John August Taffin (born May 2, 1939) is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

from

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

who writes several columns for gun magazines including ''Guns'', ''

Gun Digest The ''Gun Digest'' is an annual firearms book published in the United States by Gun Digest Media. Gun Digest is owned by Caribou Media, LLC. In addition to the annual book, the company releases several volumes a year focused on firearms collectin ...

'', ''Sixgunner'', ''Shoot!'' and ''

American Handgunner ''American Handgunner'' is a magazine dedicated to handguns, handgun hunting, competition shooting, reloading, tactical knives and other shooting-related activities in the United States. It is a sister publication to ''Guns'' and '' American Cop ...

''. A former math teacher from 1964-1995, Taffin is regarded as an authority on single-action revolvers,

handloading Handloading, or reloading, is the practice of making firearm cartridges by assembling the individual components (case, primer, propellant, and projectile), rather than purchasing mass-assembled, factory-loaded ammunition. The term ''hand ...

, handgun hunting, big-bore revolvers, and

metallic silhouette shooting Metallic silhouette shooting is a group of target shooting disciplines that involves shooting at steel targets representing game animals at varying distances, seeking to knock the metal target over. Metallic silhouette is shot with large bore rif ...

. Taffin has authored five books and over 500 published articles. His monthly published gun columns include: Siluetas, Campfire Tales, The Sixgunner, and Taffin Tests. Taffin is widely regarded as an authority on revolvers,

magnum cartridge A magnum cartridge is a firearm cartridge with a larger case size than, or derived from, a similar cartridge of the same projectile (bullet) caliber and case shoulder shape. The term derives from the .357 Magnum, the original cartridge with this d ...

load development,

firearms rights Gun politics within American politics is defined by two primary opposing ideologies about civilian gun ownership. Those who advocate for gun control support increased regulation of gun ownership; those who advocate for gun rights oppose incre ...

and handguns in general. In 2008 Taffin was instrumental in opening the

Elmer Keith Elmer Merrifield Keith (March 8, 1899 – February 12, 1984) was an American rancher, firearms enthusiast, and author. Keith was instrumental in the development of the first magnum revolver cartridge, the .357 Magnum, as well as the later .44 M ...

Museum in Boise, Idaho. The museum is located inside the local

Cabela's Cabela's Inc. is an American retailer that specializes in hunting, fishing, boating, camping, shooting and other outdoor recreation merchandise. The chain is based in Sidney, Nebraska. Cabela's was founded by Richard N. Cabela in 1961. Cabela' ...

retail location.

Writing

Taffin's influences on his writing style were Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton. His first article appeared in the November 1967 edition of ''GUNsport''. He wrote several other articles for the magazine until it ceased publication in 1969. Taffin went on to write for

JD Jones J. D. Jones (born November 21, 1936) is an American firearms and cartridge designer, firearms writer and president of SSK Industries. Jones began hunting at an early age, and became interested in bullet casting and handloading firearms cartrid ...

's newsletter for Handgun Hunters International called ''The Sixgunner'' and Elgin Gates's newsletter for

International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association Metallic silhouette shooting is a group of target shooting disciplines that involves shooting at steel targets representing game animals at varying distances, seeking to knock the metal target over. Metallic silhouette is shot with large bore rif ...

(IHMSA) titled ''The Silhouette'' in 1979. Taffin's first article for ''Guns'' magazine appeared in the December 1983 issue and in May 1984 he became a staff writer for the publication. In 1985, he became a staff writer for their sister publication: ''American Handgunner''.

Bibliography

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References

External links

Archive of Taffin's ''Gun Digest'' articlesTaffin Tests archive from ''American Handgunner''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taffin, John Living people Gun writers American magazine staff writers Writers from Boise, Idaho 1939 births American male non-fiction writers