FNG - Old Gun Writer

Joined
Sep 29, 2017
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19
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OR
Hello, my new friends.

My name (real name) is Steve Timm. I am 74 years of age and have hunted extensively all of my life; here in Oregon, BC, Alberta, Sask, the Yukon, Quebec, most western states, Zim and South Africa ... and I wrote about a lot of it.

I wrote for almost twenty-five years and was published in Handloader, Rifle Magazine, Guns & Ammo and was on staff at Varmint Hunter Magazine for fifteen years. Over the years, my friends at Nosler Bullet Company asked me to write the lead-ins for a bunch of different cartridges in their various reloading manuals

My favorite critter to murder? Gotta be big old mule deer bucks, with antelope running a very, very close second.

Favorite cartridges? For varmints and predators, the .223 Ackley Improved. And for big game here in the States and Canada, the .280 Ackley Improved is really hard to beat (I was using the .280 WAY before it was cool. And for plains game in Africa, I've always used the .30-'06, mostly because the '06 totally works and ammo availability is easy (just in case the airline gorillas lose my boolits).

Let's see, other info. Been married to my best friend and greatest hunting partner, Karen, for over 53 years and we've lived in the same home for all of that time. We are devout Catholics and donate lots of our time to helping others. Also, politically VERY conservative, so I do believe I'll fit right in here.

Frankly, I'm looking for a Cyber-Home that centers around hunting, shooting, handloading, guns and such ... and one without all the hatred and drama that is so prevalent on other sites. In carefully looking at Rokslide, and in reading the forum rules, I think it's a GREAT fit.

Anyway, It's wonderful to be here.

God Bless,

Steve

PS. Just for kicks and giggles, here are photos of a few of our critters
















And my very favorite ... Karen's first elk, prolly forty years ago:


 
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philos

Super Moderator
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Behind you
Nice selection of critters there. This is indeed a pretty good place to get & give. Nice bunch here. I look forward to your input as it seems you will bring quite a bit of knowledge and enthusiasm to the boards.

Welcome to the forums!
 

AXEL

WKR
Joined
Jan 2, 2015
Messages
315
Location
Brit. Col.
Hello, friend Steve, how great to find you here! I was just thinking of you the other day and wondering how you were. I am still kicking, barely
and still doing some BC hunting in the Kootenays, my home region. Somehow, I don't seem to climb the hills as I used to, age 71, and am just doing what I can and enjoying it.

Good site here, the animosity and personal attacks that ruin so many sites are just not here and folks seem to try to get along, a welcome change from certain other venues.

Gotta run, will PM very soon and catch up, God Bless and Keep You, Dewey
 
OP
S
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Sep 29, 2017
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Friend Dewey,

I was thinking of you not long ago, as well. And in a very positive way.

How wonderful it is that we met up again here.

Karen says "Hi" and sends her best wishes.

My friend, I am so busted up now that I can no longer hunt, so I'm left in the role of helping others ... something I love, and a role I totally cherish.

God Bless You, my old and dear friend,

Steve
 

bates

WKR
Joined
Sep 4, 2012
Messages
554
Location
Florida
Steve. Welcome.

Always enjoyed reading posts years ago on 24 hour campfire.

I built a 223ackley by of it
 

KClark

WKR
Joined
Jul 15, 2015
Messages
471
Location
Oleta
Welcome Mr. Timm, I fondly remember your writings well having subscribed to all of those mags at one time or another. Perhaps you can indulge us with a blast from the past occasionally.
 
OP
S
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Welcome Mr. Timm, I fondly remember your writings well having subscribed to all of those mags at one time or another. Perhaps you can indulge us with a blast from the past occasionally.

Hey, my friend, A "Blast from the Past" is about all I have left, but I will give it with absolute pleasure.

Blessings,

Steve
 
OP
S
Joined
Sep 29, 2017
Messages
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Friends,

THANK YOU for the warm welcome. I truly appreciate having a friendly hunting-based forum as my Cyber-home.

Hey, how about a few more photos???

Blessings,

Steve




A rusty-red color phase black bear. Hell's Canyon, where I used to guide for elk hunters




A dandy day and a half predator hunt out of Cotilla, Texas. Rifle ... .223 Ackley




For sure, not my biggest mule deer, but surely my prettiest. Cartridge ... .280 Ackley Improved using a prototype Nosler 160-grain Ballistic Tip (which they never manufactured). That year, I killed a moose, two elk, a couple of fantastic whitetail and this mule. One boolit each and nobody complained.



Alberta mule deer and whitetail. Cartridge ... .280 Ackley using the 160-grain prototype Ballistics.


PS. 'Scuse my bloody hands ... I kinda "get into my work" :rolleyes:
 

Stid2677

WKR
Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
2,349
Can ask about your ram? He's a cranker,, sheep are my thing. 40 plus 170ish??
 
OP
S
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Sep 29, 2017
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OR
42-inches as I remember. I've forgotten the score, but pretty darned good.

He had not a single tooth left in his head and surely would have died in the harsh Yukon winter.

I really, really, really worked for him.

Blessings,

Steve
 

elkguide

WKR
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Jan 26, 2016
Messages
4,642
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Vermont
Glad that you found your way here. Great place to kick off your boots and tell a story or two. Bunch of good people that are willing to listen, learn and congratulate on successes and most of all....... love to read a good story. You and your experience should fit in here just fine!
 
OP
S
Joined
Sep 29, 2017
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Couple more:



One of my better mule deer. Prolly -35ºF and he was acting "bucky" with a bevy of ladies. That was his downfall. Shot was straight away with him standing on a cutbank (totally vertical spine-line) ... I held on the top of his head and the boolit whacked him between the shoulder blades. Nosler dirt-nap most ricky-tick.




Another Montana mule; not a bad one, for sure. I was all alone and on the back side of the mountain. COLD, very, very cold.



Not my biggest bear, but surely my prettiest. Karen had just killed a dandy bull in Hell's and while I was gutting him, she looked up the hill and commented, "Stevie, there's another bull, but I can't see the antlers."

Of course, I was armpit deep in guts, but I still looked up the hill. Dang, the critter was golden elk-side color, but there was no dark head/neck and no dark legs.

So, I grabbed my binos and was suddenly face-to-face with a gorgeous golden bear.

A shot to the throat secured him and he fell off a cliff, rolling within 75 yards of us (he finally ended up in a damnable thicket of sticker bushes).

It was a long, long evening.

All critters killed with my .280 Ackley and 140Balistics or 139Interlockeds

Blessings,

Steve
 
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