Elmer Keith

[LAH]

My favorite Keith sixgun. Which is yours?

 

[Knotwild]

Read his book "Hell I Was There". Great book, the last he wrote. Reveals his life and recovering from serious burns as a child.

 

[LAH]

It's a great read.

 

[Murray Brook]

He sure liked the heavy hitters. I read that he once said that a 300 Win Mag loaded with a 250 gr Barnes made a good deer load.

 

[LAH]

He was pretty much big bore.

 

[Cryhavoc]

Here's mine....Model 29 Elmer Keith Commemorative....rescued it from a pawn shop years ago. Unfortunately it's been fired by the previous owner, but what the heck...still a keeper.

 

[JSH]

I think Elmer would be proud you fired it. I believe he would be highly disappointed and wonder why you didn’t shoot it.
Buddy and I were just talking about what his #5 brought a while back, $250,000+. I think Elmer would say they were crazy.

 

[FNSafari]

He sure liked the heavy hitters. I read that he once said that a 300 Win Mag loaded with a 250 gr Barnes made a good deer load.

I knew a fellow that hunted whitetail deer with a .375 H&H exclusively. He said he never had to look for a deer he hit with it.

 

[Chappy]

I hunt elk with a man who's grandfather was AL Weber and a gunsmith out of Lodi, CA. He has in his safe the 50 BMG that he built and Elmer shot visiting him down CA. There's a picture in the book and little exerp about it. Pretty neat deal.

 

[jackieschmidt]

I grew up reading just about anything Elmer Keith wrote. I met him at a Gun Show when I first got out of the Army in ‘69. Surprisingly, the first thing that I noticed was how short he was. But only because I was expecting a large man considering his prowess in developing powerful cartridges.

Through the years, various readers of magazines had varied opinions of some of his claims. The 600 yard Elk shot with his 44 magnum was probably the most controversial. He kind of added fuel to the fire by stating that he practiced at around 600 yards shooting at an old out house.

As I was a pretty good handgun shooter in my earlier years, I tried it myself with my 8 3/8 barrel model 29, shooting his pet load of a full case of 2400 and his 240 grin semi wad utter.

We were not shooting at an outhouse but a piece of plywood about the same size. It took about 20 shots but finally hit it, aiming at the top of a tree that the plywood was leaning against.

I suppose this is my favorite Factory Revolver. It is a 4” Model 29 S serial number made in 1969.
I picked it up out of and estate sale several years back and it showed no evidence of ever been fired.

But since, I have fired it quite often

I paid way too much, but It is not often you come across a 50+ year old piece that was in new condition.

 

[6.5 forever]

Are many of us left who read his stuff while he was still alive?

 

[farmerjohn]

Are many of us left who read his stuff while he was still alive?

Getting to be fewer of us pretty quick, John

 

[6.5 forever]

Getting to be fewer of us pretty quick, John

And Jack O'Conner....

 

[Cryhavoc]

And Jack O'Conner....

And Skeeter Skelton,......met him at a NRA convention...man was he TALL!

 

[K22]

I have his book, "Six Guns". He was one of a kind - a pioneer in pistol hunting and got me interested in it.

Jeff Copper and Bob Milek also influence me relative to hunting with a pistol. In the 70's and 80's I hunted extensively with a pistol, mostly ground hogs and foxes. I used an S&W Model 27, 357 Magnum, open sights. Also shot a few with the Model 17, 22 rimfire but soon learn that shot placement had to be perfect to anchor a hog.

There was just something uniquely satisfying roaming the hilly hay field of western PA with the Model 27 holstered on the hip. I became quite proficient at stalking and in those days with good eyesight and a steadier hand was quite successful. However, I was limited to under 50 yards.

I traded it in the 90's for an S&W 586, one of the most regrettable firearms trade I ever made. Not that that 586 is a poor pistol, quite the contrary. It's just that I had a bunch of memorable hunts with the 27 and wished I had kept it.

Actually, for pure recreational target shooting, the 568 did better for me probably due to the weighted rib under the barrel which tamed the recoil and provided a steadier hold. But the 27 carried easier in the field and of course - hold a lot of nostalgia for me.

 

[farmerjohn]

And don't forget Bill Jordan, I was fortunate enough to have known Bill personally and he was heck of a guy, John

 

[Downeast]

I've got a few books from O'Conner and Keith. The prices now are unreal! I've always been a big gun guy when it comes to hunting. I read this one as a kid and it stuck with me. Another classic.

 

[JSH]

I was stuck on 44 magnum for a long time. Bought a 41 magnum, found out I had missed out on a dandy for a long time.

 

[jcm800]

I was stuck on 44 magnum for a long time. Bought a 41 magnum, found out I had missed out on a dandy for a long time.

Same here....owned a bunch of 29's / SBH's, I'd never sell my 27/57.
When one shows up at the LGS it's usually a matter of hours.....

Kind a ironic that Keith's ideal .41 lite LE round would mimic the 40 S&W.

Elmer Keith: 3 Magnum Handgun Cartridges You've Got To Know

Elmer Keith was the key in the development of many cartridges, but his handgun magnums reshaped the firearms world. Find out what they were.

gundigest.com

 

[wboggs]

My favorite Keith sixgun. Which is yours?

I went over to his house with Bob Hagel when Elmer lived in Idaho. He had a big cigar and a glass of whiskey and enjoyed talking with us.