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by Fermin Garza In 1929, Elmer Keith wrote of a sixgun he called No. 5—a Colt SAA transformed into a state-of-the-art revolver. He also called it The Last Word. It stands even today among the finest in existence. In 1955, Keith wrote “Sixguns.” This is a must-read for students of the sixgun. The preface states Keith’s book was “scented with the pungence of sage brush campfires, cold for more than half a century.” I wanted to build my No. 5 to honor Elmer Keith. So I sought out the finest craftsman and challenged him to build, from scratch, the finest sixgun in the land—a sixgun to last a lifetime, to answer any call, and to prove that even decades after the time of Elmer Keith, the old-world craftsmanship and the Keith legacy still live on.

by Jim Wilson George Brakefield was a Texas Ranger in North Texas when I was working as a police detective. He was a gun guy and an all-around good guy, so we spent a lot of time together, working cases, arresting bad guys, and talking guns. This is one of the stories that he told me about his early days in the Texas Rangers. In the early 70s, George was assigned to the Fort Worth area. Now, in those days, Fort Worth was still one of the headquarters for the Dixie Mafia and Benny Binion’s gambling empire. In short, there were some mighty rough old characters around Fort Worth and a lawman sure earned his paycheck just keeping up with them.

by Shane Jahn There are certain guns we associate with gun writers. Of course, Elmer Keith and the Smith & Wesson Model 29 are synonymous. Skeeter Skelton fans will quickly recognize his 7.5-inch Ruger Flattop and 5-inch S&W Model 27 as being as trademark as his mustache and silver belly Stetson. Legendary Border Patrolman Bill Jordan helped invent his iconic handgun, the S&W Combat Magnum. And the list goes on. We could sit here all day deliberating on guns and loads that are tied uniquely to writers we admire. With the upcoming release of the John Wootters book we are honored to bring to you all, I got to thinking about a rifle I always associated to him. There are a few models that will come to the minds of devout Wootters fans. First would be his trusted Sako Forester with the Mannlicher stock. This rifle is perhaps as famous as his camouflaged hat and was certainly one of his favorites. Some can spot his Balickie-stocked 280 Remington from a mile away, along with his Mannlicher-stocked Winchester Model 88 lever gun. Another is the famed SS1 custom Ruger Blackhawk. The gun was built for his friend Skeeter Skelton, but Skeeter passed before its completion. Jim Wilson said that most of the time he was around John Wootters, SS1 was on his hip. I’ve held, admired, and shot this fine single action. I see why he favored it.

With Mrs. Wootters’ blessing, we’re bringing selected works of John Wootters together in a new Gun Tales book. Now you can have John Wootters back in your hands—and help make sure his work stays there for the next generation. A lot of things had to fall into place for a project like this to leave the runway—especially in a world of trademarks, intellectual property law, and an infinite number of people determined to make a few more bucks. But as we progressed through the research phase of this seemingly impossible publishing endeavor, we discovered something familiar—the gun writing community is full of incredible people. It all started because Shane remembered a conversation from long ago, when Mrs. Wootters remarked that she's always wanted to publish a book to preserve John's legacy. Up that point, her hopes had been dashed as several publishing companies tried and failed to provide a pathway to the book she hoped for. After the success of Gun Tales: Volume 1, we saw an opportunity to make her dream become reality, and Shane contacted Mrs. Wootters. With her blessing, we quickly found that the folks at Petersen's Hunting magazine and the West Kerr Current were as excited as we were. With their permission to republish the famous writings of John Wootters, a book was born. —Matt Before I got in the writing business, there were four established writers that I really enjoyed reading. They were Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, Bill Jordan...and John Wootters. I met John in the 1990s when he invited me to write up a Ruger .44 Special that had been done for Skeeter and now belonged to John. We became friends from the get-go and John became something of a mentor to me, opening a lot of doors for me in the writing business. John was an intelligent man who took hunting and the writing craft very seriously. But he was also a man who enjoyed life and the friends that he made along the way. He was the source of great outdoor/hunting knowledge and he was also just a hoot to be in camp with. He was my friend and I miss him. Gunwriters who are remembered well long after they depart from this world are a fortunate lot. These men made their mark on the literary outdoors world because they knew what they were writing about. They lived it. Men who had been there, done that. They also wrote with informative and entertaining prose that made the reader feel like he was right there beside them during their adventures. Many of these men were pioneers in various facets of the gun world. John Wootters was a forerunner in today’s widespread practice now known as Modern Whitetail Deer Management. His extremely popular book, Hunting Trophy Deer, helped spark the whitetail craze that sends anxious hunters to the brushy thickets each fall in search of mature white-tailed bucks. Wootters was a great storyteller, accomplished big game hunter, handloader, handgunner, and by all accounts, a good man. Mrs. Wootters has afforded us a treasured opportunity to pay tribute to her late husband. We’ve been granted permission to reprint some of John Wootters’ best writing in book form. His articles are timeless. We are excited to share with you a variety of topics, and we’ll travel from the prickly pear flats of south Texas to the wait-a-bit thorns of the Dark Continent. Get ready, boys. This is going to be fun! If you liked Gun Tales: Volume 1... ⭐Rediscover Wootters' unforgettable stories, practical wisdom, sharp opinions, and unmistakable wit, gathered into one 275-page book ⭐ 22 classic articles from the pages of Petersen’s Hunting ⭐ Real adventures from a lifetime in the field—from dangerous Alaskan moose hunts to rogue bulls along the Rio Grande ⭐ Dozens of rare, reconstructed photographs—now in full color.

by Jim Wilson The kind of gun I have in mind is one that a friend of mine up in Idaho called the Perfect Packing Pistol. Skeeter Skelton often called it a Woods Gun. And I just call it a usin’ gun. A fellow who lives in rural settings often puts a gun on in the morning without knowing what it will be called on to take care of that particular day. He may have to use it to dispose of sick or injured livestock. He may get a shot at that chicken-stealing coyote. Or he may have to protect himself from dangerous animals or equally dangerous people. He never knows what the day may bring and there will rarely be time to run back to the house to get a special gun.

by Fermin Garza I was friends with Rob Leahy for a long time before we finally met in person. We often spoke by phone where I discovered he had a great sense of humor. That worked great for me because I love pulling his leg. Sometimes I worry because I can get him laughing so hard he might actually break a rib. I always admired Rob and his business model. He works very hard to build the best possible product that fits in your budget. He is also a huge supporter of our troops and especially our Wounded Warriors. Keep that in mind when shopping for a new rig.

The Ask Jim & Shane videos are for Annual Subscribers only. Monthly gets you Gun Tales. Annual gets you a seat at the table. If you're a Monthly Subscriber, go here to switch over to Annual. Once you do, you'll be able to see and watch the video below. Plus, you'll save an extra $15 off the Annual price on top of the 25% saved from paying Monthly. In this episode... Jim starts off with a comical gunfight story about Texas Ranger Charlie Miller. Shane talks John Wootters and how he pioneered whitetail deer hunting More about grip frames and how to pick one that doesn't bust your knuckle. Their favorite carry and hunting ammo. Things that Jim and Shane disagree on. Opinions on 9mm 1911 guns. Go ahead and ask more of your questions below in the comments. And thanks for being here.

by Shane Jahn In a couple of the Gun Tales videos Matt has forced Jim and I to do, the single-action revolvers with brass grip frames seem to draw attention. I’m kidding about the mandatory video comment. Well, sort of! It would be fair to say that Jim and I aren’t what you’d call self-promoters. I don’t think either of us have a burning desire to be in front of a camera. We don’t mind it, but it’s just not something we strive to do. When we do, we just go about our business in our usual forms. No fanfare, no drama, no overacting. Just us being us. What ya see is what ya get.

by Fermin Garza While most of my friends are accomplished pranksters, my friend Jeff Quinn was certainly the most creative of us all. He has crossed the river, but I am going to tell you how I am going to remember him. While Jeff and I were sure enough friends, we mostly spent our time together picking on each other. Sometimes it just got out of hand... Jeff didn't discriminate; he let us all have it as soon as he got a chance. I remember the day I introduced Alan Harton around. Jeff had a Bearcat that Alan had built for Al Anderson and the custom front sight had come off. Well, Jeff zip-tied the front sight back onto the barrel. Alan Harton was admired by one and all, and there was a good crowd around Alan talking about some of his custom builds. Jeff pulls that Bearcat out of his britches and says, "I really like this one," upon which we all just had to laugh. Even Alan Harton got a kick out of it.

by Shane Jahn The 308 Winchester has been the parent case for a lot of good rounds since its inception in 1952, including the 243 Winchester, 260 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington, 338 Federal, and 358 Winchester. There isn’t much a true hunter can’t bag with this assortment of cartridges pushing good bullets designed for penetration. We’ve used the 308 Winchester and 7mm-08 Remington to hunt a variety of critters at home in Texas and in South Africa. The one I want to talk about today is perhaps the most versatile of the bunch—the 243 Winchester. My friend Richard Mann is a fan of the 243 Winchester. His chapter on it in his good book Rifle Cartridges for the Hunter should settle the question as to the cartridge’s qualifications as a hunting round. Deer, gemsbok, warthogs, blue wildebeest, and more, the Mann family has an impressive track record with the 243. Not to mention trophies on the wall and meat in the freezer. It’s amazing how a good bullet in the right spot pays dividends in the world of hunting. Mann’s book is a must-have for every hunting and rifle cartridge enthusiast. His tell-it-like-it-is writing style makes for great reading and entertainment. When Richard offers his opinions, you can be sure he’s been there and done that.

by Tom Ferguson Family member Jim Taylor was kind enough to share this article on the 41 Magnum written by Tom Ferguson. Ferguson was a San Antonio police officer and gun writer who passed away several years ago. Prior to Ferguson's death, Taylor obtained permission to reprint this very interesting article. Maybe the quality control issues are not nearly as new a problem as some think. —Jim The San Antonio, Texas Police Dept. was not a happy one in 1973. For some time there had been discontent over the issue gun and load which was the S&W M10 heavy barrel .38 Special, and Winchester Western 200 gr. roundnose ammunition. Many of us felt the gun itself was a good one with excellent handling qualities, but the choice of ammo was among the poorest of all .38 loads then on the market. The heavy bluff-bowed slug was pleasant to fire due to low velocity, but it had two faults: it shot high in M10s, which had been factory regulated for 158 gr. loads, and it had poor terminal ballistics. Penetration was low and so was shocking power. Only a precisely placed hit at close range could save an officer in a gunfight.

by Jim Wilson I rode into Liberty about an hour before dusk. Dropping my horse off at the livery stable, I hauled my bedroll and Winchester over to the sheriff’s office to see my old friend Lon Taylor. We had been in the Rangers together before Lon decided to check it to them and take an appointment as Sheriff, here in Liberty. I hadn’t seen him in quite a while. When I walked in the door, Lon was sitting behind his desk in the process of cleaning several guns. We said our “howdys” and he pointed me to the coffee pot. We had a lot of catching up to do but I couldn’t take my eye off of a particular revolver on his desk. It was the prettiest darn Colt I believe I’ve ever seen, before or since.