Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Have you ever bought a gun because of a gunwriter?

Yes I bought an AR15 because of Jim Zumbo.

Mike

TFF

May be TFF to you, but it's also true.

Mike

Yup. It is.
1. 44 M-29 Elmer
2. 2 45 Colt Rugers Ross Seyfried
3. 257 BYOB That Barsness fellow
4. Every rifle I own above .338 cal. Elmer. Ross and John both swayed me to the 338 as well.
5. The 35 Whelen gets a thank you from Elmer AND our very own Ken Howell.
Hell, all the others I own too should be somebody's fault, but I needed those; at least that's what my wife thinks!

I had to give this one some serious thought.

I bought my first .44 Magnum because of Dirty Harry.

Unfortunately, I became a late admirer of Elmer. But I can probably blame my several .338's on him.

But yes, I bought a couple because of Dogzapper. The About three .338-06's, in fact. And a Darrel Holland custom in .260 Rem Ack Imp. Not only because of him.... But FROM him. Thanks, buddy!

And I think I can lay the blame on Mule Deer for wanting a M-99 in .300 Sav.

But I really blame his other brother Darrell (muledeer) for my interest in the 9x57 and the 8x56.

Grasshopper

Yes- I purchased a Kimber Classic Royal because it was owned by Ken Howell. It had an interesting history and Mr. Howell was kind enough to sign it under the grips. It is still unfired in my safe and will remain a prize in my collection.

I don't know if this counts, not a gun per se, but they have made me need a few calibers.

Carmichel made me need a CHeetah, Milik made me need a 25-06 and Simpson made me need a 7mmSTW. O'Connor (in a round about way) made me want a 30-06.

Now that Barsness fellow, is making me stay up nights thinking about the 9.3X62!

Yes. After growing up reading nearly everything written by Elmer Keith and Ross Seyfried, I bought a 4" S&W 29-2. I owe my 5" S&W 27-2 to Skeeter Skelton's "Good Friends, Good Guns, Good Whiskey" and "Hoglegs, Hipshots, and Jalapenos," and my 4" S&W 19-4 to Skeeter's writings along with Bill Jordan's "No Second Place Winner." I got a custom .270 as a result of reading Jack O'Connor's "Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns" about 100 times while a teenager. However, these purchases were all influenced by the writers' collective works over decades, if not careers.

Have I ever bought a gun on the strength of one article by a gunwriter? Yes--John Barsness has that type of influence, I imagine for a lot of us. Based on a mere 3,000 or so words in Handloader or Rifle, I have bought a Kimber .22 rifle (with a compact Burris 3x9 and a brick of Winchester Power Points), a Remington 700 VLS .223 (which I shoot with 50-grain Nosler B-tips and 26.0 TAC, the only load I've ever shot through it in 5+ years), and a Ruger 77 in .257 Roberts (Leupold scope, 100 grain Hornadys, 46.0 H4350, after floating the barrel, of course). He is three for three, in that they all peform magnificently. There have been at least a dozen other times where I've read an article of his and immediately said "Yeah, I've got to get one of those," but I just haven't made the plunge yet. I live in Ohio and have no rational need for a .375 Ruger, but it's a safe bet I'll get one. I also have a couple of old Mauser actions on hand that will someday be a custom 7x57 and .30-06, simply on the strength of one of his articles several years ago. It's odd how with those other guys, one gun seemed tribute enough for their lifetime's work. But with JB, I seem to have been afflicted with riflelooneyitis. Maybe we ought to screen his articles for subliminal messages?

Thanks JB. In the name of consumer protection you really ought to come with a warning label!

Not a gun but I used a Lyman #358156 mold for my various .357's for years due to Skeeter Skelton. Got the HP version as well because of his writing.

I have bought a few...

Jack O'Connor did not hook me on the .270, but I did buy a pre-64 M70 FW in .270 because of him. Mule Deer and O'Connor influenced me to try the .257 Bob. Mule Deer singing the praises of the 9.3x62 also helped me decide to not pass up a good deal on 9.3x62 CZ550. A slew of writers influenced me to try the .280, but G. Sitton probably had the most effect.

Lou

Yup,

I wanted a 7x57 because of Jack O'Connor and I bought a 7x57 because of a story I read in Perersons hunting called "The Magnificent Sevens" by my favorite writer, the late Bob Milek!! This was in the late 80's. I bought a remington classic for $300 OTD, man those were the days.

wes

Yes, the first high power rifle I ever bought (actually my wife bought it for me). In early 1978 I was 22, newly married, and owned a new copy of Jack O'Connor's "The Rifle Book", 3rd Edition, published about 1978. I bought the book because I was wanting a "high power deer rifle" really bad and was confused by all the recommendations I was getting at gunstores and from friends. Jack described the perfect rifle as a Ruger M77, chambered for the .270 Winchester - in another place he described a great scope as the Weaver K3 scope - I went out and bought that exact rig! I still have it (and the book) it still shoots just fine - killed a whitetail last year. Due to aging eyes I put a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40 on it a few years back. Odessa

BINGO

Also the Lyman #421429 because of Elmer . Burned up a lot of 2400 and sent a lot of lead downrange because of those two guys.

Had one hell of a good time too.

OOOOOpps, almost forgot maybe the most important one.

Bought a 7X57 (Ruger) many years ago because of Finn Aagaard.

Damn that man

Can't go wrong with a Ruger 77.

Bought my:
280 Remington in a Ruger 77 All Weather as a result of several discussions with Kenny Jarrett.
45 Colt based on Linebaugh & Venturino's writings on the subject.

1911 45 ACP due to the reading of Brownings' book.

A5 due to the reading of Brownings' book. I think he qualifies as a gunwriter.

7mm Wby Mark V as a result of Roy Weatherby's writings and influenced by my uncles' ownership of a 1958 Mark V chambered in 257 Wby, first rifle I ever fired at the age of 12.

Ruger SBH Hunter in 45 Colt as a result of Dick Metcalf's writings in Shooting Times, after articles of his hunting with one in 41 Magnum.


I still feel as I did then that these were all intuitive logical decisions based on facts & certainly not impulse purchases. All of these guns, I still have and in some cases more than one. All of the impulse purchase I made, which were many, I have not one.

I suppose the first was the 7x57 Ruger 77 MK II I bought because of Finn Aagaard.

Aagaard, O'Connor and Barsness can all share the credit for my .375 H&H.

I bought a Savage 99 *from* JB, but that's nothing compared to the NULA I have on order.

I'm haveing a 257Wby built because Steelhead shot a Crown Royal box @ 700 on shot #6 from a NIB rifle.

That count?

Yup,

A 7x57 and 300H&H because of John Jobson.

Joe

A few...

My first real rifle when I was 19 years old, a Pre-64 M70 270 because of growing up on old JOC articles and books.

A 1990 M70 super grade in 300 Win because of Seyfried's article in G&A.

Several 7X57's due to JOC and Carmichel.

Several rifles due to Barsness.

Dogzapper is partly to blame for my having built custom 223AI and 280AI's.

I could go on...

If I recall, there was an article in Rifleshooter awhile back on top 22LR's by Claire Reese which lead me to buying a Cooper Custom Classic in 22LR. Only problem in now I ordered a 280 Model 52 in a Custom Classic as well after handling one.

Roy

I own plenty of small bores but I will not own a 270 just because Elmer didn't like em much.