Memories of Elmer

[gwpercle]

Thanks for posting ...

I have been a Elmer Keith "student" my whole life ...

Enjoyed seeing the photo's ... Put a Smile on My Face !
Gary

 

[DARE]

A couple more autographed books. I like that "Safari" was signed by Lorraine and publisher T. R. Fowler as well as Elmer.
Did y'all know that Fowler financed Mr. Keith's African Safari?

 

[magnum0710]

Elmer is one of my heros! I'm likely one of the very few guys my age (33) that prefers and carries a revolver and has also read Sixguns. Most of the guys my age think you'll get killed if you go to dollar general with anything less than a 20+1 9mm and 2 spare mags. I've made quite a few guys like that jump out of their boots when I shoot 357s from a snubby on the range! Not that I'd rely on that effect alone but I'm pretty sure that loud boom would have a similar effect on one or more miscreants. I had one kid tell me he could feel it in his legs! �� �� �� I like to think Elmer was looking down laughing at that one.

 

[rockquarry]

Elmer is one of my heros! I'm likely one of the very few guys my age (33) that prefers and carries a revolver and has also read Sixguns. Most of the guys my age think you'll get killed if you go to dollar general with anything less than a 20+1 9mm and 2 spare mags. I've made quite a few guys like that jump out of their boots when I shoot 357s from a snubby on the range! Not that I'd rely on that effect alone but I'm pretty sure that loud boom would have a similar effect on one or more miscreants. I had one kid tell me he could feel it in his legs! �� �� �� I like to think Elmer was looking down laughing at that one.

You're right; many of today's shooters have little in the way of gun background and much of that was picked up on YouDupe.

 

[Echo154]

Just checked-
My Elmer autographed book is -
Hell I was There.

Great book! My father in law had a signed copy! I read it cover to cover a few times, great stories and insight into life during his times! My father in law passed and I found that he had loaned it out and it was never returned……..what a loss….of both treasured things!

 

[SS336]

A 1911 that was Elmer Keith's

I think pretty much everything I ever figured out about it was in there.

It's funny looking back on it now that this gun was a "consolation prize". I really wanted his double Triple Lock w/ Kearsarge Stocks rig. But alas that was not to be with the shallowness of my pockets.

I am glad though they went to a good home. And in the end I think all the heaps of Elmer Keith history wrapped up into this 1911 (and the King Modifications) fit better into my overall collection. I also find the history associated with the gun is less gun nerd more broadly appealing. Who doesn't like a good story about a war hero being murdered because he uncovered government corruption?

Also, while this is just speculation, it does seem there was some emotional attachment to the gun. Clearly from his writing Elmer was devastated by Bill's death, how could he not be? And this was (the only? I don't know) a gun he sold to himself when helping Bill's widow sell the guns. Which he kept the rest of his life. Plus the grips were a wedding gift to him!

I really like guns that have clear emotional weight. Elmer certainly had a few of those, but I'm not sure if any of his guns I've seen for sale had such a deeply personal connection as this one.

Thanks for the link to your Keith 1911. I enjoyed it immensely. I started to infuse it with “likes” but I noticed to was 10 years old so I just wanted to say
LIKE.

 

[magnum0710]

You're right; many of today's shooters have little in the way of gun background and much of that was picked up on YouDupe.

Exactly! Some of it just makes no sense either