axman
.30 Stingray
Posts: 425
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Post by axman on Dec 3, 2023 12:23:44 GMT -5
Terry Joy my dad first of all, he gave the incurable bug of big caliber guns. That’s Dad in my avatar with a 16lb full stock 50 cal muzzleloader he built.
Elmer Keith Ross Seyfried John Taffin JD Jones Ken Waters Paul Matthews Except for Elmer Keith I’ve spent some personal time with all the others.
Great Men!!!
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bobm
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 35
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Post by bobm on Dec 3, 2023 15:56:28 GMT -5
My grandpa had a copy of Sixguns by Keith and an autographed copy of No Second Place Winner that I read over and over beginning in my teens in the eighties. The local library had a copy of the Complete Book of Shooting partially authored by Jeff Cooper. Grandpa also took Shooting Times with Skeeters writing in it. Those got me started.
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Post by grandpa on Dec 3, 2023 19:36:12 GMT -5
Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, and Bill Jordan were the most influential (and I was blessed to meet all three). Jeff Cooper was one of the most intelligent writers of his time. John Taffin, Mike Venturino, and Jim Wilson were later favorites. The one that I can never tire of is Skeeter. His books are the most worn in my collection and have inspired several "mild custom" single actions.
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Post by sixshot on Dec 4, 2023 3:56:40 GMT -5
For me, back in the 60's I would say it would have to be Keith, Skeeter, Jim Carmichael & Seyfried. All of them had great articles on cast bullets & of course Skeeter just had a way of writing that drew you right into the thick of the article & you were lost in your dreams right up until the last word. Many others have followed. Another of our best writers that is very well rounded in all things handgun related is friend & world wide hunter Mark Hampton. Down to earth, knowledgeable writer about single shots or revolvers & a superb shot. Don't know where we would be without the writings of John Taffin & Brian Pearce.
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Post by Big Bore on Dec 4, 2023 5:44:24 GMT -5
Louis L’Amour
Not your conventional answer to this thread but I absolutely love his writing. And is probably the biggest reason I hunt almost exclusively with revolvers.
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Post by reflex264 on Dec 4, 2023 8:42:03 GMT -5
Louis L’Amour Not your conventional answer to this thread but I absolutely love his writing. And is probably the biggest reason I hunt almost exclusively with revolvers. I read most of his books when I was a kid. They deffinately made an impression on me. I used to come in from school, strap on a holster with a SAA copy in it and head to the woods.
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Post by rexster on Dec 4, 2023 9:34:48 GMT -5
The “gun” writers who most influenced me, in the Eighties, when I was forming my opinions, were not known for favoring Single Action Sixguns. Col. Jeff Cooper. Mas Ayoob. Bruce Nelson. Bill Jordan. Skeeter Skelton. Tom Ferguson. Elmer Keith favored DA sixguns, for most actual uses, but he wrote enough, about enough single action revolvers, and enough single action sixgunners, to cause me to become interested in single action revolvers, from an academic perspective.
It was Mr. Taffin’s superb photographs, in American Handgunner Magazine, that lured me into wanting to own and use single action sixguns. I did not buy my first such revolver until ~1997/1998, in my mid-thirties.
Notably, I came of age as a Nineteen-Elevener, and was not very interested in owning revolvers, in general, until I became a police cadet, and had to learn long-stroke DA sixgunning, in 1983/1984.
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Post by Gunny268 on Dec 4, 2023 12:16:26 GMT -5
I'd like to throw in my answer to the OP's question. But, with an obviously too long-winded preface. For most of my life, I've never developed an interest in any type of magazine or book. My high school grades can attest to that. Horses and motorcycles were the center of all my youthful interests up until I went into the military. Sure, I had the use of my dad's Colt Woodsman, and later on a Colt 22 single action to pal around with while exploring the woods and thickets up and down the San Jacinto River. The area just south of Conroe, Texas is where I grew up. In summer, we'd go up to Bryan and Navasota for "vacation" to visit the grandparents. My Uncle Bob taught me how to reload for his Colt 38-40 and we would cast slugs and burn through a bunch of powder out at his place. But I wasn't the least bit inclined to actually sit down and read about someone else's goings on. The question "Who was Your Influence?" I'd honestly have to say that over the past, maybe 14 years, it's been YOU GUYS ON THIS FORUM. Does that count? I mean, do all those little pearls of wisdom and observations from your experiences that you've posted here qualify you folks as gun writers? Even better, you've also posted references and links (here and there) to particular articles by some Bonafide Gun Writers like John Taffin, Brian Pearce, and John Linebaugh. Some real gold nuggets there without all the advertising and edited subjective opinion. That, in a nutshell, is why I'd have to say that your writing collaboration on this forum has been the greatest influence on me as a single action shooter. And for that, my thanks.
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Chip
.30 Stingray
Posts: 264
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Post by Chip on Dec 5, 2023 17:17:50 GMT -5
Skeeter, Elmer, and JD Jones. My Dad was into Publishers Clearing House when I was growing up, he got me all the gun and hunting mags. He always thought he was going to win. LOL Miss you Dad.
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gtojim
.30 Stingray
Posts: 208
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Post by gtojim on Dec 5, 2023 20:24:27 GMT -5
I got an education at my gun store by the owner. Went out long ago. Then discovered Freedom Arms, Linebaugh,Bowen etc... Now I'm driven by my own obsession.
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Post by NRA Dave on Dec 5, 2023 21:02:02 GMT -5
When I was about 12, I stumbled upon Pistols: A Modern Encyclopedia by Henry M Stebbins, Albert J E Shay, Oscar R Hammond. It was down hill from there. Next was Cooper on Handguns. Then in grad school I discovered JD Jones and Handgun Hunters International. Of course, I enjoy reading Skeeter, Elmer, Milek, JT, Hamilton Bowen and John Linebaugh.
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Post by longoval on Dec 5, 2023 21:04:35 GMT -5
Skeeter is no. 1
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Post by LeverGunner on Dec 6, 2023 0:44:51 GMT -5
I feel a little lax since I didn’t mention the first book I read about hunting that my dad gave to me it made me long for the golden age of hunting and Savage rifles. It was Larry Koller's 'Shots at Whitetails'. It was probably more influential in my early years of hunting and desire for a .250-3000 I have a copy of that book on my shelf. I picked it up at a thrift store a while back, I've yet to read it, but it's up front so I'm getting close.
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Post by LeverGunner on Dec 6, 2023 1:02:15 GMT -5
Very interesting reading everyone's stories.
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Post by crazyhorse on Dec 6, 2023 11:29:13 GMT -5
Keith, Cooper, Seyfried & Taffin
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