Who is your favorite gunwriter?

Originally Posted By: VENISONEATRClay Harvey, Larry Weishuhn, Bob Milek

Do a search on Clay Harvey... you might not like what you discover. In fact, they are all human, some more so than others. I see several of those mentioned that suffered from personal alcohol related troubles, another one accidently killed his partner while practicing quick draw, another in today’s world would probably be considered a psychopathic killer, some were tremendously arrogant and presumptuous, some lied and cheated companies out of guns and ammunition to resale for personal profit, some plagiarized articles and information because they had no real experience and just faked it. And some are highly honorable men of fantastic character with scads of personal experience in the fields they write/wrote in and are a true joy to read their works.
 
Warren Page, Charles Askins, John Wooters, Bob Milek (the reason I handgun hunt), Jim Carmichael, Jeff Cooper, Ross Seyfried (reason my first handgun was a 1911), Finn Aagaard, and Craig Boddington. These are my favorites in no particular order. I do miss the old guys. Boddington is the only one that go out of my way to read now days.

Forgot to mention Grits Gresham, he lived about an hour south of where I lived.

Kent
 
I had forgotten about Clay Harvey until you mentioned it. He ripped off a LOT of people.

Ask Steve Timm. I recall reading Harvey stole a Rolex watch from him.

My general impression of Harvey was that he had little actual experience and much of his stuff was fabricated. I could be wrong.......
 
I'm a little surprised I haven't heard Gary Sitton's name here a little more. The man could flat out write, and was one of my very favorite writers......
 
Put me down for Cactus Jack. He and Robert Ruark Fueled my passion for hunting and rifles nearly 40 years ago. Sheese! I've been at this a long time. Some are better,some worse,but O'Connor always made me feel I was there. His sheep hunting exploits are what dreams are made of. Unfortunately,I let life get in the way of living,and am too old (and poor) now to ever hunt sheep. Hel! those days are gone now anyway. It isn't about the game and the wilderness. It's about preference points and revenue. I hate what has happened to our national treasures. Namely the sheep and the country they live in. It doesn't belong to us anymore. The people. It belongs to some invisible entity. And for enough money,they will allow you to go upon their land and hunt the sheep by their rules. But I digress. Yeah, it's O'Connor. God rest his soul.
 
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I would have to say, Peter H. Capstick. I first encountered him in Guns and Ammo, then through his books. I also like Gerry Blair. But I like a lot of what I read, just like Peter's humor and stories best I guess! Still haven't read every thing, so, Peter Capstick for now.
 
Being an inveterate reader there are an awful lot of writers I've enjoyed reading over the years. There were four old school pros over the years however who really got me hooked on guns, shooting, and the whole package and who have influanced me ever since.

Skeeter Skelton was the first gent and I learned an awful lot from that fine old gents serious shooting articles and got enormous pleasure from his fictional forays. Another fiction writer who nearly always laugh until I cry is Pat McMannis, a true american treasure, often offering a whole lot of truth hidden in his fictional charactors.

Ross Seyfried really caught my attention with his stories on heavy loaded .45 Colts, then .500 Linebaughs and finally .475 Limebaughs. I truly miss his terrific articles and was thrilled a couple years back when he had an article on shooting out to a mile with high speed .22 centrrfire. It's got me drooling for a similar rifle something fierce.

Finally, the estimable Col Jeff Cooper became known to me by his last page musings in Guns & Ammo and also by his advocacy of the Gunsite Servce Pistol and the Scout rifle. I drooled over those for years, the straightforward, stripped down functionalism of both pieces still appeal to me greatly. Though I've come to favor a 9mm Glock and a " poodle shooter" AR for my needs, I still admire the the wit and wisdom of the old Guru.

As to new writers, one especially I came to admire, David Fortier, though he seems to have gone the way of the great Ross Seyfried and I rarely see his byline anymore. I liked the fact that he's a serious shooter who competes in NRA & CMP shooting competitions and can deliver the goods at the firing line. I also admire that he had the stones to go and be embedded with the our troops in Iraq to get a frontline appreciation and understanding of the war from their vantage point.

Lastly I'm disappointed to hear of Mike Venturino acting that way, and am surprised he did given his knowing Heidi Smith so well. It's not the impression I got of him from his writing over the years. I suspect it was a function of his being an old dinosauer with attitudes formed in a different time.
 
capstick,keith,skelton,but carmichael and jamison for the tech side.i wish rick jamison would write for someone else.i think he might have got the short end of the stick with what i heard happened to him.he was more like many of us a coyote hunter.
 
Finn Aagard
Gary Sitton
Capstick

Still living:
Carmichael
John Wooters (I know he's more of a whitetail guy)
Boddington is good, but like somebody said, repiticious. I do respect his opinions on the various calibers, but he does seem to like to have too much gun....
 
All of them are good. I miss Finn. But I miss Gary Sitton more.

Sitton not only had the experience and knew his stuff, but the man could flat out write, also.......
 
Bill Bynum ! I have just finished his book for the 3rd time i found things that i missed the first two times. Great read.
 
Old thread but what the [beeep]..

For me, I really enjoy Ken Waters, specifically, Pet Loads. Uncommon knowledge written for a common man to understand.

Another of my favorites is from the shotgun side of things, Tom Armbrust. Extremely knowledgeable, very accessible, and on of the nicet guys you'll meet.

And I do enjoy Jeff Cooper also.

The one I don't like is Randy Wakeman. Arrogance and bad as his idustry backed bias.
 
Bob Milek, Skeeter Skelton, Craig Boddington, Rick Jamison. Maybe not a "gun writer" but I've read and enjoyed all of Jim Corbett's work.

Bob Milek I would have to say he is my favorite.
 
Originally Posted By: C.JayOriginally Posted By: bigsky_songdogsi like a lot of them , but i really enjoy Mike "Duke" Venturino.

He writes good. When we 1st moved to Montana about 15yrs ago, I couldn't wait to meet him. Finally got the chance at the gun store where my wife used to work. He came in and was visiting the owner of the store, who introduced me to him. We chatted for a bit when my wife (A Marine rifle/pistol coach/PMI) returned behind the counter with a few 1911's to price out and put under glass in the display case when "The Duke" commented to the store owner "Oh, you got skirts doing mans work now eh?" in a very condescending tone.
My wife launched unlike I have ever seen before, came around the corner of the display case and proceeded to let Mr. Venturino know the health risks of being 400 lbs on a 6 foot frame and made some reference about him doing somethin sexual to himself. The shop owner starting busting a gut and told "The Duke" he might want to drive very carefully in our county as the little "Skirt" is also a Sweetgrass county Dept Sheriff.

Venturino can lick the sweat off my scrotum.

My wife also shot "A" class USPSA/IPSC with me in the early 90's and currently is the high qualifier for her dept. (3 years running)

I think Venturino is a buffoon. There is only one Duke and it ain't him. I always liked Milek and that's what got me into handgun hunting as well. Today I like Boddington and have quite a few of his books signed by him. He's gracious and always willing to talk to any stranger. Very few have the African experience he does and he did most of it while juggling serving his country at the same time.
 
For those that like reading Keith, Seyfried, and Milek (as I do), I highly suggest reading any of John Linebaugh's stuff that you can get your hands on.......
 
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