Jack O'Connor Opinion

Skip Sackett · Apr 13, 2009

For those of us that didn't know, and I include myself in this group, Jack O'Connor used to be the Shooting Editor, of Outdoor Life.

Lately I ran across some of his writings and want to ask what you know about the man.

At the time of the publications I am reading, I wasn't into reloading/hand-loading. Some of you very well may have been. I would like to hear your opinions of the man and his writings.

We all know Elmer and Skeeter, Major Nonte and Dean Grennell.

What about Jack?

Skip Sackett · Apr 13, 2009

For those of us that didn't know, and I include myself in this group, Jack O'Connor used to be the Shooting Editor, of Outdoor Life.

Lately I ran across some of his writings and want to ask what you know about the man.

At the time of the publications I am reading, I wasn't into reloading/hand-loading. Some of you very well may have been. I would like to hear your opinions of the man and his writings.

We all know Elmer and Skeeter, Major Nonte and Dean Grennell.

What about Jack?

butchd · Apr 13, 2009

He was an advocate of a 7x57 Mauser. The stores were full of 8 mm Mausers in wooden barrels with the butt stocks sticking out. 50 bucks, I think. No 7 mm to be found. He brought about the universality of the 270 as Elmer did the .44, and Warren Page did the .243. They and Ted Trueblood, Robert Ruark, and Corey Ford gave me the first tastes of classy writing and the longest lasting opinions of ethical hunting and proper equipment.

Kirmdog · Apr 13, 2009

I read almost ever article and book that Jack wrote. Seems that he was pretty honest in his assessment of what cartrigdes could do based on my 40+ years of hunting experiance. I even went and had a 03 Springfield rebarreled to 7X57 back in the late 60's because of his writings and a lack of commercially avalible 7X57's . I just wish that I would have used another action other that that pristine -03. I had 2 -03's and back then (60's) they were cheap. Now a pristine 03 is worth lots more.

I have to admit too that Jack got me into sheep hunting with his articles but I did it with a 30-06 and not a .270 Win. IMO he had an easy reading style of writing that I enjoyed although I have to admit that a lot of people didn't care for his style.

Kirmdog

pownal55 · Apr 13, 2009

he pretty much made the 270 winchester famous, as mentioned above.

canoe on the yukon · Apr 13, 2009

I'm evidently older than you.I read a great deal of Jack O'Conner's writing.

In my opinion,he was one of the more knowledgeable of the gunwriters in that day.He is known for his admiration of the 270 Winchester but yet he was far more diverse than that.He wrote a great deal about using the 416 Rigby,for instance.He was an educated man and his rifle and handload advice was in a very straight forward way with no B.S.

He was also a man with integrity.He and Keith had an ongoing feud which lasted for years.I mention his integrity because he challenged Keith on a lot of his statements when practically no one else would.Keith was a rock star of gunwriters and to buck him was not healthy for a gunwriter's career.

In spite of the fact that Keith is still placed on a pedestal to this day,those who knew him knew that relating the truth was sometimes optional with him.(that's the nicest way I can put it).I know a man who lives in Idaho who knew Keith personally and I'll spare you the adjectives he uses in describing Keith.However people need their heroes.

In my opinion,O'Conner was a big cut above average.I believe that he was honest in his reports and this is NOT something I can say of all the gunwriters,then or now.

Paul5388 · Apr 13, 2009

Jack O'Connor was born in Arizona in 1902, a land that he described as "the last frontier." He taught English at the University of Arizona, and became its first journalism professor. His first love was the outdoors and writing about hunting, firearms, and the natural history of big game animals. As the longtime firearms editor for OUTDOOR LIFE magazine, O'Connor hunted and collected trophies throughout the world, and introduced millions of readers to hunting and firearms. O'Connor moved to Lewiston, Idaho in 1948 and he lived there until his death in 1978.

http://www.jack-oconnor.org/about/aboutJack.htm

There are a lot of things that can be said for or against some people. Chunkum, RIP, talked with Elmer on several occasions and had nothing but praise for Elmer's information and conduct.

Jack has on occasion been accused of using a faulty scale for some of his infamous .270 loads. I personally doubt that, but you hear all kinds of things.

I believe the dispute between Elmer and Jack was brought about by their two different approaches to rifles. Jack was one of the forerunners in the "small, light and fast" way of thinking and Elmer was pretty much a proponent of "big or bigger". There's truth in both ways of thinking. A little dispute certainly has a way of increasing magazine sales.

K.38 · Apr 13, 2009

I always enjoyed his writing. He always struck me as someone who wrote the truth and not just what the ad men wanted.

I even have a book or two of his in my library.

canoe on the yukon · Apr 13, 2009

The feud had little or nothing to do with a difference of opinion about light and fast vs heavy and slow.It had to do with honesty.Keith was very flawed in that area,regardless of who regarded him as a heroe.

"STORIES" of Keith's are famous for being pure B.S. and O'Conner called him on it repeatedly,describing the story,the ficticious events and the out and out lies.To say that they simply didn't agree on rifle ballistics is sheer nonsense.O'Conner called Keith a liar on several occasions.

Skip Sackett · Apr 13, 2009

Stay on subject, please. We are discussing Jack not Elmer.

If you want, we can start another thread discussing the pro's and con's of each gun rag writer. In this thread though, stay on topic.

I have a reason to ask this, there is another thread coming in relation to this one.

Thanks.

canoe on the yukon · Apr 13, 2009

Smith Crazy,

I apologize for seeming to mis-direct the thread but in my opinion,it's difficult to talk about O'Conner without drawing attention to his frank statements about Keith.

I place a high value on honesty and don't really care who worships Keith.

I believe it's a tribute to O'Conner to point out his integrity and therefore his private and public friction with Keith is very relevant.To me,it says something about him as a man.

I haven't intended to be disrespectful to anyone here.

LAH · Apr 13, 2009

Mr. Keith told me Jack was a very good writer. In fact he related to this on two different occasions.

It's my understanding Jack didn't like to gut or skin. BTW this didn't come from Mr. Keith.

Kirmdog · Apr 13, 2009

One more thing, I have used a lot of the handloads for 7X57, 270 Win and 30-06 that Jack had talked about(working up to the top loads suggested by Jack). I didn't chrono them but got simular accuracy to what he talked about. I still use his top loads with a 130 gr bullet and 4831 in my .270 and never had a problem in my rifle. Some have said that this is over what should be used in a .270 but in my rifle I have had no signs of it being too hot. His 7X57 handloads with 160 gr bullets were right on also.

Kirmdog

Centenniel · Apr 13, 2009

Jack O'Connor was an excellent writer and an accomplished hunter. We see his caliber very infrequently in gun writing circles.

LAH · Apr 13, 2009

Originally posted by Centenniel:
Jack O'Connor was an excellent writer and an accomplished hunter. We see his caliber very infrequently in gun writing circles.

He made due with standard calibers, just like us.

Skip Sackett · Apr 13, 2009

Originally posted by canoe on the yukon:
Smith Crazy,

I apologize for seeming to mis-direct the thread but in my opinion,it's difficult to talk about O'Conner without drawing attention to his frank statements about Keith.

I place a high value on honesty and don't really care who worships Keith.

I believe it's a tribute to O'Conner to point out his integrity and therefore his private and public friction with Keith is very relevant.To me,it says something about him as a man.

I haven't intended to be disrespectful to anyone here.

Understood my friend. No apologies necessary. I too put a high value on honesty and integrity.

It would seem we all have our heroes, canoe. Nothing wrong with that if they are deserving of the honor. It sounds like Jack was.

idahostreams · Apr 13, 2009

I believe I have read almost every book that Jack O'connor ever wrote. Hw was not overley opinionated, loved beautefully classic stocked rifles and shotguns and had the hunting credentials to backup his firearms choices. He was not a handgun affianado but concentrated on rifles and shotguns. His biggest gripe was of a writer of note who had made one safari to Africa and then wrote several books related to African hunting and firearms. I always assumed he was referring to Robert Roarke. Also, he was a writer from my home state, as was Ted Trueblood, Elmer Kieth and Bob Hagel.

Julian

n4zov · Apr 13, 2009

In the 50's there were three outstanding shooting editors for the major outdoor magazines, Jack O'Conner at Outdoor Life, Pete Brown at Sports Afield, and Warren Page at Field and Stream. They were all excellent, but O'Conner was really great IMHO.

okie john · Apr 13, 2009

The real measure of a writer's work is how much of it still stands up over time. If you set aside some of the load data that has changed as powders have evolved, O'Connor is still dead-on.

So is Keith, for that matter.

Okie John

Wickahoney · Apr 13, 2009

Jack O'Connor lived up at Lewiston. I was a rifle HUNTER long before I was a LEO and got into handguns, Hence his writings were much more germain to me than manuy others.

The thing I enjoyed about O'Connor was he talked hunting and the guns used were just part of a whole. Yes, he liked the 270. He also was perfectly happy with the 7x57 and advocated it's use and it's what Elinore, his wife used.

I read hunting books. All this gun stuff is simply so I can shoot and hunt. Hence O'Connors stories of hunting Coues deer and sheep and were things I read because I figured I might actually some day do them, which I have.

He was still alive when I got out of the service and the several of the older ISP troopers stationed in Lewiston were shooting buddies. I got to go shoot a Rock Chuck or two a couple of times by tagging along and keeping my yap shut.

He's well worth reading. I think I have all of his books. I have to admitt never having read a single magazine article he ever wrote, or any of the rest of them until I was at least into my mid 20s. Gun/outdoor magazines aren't something your family spends money on if you live smack dab in the middle of the 4th largest county in the US.

RWT

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