I like watching this every once in a while. How lucky for Ian of Forgotten Weapons to get to shoot Keith’s carry gun. This guy has the funnest job on Earth.

Shooting Elmer Keith's Carry Pistol - YouTube

Wonder if it was the same revolver Elmer used to kill all those bulls in the local slaughterhouse that he wrote about?

Those rounds fired have some serious recoil.

They do, but I’d guess he’s playing it up a little bit, too. I never could shoot a Model 29 with magna pattern stocks. More something is needed to hang on to.

Anyone know what price the gun sold for at auction?

Yeah, a real "EXPERT" that doesn't shoot double action= POSER!!!

I knew Elmer slightly and he told me he had short fingers, the reason he preferred Magnas.

I think I read on here recently that Elmer had remarked that a 200gn bullet fired at 1000fps would take anything in the Lower 48.

Was wondering the same thing myself...

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Centennial Every Day

That looked about as pleasant as a trip to the dentist with no pain killers.

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I only take a knee for God

Same here, I love the look of the N-frame target stocks, but they are a real handful for me.

Those is how my 29-2 rolls . . .



If the ivories faithfully replicate the shape of the factory magnas of that time period, where they fit the web of the hand, they shouldn't be too bad. The stocks above are fat and round and really aren't much if any smaller than targets at that point.

On the other hand, I have a brand new set of beautiful rosewood magna-style Altmont stocks that have been used once. One range session and they were tossed to the side. Very thin, very slippery, might have just as well shot with the bare grip frame. They had me bleeding after a couple of cylinders of Hornady 240gr XTP.

PS: I'm just an innocent kid of 62, but when I grow up, I want to be just like Elmer.

.

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Where do we go from here?

The entire Elmer Keith collection realized $1.9 million at auction.

The revolver in the video hammered at $20,125.

Did anyone read the comment from Elmer's grandson below the video? Very sad.

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S&WCA 1729

I can't find it. Can you quote it here, or give me some direction to it, please?

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I can't shoot a 44 Magnum regardless of what stocks it has. The pain is unbearable. Wish there was a video of Elmer shooting it to see how he handled it.

He wrote somewhere I read that he had short fingers and thuse preferred the Magnas,

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No life story has happy end.

Even a Model 28 with magnas jumps around a lot in my hands and is pretty unpleasant to shoot. I had the Culinas make me a couple sets of Coke pattern smooth targets for my Highway Patrolman and my 29-3. MUCH better handling and easier on me when shooting. I am a small guy with big hands, 5'9" and 165lb with large+ glove size. N frame "Cokes" are perfect.

I saw somewhere in the comments that it sold for just over $20,000

Thank you Wyatt for another GREAT post.

Rhoney
4 years ago
I am grateful I had the chance to see Elmer Keith's firearms many many times while they were on display at the Cabela's here in Boise. I do consider it supremely unfortunate they were are no longer on display as a complete collection open to the public


Gregor 44 Keith
10 months ago
Thank you for the kind words about my grandfather's gun collection display in Boise .The sad truth is most of the Keith gun collection was sold for 2 million dollars and led to a divorce after 58 years of marriage. I am fighting to get what's left of the my dads guns and family pictures as we begin probate estate court. My mother and three sisters have never used guns and do not hunt so this broke my dad's heart.I promised him my son and I would continue shooting and hold onto whats left of the guns and property. Let me know if you ever see a Keith gun so I can buy it back.

Scroll down to JRhoneys post , then look at replies.It was posted 4 yrs ago.

Thanks, guys. I see it now.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Thread Drift-
Quite a few years ago, I bought Ed McGivern's Registered Magnum. I couldn't afford to keep it. When the time came to ship it out, I thought: "I really should shoot this gun." I was at my barn, and the only 357 ammo I had was some heavy reloads behind the 158 gr Keith SWC bullet. They were hot loads. "BUT, what if?" crossed my mind, but I quickly decided you only live once.
So, I have fired Ed's Reg Mag.


Sorry for the lousy pics. It has been awhile, and I've gotten better at them.

It shipped as a 5", but Ed had the barrel cut to 3-1/2" and put a McGivern bead on it.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I'm a bit recoil averse. But I do have a similar gun. Shoot 180 grain at 1500+fps and it's mighty unpleasant. Factory WWB 240 gr @ about 1150fps is manageable, even fun for maybe 30 rds.

About the disposition of EK's guns; after anyone dies like buzzards that seem to appear out of nowhere, folks lay claim to anything around the carcass who is in no shape to care. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Agreed.
A cautionary tale to be sure. Make sure your will/trust spells out exactly how stuff should be disposed of. Wife's not a shooter either so the guns go to the kids (who are) directly.

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

I also like "Mae" from C&Rsenal site, who really seems to love recoil. She was grinning the whole time shooting a WWII German anti-tank rifle till she ran out of ammo (4 or 5 rounds).

IIRC, she was featured here with a vid of her shooting a wall cannon from the shoulder. Impressive!

Rob

A Model 29 Elmer Keith Commemorative is on my bucket list. Anyone know if they are C&R eligible?

I recently won a deluxe edition Keith Commemorative at a Rock Island auction and it was listed as a Curio & Relic.



Good luck in your quest.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

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NRA Benefactor Member

Saw that first hand when my best friend passed away and I found him in his bed. The police made me give the key for his trailer to his brother, which I understand. However, by the time his two daughters got into town to take care of the estate all of the firearms had "disappeared", including the M1 Garand I gave him as a birthday gift that his brother had lusted after. I told the girls they should report them as stolen, and tell their uncle that.

That was a cool video, but a bit blasphemous that the load wasn't a 240 grain Keith cast bullet (with square grease grooves) loaded with 22 grains of 2400.

I'm glad to see a few folks here honest enough to admit that shooting that would be painful and unpleasant. To me a 44 Magnum like that is like a boat - happiest days in your life are the day that you bought it and the day that you find someone to sell it to.

As cool as it might be to have an Elmer Keith handgun I'd pass on that puppy if it was free.

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Come and take it!!

Recoil:
My first .44 Magnum came from "Keith's Sporting Goods" in Chicago, Illinois (1964). I had began my LEO career and wanted "The Most Powerful Revolver". I had the local Hardware Store order ammo for it. The ammo turned out to be 240 grain JHP in 20 round boxes. The recoil was such as the diamond pattern in the oversized grips left the impression in my hand after firing one round. I found out later that this ammo was for rifles.

A 4" 29 can be a handful but not that unmanageable with the right grips. For me that would be somewhere between magna style and the oversized targets that came standard on these. And checkering is not your friend on these hard buckers.