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Amen to that! Barsness is a great writer, but I detest his apparent condescending attitude toward those a) who think they know something but are obviously ill-informed, and b)anyone who may have the courage to correct him on some point where he has misinformation. Gary Sitton had few peers in his day as even admitted by C. Boddington his friend and boss. Bob Milek was one of my favorites and Phil S. whenever he writes. I've had correspondence with a number of writers, including Wootters, Aagaard, Barsness... I'm a personal friend of a couple of writers who will go unnamed because they only write on occasion in speciality magazines. That point being, as already mentioned here, that there's little doubt that many on this forum, and some others, who could write some excellent pieces that we all could profit from based on their experience, expertise and communication skills. But they lack the time and motivation for personal reasons. Bob www.bigbores.ca "Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being" - King David, Psalm 148 (NLT) | |||
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My all time favorite is probably Phil Shoemaker, AkA 458 on AR..He is down to earth and speaks from experience. His taste in guns and his approach to what kills game is realistic. He writes of the locals in his area, and they have a lot in common with the locals of my birthplace but at opposite ends of the earth. I like Ross Seyfried, Phil Shoemaker and Finn Aggard, because I know or knew them personally. I like John Barsness articles, Elmer was entertaining, Jack O'Connor was the king, and my dear friend George Hoffman wrote some great stuff about his life as a Country Boy in Africa. Boddingtons book, "Safari rifles" is absolutely a fantastic publication as is "African Dangerous Game Cartridges" by African writer Pierre van der Walt, both are books that will top the list for years to come. I think the old boys had a lot more experience than the newer crowd, but guess one has to make his bones in the writer biz just like in the booking biz, and that doesn't happen overnight. I probably left someone out, if so, I apologize. It would have been easier to list who I don't care for, but that would be rude and out of place.  If I had a complaint at all its the repetition of new writers scripting stuff that's been in print forever, maybe there is no place to go anymore!! The curmudgeons have covered it all!  To make my black list all a writer has to tell me is I can't kill a bull elk or Brown bear with a 30-06 or even a 30-30!  Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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To make my black list all a writer has to tell me is I can't kill a bull elk or Brown bear with a 30-06 or even a 30-30! They aren't likely to do that, because with the 30-06 it would conflict with the "30-06, everyman's rifle", "30-06 vrs .270", "old warhorse 30-06 still brings the bacon(venison)","New loads for the old warrior" articles that they have written or are about to write. | |||
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John Barsness, the Bull Goose Rifle Looney, is my favorite. I have corresponded with him a number of times over the past 20 or so years and have several personal letters that he sent (before email) that are full of good stuff. He always seemed to have time; he knows a lot about shotguns as well... his wife is a good writer too. I also like Gregor Woods, Phil Shoemaker and Finn Aagard as well and find that Doctari is pretty good as long as you are hunting buffalo. I have read a lot by Boddington as well and have worn the cover off both of his Safari Rifle books. If he just cared more about a 9.3x62 I would find him more admirable. Besides he went to KU and I am a K-Stater. Comments of others; G. Sitton was not much of a bird hunter (he wrote about his dog stories about his French Poodle for Chrissakes!!) Brian Pearce and Wane Van Zwoll are kind of self-important narcissists who seem to think being tall are the equivalent of being a good writer. Robert Ruark? He did't know which end of the gun the bullets came out of till he went to Africa the first time. John Taylor, I have only read the book where he expounded on KO factor. He was very deep in big guns but because of his era, I supposed, knew virtually nothing about reloading or bullets. I liked O'Connor but am more akin to Keith in choice of favorite calibers. Dick Gunn “You must always stop and roll in the good stuff; it may not smell this way tomorrow.” Lucy, a long deceased Basset Hound " | |||
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If you ever met Wayne van Zwoll you would think differently. He has a PHD in Wildlife Policy, so he has spent an incredible time on a computer keyboard or typewriter proving his theories. I think he is a great writer, and unlike Terry Wieland he actually writes articles about the subject at hand without being carried into his own whimsical world of nonsense. The best thing about Wayne is he is a nice guy, probably one of the nicest people in all of the hunting writing world. Not to mention a former Marine. Wayne is the real deal! | |||
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Yes, I am sure he is a great guy but he is not a very good writer. He resorts to the all the standard hackneyed cliches like calling a rifle "a smoke poles." That is something really good writers avoid. And he constantly refers to how tall he is or how big his hands are as if that is something a reader would be interested in. I just find him a second tier gun writer even though I own several of his publications. Dick Gunn “You must always stop and roll in the good stuff; it may not smell this way tomorrow.” Lucy, a long deceased Basset Hound " | |||
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I guess I don't really see the damage caused by "smoke poles"? He is very tall, and it affects gun fit. That is probably why he mentions it. I am not overly tall, but at 6 feet tall and 250 pounds I am not a small man. If every shooter was 5'9 like Boddington, it might not matter as much. There are stock designs I don't like because of my build. Wayne probably feels the same way. He is one of the most highly awarded gun writers currently writing. I personally think he is one of the best gun writers of all time. He is primarily a writer and not quite as popular of a TV Host, the last time I saw him on TV it was a Peterson's Hunting show and he was in Spain. There was an ibex on the last day of the hunt that was a little too far, and a little too "in the brush". So Wayne didn't shoot it, and then he talked about why he didn't shoot it and said he had a nice time on the hunt and would like to come back. I am not much of a fan boy of anyone, but I respect Wayne's writing and that moment was pretty priceless. Mr. R. Gunn, I am not out to change your mind, but I see the man in a different light. He's a Ethical hunter, a good writer (maybe not to your style) and a nice guy. | |||
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For me it was Jack O' Connor. I'm in my 70's and having read many articles on hunting and/or rifles his descriptions always help place me "right there" as if I could see what he saw. Whether he was describing a gunstock or a sheep basin I was instantly transported and was a part of the story. An interesting sideline, when I was doing most of my hunting in the 70's and 80's I was fortunate enough to meet some of the guides he mentioned. One was Sam Williams and having vividly remembered a story about one of O' Connor's trips in which there was a Grizzly screw-up, I asked Sam for his version. It was essentially identical. This was the same for the others as well. He influenced me in so many ways and I'm grateful for his stories. Edward Lundberg | |||
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I'd vote for Bob Hagel. | |||
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Another vote for Wayne Van Zwoll. He may not be in the top rank yet, but he is improving every year. No one packs as much solid info into an article than Wayne. | |||
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Ross Seyfried is my favorite because of his intelligence. | |||
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There are a lot of smart people in the world, is Ross a rocket scientist or something? | |||
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No, Ross Seyfried is a very intelligent GUNWRITER. | |||
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I know who he is, just thought it was a weird reason to pick him as your favorite. | |||
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I really hate to admit this, but I agree with Ray and his opinion. I like any of them that do not try to sell me on the review or the rifle. Present the facts as they see them, let me come to my own conclusion. | |||
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Second answer.. The "tribute" rifle business is solely aimed at making money for the gun company. The Model 70 tribute to Jack O'Connor is the same, same with every "commemorative" rifle ever marketed as "collectable". It is not collectable just like Beany Babies are not "collectable". They are things made with the intent of creating demand - no more no less. By selling the concept that a serial number or a special notation makes a thing more valuable is beyond me. Time will tell. | |||
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Dear "Big Wonderful Wyoming"! I pick Ross Seyfried for his intelligence because: His intelligence expresses itself as CREATIVE intelligence,- which expresses itself as creative new ideas, creating new ways of doing things,-even creating new calibers a few times. Thank you BWW, for an interesting, intelligent exhange of words. chr. | |||
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CHR, I now follow you, I guess I initially misinterpreted what you were saying that he was like Brian Litz or Dave Emery who are in fact Rocket Scientist. I have been a fan of Ross' writing since I was kid. He's a good writer, and you are 100% correct he picks a lot of very different topics that everyone isn't writing on. I remember an article by Ross about 20 years ago concerning a strange (to me) caliber blackpowder express single shot he was hunting elk with. I had never seen anything like it. | |||
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Ross, Yes! Dakota did this in 2006 with their Model 10 rifle in 30-06. I wanted one, and it was kind of a stupid thing to spend $10,000 on a rifle just because it was a tribute gun. I talked myself out of it and went hunting in Germany and Wyoming and enjoyed that more. | |||
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three gun companies have done CTB limited runs, and neither one was Mossberg... They have not contacted me to do a run of ISS Commemorative yet. Or, BWW either. That says something, from where I stand. Ross lives about two and a half hours west of me outside of LaGrande, Oregon. I have visited him at his place. We met about twenty years ago, at the Shootists get together outside of Denver, and before that at the OAHA gatherings. | |||
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I like David Petzal. He seems less willing to prostitute himself. "I shot him with my new brand x rifle that kicks less than any other, with a 400 grain spent uranium double X expanding bullet at least 400 fps faster than any chronograph will read. I watched my guide gut him with a new titanium alloy coated custom double switch over knife. etc etc etc" | |||
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The BWW ISS commemorative double triple. A 9 barreled underlever side action, tang safety, prairie dog engraved stainless Damascus barreled rifle that shoots any 6 calibers you love or don't. It has genuine plastic infused blue, purple and red balsam wood stock made from North Korean coffins and Christmas striped candy from under my great grandmother's couch. There are three compasses, a AM radio and a cigar cutter built into the stock as well. Multiple optical sights are available to include; First Generation Chinese night vision, a Tracking Point laser designator scope and a Tasco Pronghorn for those that value economy. Sold in odd numbered lots, with a minimum order of 6. May also be available in kit form (sheep elastrication rubber bands not included). Buy now supplies limited.  | |||
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Many writers take a rather neutral position on certain issues and in promotional articles they will emphazise the better points as it means money for them. Pieter | |||
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I miss O'Connor. You could take every sentence he wrote and never find a word that should have been pruned. I miss Sitton, just because he brought an honest and distinct voice to the page and dealt with private demons that I have faced as well. I really appreciate Seyfried for his originality, and especially for the sheer passion he brings to his writing. Barsness is a fan of the 6.5 X 55 Swede, so I am a fan of Barseness. Boddington could have set out to be a self-aggrandizing blowhard. He turned out to be fresh, honest, self-deprecating and very fair. And he helped my daughter make a flight in Vancouver, B.C. I owe him a beer, at the very least, and have also worn the cover off his "Safari Rifles." Reaching way back to the 1800s, I cannot fail to mention my favorite Victorian, the incomparable Sir Samuel Baker. There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t. – John Green, author | |||
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Well what does one want to know about guns? There history?Doubles?Bolts?Safari?How they shoot etc...? Surely there can't be one who has enough experience to write about everything.I bet there are some who attempt to and have also written about many other things hunting related-or not related.I would be interested in a book in which the author sticks to a specific topic one they are expert one or have a passion for. | |||
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Ross by a mile. I never felt he was trying to sell me anything (unless it was a 455 Webley or 300 rook or something such) but I've spent untold mountains of cash on ideas his articles sparked. The fact he always seemed to be having a lot of fun came through clearly in his writing and he pursues the "what if" one off gun crank ideas lots of us here have even if they didn't have a lot of practical value (.455 for elk, exploding bullets for buff?). Jerry Miculek's videos convey the same feel to me as Ross's writing of a knowledgeable guy sharing his thoughts and having fun doing it. Phil because he also just tells it like it is, warts and all, AND has more experience than 10 other writers. I still remember well his 505 Gibbs article I read in the library about 15 years back. I always love Bob Milek's stuff on varminting and pronghorns. I bought my first 220 Swift because of him. What I do NOT like are the 'gun of the month' types who have never met a sponsor's rifle they didn't love. Sure, they get to go on lots of trips and get invited to all of the right parties, many here love them, but they have zero credibility to me. DRSS "If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made out of meat?" "PS. To add a bit of Pappasonian philosophy: this single barrel stuff is just a passing fad. Bolt actions and single shots will fade away as did disco, the hula hoop, and bell-bottomed pants. Doubles will rule the world!" | |||
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Bob, speaking of Milek, I just had to have a TC Contender in .30 Herrett after reading his "book" on Handgun Hunting back in 1979. This was my first experience with wildcatting, and I enjoyed it immensely. There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t. – John Green, author | |||
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Thompson Center might just have been another short lived company if not for all the articles and attention Milek gave the Contender. . | |||
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+1 Take Biebs - he is seriously well informed about rifles. I think his professional writing are limited to AR and truck stop restrooms (I had to take a low shot at Biebs). But he knows his guns and he knows value in rifles. Mike | |||
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And I know where the best truck stop restrooms are :-) | |||
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Jim Carmichel's Book of the Rifle. MUST READ Hermann formerly, before software update, known as "aHunter", lost 1000 posts in a minute | |||
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