Gun Writers Old -vs- New

Contender Man

For the younger folks you probably have little to no knowledge of the early writers, but, providing there are some responses it could be enlightening reading.

Don't want to set the "Way Back Machine" too far in the past, so let's set the dial to 60's thru 80's . Keith, O'Connor, Skelton, Ackley, Jordan ... etc. compared to today's scribblers, Sundra, Smith, Ayoob, Clapp, Fortier, Wilson, Metcalf

Yes I know a couple that I've listed under "today's" overlap, and I also know that I skipped over Cooper who spans the period and into today. And yes I just plain omitted some like Boddington, James, Fadala, etc. ... but feel free to throw 'em into the mix.

On the overlaps, maybe think of their early articles, style and level of candor to their present day output.

So with the preamble done ...

Do you think the articles of the era stated were more entertaining, interesting and to the point, with less "soft peddling" on products?

How about rivalries between today's writers ... seen any? What if any there might be today are noting like Keith/O'Connor are they?

There are more products today, and more promo money being thrown around ... free trips, free shoots, etc., etc. and of course there are more publications, but then you see a lot of the same names in the different magazines.

Do you enjoy today's publications as much as those of the earlier era?

Me, I still read 'em, there is a lot of sameness, little controversy, etc. and some of the "spark" seems to be gone, but there is still info to absorb and contemplate.

What do you think?

Who's your favorite writer of all time? Of today's crop?




If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!

greeker375

Personally I really got into Keith vs O'Connor. I started reading them in the late 50's as a kid and by the time I was in my 20's realized there was a "professional controversy". Read lots of books by both writers, but, preferred Keith (maybe I was taken in by his macho attitude, donno). O'Connor to me was more of a "gentleman" who didn't care to be bothered by recoil in the slightest.
When time came for Keith to go the way of other scribes of his era I really took a liking to that fella Milek (forget his 1st name - want to say John), but, very good at what he said and did. Very knowledgeable man. Sorry to have seen Bill Jordan go as well. I once knew a man who served in the Marines with him and fed me stories of his exploits...man did he have a colorful life.
Seems these guys today are advertising every damned product in the inventory down to serial numbers and you really get the feeling they don't know much about guns, but, plenty about marketing.


"the difference between the almost right word and the right word is like the difference between a lightning bug and a lightning bolt" - Mark Twain.

He Dog

I don't much like hunting and fishing stories, more prefer the facts and tests. I liked O'Connor, especially when it was not tails of his exploits. I like Sundra, Van Zwoll, and Barsness in particular. I don't care for Ayoob, but I don't read anything he writes in any way. I have had subscriptions to most of the mags over the years and dropped all but Rifle, and Shooting Sportsman. Can't afford the double gun journal, much less anything in it.

He Dog

pack rat633

Ahh, the 50's and 60's, those were the days. We had Robert Rouak and Ernest Hemmingway and even Roy Weatherby wondering the globe, killing all kinds of game for us!! So what if Col Charles Atkins liked the .44 Mag for the way it dumped VC in VietNam and Bill Jorden liked the .45 acp Colt 1917 for Border Patrol duty? These guys told it like it was, and they slogged every foot of it, not dramed it up on their keyboard like todays writers. I've known Bob Millek from over at Thermop, and have friends that hunted with Elmer Keith, these guys really knew guns and game. Kieth was a little old fashioned, but he knew ballistics and reloading. Any game he shot was lagetimate quarry, taken in the wilderness of the west, not some fancy dude ranch.
Not many of the old hands wrote articles about the ak-47s of the world, just the reality of hunting guns, guess that's why todays writers are still in the biz, and the old timers are not, if they are still alive! Sure, I like the military whiz bang stuff out there, but don't dream of using a 7.62 DRAGONOV on my next elk hunt, or a Hungarian AMD-62 on my next antelope hunt. Come on guys, ever gun has its place, now get real.

SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI

drobs

Gotta love Fortier(sp) of Shotgun News fame. I can't read Guns and Ammo any more since they have completely sold out to their advertisers.

Regards,

Colt Super

The old timers, by far.

The new generation seem to me to be just shills for the gun companies.

To bad about Skeeter's kid.

God Bless America and...
NEVER Forget WACO
NEVER, EVER Forget 911

He Dog

One problem today is that threre is really very little new to write, thus we get the annual "Best Self Defense Handgun," "Best Rifles for Whitetail," "Choosing Hunting Optics" ad nauseum. Kinda like some of the recurrent threads around here.

He Dog

woodshermit

I've become re-acquainted with the "old" writers over the past couple of years, picking up old books and magazines at sales and auctions. Everything today seems product/gadget based. Sometimes I will have a coffee and browse the current gun mags in the local shop, but, the articles don't do anything for me unless it is about something retro.

chuck

For every body above me, WELL PUT. The old timmers went out and hunted and shot. the new bunch do not, I have caught them in a lot of Lies (and I aint going to explain) I dont take any out door Mag any more. Elmer Keith was and is my hero, He did what he said and he knew what he was talking about, But he was a Poor man, Broke most of the time, he never worked, dont know how he survived. Oconors lived in Idaho and liked his liquor, wounder ifn he ever hunted sober. This New bunch of gun writers, Forget it.[V][V]

He Dog

Chuck I have to disagree with part of that. At least some of todays writers do get out there and hunt. A heck of a lot more than the rest of us in some cases. Several years ago I was on an oryx hunt, and Jim Zumbo was on the same hunt. He was out there and shot an oryx. He said he had been on about 150 hunts in the past year (I presume that included quail, rabbit, and squirrel hunting, some duck shooting and maybe some varmint hunts, so not all big game). I have no reason to believe that was untrue. Not to say some don't do all their hunting from their desk, and that none lie. But not all.

As to O'Connors drinking, it was his wife who was the alcoholic, not O'Connor.

He Dog

pack rat633

Ahh, that explains why she liked the 7mm Mauser!!

SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI

toolmaniam

If it were'nt for Jack O'Connor I would not have bugged my Dad into insanity for my .270. I ate, slept and dreamed .270's.[:D]

A dead intruder cannot testify against you in a court of law!

If they're still moving, put another round in them!

He Dog

Toolmanian, O'Connor actually prefered the .280, but once he had said the .270 can do it all in print, he felt he could not change or back down. Now, ya gotta get a .280![8D]

He Dog

temblor

I don't think we'll ever see the likes of Keith vs O'Conner again.They were and are great to read even today.It's to politically correct these days to see those kinds of rivalries.-- Of the new writers I like Ross Seyfried and John Barnsness quite a bit to name a couple.I also used to like Jim Carmichael. I remember reading a story about him in africa one time where he had shot this monster alligator or crocadile in the head with a 338 win.mag.from a couple hundred yds before he went back in the water.They went down and loaded this thing in their boat and headed back to base camp.I think it said it was about 15ft long.They back out in the river which is full of other big hungry things and this gator wakes up and starts thrashing their boat. He's afraid to shoot it again because they might sink the boat.It was hillarious.Think it was called The Croc. that wouldn't Die..........fun stuff.......[8D]

dakotashooter2

The problem I have with the new writers is that they have little or no conviction. They jump on the bandwagon for the next and newest boomer and leave there last "gift from god" laying in the dust never to be heard of again. And don't knock the stories some of the old timers told. At least that was some evidence that they had character. More than what can be said of the current crop of writers. While some guys may find the technical information interesting I don't really care if the SuperBoomer 358-02 shoots a group .00001 tighter than the Superboomer 356-04 at 500 yards. Most modern writter couldn't tell a good story if someone wrote it for them.

rdcinmn

Bob Milek was my favorite,
I always looked forward to reading his storys.
He's the one that got me interested in handgun hunting.



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nunn

Best gun writers:

Elmer Keith, no one tops him.

Skeeter Skelton. Bart can't hold him a light.

Charles Askins, especially "Unrepentant Sinner."

Bill Jordan.

Jeff Cooper.

The newer guys? Some are OK. Some I wouldn't even put in the same thread with the names above.

SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net

OleDuk

Fellers, you've left out one of the best!! Warren Page was my favorite. He was a great hunter, and a hellacious technician. He knew what it took in his day to make a rifle SHOOT, and did a lot of research on many bench-rest rifles/cartridges, etc. He and Mike Walker of Remington were pals and Page claimed credit, partially at least, to developing the .243 Win. He had a cartridge based on the .308 necked to 6mm which he called the .240 Page Sooper Pooper which differed only slightly from the later-developed .243. Of course, the .244 Rem. came along about the same time, based on the 7mm Mauser case. If you get the time, you ought to check out one of his books titled, "The Accurate Rifle".
Cheers,
OleDuk

wipala

Elmer Kieth
Bill Jordon
Skeeter Skelton (especially the Dobe Grant stories)
I like Phil Spanenberger and Fortier and Capstick for the hunting stuff of the new crowd
Now who remembers Brad Angiers and Mel Tappen and even Kurt Saxon before he went totaly insane

Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: And he that hath no sword,let him sell his garment, and buy one