Elmer's little blue book, "Sixgun Cartridges and Loads" started my on my way casting my own bullets and reloading when I was a 14-15 year old. My father was a gunny but in those days he worked nearly night and day keeping food on the table for our family. However, he encouraged me to start casting bullets and reloading so we would both have something to shoot. I was his "Tester" of all things guns. He set the parameters and I did the work.
Elmer's book pointed me in the right direction and that has been over 65 years ago. I got to meet Elmer a couple of times years later at the NRA Convention and had a chance to talk a bit.
Every now and then some "Johnny come lately" jumps up and criticises something Elmer did or said, or worse yet, wants to second guess him. I confess that it really winds me up as the new found "expert" knows little or nothing.
Elmer, indeed, was the REAL THING. As I grew up and did a lot of back packing, hunting for both small game and deer with handguns, I found little or nothing of what he had passed along to be incorrect. My experience REALLY reinforced everything of his I have read. As a teen ager I wrote him regarding a technical problem, in care of the American Rifleman, and got a nice letter from him, with details. I wasn't smart enough to keep it, worse the luck.
As a result of his writing as well as a contemporary of his, Ed McGivern, I learned to draw and hit with speed and also to make hits with a handgun at almost insane ranges. My safes still contain several .44 Specials and they get exercised frequently.
FWIW
Dale53
