Sixguns by Keith

[deerhunter]

I just ordered this book.   I have his Gun Notes books and loved them.

Has anyone read Sixguns?  If so, how did you like it?

[cooper]

One of my all-time favorites.  

It is somewhat dated now, as you'd expect, but still one of the best books I've ever read.

[slink]

You can't find hardly any of the guns he talks about, for starters, and if you do, they will cost an arm and a leg and are "dont shoot it" collector's items to boot.

It's an entertaining read, tho, and so is his "Hell, I was there".  You won't miss anything of value for realistic ability-knowledge if you haven't read it, however.  Elmer never even pointed a gun at anyone, much less was a cop, in a gunfight, etc (as many believe today). I've held men at gunpoint 4x, and have had them pointed my way, too.  Elmer considered a .45 L colt SA derringer a better choice than a hot-loaded, locked Breech Star 380, using soft lead, 85 gr hollowpoints, at 1300 fps. That's just nuts. 1 shot per second, SLOW first shot, more size and wt, etc, etc, just because you THINK a .45 bullet hole is such a big advantage. Well, lots of gunfights have proven that it's not.

[K.K]

Yep, Old Elmer was one of a kind. He probably tested more guns and loads of all kinds than anyone before or since. His comments should be taken with an extrem grain of salt, though, as many of his loads are considered dangerous. Also, modern guns and ammo has evolved a lot since the days of Elmer Keith. He is entertaining, opinionated, and to the point, but he had "been there and done that" all over the world. I have to get Sixguns, next.

[Lives2hunt]

He was a legend in his own time. Loved "Hell, I was there" but I don't own it but I do have " Sixguns by Keith." That man was tough to have survived the fire and theincident with the horse that threw him and dragged him exciting.

[StrawHat]

So Deerhunter,

How did you find the book?

[deerhunter]

I love it.  I read it completely once, and now I pick it up and just open it to a different section when I am home alone and read small sections at a time.

I also want to get his Hell I was There, and his book Safari.  There are so many books that I want to get, the list is growing.  These are just a few I can remember off the top of my head:

Hell I was there
Safari
The Jeff Cooper book Art of the Rifle.
Mell Tappans Survival Guns.
Muzzleloading Then and Now.
Fast And Fancy shooting- Mcgivern

If your interested in reading a great book, get a copy of Ned Roberts, The Muzzleloading Caplock Rifle.  I have an old copy I ordered from an antique book dealer, and then I saw it was beign reprinted and got a new copy.  Thats another book you can keep rereading.

[Oldtimer]

Sixguns is one of my all-time favorites in the field of shooting literature.  Elmer was not an educated man, and his observations are based on field experience.  He was an exceptional shot, and his failing was his inability to understand that others had neither the inclination nor the opportunity to develop the skills that he enjoyed.       As for not having faced fire, his father's answer to a man threatening Elmer when he was still at home was to buy him a keg of black powder and a batch of pig lead.  While I agree that his data has been made outdated by advances in firearms and ammunition, it was a thorough evaluation of what was available in his time. 

[StrawHat]

As for not having faced fire, his father's answer to a man threatening Elmer when he was still at home was to buy him a keg of black powder and a batch of pig lead.  While I agree that his data has been made outdated by advances in firearms and ammunition, it was a thorough evaluation of what was available in his time. 

I don't know about outdated, one of my hunting loads for the 45 Long Colt is the 250 grain Keith over a full case of black powder.  Works on white tailed deer just fine.

Going to test the same powder with the 270 Scovill bullet next.

I am rapidly finding that the only handgun powder I need is black!

[DCRthe3rd]

I've read sixguns and hell I was there , hell I was there needs to be read also , some ppl claim he not telling the truth in hell I was there , I wasn't there so I don't know , but if ONLY 1/2 of it is true , amazing

[deerhunter]

I believe what Keith wrote.  I know some people have doubts, but I dont.  People who use firearms and shoot the volume he did just get good.  Think about carrying and shooting a revolver EVERY day.  I am lucky if I get to the gun club once a month.  If it wasn't for my pellet rifles and pistols in the basement or back yard, I would be a lousy shot.

I have and read his Gun Notes vols 1 and 2.  In them, there are a few pictures of another gun writer that I also like.  Ross Seifried.  I read in articles by RF that he witnessed many of Keiths shooting feats and believed all of them.  I believe both these guys.

I am always amused by a lot of current gun writers who speak of knowing Elmer.  The only thing I doubt is the tales these wanna bees tell.

[DCRthe3rd]

I believe what Keith wrote.  I know some people have doubts,

Oh heck , I ain't even talking about his shooting , he done things in hell I was there that'd get a fella a long time behind bars nowadays. Not that it wouldn't be a better world if you could.
I'm sure even some of the things he done were illegal then , but I think it was certainly a different time then. Too bad things change like that.