Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ross Seyfried

I always enjoyed the discussions around the campfire and thought it was about time to contribute in a way. And thank you all for the kind welcome wording.

Well, I'd better get my 2 cents worth in about Ross Seyfried.
A few of you have met Ross, most have not.

I not only knew Ross but I shot with him in I.P.S.C. completion. A lot!

This was in the '77 to '79 period when I.P.S.C. was in its beginnings here in Colorado.

We hosted to first national I.P.S.C. national match at the old Table Mt. Gun Club in Golden CO.

I was just looking though old match flyers and happened upon the match results from Boulder CO where Ross was in the list of new shooters. It was in July of 1977.

I was in my early 30's and Ross is 10 years my junior. He was my junior only in age; he was way ahead of me when it came to having class.

I'd like to publicly state right here, and I hope Ross happens upon this, that when comparing our two personalities, Ross was the leader and I must apologize to him for the way I acted to him on one occasion. I think he�ll know what I mean. Come to think of it he has probably forgotten all about it. I wish I could.

Anyhow, to get to the point about what kind of guy Ross Seyfried is, I must tell you about what happened at the banquet for the 1979 I.P.S.C. national championship match in Park City, Utah.
Ross had placed #2 behind Mickey Fowler and had won the man on man shoot-off. (By the way, by winning the shoot-off, Ross won the FIRST Bianchi Cup ever presented.)

Mickey Fowler had asked Ross to come and sit at the �Champions Table� where the other champs were sitting.

Ross respectfully declined and instead elected to sit with his teammates, the rest of the 10 man Colorado team. (I was part of that team and came in #80 in the field.)

The picture of Ross coming over the barricade, pistol in hand while staged that time for safety, was the way Ross usually came over that barricade. That was a 7 foot barricade and you had to start with your pistol holstered, that�s just how Ross did it, he was a real athlete. He hopped that thing like most guys hop the picket fence in the back yard.

Yes, Ross can be opinionated; he has the right to be. He has studied his craft done his homework and is, for my thin and dusty dime, the best writer since Elmer Keith. He worked for it.

Ross Seyfried and Jeff Cooper wrote for a certain magazine at the same time. Ross quit the magazine and then Jeff passed away, and I canceled my subscription, there was no one writing any more that I could believe in. There still isn't. Neither of those men could be bought.

I too miss Ross's writings.

Welcome to the fire, Bavarian. Like you and Btagart miss Ross Seyfried. I waited for my Handloader and Rifle copy to read his articles first when he wrotes in. A knowledgeable gentleman writer. I remind and article he made about a big bear hunt in Alaska he wrote for Successful Hunter (Wolfe) was one of the very best hunting story i read. Lost that copy, taken by a friend and never returned...

BTagart,

I read your comments with interest. You have confirmed, at least in my mind, what kind of man Ross really is. I continue to hold him and his writings in high regard.

I remember him as my favorite writer for Wolfe Publications. I don't know why stopped. I wish Rosswould write more again...

The Wolfe Publications with Say-Fried, Johnny B and Pistol Pierce together got me back into reading outdoor journals more so than since the days of Page and O'Connor. Having all 3 on the same staff made a subscription no-brainer material. Don't recall if Phil Shoemaker was on the staff at that time but he definitely fits in that range of talent.

shootem,

+3

I also agree with Shootem. I would add Finn Aagard as another great writer for Wolfe who really know what he was talking about. The Wolfe writer lineup at that time was definitely outstanding.

another +1

Ron Phillips, Ikey Starks, Don Fisher (the best pistolsmith in the US BTW), airline pilot named Grumbles?, big red headed computer guy whose name escapes me right now---am I close? I've forgotten others. There was a pretty good shooter from the west slope that often was a shoot-off qualifier also.
BTW, Bill Wilson once said that if he didn't build his own guns, he'd use a Fisher gun.

Are you still shooting in Colorado??

I went and found some old slides from 1988 when Ross was working on �Miss America�.

Here is the view from Ross's bench to the 1 mile target.

This was a 30-416 Rigby Improved way before anyone else was messing with this kind of stuff.

The rifle was an original Ultra Light Arms and was actually the prototype for the big ULA action. The thing weighed 17 Lbs and balance was not the strong suit.

Scope was the Leupold Ultra 16X, the forerunner to the Mark IV series.




Funny how Leupolds dialed properly 22 years ago and still do today.

Cool. I remember that writeup on that rifle. He opined that the missing link in that system was a laser rangefinder, and if and when they became practical it would change the way good riflemen hunt. I guess the rest is history. Looks like Ross was out in front of the pack in most everything he did. I think they call that vision.

Yep, I remember that rifle and the article too! Hard to believe that it was so many years ago.

I have little interest in handguns, but Ross could interest me in them (or anything else!) anyway! I recall his quest to get a proper revolver to shoot true MOA.

Thanks for posting the neat old pictures, John. I promise I won't Photoshop any of these.

John

I wouldn't want Ross Seyfried shooting at me with that rifle. In fact, I wouldn't want Ross Seyfried shooting at me with any firearm.

Expat

Another thing I remembered from that article, Ross figured his comeups from some ballistic program. He didn't trust the calculations and only came up part of the way. First round short in the dirt. Dial the rest of the original dope, next round on the board. Them Leupy's would track even way back then. Delta used the exact same scope on their "airfield" 300 Win Mags back in those days. Their snipers had no complaints as I recall.

I remember that article. Ross and that rifle could command a very sizable chunk of real estate.

You are spot on and the program was from Dr. Ken Oehler of the chronograph fame and he has a post earlier in this thread.

I also remember when Ross first showed me that rifle and I saw it was a Leupold on top I said something stupid about Leupold not being the best choice. Ross kinda looked at me for a moment and then said �This Leupold will change your opinion�.

He was, once again, right.

Ahhh. I remember that "Miss America" rifle article very well..

Besides Lazer range finders, another things has changed in the last 23 years is the consistency of factory bullets.

It would be very interesting to see groups sizes shot with that same rifle with some of today's bullets.

A friend of mine here in Salt Lake shot IPSC with Ross back in the day. He told me Ross had actually cracked a 1911 frame with his grip.

I really miss his article in Rifle. He could be abrasive, but his articles were always interesting and full of real world experience.

Ross has certainly aged well, as he's not near on ugly now as he was then...