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Yes, sir, I enjoyed our chat. Looking forward to more and even more sad that I won't get to meet you in Tulsa.

I own several chief A .J. 10/22 but I have an unfair advantage as I knew him as uncle A.J. . Currently own one of his personal tuned 10/22 and a custom a.j. 10/22

Charlie1022 . I have a case of those cards lol I hand them out at gun shows

Maybe you could add some input into the new book about him from knowing him as Uncle AJ.

SonOfaRugerLegend wrote: ↑Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:16 am I own several chief A .J. 10/22 but I have an unfair advantage as I knew him as uncle A.J. . Currently own one of his personal tuned 10/22 and a custom a.j. 10/22

If you would be willing I would like to get this part of the story. I've been speaking with the Chief at least once a day via phone or text and he emails me multiple times a day. As things pop into his mind he shoots them over and the same for me with questions. His Biography is up to about 77 pages of material thus far. I'm having a hard time tracking down actual photographs of many of his modifications and the list is more extensive than I thought. I've been in contact with his engraver who I had to track down which then sent me on some parallel journeys. I haven't written a hand letter in a long time but I have done a little of that lately too. Not everyone is digital! So far, everyone I've spoken to has proven to be informative and interesting. Please send me via pm or email any and all information that you would like to share.

OK so 3 co-authors already to the book not including the Chief himself! Get going! We want this book! Why is not the Chief a member of this forum? Talk to Don Findley about book publishing, he is an acomplished author and may be abble to offer advice

I did ask the Chief to co-author when it was previously suggested and he liked the idea. So far, I'd say 95% of the material is from him directly. Don offered me some great advice too on getting the project organized, started, and some things to think about on finalizing but I think I'm a little too green here to have asked him to co-author something with me. I understand that and think that I probably need to hang around a while and earn my keep before being so presumptuous! Charlie sent me a wonderful recollection of the Chief which has been incorporated (Still need photographs, Charlie!). Like everything, it too brought up some more questions and conversation. I located the Chiefs engraver for approx 10 years and he's sending me what photographs he has but added that because of the dates taken and types of cameras used, that the quality will be lacking. He sent me a rather lengthy description of everything that he could remember doing for the Chief and that helps a lot. There are some unique and one of a kind pieces put up somewhere and others that he knows he's forgotten. I've got some leads on a few. It's been fun thus far and I hope to keep the ball rolling.

I'll see if he will join the forum. The mans probably more tech savvy than me. I know that he has seen his thread here.

I am still working on the pictures for you. I do have a video we shot years ago but not sure we could add it to the book . I have a friend that I need to get a hold of that does a lot of video productions. I think he may be able to get some pictures off of it from the jack rabbit shoot we did.
I am waiting on another friend to get back from vacation who has a high end camera to get some pictures of the material from the Chief I have for the book. Let me know if you have any questions .
My daughter is still trying to find the books that his wife gave her. She has moved several times over the years but is still looking. I think that would be an interesting side of the Chief on how he works with kids
Charlie1022

My father (Ronald William Ackerman) and John are good friends . Chief would visit my father's shop (going western gun shop) in millington Tennessee quite often where he and my father built several custom one off rifles . I still have the articles from about 10 different gun magazines ranging from the late 70s to the early 90s . As much as my father and I don't get along I give him extreme respect . He is not only the only civilian to go through the ruger armoury school he tough there as well as prototype several firearms including the premodel of the p series and at one time was the largest ruger collected in the world save ruger them selves

PS how do I add a picture ? I wouldn't mind showing some of my rugers including a U stamped prototype mini14 my father hand built him self at rugers plant

These were made here in millington TN the tuned was made in 87 and the scout was made in 86. I also have 1 of 3 I believe ever made marksmen pistols . I'll take pics when I go through all the boxes of rugers I have .