(Was) Jim Carmichael...

[Bucks Owin]

IMHO, the best gunhack since O'Connor. (Who he replaced at Outdoor Life)

A somewhat dated article but perhaps interesting to other Carmichael fans.... :wink:

Read it here: http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/article/102743/the-outdoor-life-writing-became-worldly-adventure-for-carmichel



The benchrest record story here: http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gun-shots/2013/05/benchrest-world-record-jim-carmichel

 

[gunman42782]

I have Jim Carmichael's Book of the Rifle. Excellent book.

 

[don44]

I have Jim Carmichael's Book of the Rifle. Excellent book.

+1

 

[Ruger168]

When I worked at Ruger in NH he visited the plant. Most of the people that came in contact with him were not impressed. They said he was not very friendly and treated them like 3rd class citizens. Did not meet him myself. Excellent writer though.

 

[cas6969]

That doesn't surprise me terribly, assuming what they said is true. I've met and known a number of writers and a fair amount of them were that way. Perhaps it's something to do with a personality type that makes people do something in the first place. ( write, sing, paint, act... whatever. "I'm going do this and other people are going to want to watch it!" (or read it, listen to it, watch it etc, etc.)

 

[contender]

I've had the "pleasure" of meeting Jim several times over in Tn. He can easily come off as aloof & looking down on folks. Yet, I think it has to do with his actual intelligence. He appears to not have much time for casual BS or small talk. Yet, if you are capable of discussing something in depth, intelligently, he'll delve right in. But, I also saw him relax & talk to folks. But, he's not one to really waste time BSing around.

 

[protoolman]

I lived a 1/4 mile from one gun writers place in Montana. he's the author of several books.Complete idiot who doesn't shoot much, takes pictures of other peoples cast bullets and pawns them off as his own work etc. He 's no expert. My parents live a couple miles from another published author and magazine writer John Barsness . He is the real deal and a real intellectual, student of ballistics. I also have Carmichael's book of the rifle. He seems to be one of the good ones. I also enjoy Wiley Clapp's work.

 

[Bucks Owin]

I lived a 1/4 mile from one gun writers place in Montana. he's the author of several books.Complete idiot who doesn't shoot much, takes pictures of other peoples cast bullets and pawns them off as his own work etc.....

Not only that, the "duke" once wrote a piece crapping on the beloved .45 LC!!! :evil:

Contender...They say J O'C was much the same, kinda grumpy, didn't suffer fools very well...

 

[WIL TERRY]

I was scheduled to go prairie rat hunting with Carmichael. By the time all the gear was ready and packed I told the boss to find someone else to chaperone the nasty bastard as I would NOT put up with his G..D... snotty disposition for one more minute or there'd be a killin' for sure. Just one pompous ass he was.
I ended up going with writer Chris Christian and we had a heck of a swell time for several days. Nice guy !!
And so it went...

 

[blackhawknj]

I enjoy O'Connor's writings but I have read he wasn't a people person, a common enough occurence among celebrities. Sci-fi fans have told me Isaac Azimov often made a bad impression, among show biz types Frank Sinatra and Johnny Carson did not like meeting fans, Joe DiMaggio in the world of sports. Some people are best appreciated for what they do, not who they are.

 

[mohavesam]

I guess that if your interest (gun writer or otherwise) leads you to disdain other interactions with real commonfolk then the word introvert comes to mind, among other things. Never met Mr. Carmichael, he may be a nice guy who only met fools, I just don't know...?

I always figured that putting food on the table by writing about guns that really haven't changed much since bicycles went to rubber tires had to be a crappy life at best. Like writing about innovations in mexican food?
Still, the good ones kept at it long enough to find a style decent enough (once in a while) to let my coffee get cold reading their articles.

I enjoy Boddington's work and having met him a couple of times, would consider him a decent chap. Would he get out of bed to yank my truck out of a snowdrift? (definition of a friend) Probably not, but he might loan me his tow chains. :wink: