Elmer Keith vs. Jack O'Connor

Ed Zern
Gene Hill
Corey Ford

And I remember a supposedly half-breed guide/trapper that wrote some gritty tales in Outdoor Life.

Elmer, Hell he was there. O'Connor was just a sport who needed guys like Elmer to lead and back him up.

PS Did I mention the 270 is a varmint rifle?

Elmer keith. Always reminded me of a favorite uncle of mine. Just ask him a question, and he'd tell you everything he knew about the subject at hand, whether it was guns, people or whatever.

Yep. If you wanted to know even more about the .270 cartridge, you read O'Connor. If you wanted to know a lot about lots of guns, hunting stories, police tales, or good humor, you read many of the other authors mentioned here who had wide firearms interest like most of us.

I was an O'Conner fan at an early age and used a "Jack O'Conner sez" interjection in many boyhood discussions.
I liked Keith also and they both used subtle references to each other in their writings.
Jack was a hunters hunter and I really believe that there will never be another like him.
Zeke

O'Connor.

main thing i learned here was that once upon a time a college perfesser had shouldered a firearm.

I think there are a few misconceptions here--I'm pretty sure I remember reading of the various hunting numbers--how many deer, elk, sheep, etc--that each had killed, and O'Connor had killed wayyyyyyy more game than Keith.

As far as their ideas, O'Connor of course was known for his advocacy of the 270, and the first rifle I bought when I got my first degree and had enough money to not just buy the cheapest thing I could find was a Winchester Featherweight in 270. It took my largest deer to date, and it's both a classic caliber and rifle IMO. One thing to keep in mind--O'Connor was notoriously fond of sheep hunting, and as such a cartridge with some reach was going to be a favorite.

One of my other first rifles was a marlin 35 Remington, though, so I guess you could say I don't mind big, slow bullets either.

I'd agree that they were both a good read, and they both influnced my choices in firearms ever since. My first rifle was (still shoot it alot) a model 70 in 270 back in 1972, and my first handgun was (shoot it lots too) a S&W 29 in .44 Mag.

I enjoyed them both very much but Elmer was my favorite of the two. I was never a big fan of the .270 and have never owned one. (Not to say I never will.) However, I did pick up a Smith mod 29 for loading & hunting just about as soon as I could.

I also enjoyed the writings of Col. Askins, Bil Jordan, Jeff Copper, and Skeeter Skelton. Now, if you add these gents to the mix, Skeeter wins hands down as my all-time favorite writer.

Elmer--Jack who???????
Just funnin--Elmer was there and his contribution of pushing for the .44 Mag and large calibre rifles for Elk make since to me as a then new hunter reading his articles.

His Keith deseign of a heavy SWC was and is a classic.

I've always prefer Jack O'Connor. Just because Elmer Keith seemed more to handgun hunting or Elk hunting with calibers as a kid couldn't handle. Also Keith was credited with a 600 yd kill with handgun. At the time I thought that was unethical, years later I read that the animal was wounded first.
O'Connor seemed to preach bullet placement with a bullet that would expand, the 270 wasn't the only caliber he liked, I bought a 7X57 because that was his wife's favorite.
Keith was an elk guide that wanted a caliber that would pentrate at bad angles, because he was basically an "African guide". Don't let them get to the thickets.
Ford or Chevy, both were legends for different reasons.

Great Thread...

Elmer Keith was the progenitor of the .357 Mag. and .44 Mag as well as the .338 Mag. He was mainly an ELk hunter.

Jack O'Conner was the champion of the .270 WIn. and with 130 gr. bullets worked well for his specialty in game - SHeep. THe 150 gr. bullets in that caliber are for Elk at reduced ranges.

SKeeter SKelton - Broder Patrol and a great writer for the common man, with his 1911 on the Border. He also talked of a couple of fellow LEOs in old
El Pso in the 1950s who had to carry wheelguns. SO they had cut down to 4"
barrels S & W with big SWC .45 AR in the gun and .45 ACP Ball ammo oin Half moon clips as their reloads when things got rough in a border town.

Bob Milek championed the .30-06 and .280 Rem. but also believed in
One rifle One load and just shoot that and you'll always hit the mark with practice, practice practice

I was rearranging a big stack of shelves of old magazines and found about a half dozen G & A gun annuals and others I am going to be going through - at least 27 or so years old, I'll see if I can't transcribe tsome articles or scan em in and share em.

Oh, and I remember one magazine where the last page was a column by somebody and some guy showed up around the fire and said there was a contest and what should he use for a long gun and Elmer spouted off about
the .338 Mag, Jack extolled the virtues of the .270 and Warren Magnusmon talked glowingly of the .300 Win. Mag. Then they all asked the guy well who's putting on this contest? He said oh, Roy Weatherby, and they all changed their answer and in unison said go with a .300 Weatherby!!!

Elmer Keith.

He reminded me of the folks I was growing up with, Mentors and Elders.
Just porch sittin' and sharing experiences and observations and speaking on a level anyone could understand.

Mentors & Elders of mine, run the gamut from only making to the 8th grade to those with PhDs and Medical Doctors.
Even the ones educated spoke on a simple level, and never cringed, corrected or cut eyes when someone of less education wrote or spoke.

Honest to goodness, I never recall anyone having a .270 around here.

Ruark, Cory Ford, Brister were other folks we read, and respected.

O'Connor, just seemed to be "preaching down to" and that got our kind to bow up a bit.