TonyB
Member
Little guy...big hat....real big gun.....what's not to like??
What's YOUR opinion of Elmer Keith?
- Thread starter Hal
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Had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times, and he was the genuine article. If anyone out there has a copy of his "North American Big Game Hunting", check the drawings of game animals that are used to illustrate shot placement. Elmer drew them. Quite a talented fellow.
Quantrill
Member
The Chairman of the Board. Whenever somebody comes up with something new, I check to see what Elmer said about it. Talked to him on the phone one night, one of my better evenings. Hell, he WAS there! Quantrill
Icon,legend,pioneer,patriot....
The life Keith lived is inspiring to say the least...the hunting, the matches at Camp Perry, the ballistic innovations, the terrible accident he survived....it goes on and on. You really got to read 'Hell, I was there' to understand what kind of man he was.
This is a great topic...
The life Keith lived is inspiring to say the least...the hunting, the matches at Camp Perry, the ballistic innovations, the terrible accident he survived....it goes on and on. You really got to read 'Hell, I was there' to understand what kind of man he was.
This is a great topic...
Geezer
Member
TELLING IT LIKE IT WAS
Lots of us old folks don't really tell y'all how it was, because you weren't there, you wouldn't understand, and you wouldn't believe us anyway if we told you the truth.
Mr. Keith didn't suffer from any of those misgivings. God bless him, and if the truth be told, he too probably had to tone some things down for the younger folks.
God bless and y'all be careful out there.
Lots of us old folks don't really tell y'all how it was, because you weren't there, you wouldn't understand, and you wouldn't believe us anyway if we told you the truth.
Mr. Keith didn't suffer from any of those misgivings. God bless him, and if the truth be told, he too probably had to tone some things down for the younger folks.
God bless and y'all be careful out there.
Curmudgeonly old cowboy who's been there and done that kinda guy...
Wait thats CR Sam!
Kieth is a must read. You can draw your own conclusions from later writers, but Mr. Kieth is about the only guy (other than me) to tell Jeff cooper to eat his hat. Jeff might have listened to Elmer.
Wait thats CR Sam!
Kieth is a must read. You can draw your own conclusions from later writers, but Mr. Kieth is about the only guy (other than me) to tell Jeff cooper to eat his hat. Jeff might have listened to Elmer.
Several gunwriters who met/shot/hunted with Elmer Keith have said that Elmer was the real deal.
He was one of those people who were blessed with eyesight, coordination and an intellect that made him extrordinary. He was talented to the point that he didn't really understand how extrodinary he was, couldn't really fathom why other people found his shooting skill so unbelievable.
When writing about the 600 yard deer he often stated that hitting such a target at that range was mostly luck and he wouldn't have fired a shot if the deer hadn't already been wounded. Thirty years of practice at long range handgun shooting probably didn't hurt either.
Ego? Sure, he had an ego that some found overblown, but no one who makes a living writing about his experiances and life, lacks ego.
Don in Ohio
He was one of those people who were blessed with eyesight, coordination and an intellect that made him extrordinary. He was talented to the point that he didn't really understand how extrodinary he was, couldn't really fathom why other people found his shooting skill so unbelievable.
When writing about the 600 yard deer he often stated that hitting such a target at that range was mostly luck and he wouldn't have fired a shot if the deer hadn't already been wounded. Thirty years of practice at long range handgun shooting probably didn't hurt either.
Ego? Sure, he had an ego that some found overblown, but no one who makes a living writing about his experiances and life, lacks ego.
Don in Ohio
Many folks have commented on Keith. Call him the Elvis of gunwriters.
Many folks have said his stories were embelished. After his death one writer commented how during a gun manufacturer sponsored trip to Italy, Elmer had lunch at a fine restaurant, with a number of other writers. As he was headed out, he stopped at the hat rack on one wall. Elmer was the only guy there with a big honking cowboy hat, and there was little question whose hat it was on the rack. Elmer still took the hat and checked the name inside, before putting it on. The moment was witnessed by the writer, who was impressed that Elmer made sure he wasn't taking someone else's hat by mistake, even though there was virtually no chance of it belonging to someone else.
I sorta suspect some of his stories are a little embelished. So what? There's stuff out now that I know to fall in the damned lie catagory.
As I boy I recall reading about the Alaskan hunting party, traveling on horseback. A guy out front is walking with an axe, cutting the trail, when a black bear starts to chase him. He turns and runs back toward the group. Elmer has a rifle, but is near the rear of the party and has no shot. One chap out front has a 5 inch S&W M27, rips it from his holster and drills the bear through the eye. The bear rolls over and stops with his head on top of a tree stump. Human chasee turns back to bear and splits his skull with the axe, which pretty much ended the charge.
I think in that same Alaskan hunting story one guy nails a brown bear, walks up to the bear, climbs aboard, lifts the head and says "Ain't he a beauty?" when said bear starts growling. Hunter exits stage left and shoots some more to finish the bear.
I recall articles on 1911 trigger jobs, and on extended flash tubes that extended all the way to the front of the case.
Like John Wayne, Elmer was feo, fuerte, y formal and an American original. Were he born to different circumstances, there'd probably be some very large companies with his name on them.
Many folks have said his stories were embelished. After his death one writer commented how during a gun manufacturer sponsored trip to Italy, Elmer had lunch at a fine restaurant, with a number of other writers. As he was headed out, he stopped at the hat rack on one wall. Elmer was the only guy there with a big honking cowboy hat, and there was little question whose hat it was on the rack. Elmer still took the hat and checked the name inside, before putting it on. The moment was witnessed by the writer, who was impressed that Elmer made sure he wasn't taking someone else's hat by mistake, even though there was virtually no chance of it belonging to someone else.
I sorta suspect some of his stories are a little embelished. So what? There's stuff out now that I know to fall in the damned lie catagory.
As I boy I recall reading about the Alaskan hunting party, traveling on horseback. A guy out front is walking with an axe, cutting the trail, when a black bear starts to chase him. He turns and runs back toward the group. Elmer has a rifle, but is near the rear of the party and has no shot. One chap out front has a 5 inch S&W M27, rips it from his holster and drills the bear through the eye. The bear rolls over and stops with his head on top of a tree stump. Human chasee turns back to bear and splits his skull with the axe, which pretty much ended the charge.
I think in that same Alaskan hunting story one guy nails a brown bear, walks up to the bear, climbs aboard, lifts the head and says "Ain't he a beauty?" when said bear starts growling. Hunter exits stage left and shoots some more to finish the bear.
I recall articles on 1911 trigger jobs, and on extended flash tubes that extended all the way to the front of the case.
Like John Wayne, Elmer was feo, fuerte, y formal and an American original. Were he born to different circumstances, there'd probably be some very large companies with his name on them.
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Didn't appreciate him in the mid-late '70s. If it wasn't a magnum, it wasn't worth it. Then as I read more and learned more, he was one fountain of knowledge and would have been a great guy to hang around and shoot with. Cherish the company we have today for tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Great icon, lasting legacy, all the great things about him listed above.
Small caveat in that he likely encouraged some folks to try some things in the field that they should not have. Also his experiences and expert opinions on handguns (mainly in the hunting field) are sometimes transfered to millitary, police or self defense applications. Some feel this didn't translate well...
Small caveat in that he likely encouraged some folks to try some things in the field that they should not have. Also his experiences and expert opinions on handguns (mainly in the hunting field) are sometimes transfered to millitary, police or self defense applications. Some feel this didn't translate well...
mtnbkr
Member
There's a relatively new book out about EK called Elmer Keith: The Other Side of a Western Legend by Gene Brown.
ISBN is: 931220-17-4 HC
931220-18-2 SC
It's not quite a biography as it doesn't cover all of his life, but covers some of the high points and the auther's experiences with EK (he spent quite a bit of time with EK). It also talks a great deal about collecting his books, etc.
It gives you a perspective into EK's life that you don't get from many other writings. Things like the hat story told above (that story's not in the book, but similar ones are...) that show the more thoughtful and gentlemanly side of EK.
Chris
ISBN is: 931220-17-4 HC
931220-18-2 SC
It's not quite a biography as it doesn't cover all of his life, but covers some of the high points and the auther's experiences with EK (he spent quite a bit of time with EK). It also talks a great deal about collecting his books, etc.
It gives you a perspective into EK's life that you don't get from many other writings. Things like the hat story told above (that story's not in the book, but similar ones are...) that show the more thoughtful and gentlemanly side of EK.
Chris
BluesBear
member
Elmer Keith
Skeeter Skelton
There is no way I can say either of those names without a deep heartfelt reverence.
I got my first subscription to Guns & Ammo in 1967 and Shooting Times in 1968. Those two gentlemen were a big part of my decision. Neither publication has been the same since they departed.
Skeeter Skelton
There is no way I can say either of those names without a deep heartfelt reverence.
I got my first subscription to Guns & Ammo in 1967 and Shooting Times in 1968. Those two gentlemen were a big part of my decision. Neither publication has been the same since they departed.
MonkeyMan
Member
I used to work with a guy that was a SSgt. in the 2nd Marine Recon. Served two tours in Viet Nam. Big, boisterous, happy go lucky kind of guy. The only time I ever remember him getting real quiet was when Elmer Keith's name came up in conversation. He had the opportunity to meet the man several times and had the utmost respect for him. That said it all for me.
Cosmoline
Member
I think he's a bit misunderstood. He often gets classified as the "big bore guy" from the backwoods of Idaho, while Jack O'Connor gets classified as the more elite "small bore guy." In truth, Keith wrote quite a few letters stating that cartridges such as the 7x57 were excellent, and O'Connor understood the use of big bores.
I highly recommend the two-volume "Gun Notes," which is still in print. Lots of great stuff in there. Very practical advice. Of course Elmer wasn't PC by today's standards. To test the effectiveness of firearms he would shoot cattle who were set to be slaughtered! These tests, IIRC, led him to conclude that a big bore handgun was more effective than a bow and arrow.
I highly recommend the two-volume "Gun Notes," which is still in print. Lots of great stuff in there. Very practical advice. Of course Elmer wasn't PC by today's standards. To test the effectiveness of firearms he would shoot cattle who were set to be slaughtered! These tests, IIRC, led him to conclude that a big bore handgun was more effective than a bow and arrow.
CMcDermott
Member
I think Ross Seyfried says it best in the forward to Gun Notes Volume I
" Keith was the best shot I have ever known. He was perhaps the only man who ever existed that was a complete master of all three shooting disciplines. Keith could push a rifle, shotgun or handgun to its limits. To those who wonder if his feats were fact or fiction, I can say without reservation they were fact. I watched him shoot. Even as an old man, he expected to be able to make the difficult or impossible shot. While sitting on his horse at eighty yards distant, I saw him shoot a porcupine offhand with his 44 magnum. Many men I know could have made the shot, but only one would not bother to look back at the result. Elmer Keith knew the bullets had hit when the hammer fell. Elmer Keith "was there". "
" Keith was the best shot I have ever known. He was perhaps the only man who ever existed that was a complete master of all three shooting disciplines. Keith could push a rifle, shotgun or handgun to its limits. To those who wonder if his feats were fact or fiction, I can say without reservation they were fact. I watched him shoot. Even as an old man, he expected to be able to make the difficult or impossible shot. While sitting on his horse at eighty yards distant, I saw him shoot a porcupine offhand with his 44 magnum. Many men I know could have made the shot, but only one would not bother to look back at the result. Elmer Keith knew the bullets had hit when the hammer fell. Elmer Keith "was there". "
Bostonterrier97
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Elmer Keith wrote the definitive book on Six Guns
Of course...Ed McGivern wrote the definitive book on shooting a six gun! (Ed was probably the finest gun slinger ever)
On large bore Six guns we also have John Taffin over at www.sixguns.com
Of course...Ed McGivern wrote the definitive book on shooting a six gun! (Ed was probably the finest gun slinger ever)
On large bore Six guns we also have John Taffin over at www.sixguns.com
Captain Ron
Member
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I talked to one Elmer's neighbors some time ago and they said that he had a bad habit of shooting his elephant gun in the basement trying out new loads! I have read all his books and I do not have a doubt that he was the real thing and then some. Sure miss reading his work!
Standing Wolf
Member in memoriam
He was a pretty good writer. A lot of his material is just as fresh today as it was way back when.
C.R.Sam
Moderator Emeritus
Kinda off track but....
I watched Roy Weatherby testing a rifle and ammo in his kitchen.
That was when he was workin out of the house.
Interesting to say the least.
Interesting to me that McGivern, Keith and Sharpe all had vast respect for each other. Man....that is serious vetting.
Captain Ron...Welcome aboard. Enjoy your stay.
Sam
I watched Roy Weatherby testing a rifle and ammo in his kitchen.
That was when he was workin out of the house.
Interesting to say the least.
Interesting to me that McGivern, Keith and Sharpe all had vast respect for each other. Man....that is serious vetting.
Captain Ron...Welcome aboard. Enjoy your stay.
Sam
Jeff OTMG
Member
Knew a lot and let you know it. Nice enough, not as arrogant or self centered as Jeff Cooper, though Cooper seems to be mellowing a bit from my breif encounters.
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