Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ken Waters passing

You're right about that being a near impossible task.

The beauty of the Fire, we have multiple contributors working on a vast array of projects.

A lot of Fire info is high quality and well done, some not as disciplined and documneted as work by JB, Ken or other professional gun writers. But, it's info nonetheless. We can sort it out, interact, ask questions, ultimately check it out for ourselves.

DF

Thank you Mr. Waters for the knowledge and joy over many years. Go with God.....

RIP Ken

Sorry to hear about our losing another giant in the field. His data were always reliable and his work unfailingly gave an excellent place to start load development. His pressure reports were one of the most valuable contributions to his data.

Ken's writings taught me how to be a reloader and how to approach things in a systematic way. He will be missed!

Pet Loads is one of those references you run to, when you just bought a old codger of a rifle that current data doesn't service well, like .30/30 or .38/40.

His stuff was always useful in some way, though a bit dated now, it sure helped with some guidance when data was scarce or non-existent.

I'll sure miss that, Waters seemed like a heckuva nice guy in his writings.

I've about worn out my copy of Pet Loads, but I gained a lot by his research.

RIP Mr. Waters.

Rest in Peace Mr. Waters...

Died 6 months short of his 100th birthday....

as was said, certainly lived a full and accomplished life...

What a life! If you've ever read the whole volume of Pet Loads, you have to wonder how he ever had time to do anything else. That guy must have never sat down in his whole life, he was that busy.

He was very productive, for sure.

But, he did a lot of other stuff, as well.

A full life, well lived.

DF

Another good one gone! Dang. Love his Pet Loads book. I borrowed my brothers book years ago and keep forgetting to give it back. I bet Mr Waters will be working with the Lord's Thunder n Lightening crew.

I started with the pet loads i think as far back as the 70's.
i still read it regularly just to read the articles.
times have changed, but i still use a lot of the loads he recommended.
go with God Ken, you had influence on a whole lot of people.

My well used volumes of Pet Loads are my favorite reloading references having earned that distinction over many years. In my shooting related correspondence there are 2-3 type written responses from Ken regarding some questions that I asked regarding some reloading or cartridge issue. He was a great man by all accounts and I am pleased to have known him through his writings. RIP, Ken.

Aside from his "Pet Loads" work, one thing that gave me a kick was his description of his home test range. He actually did what I threatened to do many times (and sometimes still do, when the scotch has my undivided attention), and that was he dug a 100 yard long trench out from his basement, laid concrete drain pipe in it, and backfilled- voila, a 100 yard underground indoor test range. I'm betting his wife was a very understanding/long suffering woman!

R.I.P.

RIP Mr. Waters, loved his pet loads

Another one of the good guys gone. RIP

geo

RIP, Mr. Waters.

Like many of the early writers on handloading Ken Waters influence was far reaching.
J.R. Mattern, J. Bushnell Smith, Harvey Donaldson, Earl Naramore and several other writers shared their passion for rifles and handloading in the budding business of gun writing. Ken Howell once commented on how little Waters received for his writing. Mule Deer pointed out these writers kept the young gun magazines from going broke.
Ken Waters column Precision Reloading in the early Shooting Times has a similar look and feel to the later Pet Loads articles. Some of the pictures for both the Shooting times and Handloader articles had to have been taken at the same time. Dave Wolfe driving the bus for both magazines.
Here is a Meet the Gunwriters from the December 1962 issue of Shooting times.

a real loss

very sorry

Remarkable man it seems, as with all good men we hope to remember a man we all respected and enjoyed and his passions for guns as we do! Rest In Peace Ken Waters!

A true pioneer. His 7x30 is still one of my favorites. He will be missed ! R.I.P.