Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters O'Connor's The Hunting Rifle book, and another good read

I was fortunate and was able to visit both JOC and EK in their homes.

Mr Keith was not very well schooled but his wife was a schoolteacher. He dictated and she revised most of his writings.

On the issue of conflict between the two, I had the distinct impression that they got along much better in person than they did in print. They each had a “lane” and their failure to agree actually benefited both. Rivalries create that dynamic. The endless Yankees v Red Sox rivalry benefits both.

RinB, I think you're right to a degree. The letters in the back of Gunnotes I and II, which I dug out after Mule Deer mentioned them, show that. I do think they enjoyed taking literary pot shots at each other, and vehemently disagreed on rifles for larger game. In a letter to Keith in Gunnotes I dated 1969, O'Connor wrote after reading "Safari," "you like bigger guns than I do, but that's neither here nor there. What I was thinking of is why in the hell don't you start writing your autobiography? You're a good story teller and you have had a hell of an interesting life--a kind of life that will never be seen again." Keith replied others had suggested the same thing, then noted he would be at the "NRA clambake" coming up. I think as they grew older they mellowed a bit towards each other.

I always enjoyed O’Connor’s writing. His writing was a little before my time but I have most of his books now. Elmer used to bug me for some of the reasons folks already mentioned, but I now overlook that and just enjoy the story telling side of his writing. Simply outstanding

Craig Boddington has written a few times that the feud side of things was more on Elmer’s side. Apparently, Elmer really didn’t like Jack, but Jack seemed to like to poke the bear but did not really have ill will.

I still remember when I bought one of the editions of Gun Notes at a second hand book store. It had a picture of Elmer on the cover drawing a six gun I think. The girl at the counter was like … “that guy takes himself too seriously”. I kind of feel the same thing came through more in Elmer’s writing than O’Connor’s regardless of how the men were in person

Lou

Interesting enough is that I found a copy, first edition, of O’Conners the rifle book at a local bookshop. The tag on it was $10 and I snapped it up. Now, my neighbor is a longtime Jack fan and I had another copy so I gave him the. $10 book. My gosh, you have thought I was giving him a bar to f gold. We swap books, reloading information and stories. MTG

Thanks MD for starting this thread, aside from OL when I was a kid I’ve never read JOC. About a year ago an older family friend gave my college age son several boxes of hunting/gun books that ended up being stored away. I just dug them out and sure enough “The Hunting Rifle” happened to be one of them. Started it last night, looking forward to working my way through the rest of the box.

We’ve fortunate to enjoy a few really good writers.

Elmer Keith didn’t ring the bell for me. He seemed like a grouchy old know-it-all.

Just ordered "KAMBAKU" by Harry Manners on Ebay.

He was a marketing genius...

If Lorraine "revised" (and maybe typed?) most of his writings, then she was a poor typist, and possibly poor proofreader.

Have noted before that I know several editors who worked with Elmer's copy. More than one made the comment that his manuscripts were rough--and the word "shot" (which of course appeared frequently) often used an "i" instead of the "o," which is of course a typing mistake, since they're next to each other on the standard keyboard. Perhaps she edited his dictation, and Elmer typed the manuscript.

Have letters from both Keith and O'Connor on the wall of my office. Wrote them both in the late 1970s--Keith to ask about handloads for the .338-06, and O'Connor to tell him what an influence he'd had on my writing "career" (which at that point consisted of two article sales, one on flyfishing for trout in the Wyoming winter to Sports Illustrated, and one to Gray's Sporting Journal about an elk hunt).

Both wrote back immediately. Responded to O'Connor's letter, but he passed away before it reached him.

That you never received a reply makes me sad! My claim to fame, as it were, is I'm friends with the two cowboys who drove deer past Jack O'Connor in the story about his last hunt for whitetail. He had a shot opportunity as I remember but chose not to take it. I forget the author. I've talked to them about it and they remember the hunt, but had no idea of who he was, other than he was a nice old man.

It was Jack Atcheson.

Thank you, Pathfinder. I believe he leased the hunting rights on the Gentry ranch where Mr. O'Connor made that hunt. I am pretty sure I was hunting on my folk's ranch 40 miles away that day.

Here is an interesting letter. I bought a copy of Horse and Buggy West and this was inside of it. Have no idea how it got there, but it was there.

That's pretty cool! I wonder if you have Ben East's copy of H&BW

Jon Sundra’s book ,Hell, I’m Still Here, has some interesting commentary on both men.

Thought about that, but there was nothing in the book that would indicate that. I got it off Amazon, and no telling where it came from.

Everyone knows that Jack and Elmer couldn't stand each other and wouldn't even think of hunting with each other let alone stand side by side. I've posted this picture before to prove it.

Just a FYI, Elmer actually did two autobiographies. I heard that he wasn't happy with the first (Elmer) so did Hell. Both a good read.

That first one is hard to find

Edited, I take that back. A few used copies online are available.

So, I have Hell I Was There, would Keith: An Autobiography be enough different to want to buy a copy? Interested in opinions from those who have read both.