Do you have a favorite or worst gun writer?

T

Terry A

New member
I'm curious to hear your opinions on guns writers, past and present. Who are your favorite gun writers? Anybody you don't like reading?
Thanks everybody.
 
Who was that old Fudd who went on the record saying that no one needed assault weapons or AR15's? Yeah, I vote for him as my "worst gun writer".

Edit: meant "Who" not "Why".
 
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I dont read bad writers dont have the time. The old proffesional African white hunter Ross Seifried was an excellent writer with ACTUAL experences. John Barness is also very knowledgable man. Clint Smith and Massad ??? are excellent self defense writers.
 
Skeeter Skelton was my favorite. When he Bill Jordan would trade insults back and forth it was the best.

Great men.
 
Gun Writer...

All-Time-Favorite, Mine, far-and-away, was Finn Aagard. He had BTDT creds of all sorts, in addition to being forthright, and also being something of a curmudgeon.

I must confess to not having read the "greats" of the past.
 
John Taffin, Brian Pearce, Ross Seyfried, Mike Cumpston, Sam Fadala, Dave Scovill are all good ones. Taffin being my favorite. Gone but not forgotten, I always liked reading Bob Milek, Hal Swiggett, Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton.

Don't care for Wiley Clapp, Charles Petty, Craig Boddington, Dick Metcalf, Phil Spangenberger, or Jan Libourel.
 
+1 for the late, great Bob Milek! Jim Zumbo is another great hunter-writer. I used to enjoy Larry Weishun--until he became T/C's Poster-boy Ho.:barf:

-7-
 
Finn Aagard, Charles Askins, Massad Ayoob, Craig Boddington, Jim Carmichel, Lucian Cary, E. C. Crossman, Bill Jordan, Elmer Keith, Jan Libourel, Jack O'Connor, Warren Page, Alexander Rose, Skeeter Skelton, Mike Venturino, Townsend Whelen, Jim Wilson....

Not to take anything away from Sam Fadala or John Taffin, it's just that I've read less of their work.

Theodore Roosevelt is worth reading also.

A dog ate my copy of Crossman's Book of the Springfield, and I gave away Whelen's Days of the Krag and Days of the Springfield. I met Co.l Whelen once when I was 14, and he let me shoot a Winchester Lo-Wall in .22 K-Hornet. Looked up to him from that day forward. I've also been a single shot .22 centerfire fan ever since.
 
Mike Venturino, Clint Smith, Jeff and Greg Quinn, Chuck Askins, Skeeter and a few others. Really a big fan of Venturino, I try to read most of his articles especially when it has to do with making us big guys look good in what we do.:D
 
Don't care for Wiley Clapp, Charles Petty, Craig Boddington, Dick Metcalf, Phil Spangenberger, or Jan Libourel.
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You read my mind, CraigC!

As for favorites. Clint Smith and Massad Ayoob are always thought-provoking (even if I don't always agree with them), John Connor is always amusing (if you can even call him a "Gun-Writer" proper), and I treat anything I come across written by Larry Vickers as gold. There are several others I like that I know I'm forgetting.
 
He's not a gun writer, but Dean Koontz doesn't seem to know how revolvers work. I just read his story "Phantoms" and aparrently revolvers eject spent casings after they are fired, and a .357mag can take down the biggest/meanest grizzly bear with one shot.:rolleyes:
 
Where's the love for Sweeney? :D

Definitely my favorite gun writer - Patrick Sweeney

I like Massad and Clint as well.
 
He's not a "gun rag writer", but when he brings firearms into his articles, it's always a hoot! I'm talking about Dr Mike Adams, Professor of Criminology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
 
Jeff Cooper. Loved his articles and his Q&A section in Guns & Ammo magazine.
Skeeter Skelton. Great articles on guns in Shooting Times magazine. The stories about his childhood are great. His "Me and Joe" stories and Dobe Grant.
Bill Jordan and Elmer Keith. All good writers. :)
 
Favorites:

Jeff Cooper
Elmer Keith
Skeeter
Jan Libourel
Duane Thomas
Dave Arnold
Leroy Thompson
Jerry Usher
Mas Ayoob

not so much:

Chuck Taylor
Evan Marshall
Ed Sanow

[may i have my money back for those "Stopping Power" books?]
 
Always was a Charlie Askins fan. He had a very matter of fact straightforward quality, no beating around the bush. And he had the achievements to back it up.
George C. Nonte-he had a breadth of knowledge that few have equalled.
Skeeter Skelton-liked his style.
 
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