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Hell, I Was There

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Elmer Keith is a legend of the American West and of firearms. He was a contemporary of Charles Askins (Unrepentent Sinner) and of many of the other greats of American firearm experts.

I never met him though had I known how close I was to him during the late 1970s, I would have made the effort to meet him. Elmer was typical of the classic western male of the early to mid-1900s. The effete, feminized, modern urban male will classify him as arrogant and a braggart. This is understandable, yet regrettable, because the modern male understands nothing of committment to anything except their own self-interest and comfort. They do not understand conviction or character. Elmer had plenty of both.

I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I first read it in the late 1980s in a borrowed book. I enjoyed it now even more. I was dismayed at the amount of carnage in the hunting stories he provided. The number of wounded game and the multiple shots required to kill game as they suffered and fled is tragic. The needless suffering of hunted and trapped animals is disturbing. But, it must be kept in mind that these were different times and trapping and hunting as a means of survival is far different from the motivation of most hunters and trappers of today. I could not even read Chapter 7 because of the accounts of the slaughter of African game, especially the elephants.

The most compelling portions of Elmer's memoir are his accounts of the broncs he rode, the country he saw, his encounters with incompetent and arrogant law enforcement officials, game wardens and other government bureaucrats like the Forest Service, and his dealing with extraordinary physical pain and suffering. This was one tough son of a bitch (and that is a compliment).

A very noticeable thread in the book is the confrontations with law enforcement officers, especially Idaho game wardens. These accounts further corroborate the conflicts that occurred between Claude Dallas and the same department officials in 1981 ending with Claude shooting and killing two of them. There are also accounts by Elmer of the old time law enforcement officials that understood the differences between good guys and bad guys and encouraged citizens to take action against the bad guys. A far cry from the "obedient street bureaucrats" that assault all citizens with impunity in today's world.

This world, both domestically and internationally would be a better place if more of our population adhered to the values and certitudes of right and wrong that men like Elmer took as a matter of course.

Elmer came up during hard times, but these times were, arguably, among the best years of America. We had a stable and homogenous population that had greater continuity of values and a love and respect for America. The country, especially the West, was less crowded and self-sufficiency and independence with a love of individual liberty was the order of the day. It was a time when a man carried a six-gun and was expected to conduct himself honorably and carried the means of dealing with those who were dishonorable. It was a better time and place.

During his half-century of prolific writing, Keith explored virtually every aspect of the shooting sports and firearms development. His writing style is engagingly coloquial and every bit as concrete as his epistemology.- If Keith wondered how many teeth there were in a Camel's mouth, he would find himself a camel and count 'em. Likewise, before the general availability of the counter-chronograph, Keith knew the performance parameters of his loads. While his contemporaries might simple guess at pressures and velocities, Keith would pack his cartridges off to the White laboratories for the straight scoop.

In Hell, I Was There, we learn the inside story of what it was like to be a gun writer in the glory days. We also get a clear picture of life as it was during the early decades of the Century. Keith emerges as a dedicated family man and a responsible citizen of his era.

Those who have read Keith's other books and magazine articles will find themselves in familiar territory, nevertheless, the most dedicated Keith reader will find something new in Hell, I Was There.

A pleasure to pick up and get lost with the author as he leads you from one exciting location to the next, usually in pursuit of big game. Though this isn't just a book about hunting. Elmer explains what growing up in the early part of this century was like. Everything from dealing with the local grade school bully to crooked bankers who run his family off their farm. Pick up a copy and enjoy.

Elmer Keith tells it just as he lived it. From busting Montana broncs, to his development of many of today's popular cartridges, to hunting and guiding for a living, to taking to the game fields of Africa. How a cowboy became the most respected gun writer ever. This book is about much more than guns and hunting, it is about life at it's best. A must read book.

I have read this book three or four times now over the years and find that it helps me remember and respect the hard lives lived in the not to distant past. Reading Elmer's life story is like involving yourself in an epic. If you remember the movie "Little Big Man" with Dustin Hoffman from the 1970's you can get a feel for this book. The movie was a life story told by a 100 plus year old man. This book reminds me of that. You wish you had been there but wonder if you really had the strength and courage to endure the hardships as those folks did without complaint.Well worth the read.

Elmer Keith was referred to as the dean of American gun writers and that may have been an honest title. He wrote about cartridges and firearms as much as about hunting and the outdoors.

This is his autobiography; told in his typcal bold and bragging way he was the real life version of type of character that was typified in John Wayne movies. He was truly an American legend. There is a certain amount of bragging and patting himself on the back in his story along with his ability to stretch the barrels on some of his big bore firearms, but it is also a tough and gritty story written with Keith's wry sense of humor.

Elmer Keith was a man who saw the door close on the era of the old west and the ushering in of the new west. He was an anachronism, a nineteenth century man trapped in the twentieth century.

This is not a gun book as such, but a lot of ammo gets expended in the telling of it. All in all, it is a very entertaining read for anyone interested in firearms, hunting and the outdoors.

From a time in our country when people were not just sheep and actually had to depend on themselves to get by and not the welfare check!!
Elmer Keith inspires all hunters and shooters with The story of his life in a time that we can only dream of and wish for.
This book is a must read over and over again!.

I picked the book up because I came across so many references to Elmer Keith as I got into handgun sports. The man behind the .44 magnum, etc....
It took me a bit to get into the book because it is kind of a discursive memoir with a bit of a mixed chronology. This is explained by Keith's comments at the end that he dictated the book-- he was urged by many to write his memoirs but didn't want to pound out another book on the typewriter.
But I did get into it and greatly enjoyed it. This guy was tough beyond what most of us can even imagine. Keith talks more about his outdoor life in this book than about the technicalities of his cartridge development. He expresses a few crochets at the end about how the world is going to hell, but he has a point there, too.
A very worthwhile read if you are a traditional outdoorsman, especially.

This is a must read for anyone interested in the history of gun caliber development in the United States. Elmer Keith is an icon in American gun writing. If you want to understand the history you have to know Elmer Keith. He arose from humble beginnings but knew what he was talking about and people listened. This is written in his unique and matter-of-fact style although some of the facts seem stretched a bit. Buy the book, you will see what I mean.
sl

This book is like a vivid look back in time. I have not been able to put the book down since I bought it. I lose myself for an hour or two every evening in it. If you have the chance and love old stories, guns, hunting, and just plain growing up in a happier time and place, you must read this book. It is good for the soul and your blood pressure. Enjoy.