[nextjoe]

For my money, Ross Seyfried is the absolute top of the heap. He picks topics that are actually fresh and interesting, and writes very well.

I think too many gunwriters today don't know much about either guns or writing, unfortunately! :rolleyes:

Who do you like, and why?

Best,
Joe

[thumbtack]

Well he is not totally a gun writer but I really enjoy reading Bart Skelton.

[El Tejon]

THR's "Doc"!:D

No flowered shirts, just medical scrubs or a Ralph Lauren shirt with a sport jacket.:D

[jsalcedo]

Skeeter Skelton and Elmer Keith

[HankL]

Elmer Keith did some gun writin, he was purtty good.

[WebHobbit]

John Taffin
Masaad Ayoob
Evan Marshall (terrible webmaster/forum Moderator though!)
Bart Skelton
THR's Jim March

Tons more.

There is a lot of great ones.

[Stevie-Ray]

Ross used to be my favorite also, back when I subscribed to several mags. Only one I get now is First Freedom. Stopped all of them except American Handgunner about 10 years ago, and stopped that one 6 or 7 years ago. Ross was great, though I think him to be a little crazy, what with his apparent love of recoil. He's the only man I've ever seen say he welcomes the chance to shoot a 4-bore rifle.:eek:

[Standing Wolf]

Skeeter Skelton was a pretty good gun writer.

[nextjoe]

Stevie-Ray,

My gunsmith is a good friend of Ross and helped build the first .585 Nyati.

He said the recoil was about like going out to the highway and catching headlights! :what:

Best,
Joe

[MeekandMild]

Jack O'Conner. Period. End of statement. :D

[blades67]

I don't have a favorite.

[cool45auto]

I like Massad Ayoob's stuff, too.

[MikeK]

Jeff Cooper. About the only reason I still get Guns and Ammo. I know I can read his stuff online, which I do from time to time. I like many of the others listed above also.

[atek3]

Chuck Taylor. He's my favorite gun guy in general, but taking a class w/ him made his writing so much cooler :)

atek3

[cratz2]

Of the currently writing: Ross Seyfried, Clair Rees.

Worst ever: Duane Thomas.

Still haven't made up my mind about Jon Sundra... lot of ego going on there but we agree on several things and he has the experience.

Honestly, I've bought one gun magazine in the last year.

[David Roberson]

Always liked Dean Speir myself (or Waldo Lydecker, or whatever byline he's using this month). He's one of the few current writers whom I feel I can trust implicitly.

Skeeter Skelton is probably my all-time favorite. A good writer and someone knowledgeable about guns -- still a rare combination.

Unfortunately, it would take too much space to list all the terrible ones...

[Quantrill]

Elmer Keith - because he did everything himself. If he did not do it, he did not write about it. Everything he wrote about still holds true. In the words of a title of one of his books,"Hell, ho was there! Quantrill

[MolonLabe416]

Finn Aagaard
Jeff Cooper
Jack O'Conner
Peter Hathaway Capstick

[Kingknives]

I'd have to say Massad Ayoob for me. Informative and entertaining.

Clint Smith too! Really been enjoying his stuff as of late.

Leroy Thompson, Chuck Taylor, Jim Wilson and I even like Duane Thomas. :p


my endorsement doesn't mean I always agree with their writings, just that I find them enjoyable

Joe

[mainmech48]

George Nonte, Skeeter Skelton, Elmer Keith, Bill Jordan, Charlie Askins, Jeff Cooper...my boyhood heroes.

Mas Ayoob, John Taffin, Ken Hackathorn, Clint Smith, Charlie Petty, Dave Anderson, Dave Fortier....currently.

Haven't seen anything from Frank James in quite a while. I liked his work, and he's a hellava good fellow. Thanks to him I not only got to see and handle the semi-legendary Korth auto and revolver, but he actually let me SHOOT them when I met him by chance at a mutual friend's place where he was testing them for an article.

Not too impressive to some, maybe: they were test guns and not his personally. But considering that the pair of them were worth more than the car I was driving at the time, it struck me as exceedingly kind and generous.

[Correia]

Denny Hansen
Rob Pincus
Brent Wheat
Flint Hansen


Couldn't ask for better folks.

[Andrew Wyatt]

I'm partial to Andy Stanford, Greg Morrison, and Dean Speir, primarily because I know them and/or they shoot with people i shoot with.

[bogie]

Jim Carmichael and Dick Wright.

Neither of 'em do "tactical," but hey...

And Jim is a SERIOUS part of history.

[Hutch]

Dunno if he's still in bidness, but I REALLY liked Dean Grennell. His "ABC's of Reloading" is a must-read.

[4v50 Gary]

Walther Howe. Gunsmith turned writer. I was delighted when I found that the author of my favorite gunsmithing book is still alive. Sent a bookplate for him to autograph and now it's displayed in my copy.

[George Hill]

Denny Hansen
Rob Pincus
Brent Wheat (still can't read his stuff with a straight face)
Flint Hansen
Leroy Thompson
Clint Smith
Louis Awerbuck
John Taffin
Jeff Cooper
Tom Clancy
Harold Coyle
Web Griffith
Robert Waters
Sheriff Mack
John Lott
Joseph G. Rosa
James B. Whisker
Frederick Myatt
Dean Speir
John Plaster

Uh... and Richard Marcinko... I guess... guilty. His first few books are pretty good... <hides>

[bogie]

Yeah, he _was_ guilty...

[George Hill]

:D

[Tempest]

OK, I'll admit it. I've enjoyed Marcinko's first couple of books too. :o *ducks and runs*

I love Brent Wheat's stuff. Also Robert Waters, Dave Codrea, Angel Shamaya and Mike Williamson (No it has nothing to do with the professional/personal relationships I have with these guys.)

[OF]

Dr. Gary Roberts
Pat Rogers

That's about it.

- Gabe

[Hand_Rifle_Guy]

Elmer Kieth.

Jeff Cooper.

Skeeter and Bart Skelton.

Sheriff Jim Wilson.

And our very own LAWDOG!

:D:D:D

[Hot brass]

Skeeter Skelton
Bob ????? used to write for Shooting Times/has since passed away/great handgun writer.
Elmer Keith

[Stevie-Ray]

Bob ????? used to write for Shooting Times/has since passed away/great handgun writer Would that be Bob Milek?

[TheFrontRange]

In no particular order, my personal picks are: Sheriff Jim Wilson, Jeff Cooper, Clint Smith, Mike Cumpston, John Taffin, Roy Huntington, and Massad Ayoob. I liked Duane Thomas, too, actually.

[mikey357]

Well, I read everything I could get my hands on by Skeeter Skelton and Elmer Keith...twenty years ago, I also read a lot of Jeff Cooper's stuff...today, I look for Mas Ayoob and John Taffin...a lot of the rest are pompous, egotistical "Know-nothings", IMHO....mikey357

[George Hill]

Bob Milek was Guns and Ammo.

Used to read his stuff all the time as a kid. Remembering Bob makes me want a gun in .35 Whelen.

[rick458]

Peter Hathaway Capstick (almost got my books signed by him but he had his heart attack right before the Safari show and passed away)

Robert Ruark
John Burger
Craig Boddington

[HerbG]

Living: none

Deceased: Col. Townsend Whelen and Jack O'Connor

[TxShooter]

Skeeter Skelton
Bill Jordan
Jim Wilson
Massad Ayoob

Anyone know what happened to Bob Hoelscher, the law enforcement writer for Shooting Times' ex-sister publication, Handgunning?

[Dan Morris]

Ruark, Jordan,O'Conner,Dalrymple.
Dan

[41 Redhawk]

Alive

Craig Boddington


Passed away

Bob Milek
Elmer Keith

[Desert Dog]

Stephen Hunter...

[Ron L]

I've always like Skeeter Skelton. I mentioned his name on another hunting and ourdoor forum and someone thought I was pulling his leg.

And I've enjoyed the musing of our own LAWDOG.

[Tommy Gunn]

Charles Askins
Jeff Cooper
Masaad Ayoob
Bill Jordan

[Dash Riprock]

Hunter S Thompson

[Lone Star]

Dean Grennell retired long ago, and am not sure if he's alive. He was good on reloading, and a nice guy in person.

My classic favorites are Jack O'Connor, whose droll humor and sophistication I admired, Skeeter Skelton, and Elmer Keith.

The best and most versatile of the current crop is probably Brian Pearce, at, "Rifle" and, "Handloader".

When he isn't doing a review because it was assigned as opposed to writing something he really enjoys, Jim Wilson is good. Bit too folksy at times...

Ayoob tells truths that some won't, lest they upset advertisers. His comments on how .38 lead SWC-HP bullets cleanly penetrate pig skulls and give clean kills, where .380's fail were significant.

Frank James sometimes posts on the S&W forum www.smith-wessonforum.com He'd probably be able to write more, but his comments about shooting his neighbors' cats upset many readers when he was regularly at, "Guns". Most of those readers don't have his experience as a farmer trying to protect livestock and poultry, and many appear to have been raised on Disney and PBS wildlife films. I think that I'd call my neighbor if I recognized his cat on my land before I shot it...feral cats are another matter.

John Wootters was more a hunting writer than a gun writer, but his gun comments are excellent. I was sorry to see him retire. He's knowledgeable about many subjects, including WW II aircraft and snakes, as well as guns.

John Barsness is basically okay, and his bullet articles are sound. He's a little too "down" on German optics as opposed to Japanese optics, though. His current, "Rifle" column neglects to mention that German rubber armor compounds tend to feel more solid and enduring than most Jap ones, and that German controls are more refined and smooth in use. Moreover, the insides of the barrels on Zeiss, Leica, and Swarovski (Austrian) instruments tend to be cleaner than on even high priced Japanese binoculars. Barsness also seems a little smart-alecy at times. He seems to have a healthy ego, but most gun writers are peacocks, so it may not be fair to single him out.

Lone Star

[WebHobbit]

I like Jim Wilson a lot too. I think his folksyness sort of makes him the Andy Griffith of Guns!

:)

[Duane Thomas]

Leroy Thompson, Chuck Taylor, Jim Wilson and I even like Duane Thomas.
Thanks, Kingknives.

[Duane Thomas]

I liked Duane Thomas, too, actually.
"Liked"? I'm still alive! :)

Seriously though, thanks.