Remember Skeeter????

[abunaitoo]

Us old timers will remember when Shooting Times magazines were good reading.
Great writers, great articles.
My first stop in a new issue was always Skeeter Skelton.
His stories were the high light of the magazine.
I have both of his books (worth a small fortune these days)
A couple of magazines by him (worth a bigger fortune)
They just don't make writers like him anymore.

[Bazoo]

I came about after all the good writers done started pushing up daisies. I didn't know skeeter wrote any books.

[Three44s]

Just about every time I look at a can of Unique, I think of Skeeter!

Three44s

[clum553946]

“Good Friends,
Good Guns,
Good Whiskey!”

[Randy Bohannon]

John Wooters was my rifle guy for a long time when I started handloading .

[Bazoo]

I've read some Wooters in old magazines. I think he put out a plea for a particular winchester 88 several times. If it wasn't Wooters was one of the others of his ilk. I don't remember the caliber or serial number, just that it as an 88.

[Shawlerbrook]

Yes, Skeeter, Wooters, Bob Milek, Jamison. I has subscriptions in the 70’s &80’s and read it cover to cover, over and over.

[smithnframe]

The current Shooting Times is a far cry from what it once was! Skeeters column and articles were always my first stop. I also liked a writer named Frank Petrini.

[Don Purcell]

The current Shooting Times is a far cry from what it once was! Skeeters column and articles were always my first stop. I also liked a writer named Frank Petrini.

Agreed. Used to buy Shooting Times regularly back in the '70s and early '80s but haven't bought one in almost decades. Yes, I remember and liked Petrini's articles also. Guns and Ammo is also just a shell of it's former self. Was fortunate to have met and talked with Skeeter and the conversation was .44 Specials.

[memtb]

Yes.....Skeeter was definitely one of the great ones. Like yourself, Shooting Times was my must have magazine.....my only gun magazine! memtb

[memtb]

Just about every time I look at a can of Unique, I think of Skeeter!

Three44s


Three44’s, Didn’t Skeeter write about leaving Unique (it may have been 2400) in his powder measure overnight (maybe a few days, can’t remember), then getting some unexplained pressure issues? Sorry about the details questions......it’s been a while! memtb

[contender1]

As a young man,, I used to get as many of the old shooting magazines as I could. I'd read a lot of the stuff,, re-read things,, and study as much as I could.
Skeeter & Shooting Times was by far my favorite. His banter with Bill Jordan, his Tales from the Rio Grande, Me & Joe, along with all the normal stuff was as good as it ever got.
And his books,, (The one mentioned above,) as well as "Hipshots & Hoglegs" or the one published after his death (in 1988) "I remember Skeeter" by Sally Skelton, are among my prized books. And the magazine styled books as well.
I was fortunate enough to meet Skeeter back in 1981,, at the SHOT Show. I have a picture of him. I wish I'd gotten him to sign something for me,, but just meeting with him,, and enjoying his soft spoken, gentlemanly manners was a treasure.
I also have a small item, that used to belong to him, and I treasure it as well.

Yep,, Skeeter was a big influence to this budding handgun hunter.

I did find that Sheriff Jim Wilson & his writings,, while different,, made me feel as if he and Skeeter may have been kinfolk. Jim can spin a good tale as well, along with his knowledge of firearms. I have been able to get to know Jim more than I was able to with Skeeter. And to sit & swap tales with Jim,, always leaves me feeling as if I have had a sit-down with a kindred soul of Skeeter's. I have told Jim this a few times too.

And as time passed for me as a youngster,, I found that many of the gun magazines were not as desired as ST when Skeeter was writing for them. Skeeter was about the best in my opinion.

[Thunder Stick]

Yep, Skeeter was my favorite in the old ST magazines. Bob Milek was my favorite in G&A and is responsible for me owning a .257 Roberts. But today, I can tolerate Shooting Times but not G&A at all.

[vernm]

I too, would wait for the Shooting Times to see what Skeeter was up too. In one issue he told about an understanding surgeon who repaired his wife's
knees and took one of his pistols as payment.

Years later an orthopedic surgeon move into my neighborhood in Oklahoma. I found out he was a shooter and we became friends. One day he brought out a six inch stainless Python. The custom grips had the initials SS in gold.

He even let me shoot it.

[MUSTANG]

Through the years of reading Skeeter's articles; always loved the "Jug Johnson" stories (Betting they were written in the months where he could not get a good gun test completed - or no good handgun ideas came to mind. Found the following that will give those who were never able to read his articles an idea of the humor in the "Jug Johnson" articles through his years of writing:

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/handgun_reviews_st_jugjohnson_200812/100169


The Jug Johnson Saga
On a fateful day in 1975, Skeeter's response to this letter began the entangled web of correspondence with the annoying, irrepressible, and always entertaining Jug Johnson. Their "friendship" went on for years. Here's how it all started. --The editors
By Skeeter Skelton

Over the years, Jug Johnson had some strange questions and some wild money-making schemes that he felt compelled to run by Skeeter. Topics included everything from handloading to rattlesnake wrangling.
General Delivery
Persimmon Gap, Tex.
Jan. 12, 1975

Mr. Skeeter Skelton
c/o Shooting Times
News Plaza
Peoria, Ill.


Deer Skeeter:
They save old copies of Shootin' Times for me down at the Ranch Barber Shop, and I been readin' the stuff you write about sixshooters and about half of it makes sense. I don't like the stories with a lot of numbers in them.


I was workin' in the cinnabar mines over at Terlinguas, and my Uncle Rat Thomas died and left me his section of land with that old adobe house on it, so I quit my job and moved in. Uncle Rat, he thought a right smart of his sixshooters, and they are all mine now, I guess.

I got to make a livin' and I'm goin' to stock this place with heifers and sell the fat ones and keep some for mother cows. Rawjaw Wheeler, he's a trucker, says he can get me a real good deal at the sale in Montgomery, Ala., so I mortgaged this place for the cash and told him to bring me a truck load.


But that ain't why I'm writin' to you. It's about these guns. There must be 40 of them. While my heifers are out there just makin' me money, I'm goin' to have lots of time to shoot. I got Rat's reloadin' machine--it's a Pacific or RCBS or C&H or Star or one of them.


I been readin' pieces about loadin' shells and I reckon I can do that. But I want you to tell me what to put in the shells. I got bullet casters and it looks like everything else.

I don't want to bother you too much, so let's start with just a few like the two kinds of .45, .44 Magna, .41 Magna, .357 Magna, .41 Long, .38 WCF (what does that mean?), .455, .38 S&W, .32 WCF (don't know what that means, either), .38 Special, .38 Super, .380, .32 ACP (?), .22 Magna, and .22 Long Rifle. Can you use rifle shells in the .22 pistol?

They's a whole bunch more guns here, but I'll write about them later. Just tell me what to put in these.

Also I seen where you wrote a story on holsters, and I would like to buy holsters for these guns. I lost the story, so where did you get the holsters and how much did they cost?

Also don't like the handles on any of these guns and want new handles. Where can I get them?

I wanted to ask you about somethin' else, but here comes Rawjaw's truck and I better help him unload. Looks like I'm finely in the cow business.

Answer soon.

Yours truly,
Clyde Johnson
(they call me Jug)

Peoria, Ill.
May 5, 1975

Mr. Clyde Johnson
General Delivery
Persimmon Gap, Tex.

Dear Mr. Johnson:
Many thanks for your interesting and detailed letter, and please forgive the long but unavoidable delay in my response to it. My writing activities leave only a small amount of time to handle correspondence, and I am hopelessly behind.

But let's get to your inquiry about handloading. It would appear that your uncle's handgun collection is quite extensive. Each of the calibers you mention does, of course, require a different powder charge and sometimes a different primer (Large Pistol or Small Pistol). Weights of powder charges will vary according to the type of powder used, the weight and diameter of the bullet to be loaded, the muzzle velocity desired, and the caliber being loaded.

You will find it an invaluable aid to acquire one of the excellent loading manuals published by Speer Inc., Lyman Products, Sierra Bullets, Hornady Bullets, and others. Their addresses accompany their advertisements in Shooting Times. If, after having read a good reloading manual, you still have specific questions, I would like to refer you to my old friend, John Wootters. John is our handloading editor and a real expert. Just tell him that Skeeter sent you. I know how pleased he will be.

As for the holsters, you were not very specific as to which attracted your interest. There are any number of good holster makers, including Allen's Saddlery, Silver City, N.M.; Bianchi, Temecula, Calif.; Don Hume Leather Goods, Miami, Okla.; George Lawrence Co., Portland, Ore.; Roy's Custom Leather, Magnolia, Ark.; S.D. Myres, El Paso, Tex.; and Safariland, Monrovia, Calif. Write for their catalogs and prices.

You did not stipulate whether you wished to change the stocks on your handguns because you didn't like their appearance or because they don't fit your hand. For cosmetic changes, there are several firms that can supply replacement stocks of ivory, staghorn, and mother-of-pearl. For custom-fitted stocks, write to companies like Herrett's Stocks, Twin Falls, Idaho; Mustang Grips, Temecula, Calif.; or Dave Wayland, Corte Madera, Calif.

My congratulations on your inheritance, and I hope you prosper in the ranching business.

Best wishes.
Skeeter Skelton

[scattershot]

Yeah, I couldn’t wait for the new ST to come out each month. Skeeter Skelton was probably my favorite gun writer of all time. I had both of his books, but gave them away. Sure wish I had them back now.

[abunaitoo]

I'm always on the look out for "I remember Skeeter"
Should have gotten one when it came out.
Someday.

[rockshooter]

Another writer from the 1930 era was Lucian Carey. His character was JM Pyne, a takeoff on HM Pope, barrel maker. I was able to find a collection of his shooting stories.
Loren

[EDG]

I was too poor as a kid for a subscription to a gun magazine so I got caught up each month in the barber shop.

[Cargo]

This thread made me SMILE. I need to buy some more books. There are still a few good writers but it's just not the same.

[cp1969]

Skeeter was a good writer. But so was Elmer Keith, Jack O'Connor, and Jeff Cooper.

[Three44s]

Three44’s, Didn’t Skeeter write about leaving Unique (it may have been 2400) in his powder measure overnight (maybe a few days, can’t remember), then getting some unexplained pressure issues? Sorry about the details questions......it’s been a while! memtb

While I am a fan of Skeeters writing I am not versed enough to recall the pressure issue you mention, sorry.

I do recall a cool story about his time horseback on the border. His horse was trained to stop a 100 yards or so down the trail after he slid off on the side opposite a spotted coyote. The coyote would keep an eye on the horse thinking that the danger was moving away. But ‘ole Skeeter was in the bushes taking a bead on ‘ole Wiley.

I have used that trick by bailing off the feed wagon on the go, the driver keeps moving until the coyote gets its dirt nap.

Three44s

[Doubletap]

Skeeter. Back in the days before a lot of handgunning info was available in print, Shooting Times was where it was at if you were a student of using the handgun in the field. I well remember patiently waiting for the book store to get in the new Shooting Times.
Guns and Ammo had the good Col. Cooper, and of course Elmer, but by the late 60's on, Cooper was pretty much a handgun defense writer who arose in the morning and reclined at night to the words of the 1911 Gods. For those of us looking to become field handgunners, maybe even hunting with a handgun, Skeeter and Shooting Times was THE place to learn stuff.
Fast forward to today, and a whole lot of shooting, training, and more guns than I should have ever really owned, and I can look back at Skeeter's writing and articles and still find new ideas to help me shoot better or more consistently. I've been handgunning for 54 years, shot a lot of game, won a few matches, and used my skills for the good against the evil, so to be able to still find relevant info says a lot about the man that wrote it. And besides, the man could WRITE! Long live Skeeter and Jug.

[contender1]

Well said DoubleTap!

[Eddie Southgate]

I remember Skeeter , Elmer , Townsend Whelen , Tommy Bish , The Askin's , Lucien Carey ,Clyde Baker, Max Vickery ,Wiley Clapp , Bob Brister ,Bill Jordan and a host of others that wrote for the gun magazines as well as books . Miss them all daily and other than Jim Wilson and one or two others I haven't found any of the new writers to like since they went away . Don't like the format used for magazines in the last 20 years or so either . Only magazine I read anymore is the reloading mag and then only when they are featuring a cartridge I am really interested in . + anyone worth his salt would also mention Warren Page in any discussion of now deceased gun writers , can't believe I did not include him in the first line of this rant !!!

[Bent Ramrod]

The story I remember was that Skeeter had traded his old, reliable, accurate, but slow Belding&Mull powder measure for one of the newer click-clack crank measures that dropped the powder directly into the shell and therefore was much faster to use.

He did his reloading at the office, and had regaled his fellow LE officers on how his handloads were pushing the .44 he carried at the time to levels of power undreamed of by ammo factories, which made revolvers into big-game hunting weapons the equivalent of rifles, in the right hands.

He used some double-base powder (2400, IIRC) in his loads and was accustomed to leaving the powder in the brass-and-glass B&M measure, and carried this habit with the new measure, which had the clear plastic hopper common to most of them. He noticed that the plastic was crackling and yellowing, but thought it was nothing significant.

One day, someone came into the office with the request that somebody come out to his ranch and kill one of his cows, which had gone loco, or was sick in some way. They directed him to Skelton, who modestly admitted that he had the most powerful handgun on the market, stoked to the limit. Skelton accompanied the rancher back to his place, accompanied by several other officers, who wanted to witness the might of this handgun. They bailed out of the automobiles, Skelton and the officers followed the rancher to where the cow was, and Skelton drew down on the cow, aiming at her forehead.

He pulled the trigger, and there was this *POP!*, a spray of unburned powder, and the bullet bounced of the cow’s forehead. Five other shots followed, with the same results. The cow, bored, wandered away. Everybody looked at each other, the rancher went to his house for some other means to kill the cow, and the officers went back to the office. Skelton realized that the staining and crazing of the powder measure hopper was caused by the nitroglycerin plasticizer leaching out of the powder, weakening the powder and reducing its ignitability. The hopper was replaced and the measure was emptied after use from then on.

The word spread, and for months afterwards, Skeeter’s fellow officers and visitors from other law enforcement groups would stop by, asking if they could buy a few of those “Skelton Cow-Killer Loads” from him.

A really great storyteller never hesitates to tell one on himself, it it’s a great story. Skelton was a really great storyteller. Hard to find writers like that, anymore.

[waksupi]

I remember Skeeter , Elmer , Townsend Whelen , Tommy Bish , The Askin's , Lucien Carey ,Clyde Baker, Max Vickery ,Wiley Clapp , Bob Brister ,Bill Jordan and a host of others that wrote for the gun magazines as well as books . Miss them all daily and other than Jim Wilson and one or two others I haven't found any of the new writers to like since they went away . Don't like the format used for magazines in the last 20 years or so either . Only magazine I read anymore is the reloading mag and then only when they are featuring a cartridge I am really interested in . + anyone worth his salt would also mention Warren Page in any discussion of now deceased gun writers , can't believe I did not include him in the first line of this rant !!!

I really like Lucien Carey. I think his writings were put together in a book.
One of the top outdoor writers of all time was Russell Annabell. He grabbed you at the first sentence, kept you to the end, and left you wanting more.

[Eddie Southgate]

I really like Lucien Carey. I think his writings were put together in a book.
One of the top outdoor writers of all time was Russell Annabell. He grabbed you at the first sentence, kept you to the end, and left you wanting more.

One word , actually two ,,,,,, Tex Cobb ! :mrgreen: Thanks waksupi , I can't believe I didn't mention him . Guess I'm getting the CRS .

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I remember all those articles by Skeeter and still have some of the old Shooting Times magazines. He is the man who put me onto the 44 SPL. He did have some great stories.

[Walks]

The "Me & Joe" stories were the best.
He was & is My Favorite Handgun Writer.

[shunka]

The "Me & Joe" stories were the best.
He was & is My Favorite Handgun Writer.

Skeeter's "Me & Joe" stories were so famous that several magazines post in thier "rules for writing for us" standing orders:
NO "Me & Joe" stories!

[nicholst55]

abunaitoo: Here ya go: https://www.amazon.com/I-Remember-Skeeter-s-skelton/dp/187935649X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=i+remember+skeeter&qid=1602461793&s=books&sr=1-1

memtb: Skeeter (and others) experienced this issue after leaving Hercules Unique powder in the powder measure after their loading session. This was a mantra back when I began loading: 'Don't leave Unique in your powder measure.'

[derek45]

.
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good article on the 357magnum

http://www.darkcanyon.net/MyFriend_The357.htm
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https://i.imgur.com/sxpoT1D.jpg

[abunaitoo]

abunaitoo: Here ya go: https://www.amazon.com/i-remember-skeeter-s-skelton/dp/187935649x/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=i+remember+skeeter&qid=1602461793&s=books&sr=1-1

memtb: Skeeter (and others) experienced this issue after leaving hercules unique powder in the powder measure after their loading session. This was a mantra back when i began loading: 'don't leave unique in your powder measure.'

ouch!!!!!!!

[JCM45]

Subscribed to both Shooting Times and Guns and Ammo during the 70's and 80's. Remember all the great writers well, including Skeeter.

[sharps4590]

Yeah, I remember Skeeter....and most all mentioned and they were great. Lucian Cary evades my memory though. I don't remember him. Mike Venturino wrote for ST and he wrote about firearms I was immensely interested in. I didn't renew my subscriptions to ST or G&A when I got tired of seeing the latest, greatest newest, double stack, double action, semi-auto 9mm on the cover....and 6 articles on the same thing. I do occasionally buy a copy of Handloader or Rifle when there is something that interests me. After 30+ years I even let my subscription to Fur, Fish and Game lapse. Sure ain't much out there anymore...certainly not the likes of those mentioned.

Though he was at his peak when I was just a boy and I didn't discover him until my late 20's, Robert Ruark is another good one. Surprised he hasn't been mentioned, unless I missed it.

[gwpercle]

Me and Joe Stories .

I agreed with pretty much everything Elmer Keith had to say but always sided with Skeeter on the subject of the 357 Magnum , Lyman bullet mould #358156 GC and the use of gas checks and Skeeter's favorite loads and the Ruger Blackhawk's .
Gary

[Kosh75287]

I'd hate to have to choose between Skeeter Skelton and Col. Cooper as to which was my favorite gun writer. They came by their voluminous stores of knowledge in completely different ways, but were equally formative in the development of MY "philosophy of firearms". I always found Mr. Skelton's writings more humorous, but no less grounded in fact and sensibility. I think Col. Cooper wrote in a more "scholarly" tone, but was not above moments of humor, often of a desiccatingly DRY variety.
I was reading a great deal of Cooper's material (for entertainment), when I was learning to properly write, on my own. I used his prose as a guideline for how to structure sentences and arguments, alike. It helped me make better grades in this pursuit than I probably deserved.

[Piedmont]

Skeeter was a natural story teller. He wrote once that he thought a story about someone using a gun was more interesting than a story about a gun. I think that is why his writing was so interesting. He wrote about people and included the gun(s) in the story.

[Hardcast]

Back in the early to mid 70's I stopped at a local drug store with a snack counter where I could get grilled cheese sandwiches and a Cherry Coke at a reasonable price. Monthly I would also pick up the new copy of Shooting Times for 75 cents as soon as it hit the magazine rack in the same drugstore. Still remember sitting at the counter eating my sandwich and reading the newest Skeeter article. Loves the stories about his friend Jody and the Jug Johnson letters. I especially liked the one where Jug thought it would be a good ideal to shoot a 50 caliber BMG bullet in a .44 Mag revolver. It was a sad time when Skeeter was struck down, by a stroke, IIRC.

[Beerd]

[caution, thread drift ahead]

an then there was the other Skeeter:

269362

..

[Kosh75287]

FAR better-looking than the "Skelton" variety!

[coloraydo]

Skeeter Davis?

[ddixie884]

I miss Skeeter, Waylon and ten cent cokes............

[sharps4590]

The two books mentioned by Skeeter, "Good Freinds, etc." and Hoglegs, Jalapeno's, etc." I thought sounded very familiar. I remebered where I had put them, if I had them, and when I went to one of my bookshelf's, there they were. I got a s__t eatin' grin on my face and removed them from the shelf. As soon as I finish the book I'm reading, they're next in the que. I think they're first editions....if there was more than one printing. Thanks for posting the thread. It brings back a lot of good memories.

Skeeter Davis died way too young as well.

Vic

[kerplode]

Skeeter and the writers of his era were before my time, but their works definitely speak to me.

I'm slowly collecting their books, but they're getting harder to come by and really quite expensive!

[Hardcast]

I just went to SmileAmazon to check on the Skeeter books to see if they were available. They are available, but very expensive. However, the real shock was the price on a hardcover copy of "No Second Place Winner" by Bill Jordon. It is listed at $1008.00 plus shipping. Glad I bought my copy decades ago when Jordon was still with us.

[cp1969]

I stumbled on a copy of Elmer's "Big Game Hunting" at a flea market. The book itself is in very good condition; the dust jacket is not.

$5

Sometimes you get lucky.

[contender1]

As I mentioned,, I have Skeeter's books,, and,,, I also have Bill Jordan's "No Second Place Winner" in HB. $1008,,,,,,,, WOW!!!!!!! I don't think they would sell at that price,, but still,, if it's an indication of anywhere close to value,, (even half that,) is quite amazing.

[MT Gianni]

I met a person who claimed to have a copy of Skeeters wifes "I Remember Skeeter". I saw the advanced order ads in Shooting times but never bought one. I was with the belief that they never went to print.

[Piedmont]

I met a person who claimed to have a copy of Skeeters wifes "I Remember Skeeter". I saw the advanced order ads in Shooting times but never bought one. I was with the belief that they never went to print.
They were printed. I have a paperback copy. Wolfe Publishing.