Elmer Keith
- Thread starter jgh4445
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He was certainly a man of his times. There are a few forum members who had the opportunity to meet him, and from their accounts he pretty much told it as it was. He was a genuine pioneer, fer sure.....
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
Charlie askins was real modest too.
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shouldazagged
Absent Comrade
That's about as diplomatically as you could have put that.
But then he had a lot not to be bashful about.
Alpo
Member
Something I liked about Elmer was his casual mention of breaking a few laws, here and there.
Hell - Guiding a hunting party into Canada, tucked his pants into his boot tops and slid his SAA down his britches leg. Sixguns - Walking down the street in DC and see the cops chasing a car fulla bad guys, shooting at it with their puny 38s. "I had a heavy loaded 44 under my coat and could have easily stopped the fleeing car" (or words to that effect). Concealed weapon in DC kinda illegal.
Then in Sixguns he mentions shooting an eagle on the wing with his 44, then justifies it (because shooting a bird of prey is terrible). "A good eagle, that would not steal any more lambs".
I really liked the story of him and his little brother beating up the bully. If he's bigger than you, get a club. And the bully spreading the word, after he recovered. "Don't mess with them two boys from Missouri. They'll kill you."
Hell - Guiding a hunting party into Canada, tucked his pants into his boot tops and slid his SAA down his britches leg. Sixguns - Walking down the street in DC and see the cops chasing a car fulla bad guys, shooting at it with their puny 38s. "I had a heavy loaded 44 under my coat and could have easily stopped the fleeing car" (or words to that effect). Concealed weapon in DC kinda illegal.
Then in Sixguns he mentions shooting an eagle on the wing with his 44, then justifies it (because shooting a bird of prey is terrible). "A good eagle, that would not steal any more lambs".
I really liked the story of him and his little brother beating up the bully. If he's bigger than you, get a club.
And the bully spreading the word, after he recovered. "Don't mess with them two boys from Missouri. They'll kill you."feralmerril
Absent Comrade
My type guy. I heard or read he also was arrested for shooting a elk without a permit.
You can't judge Elmer Keith by the standards of another era. At the time, it may not have been so, but now, "through a glass, darkly," many years later, I have nothing but fond recollections of him and his writings. He led the field during the "golden age" of sixgunning. He was what he was!
gregintenn
Member
I have a pretty good B.S. meter, and something inside me believes every word the man ever wrote. It ain't braggin if you can do it!
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
Somewhere I seen a drawing he did of a windsheld with a hinged glass door in it you could open and shoot straight ahead at a fleeing car while driveing without haveing to hang out and shoot through a side window.
I would have hated haveing elmer turned loose on me with the go ahead to bring me in!
Years ago I had a old friend also named elmer (smith). Elmer was a odd batchlor that was awarded the silver star in world war two. He kept a cutout bullet hole from a army shirt in a frame on his wall. We used to to shoot, camp and ride motorcycles a lot together. He had I think 3 old BMWs and a old indian chief he still rode that he bought new when he got out of te army. Anyway elmer was a reserve deputy for los angeles county. Once they were chaseing a car theif that ditched the car and took off running. Elmer threw down on him and was going to shoot him but his partner stopped him. Later he was telling me his version of it and he just couldnt get over the PC of it!
Must be something to the name elmer!
I would have hated haveing elmer turned loose on me with the go ahead to bring me in!
Years ago I had a old friend also named elmer (smith). Elmer was a odd batchlor that was awarded the silver star in world war two. He kept a cutout bullet hole from a army shirt in a frame on his wall. We used to to shoot, camp and ride motorcycles a lot together. He had I think 3 old BMWs and a old indian chief he still rode that he bought new when he got out of te army. Anyway elmer was a reserve deputy for los angeles county. Once they were chaseing a car theif that ditched the car and took off running. Elmer threw down on him and was going to shoot him but his partner stopped him. Later he was telling me his version of it and he just couldnt get over the PC of it!
Must be something to the name elmer!
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he certainly wrote some great books....i just reread "sixguns" recently
Texas Star
US Veteran
"Sixguns" is flawed in that it is lmited almost exclusively to US guns. But it and, "The Handgun" by Geoffrey Boothroyd are the two basic gun books to own, especially if you are primarily into handguns.
I knew Keith slightly and he was a colorful character, but I believe all or most of what he wrote.
I saw him shoot at 200 yards one afternoon, in his late 70's. He hit the target.
I do have doubts about that 600 yards shot on the mule deer, but think Elmer really believed that his shot killed it.
The deer had been previously wounded by rifles and may have just collapsed as he shot.
I knew Keith slightly and he was a colorful character, but I believe all or most of what he wrote.
I saw him shoot at 200 yards one afternoon, in his late 70's. He hit the target.
I do have doubts about that 600 yards shot on the mule deer, but think Elmer really believed that his shot killed it.
The deer had been previously wounded by rifles and may have just collapsed as he shot.
Elmer was bigger than life, and God love him. He is missed.
Not just his shooting, hunting and guiding skills. I think some of the injuries, well not just the injuries but the cures, were incredulous. His face burned so badly it was welded to his shoulder. His having to "rip it away" from his shoulder so he could hold his head up and straight. His left hand being burned so badly you could see thru it. It was bent back and laid parallel along his forearm from the wrist back. Having his Dad break it so it would be straight. Breaking his shoulder, his ribs, his everything!!! Way. way more of a man than I.
I have never understood why anybody would doubt that Keith didn't make that 600 yd. shot with a pistol. As far as I know he has never been noted for lying. He was an exceptional shot and Billy Dixon killed an indian at over 1500 yds. with a big 50 Sharps. A 600 yd. shot with a .44 Mag. is no more unreal than 1500 yds. with a big 50 Sharps. When someone shoots all the time the law of average says that some of their shots are going to be fantastic. Just because farmer Brown can't do it or hasn't seen it doesn't mean it can't or hasn't been done. Larry
I am a big Keith fan.
I do not think any thing he wrote was a falsehood. Heck I have shot a 44 Mag to 600 yards...
However here is a true and funny story.
Many years ago, the wife and I were on our way to a black bear hunt in Montana. We went through Salmon Idaho just so I could go to the Museum there. This was the "City Museum", not the later Elmer Keith specific Museums, [I have been to them too].
They had a section dedicated to Elmer, and there was a "little old lady" in there. I asked her if she new Elmer.
She said that she did, and stated that "Yes I knew him, he wore a BIG hat and smoked a BIG cigar, and carried that BIG gun of his, while he strutted around going to the post office to get his mail...
I replied, "Well I guess you did not think much of him".
She gave the indication that, no she did not...
So I "politely" began to tell her of the history of Elmer Keith,and how much he had influenced hunters, hand gun shooters and law Enforcement Officers over the years. I had about a 30 minute conversation with her.
She actually seemed suprised at Elmer's real history...
I do not think any thing he wrote was a falsehood. Heck I have shot a 44 Mag to 600 yards...
However here is a true and funny story.
Many years ago, the wife and I were on our way to a black bear hunt in Montana. We went through Salmon Idaho just so I could go to the Museum there. This was the "City Museum", not the later Elmer Keith specific Museums, [I have been to them too].
They had a section dedicated to Elmer, and there was a "little old lady" in there. I asked her if she new Elmer.
She said that she did, and stated that "Yes I knew him, he wore a BIG hat and smoked a BIG cigar, and carried that BIG gun of his, while he strutted around going to the post office to get his mail...
I replied, "Well I guess you did not think much of him".
She gave the indication that, no she did not...
So I "politely" began to tell her of the history of Elmer Keith,and how much he had influenced hunters, hand gun shooters and law Enforcement Officers over the years. I had about a 30 minute conversation with her.
She actually seemed suprised at Elmer's real history...
model70hunter
Member
I do have doubts about that 600 yards shot on the mule deer, but think Elmer really believed that his shot killed it.
The deer had been previously wounded by rifles and may have just collapsed as he shot.[/QUOTE]
I seem to remember he said something to the effect it walked right by a white rock he had been using for 600 yard practice. But it's been a while since I read the book.
On the part about leave the Missouri boys alone, it was a learned reflex. When he left Missouri there is a chance his Dad, uncles and Grandparents remember the States Rights conflict. Missouri boys were known to saddle up and take care of business.
The same applied to the Game Warden story after Elmer burnt up pounds of lead and powder practicing to go call the feller out. Was the old boy doing is job? Did Elmer take umbrage to being told what, when and how much he could take. I knew some old time Missourians who lived pretty far back from roads and civilization. They did not believe game laws applied to them. Yep, knew them real well. Some of them claimed to be relatives. I did not nor would I hunt with them.
One General said go get me some more of those Missouri boys, they fight like Tigers. Little did he know. Heck if you weren't tuff here you had to forego family reunions....
The deer had been previously wounded by rifles and may have just collapsed as he shot.[/QUOTE]
I seem to remember he said something to the effect it walked right by a white rock he had been using for 600 yard practice. But it's been a while since I read the book.
On the part about leave the Missouri boys alone, it was a learned reflex. When he left Missouri there is a chance his Dad, uncles and Grandparents remember the States Rights conflict. Missouri boys were known to saddle up and take care of business.
The same applied to the Game Warden story after Elmer burnt up pounds of lead and powder practicing to go call the feller out. Was the old boy doing is job? Did Elmer take umbrage to being told what, when and how much he could take. I knew some old time Missourians who lived pretty far back from roads and civilization. They did not believe game laws applied to them. Yep, knew them real well. Some of them claimed to be relatives. I did not nor would I hunt with them.
One General said go get me some more of those Missouri boys, they fight like Tigers. Little did he know. Heck if you weren't tuff here you had to forego family reunions....
I have the greatest respect for him. He did know how to tell a story, one of my favorite gun writers.
