and his articles on handgun hunting and especually contenders fondly? I find my self missing him a lot lately with all the talking heads in the gun mags these days. To this day there is nobody who can fill his shoes as both a shooter and handgun hunter (Althrough Mark Hampton comes as close as anybodys ever going to get I think) What do you guys remember about Bob?
Do some of you even know who he was? Just Wondering? And Remembering an old friend.
Jim L

Jim, I fondly remember Mr. Milek's work. He had the innate ability to make me feel like I was at his side on his trips afield through his way of describing the terrain,weather, and the habits of the individual creatures. At one time I had a collection of the old G&A mags in which he wrote before his passing.
I have been unable to turn up much of his work that could be purchased and would love to acquire anything that he wrote.
Excuse my ignorance, but where can I find Mark Hampton? I'd like to see how he compares, Thanks.
Bill

Never met the man but consider him a best friend, his writing was something I really enjoyed as youngster. He started me on the path of handgun hunting!

Never met him but liked all his articles, seems like he was one of the modern day writers who did really "Walk the walk and Talk the talk". He did actually hunt with the guns he reviewed. We miss you Bob.

Steve E......

It was his article on hunting with the TC 6mm-223 that got my curiosity up enough to purchase my first barrel. That was many, many barrels ago.

I enjoyed all his articles.

HBL

Milek is the reason (at least I blame him for) getting me into this obsession. Not only do I remember him I still have many old magazines and articles he wrote and review when I can.

This is the perfect place to carry on my ongoing rant . . .
Imagine for those of us who did not save those fine articles if the writings of Milek were available on CD.

It just seems that all of these magazines are missing out on a chance to make saleas and I KNOW I would love to have a collection of his articles.

I have read and reread and rereread his article in the Sierra manual about testing the 7 mm pistol bullet . . . not a TC, but a 7mm TCU nonetheless.
I have one of his articles as Jpegs Thanx to someone out there!
Think his (and Herrett') 30 Herrett are my first real interestes in the TC, but not fulfilled until many years later.

I may still have some of his magazines tucked away somewhere. I remember one article about him and Steve Herrett. I believe it was Steve when he was going to a country school drew the duty of stoking the wood stove. If memory serves me right, I believe it was a 45/70 round that he casually tossed in with the wood. It blew the door off the stove and I believe Steve got into a little trouble over it.

Bob's writing is what got me interested in Specialy Handguns. I used to read everything I could ge a hold of that he penned. I do miss him. Without his writing I am fairly convinced I would not be soley hunting and shooting with specialty handguns.

Ernie

same here! i read old articles by bob. a friend at work had a few articles in shooting times(i think) that i read. these can be given credit for my exceptional interest in the 6mm's. love em! i also remember articles on the developement of "the herretts". he was a great writer, and down to earth.

Fortunelately I am lucker than some with a magazine collection that is simply incredable I have G&A and many others back to the 70's and even some in the 60's. I have every issue of American Handgunner and a great many of gun world and shooting times and guns. I have mostly every handgun specuality publication by peterson Publishing especually those written by Bob Milek. I have two books of his on handgun hunting and others or Magnums Revolvers and Revolvers & their actions striping them for action jobs and such. There is just an incredable amount of material in my collection. I even have a Video Bob did for Lenny Magills mail Orger video on taking your handgun apart (Revolvers) and doing an action job. Its an incredable feeling to put it in and see and hear Bob like he was alive again. I feel very lucky to have all this material avaiable to me not just on Bob but on others whos work I loved. Like George Nonte, Skeeter Skelton, Elmer Keith, and others Dean Grennell who while not decieced but retired and a recluse since the death of his wife. The older writtings of Jack Lewis and others as well. Robert T Simek Who took his own life for reasons unknown. I have them all in print. what i am worried a out is where this will all go when I am no longer here. None of my family care and I feel they will just have a big bonfire or just check it all in the garbarge lost to all. I am 44 yoars old single and I have a firearms library nobody wants.
One of my greatest fears is my entire collection will end up in the trash. I have no idea how to prevent it after I am gone. All this valuable information and history will be gone to the 4 winds forever.
Jim L

Mark Hampton has a monthly column on Handgun Hunter Magazine - HandgunHunt.com

I almost forgot he also wrote a book on Handgun Hunting avaiable from Krause publications (the same folks who bring you the Gun Digest). He is also a gun Writer on the subject of Handgun Hunting is various Publications. (Gun Magazines)
He also runs with his wife "Show Me Safris" in I think the state of Masurri. He is an incredable handgun hunter in his own right including the Big Five in Africa.
Jim L

While I never had the priveldge of meeting Bob Milek, I did speak with him on the phone numerous times. He was a true gentleman. Seemed he always had time to talk to one of his fans about Speciality Handguns, Cartridges and Loads for them. He is responsible for my love afair with 6mm Cartridges also.

While I do not have every article he ever wrote, I do have quite a selection, as well as his book "Handgun Hunting Across America".

One time after I had returned from the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands by Wall South Dakota I phoned Bob. During our conversation I learned that Bob and a group of writers had been in Wall South Dakota and were shooting Prairie Dogs on the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, and they had left the day before we arrived. The real ironic part of all of this is we were supposed to arrive 2 days before we actually did, but one of the party was unable to make that deadline.

The last time I phoned his residence was a day after his passing. I had no idea of his passing, but was glad I phoned as I had the opportunity to speak to his son Bob for about 20 minutes and had the opportunity to express my admiration for his father.

Yep he is truly missed, and I too considered him a good friend.

SD Handgunner

Jim, Mark sold the Show-Me Safari operation about a year ago to Tate & Mac Bosworth. They are in the process of re-branding the operation to Trophy Haven.

Yeah, Bob sure turned a light onto the specialty handguns in this nation, and probably others i'm sure. Wish i would have met him sometime.

It was Bob Milek who taklked me into buying my first Dillon. After he did an article on comparing accuracy between his bench rest techniques and 550 mass production. There was little detectable differnce in accuracy.

Mr. DW

I do. I remember an article with both Mr. Milek and Steve Herrett and a .17 cal. rifle on a Martine action (Cadet?). Oh, and I think it was a "bullpup"! They shot pesky groundhogs on a golf course. Of course I never met him.

Jim L,

Bob Milek is what I would call a hero in my mind. He is solely responsible for me getting into and falling in love with the XP-100 and handgun hunting in general.

I always loved to read about his hunting adventures as well as his wildcat work in handguns. I feel he was and will always be one of my favorite gun writes ever.

His passing was truely a loss to the shooting sports. His son is following in his foot steps but just seems to lack a little something that I saw in his dad, perhaps its only the vast experience that he also is building on.

To bad there are not more modern writers like Mr. Milek!

Good Shooting!!!

50

Bob Milek, I remember him well. I was fortunate to know him and served on the local volunteer fire department with him. I only knew him for a short time before his death but he was a great, down to earth, knowledgeable shooter. As well a a great human being of the "no bullshit" class. His son, Bob Jr., has tried to do some articles but I haven't follwed his work. Bob jr. is chip off the old block.

The whole family are great people. Bob's wife Dorthy, is a corner stone of this communtiy and is an authority on local history.

Does anybody have any idea where I can donate my vast gun magazine collection as well as firarms and hunting book collection so when I die it won't end up in the garbarge or worse? This is only after I am gone but I want somebody to enjoy my collection as much as i did when I was here. any ideas?
Jim L
No hurry I am only 44 going on 100<VBG>

I was gonna say donate it to me, I would take care of it! But I am older than you, so not a good idea.....

Remember him well and read his G&A articles for years, though I didnt agree with him at times, he for the most part was a good writer and knowledgable firearms person. Too, I was reading Bob Milek when Kudu56 was wearing 3-cornered pants. LOL

The one thing I always wondered about him was why he would go on a handgun hunt loaded down with 3 complete handguns and the ammo for them mostly in 3 different calibers too! I wondered why he would do such a thing when 1 gun would do it all mostly two at the most. At the rate he was going he carried most weight than most rifle hunters.
Jim L