Who is your favorite gunwriter?

I grew up reading all the old timers. Jack O'Connor was my favorite...hands down. I have read just about everything he wrote, and yes, I have hunted with a 270 Winchester for many years...using his favorite load of 60 grains H4831. Many of the other old timers were also good....Milek, Page, Askins, Skelton. I never was an Elmer Keith fan. No doubt he was quite a character, but he was also full of bull and I think made some of his stuff up, just to sell the product he was pushing.....magnums.
 
Elmer Keith, Warren Page, and that guy from Gunblast.com in that order....

Who is Chuck Hawks really? Anybody know? Is he someone famous poseing as Mr Hawks or is that his real name? He's not to bad...
 
I've enjoyed stuff from those named above, in the past for sure. They are the "classics", like 'em or not. And I devour a few mags a month, plus the 'net time! The articles of old did seem to be not-so driven by the gun company that sent the last new model for advertising. I even enjoy the PA Game News for it's simplicity, with articles by everyday hunters, PGC Game Wardens, and such. One not mentioned above is Mike Venterino from Shooting Times - he had a knack for catching my interest on some of his stuff, although I've not read any of his for some years now.

I do seem to be truly "entertained" by humor more [beeep], and the absolute best article for me was by Pat McManus back in .....mmmmmm.......woulda been the late 70's, probably early 80's, in the back of (I think! They say the mind goes first!) Outdoor Life? It was about him and his buddy as kids experimenting with blackpowder - not something you'd want your kids necessarily reading today, but HILARIOUS! Have a few of his books that are the same.

Mentioned to my Journalist cousin after his job interview w/ Field and Stream that I wanna sit down and enjoy some good bourbon one nite with Petzal and Heavey. Them 2 ain't right! Petals even better on his little videos on the F & S website.
 
The problem is as we age and gain experience it is hard to find new, fresh, relevant material.

Watch for stuff by Mark Kayser. He is a neighbor and his young son works for us some here on the ranch. Great guy, good family man who works hard at it.
 
Pat McManus...Crazy Eddie Muldoone, Retch Sweeny, Rancid Crabtree, Bun, The Troll... The Grasshopper Trap..They Do Shoot Cannoes Don't They?, A Fine and Pleasant Misery, etc..
I used to laugh so hard at his books and articles in the back of Outdoor Life that my dad thought I was feeble minded!!
The best was the one where Pat and Crazy Eddie dug the hole behind Crazy Eddie's barn and got the skunk caught in it and also Eddies dad...laughing right now just thinking about it!!
I read his books to my kids when we are at the ranch every hunting season...they seem feeble minded by the end of the stories too!

Trashcan
DCC
 
At one time(starting in the early 60's) I would read a gun rag from cover to cover and devour every tid-bit of info I could gather, But as time went on most articles were just a re-hash of older ones, not to much new info.
I like articles that give a lot of technical data like how does the angle of the shoulder effect case life and how can it effect accuracy ETC. ETC. not the baby food articles most write now days. I get a heck of a lot more good out of reading Pred. Masters than I do out of most articles that are in Gun rags these days.

They do seem to be beating the 1911 horse to death these days.

DAB
 
Bob Milek inspired me to get into handloading and eventually handgun hunting. Met him in Thermopolis, WY at the court house/fire station/city building/cop house/event center. I was there waiting to see a judge about a traffic ticket I believe. Great guy and I sure wished I would have had the time to go do a bit of shooting with him.

Ken Waters also.

 
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Originally Posted By: trashcanPat McManus...Crazy Eddie Muldoone, Retch Sweeny, Rancid Crabtree, Bun, The Troll... The Grasshopper Trap..They Do Shoot Cannoes Don't They?, A Fine and Pleasant Misery, etc..
I used to laugh so hard at his books and articles in the back of Outdoor Life that my dad thought I was feeble minded!!
The best was the one where Pat and Crazy Eddie dug the hole behind Crazy Eddie's barn and got the skunk caught in it and also Eddies dad...laughing right now just thinking about it!!
I read his books to my kids when we are at the ranch every hunting season...they seem feeble minded by the end of the stories too!

Trashcan
DCC
I forgot McManus! I like the one where Crazy Eddie convinces Pat to ride a hog called Silver and Pat is to be the Lone Ranger. Anyway, Pat gets thrown into 12 inch residue of hog, and when he walks off to the creek to wash off, Crazy Eddie says after him, "Who was that masked man anyway?"
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The one where Eddie hits his dad with a rotten eggs is classic too.
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IMO, John Barsness is the best out there today. He has the knowledge/experience as far as guns, handloading, optics, and hunting. He is very practical minded, yet very insightful at the same time. You can tell he does not talk out his azz, and has actually BTDT. He also has the ability to make just about any topic interesting, usually putting his own spin on things. A rare combination these days.

Funny thing is, while I have talked to him once or twice online, I haven't read any of his stuff at all for quite some time. When he left Rifle and Handloader, I quit buying them. Last I read of his was in GUNS Magazine, I believe. He doesn't have a hard time getting published, nor close......
 
Originally Posted By: 2muchgunIMO, John Barsness is the best out there today. He has the knowledge/experience as far as guns, handloading, optics, and hunting. He is very practical minded, yet very insightful at the same time. You can tell he does not talk out his azz, and has actually BTDT. He also has the ability to make just about any topic interesting, usually putting his own spin on things. A rare combination these days.

Funny thing is, while I have talked to him once or twice online, I haven't read any of his stuff at all for quite some time. When he left Rifle and Handloader, I quit buying them. Last I read of his was in GUNS Magazine, I believe. He doesn't have a hard time getting published, nor close......

You can find him on The 24Hour Campfire
 
Milek was my favorite. I would read everything of his I could get my hands on when I first started out hunting in the late 70s. I said was my favorite. Until I met him at the NRA convention the first and probably the last time it was held in California. I believe it was 1990. I introduced my self to Mr Milek and the prick would not give me the time of day! Whatever I thought. Not long after that he died of cancer. Later on that same afternoon in the convention hall I'm standing there and this big ol' hand slaps me on the shoulder. I turns around and there stands Bill Jordan with his hand on my shoulder grinning and he says "Son, can you direct me to where the NRA booth is?" I start stammering and eventually was able to tell him where the booth was locaited. Now I know many of you dislike him but Jim Zumbo was one of the most down to earth and gracious men I've ever met. He signed my copy of his book Hunting Americas Mule Deer I had with me. Also met Craig Boddington and Rick Hacker. I wonder what happened to Bob Rob? Grizz
 
I too met a my favorite writer at an NRA convention. It was Seattle in the 80's and I was looking over the magazines at the Shooting Times booth. Someone asked me "See anything you like?" Looking up I saw a tall guy with a big moustache and a ten gallon hat. SKEETER! I caught myself saying something like "DOYOUKNOWWHOYOUARE" but ended up stammering something to him. In the end, I told him I had cows and he told me that he used to have cows. I made a mad dash for my pickup to get my Bianchi holster for him to maybe sign for me but when I came back he was gone. I wish I would have looked for him a little harder......
 
John Taffin
Ron Spomer
John Haviland
John Barsness
Phil Shoemaker
Craig Boddington
Wayne Van Zwoll
Frank James
Bob Hagel
Clair Rees
Mike Venturino
Jim Carmichel
Terry Wieland
Rick Jamison
Layne Simpson
Buck Pope
Larry Weishun
J.D. Jones
Ted Nugent
Bart Skelton

In no particular order. I'm sure I missed a few.
 
For me I grew up on Carmichael, McManus's humor, Bert Popowski (great old reading on Varminting, his books led me to predator hunting when I was young) and maybe a little stretch but Hemingway has some good gun writing in his stories.
 
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