Elmer's return

If Elmer Keith could return right now, what new if any caliber would he embrace as his everyday carry piece. Or would he stay with his tried and true 44 magnum ?
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
I don't know what he'd be after but he'd likely be rolling his eyes over the 460 Smith while working out the bugs in a 44/444 mini/mag either stretched or trimer to 1.8 for the BFR or X frame .

I think he was probably more an every man's gun kind of guy and I'd bet he would have that walking Ruger base pin fixed ......
 

Missionary

Well-Known Member
I am not to sure he would laugh at the 40 S&W After all he did say write the 41 Colt was an excellent fight stopper.
I shoot 200 grain fn in our 40's chugging along at 1000 fps something the 41 Colt with a 200 grain wishes it could do. Yes we have a 41 Colt with a 6'' barrel and there is no 3F load that will get to 950 FPS with 200 grainers
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
IMHO, I don't think he would find anything in the handgun line to replace his 44 magnum load. He would like the 40 S&W with a 200 grain bullet at 900 f/s for "those with small hands and the ladies".

He always shot soft lead core and copper cup rifle bullets, so don't know what he would think today. It took him 30 years to agree the Nosler Partition was a good bullet. If he could be convinced that the new bullets would penetrate from the "Texas hear shot" to the brisket, he may work with the new super bullets.

He had no use for any shotgun other than the side by side. I don't know that he is wrong.
 
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CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
He would be laughing at the 40 S&W
HERETIC!

I do a lot of that wandering and muttering myself. It would be hard to imagine Mr. Keith packing around any caliber in a wheelgun other than the 44 Magnum, loaded with enough 2400 to enable 1200 FPS with his #429421.
 
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Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
I don't know, I think he would like the 480 Ruger, but the old 44 mag is hard to beat. Nothing with a slide, wheel gun all the way.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I bet he'd like the 414 and 445 super magnums, and declare the 375 just enough for tree stand hunting ''back east''.
he might even like the 338 LaPua.. if it had 275gr bullets.
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
He might show at least some appreciation for the 10mm if it were more common in 1911s. I wouldn't expect him to like it in revolvers, but I think he would at least be polite about it. The 41 mag will do anything the 10mm will do, and even more. Not if Coonan had produced their semi-auto in 41 mag, that might excite him a bit. At least to work with it for awhile.

I can't honestly say that I'd disagree with him either. I really prefer revolvers. And a 41 mag Coonan would be exciting.
 

Ian

Notorious member
I bet he'd have at least one AR-15, in 5.56x45, in a plastic box strapped to his 4-wheeler. It would have been one someone gave him and he was reluctant to try for years, but took out and found effective enough to hang on to.
 

Joshua

Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
If he had a black rifle, it would be an AR-10 in .338 Federal. He helped design all those “OKH” cartridges in .333”, .334”, and .338”. It seems that he thought that 1/3” was the sweet spot for modern bottle neck rifle cartridges.

Josh
 

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Sorry, Elmer would never have a 4-wheeler. He hated Jeeps and anything that made noise. He was anti-engine anything if possible, horses, rafts, drift boats and anything that didn't make noise was always his choice. He tolerated boats in Alaska to take him to places he couldn't walk, even airplanes, but he didn't like it. But just too far to ride a horse, and they don't work in the tundra.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
If he had a black rifle, it would be an AR-10 in .338 Federal. He helped design all those “OKH” cartridges in .333”, .334”, and .338”. It seems that he thought that 1/3” was the sweet spot for modern bottle neck rifle cartridges.

Josh

Mr. Keith was fond of the 33 calibers, for certain. I had a Win 86 TD FWT in 33 WCF for a time, but it wasn't terribly accurate. 3.0"-3.5" at 100 yards was about all it could manage with either the 200 grain Hornady soft points or the 210 grain cast RCBS FN GC. The castings did shoot right with the J-words to 2100 FPS, though. I don't know whether a solid-mount barrel in an 86 would have shot better or not. I think the 338 Federal, 338-'06, and 338 Win Mag are all fine calibers--and the 338 WMs have been quite accurate for me (2 bolters so far). It is one of the belted magnums that makes sense, and isn't completely over bore capacity. A 338 Federal AR-10 is a very intriguing idea.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
Interesting thread.. He would have quite alot of splanin'. Since generations have now read "Hell I was there". ;)

CW