OT- Charles Askins New Service Colt King's Conversion.

[rangerider7]

I found this on another forum thread by "OLD FUFF" and thought it was interesting. "Charles Askins Junior's favorite during his later days in the Border Patrol was a .38 Special, 4 inch barreled Colt new Service with a King Gunsight Co. rib that included an adjustable rear sight. As noted the trigger guard was cut off at the front (a modification he did to most of his handguns) and it had carved ivory stocks with a scrimshawed CA inside a shield on the off side. I believe Pachmayr worked over the action. He was instrumental in getting the Border Patrol to adopt the Colt New Service /.38 Special as a duty sidearm".

I believe he is holding this very Colt.

[kimwcook]

Thanks, RR7. Could you imagine the heart attack you'd give an administrator now trying to carry that on duty.

[J Miller]

I've never seen the benefit of mutilating a revolver by cutting off the front of the trigger guard.

Other than that I like the way that ones set up.

Joe

[Hobie]

For all the wisdom that is ascribed to him now, he also was once young and not so experienced and it was a fad.

[Charles]

When the topic of Charlie Askins comes up, things start to get dicey. Most folks who knew him detested the man, others defend him to the hilt. Folks are seldom neutral when it comes to his guns, counsel or character. I met him twice and he was polite but that was about all. He gave me the creeps.

Lee Jurris was a friend of his, and out of the deep respect I have for Lee, I will just keep my opinions about Askins to myself.

If my eyes don't deceive me, the Colt in the pic is not a New Service. It is a Shooting Master by the lower contour of the butt. Looks to have had the barrel shortened and the rib installed.

While chopping away the front of the trigger guard was popular among some folks, it is always a bad notion. I have shot a few and they never felt secure in my hand. Although I have never needed the front of the trigger guard to keep me from dropping a pistol, but like Askins, these type pistols give me the creeps.

[rangerider7]

Charles you may be right, but you could order the New Service with the rounded butt. They are very rare though.

[yooper2]

Whatever your opinion of the man may be I have always found his writing to be very interesting, his autobiography "Unrepentant Sinner" is about as unique a book you'll ever read. His father's work is also excellent if you're at all interested in shotguns. RR7, you come up with coolest pictures.

Eric

[Ben_Rumson]

I liked his gun & hunting articles I read in various gun rags...When I read somewhere he'd killed 27 men.. I just sort of lost interest...

[Booger Bill]

If they ever do a movie on askins they need to get R Lee Emey to play him. They look just alike!

[Mich Hunter]

He is buried at Ft Sam Houston military cemetary just a couple rows down from my wifes grandfather and grandmother. Walked past his head stone once or twice.

[Mokwaw]

That's a good looking revolver, but I don't think I would chop the trigger guard either.

I read UNREPENTANT SINNER, seems as though Mr.Askins was the type of man needed to do the job at hand that the times called for (ready and willing to kill, without a second thought). He admitted to killing a number of men, it was when he seemed to enjoy it, and brag about it, that I began to lose respect for him. Had he been born a few decades earlier, he may have been one of the notorious old time gun fighters we enjoy reading about.

[Charles]

Deleted by your truly..Charles

[Sarge]

Askins was what he was; I'd still rather read his work than that of the current crop.

Charlie was a bullseye shooter as is evidenced by his preference for finely adjustable sights on this revolver. I don't go in for them on a duty gun and don't personally care for them on a field gun. I know some of you like them and that's fine.

As to the cutaway trigger guard? No thanks. Not on mine.

I have carried stags on two different duty revolvers over the years, so I can allow a man a little personal panache in his sidearm.

[Charles]

I thought better of it and deleted this post.

[Dave James]

The Col was one of my mentors,he could be a crusty old bird and was a stone killer, but he did love fine weapons, the Colts' fit his hand better than the S&W N frame with the standard issue small stocks, and he felt the COlt was a tad more rugged

The he's holding is either the same revolver or his favorite 44-40

Between him and Mr.Bryce I learned a great deal about handguns

[kaschi]

I loved Col. Askins and his writing. Straight forward writer.

[Sarge]

Heck Charles, I ain't a fan of much of anything. I'll agree on Askins ' character flaws and there were certain aspects of his writing I didn't much care for. He was however a one of a kind and he was free with his experiences. He also had a range of handgun experience (all of which he excelled at) not likely to be seen again.

[JerryB]

I agree with you Sarge, just because some folks don't like a feller don't mean much to me. The man did know handguns.

[Charles]

Deleted by me again..Charles

[Booger Bill]

I couldnt have said it better charles!

[Sarge]

Right there is where we part company, Charles. If I need an instructional book on welding, for instance, I don't care how big a drunkard, heathen etc. the author is. I want the best dayum welding book I can get.

Now if he's queer or votes for Obama... all bets are off. I do have some standards.

[Charles]

That is OK, I probably don't know what I am talking about anyway.. just the rantings of an old fool. I will strive to keep such opinions to my self henceforth.

[Hawkeye2]

This may give you some insight to the man:

"The Gunfights Of Col. Charles Askins"

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... in;content

Draw your own conclusions.

[Sarge]

That is OK, I probably don't know what I am talking about anyway.. just the rantings of an old fool. I will strive to keep such opinions to my self henceforth.

I don't know why you would say that... I know you're not an old fool and value your opinions on most everything, no matter if I disagree with them. It'd be a dull old world if we agreed on everything.

[Charles]

I am tired Sarge..very tired..too tired to be offering up such lofty opinions on other persons. I need to spend more time keeping a watch on my own soul rather than another man's soul. Charlie will be dealt with by his Maker, as will we all, sooner or later.

[Booger Bill]

I also read a lot if not most of askins writeings through the years. Have his book "unrepentant sinner". Charlie made a point of telling the world he hated his mother and sister in so many words. He was a controlversal writer and sometimes I got the impression he gave opinions even he didnt belive to stir up controversy. He was tough and knowledgable, sure wasnt a bleeding heart. I would want him on my side if I was ever in a fire fight, but I doubt I would have bothered patroniseing him. I also am going somewhat by what a tough old friend of mine said about his impressions were when their paths crossed. I know I would be very, very afraid to proclaim to the world that I am a unrepentant sinner! Reminds me of a old uncle that was a tough professional wrestler. He was talking tough and my old grandmother made some comment, about what he would tell the lord someday. He said, I will take care of him too! Fortunately, I heard he turned christian not long before he checked out.

[Charles]

Bill... I have had lots of tough guys, turn to jelly and start looking for God when they see the darkness coming at them. I do what I can for them and trust them to God. Because of this, I take most of the tough guy swagger I hear with a big grain of salt.

[Dave James]

The family has said,he wondered around town in the end there,guess the ole mind was going, darn shame no one should go thru that. I tend have great doult the COl was looking for god, he all ways told me he knew who he was and would stand tall when time came. I chalked his style and ways to the time and how he grew up, guess his dad the Major wasn't a real strong man or influence although he spoke kind of him, I never knew him to brag about killing it was just stated as fact. as one of the modren writers has said he wouldn't have been hired in this day and age.

[Charles]

Our lives are made up of all the choices, great and small we have made along the way. Every choice we make brings either positive results or negative consequences. Draw a line at the bottom, add them up and that is who we are.

We don't get to choose our parents, but we can choose to become better or lesser people that our parents were.

I have no idea if the Col. was looking for God, but I am quite certain that God was looking for him. I can only hope he allowed himself to be found.

[Pete44ru]

Well, may he (and others) now R.I.P.

.

[Terry Murbach]

I HAVE NOTHING BUT THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR COL.CHARLES ASKINS jr. HE JUST TOLD IT LIKE IT WAS AND THAT WAS THE END OF IT. NOW, THIS PO'S TEXANS TO A FARETHEWELL AS IT IS THE HIGHEST OF SOCIAL FOX-PAWS TO TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN SHOOTINGS. YOU CAN BALLYHEW YOUR PALS SHOOTINGS TO HIGH HEAVENS AND HE CAN DO THE SAME FOR YOU, BUT DO NOT TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN. SOME FOLKS HAVE DENIGRATED COL ASKINS FOR TAKING BACK SHOTS...YEP !!!, HE SURE DID IN SOME CASES BECAUSE IT IS NOT A GAME, NO-FAIR-PLAY, AND THAT WAS THE SHOT PRESENTED AFTER THE PROCEEDINGS COMMENCED.
WE HAD SOME WONDERFUL CONVERSATIONS AND SOME EQUALLY WONDERFUL CORRESPONDENCE. ONCE, I HAD TO DEFEND THE COL AGAINST SOME IGNORENT BLOWHARD WHICH I DID AS MEAN AS I COULD BECAUSE THE MAN WASN';T FIT TO POLISH THE COL's BOOTS. SOME TIME LATER THE PHONE RANG AND THE COL PROCEEDED TO COMPLIMENT ME VOCIFEROUSLY IN A HIGHLY OBSCENE MANNER THAT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF HILARIOUS. I CANNOT PUT ANY OF IT HERE AS IT EVEN EDITED AS YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT ANYWAYS !!!!.....[......I AM BACK AFTER JUST LAUGHING MY FANNY OFF REMINISING ON THIS...]
THE ONLY MAN I EVER KNEW WHO COULD SWEAR ELEQUENTLY LIKE THAT WAS MY MATERNAL GRANDDADDY... I LEARNED TO CUSS FROM HIM AS A POWER PLAY AGAINST MY MOM WHO JUST HATED IT, [ AND AS IT TURNED OUT LATER HER FATHER ALSO.] I HAVE KICKED LOTS OF BAD HABITS IN MY LIFE BUT NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KICK THE SWEARING HABIT.

[Sarge]

A certain highly prolific gunwriter, who fancies himself the ne plus ultra of all things gunfight-related, penned an article about Askins' escapades, after his demise of course. He generally denigrated him for shooting folks unfairly and winning gunfights preemptively, if you will. He finished by stating that Askins would probably be found guilty of manslaughter at minimum, if he were operating today. I thought it particularly asinine to judge the ROE of Askins time and places, against our boy's notions of today's standards.

I've been reading this pup's work since the 70's and never had a particularly high opinion of him.