Just wanted to inquire if any of you have any favorite gun writers and what you like about them. Current or past. Two of my favorites are O'Connor and Dave Scoville. I always admired Jacks way with words and I like Dave Scovilles down to earth approach. One of my favorite Dave Scoville quotes is "Who cares about shooting tiny holes in paper, I'm going hunting".

I really enjoyed Finn Aagaard. He had more experience hunting than most hunting writers and his writing had a down to earth quality.

Skeeter Skelton was one of my faves.

Finn Aagard for me also. His writing always seemed very practical. I also like Craig Boddington regardless of any negative publicity he may have had in recent years. The guy has been there and done that as a client hunter more than most anyone.

Mark

Finn Aagard. Well written articles with backgroud and common sense information. He didn't have to rely on computer written graphs or charts filched from a load book to hide the fact that he was offering little real information.

I enjoyed John Wotters writing.

Jack O'Connor was the best ever. Modern writer would go to John Barsness. Favorite local writer was Don Lewis. I like to read Col. Charles Askins for a chuckle.

I'm a John Barsness fan. He has proven to me to be a no BS sort of guy.

Barsness has a conversational style of writing. I like his work very much.

O'Connor, Keith, Aagard, Ross Seyfried, Jim Carmichael, John Wooters, Byron Dalrymple, Russel Tinsley were the ones I remember best.

Bob Milek

Elmer Keith...
and

Craig Boddington.

Yep, Sheriff Jim and Massad for guns, Towesley for fixings and DIY gunwork, Van Zwoll for elk, he's out there doing it and Chuck Adams with his archery of which I just read about. Whole bunch of others.

George

Bob Hagel for me.

In days gone by, we had no choice but to read whatever is written in gun magazine.

Jack O'Connor, Elmer Keith, Bob Milek and all the ones mentioned above.

Sadly, many of the things they wrote as fact I have found out to be not.

The same goes to old timers writing about African hunting.

They took a lot of liberties of stating things as facts.

The long time arguments between O'Connor and Keith were very amusing.

JO'C

Do they still make a 270?

I liked Ross Siefried and Jeff Cooper.

Ross Seyfried, Bob Milek, Elmer Keith, PHC, Gene Hill, Craig Boddington, John Barsness, Jack Lott, Finn, Tom Turpin on custom guns, John Taffin, Massad Ayoob, Nick Harvey in Aus, and many more I can't recall!

Wasn't fond of O'Connors style of writing, sorry!

Wayne Van Zwoll
No one packs more solid info into an article than he does. And, his writing skills have improved considerably over the years.

I always liked Bob Milek!

quote:

Originally posted by don444:
I always liked Bob Milek!

Bob once wrote that the .243 Winchester was marginal for deer, because it does not have enough energy.

But the .357 Magnum is great for deer?

Gary Sitton was my all time favorite with Ross Seyfried a close second.

Jack grew up reading him.

He took me hunting in places I can only dream of.

As with all writers they take liberties with their stories. Some of that is what makes them worth/fun reading.

Aagard, OConnor, Milek, Taffin.

I found most of them to be pompous. Only ones I liked were Turpin, Milek and Wooters. The rest are fantasy builders.

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
Wayne Van Zwoll
No one packs more solid info into an article than he does. And, his writing skills have improved considerably over the years.

I like Wayne a lot too. I think he is a lot like Finn Aagard in that he has a no nonsense approach, and he strikes me as someone who tries not to get too caught up in the Commercial aspect of hunting.

Interesting how all these writers had a profound positive effect on me as a youngster.
I had one very negative experience with one (Jim Zumbo) back in the 80's.
There was a little honey hole for big Elk in west central New Mexico (I will not share the name) that we archery hunted for three years always saw very large elk and I stuck a whopper Couse deer. It was inexpensive to hunt this area in those days and I was a poor boy.
There was never an instance where all the tags were drawn for this area. Then Mr. Zumbo wrote about it (Biggest Bulls I have ever seen) and there were thousands upon thousands of applications for those tags / permits. No longer any easy draws.
Thanks Jim…
Oh well, hard to keep secrets these days especially with all the social media.

EZ

quote:

Then Mr. Zumbo wrote about it

I have found when people start doing things for money all kinds of ethics go out the window.

Cash and fame are powerful motivators. I have seen the same with good fishing spots.

Some body decides to make a buck writing about it next thing you know every body is there.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

Then Mr. Zumbo wrote about it

I have found when people start doing things for money all kinds of ethics go out the window.

Cash and fame are powerful motivators. I have seen the same with good fishing spots.

Some body decides to make a buck writing about it next thing you know every body is there.

Boy isn't that the truth...unfortunately.

Learned my lesson the hard way about talking to authors. Mentioned casually to a fellow Springer enthusiast and author the general area I hunt in. The next thing you know he was writing articles about the place and to top it all off he started a guide service in the area. Needless to say I no longer talk to him and am very careful about who I share info with. Sad how money changes things.

Brian Pierce is one of my favorite all round gun writers especially handguns.I like Barsness a lot.Phil Shoemaker for no BS gun writing.Ross Seyfried when he does not get too arrogant.Even that Whitworth guy has some good articles

Hunting story writer: Jack O'Connor
Rifle story rifle: Wayne Van Zwoll
Cartridge information writer: Ken Waters
BS artist to be avoided: John Barsness

Craig Boddington is my favorite. He has more hunting experience than most. Good stuff.

Bob Milek and Warren Page

Ross Seyfried

quote:

Originally posted by Ray B:
Hunting story writer: Jack O'Connor
Rifle story rifle: Wayne Van Zwoll
Cartridge information writer: Ken Waters
BS artist to be avoided: John Barsness

Funny you mention JB in this context. I always liked his style and enjoyed his work...until I interacted with him on another forum.

He's condescending, arrogant and downright confrontational to those whom he disagrees with.

My last words to him were to the effect; Why would a man who makes his living with the written word, denigrate those whom simply disagree. gentlemen can disagree without being disagreeable.

Like Boddington, Pappas on DR's, Van Zwoll, Aagaard.

Elmer Keith- mostly because he turned me on to so many other aspects of firearms: double rifles, big bore rifles, big bore revolvers, custom gun smithing, African hunters, etc. I would have loved to have met him.

Others- Cal Pappas, Jeff cooper, enjoyed Xavier's thoughts while did it.

And Wayne van Zwoll, John Taffin.

Aagard and Boddington...more experience than most and down to earth writing style.