Elmer Keith Question.

[cshold]

Just out of curiosity,
How many of you guys ever met or knew him personally

[Charles]

I met him at the NRA convention many years ago. Bill Jordon introduced us and the three of us plus a couple of others hoisted a few in the hotel bar.

[marlinman93]

I met Elmer Keith once many years ago. Not long enough to get a feel for the man, or say I knew him. Also met Bill Jordan at the NRA show in Seattle many years ago. We talked for quite some time, and I came away liking him even more than I already did!

[Hobie]

Only two letters worth of personal contact.

[crs]

I met Elmer at a book signing on May 24, 1977, here in Dallas years ago and he signed his book "Sixguns" for me.

[JimT]

I communicated by letter with him 1978 to 1980. He answered all my letters, no matter how silly my questions may have seemed. He was very gracious. I bought my copy of SIXGUNS directly from him in 1979. It does not leave my house.

[airedaleman]

I met Keith several times at the first SHOT Show held in St Louis back in 1979. I was working for H&R at the time, and got the impression each time I ran into him that he was an expert in locating the various exhibitors' hospitality suites...

[Andrew]

I've never met him, actually it looks like he checked out a month after I was born, but I bet he'd probably be a cool guy to have on any forum if he was around now.

[Comal Forge]

I corresponded with him by mail from about 1975 until 1980. As others have said, he was never pretentious and always patient with my questions. I always had a fondness for side hammer Sharps rifles and he was the right man to converse with on that subject. Unfortunately, I never met him in person but I did meet Skeeter Skelton and Col Charles Askins; both were simply handshakes and common courtesies - I didn't spend quality time with either.

[Leverluver]

I may have told this story before on the old forum but what the heck. Over thirty years (and sixty pounds) ago, I was in Hamilton MT at the Erv Malnarich guide school. Now Evr, that was a character. I only knew him a little more than a month and I could write a book on some of the stunts he pulled. They don't make them like that anymore. Anyway, we were doing the rilfle shooting part of the course at a ranch in Victor and Elmer came up for the event, as he always did for Erv. He brought a Ruger #1 in 375 H&H with him for us rookies to try out. Now Erv and Elmer were doing there best to kill off a whole bottle of Old Crow, (I think) in pretty short order. Both had a pretty good reputation for having well preserved innards and they were doing a pretty good job of pickling them on that day. We were all tested with the rifles that we brought as well as for pistol craft (everyone shooting 44 mags) and after that was over we all had a turn with Elmer's 375. Elmer was setting (he was way past standing) at the same bench where everyone was shooting from. It came my turn and I fired away and nailed the elk target that was down range. When the guy on the spotting scope called the shot, as any young pup would do, I turned to Elmer (remember two feet away) for a good word on my fantastic acccuracy, or at last a nod of approval. When I turned to look at him, his stogie was half hanging out of his mouth, his head was leaned into his hand, and he was sound asleep, or passed out, I never did know. Whatever the case, you have to be pretty far gone to not have a 375 H&H wake you up from two feet away, especially with no ear plugs.

After the shoot, we all headed back to Hamilton and Elmer stopped at the ranch as well to peddle some of his books, etc. before heading back to Salmon. I did buy one named Safari. I do wish I had bought a 44 Auto Mag that he was trying to get rid of. He only wanted $400 for it and with his name engraved on it, it would be worth some good bucks today. He thought it was no good.

Those were good years with lots of good memories and Elmer was definitely one of them. Like I said, they don't make them like that anymore.

[Bullard4075]

We passed letters back and forth a few times in the mid 70's. What I remember fondly
(as others have mentioned) is how he would answer questions -even silly ones- with such patience
and kindness. It seems also that he would write (type) just what he was thinking , miss-spelled words and all.
At the time I was having some trouble with a heavy barrelled 7 mm mag Ruger #1 that I had rechambered to 338.
The rifle (with I still have) was giving me some trouble and he talked me through a solution.
A truely great man.

[Nath]

I use to read his contributions to early guns&ammo magazines from the sixties, my kinder guy.
not related to the original question I know but,,,,

Nath.

[marlinman93]

Leverluver,
Elmer slept through the shooting for two reasons; his hearing was pretty bad from many years of shooting without protection, and much Old Crow!

[AkRay]

I know a guy who knew Elmer. That's almost close enough. My friend told me that Keith worked with him one day and got him to the point where he could shoot aerial targets with his single action revolver. He said he hasn't been able to shoot aerial targets since that time though. I guess the coach made a difference that day.

[reo]

Sorry to leave the topic a bit, but their is a woman in town who grew up in Salmon around Elmer Keith. She referred to him as the little guy with the big hat and gun. She tells a story of the local barber always wanting to trim EK's eyebrows but he always refused. One day he came in and passed out in the chair. The barber saw his chance and took it. From the way she tells it the barber was lucky to be alive and Elmer couldn't see his sights until his eyebrows grew out.

[blackhawk44]

For me, close but no cigar, having missed an opportunity to meet him just before he was gone. Carried my dogeared copy of Sixguns to the NRA meeting in San Antonio in the '80s. Never could find Elmer in the exhibit hall, so asked Charles Allen about him. He told me Elmer had come down with the flu (version unknown) and had hardly left his room. When he saw my disappointment, Charles offered to autograph my Sixguns in Elmer's absence. Thought about it a minute then finally agreed thus giving me possibly the only copy of Sixguns ever signed by "Skeeter" Skelton.

[brucew44guns]

I read "Hell, I was there" quite a few years ago, came away feeling like I had gained a good friend. No question in my mind that he was the type of guy who you could have enjoyed being with on a very long hunt in the back country.

[Lastmohecken]

I never met Elmer Keith, but I wish I had gotten the chance, many years ago. I remember reading some of his stuff in magazines since I was a very young kid. I also read a lot of Jack O'conor's stuff from the time I was able to read. Frankly, I was in Jack's camp as a young whippersnapper, and a very big fan of the .270 win for many years. And this was after I had already owned and hunted with a 45/70 Marlin which was my second rifle, which I purchased on my first real job in town, when I was still in highschool. At anyrate I soon graduated to a .270 after a couple to three years of using the 45/70, 30-06 and a few old military rifles, and used that .270 for many years.

I would sometimes read some of Elmers stuff during those years and at first I would sorta get agrivated with him and dimiss lots of his ideas on guns and shooting. I mean there just couldn't be anything better then a .270 win for anything in the lower 48 bar none, as far I was concerned. But I was still always experimenting and buying and trying other guns, and getting into long range pistol shooting, too.

Then I got some of Elmer's books and started reading a lot of his work, and I was also experiementing with bigger guns, and I was slowly starting to understand where Elmer was comming from. And I eventually became a very big fan of his. I can finally say that at this point most everything I have read of Elmer and actually tried myself has rang pretty darned close to just what he said it was. I believe he made that 600 yd shot on that mule deer, with the 44 mag, and I also believe a 338 or a 375 HH makes a pretty good elk rifle, but I also know I could still take that elk with Jack's beloved .270 as long as I shot straight, and made a good shot. But give me an opportunity to make one of Elmer's famous raking shots, or go home empty handed, then I just hope I am carrying one of Elmer's choices, instead of that .270.