I started hunting upland birds probably the same way that most of you did. That is, I got a modified or full-choked shotgun and loaded it up with high-brass shotgun shells. When I didn’t get what I thought was my fair share of the dove, quail, or whatever, I considered going to tighter chokes and more powerful shells. After all, it couldn’t be that I was missing the birds, could it?

Then came the day that I was invited on a dove hunt and showed up right after I got off work. Instead of going home for my hunting gun, I used the 870 riot gun that I carried in the trunk. Dang! I had my limit in half the time and shells. From them on, I generally always hunted upland birds with an Improved Cylinder barrel.

A bit later I began to study the British approach to upland bird hunting. For years, the favored British 12-gauge load featured a 2 1/2-inch shell that fired a 1-ounce shot load at between 1100 & 1200fps. They shoot it on just about everything—quail, pigeons, grouse, pheasant, and decoying ducks. It is a mild, pleasant load to shoot and will kill any bird that you center in its pattern.

Of course, you don’t see the 2 1/2-inch shotshell in this country very often. But the good news is that our shotshell manufacturers have begun to produce some very nice upland loads for hunters. In my 20-gauge Beretta double, I use a 7/8 oz load of #8, #7 1/2, or #6, depending upon the birds being hunted. In my Ruger Gold Label 12 gauge double, I reach for the same shot sizes in a 1-ounce loading. I get the best results using the target loads from Federal, Estate, and Winchester. I suggest you avoid the “dove & quail” promotional ammo that is offered each fall.

Folks, you simply don’t need a lot of power, or a bucket-full of shot to kill upland birds, even pheasant. What you do need to do is to center the bird in your pattern. My double shotguns are choked “Cylinder” and “Improved Cylinder.” They will kill birds cleanly out to 30-35 yards.

I mention all of this in the dead of winter so that you will have time to consider it and to try it out at your local skeet and sporting clays range. In fact, a skeet gun, with skeet loads, is just about right for all upland hunting. Or you could switch from a modified choke to a full choke, and go from high-brass ammo to 2 3/4” magnums. Hey, there’s even time to locate a 10 gauge, since the 12 doesn’t seem to be producing. In fact, now that I think of it, please do that. You’ll leave more birds for the rest of us!

A few days ago, I had a chance to visit the good folks at San Francisco’s last gun shop. I had a nice visit with general manager Steven Alcairo and his staff and learned some interesting San Francisco history, too.

The gun shop was opened by Bob Chow in the mid-1950′s. Chow was an Olympic shooter and world renowned pistolsmith. To my knowledge, Chow was the first one to attach a Colt Python barrel to a Smith & Wesson revolver, creating the Smython that was quite popular with such sixgunners as Bill Jordan and Jimmy Clark. Of course, Chow was best known for tuning the 1911 pistol and he built them up for competition shooters and lawmen alike.

About 1988, Andy Takahashi bought the store and has run it ever since, but not without some major hurdles that have been placed in his way. A few years ago some of the store’s permits were set to expire and the San Francisco zoning commission simply stalled and wouldn’t renew them. A number of groups in the city joined in the controversy, some for and some against the renewal of the permits. One of the citizens who was most against having any sort of gun shop in the city even told Steven Alcairo that they ought to move to Texas. That’s the reason that, today, you will see a Texas flag hanging from the ceiling of the shop.

Needless to say, Mr. Takahashi and Alcairo were able to get the permits issued and the store continued operation. I have to say that it is an amazing and brave thing to operate a gun store in what is one of the most anti-gun cities in America.

Today, you will find High Bridge Arms located, as it has always been, at 3185 Mission Street, right in the heart of San Francisco. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly and you can bet that the Second Amendment is spoken loud and clear at High Bridge Arms. These folks are brave Americans who deserve our encouragement and support. So stop by High Bridge Arms whenever you are in San Francisco or drop them a line of encouragement at www.highbridgearms.com. An American tradition is alive and well in the City By The Bay.

The Happy Trails Children’s Foundation was set up by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans to help and support children-at-risk. It is the only children’s charity that I know of that actively supports the shooting sports. And, for the last 16 years, they have made a good deal of their operating by an annual raffle of guns. And not just any guns, I can tell you that!

The theme of the Happy Trails gun raffle has always been to honor the movie cowboys that we all loved to cheer at the Saturday movies. In past years the foundation has offered virtually exact duplicates of the guns and rigs worn by Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Eddie Dean, and a host of others. Many months of research go in to studying the exact rig worn by a particular western star and the guns that he carried. For example, Roy Rogers used three different double-gun rigs and Happy Trails has reproduced all of them.

The Happy Trails guns and gun belt for 2013 honor Ray “Crash” Corrigan (1902-1976). Corrigan started out as a movie stunt man before landing roles in various motion pictures. He hit his stride when he was cast in a leading role in The Three Mesquiteers series of westerns. Some years later, Corrigan formed his own production company and produced quite a number of movies, again with a trio of cowboy heroes called The Range Busters. In addition, Corrigan bought some ranch property in the Santa Susana Mountains and opened his own western town where numerous western movies were filmed.

Colt Firearms has donated two 5 1/2-inch Colt Peacemakers that have been plated, engraved, and stocked with ivory. The double-gun rig is brown with black trim and lots of silver. Guns and holsters have been built by some of the best craftsmen working in this country today.

Raffle tickets the Silver Screen Legend XVI, the Corrigan rig, are $10 each, or 11 for $100. All of the proceeds (100%) from the raffle go to the Happy Trails Children’s Foundation. If you are at SHOT Show this next week you can go by the Colt booth, examine the guns and rig, and buy your tickets right there. If not, you can do the same thing online at www.happytrails.org. If you need further information, call the Happy Trails Children’s Foundation at 760-240-3330.

I think it is just great that Roy Rogers & Dale Evans left a lasting legacy that will benefit children who are at risk. It is also great that a children’s charity supports the shooting sports and raffles off guns as a fund raiser. Helping Roy & Dale’s kids and owning a one-of-a-kind Silver Screen Legend outfit is pretty special, too. I just suspect that there are enough of you Front Row Kids out there, just like me, who will show your appreciation to the Happy Trails Children’s Foundation.

Some time back, the late Mark Craighead, founder of Crossbreed Holsters, contacted me with the idea of designing a concealment holster for the Colt Single Action Army. Together with Jason Winnie (Leather Designs by Jason Winnie), we came up with this variation of Bruce Nelson’s old Liberty holster. The plan was to produce a limited edition holster that would be available through Crossbreed Holsters. Following Mark’s untimely death, we decided to follow through with this project that he was so excited about.

Called “The Liberty Cross,” this rig rides high on the pants belt, with the back loop helping to tuck the gun butt into the body for further concealment. The mouth of the holster is reinforced with an additional band of leather to help keep it open for ease in reholstering. Each holster is carefully molded to the single-action frame for a perfect fit and crafted from the finest leather. Jason, Don Hume’s grandson, has done a beautiful job of building the holster for a perfect fit to the sixgun.

As per Mark’s original idea, this edition is limited to 100 holsters and I have personally numbered and signed each one. They are available in right-hand only and built to fit the 4 3/4” Colt Single Action and its clones. It may also fit the small-frame New Model Ruger Vaquero, though I haven’t personally tried one. The Liberty Cross holster is available through Crossbreed Holsters and is on a first come, first serve, basis.

This holster project honors the memory of Mark Craighead. It was my great pleasure to work with Jason Winnie, Trent Cooper, and the Craighead family, to bring this concealment rig to the many folks who choose to carry a single-action for concealment and defense.

You can get your Liberty Cross holster by contacting Crossbreed Holsters and placing your order. Better hurry, though, as there are only 100 available. Oh, and you’ll have to get your own six-shooter to carry in this good rig.

Well, the boys from the East Coast are at it again. Of course, I’m talking about Richard Mann and Bryce Towsley. Fresh from their superficial debate about the 9mm vs. .45, they are now pontificating magnificently about the .30/06.

Naturally, knowing both young men, it is clear to me that Towsley has been at the hard cider again. While Mann has spent too long worshiping at the throne of that double-rectified pop-skull stuff that they make way back in the hollers of West Virginia, properly served in a Mason jar.

Towsley seems to want to recommend the .30/06 for anything from Rocky Mountain field mice to Manitoba mastodons, pointing out that one is somewhat UN-American if he doesn’t hunt with one. Mann, on the other hand, is against the whole idea of the .30/06 because he had an uncle who used one and also happened to be a politician and a pervert (we say PREEVERT in Texas). Once again, it seems, I’m must step to the fore and set these boys straight.

The .30/06 is neither a sorry cartridge, nor is it a Death Ray.

Those who primarily hunt whitetail deer, wild turkey, and feral hogs, can do so with a whole raft of rifle cartridges, too numerous to list here. And they can do it without the buck and roar that is part and parcel of the venerable old ’06.

On the other hand, if elk, moose, and grizzly, are your choice, there are a number of cartridges, larger than .30 caliber, that will handle things in a much more significant manner. Lauding the virtues of your favorite cartridge is not high on the list when a grizzly is taking exception to your presence.

What it boils down to is that gun guys, who also happen to hunt, have a rifle caliber for virtually every occasion. Those are the guys that you see in the woods followed by a caddy carrying a golf bag full of various rifles.
On the other hand, the hunter who happens to like to hunt with a rifle, and would rather spend his money on hunting trips instead of buying a new caliber for every imagined occasion, will do quite well with the aging .30/06. It will be too much gun for whitetail deer and not quite enough for grizzly. But, by judicious application, it can get both jobs done and has on numerous occasions in the past. The bottom line, of course, is that it’s your day off, your hunting trip, and you should use what pleases you.

You can read Richard Mann and Bryce Towsley on their individual blogs and then, as you usually do, come here for the unvarnished truth. I apologize for taking your time with this but I occasionally have to take these two young whippersnappers in hand and straighten them out. They mean well but I just wish they would check with me, first, before acting like Stomped Idiots in public. Easing up on that Who-Hit-John would be a step in the right direction.

Every so often I pick up a gun and just can’t put it down. I suspect some of you folks are the same way. My latest case of serious addiction is the Ruger Shopkeeper. This is one of those guns that is not available directly from Ruger. Rather it was commissioned by Lipseys Distributing Co. and will be sold exclusively through them.

The Ruger Shopkeeper is a stainless steel Ruger Bearcat with a 3-inch barrel and ejector rod. It also features a birdshead grip shape and attractive laminated-wood stocks. As with all Bearcats, this one is chambered for .22 LR and will handle shorts, longs, and long rifle ammo. The ejector-rod thumb piece, by the way, has been skeletonized so that it will clear all empty cases, even with the short barrel.

This little sixgun fits quite nicely in the hand and is very well balanced. It is small enough to just be dropped into a jacket pocket, leggings pocket. I imagine it would be just the ticket to take along on your woods bumming, camping, and fishing trips. The only complaint I can think to make about it is that it is not chambered for .22 Magnum. 

As nice as this little pocket revolver is, I just had to get some leather for it. The nice crossdraw rig that you see in the photo is courtesy of Mike Barranti, at Barranti Leather Co. Mike makes some great gun rigs out of quality leather. He is also the place to go for traditional gunleather like the Threepersons holster and other rigs of the Old West. In addition, he builds custom holsters for today’s armed citizen.

You can expect to see my review of the Ruger Shopkeeper in the Dope Bag section of the American Rifleman in the very near future. I’d write more, but I’ve got a brick of .22 cartridges and am headed for the woods. Check you later!

A while back, my friend and colleague Dick Williams got a group of gun writers together at Gunsite for the .45 SHOOT. We spent three days shooting .45 caliber guns from Colt, Ruger, and Smith & Wesson. As you can imagine, we had a great time. But the most fun part was that our ammunition was provided by Mike McNett’s DoubleTap Ammunition. All of the DoubleTap stuff worked great but their were two loads that really stood out.

The first was a .45 Colt load that featured a 255 gr. SWC hard-cast lead bullet that ran almost 900fps out of my 4 3/4-inch Colt New Frontier. Folks, this is the kind of load that helped the .45 Colt cartridge build its reputation. You see, the original .45 Colt black powder load ran almost 1,000fps in a 7 1/2-inch barreled gun. Not only was this DoubleTap ammo suitably powerful, but it was also extremely accurate, giving tight groups at 25 and even 65 yards. Other folks can play with those .45 “cowboy loads” that barely make it to the huge steel plates they use for targets. I want a .45 Colt load that will do for hunting, defense, and general woods bumming. And, my friends, this is it!

The second DoubleTap .45 load that earned my praise was his .45 ACP round that featured a 230 FMJ flat point bullet. This is the bullet that we used to call the Truncated Cone and was a great favorite of Col. Jeff Cooper. In fact, Cooper may have had a hand in its development. Other companies have packaged it in the past and then dropped it, unfortunately. DoubleTap’s version runs 960fps out of a 5-inch government model and 900fps out of a 4 1/4-inch Colt Commander. It’s a great fighting round and has also taken quite a bit of game, as Col. Cooper and others have proven.

I sure like to see smaller companies, like DoubleTap, doing well. These are the kind of folks who want to build the sort of ammunition that serious shooters are asking for. And I have to tell you that the power, accuracy, and quality, of such ammunition is top shelf in ever respect.

Most of you have figured out—by now—that my major addictions are guns and hunting. Well, you might as well know that one of my minor addictions is knives. I’ve carried a knife of some kind since I was a little kid and my father gave me my first one. Knives are the sort of thing that you never need until you need one, and then you need a good one.

The knife pictured above is my idea of just about the perfect hunting knife. It is the #5101 Drop Point Hunter from Moore Maker Knives, in Matador, Texas. The knife features a 3 1/2-inch blade, with just a slight drop point, and an overall length of 8 1/8-inches. The scales (stock panels) are of smooth yellow bone. And, though I don’t know the grade of steel it is not stainless, just highly polished. As you can see, the knife has just enough belly to the blade to make it useful for skinning, as well as cleaning game.

The horizontal belt scabbard is made by Big Bend Saddlery. Now, I suspect that this horizontal design was developed by cowboys. About the worst mess that can require a knife to get out of is when you are tangled up in your rope…with a cow on one end, a horse on the other, and you in the middle. When that happens, it will be pretty difficult to get a knife out of your hip pocket, or your leggings pocket. Carrying it horizontally on your belt makes the knife much handier and you can get to it with either hand. I find it is just as handy for the outdoorsman though, hopefully, he isn’t going to be roping cattle.

I’ve owned several Moore Maker knives and have gotten years of good use out of them. They are good quality at a reasonable price. And it’s getting harder and harder to find that combination nowadays. Besides that, a fellow can’t own too many good knives.

Dear Mr. Wilson,

Please don’t take no offense, but the only one of you gun writers I really understand is that Richard Man. He writes so well, you’d think he was a hillbilly, only I just wish he wouldn’t put all those numbers in his stories. A while back, I went up to his place to run my ideas by him, but this wild woman come out with one of them Browning Hi-Powders and smooth run me off. So, then, I called that Brice Townesly fella to get his advice. Lordy, the stuff he told me to do just ain’t possible! I ain’t never even seen a hog do it!

Anyhow, that’s why I’m writing to you, although you ain’t quite as good as those guys. Howsomever, we just sold the hog farm and I am looking to get into another line of work. I figure it would be a good idea to be one of those Defense Shooting Instructors.

Just to let you know that I am serious about this new line of work, I have already shaved my head and am trying to grow one of them fierce mustaches. I ain’t getting no tattoos, tho, them things hurt! I’ve also got an order in to 5.11 for some of them pants with all the pockets, though they tell me it will be a while before they have any with a 52-inch waist. In the meantime, I am learning all the important secret terms, like “watch your 5”, CBQ, & DDT (or is it BVD? Whatever that General Cooper used to say).

I also called that Frank Browning fella and he sent me a catalog so I could order some stuff for my AR-15. I’ll just bet you didn’t know that, if you’re real careful, you can hook 83 different things up to that rifle at once. Dang!

Anywho, please take time to write me and tell me all you know about how to be a gunfighter and teach that defense stuff. If this don’t work out, my fall-back plan (another tactical term I’m working on) is to take all them hog hides we got and start making holsters. It shouldn’t take any time at all to make scalberts better than that Mike Baronti fella and that big ol’ boy at Simply Holsters. Hell, all you need is a sharp pocket knife and a needle & thread, right? Better than writin’, why don’t you just tell me where you live and I’ll come see ya.

Your friend (BVD!),
Clem “Cold Dead Fingers” Skidmore
Stomped Hog, Oklahoma

Texas Ranger captain Frank Hamer (1884-1955) was one of the best examples of the transition from horseback Rangers to Rangers of the modern era. As soon as his horseback days were over, Hamer chose to set aside his boots and spurs in favor of shoes and business suits. By examining photos of him throughout his career, we see that he had the same attitude about rifles, transitioning from the Winchester Model 94, to the Savage Model 99, and finally to the Remington Model 8 autoloader. However, throughout his long career, Captain Hamer still hung on to the same handgun, Old Lucky.

Old Lucky is a Colt Single Action, in .45 Colt caliber, with a 4 3/4-inch barrel. It is blue, with nearly full-coverage scroll engraving (probably what Colt called “C” coverage). During most of his career, Hamer stocked his favorite sixgun with a set of carved pearl grips. However, in later years, he changed these for a set of the factory hard rubber.

Hamer was also an advocate of carrying a backup gun. In Sweetwater, Texas, in 1917, he used a Smith & Wesson .44 Special to kill Gee McMeans because his normal gun arm had a bullet in it and he couldn’t get to Old Lucky. In 1934, during the hunt for Bonnie & Clyde, Hamer carried a Colt 1911, in .38 Super, as a backup gun to Old Lucky, though he didn’t fire either handgun during the ambush.

Regardless of the other guns he carried, Hamer virtually always carried Old Lucky. One source, highly suspect, claims that Hamer used Old Lucky in over 50 gunfights. I suspect that the number is probably closer to a dozen and his son, the late Frank Hamer Jr., agreed with me. Frank Jr. also told me that his father always had the old Colt on him. “Daddy wouldn’t even walk from the living room into the dining room without Old Lucky in his waistband,” the son once told me.

I examined Old Lucky while it was part of the vast collection belonging to Charles Schreiner III, at his home on the YO Ranch. Sadly, upon Charlie III’s death, the collection had to be sold to pay estate taxes. Old Lucky sold for a reported $165,000 and is now in a private collection. Old Lucky is a piece of Texas history and I wish that the present owner would have some good photos made of the gun and share them with those of us who still care.

The Scout Belt is an interesting piece of equipment that has its origins in the American Southwest. The first bottleneck rifle cartridges, the .30/30 & .30/40 Krag, were introduced about 1895, along with the production of the Winchester Models 1894 & 1895 rifles. Both cartridges and rifles became the instant sweetheart of the Texas Rangers, Arizona Rangers, Mounted Customs Inspectors, and border lawmen in general.

About this same time, some enterprising soul came up with the idea of designing one cartridge belt that would hold rifle and pistol cartridges. I suspect that the first Scout Belts were manufactured by S.D. Myres, however everyone made them, and the one pictured is by El Paso Saddlery. It is 3 inches wide and holds 34 .30/30 cartridges and 12 .45 Colt cartridges. I’ve never weighed the darn thing when it is full of cartridges and Colt, but I suspect it would discourage a fellow from doing much walking. Besides, that’s what horses were made for.

Texas Rangers used the Scout Belt well into the 1900′s. They didn’t have badges until about 1935, but, wearing a Scout Belt and packing a ’95 Winchester and a Colts revolver, they probably didn’t get asked for identification very often. “Command Presence” is what I think Jeff Cooper called it.

When I was packing a badge down along the Pecos, I carried this Scout Belt, a Winchester, and a Colt’s revolver, in the trunk of my car. There were occasionally times when a fellow had to get horseback to do his job and there was still no better outfit for getting that job done. Of course, that was before the days of black plastic everything, tactical gear, and militarized law enforcement. Hell, we didn’t even know what tactical was. Some knew a fair bit about fighting, though.

Every time I get this old Scout Belt out, I am reminded that there was a time when a peace officer was a family counselor, the dog catcher, the SWAT Team, a legal adviser, and whatever the hell else needed to be done. I can’t help but think it was more fun back then.

One of the most colorful Texas Rangers of the 20^th Century was Charlie Miller (1893?-1971). He was born in Frio County, Texas, but they aren’t really sure about the year of his birth. You see, Charlie kept changing it when mandatory retirement drew near. But we do know that he was a Texas Ranger, off and on, from 1919 to 1968. He’s the one, you’ll remember me telling you, that was of the earliest Rangers to carry a Colt 1911. And he always tied down the grip safety with a piece of rawhide, as illustrated on my own 1911 that is pictured above.

I don’t want you to think that Charlie was tough, or anything, but Ranger Bob Favor told me about visiting him after Charlie retired. They were standing around, out by the barn, looking at some horses when one of Charlie’s teeth got to hurting him. Favor said that Charlie went into the tack room, grabbed some pliers and pulled the tooth, right then and there. Now that’s tough!

Anyway, here’s another Charlie Miller story…

No one ever told me what year it was, but Charlie was after a crook along the Rio Grande, out west of Del Rio somewhere. Charlie jumped the outlaw down in the vega of the river and they both went to shooting. Charlie hit the outlaw and the outlaw hit Charlie. They both went down in the brush.

Charlie said that he lay there for a while and then hollered over to the outlaw. He told him that he knew he had hit him and that Charlie was hit, too. Were they both going to lie there and bleed to death, or were they going to stand up and finish it like men?

Charlie said, “And you know, that dumb son-of-a-bitch stood up!”

And then there was the time that a cafe wouldn’t serve Charlie a cup of coffee, so he just shot a hole in their coffee urn and served himself. But we’ll save that one for another time…

Yep, the country is warming up and those danged legless lizards are starting to come out. There are a lot of things you can do when you see a rattlesnake up close… my favorite is to scream and run!

Actually, jokes aside, snakes don’t bother me too much. And I don’t approve of killing them just because they are a snake, even a poisonous snake. However, when those poisonous rascals are too close to my home, my camp, or my critters, I send them off to Rattlesnake Heaven.

I used to really make fun of people who thought they had to have snake loads for their pistols. Hell, if you couldn’t hit a snake with a solid bullet, maybe you shouldn’t be carrying a pistol in the first place!

And then there was the night we pulled in to our travel trailer, parked on the high desert in northern Arizona. My dog told me that I really ought to be looking out and, sure enough, there was a big mojave rattler coiled right under the trailer. Not a problem. I pulled my pistol and prepared to send him along on his celestial journey.

But, wait! I can’t shoot in that direction because a ricochet might hit our friend’s house. Oh no! I can’t shoot this other way because I might hit the horse barn. With the aid of a stick and the water hose, we finally got the rascal out from under the trailer and situated where I could safely shoot him.

I went down and bought some shot loads for my pistol the next day.

And, while we’re on the subject of poisonous snakes, I would urge dog owners to get some snake-avoidance training for your pets. The trainers use a live rattlesnake and rig your dog up with an mild shock collar. In no time at all, the dog learns the sight, sound, and smell, of a critter that he really wants to leave alone.

My Australian stock dog has alerted to three rattlers since we’ve started the avoidance training. In each of the three cases, she wouldn’t go anywhere near the snakes and was singing out, loud and clear, to let me know. Due to a lifetime of shooting, I no longer can hear them rattle, so Katy’s alert protects me, too.

Snake Avoidance Training… get it for your dogs. Your veterinarian can get you hooked up with a trainer in your area.

Not only was Frank Hamer an interesting character, but he also set the mold for the Texas Rangers who came after him. Throughout his long career, Hamer always relied on his engraved Colt .45 single action. However, after his horseback days were behind him, Hamer rarely wore a cartridge belt. Instead, he generally carried his sixgun in his waistband and a reload of cartridges in a coat pocket.

Hamer was also an advocate of being able to shoot a handgun at longer distances because, he explained, one might not have his rifle handy when a fight started. He also told his biographer, Dr. Walter Prescott Webb, that he only shot from the hip when his attacker was so close that he could not raise the gun to eye level and use the sights.

However, my favorite Hamer story has to do with the second clean-up of Borger, Texas. The governor had declared martial law and sent Capt. Hamer in with a bunch of his Rangers to clean things up once and for all. One of the reasons that martial law had been declared was because the police chief , sheriff, and most of their men, were all crooked. Not only were they removed from office, but warrants were issued for their arrests.

Pursuant to the issuing of warrants, Hamer sent word to the local lawmen to come down to the courthouse and surrender. When they arrived, Hamer told them to give their guns to one of his Rangers. However, the sheriff informed Hamer that they had all disarmed before coming down to surrender.

Hamer looked at the sheriff in disbelief and said, “Dammit! Y’all go home and get your guns and come down here and surrender like you’re supposed to!”

If it isn’t true, it ought to be…

This time of year gets sort of boring for hunting folks. Short of the spring turkey season, there isn’t a lot of hunting going on. And it’s a little early to start getting rifle, ammo, and gear, in shape for the fall. Without much to do, I caught myself thinking about my early days as a deer hunter. I’m talking about those days back before their was camo clothing, long underwear that actually worked, range finders, and all those smelly scent concoctions guaranteed to bring a trophy buck on the run.

Back then, we saved our allowance to buy some rifle ammo. The sporting goods stores in Austin had what they called broken boxes of ammo. That is, you could buy individual cartridges without having to splurge on a whole box. So, first order of business, my allowance went for seven .30/30 cartridges.

In that day, a young hunter couldn’t hardly get by without the local army surplus store. The dark blue Navy P Coat was just about right for a Texas whitetail hunter, as were the surplus Korean War combat boots. Only thing else a fellow needed was a sharp pocket knife and some matches. Hell, rigged out like that, along with a pack of Camel cigarettes, and a guy was sorta the James Bond of the Texas Hill Country!

I hate to admit it now, but our bunch were sort of deer-hunting snobs. I can remember the first time one of our gang showed up with a set of binoculars that his daddy got from a German officer who didn’t need them anymore. Binoculars? What more proof did we need that the guy was an absolute sissy? We damn near voted him out of the hunting club… would have, too, except he had a car.

No, I’m not knocking all the gear that is offered to today’s hunters. I’m just cogitating on where it all started for me. I don’t use camo or all that smelly stuff. But I do like the fact that today’s clothes, underwear, and boots, will actually keep me pretty warm and comfortable. And, while I don’t use a range finder, I do have a scope on my rifle and try to keep a good set of binoculars handy.

That bunch that hunted together in the Texas Hill Country, all those years ago, has gotten older, gotten spread out all over the country, and mostly lost contact with each other. I just hope they don’t hear that I’ve got binoculars AND a rifle scope. Image is a hard thing to maintain when you grew up hunting deer in the Texas Hill Country.

This past weekend I was down at Ingram, Texas, at the home of John & Jeanie Wootters to participate in a memorial service and celebration of the life of John Wootters. John started writing gun & hunting articles shortly after he came home from the Korean Conflict. In a very short time he became one of the finest writers that we have ever had in the gun writing industry. He could write technical articles, he could write humor, and he could write adventure. Through his stories, John had the ability to make the rest of us smell the woodsmoke of his campfire.

The sixgun that John is holding in this photo is what brought us together as writers and, ultimately, as friends. It is a 3-screw Ruger Blackhawk .357 Magnum that had been converted to .44 Special. John had the work done so that he could present the gun to his ailing friend Skeeter Skelton. When Skeeter passed on before the work could be finished, John had it completed and carried it as his personal single action and a constant reminder of his friendship with Skeeter.

A friend of John’s showed me the .44 and I sent word to John, whom I had not met, that he ought to write that story up. In a short while, word came from Wootters inviting me to write that story. I spent a delightful couple of days on the Wootters’ deer lease with John and Jeanie, shooting the gun, shooting photos, and just visiting.

I sent the completed article to Guns & Ammo. In short order I got a call from Todd Smith with word that the article would appear in the Guns & Ammo Annual, a prestigious posting. But Todd had a couple of issues that he said we needed to discuss. He had shown the article to Wootters and John wanted some changes made.

First, John wanted the name and location of his hunting ranch removed from the article. Secondly, it was his understanding that the article would be about Skeeter Skelton and Wootters was surprised that I had written quite a bit about John, too (all of which was very complimentary).

So, regarding the first concern, I told Todd to take out any reference to their hunting ranch to protect Wooters’ privacy. However, regarding my complimentary remarks about Wooters, I told Todd to tell Wootters to go to hell. Those remarks were sincere and I insisted that they stay in the piece. Surprisingly, immediately after that, doors started opening for me at Guns & Ammo and Petersen’s Publications. I’ll always believe that was the doing of John Wootters.

There is absolutely no telling how many of us writers were mentored by John Wootters. He never spoke about it. But, in the years to come, we hunted together, hung out together, and always enjoyed our visits. He taught me most of what I know about writing.

And so, this past weekend, we celebrated his life and felt sorry for ourselves and the giant hole that his passing left for all of us. He was a giant in our business.

The .38 Super cartridge was introduced in 1928. It was simply the .38 ACP cartridge with hotter powder, giving almost 1300fps with a 130gr bullet. Colt made the move when they realized that their 1911 pistol could withstand higher pressures than previous Colt pistols. In those rough & rugged years, the .38 Super became one of the popular law enforcement cartridges because it would penetrate car bodies and punch holes in the ballistics vests that cops and robbers of the time wore.

In order to make the cartridge work in the Colt Model 1900 and 1902 pistols, the .38 Super had been set up to headspace on the semi-rim of the cartridge case. This caused poor accuracy. However, in the 1970′s, Irv Stone (Bar-Sto Barrels) began to offer replacement barrels that headspaced on the case rim and the accuracy problems were solved.

Modern ammunition for the .38 Super can be found that will drive the 125 JHP bullet at almost 1400fps. It is powerful, it is accurate, and in the 1911 pistol it is more comfortable to shoot than is a comparable .357 Magnum load in a medium-frame revolver. I’ve decided to start working with the grand old .38 Super cartridge and see just what it is capable of. Look for my various articles on this web site—and in the magazines—in the months to come.

The pistol shown is a Colt Lightweight Commander (mfg. 1970) in .38 Super. The stocks are big horn sheep horn crafted by Patrick Grashorn (www.grashorngunworks.com). Now, I’ve got to decide what I’ll have done to this pistol. I’m trying to decide if I should have some Novak sights put on, as on my .45 Commander, or maybe use those great express sights from XS Sight Co. A trigger job and a properly headspaced barrel may be in order, too.

What sort of custom features would you put on this Commander? Take a minute and share your thoughts with me.

I’m working on a story about Bill Jordan for my column in Shooting Illustrated. And, thinking back on our time together, I remembered a hunting yarn about Bill that I thought I would share with you.

We were hunting turkey on the Penn Baggett Ranch, just north of Ozona. That particular morning, I had walked Bill out to a turkey blind that was just over the hill behind the bunk house. Not being entirely stupid, I went back to the bunk house and drank coffee until it was time to help Bill bring his guajalote back to camp.

I heard Bill shoot not long after the sun was up, so I wandered out to give him a hand. You can imagine my surprise when I found the blind, found Bill, but did not find a turkey. Bill had missed him clean.

As we walked back to the bunk house, I got to thinking that Bill was darned near 80 years old and he could afford to miss now and then. Almost as if he read my mind, Bill said, “I know what you’re thinking. But if I can’t shoot, I can’t do anything!”

So I told him to give me his gun and let me have a look at it. Bill’s gun was a pre-war drilling (Austrian, I think) with two 16-gauge barrels on top and a rifle barrel on the bottom. Some time in the past, Bill had the rifle barrel converted to .357 Magnum. As I looked down the bore, I realized that the bore was so leaded up that I could barely see light through it. When I asked him what ammo he was using, Bill searched around in his pants pocket and came out with some of that old Winchester lead SWC magnum ammo that he must have stolen from the Border Patrol before World War II.

Back at the bunk house, I wrapped a piece of Chore Boy pad around a brass bore brush and went to work on the barrel. I don’t know how much lead came out of that barrel, but I’ll bet it was enough to cast a couple of .44 Magnum bullets from. After that, I gave Bill a box of jacketed soft-point ammo and suggested that he throw that old lead ammo away.

Once the gun was clean, we repaired to the shooting range and Bill sat down at a picnic table, some 60 yards from a bullseye target. With his elbows resting on the table, Bill fired three shots through his drilling in a leisurely fashion. Those three shots clover-leafed! It’s one of the only times I’ve ever known of a miss that could actually be blamed on the gun.

Bill Jordan could shoot. Make no mistake about that.

While it was still dark, I went to the spot on the hillside where I had decided to sit and wait for morning shooting light. Down in the creek bottom the fog lay tight on the ground partially concealing the live-oaks and native pecan trees. It was cool, damp, and hard to stay awake.

I sat with my back against an old cedar stump, with a small algarita bush in front of me to break up my outline. My Ruger .44 Magnum Flat Top lay in my lap, stoked with 250 gr Keith SWC’s over a substantial load of 2400 powder.

As it began to get light enough to see, I realized that something was moving around on the banks of the dry creek bed. I was finally able to make out that it was a whitetail buck. A helluva buck!

Now, I don’t know much about all that “G-3” and “G-4” stuff. Let me just say that he was a big damn deer! He was a 10-point with massive bases and a spread that would go well over 20 inches. In short, he was one of the best whitetail bucks that I’ve ever seen in the wild. The wary old codger would feed a bit and then look around a bit, cautious but not worried. Having doped the ranges at this spot the day before, I figured him to be right at 250 yards away.

My personal limit, with an iron-sighted sixgun, is 100 yards. Out to that distance, I knew where the bullet would hit and I knew where to hold. I’d made up my mind, long ago, not to degrade a trophy by throwing an “iffy” shot at them. When he came in range, I would kill him, but not before.

I suspect that big buck fed around out there for the better part of an hour. As I watched him, the fog had lifted and we had the beginnings of a perfectly beautiful Texas Hill Country Day. To be honest with you, I had to keep reminding myself to breathe. That was one good buck and I had already imagined just where his trophy would hang on my wall.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. The closest that big buck got to me was about 175 yards. And he was in heavy brush as he wandered past my hill and headed towards a little saddle between it and the next rocky hillside. I never even cocked my single action, but I did tip my hat to him as he disappeared over that saddle. It was a helluva an experience and my own little hunting memory. By the way, though I hunted that ranch for several years afterward, I never saw this buck again.

That, my friends, is handgun hunting.

A while back I received the sad news that Randy Garrett, of Garrett Cartridges, was closing his business after some 26 years of building some of the best cast-bullet .44 Magnum and .45/70 loads that were available. The good news is that my old amigo Ashley Emerson has bought the company and moved it to Texas.

I believe that the key to the great performance and accuracy of the Garrett ammo was the result of Randy’s complete understanding of how to properly cast bullets. I can guarantee you that he didn’t spend his time melting down old used wheel weights to make his fine product. Instead, he used the recipes advocated by Veral Smith and Elmer Keith to build heavy bullets that had great accuracy, great penetration, and unmatched integrity.

I have known Ashley Emerson for more years than either one of us cares to remember. And I can assure you that Ashley hates light cartridges and inaccurate ammunition with a passion. We have hunted together and shot together on numerous occasions and I can assure you that Emerson understands cast bullet loads for big-bore cartridges. In addition, he is an honorable man. I am very pleased to see Randy Garrett’s legacy continued in the person of Ashley Emerson.

Garrett Cartridges of Texas is in operation near Weatherford, Texas, and cranking out that good ammunition. A check of the web site will reveal quite a number of loads for the .44 Magnum and the .45/70. And, I suspect that you will also see the addition of cast-bullet loads in .45 Colt and .454 Casull added in the very near future.

For a number of years, I hunted exclusively with handguns and took quite a bit of game with Garrett ammunition. Penetration and accuracy were everything that I expected and felt that I needed. Randy Garrett is an artist, and Ashley Emerson is, too. The best news is that we handgunners are the real winners.