Remember when Outdoor Writers “knew more than everyone else” ?

Jack O'Connor was a huge influence on my hunting career. Whether he would be considered a "salesman" or not it did not matter to me. I looked forward to his well-written articles in the monthly publications and studied the information in his books. I was a teenager in the mid 70s with no computers to go to for quick information, our knowledge was earned by submerging ourselves in whatever we loved and although there were others Jack was my favorite teacher.

my take on Ruark - in defence of Ruark, in all the reading I've done of his volumes, never once did I see him as a "how to" or "salesman" type of writer. Never ever got the feeling that he was trying to sell himself as an experienced or exceptional hunter - infact in the "Horn of the Hunter", just the opposite, a green starting out hunter, who had pretty much zero experience with big game and rifles used for it, and he admitted it.

He was always quick to give credit to the skills of the PH - especially Selby and the others he hunted with.

The guy was simply weaving a tale, telling the story, using his own moments, experiences and situations, simply sharing his adventure. And he did it with a writing style that was classy and interesting

To me - pretty hard to catagorize a guy like that, with the technical, how to writers

Altitude sickness said:

Who is on your list of an outdoor writer as a true expert and who is a salesperson.

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Roy Weatherby Sr. was both, and I love and respect his ballistic knowledge and testing he did back in the day. Of course, he wants to sell his own product and I thank him for it.

Speaking of ballistics, Tim Sundles (Buffalo Bore) is great in this aspect and so are his products. For me at least.

Jeff Cooper, Elmer Keith, Craig Boddington - 100% experts! Met COL Boddington once, great guy.

Capstick, great writer for sure. Elgin Gates the same, but many dislike him.

Peter Byrne, what a life. Same with Jim Corbett, but even he made mistakes when it came to firearms.

And Jack O'Conner, loved and respected by many.

COL Robert Scott was great when it came to writing, and I'm sure his firearms knowledge/-experience was excellent.

Herb Klein, great writer and a nice sense of humor.

And there are so many more.

Many outdoor writers had a great gift when it came to living a great adventurous life and having the ability to convert this onto paper in a very interesting and engaging way. They had more access to hardware and the ability to put it through real world testing, which makes for a great combination.

The one thing that holds it all together is integrity, and I just think that old-school writers had more of it. I could be wrong...

From a different perspective I have never read or followed outdoors, firearms, or hunting writers for their technical knowledge.

I like to read the guys who can really write. Who inspire me with tales of places that make me want to get off my ass and go somewhere. I can read a ammo box and technical info as well as the next guy, but I want them to be able to make me smell the grass, hear the growl and feel the sweat rolling down their neck as they close the staulk.

So I really don't care if they get all the technical stuff correct, I want them to be able to write about hunting the way I dream about it and make me feel the rush of being there, or the sentiment and emotion of a hunt. I want them to remind me of what hunting looks like through a young man's eyes or make me feel I have walked on ground I have never seen or may never see. Twist rate be damned.

Flbt said:

I really wish Ross Seyfried would rerelease a book of his magazine articles especially the handgun ones and the ones for rifle magazine.
That man is a life saver

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Stamp Collector said:

Ross Seyfried has been my favorite gun writer since first finding his articles in G&A in the 1980’s. Very few writers know guns and hunting the way he does or wrote as well as he did.

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Agree, though for me his genius is his incredible knowledge of classic rifles and how to feed them. We worked up loads for my William Evans Paradox that creates a "rifle" more accurate at 100 yards than 90+ percent of any doubles in production today to include those emerging from London. Just his articles published in Double Gun Journal over the years would be a treasure trove of information and very good writing. Far far more so than any other writer I have read on the subject.

KEC said:

Jack O'Connor was a huge influence on my hunting career. Whether he would be considered a "salesman" or not it did not matter to me. I looked forward to his well-written articles in the monthly publications and studied the information in his books. I was a teenager in the mid 70s with no computers to go to for quick information, our knowledge was earned by submerging ourselves in whatever we loved and although there were others Jack was my favorite teacher.

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O'Connor was my hero growing up in a region then almost devoid of big game (Southwest Louisiana). Undoubtedly as an unintended tribute to him, my first "deer" rifle was a No. 1 in .270. At present count, I think I own four .270's to include the recently rejuvenated No. 1. As a result, I had little interest in Elmer Keith. Moreover, Jack was a university trained writer, Keith had the literary skills of a 12 year old.

Currently, I like Weyland, though he was dead wrong about the Blaser S2 more's the pity. I find Boddington an insufferable read whether in article or book length. If he uses the word "indeed" one more time .............

I think it's just our maturity now as outdoorsmen and riflemen. I relish the era of waiting for the monthly delivery of Outdoor life and Field and Stream. Sitting around with my buddies is rural ohio in the 70's and discussing the articles or "Taps Tips". Personally over time my knowledge matured and the information became repetitive. I think it was more geared to the novice or casual outdoorsmen, and for that crowd, still good information.

For more of the romantic prose I always liked E. Donnall Thomas jr

Patrick McManus had them all beat.

I also appreciate Terry Weiland’s knowledge and writing style. I own both of his books on Dangerous Game Rifles and like how he thinks about these tools. He also writes two articles in each issue of African Hunting Gazette that are often the first things I read when I get a new issue. Plus, he’s a curmudgeon of the first order. I see him at the curmudgeon board meetings.

Red Leg said:

Agree, though for me his genius is his incredible knowledge of classic rifles and how to feed them. We worked up loads for my William Evans Paradox that creates a "rifle" more accurate at 100 yards than 90+ percent of any doubles in production today to include those emerging from London. Just his articles published in Double Gun Journal over the years would be a treasure trove of information and very good writing. Far far more so than any other writer I have read on the subject.

O'Connor was my hero growing up in a region then almost devoid of big game (Southwest Louisiana). Undoubtedly as an unintended tribute to him, my first "deer" rifle was a No. 1 in .270. At present count, I think I own four .270's to include the recently rejuvenated No. 1. As a result, I had little interest in Elmer Keith. Moreover, Jack was a university trained writer, Keith had the literary skills of a 12 year old.

Currently, I like Weyland, though he was dead wrong about the Blaser S2 more's the pity. I find Boddington an insufferable read whether in article or book length. If he uses the word "indeed" one more time .............

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I like the articles and especially some of the stuff he did with old dg rifles .
But he gave me something to look forward to reading after I had a shattered ankle and broke leg from work then broke the other one trying to go to the doc. That was a long year in cast.

Erling Søvik said:

Yes definatelly Svein Solli up here in Scandinavia.

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I was so lucky to meet him before he passed . He was on the last hunt arranged by anteater mentor I had at the Forrest School.

It was beaver hunting in Flisa River area . And as he was in his wheelchair then . He sat by the road side on a turn of the road and he had support on his knees .

130 meter shot in neck area on the big beaver which we helped to skin for him . And bullet exploration also .



Rifle he used that day which we got to see was his Krag in 6,5 with 4x Zeiss in clawmount .

Ammo used was 85 HP Rekrutt Sierra . Exellent small game round .


Later I came across a .404 Jeffery Mauser which I picked up that instant .

Sadly had it for many years but due to rifle being very worn by then after several owners and the gun law rules to buy a new one had to sell away several it was gone .

Altitude sickness said:

Because the average Nimrod back then had one pump shotgun and one deer rifle. And no experience to question the “expert” writers.

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I wasn’t sure what to make of this comment when I first read your post. I hold hunters of the previous generation in a different regard.

I think the average hunter then had a tremendous amount of practical experience, and were likely quite proficient with the one rifle and one shotgun they had.

Hunting in general was more accessible then than now; more wild land and fewer people, easier draw hunts, and access was sometimes with a handshake and promise to leave it better than you found it, rather than a complex lease contract. It was in many ways, easier to do.

My Dad and father-in-law were children of the depression and basically grew up subsistence hunters. They spent their time in the field, and not on the internet. They had no use for about 90% of what’s in a Cabela’s today - camouflage clothing, scent blocking, scopes with turret dials; the same stuff current gun writers peddle today.

While Africa has certainly become more obtainable for many, I actually doubt that hunters today have more experience. I think there is a lot of stuff regurgitated on the internet, and we see that here, but it pales in comparison to field experience.

My comment wasn’t to disparage that era or its hunters. My inept point was that they didn’t have the internet or sources we now do to refute a writers BS.

I actually hold that generation in very high regard. I make and use all wood bows. And wear a lot of the type of clothes when suitable.

Writing for a living is really, really hard. Sort of like being an artist hard. So, kudos to them for that. I’d like a little more transparency about who is paying the bills. Obviously many of the “new products” articles are little more than thinly veiled advertisements. When was the last time you saw something negative about a new product in print?

Writing well enough to be compelling is tough. I’m probably OK at technical writing because my job requires it. I’ve tried my hand at writing hunting stories a time or two and when I go back and read them, it’s usually a bit on the dull side.

Funny, too, how gun writers can’t seem to shoot. Either they’re getting really horrible problem rifles, don’t know how to mount a scope, always use garbage ammo, or something. The groups they report in practice sessions are usually pretty sorry.

Some of the modern writers seem to run into trouble with ethics and the law from time to time. This is especially true when an expensive film crew is along for the hunt. Lots of pressure = rule bending.

Altitude sickness said:

My comment wasn’t to disparage that era or its hunters. My inept point was that they didn’t have the internet or sources we now do to refute a writers BS.

I actually hold that generation in very high regard. I make and use all wood bows. And wear a lot of the type of clothes when suitable.

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I misunderstood your point. I don’t recall that generation caring enough about what the gun writers wrote to even refute them (I seemed to be more their target audience as a kid). As my friend’s dad said - “most fishing lures are made to catch fishermen, not fish”.

mark-hunter said:

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Of old hands, I can mention:
Jef Cooper, imortialized 4 rules of gun safety, started IPSC

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Jeff Cooper also authored "Principles of Personal Defense" -- a "must read" in my opinion. And with only 60 pages, one can read it in one sitting.

I see Craig Bodddington, mentioned again.
He is special case,
Same text of him, I cannot read twice.
Fact.
I tried, beleive me.

Ruark I can read repeatedly.
Not to mention Hemingway.

Boddington, is once to read and move on, to next

But:
If someone has ZERO knowledge and experience of Africa, and wants to know about Africa and where to go to first safari, or where and how to collect FULL spiral slam, or is interested in elephant hunting, and wants to get most updated information about calibers, or safari, or dangerous game, or different countries in modern Africa, then he will learn NOTHING from Ruark, Hemigway, nor Capstick, or others still active in writing from which he will get minor FRAGMENTED information without getting full African picture.

But the same inexperienced hunter will get true updated information from Boddington of modern Africa.
Countries, and game, and what to hunt and where - Boddington.
His writing is dry, unimpressive, boring sometimes, but absolute wealth of true USABLE information.

For experienced hunter, of 10 plus safaris in Africa, he is boring.
For newbie he is a treasure of information,

Before my first safari, his book "Safari experience" gave me the first, full picture of modern Africa. Before that book, all information I could find were scattered and fragmented, with full picture missing.
For me without experience then, Tanzania was same as South Africa.
Ethiopia was same as Namibia.
And Zimbabwe same as Zambia.
I had no clue where to for first safari,

Reading that book, it gave me direction where to look for first safari.
Then I could focus my research to South Africa and Namibia, for my first safari (PG), with help of this forum, and other literature.

Industry shills for the most part. Print the truth, lose your perks. However, much smarter than I am, get paid to do what most of us pay to do. Haha.

I started shoring at age 11. I was already subscribed to Outdoor Life for the fishing articles, but soon became addicted to Jack O’Connor’s Shooting column and hunting articles. Soon followed by Elmer Keith,, Ross Seyfried, Warren Page, John Wooters, Bob Hagel, Finn Aagard, Bob Milek and others. At the time I didn’t see them as trying to sell me something, but as time went on, writters morphed into salesmen.

Altitude sickness said:

Looking back at the heyday of “Outdoor writers” of books and magazine articles.

The 1950s, 60s and 1970s were the peak of the writer as the respected subject matter expert in firearms, ammo, ballistics and hunting.

Now looking back they were average hunters at best and most BS’d there way through articles and books.

Because the average Nimrod back then had one pump shotgun and one deer rifle. And no experience to question the “expert” writers.

Now we see examples within this very forum of expertise that would put many of those famous writer’s expertise to the shame.

There are however a few real experts still around.
Wayne VanZwoll is a pretty knowledgeable rifle and hunting writer.

Ruark was average at both. But not many knew any difference in his time to call BS.

We all have opinions on Capstick.

Who is on your list of an outdoor writer as a true expert and who is a salesperson.

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My favorite was Ruark but for a different reason. After hunting Africa for many years I found he did the best job of describing myself in terms of his first hunt with fear and nervisnous, then bit by bit his confidence grew until sometimes Africa would humble him. I just so identify with that and appreciated his never thinking he was some hunting expert. I still find that attitude refreshing!!!