Favorite Gun Writer?

[warnerwh]

Skeeter, Keith and Jordan

 

[StrawHat]

I liked Bill Jordan's book and Ed McGivern's book also. McG's was harder to read but full of good information. Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton and Ross Seyfried round it out for me. As you can tell from my list of writers, I don't do much reading lately, Venturino once in a while but mostly I reread the old articles and books.

 

[Prion]

Stephen Hunters written some fun fiction. One of his recent works, ISniper, was totally unbelievable, over the top, and weak. I guess I'd say he's hit or miss.

 

[Dogguy]

Skeeter Skelton, absolutely. He was a superb writer who just happened to write about guns--one of my favorite subjects. I loved his reminiscences.

Of living gun writers, Ayoob is about the top of the heap.

I like Stephen Hunter too but I don't consider him to be a "gun writer" per se. He's about the only writer of thrillers who often gets things right in respect to guns.

 

[whalerman]

Mr. Cooper.

 

[Kleanbore]

All of mine have been mentioned, except four: Jim Carmichael, Lucian Cary, Townsend Whelen, and Sheriff Jim Wilson.

Cary was the gun writer for True Magazine back in the '50s, but I think he is better known for his stories of the fictional gunsmith J. M. Pyne, who bore more than a small resemblance to the famed barrel maker Harry Pope.

I remember the stories in old issues of The Gun Digest, but they originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post.

You can get a bound compendium here, if you order before they are gone.

Anyone who ever knew a real gunsmith who could not only make a custom rifle, but who could make a machined part from scratch for an obsolete Remington slide action rifle and have it work as smoothly as glass, as I once did, and anyone with an appreciation for the old falling block target rifles, as I have, and anyone who loves good gun writing will enjoy the stories.

I had the privilege of seeing Col. Whelen throwing clay birds by hand for his grandson, who was swinging a Winchester Model 21. He was also shooting a scoped Winchester High Wall chambered in .22 K-hornet, and he let me fire a shot with it. I became a fan of .22 center fire rifles on that day, fifty two years ago this month.

 

[X-Rap]

I like the old men from down on the border the best. Askins, Jordan, and Skelton lived at a time of great transition and actually participated in things that are today hard to imagine. Keith and Cooper did the same in their own way. They all knew hard men from an even harder time and could relate that history well.
I can't think of a modern man that is in the public eye today that even come close but I'm sure there are some quiet humble warriors that will someday tell their story as well, we can only hope that these men exist.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Ross Seifried is certainly worth reading.

 

[bhk]

I greatly enjoyed reading Keith, O'Conner, and a host of other writers when I was young. Couldn't get enough of reading this stuff.

As far as modern writers, I think John Barsness is among the best of the crop as far as shooting, reloading for, and hunting with sporting rifles.

 

[Bushpilot]

I have really enjoyed the writings of Clay Harvey, Bill Jordan, Skeeter Skelton, Ross Seyfried, Jim Carmichael and Layne Simpson among others. I feel that I have learned a lot from them and have come to highly respect their knowledge and opinions. But, if I had to pick just one writer that was as my all-time favorite it would be Jack O'Connor, hands down. Even as a kid I used to hunt for old back issues of Outdoor Life magazine just to read his contributions and column. I still have boxes of them that I have saved for 30 years. I still dig them out and re-read them once in a while and still enjoy them as much as ever.

 

[Pistol Ranch]

Jack O'Conner..Skeeter Skelton..

P.R.

 

[xfyrfiter]

all time favorites, Capstick, Skelton and Kieth. not necessarily in order.

 

[bannockburn]

1) Skeeter Skelton

2) Jeff Cooper

3) Elmer Keith

4) Bill Jordan

5) Ross Seyfried

6) Jan Libourel

7) George C. Nonte

8) J.B. Wood

 

[Shoot66]

Skeeter Skelton, John Taffin, Mike Venturino

 

[NoirFan]

Skeeter Skelton is my all-time favorite. His stories are informative yet very readable, with just enough self-deprecating humor to be immensely entertaining. His writing somehow makes gritty Border Patrol work sound like fun, no small task I'm sure.

Massad Ayoob comes in second. Not as entertaining as Skelton but he gets major points for the quality and scope of his research.

These are probably the only two gun writers I would recommend to non-gun people, because they provide quality information without the need to self-aggrandize.

 

[Quoheleth]

Skelton is #1.
Capstick is a close second.

In today's writers I like Sheriff Jim Wilson, Mike Venturino (especially his reloading stuff) Ayoob, and Bart Skelton, probably in that order.

Q

 

[dprice3844444]

peter g kokalis,nice guy,met him at shotshow 86 in houston at the colt 150th anniversary party along with bob brown

 

[mshootnit]

I was a young man from 2001 until 2008. David M. Fortier is hands down my favorite author. Even when contributing to a "rag" he still threw in some biting commentary where it was due, reminding us all that nothing is perfect and all can be improved. He technically examined specific performance features of scopes using his own optical testing equipment.

 

[True Grit]

Peter Capstick Hathaway

 

[jim in Anchorage]

O'Connor no doubt but he had a contemporary writing the gun column for Sports afield that was very good. I can't remember his name just that in his picture next to the column he had a bushy beard.

Worst was the guy that took Warren Pages spot at field&stream. Brister? Shotguns, shotguns, shotguns.

 

[Bubba613]

Straight-up, no nonsense information: Mas Ayoob

lol

Jack O'Conner as a source of information. He was really talented.
Jeff Cooper was a really great writer. Not the Jeff Cooper on the back page of whatever magazine he ended up with. But the Jeff Cooper of The Art of the Rifle.

 

[AKCOP]

Jack O'Connor, Jeff Cooper, Elmer Keith

 

[[email protected]]

Bill Carver from "Muzzle Blast" Quite a Bullseye pistol shooter.

 

[Arizonagunrunner]

I cherish the old gunwriters. I cut my teeth on Guns & Ammo and Shooting Times. I wouldn't give a plugged nickle for writers of today. For that matter, any writers since the late 80s. Here are the writers that really speak to me. Most all have passed on. But they sure knew what they were writing. They were the best!

Bob Milek
Skeeter Skelton
John Wooters
Howard French
Jon Sundra
Bill Jordan
Mike Venturino
Phil Spangenberger
and of course the dean of the handguns!!!!
ELMER KEITH.

 

[Arizonagunrunner]

Clay Harvey was also a good read. He was down to earth in his writings.