles for any situation – with repeatable accuracy.

The Engineering Paid Off

Using Celette jigs on a BlackHawk Bench, I was able to restore the damaged Citation back to factory specifications with absolute precision.

Since the Celette Bench was the only bench endorsed by Mercedes-Benz, my shop was quickly overwhelmed with work, and I ended up buying three Celette benches. Celette also offered a vast inventory of jig sets, including one for the 1956 Porsche 356!

A Shop Scene

A typical scene in my shop showed a Mercedes being meticulously restored on a Celette bench.

Precision for Air Guns

After founding TopAirGun.com in 2006, I quickly realized I knew very little about the air guns featured on my site. I began reaching out to airgun dealers and suppliers like Air Gun Depot to learn more about the different models and their applications. I watched videos of people holding air guns by hand or resting them on a monkey bag while sighting the target through a scope. I thought to myself: “How can a shooter achieve repeatable results by hand-holding an air gun? It’s impossible to achieve precision without putting the air gun back in the exact same position for every shot.” The breathing, cocking, and recoil all make a difference. Trying to hand-hold an air gun is like attempting to restore a damaged vehicle by eyeballing with a tape measure. It’s pure guesswork.

Human Factor Eliminated!

There had to be a way to eliminate the human factor and replace it with precision. I initially tried a gun vise, but it still allowed movement when the trigger was pulled. So, I set out to fabricate a jig that would lock down the air gun but still allow it to move straight back with recoil and return to the exact same position each time. I also needed to anchor it securely for consistent repeatability. With some square steel tubing and my trusty CO2 welder, I built a sliding gun vise on precision ball-bearing drawer slides, along with a solenoid that could pull the trigger. The human element was removed, allowing me to find the best .177 pellet for accuracy or the best air pellet gun for consistent performance.

Any Air Gun with a Rifled Barrel Can Be Accurate!

Interestingly, no one has ever asked me to make a sliding gun vise for them. Many of our customers are interested in air pellet guns for target shooting or pest control. Brands like Pyramid Air also offer a great selection of pellets to match your specific needs. Although competitors have seen the sliding vise, they likely don’t understand its importance. Many people selling air guns simply don’t know what they’re looking at. With the right approach, any air pistol with a rifled barrel can be accurate. If you’re curious about finding the “magic pellet” for your air gun, I invite you to read and memorize FAQ#9