Do you have a favorite or worst gun writer?

Robert Rouark, dear God, that man could absolutely paint a picture with words.

I read Horn of the Hunter in my early teens, it remains my favorite book thirty years hence.
 
Toss up between Bill Jordan and Charlie Askins.

I re-read "No Second Place Winner" and "Unrepentant Sinner" at least a couple of times a year.

I told a friend at work that my greatest daydream is Bill Jordan asking me to "ride the river" with him

And am currently rereading "Pale Horse Coming" by Stephen Hunter right now.
If only....;)

Colonel Cooper, Pax, and Mas are all great writers themselves, and I believe that one day my kids will talk of them like we talk of Keith, O'Connor, and Skelton.

Also, Pax's book is one of the two reasons my sister took a bigger interest in shooting. So, that's a big plus.

Least favorite...Peter Kokalis sometimes rubs me the wrong way, especially when he talks about how the weight of a 7.62mm rifle relegates in only to the armchair commandoes.

David Petzal has also somewhat lost me based on some of his more recent writings.
 
Skeeter Skelton, Warren Page, Jack O'Connor, Gene Hill, Corey Ford, Peter Capstick, Robert Ruark.

I never cared much for Elmer Keith, but I've got a couple of his books.

Mike Venturino. I guess he's still around. I don't read gun stuff much anymore.
 
Best: Keith, Whelen, Askins, Cooper, Jordan, Shelton

Least: Ayoob

Metcalf like Ariana Huffington, is not a gun writer.
 
I always enjoyed reading

Col. Cooper
Finn Aaggard
Elmer Keith
Bob Milek
Ross Seyfried
Mike Venturino
Edward A. Matunas (reloading column in American Rifleman years ago)

Of those, my absolute favorites are Seyfried and Keith.

As far as least favorite, I can do without most anybody writing in G&A, Rifle, Handloader or most other mags today.

Seems like the "art" of gun writing is just about dead anymore.

Papershotshells
 
Hatcher has to be #1 on the list, then Skeeter Skelton, Brian Enos, Mike Seeklander, Patrick Kelley and Stephen Hunter. All for different reasons, but all have some of what I think is essential reading for the all-around gun enthusist.

There are many who need not be mentioned...
 
John Taffin has always been my favorite. Extremely knowledgeable, down to earth, and a revolver guy per excellence.

He's 74 now. When he retires from Guns Magazine,I may retire my subscription. :)
 
Terry Murbach. I am lucky enough to trade emails with him. He cracks me up.
Jan Libourel
Finn Aagaard
John Wooters
J Wayne Fears
Gil Sengal
John Barsness
Ross Seyfried

The ones I listed are the ones I learned so much from when I was first getting into guns in the early 80s.

I really don't buy gun mags anymore. I do all my reading on the gun forums. The only magazine I buy when it comes out is The Backwoodsman.
 
Skeeter Skelton was my favorite. When he Bill Jordan would trade insults back and forth it was the best.

Great men.
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Agreed, these guys knew what they were talking about and had class as well as style. I'd add Jeff Cooper, Charlie Askins, Elmer Keith, and Taffin to the mix. There are precious few who write these days that can compare.
 
I was in the car repair waiting room and picked up an old Field and Stream. In a Q and A, someone wrote in that they were 12 years old and wanted to become a gun writer. The reply was that you shouldn't be a gun writer until you are past 30 as before that you don't know nothing. :D

I don't have to worry about that.
 
I am not old enough to have widely read magazine columns by the classics, but from their books, I like Charles Askins, Bill Jordan, and Jim Cirillo.

Massad Ayoob always has good articles, and John Connor is a thoughtful and insightful writer in general.

I am not a Craig Boddington fan, but that has less to do with his writing and more to do with the fact that the majority of his writing concerns aspects of the shooting and hunting community that has no appeal to me.

To be honest I subscribe to Guns and Ammo but am not really impressed with any of their writers. I see a lot of questionable stuff from American Handgunner as well, although I think they're the best current gun rag. I usually see at least one eyebrow-raiser per issue.
 
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