Is he still with us? I knew he had not been writing and have not heard anything about him for some time...

Hopefully Dr. Howell will provide an update but as of April 2009 Mr. Waters was still alive.

I can find no obituary for the man.

Can you even imagine how many round that man loaded and fired in his long career?!?

Reports of his death are greatly exagerated.

I haven't talked with Ken in a long time, but his 'phone number is still listed in the white pages for his home town in Connecticut. I'll be eighty in January 2011, and Ken is somewhat older than I am. His beloved Lois died several years ago. Sweet, lovable lady!

Ken's probably a recluse nowadays. He never liked for his readers to "waste his time" on the telephone and seldom called his friends. He could be awfully crotchety, even with his friends.

Ken: I always admired KW's writing and knowledge. I've wondered whether he was a full time experimenter and gun writer or did he have a day job also - few get rich as a full time gun writer.

He's a former merchant seaman. When he wrote gun stuff, he was the city engineer (civil) for his home city in Connecticut � long since retired, of course.

He's an ardent fan of steam power and has filled several albums with photographs of all the world's steam-powered ships.

He has also written a historical novel, Sea Officer.

He earned good (but not super-good) salaries on his official jobs but got pitifully little from his writing. Never ever rich or even close to it, of course.

"Pitifully little from his writing" would pretty much describe gun writing in general, with a few exceptions!

Well there ya go!... Any fan of steam power (rather maritime or railroad) has to be a good guy in my book (!) even if "He could be awfully crotchety", as you said.

I ALWAYS enjoyed his articles. His Pet Loads book is one I refer to frequently and, heck, I just enjoy reading it.


Ken and/or JB,

If you should happen to speak with or correspond with Ken, please give him our best. I think most of us at the Campfire really enjoyed his writing.

Most sincerely,
-Bob F.

They may have not made much $$$ but the the three Kens have given us, the shooting world, a "wealth" of shooting knowledge.

We could never pay them back or enough.

Ken Oehler
Ken Waters
Ken Howell

Don't be a curmudgeon, Ken.

Check in and talk with us from time to time.

Sounds like a kindred spirit.

Gotta get a copy of Pet Loads.

I'm flattered to be included with either of those two � doubly flattered (and then some) to be included with both of 'em.

+1

Both speaking and hearing are awfully hard for me.
The long-distance 'phone service here is worse than poor anyway.
Ken doesn't want me to give anybody either his address or his 'phone number.
He doesn't have a computer, either.

So let's do this �

Mail him a letter
(Ken Waters � c/o Ken Howell � Box 28 � Quemado, NM 87829),
marked "Please forward,"
and I'll forward it to Ken.

He'll be glad to hear from you and may answer.

I hope Ken is working on the next two books for his Sea Officer trilogy. The first one is good.
Ken Waters was in the Army�s mine planter service and was in the Merchant Marine. I wish Ken had written about his experiences with the mine planters as their equipment was primitive. The mine planters had some distinctive uniforms though. The work could be dangerous.
Ken�s first magazine article is supposed to have been published in 1936, I have never run across it. The first of his writing, which really interested me was in the 1958 Gun Digest when he suggested the cartridge which eventually became the 7-30 Waters.
I think it�s a good idea to write him, he entertained me for most of my life.

Re the 7-30 Waters �

At an NRA convention in Seattle, Dick Pelton (the CEO of USRAC at the time) asked me whether I'd designed any rimmed cartridges that'd be suitable for the Big Bore 94.

I hadn't � then.

So I urged him to take a long, hard look at Ken's excellent and proven wildcat 7mm-.30-30.

Dick was smart enough to run with that notion.

He got Federal (IIRC) to agree to make the ammo, and the result is ammo history.

Too bad that an excellent lever-gun cartridge isn't selling as well as it should be.

Several Gunwriters have been ahead of their time but Ken seems to have been at the leading edge of many ideas. Ken stumped for more power in the lever-action rifles with several wildcats. Ken has a knack for reviving a good idea, the .35 Maine Guide typifies this thinking.
Through my childhood Ken was stumping for the �Super .32� for handguns or his 6.5mm wildcat (263 Express) for bolt guns. Ken just seemed to be there first with a wide range of ideas.
When I began to understand about cartridges, bullets and reloading, my father would sit with me on the floor with part of his cartridge collection spread out in front of us and a copy of Shooting Times or the Gun Digest open to an article. I held the cartridge in my hand while we discussed Ken�s latest Pet Loads article or his review of new cartridges.
The Early Shooting Times was a good magazine with Waters, Nonte, Ackerman and Burnside on the staff.

The 7-30 has found a home in West Texas, there are quite a few rifles and handguns in use. The 7-30 seems to be just right for our light frame deer, hogs and called varmints.

Well ... perhaps it'd please him to know the 263Express (6.5/08Imp) achieved some popularity in South Australia for a form of ring shooting. May have also been commercially produced by Riverbrand or Super for said competition.

I've certainly enjoyed his writings, its rare to find as thorough a cartridge review as what Ken Waters presented.
Cheers...
Con

We exchanged letters 10 years or so ago when I was building my 416 Express. He offered advice and reloading info not in the "Pet Loads" book. He was a pleasure - and a wealth of information - to speak too.

I wrote to Ken in the late '70's when he would respond to interesting inquiries, I still have the letters that he sent me. Ken included them in his last book, something that made it extra special for me.

Ken:
"Never ever rich or even close to it, of course." We all learned a lot from Ken Waters and I thank him for sharing his knowledge. He has certainly earned my deepest respect.

I hafta correct myself � he didn't get pitifully little from his writings � he got criminally little.

For a short time, I was able to raise his rate from criminal to merely insulting. Shoulda been more � a lot more.

The knowledge I received (and, I assume others also) was invaluable. Give Ken my thanks and regards.

I myself got a lot out of his book on Ken Waters Pet Loads lots an lots of knowledge here all I can say is thank you Mr Waters