Gun Writers Then and Now....Keith, O'Conner, Boddington and others

5280 shooter II

Reading this article over on RifleShooter and got to thinking where people stand on those writer's philosophies. For instance, to generalize....are you a big smack-em-down round person such as Keith, or stab-em-with-a-stilleto guy like O'Conner? Then you throw in the middle crowd like myself.....those, who like Boddington, prefer to use a .30 cal bullet for just about most rifle game hunting?

Zee

I tend to be a heavy for caliber kinda guy, for the most part. That is my preference, but there are a few rifles that I actually have a light for caliber load as well. This is in addition to the heavy load, mind you.

No, I am not an overly head over heals .30 cal guy. Yes, I have multiple .308 Winchesters and .30-06 Springfields and they work awesome as to be expected! Just not a .30cal Magnum fan myself.

Ranch13

Don't confuse OConnor as being a small bore guy. You read enough of his stuff, you'll also find out he was a fan of th 375 and 338. Like he said in one article he never intended to shoot that big grizz with his 270, that was slated for the 300, but the bear happened along while he was hunting with the 270....
Both men were right in their philosophies, but the war between the sold a ton of magazine subscriptions....

Razorbacker

Interesting topic. When you mention Keith and O' Conner you're talking about a coupla Titans. And everyone knows of their duel. I like Boddington, no doubt. I used to really like Ross Seyfreid (sp?).

If you're asking what we use I'd have to say I'm a .30 and up guy. But that's just how it played out over the years. Had I started with a .270 or one of the .25s things might have been different.
But it matters not a whit to me what another man uses. IMHO it's more about proper bullet and shot placement.
These types of discussions often come up around the camp fire. And i always enjoy them.

5280 shooter II

Granted the two Titans have their beliefs and have crossed...... suiting the cartridge to the game. I was kinda wondering if any of the more recent writers have had any influence on y'all? I took a liking to Boddington's style.....however some of his more exotic hunts have kind of turned me off. I get to thinking, "you lucky son-of-a-gun, but when am I really gonna get to shoot some funky-looking goat out in the Himalaya's!?"

Writing these days seems to be more of an After Action Review than storytelling.

MileHighShooter

Boddington tends to be more in the "Keith" camp if you have read enough of his articles. Other then company sponsored hunts, most of his game tends to be shot with 30's and up. Greg Rodriguez writes some good stuff too, but really, anyone else these days are just swill salesman looking for that next free hunt from XXX company. I'd have to look, but I'm sure SOMEONE (maybe even here at Petersen's....") wrote a glaring, all warm and fuzzy article about the Rem 770.

Zee

I dnt mind teasing about adventures I'll never experience in person. If I can't go myself, at least I can read about it. This is one reason I prefer Sports Afield magazine. It's sort of an adventure magazine. It has the advertisements throughout the magazine but not in the articles themselves.

Unlike most other magazines, the contributors are actually writers not salesmen. Something I appreciate.

Boddington is a very good, down to earth writer. He has 'sold out' some as of late, but not as bad as the majority of others.

What I miss most from today's salesmen, I mean writer.......is an opinion. Seems opinion doesn't sell. Shame.

So, since opinion and writing skill is out the window........bring on the adventures!

Razorbacker

5280 shooter II wrote: »

Granted the two Titans have their beliefs and have crossed...... suiting the cartridge to the game. I was kinda wondering if any of the more recent writers have had any influence on y'all? I took a liking to Boddington's style.....however some of his more exotic hunts have kind of turned me off. I get to thinking, "you lucky son-of-a-gun, but when am I really gonna get to shoot some funky-looking goat out in the Himalaya's!?"

Writing these days seems to be more of an After Action Review than storytelling.

Amen to that. I know a lot of that is combo deals with gun/glass/ammo company junkets but I've wondered if Boddington's family didn't have money or something.
I'll tell ya my favorite all time gun/hunting writers are O'Conner, Capstick, Skelton, Ruark, and what's that guys name who wrote for G&A that was a big proponent of the T/Cs in rifle calibers? He died of cancer I think. It was years ago. I mean the T/C hand guns. Or maybe it was the Remington bolt pistols. Yeah, that's the ticket.
But Ruark told the best stories IMHO

robert38-55

Oh,I don't know. I read article back in the day before I even had more than a couple of .22's and a couple of shotguns..By the time I got serious about buying guns and reloading I didn't have a subscription to any of the gun magazines I read. I did enjoy the article from Keith O'Conner, and I did like Craig Boddington's articles too. I alway thought Gary James was a really really good gun writer.

.....After I was collecting guns and ammo, and learning how to reload,talking in depth to others who did the same as I, spending time on the range, getting the chance to shoot other folks guns and such, I came to the conclusion that, (and this is just me), if I want to try a new caliber in rifle or handgun then do it. After all if one isn't satisfied with it, ya can always sell it, trade it, modify it, etc. Personally I don't think one caliber is the 'all magic bullet, with expected results'.

Some situations will call for a good .30 cal cartridge and some may call for a larger caliber like the .416 or .458, and by the same token maybe some situations might even call for a smaller caliber. All I am saying is different strokes,for different folks. Truth be know there is probably not one caliber on the market that I can really say I despise or absolutely will not have. Granted some calibers are too big for me,with too much recoil, like that .300 Wichester magnum I used to have, but at least I can say I owed one,shot one and it was not the caliber for Robert. I like a .300 win. mag..Man that caliber is POWERFUL, enough,but it's not a caliber I can or ever be able to master as a gunowner,no matter how many article I read about it. "It is what it is", I just think, that it's better to own several different calibers in rifle and handgun, as opposed to think one caliber can do,or be made to do everything.

And speaking of good gunwriters,I think there are a lot of folks,right here on the G & A board that are good gun writers, or certainly have the knowledge and skill, and the potential to be a good gun writer.

Jayhawker

I split the difference in the K/O debate.....I like 'em heavy AND fast... I can only imagine the debate were those two icons still with us today

NN

Depends on the terrain and the situation.

1965Jeff

Razorbacker wrote: »

Amen to that. I know a lot of that is combo deals with gun/glass/ammo company junkets but I've wondered if Boddington's family didn't have money or something.
I'll tell ya my favorite all time gun/hunting writers are O'Conner, Capstick, Skelton, Ruark, and what's that guys name who wrote for G&A that was a big proponent of the T/Cs in rifle calibers? He died of cancer I think. It was years ago. I mean the T/C hand guns. Or maybe it was the Remington bolt pistols. Yeah, that's the ticket.
But Ruark told the best stories IMHO

Bob Milek / great member of G&A

Zee

1965Jeff wrote: »

Bob Milek / great member of G&A

Yep. One of my all time favorites. Dearly missed.

5280 shooter II

One of the writers I dearly miss is Patrick McManus, from the back pages of Field and Stream and Outdoor life. More of a humorist than a gun writer.....but growing up reading his stuff was truly hilarious! I like Sports Afield as well for the adventures...more personal than technical.

But I concur Zee, what's missing these days is an opinion....and the huevos to stick to it.

Ernie Bishop

Milek was a mentor I didn't know personally and I also liked Ross Seyfried.
I liked their writing styles.
They clashed themselves on handgun hunting for sure.

5280 shooter II

NN wrote: »

Depends on the terrain and the situation.

That tactical consideration is fuel for another thought when I get the time...thank you Ned.

Riflemann

I have enjoyed reading from all three writers, but I do like Boddington the most. I like that he shoots the 30-06, which I also shoot, and his stories of far off places that I may never get to, but are entertaining to imagine. Keep up the good writing Craig.

sarg1c

A lot of people talk of shooting game with heavy for calibre loads ,wanting a large exit wound, but I, as with a lot of the old writers would state that a proper hunting bullet would enter the animal, expand to twice it's size, retain it's mass but not exit the animal. That is the way I see it. often we would dig out the bullet and examine it as to it's mushroom. Not so with a bullet that exits and goes flying off to the next county...Maybe I'm old fashioned....

Zee

I don't care if the bullet exits or stays. As long as it kills quickly, who cares.

beartracker

AMEN!

snake284-1

I read Keith for his entertainment value, not forgetting what era he came from. Keith formed his opinions when 2500 FPS was a rocket. In fact 2200 FPS was above average. O'Connor came along at the dawn of high velocity. Everyone want's to remember him for the .270 Win. and rightly so to a degree. However, it is forgotten that he gave probably an equal amount of attention to the 30-06 and some other rounds. He did put the .270 Win. on the map and whether you are a fan or not, he still showed its usfulness.

I have mixed emotions about this. I'm not really a fanatic on any one cartridge, not in real life. I'm going to hunt deer on opening day and I will guarantee you I won't be packing my .270 Win. then. I may later, but I do like to switch around. I plan on using my .270 on hogs more this year. My .257 AI and my .250 Savage will probably be my first choices. Also, I want to use my 22-250 or .223 on a deer or hog. And definitely I want to use the 30-06 and 8x57 on hogs and deer. And last but not least I want to try my 30-30 out with the Hornady Spitzers and see how they work, but with only four tags for the year, I'll have to do some picking and choosing here. Some of my guns, as I said about the .270 will get relegated to Hog duty this year. But that's not so bad. So you can see I'm all over the page on this. I have fun with them all.

Ranch13

Oconnor and Keith were the same age. Both had ranch backgrounds, OConnor in Arizona and Keith in Idaho... OConnor went to college when he discharged from the Navy at the end of World War 1. He did like the smaller fast bullets, but he also liked and used some of the big boys.. Didn't care much for handguns,and that's really where Keith left his mark.

Teach

The writers of half a century ago were hunters and/or shooters first, who took up writing for various sporting magazines as adults, after they had become skilled at their primary interests- - - -hunting, guiding, cowboying, etc. The writers who came around in the last quarter of the 20th. century were younger, and for the most part college-educated in journalism. The industry they worked for also changed from being small special-interest publishers to huge conglomerates in the publishing business where magazines about hunting, shooting, and other traditional outdoor sports were simply another niche to exploit in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. No wonder the writing, and the writers now are just a shadow of the former quality!
Jerry

Zee

Teach wrote: »

The writers of half a century ago were hunters and/or shooters first, who took up writing for various sporting magazines as adults, after they had become skilled at their primary interests- - - -hunting, guiding, cowboying, etc. The writers who came around in the last quarter of the 20th. century were younger, and for the most part college-educated in journalism. The industry they worked for also changed from being small special-interest publishers to huge conglomerates in the publishing business where magazines about hunting, shooting, and other traditional outdoor sports were simply another niche to exploit in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. No wonder the writing, and the writers now are just a shadow of the former quality!
Jerry

^This^

Ranch13

Don't forget OConnor was an english prof at University of Arizona.

snake284-1

Yes and he wrote Romantic Novels along with being a gun writer. The two just had different personalities.

beartracker

Teach wrote: »

The writers of half a century ago were hunters and/or shooters first, who took up writing for various sporting magazines as adults, after they had become skilled at their primary interests- - - -hunting, guiding, cowboying, etc. The writers who came around in the last quarter of the 20th. century were younger, and for the most part college-educated in journalism. The industry they worked for also changed from being small special-interest publishers to huge conglomerates in the publishing business where magazines about hunting, shooting, and other traditional outdoor sports were simply another niche to exploit in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. No wonder the writing, and the writers now are just a shadow of the former quality!
Jerry

:that:

robert38-55

Teach wrote: »

The writers of half a century ago were hunters and/or shooters first, who took up writing for various sporting magazines as adults, after they had become skilled at their primary interests- - - -hunting, guiding, cowboying, etc. The writers who came around in the last quarter of the 20th. century were younger, and for the most part college-educated in journalism. The industry they worked for also changed from being small special-interest publishers to huge conglomerates in the publishing business where magazines about hunting, shooting, and other traditional outdoor sports were simply another niche to exploit in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. No wonder the writing, and the writers now are just a shadow of the former quality!
Jerry

:that::agree: That pretty well sums it up...

snake284-1

5280 shooter II wrote: »

One of the writers I dearly miss is Patrick McManus, from the back pages of Field and Stream and Outdoor life. More of a humorist than a gun writer.....but growing up reading his stuff was truly hilarious! I like Sports Afield as well for the adventures...more personal than technical.

But I concur Zee, what's missing these days is an opinion....and the huevos to stick to it.

I too agree 5280 Shooter, And both Keith and O'Connor qualified as described. They had the cajones to stand by their sometimes bold opinions. They were great Americans. Now everybody is into PC crap. Not me, if I have to agree with everybody to survive, I'll just die. No way. I have my opinions and they are what they are. I guess that's why I loved some of these old guys, because right or wrong, they stood by what they believed. No way you can beat that. I say, read all you can, education's good, if used right. But use your own experience and knowledge to form your own opinion and stick by it. Hell, it worked for them!!!

conchokid

This is an enjoyable thread. Thanks for starting it, 5280.
I've been an avid O'Connor fan (please don't spell it O'Conner) since I was a youngster and over the years have read just about everything he wrote in Outdoor Life, Petersen's Hunting, and his dozen or so books. The reason he wrote so much about the .270 is because it was the hottest thing around in the '30s and '40s. He used it a lot but also took a lot of game with the .30-06, .257 Roberts and in Africa with the .375, .416 Rigby and others. Toward the end of his career he wrote that the .280 Remington was probably a better all-around cartridge than the .270. In fact the last custom rifle he ordered was a .280. He died, however, before it was completed. Also, it wasn't a Model 70. (See Tom Turpin's story "Jack O'Connor's Last Rifle" in the 2013 edition of the Gun Digest.)
O'Connor was a talented writer and story teller. If he hadn't been a big game hunter, I have no doubt he would have been a successful journalist, novelist, or sports writer... probably all three.

5280 shooter II

O'ConnOr!.....O'ConnOr!......"O'ConnOr! Ok......I've got now.....ready for the quiz CK! :tooth: