Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Hell, I Was There! by Elmer Keith, on eBay

Only $62 bucks w/free shipping. That's about half what you usually see 'em for.

They had 2 copies, but I bought one.

Hell, I Was There!

Cool book, just reread about half of it a few weeks ago. Regardless of your opinion of Elmer it’s an interesting look back to a time that is past and isn’t coming back.

I have two copies, one I bought at a gun show years ago for $15 and the signed copy I bought a couple years ago at an estate sale, for the princely sum of $1!

Now there's a couple of great buys, Kid!

I need to replace my EK books I lost in a house fire 40 years a go

Excellent book!

I enjoy Elmer Keith's books.

I’ve got “Hell, I was there” and both volumes of Gun Notes.
Need to get serious someday and buy a copy of “Sixguns”.

Gun Notes was worth it just for the letters in the back between the African PH (can’t recall his name at the moment), Elmer, and JOC.
Jack, fwiw, was a funny sob!

I bought that book around 30 years ago. Mine was autographed by Elmer himself. Paid $80 for it at the time.

Bought my copy at the Ohio Gun Collector’s show in 1985ish.

Ron

If you want to shoot handguns, especially revolvers, well, you should read the writings of the legendary revolver shooters and developers. Be suprised what you can learn just in little tid bits of information.

I bet a lot of very valuable books get sold for $1. at estate sales. No one can be bothered to look up what books are actually going for on the used market. I could pile a high stack of my books that I paid regular retail for when I bought them, but are now going on eBay for hundreds of dollars. If I don't sell them though, they will one day be had for $1.00 or even be thrown out.

The more I hunt and shoot animals with a handgun the more I find out that Elmer’s recipe was right on the money. A middle weight bullet with a decent sized flat nose, driven 1000-1200fps, is a very effective combo.
I feel like his rifle recommendations have been displaced to some degree with the development of good bullets. But his handgun advice is still spot on after all these years.

I bought mine a bit longer ago than that……but unlike you, I don’t have Elmer’s autograph! Really wish I did….my shooting hero of my younger days! memtb

Agreed. A 4-7.5” barrel and a gun you can hold and control just by wrapping your hands around it, put certain limitations on ballistic capabilities that can’t benefit from trick bullets.

Great book re read it few times a lot of good information.

Sixguns may still be available. I ordered a new copy a few years ago, as my original copy from 1977 was falling apart.

Even in this day in time, some/much of Keith's handgun writings still hold mud. I've been OK using them for 40 years.

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Some tough folks back then. It’s a good read. I think I got my copy shortly after it was published.

I bought my copy in 1980's for 98 cents through the Outdoor Life book club. I've literally read it over a hundred times, and it never gets old. I had to buy a newer copy, though, as my pages started falling out.

You guys are making me think I need to get a copy.