Although Rick Hacker was born in Chicago, Illinois, he grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and, thus, became a son of the Southwest. For it was there that he developed his lifelong interest in the shooting sports and an appreciation of its importance to our American way of life. As a teenager, he wrote a column for his high school newspaper, but really began his writing career when he won grand prize for the Boy’s Life writing contest with a short story, “The Cowboy And The Steer.” He went on to organize the Boy Scouts of America’s equestrian Mounted Explorer Post 44, as well as a trick shooting and fast draw club, The Arizona Young Guns.
While attending Arizona State University, among his many jobs, Rick wrote science fiction and western stories to help pay expenses. Later, while working as an advertising executive in Los Angeles, he met the late Robert E. “Pete” Petersen, whose Petersen Publishing enterprises included Guns & Ammo magazine. When Pete learned of Rick’s practical shooting experiences with muzzleloaders, sixguns, and lever-action rifles, he commented, “I’ve got a lot of gun writers doing articles on these things, but few of them know anything about it. How’d you like to start writing for me?” As a result, Rick began writing for Guns & Ammo in 1976. Today, after years of writing for that publication, he is Field Editor for both Handguns and RifleShooter magazines, which were originally part of Petersen Publishing and are now owned by InterMedia Outdoors.
In 1979, he also began writing for The National Rifle Association’s flagship publication, American Rifleman and, eventually, became Black Powder Editor for its sister magazine, American Hunter. Today he is Field Editor of both American Rifleman and the NRA’s newsstand publication, Shooting Illustrated. In addition, he is the author of the best-selling book The Muzzleloading Hunter, and he’s been a longtime contributor to other national firearms publications, including Gun Digest and Safari Club International’s Safari magazine. He also writes extensively on whiskies, wines, pipes, and cigars for numerous consumer lifestyle magazines.
The author is a Benefactor Member of the National Rifle Association, a Life Member of the Single Action Shooting Society, has been inducted into The National Muzzleloading Rifle Association Hall of Fame, and, among his many other accolades, was knighted in Germany. He collects 19th and early 20th century firearms and has hunted with both originals and replicas of these historic arms on the North American and African continents. Needless to say, Rick Hacker is a firm believer in and a staunch supporter of the United States of America and its Constitution, without which, the freedom to write a book such as this could not exist.